FYP Microsoft Project Online

OFFICIAL (CLOSED) \ NON‐SENSITIVE
Microsoft Project Online

Final Year Project
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
SCHOOL
OF
ENGINEERING
Learning Outcomes
• Discuss the overview of Microsoft Project

• Identify the basic features and components of the
Microsoft Project environment
• Create a new project plan using Microsoft Project with
the project information
• Manage project by organizing tasks and setting task
relationships
2
Overview of Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a project management software

program, developed and sold by Microsoft, which is
designed to assist a project manager in
 developing a plan
 assigning resources to tasks
 tracking progress
 managing the budget
 analysing workloads
3
Create a Project Plan
There are a few ways to create a project schedule: Blank Project, New from
existing project, New from Excel Worksheet, New from SharePoint task List, etc
4
Basic features and components
Quick launch Ribbon
Task Entry Grid Gantt Chart
The figure illustrates the appearance of your screen when you first
open Project based on the default settings. Notice the following
features of the interface:
• Microsoft Fluent Interface (also known as the Ribbon)
• The Quick Access toolbar
• The timeline (to be checked)
• The task entry grid
• The time‐phased Gantt Chart
• The status bar
Status bar 5

If you want the “side bar” to
appear, “Right click” your
mouse and “Check” the “View
Bar”. You will find the side bar
appears for your quick
selection using the icon.
Another way is to
click the “Gantt
Chart” button on
the ribbon and
View Bar the list will also
appear for your
selection.
6

MICROSOFT
PROJECT
Online
7
Basic Settings
1
3
Use Decimal instead

4 of Percentage
5 Auto Scheduled
Weeks or Months if
6 necessary to change
Go to 1  3, adjust steps 4 to 6 8
Creating a Project Calendar

A base calendar is used as a template that the project
calendar, resource calendars, or task calendars are based on.
It defines the standard working and nonworking times

(nonworking time: Hours or days designated in a resource or
project calendar when Project should not schedule tasks
because work is not done. Nonworking time can include lunch
breaks, weekends, and holidays, for example.) for the project.
It specifies the work hours for each work day, the work days
for each week, and any exceptions, such as holidays. You can
select a base calendar to use as the project calendar or as the
basis for a resource calendar. You can also apply a base
calendar to specific tasks.
9

Go to File  Options  Schedule
The timing usually represents the

organization's traditional working hours.
10
Create a New Calendar as “My Project”. Make a copy of Standard calendar

and press “OK”. Press “OK” again under the “Changing Working Time”.
11
Exceptions are primarily For example, insert in the “Non

non working time, like Working Day” on 24-12-21 and
holidays, working time “Working Day” on 25-12-21.
on vacation, etc. Click Details and select
“Working times” as shown for
the “Working Day”. Press “OK”
Select “My Project” from “For Calendar”.
once completed.
Make a copy of Standard calendar. If you
want to include “Working and Non-Working 12
Day”, following instruction on the right.
Let’s Create a Project Plan

Open up “Add Tasks to a Project Plan.xlsx” provided. Select Task Name, &
Duration and paste to a “New” project file under the respective columns
accordingly.
13
Indent Subtasks in the Project Plan

Use the “Indent” in the tool bar to adjust the tasks to the snapshot as
shown below.
14
Reschedule the Start date of the Project

Now we need to let MS Project know the “Start Date” of the project.
Otherwise, it will assume the project starts as the current date.
Move Project to the new start date of your FYP. We will use 20/09/21 as an
example for illustration. Press “OK”.
15
Display of the “Start and Finish Dates”

Notice the Start and Finish Dates for the project has changed accordingly.
16
Add in the Predecessors

Notice that all the Start & Finish dates appear. Copy the predecessors from
“Add Tasks to a Project Plan.xlsx” to “Predecessors” column in Microsoft
project. Save the project as “Children Gourmet Cookbook Project”.
17
Project Summary Task

Check the “Project Summary Task” under the “Format” and observe row “0”
appear with the file name saved and the total duration of the project.
18
Assigning a Calendar to the Project

Since “My Project” calendar has been created, you will have to assign the
calendar from calendar listed shown in the Project Information ribbon.
After that whatever working or non-working day will then take effect.
19
Display the “Critical Tasks”

Check the box for “Critical Tasks ” in the Format tab to display tasks (red
bars) that cannot be delayed. Take note of this tasks as they cannot be
delayed if your project would to complete as per your original schedule.
Notice that some of the “bars”

in the Gantt chart change to
red colour to indicate “Critical
Path”.
20
Display the view using the “Network diagram”

Alternatively, you may also use the Network diagram to view the “Critical
paths” which are indicated in red.
The tasks that are critical in the

Network diagram are similar to the
previous slide using the Gantt chart.
21
Adding Resources to a Project Plan

Once you have entered the tasks and duration, you can create a resource
list.
Resources are the people, equipment and supplies required to complete the
project within the defined constraints. Three different types of resources can
be entered using Microsoft Project:
 Work resources
 Material resources
 Cost resource
Work resources include equipment and people that work on tasks.

Allocation of Time and Percentage of assignment of the resource is
important.
Material resources are goods used by the work resources and here the
units-of-measure is an important gauge. Example, 20 cans of paint.
Cost resource is a fixed cost task, cost-dependent on work performed.
22
Adding Resources to a Project Plan

The resources must first be entered in the Resource Name column to identify
them as being available. Use the information provided in the “Add Tasks to a
Project Plan.xlsx” to establish the information shown below.
23
Linking the Resources to the Tasks

After you have inserted the column “Resource Names” in the Gantt chart
column, pick and check the resources corresponding to the tasks and the
resources name will appear beside the tasks in the Gantt chart area.
24
Displaying the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the project into

phases, deliverables and work packages. It is a tree
structure, which shows a subdivision of effort required to
achieve an objective for a project.
In a project, the WBS is developed by starting with the

end objective and successively subdividing it into
manageable components in terms of size, duration, and
responsibility (e.g., systems, subsystems, components,
tasks, subtasks, and work packages) which include all
steps necessary to achieve the objective.
There are 2 methods that you can do it.
25

Method 1: You may include in the “WBS” beside the Task Name to identify
the unique place of each task in the structure.
26

Method 2: Go to “Format” and check the “Outline Number”. The WBS
identifiers will display beside the task names as shown.
27
Link Dependent Tasks

A task relationship or a dependency occurs when the starting time of a
particular task, called the successor, is dependent on whether another task
called the predecessor is starting or is completed. Notice the “arrows”
indicated in the Gantt chart.
28
Constraint types
As Late As Possible With this flexible constraint, Microsoft Office Project
schedules the latest possible start and finish dates for the task, given other
scheduling parameters. This is the default constraint for new tasks for a
project scheduled from the finish date.
As Soon As Possible With this flexible constraint, Project schedules the
earliest possible start and finish dates for the task, given other scheduling
parameters. No additional date restrictions are put on the task. This is the
default constraint for new tasks for a project scheduled from the start date.
Finish No Earlier Than This moderate constraint indicates the earliest
possible date that this task can be completed. It cannot finish any time
before the specified date.
For projects scheduled from the start date, this constraint is applied when
you type a finish date for a task.
Finish No Later Than This moderate constraint indicates the latest possible
date that this task can be completed. It can be finished on or before the
specified date.
For projects scheduled from the finish date, this constraint is applied when
you type a finish date for a task.
Must Finish On This inflexible constraint indicates the exact date on which
a task must finish. 29
Constraint types
Must Start On This inflexible constraint indicates the exact date on which a
task must begin. Other scheduling parameters such as task dependencies,
lead or lag time, resource leveling, and delay become secondary to this
requirement.
Start No Earlier Than This moderate constraint indicates the earliest possible
date that this task can begin. It cannot start any time before the specified date.
For projects scheduled from the start date, this constraint is applied when you
type a start date for a task or drag a Gantt bar.
Start No Later Than This moderate constraint indicates the latest possible
date that this task can begin. It can start on or before the specified date.
For projects scheduled from the finish date, this constraint is applied when you
type a start date for a task.
Click on the “Advanced Tab” on the

“Task Information” dialog box out to
change the “Constraints type” 30
Link Dependent Tasks

There are four predecessor types: Finish-To-Start To see the “Task
(FS) (the default, empty), Start-To-Start (SS), Information”, Right-Click
Finish-To-Finish (FF) and Start-To-Finish (SF). and click “Information” for
For example, in this case, “Set Pages” will start the Task Information to pop
after “Cover design” has completed. out.
31
Task Constraint Types

You may notice that you can add icons at the side as the indicator. Project
uses indicator icon to represent information about the state of a task or a
resource. If you just mouse over it, the information will be displayed.
Task in which
constraint is
set
The
constraint
icon
You may mouse over the

icon, right click and click
on the information to view
the individual tab. Change
the information if needed.
32
Input to Task Notes

Task notes are additional or supporting information that is added to a task.
You can add notes to record specifications, customer requirements, quality
measures or any general information related to a task.
The notes
icon
33
Adding Lag Time to a Task

You may have noticed that there is a +3 days in the “Predecessors” for Print
and ship “21FS+3 days”. What does that mean?
This is known to be the lag time. When you add lag time, you delay the start
time of the successor task. Before you can start adding lag time, you need to
create a dependency between the two tasks. In a project, lag time is set for a
task that can start after the predecessor task is completed. It is entered as a
duration or set as a percentage of the duration of the predecessor task. To
add lag time, type a positive number or percentage (for example, 3d).
Question:
How about adding a Lag time with “Print and ship” can
Lead time to a + 3 days only start 3 days after
Task?
“generate proofs” has
been completed
34
Overallocation of Resources
There are chances that the resources are overallocated in a project plan. In
this Case Study, Carole Roland has been “overallocated” to a few more
tasks, a “red man” start to appear beside each task as shown in the indicator
column.
“Red Man” has appeared to Carole

Roland for Row 6,7,11 and 13
35
Overallocation of Resources
You can view overallocation of resources in the “Resource Graph” view.
Overallocated
resource
36
Resource leveling
You may use the function called “leveling” to delay, split the tasks to resolve
the issue. You can level certain resources or “Level All” to allow the software
to do it.
Resource
leveling
Leveling Leveling all
individual resources
37
resource
Resource leveling
Once it is levelled, the schedule may be changed to allocate the available
resource. You will observe that the overall duration has been delayed and
some tasks have been split to resolve the issue. Review the change in the
Leveling Gantt Chart view. If you are pleased with the results, save the file.
Areas of
changes
38
Project Updating and Tracking

You can update the % of completion either using the bar (0%, 25%, 50%,
75%,100%) or update your % from the Update Tasks.
25% of
Completion
39
Project Optimization Methods

You can optimize your schedule in Microsoft Project by
using a few methods as below:
• Reduce the total slack (“buffer time”) in the project

schedule by adjusting constraints or resources.
• Add resources to critical tasks in order to shorten the
duration of the task.
• Replace resources of a critical task to move up the
task start date.
• Divide critical tasks so that the work is split among
resources and completed simultaneously.
It is important to note that the Microsoft Project cannot produce or even
guarantee a successful project plan. It is human who finally drives the
success of the project which he/she undertakes!
40
Enjoy your Project Planning!
41

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OFFICIAL (CLOSED) \ NON‐SENSITIVE

Microsoft Project Online

• Discuss the overview of Microsoft Project

Overview of Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is a project management software

Create a Project Plan

Basic features and components

Quick launch Ribbon

Task Entry Grid Gantt Chart

Basic features and components

Basic features and components

Use Decimal instead

Creating a Project Calendar

It defines the standard working and nonworking times

Creating a Project Calendar

The timing usually represents the

Creating a Project Calendar

Create a New Calendar as “My Project”. Make a copy of Standard calendar

Creating a Project Calendar

Exceptions are primarily For example, insert in the “Non

Let’s Create a Project Plan

Indent Subtasks in the Project Plan

Reschedule the Start date of the Project

Display of the “Start and Finish Dates”

Add in the Predecessors

Project Summary Task

Assigning a Calendar to the Project

Display the “Critical Tasks”

Notice that some of the “bars”

Display the view using the “Network diagram”

The tasks that are critical in the

Adding Resources to a Project Plan

Work resources include equipment and people that work on tasks.

Cost resource is a fixed cost task, cost-dependent on work performed.

Adding Resources to a Project Plan

Linking the Resources to the Tasks

Displaying the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the project into

In a project, the WBS is developed by starting with the

There are 2 methods that you can do it.

Displaying the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Displaying the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Link Dependent Tasks

Click on the “Advanced Tab” on the

Link Dependent Tasks

Task Constraint Types

You may mouse over the

Input to Task Notes

Adding Lag Time to a Task

“Red Man” has appeared to Carole

Project Updating and Tracking

Project Optimization Methods

• Reduce the total slack (“buffer time”) in the project

Enjoy your Project Planning!

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