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 (cont’d)

• 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