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MICROSOFTPROJECT 2007

A Quick Reference Guide for MSP2007

By:

Mani Srikanth

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Microsoft Project is a software that helps you to plan and track projects, i.e. it helps you to create project plans, communicate them to others and manage the changes as they occur. It is similar to other Microsoft applications. The menu bars, toolbars, shortcut menus, dialog boxes, commands etc. have much in common with MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint etc., making it easy to get started quickly.

What is a project?

A project is a onetime venture having a beginning and an end, that has to be completed within a certain budget and is carried out by people who have limited experience working as a team. Any Project undertaken has to be managed by a project manager or / with by people working on it.

Main functions of MSP:

1. Planning

includes WBS, activities description.

2. Scheduling

includes calendar creation, assigning holidays, start date/ finish

date, finding critical path and total duration.

3. Costing or Budgeting

includes defining and assigning resources

4. Resource management

includes resource levelling

5. Tracking/monitoring/progress updating

includes creating baseline and recording progress (updating

progress)

6. Variance analysis

includes BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, SV, CV, SPI, CPI

7. Report generation

includes creating reports

8. Communication

includes communicating with stake holders/ clients

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Some More Functions:

1. Organising

2. Grouping

3. Sorting

4. Filtering

5. Controlling

In order to perform all these functions, some INPUT DATA is required.

Input data includes 1. Project details

2. Activity details

3. Resource details

Now let us see how to input all these details one by one:

1.. PROJECT DETAILS:

There are two types of project details:

a. Text information: these details will have no impact on analysis

e.g., project name, location, manager name….

PATH: FilePropertiesunder “summary” tab

b. Data information: these details will have an impact in analysis

e.g., project start date, target finish date, project calendar…

PATH: project project information

NOTES:

1. To change the date formatControl paneldate,time regional language optionsunder regional options customize

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2. Priority: it is useful when we are working with multi-projectsThe values varies from 0 to 10001000 gives highest importance

CALENDAR CREATION:

It is the first step to be carried out before creating a project.

How to create new calendar:

PATH: ToolsChange working time select “create new calendar”

Now you will get one new window “create a new base calendar”

In that window give the name of the calendar, and then

if you select “create a new base calendar” it will create a fresh calendar (or)

if you select “make a copy of” optionit will create a copy of the calendar you want to.

And say “OK”

Now you can select your calendar from “for calendar” option

Any holidays for selected days can be assigned from “EXCEPTIONS” tab

We can make a week either working or non-working using “WORK WEEK” tab

After assigning all these properties to the calendar say “OK”.

Now assign that calendar to your project trough:

ProjectProject informationCalendar

NOTES:

a. To make a calendar globalised (i.e., we can use that calendar for any

project we are going to create in future), go to

Toolsorganisecalendars tab and place your calendar in the

left side box i.e., in the “Global.MPT” box.

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2.. ACTITY DETAILS:

Activity details consists of

i.) List of activities

ii.) Duration of the activities

iii.) Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

iv.) Relationships

v.) Constraints

vi.) Deadlines

vii.) Activity calendar

viii.) Activity type

ix.) Milestones

x.) Notes

i.) List of activities: enter the activity names under “task name”

column

ii.) Duration of the activities: enter these values under “duration”

column

iii.) WBS: the process of dividing group of activities into different

segments is called WBS.

Select the activity, which you want to make it as a sub-task for the

above task, and go to

ProjectOutlineindent

To know more, watch “03_02_subtasks” video from MSP Videos.

iv.) Relationships: the process of assigning dependencies between

activities.

Goto windowsplit

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Now right click on the bottom window and select “predecessors &

successors” option.

Now select the activity and give the predecessor/successor name,

relation type, and lag/ lead time.

v.) Constraints: any condition for an activity whether to start on

or to finish on is given by constraints.

PATH: select activityprojecttask informationunder

“advanced” tabassign constraint type and constraint date

For more information watch “04_05_constraint” video

vi.) Dead lines: dead line for an activity will be given here

PATH: select activityprojecttask informationunder

“advanced” tabassign dead line date

NOTES:

1. Constraints will have an effect in scheduling.

2. Dead lines will have no effect in scheduling.

3. Dead lines will be indicated as a red signal in indicator column.

4. Dead lines are preferable than constraints.

5. Dead lines will have effect in “total float” calculation.

vii.) Activity calendar: a activity can follow a calendar other than

project calendar, it is given as activity calendar

PATH: select activityprojecttask informationunder

“advanced” tabassign calendar

viii.) Activity type: the type of activity whether it is fixedduration,

fixed units, or fixed work

Duration = work / units.

In a . . . If you revise work . . . If you revise duration . . . If you revise units . . .

Fixed units task Duration changes Work changes Duration changes

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Fixed work task Duration changes Units change Duration changesFixed duration task Units change Work changes Work changes

To set a default task type for the entire project, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the Schedule tab. In the Default task type box, select Fixed Units (the default), Fixed Duration, or Fixed Work.

To change the task type for an individual task, select the task, and then click the Task Information button. Click the Advanced tab, and then in the Task type box, click the task type that you want to create.

ix.) Milestones: milestones represents a “ particular point of time”

Activities with zero duration are called milestones.

x.) Notes: any important notes can be written here

PATH: select activityprojecttask informationnotes tab

IDENTIFYING CRITICAL PATH:

1. Gantt chart view:

PATH: formatgantt chart wizardnextselect “critical

path”finishformat itexit wizard

in gantt chart, critical activities will be shown in red colour.

2. Filtering:

PATH: projectfiltered forcritical

You can see only critical activities in the activity sheet.

3.. Resource Details:

1. Defining resource and

2. Assigning resources for activities.

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1. Defining resource:

PATH: view resource sheet

In this sheet enter the

i.) resource nameii.) type: includes two types named work and material, in which

Men and machines comes under work type and Material like sand, cement etc.., comes under material type.

iii.) Material label: it is an unit of measurement for “material” type of resources. It is not applicable for “work” type resources.

iv.) Initialsv.) Group

Both initials and group are useful in grouping of resources vi.) Max. units: it indicates the max availability of that resource.

It is applicable for work type resources only.NOTE: to change the unit ( percentage or decimal) of this goto

toolsoptionsschedule”show assignment units as a”vii.) Std. rate: it gives the standard rate to be given for that resource.

Default format is “per hour”To give in per day format enter number and leave a space then type /de.g., 200 /dNOTE: to change the currency units go to

Toolsoptionsview change currency formatviii.) Ovt. Rate: it gives the over time rate for that resource.ix.) Cost/use: it is defined as one time charges occurred.x.) Accrue at: it is the payment method for that resource. Default type

is prorated which indicates payment at regular intervals. The other two are start and end where payment is done at starting and ending of the project respectively.

xi.) Base calendar: it gives the calendar which the resource has to follow.

xii.) Code: any specifications for that resource can be written here.

2. Assigning resources:Task information(double click on a task)resourceAssign resource name and no. of units requiredFor each activity repeat the process

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NOTE:

1. If multiple activities have the same resources to be assigned thenSelect those activitiestoolsassign resources

HOW TO SEE PROJECT COST:

1. Viewtablecost (or)2. Projectproject informationstatistics.

HOW TO SEE OVERALLOCATED RESOURCES:

If the required no. of resources are greater than the max. units of resources then that resource is said to be “over allocated”

To see the over allocated resorce:

1. Resource sheet : over allocated resource will be in red colour (or)2. Resource graph: over allocated resource will be in red colour

RESOLVING OVER ALLOCATION PROBLEM (OR) RESOURCE LEVELLING:

Before solving over allocation problem steps to be followed:

1. Identify which resource is over allocated2. Identify at which task these resources are over allocated3. At what time these resources are over allocated4. How much over allocated

Go to viewtoolbarsresource managementNow we will get one new tool bar(resource management)

Select the over allocated resource and select “assign resource” option from the “resource management” tool bar and then say “replace”

If the over allocation problem is not solved then goto

Tools level resource

WITH THIS THE INPUTS REQUIRED ARE FINISHED

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TRACKING (OR) VARIANCE ANALYSIS:

It is a step by process, steps involved are

1. Creating a base line2. Recording progress3. Variance analysis

1. Creating a base line:Toolstrackingset base line

Select whether to set a “base line” or a “interim plan”

And say “ok”

Base line: in a base line all the information including cost and dates will be saved.

Interim plan: in a interim plan only information about dates are saved.

Interim plans are not useful for cost analysis.

Now go to tracking gantt view from view bar ( left side)

Grey colour bar is the base line.

2. Recording progress:Toolstrackingupdate project

From the above step the whole project is updated, but each activity should also be updated. So select each task and go to

Toolstrackingupdate task (change the actual start and finish dates)

Now to see the variance go to

View tablevariance

To see the cost variance go to

Viewtablecost

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To see the work variance go to

Viewtablework

3. Variance analysis:

Goto Viewtablemore tablesearned valueapply

In that tablePV indicates BCWSEV indicates BCWPAV indicates ACWP

If SV is negative then the project is behind scheduledIf SV is positive then the project is ahead of scheduledIf CV is negative then the project is over spent the moneyIf CV is positive then the project is under spent the money

REPORT GENERATION:

View reports

COMMUNICATION:

Filesend to (or)

Filesave as web page