Microsoft Project 98

Microsoft Project 98 Tutorial 1

Microsoft Project 98

Presented By:Ipsita B. Chowdhury


Agenda• What is Microsoft Project 98?• Purpose• Features• Concepts of Project Management• Installation• Usage• Summary


What is Microsoft Project 98?

An easy, powerful, flexible Project Management tool for managing tasks, resources, and costs efficiently


Purpose• Gives full control of the projects• Helps in scheduling and tracking all activities so one can

stay on top of their progress• Helps in communicating schedule information, in delegating

tasks, in getting status updates, and in reporting project details

• Reduces the time spent in managing projects


Features

1. Sets up the project plan quickly2. Manages the people and/or equipment who do the work3. Keeps control of your budget4. Gives quick access to the right information5. Gives hints about underlying issues6. Displays the project plan the way you want7. Makes reporting and printing easy8. Maintains schedule effectively9. Manages multiple projects robustly10. Coordinates your project with anyone anywhere11. Works with Microsoft Office Programs12. Assists while you work


What is Project Management?

• Keeping scope, schedule, and resources in balance– Scope: Range of tasks to accomplish project goals– Schedule: Indicates the time and sequence of each task and also

the project duration– Resources: People and/or Equipment that perform/facilitate

project tasks



Steps for Project Management


Project Definition

• Define the project scope– What goals to accomplish?– Which major tasks and how many tasks required?

• Determine the resources– People and/or equipment?

• Determine the schedule’s limits– How much time to complete the project?– What are the project’s milestones and deadlines?


Project Plan

• The project plan is the heart of the project management• Project plan helps in identifying and correcting problems

such as: overloaded resources, tasks that threaten to bust one’s budget, and scheduling conflicts that can push out the project deadline– Identify all the project tasks and delegate them– Get work and time estimates for the tasks– Determine task dependencies– Enter task and project constraints


How Microsoft project helps in creating Project Plan?

• Schedules each task and calculates the project finish date• Calculates the time required to complete each task• Balances scope, resources, and time and shows where

they’re out of balance


Tracking the project

• Track project progress, comparing actual data to original estimates

• Review resource, scope, and schedule factors to balance priorities

• Identify the problems that could knock the project off schedule

• Analyze resource requirements to check nobody is overloaded

• Make midstream changes to achieve project goals sooner


How Microsoft project helps in tracking the Project plan?

• Displays both original estimates — such as the length of a task — and the actual data

• Calculates and displays the difference between original estimates and actual data.

• Simplifies the process for updating the plan with actual data.

• Calculates the effect of updates on the schedule.


Project Close

• When all the project goals have been achieved and all the criteria have been met signaling the project’s end, close the project– Compare the original plan to the actual course of project events– Analyze problems and identify areas for future improvement– Archive the project file


How Microsoft project helps in closing Project?

• Saves a copy of the original plan to help identify problem areas.

• Stores notes about tasks and resources, which can be referred to when analyzing problems and performance.

• Supplies project information needed to document findings.


Installation of Microsoft Project 98• Go to CD-ROM drive.• Double-Click on SETUP executable.• Click on Continue on the welcome page.• In the next screen enter arbitrary values for your name and the name of the

organization.• In the next screen, click O.K to confirm what you entered in the previous screen.• In the next screen, enter the 11-digit CD-key located on the back of the CD case

and click OK.• In the next screen, you will be shown the Product ID number.• In the next screen, you will be asked for the destination folder. The default folder c:\

Program files\Microsoft Office should be O.K.• The next screen will ask for the type of installation; choose Typical installation.• The installation will then proceed and finally you will be asked to click O.K when the

installation is done.


Start a new Project File• To start a new Project File:

1. Click New

2. Enter a start or finish date


Enter Project information and schedule

• To enter information regarding the new project:1. On the File menu, click Properties

2. On the Summary tab, enter the information for the project such as the Project Title, Manager’s name, and other important notes


Enter Project Goals, Scope, and Assumptions

These elements define a project and help to determine its success

Goals: The specific results you want your project to accomplish are your project’s

goals. They define your project’s purpose. Scope: The combination of all project goals plus the work required to accomplish those goals represent the scope of project.Assumptions: The guesses made about the relevant factors which affect the

duration and cost of specific tasks and of the whole project as a whole.

• To enter project goals, scope, and assumptions:1. On the File menu, click Properties. 2. Click the Summary tab. 3. In the Comments box, type your project goals, scope, and assumptions.


Enter Tasks and their Duration

A task should represent a significant amount of work with a clear deliverable, but still be short enough to track its progress regularly and identify problems early

• To enter Tasks and their duration:1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart 2. In the Task Name field, type a task name

(Use a verb and a noun to name tasks)3. Click or press ENTER.4. In the Duration field, type the amount of time in minutes, hours, days or

weeks.5. To add information about the task, in the Task Name field, select the task,

and then click Task Notes. Type in the Notes box.


Enter a recurring Task

Recurring tasks are useful for repetitive tasks that occur at regular intervals, such as weekly meetings

• To enter a recurring task:1. In the Task Name field, select the row above which you want to insert the

recurring task2. On the Insert menu, click Recurring Task 3. In the Name box, type the task name4. In the Duration box, type the duration of a single occurrence of the task


Split a Task

When a task needs to be interrupted temporarily to work on another task, it can be split and resumed later

• To split a task into segments:1. Click Split Task

2. Move the pointer over the task bar to be split


Rearrange the Task List

As a Task List is created, some tasks would need to be rearranged and large tasks would need to be broken into smaller tasks. Tasks can be added, deleted, and moved.

• To rearrange the Task List:1. In the ID field, select the task you want to copy, move, or delete by clicking

the task ID number2. To move the task, click Cut 3. To copy the task click Copy

4. To delete a task press Delete

5. To add a task between existing tasks, click New Task on the Insert menu.


Enter a Milestone

A milestone is a task used to identify significant events in the schedule, such as the completion of a major phase. These are interim goals to track the project progress

• To enter a milestone:1. In the Duration field of the task needed to change, type 0days.

2. Click or press ENTER.3. Without changing the duration, a task can be marked as a milestone by

Clicking Task Information , then the Advanced tab, and then selecting the Mark task as milestone check box.


Structure tasks into a logical outline

• Task List needs to be put in a hierarchical structure which means logically ordering and grouping the related tasks.

• Some task summarize the work of smaller tasks and are called summary tasks and tasks underneath them are called subtasks

• To indent or outdent a task 1. In the Task Name field, select the task you want to indent or outdent2. Click Indent to indent the task or click Outdent to outdent the task. 3. To indent/outdent a task with the mouse, position the pointer over the first

letter of the task name. when the pointer changes to a two-way arrow , drag right to indent the task or drag left to outdent the task.

4. To undo outlining, outdent all subtasks


Show or hide subtasks

• To show/hide subtasks:1. In the Task name field, select the summary task containing the subtasks

to be shown or hidden2. Click Show Subtasks to show the subtasks or click Hide Subtasks

to hide the subtasks3. To show all subtasks, click Show All Subtasks

4. To hide all subtasks, select the entire spreadsheet by clicking the ID column heading and click Hide Subtasks


Sequence the tasks

Some tasks may need to finish before a successor task and others may depend on the start of a predecessor task.• To sequence the tasks in an Finish-to-Start dependency:

1. In the Task Name field, select two or more tasks you want to link. 2. Click Link Tasks

• To change a task-link:1. Double-click the link line of the tasks you want to change. 2. In the Type box, click the task link you want.

• To remove a task-link:1. In the Task Name field, select the tasks you want to unlink. 2. Click UnLink Tasks

The task will be rescheduled based on any other dependencies.


Overlap tasks or add lag time between tasks

• To overlap tasks or add lag time:1. In the Task Name filed, select the task you want, then click Task Information

2. Click the Predecessors tab3. In the Lag field, type the lead time/lag time, as a duration or as a percentage .4. Type lead time as a +ve number and lag time as a negative number


Start or Finish tasks on specific dates

• To add an inflexible constraint to a date:1. In the Task Name filed, select the task you want, then click Task

Information.2. Click the Advanced tab.3. In the Type box, click a constraint type.

• To check a constraint 1. On the View menu, point to Table, and then click More Tables. 2. In the Tables list, click Constraint Dates. 3. Click Apply.

• To prevent getting involved in messy scheduling conflicts:1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 2. Click the General tab. 3. Under PlanningWizard, select the Advice about errors check box.


Assign Resources

To track the costs and amount of work done by the people and equipment assigned to the tasks.

• To assign resources:1. In the Task Name field, select the task to assign a resource, then click

Assign Resources

2. In the Name field, select the resources to assign to the task or click Address to select a resource from your e-mail address book


Create a resource listA resource list includes the names of the resources and the maximum number of units as a percentage of each resource’s availability.

• To create a resource list:1. On the View Bar, click Resource Sheet2. On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Entry.3. In the Resource Name field, type a resource name.4. If you want to designate a resource group, type a name in the Group field.5. If necessary, type the number of resource units available for this resource in

the Max. Units field, as a percentage.6. To assign additional resources, click Assign Resources, and then type a

resource name in the Name field.


Create a Working Times calendar for a Group of

Resources• To set a work schedule:

1. On the Tools menu, click Change Working Time

2. Click Nonworking time for days off and Working time for hours worked3. To change the entire calendar, select all weekdays

• To assign resources to a working times calendar 1. On the View Bar, click Resource Sheet . 2. In the Base Calendar field of each resource you want to assign to a calendar,

select the same base calendar.


View assignments to tasks

• To see which tasks the resources are assigned:1. On the View bar, click Resource Usage

2. To see work and cost, from the View menu, select Tables, then click the required table to see in the Resource Usage view

3. In the Resource Name field, review the resource assignments


Save BaselineA baseline is an original project plan used to track progress during a project which includes task start and finish dates and resource and cost information and make any necessary corrections.• To save a baseline of project’s information:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Tracking, then click Save Baseline.2. Click Entire Project or Selected Tasks to add new tasks to an existing

baseline• To turn a PlanningWizard on/off:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab. 2. To turn on the PlanningWizard, select the Advice from PlanningWizard

check box. To turn off the PlanningWizard, clear the Advice from PlanningWizard check box.


Save an interim plan

• An interim plan is a set of task start and finish that can be saved at certain stages of the project

• Up to 10 interim plans can be saved to compare with the baseline plan to monitor project slippage or progress

• To save an interim plan:1. In the Copy box, click the plan name to be saved2. In the Intro box, click the name to which the plan has to be saved3. Click Entire project or Selected tasks to save the portion of the schedule

you want


Compare actual task information to the baseline

• Variances are differences between baseline and scheduled task and resource information

• Variances alert you to the areas of the project that are not going as planned

• Variances need to be identified as soon as possible to adjust task dependencies, reassign resources, or delete some tasks to meet the deadlines

• To identify variances:– On the View Bar, click Tracking Gantt– On the View menu, point to Table, then click Variance– Drag the divide bar to the right to view the variance fields


Summary

• Identify all the project tasks and delegate them• Get work and time estimates for the tasks• Determine task dependencies• Enter task and project constraints• Track project progress, comparing actual data to original estimates• Review resource, scope, and schedule factors to balance priorities• Identify the problems that could knock the project off schedule• Analyze resource requirements to check nobody is overloaded• Make midstream changes to achieve project goals sooner• Compare the original plan to the actual course of project events• Analyze problems and identify areas for future improvement• Archive the project file

Documents

Microsoft Project 98