© 2002 computerprep, inc. all rights reserved. project 2000: module i

© 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved.

Project 2000: Module I


Lesson 1:Examining Project Management

Objectives

• Define project management• Identify project management phases• Understand the project triangle• Review and analyze a case study

Defining Project Management

• Project – a sequence of tasks and a pool of resources that are combined to achieve a particular goal– Task – a unit of work that must be

accomplished during a project– Resource – a person, department or piece of

equipment needed to accomplish a project task• Project management – the process of planning,

organizing and controlling project tasks and resources to accomplish the project goal

Defining Project Management (cont’d)

• A project manager must have strong technical and people skills

• Technical skills involve:– Project planning – the ability to envision the

project as a whole– Managing tasks – the ability to control how and

when individual tasks are completed during the project

– Reporting – the ability to evaluate and assess the condition of the project and to communicate project data effectively

Defining Project Management (cont’d)

• People skills involve:– Recruiting suitable participants – the ability to

combine resources that have the various skills, backgrounds, work habits and values needed

– Managing teams – the ability to reach across departmental boundaries and skill levels to accomplish desired results through project participants

– Communicating – the ability to keep project participants aware of the project’s progress

Identifying Project Management Phases

• Four basic phases in project management:– Defining phase – determine the project scope,

resources and limits– Planning phase – determine all the tasks,

resources and budgeting required to achieve the project goals

– Controlling phase – monitor project progress and drive the project forward

– Closing phase – evaluate the project and make notes for improving the next project

Understanding the Project Triangle

• The project triangle:– Time– Money– Scope

• The relationship among the project triangle factors often determines what kinds of problems may arise and what kinds of solutions you can implement

Reviewing and Analyzing a Case Study

• Lessons 2 through 10 will present the project management process undertaken by a fictitious company, Magic Dust, which publishes children’s books (the Dino-Ranger series)

• Magic Dust’s goals:

– Produce each book in the Dino-Ranger series in less than six months and for less than U.S. $45,000

– Supplement the Dino-Ranger series with other, more complex book projects

– Produce five books each year, including four books in the Dino-Ranger series

Reviewing and Analyzing a Case Study (cont’d)

• Magic Dust defined its goals, set realistic definitions of a successful project, and developed a project plan

• Utilizing the new project plan allowed the company goals to be met:– Each book takes five months to complete and has a

budget of less than U.S. $41,000– Resources are used efficiently, allowing other projects to

occur simultaneously– Department managers can manage multiple projects– Company directors serve as the links among the

publisher, outside contractors and staff members working on the projects


Lesson 2:Getting Started with Project

Objectives

• Start Project• Open and scroll through projects• Explore toolbars and menus• Set options• Get help• Exit Project

Starting, Opening, and Scrolling through Project

• To start Project:– Click on Start, Programs, Microsoft Project

• Project file – contains schedule information that you can view, edit and use for the generation of reports

• Project files display in Gantt Chart view by default

Exploring Toolbars and Menus

• Toolbars and menus initially display buttons and commands for the most commonly used tasks

• As you complete tasks requiring other buttons or commands, Project adds them to the appropriate toolbars or menus

• By default, the Standard and Formatting toolbars are positioned next to each other on one row

• Additional toolbars can be displayed and existing toolbars hidden and moved

• Menus can be expanded to display non-default commands• Floating toolbar – a toolbar that is not docked, or anchored

to an edge of the application window

Setting Options

• Customize the way Project functions and displays by setting user and accessibility options using the Customize dialog box and the Options dialog box

• For example:– Use the Customize dialog box to control the

way in which toolbars and menus are displayed– Use the Options dialog box to control the way in

which various features function

Getting Help

• Project contains the standard Help features such as Office Assistant and Help Contents and Index

• Project also includes:– Quick Preview – gives an overview of key

Project 2000 features– Tutorial – hands-on lessons grouped by major

project task– Project Map – displays each step of project

management as a hyperlink to specific Help text

Exiting Project

• Close any open Project files before exiting Project• To close a Project file:

– Click on the close button in the menu bar• To exit Project:

– Click on the close button in the title bar


Lesson 3:Working with Project Views

Objectives

• Use the View bar• Filter views• Sort views• Group views

About Project Views

• View – a specific arrangement of project data• Task view – displays information about project

tasks• Resource view – displays information about

people, departments or equipment assigned to project tasks

• Sheet view – displays project data in rows and columns

• Chart view - displays project data graphically• Form view – displays project data in a form layout

Using the View Bar

• Click on icons in the View bar to switch from one view to the next

• Use the More Views dialog box to switch to a view that is not represented by an icon on the View bar

• Common Project views:– Gantt Chart – displays a list of tasks in a table

and a bar chart showing tasks and durations over time

– Network Diagrams – displays a diagram showing all tasks and dependencies

Using the View Bar (cont’d)

– Task Usage – displays a list of tasks showing assigned resources grouped under each task

– Resource Sheet – displays a list of resources and related information

– Task Form – displays detailed information about a scheduled task

Filtering Views

• Filter – a set of criteria you apply to a view to display a particular group of tasks or resources

• Three types of filters:– Standard filter – automatically applies

commonly used criteria to limit which tasks or resources display

– Interactive filter – prompts you to enter criteria for the filter

– AutoFilter – allows you to specify criteria for a specific column in a table and is available only in sheet views

Sorting Views

• By default, tasks and resources are listed in ascending order by ID number

• To sort a view:– Click on Project, Sort, then click on a sorting

option in the submenu, or– Click on Project, Sort, Sort by… to display the

Sort dialog box, in which you can specify:• Three levels of sorts• Whether to sort in ascending or descending

order for each sort

Grouping Views

• Group data to organize your information the way you want without having to restructure your project

• Group tasks or resources by clicking on a value in the “Group by” drop-down list in the Standard toolbar


Lesson 4:Creating Projects

Objectives

• Create projects from templates• Create projects from scratch• Enter summary information• Set up project calendars• Save new projects

Creating Projects from Templates

• Template – a model project that includes a basic set of tasks and relationships necessary to complete a particular type of project

• To create a project based on a template:– Click on File, New… to display the New dialog

box– Double-click on the template that most closely

matches the type of project for which you are creating a project file

Creating Projects from Scratch

• To create a project from scratch:– Click on the New button in the Standard

Toolbar, or– If a blank project is onscreen:

• Click on Project, Project Information… to display the Project Information dialog box

• Enter the project start date

Entering Summary Information

• Click on File, Properties to display the Summary tab of the Properties dialog box

• Enter project summary information for the project:– Title– Subject– Author– Manager– Company– Category– Keywords– Comments

Setting Up Project Calendars

• Base calendar – specifies the working and nonworking times for a project or group of resources assigned to work on a project

• Project calendar – defines the working days and hours for an entire project

• Use the Change Working Time dialog box to change a working day to a nonworking day or vice versa

• Use the From and To text boxes in the Change Working Time dialog box to change working hours

Saving New Projects

• Click on the Save button in the Standard toolbar to quickly save projects

• When you save a project for the first time, the Save As dialog box, in which you specify the location and name of the project file, will display

• When you save subsequent changes to an existing project, the Save As dialog box will not display


Lesson 5:Working with Tasks

Objectives

• Create task lists• Enter task durations• Create milestones• Import task lists

Creating Task Lists

• Task – represents an amount of work that must be accomplished

• To enter a task:– Type the name of the task in the Task Name

field of the Gantt table• To move a task:

– Click on the Task ID field and drag the task into the desired position, or

– Use the Cut and Paste buttons in the Standard toolbar

Creating Task Lists (cont’d)

• To copy a task:– Right-click a task and click on Copy Task, or– Use the Copy and Paste buttons in the Standard

toolbar• To insert a task:

– Right-click a task and click on New Task– Type the name of the task in the Task Name

field of the Gantt table• To delete a task:

– Right-click a task and click on Delete Task

Entering Task Durations

• To enter task durations:– Enter a numeric value in the Duration column of

the Gantt table, followed by an abbreviation for a unit of time:

• Mo – months• W – weeks• D – days• H – hours• M – minutes

– The default unit of time is days

Creating Milestones

• Milestone – a task with a duration of zero that marks a major event in a project schedule

• Milestones are used to measure and evaluate project progress

• The milestone symbol (diamond) displays in the Gantt bar chart when you enter a duration of zero for a task

Importing Task Lists

• You can import task lists from Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, HTML or text files

• Use an import/export map to match a field in Project to its corresponding field in a data document created in another application

• To import tasks using a custom import map:– Open an Excel workbook from within Project– Click on New Map in the Import Mapping dialog box– Use the Options tab of the Define Import/Export Map

dialog box to specify a name for the custom import map and the type of data to import

Importing Task Lists (cont’d)

• To import tasks using a custom import map (cont’d): – Use the Task Mapping tab of the Define

Import/Export Map dialog box to specify detailed options about the file you are importing

• To import tasks using Organizer:– Use the tabs in the Organizer dialog box to

copy, move or delete custom views, tables, filters, calendars, reports and so forth from the current project to other projects


Lesson 6:Outlining Task Lists

Objectives

• Outline tasks• Collapse and expand outlines• Use WBS codes

Outlining Tasks

• Outline – a hierarchical structure that shows how tasks are related

• When you outline project tasks, you create:

– Summary tasks – the top level of tasks that represent major phases of a project and are composed of subtasks

– Subtasks – the detailed tasks

• Outline a task list by moving tasks to different levels:

– Demote a task by indenting it to make it a subtask

– Promote a task by outdenting it to move it to a higher level in the hierarchy

Collapsing and Expanding Outlines

• Collapse or expand an outline to hide or display subtasks

• Collapsing or expanding an outline does not affect project data

• To collapse and expand outlines:– Click on the the Hide Subtasks or Show

Subtasks buttons in the Formatting toolbar, or– Click on the Show button in the Formatting

toolbar and click on an option in the submenu

Displaying WBS Codes

• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) codes – alphanumeric codes that identify each task’s unique place in the outline structure of the project

• To display WBS codes:– Right-click a column and click on Insert

Column…– Specify WBS as the field name to insert in the

Column Definition dialog box

Defining and Applying Custom WBS Codes

• Use the WBS Code Definition dialog box to define a custom WBS code

• Use code sequences for each indented level in your project outline:– Numbers (ordered) – numerical WBS codes,

such as 1, 2, 3– Uppercase letters (ordered) – uppercase

alphabetical WBS codes, such as A, B, C– Lowercase letters (ordered) - lowercase

alphabetical WBS codes, such as a, b, c

Defining and Applying Custom WBS Codes (cont’d)

• Use code sequences for each indented level in your project outline (cont’d):– Characters (unordered) – any combination of

numbers and uppercase and lowercase letters• Characters (unordered) codes must be applied

manually by level• Ordered codes are applied automatically by

Project by level• To apply custom WBS codes:

– Click in the WBS field for a task and enter the custom WBS code


Lesson 7:Assigning Task Relationships

Objectives

• Describe task dependencies• Link tasks• Add lead and lag times• Create recurring tasks

Describing Task Dependencies

• Task dependency – a link between two tasks that defines how the tasks are related

– Predecessor task – a task that must start or finish before another task can begin

– Successor task – a task that cannot begin until another task has started or finished

• Four types of task dependencies:

– Finish-to-Start (FS)

– Start-to-Start (SS)

– Finish-to-Finish (FF)

– Start-to-Finish (SF)

Linking Tasks

• The default dependency is finish-to-start (FS) where the predecessor task must finish before the successor task can begin

• To create a link between tasks:– Select the tasks in the order in which they

should occur– Click on the Link Tasks button in the Standard

toolbar• To unlink tasks:

– Click on the Unlink Tasks button in the Standard toolbar

Linking Tasks (cont’d)

• To change link types if the link between tasks does not accurately reflect the dependency between the tasks:– Display the Task Dependency dialog box, or– Display the Predecessors tab of the Task

Information dialog box– Display the Type drop-down list– Click on a dependency type

Adding Lead and Lag Times

• Lead time – the amount of time in which two tasks can overlap so that a successor task starts before a predecessor task finishes

• Lag time – the amount of time added between linked tasks to specify a delay between the completion of the predecessor task and the start of the successor task

• Use the Lag field in either the Task Dependency dialog box or the Predecessors tab of the Task Information dialog box to specify lead or lag time

Creating Recurring Tasks

• Recurring task – a task that occurs repeatedly during the course of a project

• Use the Recurring Task Information dialog box to create recurring tasks

• You can specify the:– Task name– Task duration– Start date– Stop date– Recurrence pattern


Lesson 8:Using Constraints and Deadlines

Objectives

• Describe constraints• Set constraint options• Apply constraints• Use task calendars• Set deadline dates

Describing Constraints

• Constraint – a restriction that you set on the start or finish date of a task

– Flexible constraint – does not tie a task to a specific date

– Inflexible constraint – ties a task to a specific date

• Flexible constraints:

– As Soon As Possible (ASAP)

– As Late As Possible (ALAP)

– Finish No Earlier Than (FNET)

– Start No Earlier Than (SNET)

Describing Constraints (cont’d)

• Inflexible constraints:– Finish No Later Than (FNLT)– Start No Later Than (SNLT)– Must Finish On (MFO)– Must Start On (MSO)

• By default, the As Soon As Possible flexible constraint is applied to all tasks in a project

• When you apply an inflexible constraint to a task, Project cannot automatically calculate a start and finish date for the task as your schedule changes

Setting Constraint Options

• Slack – the amount of time a task can slip before it affects the start date of another task or the finish date of the project as a whole– Zero slack – a task cannot slip at all without

affecting another task– Negative slack – the task duration is too long

for its successor to begin on the date required by a constraint

• Use the Schedule tab of the Options dialog box to specify that Project will move constrained tasks in situations of negative slack

Applying Constraints

• Use the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog box to apply a constraint to a task

• If you apply constraints, ensure that the Planning Wizard is turned on– If you apply a constraint that will create a

scheduling conflict, the Planning Wizard will display an alert message box

• Use the General tab of the Options dialog box to turn the Planning Wizard on or off and specify which portions of the Wizard to use

Using Task Calendars• Create a task calendar if you need to specify working

times for tasks that differ from those of the project calendar

• Task calendar – a base calendar that specifies working and nonworking times for a specific task or group of tasks

• To create a task calendar:

– Display the Change Working Time dialog box

– Click on New to display the Create New Base Calendar dialog box

– Specify to create a new base calendar or copy one of the existing calendars in your project

Using Task Calendars (cont’d)

• To apply a task calendar:– Display the Advanced tab of the Task

Information dialog box– Display the Calendar drop-down list– Select the name of the task calendar you want

to apply

Setting Deadline Dates

• Deadline date – the date by which a task must be completed

• Use the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog box to set deadline dates

• Setting a deadline does not affect how tasks are scheduled, but Project displays an indicator if the task is scheduled to finish after its deadline date


Lesson 9:Working with Resources

Objectives

• Create resource lists• Use base calendars• Describe how Project schedules work with

assignments• Describe resource pools

Creating Resource Lists

• Resource list – contains the names of the resources available to work on your project

– Work resources – perform work on the project

– Material resources – do not perform work but are used by the project

• When you add work resources, you must specify:

– Maximum units – the maximum amount of time per day the resource is available

• When you add material resources, you must specify:

– Material labels – quantify the usage of a material resource

Creating Resource Lists (cont’d)

• You enter work and material resources into the Resource Sheet

• You can change the format of the maximum units to display decimals instead of percentages

• You can manage and track resources more easily by grouping resources that have related skills and similar work schedules– To create resource groups, type the name of the

group in the Group field in the Resource Sheet

Using Base Calendars

• By default, all resources use the project calendar unless you specify otherwise

• You can create a new base calendar for resources that do not follow the project calendar and assign the new base calendar to the appropriate resources

Describing How Project Schedules

• Project calculates a task’s start and finish dates by taking into account:– Task durations– Task dependencies– Constraints– Non-working times

• (Duration = work / resource effort), where:– Duration – the amount of time to complete a task– Work – the effort required to perform the task– Resource effort – the amount of effort resources

assigned to the task

Describing How Project Schedules (cont’d)

• As you assign additional resources to a task, Project automatically decreases the task duration– Effort-driven scheduling – the duration of a task

increases or decreases as resources are added to or removed from a task

• The three types of tasks are:– Fixed Units – as you add resources, duration adjusts and

work remains constant– Fixed Work – As resources change, duration adjusts and

work remains constant– Fixed Duration – duration remains constant and resource

units are adjusted as you change resource assignments

Assigning Resources to Tasks

• Assigning resources to tasks enables you to:– Track the amount of work performed by each

resource– Ensure accountability– Recognize underworked and overworked

resources• Use the Assign Resources dialog box or the

Resources tab of the Task Information dialog box to assign resources to tasks

Removing and Replacing Assigned Resources

• To remove an assigned resource:– Display the Assign Resources dialog box– Select the resource and click on Remove

• To replace assigned resources:– Display the Assign Resources dialog box– Select the resource you want to replace– Click on Replace to display the Replace

Resource dialog box– Specify the replacement resource

Describing Resource Pools

• Use resource pools if you manage multiple projects• Resource pool – a file that contains only resources that are

shared among projects• Sharing file – a project that uses resources from a resource

pool• Use the Share Resources dialog box to assign resources

from the resource pool to a shared file• Using a resource pool allows you to:

– Schedule resources’ work across projects– Identify conflicts between assignments in different

projects– See how a resource’s time is used in multiple projects


Lesson 10:Working with Costs

Objectives

• Assign costs to resources• Assign fixed costs to tasks• View total project costs

Assigning Rates to Resources

• Resource rate – the hourly, daily, monthly or yearly cost of a person or piece of equipment that usually includes a standard and overtime pay rate

• Per-use cost – a set fee for the use of a resource• Use the Resource Sheet to assign rates to

resources using the format:(rate amount) / (time period abbreviation)– The time period abbreviations are: m (minute),

h (hour), d (day), w (week) and y (year)

Creating Cost Rate Tables

• Cost rate tables contain information about a resource’s rates:– Standard and overtime rates– Per-use costs– The date the pay rate takes effect

• To create a cost rate table:– Display the Costs tab of the Resource

Information dialog box– Enter cost rate information for the resource

• Establish up to five cost rate tables per resource

Applying Cost Rate Tables to Tasks

• When a resource uses rates established on cost rate tables other than the default table, you must apply the appropriate cost rate table to the task to which it applies

• To apply a cost rate table to a task:– Display Resource Usage view– Display the General tab of the Assignment

Information dialog box– Specify the cost rate table to apply to the task

Assigning Fixed Costs to Tasks

• Fixed cost – a preset cost that is not affected by task duration or the assignment of resources

• A task with a fixed cost does not require a resource assignment

• To assign a fixed cost to a task:– Display Gantt Chart view– Select the task to which to assign a fixed cost– Click on View, Table:Entry, Cost– Enter a cost in the task’s Fixed Cost field

Viewing Total Project Costs

• View total project costs to:– Keep a running account of the project budget– Determine if the project is still within the budget

• To view total project costs:– Display the Project Information dialog box– Click on Statistics… to display the Project

Statistics dialog box, which displays statistics about the project, including its start and finish dates, durations, work and cost information

© 2002 computerprep, inc. all rights reserved. project 2000: module i

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