Engineering Project Management

ENGR3106

Project Management Lab 2

Ms.Eman Al Futaisi
Project Management Lab 2
 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?
Project Management Software
• Dozens of programs!
• Commercial desktop
– Microsoft Project
– Primavera
• Open source
– dotProject
• Web-based
– eProject
 What is Microsoft Project?
• Microsoft Project (or MSP) is a project
management software program
• It is designed to assist project managers in:
• developing plans
• assigning resources to tasks
• tracking progress
• managing budgets
• analyzing workloads
 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
• Track and Manage
– Set a baseline
– Enter actuals
– Adjust plan
• Close Project
 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
 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.
 I found this note !!!

MS Project is Available in
• LRC Labs
• Open access Labs
• D3 Lab