Microsoft Project Presentation

By Corey Johnson 10/11/00

What is a Gantt Chart?

A Gantt Chart is a visual tool to help Plan, Manage, and Track a project or projects.

Sample Gantt Chart

Planning a Project
Define Goals Develop Tasks Establish Timeframes Resource Availability? Organize

Managing and Tracking a Project

Track Progress
Are the tasks being completed on time? Is one task holding up the whole project?

Manage Finances
Is the project going to stay within the budget?

Using MS Project
Define the Project Build the Plan
Set a start date Enter tasks/durations Assign resources Link tasks Fine tune the plan

Using MS Project (contd)

Track and Manage
Set a baseline Enter actuals Adjust plan

Close Project

Defining the Project

The objective of the project should be defined by the person/group that is going to manage the project. Tasks, start times, and deadlines should be clearly established.

Setting a Start Date

When opening a new Microsoft Project file, the user is automatically prompted for a start date. Setting an accurate start date will make future entries more convenient.

Entering Tasks and Durations

Tasks are entered in the Task Name column Subtasks are created by indenting a task. Durations may be entered in number of working days or start and finish dates may be used

Standard Markers
Normal Task
designates ordinary task duration

Summary Bar
designates the duration of a group of sub-tasks

Special Markers
Milestones
A reference point marking a major event in a project and used to monitor the project's progress To create a milestone, Enter 0 in the duration field

Changing Marker Styles

Double-click on the Marker you want to change and format accordingly

Assigning Resources
A resource can be a single person, a piece of equipment, or it can represent a group, such as Plumbers Information on resources include Availability, Costs, and Working Time Resources are very important in accurate scheduling

Assigning Resources
To Assign a Resource:
Select the task to which you want to assign the resource Click the Assign Resources button on the toolbar

Assigning Resources

If resources are not already set up, double click on the name box

Assigning Resources
Enter pertinent information and click OK.

Assigning Resources

When a resource has been selected, click Assign

Linking Tasks
Some tasks require that another task be completed before it can begin. These tasks must be linked. Tasks and subtasks are linked by assigning Predecessors.

Linking Tasks
Predecessor
A task that must start or finish before another task can start or finish

Successor
A task that cannot start or finish until another task starts or finishes A task becomes a successor when a row number is entered in the predecessor column

Linking Tasks

Fine Tune the Plan

When all resources have been assigned and appropriate tasks are linked, the original Gantt chart will be complete Check to make sure tasks have been linked correctly and task durations are correct The project is now ready to begin

Set a Baseline
A baseline compares your original plan for the project with the actual course of the project. You can see which tasks started earlier or later than planned, exceeded their original budget, took longer than planned, and so on.

Set a Baseline
Create a baseline after you've polished it and just before you actually start work on the project To track costs, be sure to enter cost information before you create the baseline Updates can easily be made to the baseline if information is missing

Set a Baseline
The Baseline plan includes:
Tasks (start and finish dates, duration, work, cost, splits, timephased work, and timephased cost) Resources (work, cost, timephased work, and timephased cost) Assignments (start and finish dates, work, cost, timephased work, and timephased cost)

Set a Baseline
To set a baseline:
Point to Tracking on the Tools menu Click Save Baseline

Entering Progress
Update actual start and finish dates for a task.
On the Tools menu, point to Tracking and then click Update Task Under Actual, type Start and Finish dates

Entering Progress
Update progress on a task
Double-click on the task to be updated Enter a percentage On the Gantt chart, a progress bar appears in the task bar

Tracking Gantt Chart

Tracks the progress of the project Shows what tasks are overdue and what has been completed on time Click on the Tracking Gantt icon to view

Tracking Gantt Chart

Tracking Progress
Determining if tasks are starting and finishing according to plan:
In the Tracking Gantt, point to Table (View menu) and click Variance Drag the Divider bar to the right to view variance.

Variance is shown in Days

Tracking Progress
Determine if tasks cost more or less than budgeted
In the Tracking Gantt, point to Table (View menu) and click Cost Drag the Divider bar to the right to view Total Cost and Baseline fields

PERT Chart
Shows a flowchart of the project. Each box represents a task in the project. Connecting arrows show dependencies between tasks. To view, click the PERT chart icon

Calendar View
Keeps tabs on when tasks occur. Quickly see how long tasks take, when they start and finish, and how they occur in relation to other tasks. To view, click the Calendar icon

Task Usage View

Work with task and resource information side by side. Easily create useful reports about when a resource is scheduled to work on a task. To view, click the Task Usage icon

Resource Graph View

See whether resources are overallocated, what capacity they're working at, and how much they cost in a timescale graph To view, click the Resource Graph icon

More Views
Resource Sheet View
Easy way to review, add, edit data about resources

Resource Usage View

Work with resource and task information side by side

The Project is Now Complete !!

MS Project is a very powerful tool if it is used correctly This program can save a lot of time for engineers who are interested in time, cost, etc. Automatically keeps your project organized.

Thank you !!
Please feel free to ask any questions