Microsoft Project 2003

Topics covered Yesterday:

Basics of PM
Introduction of MS Project
Difference between Standard and professional
edition
Entering Task in task table
Setting start date/Finish date
Basic calendar types
Setting up WBS to task table
Attaching documents
Hyper linking documents

Topics to cover today:

Setting Task Durations

Setting Deadline Reminders
Establishing Task Dependencies
Creating Milestones in Your Schedule
Scheduling Tasks to Achieve Specific
Working with Task Calendars
Understanding the Impact of Resources
Removing a Resource from the Project Plan
Adding Work Resources to the project
Setting Resource Working Time
Adding Material Resources

Scheduling Tasks

You have developed your task list

Sequenced
Outlined
Perhaps even applied WBS

To develop an accurate and workable schedule that truly

reflects how your project will run, you need to do the following:
Enter task durations.
Identify the relationships, or dependencies, among tasks.
Schedule certain tasks to achieve specific dates when
necessary.

Setting Task Durations

Developing Reliable Task Durations

Team knowledge
Expert judgment
Project files
Industry standards
Project Management Practices:
Building in a Buffer

Estimated vs. Confirmed Durations

Enter Duration
To enter a duration, follow these steps:
1 Display the Gantt chart.
2 In the Duration field for each task, type the
duration; for example, 1w or 4d.
3 If a duration is an estimate, add a question
mark after it; for example, 1w? or 4d?.
4 Press Enter.

Understanding How Durations Affect

Scheduling
Initially,
The project calendar is applied
When resources are assigned, the task is
scheduled according to the resources working
times calendar.
If a task calendar is applied, the task is scheduled
according to the tasks working times calendar.

Understanding How Durations Affect

Scheduling
Note: Until you set task dependencies by
linking predecessors and successors,
the Start date of all your tasks is the
same as the project start date by
default.

Elapsed Duration

If you want a task to take a set amount of

time regardless of any working times
calendars, you can enter an elapsed
duration.
Elapsed durations are scheduled 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, until finished.

Duration

Duration

For regular (nonelapsed) durations,

we need a way to
specify the number of
working hours in a
day and week, the
number of working
days in a month, and
so on.
Click Tools, Options,
and then click the
Calendar tab (see
Figure 5-4).
You can also click
Tools, Change
Working Time and
then click the Options
button.

Calculating Your Most Probable Duration

How do you schedule a task with more than 1
possible durations?
What if you want your project plan to model a bestcase scenario, a worst-case scenario, and an
expected scenario for all durations.
To help resolve discrepancies or to model
alternative scenarios, you can run a PERT
analysis.
This analysis can be an effective risk management
tool.

PERT Analysis
When you run a PERT analysis
the resulting calculated values in the
Optimistic Duration - Duration 1
Expected Duration Duration 2
Pessimistic Duration Duration 3
In addition, the resulting
optimistic start and finish dates -Start1 and Finish1.
expected start and finish dates -Start2 and Finish2.
pessimistic start and finish dates - Start3 and Finish3.

PERT Analysis
To set up a PERT
analysis,
follow these
steps:
1 Click View,
Toolbars,
PERT Analysis.
2 On the PERT
Analysis
toolbar, click
PERT Entry
Sheet.
3 For each task,
enter the
optimistic,
expected, and
pessimistic
durations in
the appropriate
fields.

PERT Analysis
4. On the PERT Analysis toolbar, click Calculate PERT.
5.The estimated durations are calculated, and the results change the value
in the Duration field

Establishing Task Dependencies

Real Vs. Preferred Task Dependencies

Creating Links between Tasks

Creating the Finish-to-Start Task Dependency.

Dependency Types

Constraint Types
Flexible

ASAP if project is scheduled from START

data
ALAP if project is scheduled from FINSIH
data

By default, these constraints are applied .

Constraint Types
Moderately Flexible Constraints
SNET :For projects scheduled from a start date, this
constraint is automatically applied when you enter a
start date for a task.
FNET :For projects scheduled from a start date, this constraint is
automatically applied when you enter a finish date for a task.
SNLT : For projects scheduled from a finish date, this constraint is
automatically applied when you enter a start date for a task.
FNLT : For projects scheduled from a finish date, this constraint is
automatically applied when you enter a finish date for a task.

Constraint Types
Inflexible Constraints
MSO An inflexible constraint that specifies the exact date
when a task must begin. Other scheduling controls
such as task dependencies become secondary to
this requirement.
MFO An inflexible constraint that specifies the exact date on
which a date must be completed. Other scheduling
controls such as task dependencies become secondary
to this requirement.

Setting Deadline Reminder

To set a deadline, follow these steps:
1 Select the task for which you want to set a deadline.
2 On the Standard toolbar, click Task Information and then
click the Advanced tab.
3 In the Deadline box, enter or select the deadline date.

Creating Milestones

Beginning or ending of major phases or the

completion of deliverables in your project.
Milestones are also excellent reporting points.
Any task with a 0 duration is automatically set as
a milestone.
OR
Select the task, see task information-Advanced
Tab- Select MARK AS MILESTONE

How many resources do you need?

Identify the tasks

Identify the recourses
Assign task to resource
Calculate the finish data, cost and decide
accordingly

Understanding the Impact of Resources in the

Project Plan
By adding resources to your project, you can do the following:
Increase the accuracy of your schedule.
Know ahead of time whether any resources are overloaded or under allocated.
Track progress according to resource work.
Record the use, cost, and consumption of materials in your project.
Exchange task assignments, task updates, progress information, and status
reports
Make sure that all tasks are assigned to a responsible and accountable
resource.

Adding Work Resources to the Project

The following types of resources can
accomplish work on your tasks:
People
Equipment
Materials

Adding Resource Names Manually

1 Click View, Resource Sheet to switch to the
Resource Sheet view
2 Make sure the Entry table is applied. Click
View, Table, Entry.
3 In the first Resource Name field, type the
name of a resource and then press Enter.
4 Enter the names of other resources in the
same way.

Using Resource Information from Microsoft

Excel

Importing resource list from Excel

Prepare resource plan in MS Excel THEN
1 If necessary, open the project plan.
2 On the Standard toolbar, click Open.
Go to the location on your computer or network where the
Excel workbook is saved.
4 In the Files Of Type list, click Microsoft Excel Workbooks
(*.xls).
The task list appears in the list of folders and files.
5 Click the task list workbook and then click the Open button.
The Import Wizard appears

Specifying Resource Availability

Adding Material Resources to the Project

To enter a material resource:
1 Display the Resource Sheet with the Entry table applied.
2 In the next available Resource Name field, type the name of the
material resource (for example, Bricks) and then press Tab.
3 In the Type field, click Material.
4 In the Material Label field, enter the unit of measurement for the
material.
(Note: Resource calendars are not available for material
resources.
Workgroup fields such as Workgroup and Windows
Account are not available for material resources.
The Overtime field is also disabled.

Setting Resource Working Time Calendars

Resource calendar indicates when a
resource is available to work on assigned
tasks, it affects the manner in which tasks
are scheduled.

Creating a New Base Calendar for Resources

1 Click Tools,
Change Working
Time.
2 Click the New
button.
The Create New Base
Calendar dialog box
appears

Working with Supplemental Resource Fields

Initials
Group
Code
E-mail
With Professional Edition:
Workgroup
Windows Account

Adding Resource Note

Comment
Attaching a document
Hyper linking document

Thank you!!