Project Management

Using MS Project 2007

Wasim Irshad P.E. MPM PMP®

Manager (P & C), at
MSL Pakistan
Project Management Consultant at
Digital Research Labs (Pvt.) Ltd.
Trained hundreds of professionals at
National Institute of Design & Analysis
Project Planning & Management Institute
National Institute of Management
Pakistan Postal Staff College
Heurixtics (Pvt.) Ltd.
COMSATS Islamabad
Contact: 0323-8556609
Email: wasim.irshad@gmail.com
Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®
 Project Management
• How bad our projects are…
– Only 34% of all project succeed.
– The average project has 43% cost overrun.

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 I have no doubts that…
• Everybody here has got “Plans for their
Projects” in some form
• They may be
– On Paper
– On Excel Sheet
– Or In mind…

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

But do you feel like this?

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Using your planning technique How
efficiently you can answer

• How many resources you need in total?

• Who would be hired when?

• What is total engagement duration?

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 How efficiently you can answer
• What is the total duration of project?

• What activities have direct effect on project

deadline?

• What are the activities which can be delayed

without delaying the project?

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 How efficiently you can answer
• On a specific date, who will be doing what?

• Who is over burdened and who is under-

delegated?

• What is project’s cash flow?

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 And much more…
• Now using your planning method, how much
of these questions you can answer and in how
much time???
• Those who think
– 100%
– 50%
– Less then 20%

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 We need some specialized tool
• I think we all are on same page now

• And we understand the need for a specialized

tool for project management

• One of the good options is “MS Project”

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 MS Project
• Microsoft’s Application for project
management

• Very easy to use

• Very efficient

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

I will take example of a very simple project. It
may seems surprising but it will help you
revise major project management concepts

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Tea making project…
• Project
• Buy tea and Sugar 5mins
• Activity
• Boil water 10mins
• Milestone
• Mix items 1min
• Activity ID
• Boil mixture 3mins • Predecessor
• Tea is ready 0min • Fast tracking

• Crashing

• Slack

• Critical Path

Wasim•Irshad
Critical
P.E. Activity
PMP®
 What is a Project

A project is a temporary
Endeavour undertaken
to create a unique product,
service, or result

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 What is a Project
• A project is a one-time endeavor that ends with a specific
accomplishment, such as the development of a unique
product or service. It originates when something unique is to
be accomplished. A project has the following characteristics:
o A set of non-routine tasks performed in a certain sequence leading to
a goal.
o A distinct start and finish date.
o A limited set of resources that might be used on more than one
project.

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Project Management
• Murphy’s Law
– If something can go wrong, it will

• Parkinson’s Law
– Work expands to fill the time allowed

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 What is Project Management?
„ ... unique process, consisting of a set of
coordinated and controlled activities
with start and finish dates, undertaken
to achieve an objective conforming to
specific require-ments, including the
constraints of time, cost and resources“

[ISO 9001:2000]

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 What helps project succeed?
• Executive support
• User involvement
• Experienced project manager
• Clear business objectives
• Minimized scope
• Standard software infrastructure
• Firm basic requirements
• Formal methodology
• Reliable estimates

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Qualities of project manager
• Lead by example
• Are visionaries
• Are technically competent
• Are decisive
• Are good communicators
• Are good motivators
• Stand up to top management when necessary
• Support team members
• Encourage new ideas

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 OBS
• The OBS displays organizational relationships and then uses them for assigning work to
resources in a project.

PM

Networks
Cord Dev. TL Imp. TL
TL

N Eng N Eng SW Eng SW Eng Imp Off Imp Off

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 WBS
Running a project without a WBS is like
going to a strange land without a roadmap.

J. Phillips

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®
 WBS
• WBS allows you to break down a seemingly
overwhelming project into pieces you can
plan, organize, manage and control
• It is top down effort to decompose the
deliverables and the work required to
produce them
• Each work package consist of nouns – things,
rather than actions
• WBS is deliverable oriented

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 WBS
• Get organized

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

OBS & WBS

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Figure 6-3. Task Dependency Types

25
Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®
Lecture Progress

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 How MSP Works…
1. Enter the tasks
2. Enter estimated durations
3. Enter sequence of tasks
4. Enter resource names and cost
5. Link resources with tasks
6. Enter fixed costs
• That’s it

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®
 Enter Tasks/Subtask here Tool Bar Time Scale

View Bar Task Area Gantt Chart Area

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Lecture Progress

Setting Properties For Your Project

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Lecture Progress

Project Information

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Lecture Progress

Entering Tasks

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Lecture Progress

Working time & Calendars

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Lecture Progress

Creating Your Own Calendar

• You can change working time

• You can add holidays

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Lecture Progress

Assigning Calendar To a Task

• Select Task > Project > Task Information > Advanced > Select calendar

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Lecture Progress

Entering Duration of Tasks

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Task Linking
• To link tasks in a start-to-start, finish-to-finish, or a start-to-finish dependency
– Click Task Information.
– Click the Predecessors tab.
– In the ID field, type the ID number of the predecessor task.
– In the Type field for the row, select the link type you want.

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Lecture Progress

Link Your Tasks Now

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Creating WBS

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Creating a Milestone

• Enter 0 days duration for a task, if you want to

make it Milestone.

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 What are Resources?
• Resources are the people, equipment, and materials required
to accomplish project tasks and goals.
• There are two types of resources: work resources and
material resources.
• Work resources are the people and equipment that
accomplish the work of a task.
• Material resources are the consumable supplies that are used
up in the performance on a task. Examples include concrete,
steel, and soil.

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Working With Resources
• Create a resource list
• Set the calendars specifying the working days
and times
• Assign those resources to tasks.

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Changing Currency

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Resource Dictionary
• View > Resource sheet

• Enter resources, their type, group and units in

this sheet

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Assignment Unit For Material Resource

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Control How Resource Cost Are Accrued

• You can choose the point at which resource costs are incurred
by setting the cost accrual for resources. Your accrual choices
are:

– The entire cost at the start of an assignment.

– The entire cost at the end of an assignment.

– The prorated cost across the duration of the assignment as it progress

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Now Assign Resources

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Checking Over Allocation
• View > Resource graph
• View > Zoom > Entire Project
• OR
• View > Resource Sheet

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 To Resolve Over Allocation
1. Replace the resource
2. Change the relationship
3. Change the percentage of allocation
4. Perform automatic leveling (Not recommended)
Tools > Level Resources

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Creating “S Curve”
Report > Visual Report > Cash Flow

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Recurring Task

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

TRACKING

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Tracking
• After you complete your plan, send final copy
to your client for approval
• After getting approval, save 3 or 4 copies at
different locations (as backup)

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Baseline
• As your project progresses, some tasks might take longer or
shorter than planned Resources might cost more or less than
you estimated.

• To know whether all the actual mean you’re ahead of

schedule or behind, within your budget or exceeding it, you
need to be able to compare your actual schedule to some
reference point.

• That reference point is the baseline.

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Set & Save a baseline

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Update the Progress
• Tools > tracking > Update Project > Select
Status

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Show status line
• Show status gridline
– Format > gridline > status date

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

 Changing view to tracking gantt chart

• View > tracking gantt chart

• View > zoom > entire project

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Baseline start & Baseline finish

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Reports

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Reports

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Report

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Customized Reports

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Customized Reports

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Visual Reports

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®
Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®
 Sample Project Plan
• Project Plan for XYZ Project

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®

Wasim Irshad P.E. PMP®