MS PROJECT TUTORIAL

What is project management?

Project management is the process of planning, organizing, and managing tasks and resources to accomplish a defined objective, usually within limitations on time, resources, or cost. A project plan can be simple, for example, a list of tasks and their start and finish dates written on a

notepad. Or it can be complex, for example, thousands of interdependent tasks and resources with a million-dollar budget. Whether simple or complex, however, all projects consist of three

major phases:

- Build the plan

- Track and manage the project

- Close the project

The more successful these phases are, the greater your chance of a successful project.

The project triangle

If only you could foresee your project's future....

In a way you can, if you understand three factors that shape every project:

Time: The time to complete the project as reflected in your project schedule.

Money: The project budget, based on the cost of the resources, that is, the people, equipment,

and materials required to do the tasks.

Scope: The goals and tasks of the project and the work required to complete them.

This trio of time, money, and scope is the project triangle. Adjusting one of these elements affects the other two. While all three elements are important, typically one will have the most

influence on your project. The relationship between these elements differs in every project and determines the kinds of problems you'll encounter and the solutions you can implement. Knowing where your limitations and flexibility reside makes it easier to plan and manage your

project.

Your project strategy

Before considering the tasks of your project or the resources you need, first set your

strategy. Your project strategy helps you build the big picture of the project, so you and other project stakeholders are very clear about where you're headed. Gather or

develop the following information:

Objectives. The goals and outcomes of the project must be clearly understood.

Assumptions. If you're making any assumptions that support the goals and successful outcome of the project, these assumptions need to be specified ahead of time.

Limitations. Any limiting factors or project constraints should be spelled out. Identifying limits and constraints can also help you plan contingencies for potential problems.

Scope. The scope defines the tasks and deliverables of the project.

This information helps you and others understand the project. It can also be instrumental when

you need to respond to changes that might occur in the midst of the project.

How does Microsoft Project help?

As project manager, you have to keep track of numerous details, while always having your eye on the ultimate project goal. How does Microsoft Project help?

First, Microsoft Project stores details about your project in its database. Microsoft Project then uses this information to calculate and maintain the project's schedule and costs, thereby creating your project plan. The more

information you provide, the more accurate the plan.

Microsoft Project keeps the information you enter and the information it calculates in fields, which contain specific types of information, such as task names or durations. In Microsoft

Project, each field usually appears in a column.

Like a spreadsheet, Microsoft Project displays results of its calculations immediately. When you have all task information entered, you can learn the targeted task start and finish, resource requirements, and project end date.

Plan your project

As you build a project plan, Microsoft Project calculates and creates a working schedule based

on information you provide about the tasks to be done, the people who work on them, the equipment and supplies used to accomplish them, and the costs involved. With this information,

Microsoft Project can calculate your schedule, costs, and resource work load.

Tasks

Duration

Task dependencies

Resources

Costs

Track your project

After you've built a project plan, it needs to be managed and tracked. By reviewing project progress periodically, you can make the changes necessary to keep the project on schedule and within budget. When managing a project, you can use features such as:

Custom fields to identify specific information.

Views and tables to display the exact information you want to review.

Filters and groups to focus on the information that needs your attention.

You enter actual progress on tasks, compare your actual information to your original plan, and see how your resource work load is balanced. You can then effectively head off potential

problems.

Communicate your plan

After building your project plan and throughout the management phase, you may need to communicate project information to others, such as stakeholders or people you've assigned to do

the work. For communication, you can use features such as:

Printing and reporting to present project information to others on paper.

Publishing to HTML or saving a project plan to a Web server to allow others access to project information on a Web site.

Microsoft Project Server or an e-mail system to communicate project information to others.

Collaborate with your team

You can streamline and automate your tracking and communication efforts with

the resources in your project by using online team collaboration, which you can use to electronically connect and communicate with your resources. You can

also incorporate updated information in your project, making it easy to keep your plan up to date. There are two methods for online team collaboration for Microsoft Project.

Microsoft Project Server: Microsoft Project Server and its Web component, Microsoft Project Web Access, are companion products to Microsoft Project that you can use for in-depth online collaboration among team members, project managers, and other stakeholders.

With Microsoft Project Server and Microsoft Project Web Access, team members can view their

own task list or the entire project. They can create new tasks for the project plan, and delegate tasks to others. As the project manager, you can receive task updates and textual status reports.

Stakeholders can access project information and review the big picture.

E-mail: If your team collaboration requirements are simple, you can just use your existing MAPI-compliant, 32-bit e-mail system to exchange basic task and status information with team members. Once connected electronically, you and your team can use special e-mail generated by

Microsoft Project to assign tasks, send task updates, and submit textual status reports.

View the information you need

Today, you're focused on deadlines. Tomorrow, costs. The project database contains a lot of

information, but at any given time, you only need a portion of it. To get to information, use these tools:

Views present a subset of project information in a format that's easy to interpret. For

example, the Gantt Chart displays basic task information in columns and a bar graph.

Tables define the columns displayed.

Filters focus on specific tasks or resources.

Like TV channels, each view presents a different kind of information. Tables and filters fine-tune the information. Just as switching channels doesn't delete them, changing views, tables, or filters

may hide information, but it doesn't delete it. It's still in the database and is still updated. You can also group and sort information to see project information categorized or ordered in a particular

way.

Get Help

This tutorial provides the solid foundation you need to get started. Once you're ready to explore

other capabilities of Microsoft Project, you can get plenty of assistance. Find more Help by clicking the Home button in this Help window, or by clicking the Help menu.

The Project Map. Click through the phases of a project to learn about all steps of project

management, including project management concepts and practices, as well as how to use Microsoft Project.

What's New? See what’s New to learn about new features in Microsoft Project 2002.

The Office Assistant. The Office Assistant can answer your specific questions, leading you to

the Help topics that best answer your questions.

Reference. Click the Home button, and then click the Reference section for descriptions of all available views, tables, and filters; all fields; and project management concepts.

Contents and Index. Choose Contents and Index from the Help menu to view an index of all

Help topics. In addition to online Help, the Project Guide is always available in the side pane to help you navigate through the project management process while allowing you to learn, explore, and discover available features. Following the instructions and wizards it provides, you can

quickly accomplish tasks, such as defining your project, entering tasks, and assigning resources. Throughout the tutorial and online Help, you'll see references to using the Project Guide to

simplify activities.

Create a project plan

When you've defined project goals and thought out the major

phases of your project, it's time to begin creating your plan.

First, you start a new project plan and then enter and organize the list of tasks to be completed, along with each task's duration and

any task dependencies.

Next, you add people, equipment, and materials and their costs to your plan, and then assign these resources to tasks. With this resource and task information,

Microsoft Project creates a schedule. You can verify the schedule and adjust it as necessary.

The eight lessons in this section will guide you through these steps of creating your project plan.

Lesson: How do you set up a project?

The first steps in creating a schedule are starting a new project plan, designating

a project start or finish date, and entering general project information. When you've completed this lesson, you will have a Microsoft Project plan containing the project name and other key information, the project's start or finish date, and

the project calendar. This lesson has three procedures. Use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to move through the lesson:

Create a new project

When you start a new project in Microsoft Project, you can enter your project's start or finish date, but not both. It's recommended that you enter only your project's start date and let Microsoft Project calculate the finish date after you have entered and scheduled tasks.

If your project must be finished by a certain date, enter only the project's finish date. You can initially schedule from the project finish date to find out when you need to start the project. When you know the ideal start date and when work begins, it's more effective to schedule from

the project start date.

1 Click New . The New button may be temporarily hidden. It may not appear because

there is not enough room to display all the buttons. Click Toolbar Options , and then

click New .

2 Click Project Information on the Project menu. Type or select a start date or a finish date for

your project, and then click OK.

3 Click Save .

4 In the File name box, type a name for your project, and then click Save.

Tips :

You can change the start or finish date at any time by clicking Project Information on the Project menu.

You can also use the Define the Project side pane to quickly create a new project. On

the Project Guide toolbar, click Tasks, and then click Define the Project. Follow the instructions that appear in the side pane.

Enter key project information

Each project has a unique set of ingredients: the project goal, the specific tasks, and the people who do them. To help remember and communicate important details, enter

information about the project and refer to it when necessary.

1 On the File menu, click Properties, and then click the Summary tab.

2 Enter any information you'd like about your project, such as the people who will manage it and maintain the project file, the project goal, any known limitations, and other general

project notes.

3 Click OK.

Tip To look for a menu command that doesn't appear, click the arrows at the bottom of the menu. The menu expands to show more commands. You can also expand a menu by

double-clicking it.

Set up the project calendar

You can change the project calendar to reflect the working days and hours for everyone on your

project. The calendar defaults are Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., with an hour off for lunch.

You can specify nonworking times, such as weekends and evenings, as well as special days off,

such as holidays.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 On the Tools menu, click Change Working Time.

3 Select a date on the calendar.

To change one day of the week for the entire calendar, for example, to have Fridays

end at 4:00 P.M., click the abbreviation for that day at the top of the calendar. To change all working days, for example, to begin working days Tuesday through

Friday at 9:00 A.M., click the day heading (such as T for Tuesday) for the first working day of the week. Hold down SHIFT, and then click the day heading for the

last working day of the week (such as F for Friday).

4 Click Nonworking time for days off, or Non default working time to change the hours worked.

5 If you clicked Non default working time in step 3, type the times you want work to start in

the From boxes, and the times you want work to end in the To boxes.

6 Click OK.

Tip You can also use the Project working Times side pane to quickly set up the project calendar. On the Project Guide toolbar, click Tasks, and then click Define general working times. Follow the instructions that appear in the side pane.

Lesson: When will tasks start and finish?

After you create and outline your task list, it's time to address how the tasks relate to each other and how they meet important dates. You can link your tasks to show a task relationship, for example, specifying that one task will start as

another finishes. These links are called task dependencies. Along with duration and other scheduling factors, task dependencies play a large role in the way that

Microsoft Project calculates the start and finish dates for tasks.

If the scheduling for a linked task changes, tasks linked to and from the task are automatically rescheduled. You can refine task schedules using specific date constraints and deadlines. When you've completed this lesson, you will have a schedule for your project. This lesson has three

procedures. Use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to move through the lesson:

Establish relationships between tasks

One of the most reliable methods for scheduling tasks is to establish relationships between them,

that is, task dependencies. Task dependencies reflect how later tasks, or successors, depend on the finish or start of earlier tasks, or predecessors. For example, if the "Paint wall" task must

happen before the "Hang clock" task, you can link the two tasks so that "Paint wall" is the predecessor and Hang clock" is the successor.

After the tasks are linked, changes to the predecessor's dates affect the successor's dates. Microsoft Project creates a finish-to-start task dependency by default. However, because a finish-

to-start dependency does not work in every situation, you can change the task link to start-to-start, finish-to-finish, or start-to-finish to model your project realistically.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 In the Task Name field, select two or more tasks to link in the order you want them linked.

To select adjacent tasks, hold down SHIFT, and then click the first and last tasks you want. To select nonadjacent tasks, hold down CTRL, and then click the tasks you want.

3 Click Link Tasks .

4 To change the task link, double-click the link line between the tasks you want to change.

The Task Dependency dialog box appears. If the Format Bar dialog box appears, you didn't click precisely on the task link and need to close this dialog box and double-click on the task

link again.

5 In the Type box, select the task link you want, and then click OK.

Tips :

To unlink tasks, select the tasks you want to unlink in the Task Name field, and then

click Unlink Tasks . All links to the task are removed, and the tasks are rescheduled based on constraints such as Soon As Possible or Must Finish On.

You can also use the Schedule Tasks side pane to quickly establish task relationships.

On the Project Guide toolbar, click Tasks, and then click Schedule tasks. Follow the instructions that appear in the side pane.

Set a specific start or finish date for a task

You can schedule your tasks most effectively by letting Microsoft Project calculate the start and finish dates for you, based on task durations and dependencies. However, you can still set a specific start or finish date for a task if necessary.

Task constraints that tie tasks to specific dates are called inflexible constraints; the most inflexible constraints are specific start or finish dates. Because Microsoft Project takes

constraints into account when calculating your schedule, use these inflexible constraints only when tasks must start or finish on a specific date.

1 In the Task Name field, click the task you want to set a start or finish date for, and then click

Task Information .

2 Click the Advanced tab.

3 In the Constraint type box, click a constraint type.

4 Type or select a date in the Constraint date box, and then click OK.

Note If you select a start date for a task in the Start field of the Gantt Chart, or if you drag a Gantt bar to change the start date, Microsoft Project sets a Start No Earlier Than

(SNET) constraint based on the new start date. If you select a finish date for a task, Microsoft Project automatically assigns a Finish No Earlier Than (FNET) constraint.

Tip You can also use the Deadlines and Constraints side pane to quickly set specific task dates. On the Project Guide toolbar, click Tasks, and then click Set deadlines and constrain tasks. Follow the instructions that appear in the side pane.

Add a deadline to a task

When you set a deadline for a task, Microsoft Project displays an indicator if the task is scheduled to finish after the deadline.

Setting a deadline doesn't affect how tasks are scheduled. It's just a way to have Microsoft

Project alert you that a task will finish past its deadline. If you want, you can adjust the schedule to meet that deadline.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 In the Task Name field, click the task that you want to set a deadline for.

3 Click Task Information and then click the Advanced tab.

4 Under Constrain task, type or select the deadline date in the Deadline box, and then click OK.

Tips :

You can drag the deadline symbol on the Gantt Chart to change the deadline date. You can also use the Deadlines and Constraints side pane to quickly set deadlines. On

the Project Guide toolbar, click Tasks, and then click Set deadlines and constrain tasks. Follow the instructions that appear in the side pane.

Lesson: How do you enter costs?

Whether you need to account for the expenses on each task or the overall cost of the project, entering rates for a resource's work on tasks or for fixed costs for tasks enables you to see

whether you are staying within budget. You can enter per-use and overtime rates for resources, plan for raises, and choose when costs are accrued. You can also review cost information in

different ways. When you've completed this lesson, you will have entered cost information for resources and tasks. If you don't need to track costs in your project, click View the schedule in the left pane to go on to the next lesson. This lesson has five procedures. Use the navigation bar

at the top of the screen to move through the lesson.

Assign costs to resources

Microsoft Project allows you to assign rates to work resources and material resources so you can

manage project costs accurately. You can assign standard rates, overtime rates, or per-use rates to resources.

1 On the View menu, click Resource Sheet.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Entry.

3 In the Resource Name field, select a resource or type a new resource name.

4 In the Type field, click Work if the resource is a person or machine, or Material if the resource is a quantity of consumable material or supplies (such as cement).

5 For a work resource, in the Std. Rate, Ovt. Rate, or Cost/Use fields, type the resource rates.

For a material resource, in the Material Label field, type a measurement unit for the material resource (such as ton), and in the Std. Rate or Cost/Use fields, type a rate.

6 Press ENTER.

Tip You can set the default standard and overtime rates for any new resources you enter. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab. In the Default standard rate and Default overtime rate boxes, type the new rates. If you want to set this default for all future projects, click set as Default.

Note You can account for different rates for the same resource. Examples include a resource rate changing over the course of a project, the resource being paid different rates for different assignments, or different grades of a material resource. On the View menu, click Resource Sheet.

In the Resource Name field, select a resource and then click Resource Information . Then, enter the information on the Costs tab.

Set fixed costs for tasks

Most costs in a project are associated with resources. However, some costs are associated with tasks, for example, travel and printing costs. Such costs are fixed costs for tasks.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Cost.

3 In the Fixed Cost field for the task, type the cost.

4 Press ENTER.

Tip In the Fixed Cost Accrual field in the Cost table, you can also select an accrual method. This specifies whether the fixed cost is to be realized at the beginning or end of the task, or

whether it should be prorated over the task duration.

Define when costs accrue

In Microsoft Project, resource costs are prorated by default. Their accrual is distributed over the

task's duration. You can, however, change the accrual method so that resource costs take effect at the start or end of the task instead.

1 On the View menu, click Resource Sheet.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Entry.

3 In the Accrue At field, click the accrual method you want to use.

Notes :

If you prorate costs and have multiple cost tables for a resource, your costs will be

calculated using the rates for the appropriate time periods and may change during the completion of the task.

Per-use resource costs always accrue at the start of the assignment

See the cost of resources or tasks

After you assign rates to resources or fixed costs to tasks, you can review the total cost of these assignments to make sure they fall within your expectations. If the total cost of a resource or task

exceeds your budget, you can examine individual task costs and individual resource assignments to see where costs can be reduced.

1 To see resource costs, on the View menu, click Resource Sheet.

To see task costs, on the View menu, click More Views, and then click Task Sheet.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Cost.

Notes :

You can review timephased resource costs by clicking Resource Usage on the View menu, pointing to Details on the Format menu, and then clicking Cost. You can also see resource cost totals displayed graphically by clicking Resource Graph on the View

menu, pointing to Details on the Format menu, and then clicking Cost or Cumulative Cost.

You can view how costs are distributed over a task's duration. On the View menu, click Task Usage. On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click Cost.

See the cost of the entire project

You can view your project's current, baseline, actual, and remaining costs to see whether

you're staying within your overall budget. These costs are updated each time Microsoft Project recalculates your project.

1 On the Project menu, click Project Information.

2 Click Statistics.

3 Under Cost in the Current row, view the total planned cost of the project.

Tip As actual work progresses, you can also compare the variance between the Current and Remaining fields to see if you will have enough money to complete the project.

Lesson: How do you adjust your schedule?

After reviewing and analyzing your schedule, you might want to make certain

adjustments. If you find that the project finish date is in jeopardy, you can adjust tasks to shorten your schedule.

Maybe projections show you'll run over budget. Or perhaps you just want to make sure

that your project plan accurately models how the project will really run. Can a task begin earlier? Use lead time. Is there a date when a task must absolutely start?

Add a constraint. Are some resources overworked and others free? Reassign resources to shorten tasks.

If you use an online team collaboration solution such as Microsoft Project Server, you

can publish the changes you've made to assignments so your team members have updated task lists to work with.

When you've completed this lesson, you will have adjusted your schedule to meet your

goals and better model reality. This lesson has eight procedures. Use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to move

through the lesson.

Check and adjust a task dependency

A task dependency describes how a task is related to the start or finish of another task. For

example, many tasks cannot begin until a previous task has been completed. This is a finish-to-start task dependency and is the most common. You model such a dependency in your project plan when you link tasks. By default, Microsoft Project assigns a finish-to-start task dependency

when you link tasks. If a different relationship models your tasks, you can change the dependency type. In addition to finish-to-start, you can connect tasks with a start-to-start, start-

to-finish, or finish-to-finish dependency.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 Double-click the link line of the tasks you want to check.

To change a task dependency (link) type, double-click here.

The Task Dependency dialog box appears. If the Bar Styles dialog box appears instead, close

this dialog box and try to more precisely double-click the task link.

3 In the Type box, check the task dependency.

4 To change the dependency, in the Type box, click the task link you want to use.

Tips:

If you have tasks that can be worked on at the same time, you can shorten the critical

path most by changing the task dependency. For example, if two tasks can be started at the same time, you can change the task dependency to start-to-start. If two tasks

should finish at the same time, you can change the task dependency to finish-to-finish. You can add lead or lag time to tasks to make their start or finish dates overlap each

other or to delay a predecessor task. To quickly add lead or lag time to a successor

task, double-click the link line on the Gantt Chart, and then type the amount of lead or lag time in the Lag box of the Task Dependency dialog box. Type lead time as a

negative number (for example, –2d for two days of lead time) or as a percentage. Type lag time as a positive number or as a percentage.

Overlap or delay tasks

If you have tasks that can begin earlier than shown in your schedule, you can add lead time to the successor tasks. This overlaps the tasks and more accurately models how the work will be done.

For example, if the electricians can begin wiring outlets before the walls are all finished, you can use time more efficiently by starting the "Wire outlets" task after half of the

walls have been roughed in. To do this, you specify 50 percent lead time between the finish of the "Rough-in walls" task and the start of the "Wire outlets" task.

1 In the Task Name field, click the successor task you want, and then click Task Information

.

2 Click the Predecessors tab.

3 In the Lag field, type the lead time as a negative number or negative percentage, for example, -3d or -50%.

Tip You can also delay tasks by adding lag time. For example, if you need a 2-day delay from the finish of one task and the start of another, double-click the link line on the Gantt chart, and then type 2d in the Lag field of the Task Dependency dialog box.

Check and adjust constraints on tasks

Task constraints can help you create a more accurate schedule by tying tasks to specific dates.

For example, you can specify that a task must start no earlier than a particular date or finish no later than a particular date. You can change the constraint on a task from the default, As Soon As

Possible, to seven other constraints or reset it to the default constraint to better reflect when the task will be done.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click More Tables.

3 In the Tables list, click Constraint Dates, and then click Apply.

The Constraint Dates table shows the task name, duration, constraint type for all constraints, and the constraint date, as applicable.

If the field you want to see isn't visible, press TAB to move to it.

4 For each task with a constraint other than the default, As Soon As Possible, look at the predecessor tasks and successor tasks on the Gantt Chart to determine if you really need the

constraint.

5 Change a constraint if necessary.

To change a constraint type, in the Constraint Type field, click the arrow, and then click the

appropriate constraint.

To change a constraint date, type or select the date in the Constraint Date field.

To remove an unnecessary constraint, change it to As Soon As Possible.

Notes :

If you entered a start date for a task or dragged a Gantt bar to change the start date, Microsoft Project set a Start No Earlier Than (SNET) constraint based on the new start

date. If you entered a finish date for a task, Microsoft Project automatically assigned a Finish No Earlier Than (FNET) constraint. If this was not your intent, change these constraints to As Soon As Possible (ASAP).

If you're scheduling your project from a finish date, typing a start date for a task or dragging a Gantt bar to change the start date sets a Start No Later Than (SNLT)

constraint. If you type a finish date for a task, Microsoft Project automatically assigns a Finish No Later Than (FNLT) constraint. If this was not your intent, change these constraints to As Late As Possible (ALAP).

Fix the duration of a task

As you assign more resources to a task, Microsoft Project automatically decreases the

duration of the task. For example, a task with one-day duration and one assigned resource has 8 hours of work. With effort-driven scheduling, if you assign a second resource, the

task still has 8 hours of work, but its duration is reduced to half a day. If you want to change the amount of work on the task instead, you can turn off effort-

driven scheduling and assign another resource. The task will then have 16 hours of work

and still have one-day duration.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 In the Task Name field, select the tasks for which you want to turn off effort-driven

scheduling.

3 Click Task Information , and then click the Advanced tab.

4 Clear the Effort driven check box, and then click OK.

Now when you assign an additional resource, the task's duration will not change.

Tip You can turn off effort-driven scheduling for all new tasks you create. Existing tasks will not be affected. On the Tools menu, click Options, click the Schedule tab, and

then clear the new tasks are effort driven check box.

Make tasks shorter by adding resources

If you initially assigned resources to a task, and then later add or remove resources, by default Microsoft Project recalculates the task's duration. For example, suppose you have an effort-

driven task with four-day duration and one assigned resource. If you later add another resource, the task is shortened to two days. If your resource availability is more flexible than your

deadlines, adding resources can be an effective way to shorten your schedule.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 In the Task Name field, click the task to which you want to assign more resources, and then

click Assign Resources .

3 In the Resource Name field, click the resource you want to assign to the task.

If necessary, type the name of a new resource in the Resource Name field.

4 Click Assign.

A check mark to the left of the Resource Name field indicates that the resource is assigned to the selected task.

Note If the task duration doesn't change when you add resources, check that the scheduling

options are set to effort-driven scheduling. Click Task Information , and then click the

Advanced tab. Be sure the Effort driven check box is selected and the task type is Fixed Units or Fixed Work.

Tips :

To learn which resources are available to take on more work, review current resource

allocations by clicking Resource Usage on the View menu. To assign a resource part-time, type a value less than 100 in the Units field to

represent the percentage of working time you want the resource to spend on the task. To assign more than one of the same resource (such as two carpenters), type a percentage amount greater than 100 in the Units field.

Split a task into segments

You can split a task so that the task is interrupted and resumes later in the schedule. This is useful when you need to temporarily stop work on one task to work on another task. You can

split a task as many times as necessary.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 Click Split Task.

3 Move the pointer over the task bar you want to split, and then click the task bar where you want the split to occur.

Notes :

If you don't see the Split Task button, click More Buttons, and then click Split Task. Splitting a task into parts is not the same as entering a recurring task scheduled to

occur at regular intervals, such as a staff meeting. To do this, create a recurring task.

Tips:

You can create a longer split by clicking and dragging the task bar to the right. You can remove the split by dragging a portion of a split task so that it touches

another portion.

Delete a task

When adjusting your schedule to meet your finish date, bring your budget under control, or

resolve resource over allocations, you might find you need to cut project scope. Delete any tasks associated with that reduced scope.

1 In the ID field (the leftmost field), select the task you want to delete.

To select a group of adjacent rows, hold down SHIFT, and then click the first and last ID numbers of the group.

To select several nonadjacent rows, hold down CTRL, and then click the task ID numbers.

2 Press DELETE.

Notes:

If you delete a summary task, all tasks beneath it are deleted as well.

When you delete tasks, any resources assigned to those tasks have time freed up. This might resolve over allocations or reduce budget. Or you might be able to reassign

newly available resources to other tasks to help bring in the schedule.

Publish changed assignments using Microsoft

Project Server

When you've changed task or resource information that affects assignments published to Microsoft Project Server, publish the changed assignments again. This updates the team

members' task lists with the changes you've made so they're always working with current information.

1 On the View menu, click the task view you want.

2 On the Collaborate menu, point to Publish, and then click New and Changed Assignments.

3 To save the project file before publishing assignments, click OK.

4 In the Publish new and changed assignments for box, select Entire project, Current view, or

Selected items, depending on which assignments you want to publish.

5 To enter additional information or edit e-mail notification text, click Edit message text, type

the text you want in the Message text box, and then click OK.

Tips :

In the preview box, you can review the new and changed assignments you want to publish. By default, assignments are grouped by resource, but you can also list them

by task. When you assign tasks to a team member in Microsoft Project, an e-mail notification

message about the assignment is automatically sent out to that person's e-mail inbox.

Note This procedure also works if you use e-mail for online team collaboration.

Lesson: How do you save the plan along the

way?

After you've entered task, resource, and cost information for your project, you can save a snapshot, or baseline, of your original plan. After the project is under way, you can enter actual

information and have Microsoft Project help you compare that data to the baseline. When you've completed this lesson, you'll have a baseline of your project for future reference. This lesson has

two procedures. Use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to move through the lesson: .

Save a baseline

When you've entered all your project information and you're ready to start actual work, you can

save a baseline of your project's information to compare with actual progress on your project. Using a baseline makes it possible for you to track progress, see variances, and make the necessary corrections. For example, you can see which tasks started later than planned, how

much work assigned resources have actually performed, and whether your budget is on track.

You can save up to 11 baselines in a project plan, and roll up updated baseline data to summary tasks. These are named Baseline, and Baseline1 through Baseline10. By comparing the

information in your baseline or baselines to your up-to-date schedule later in the project, you can identify and solve discrepancies and plan more accurately for similar future projects.

1 On the Tools menu, point to Tracking, and then click Save Baseline.

2 Click Entire project to save a project baseline.

Click Selected tasks to add new tasks to an existing baseline.

3 Click OK.

Tips :

To create a budget, first assign resources and enter rate information and any fixed

costs on tasks, and then save a baseline. The cost information in the baseline can serve as a budget.

You can save up to 11 different baselines. Each baseline is a snapshot of the duration, start, finish, cost, and work information in your project. You can also save up to ten

interim plans, each of which saves a snapshot of the current start and finish dates.

Save an interim plan

After you save a baseline of your project's information, you can save up to 10 interim

plans as checkpoints during the project.

1 On the Tools menu, point to Tracking, and then click Save Baseline.

2 Click Save interim plan.

3 In the Copy box, click the name of the current interim plan.

4 In the Into box, click a name for the next interim plan, or specify a new name.

5 Click Entire project to save an interim plan for the whole project.

Click Selected tasks to save a portion of the schedule.

6 Click OK.

Note An interim plan only saves the tasks' start and finish dates at that point in time. These dates are saved in custom Start and Finish fields that you choose. You can display these interim plan dates by adding the custom Start and Finish fields to a table.

Lesson: How do you track the actual progress

on tasks?

After you've set up your project and work has begun, you can keep track of actual start and finish dates, task percent complete, or actual work. Tracking actuals shows you how

changes affect other tasks and ultimately, the project's finish date. Decide on one or two progress indicators to use throughout the project. For example,

resources can quickly report percent work complete on tasks, giving you a broad idea of

task progress. At the other extreme, resources can report exact hours of work on each task every week. This is more time-consuming, and you have a highly accurate picture of

progress. Which indicators you use depends entirely on your preferences and priorities. When you've completed this lesson, you'll know which views to use for tracking and

checking progress. You'll know how to enter different types of task progress information

and see their effects on the schedule. If you're using an online team collaboration solution like Microsoft Project Server, you'll learn how to receive progress updates from team

members. This lesson has nine procedures. Use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to move

through the lesson: .

Track progress using the Tracking Setup

wizard

The Tracking Setup wizard, which is part of the Project Guide, can tailor a table in which

you can update task progress the way you want. Use this custom tracking table to enter progress information yourself, or to accept online updates through Microsoft Project

Server.

1 On the Project Guide toolbar, click Track.

2 In the side pane, click Prepare to track the progress of your project.

3 Select whether you want to track manually or with Microsoft Project Server.

4 Specify whether you want to track using % Work Complete, Actual Work, or number of hours.

5 Answer any other questions and follow any instructions that appear in the side pane.

Microsoft Project creates and displays a custom tracking table in your current task view.

6 When done, click Save and Finish.

Tip For best results, be sure to save a baseline before you start tracking progress.

Note To apply this custom tracking table to a view, on the View menu, point to Table, and then click More Tables. Click Project Guide: Custom tracking table, and then click Apply.

See if tasks are progressing according to plan

Use the Tracking Gantt view to identify tasks whose dates significantly vary from your baseline. You can then adjust task dependencies, reassign resources, or delete some tasks

to meet your deadlines. In the Tracking Gantt view, each task bar shows the baseline start and finish date coupled

with the current start and finish date.

As you enter actuals, the top bar may move to show a departure from plan. For example, if the start date of "Inventory artifacts" moves by two days and is over half complete at

55%, the red scheduled bar extends two days beyond the lower baseline bar.

1 On the View menu, click Tracking Gantt.

2 To view the variance fields, on the View menu, point to Table, and then click Variance.

3 If necessary, press TAB to see the variance fields. You must have saved a baseline to have

variance information.

4 On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Tracking.

5 Update the progress of the tasks in your project. If the task has started or finished as

scheduled, click the task, and then click Update as Scheduled. If the task is not progressing as scheduled, in the next lessons you'll learn how to enter actual start and finish dates, enter the actual

duration of the task, or update a task's progress as a percentage.

Update task progress with Microsoft Project

Server

One of the most efficient methods for tracking progress on tasks is to incorporate updates sent by team members through Microsoft Project Server. You can establish with your team the type of

progress information you want to receive, for example, percent complete or actual work on assignments. You can also specify how often you want to receive these updates. When your team starts sending their updates, much of your work in tracking project progress is automated.

To review and incorporate updates into your project schedule, you log on to Microsoft Project

Server, either from within Microsoft Project or by using Microsoft Project Web Access.

1 On the Collaborate menu in Microsoft Project, click Update Project Progress.

The Microsoft Project Web Access Update page is displayed in Microsoft Project. If prompted, log on to Microsoft Project Server.

2 To review updates, click View Options, and then click the display options you want.

3 To focus on specific task updates, click Filter, Group, Search, and then click the options you want.

4 To run rules you established for automating task updates, click Apply Rules, click the project you want to update in the Apply resource change rules to box, and then click Run Rules

Now.

5 To incorporate all updated information at once, click Accept All.

6 To incorporate updates into the project plan, click Update.

7 To return to Microsoft Project, on the View menu, click More Views, click the view you want to use in the Views list, and then click Apply.

Enter actual start and finish dates for a task

Tasks that start or finish late can throw an entire project off schedule by delaying the start or

finish dates of related tasks. Tasks that start or finish early can free resources to work on other tasks that are behind schedule. Microsoft Project uses the actual values you enter to reschedule

the remaining portions of your project.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 In the Task Name field, select the tasks you want to update with the same values.

To select adjacent tasks, hold down SHIFT, and then click the first and last tasks you want. To select nonadjacent tasks, hold down CTRL, and then click the tasks you want.

3 On the Tools menu, point to Tracking, and then click Update Tasks.

4 Under Actual, type or select a date in the Start or Finish box.

If you enter a finish date, make sure that the task is 100% complete; Microsoft Project will assume the date is the actual finish for the task and reschedule successor tasks accordingly.

5 Click OK.

Note Entering an actual start date or actual finish date for a task changes the corresponding scheduled date for that task. Baseline dates, however, are not affected.

Enter the actual duration of a task

If you know the number of days a task has been in progress and if it is progressing as planned,

you can track progress by entering the duration that the resource has been working on the task.

When you enter the actual duration of a task, Microsoft Project updates the actual start date, the task's percentage of completion, and the duration of the task remaining in the schedule.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 In the Task Name field, click the task for which you want to enter the actual duration.

3 On the Tools menu, point to Tracking, and then click Update Tasks.

4 In the Actual dur box, type the actual duration of the task.

5 Click OK.

Tip If you think the task is going to be finished sooner or later than originally scheduled, you can enter a new value in the Remaining dur box.

Note If you enter an actual duration longer than or equal to the scheduled duration, the task

becomes 100% complete, and the scheduled duration then equals the actual duration.

Update a task's progress as a percentage

You can indicate how much progress has been made on a task by entering the percentage of the

task duration that is complete. Especially for long tasks, indicating the percentage of completion for the task helps you track actual progress against the baseline plan.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 In the Task Name field, click the task for which you want to update progress.

3 Click Task Information , and then click the General tab.

4 In the Percent complete box, type a whole number between 0 and 100.

5 Click OK.

Notes

By default, Microsoft Project indicates the task's percentage of completion as a thin,

black line drawn horizontally through the middle of each Gantt bar on the Gantt Chart. When you mark a task as 100% complete, Microsoft Project displays a check mark in

the Indicators field.

Tip You can also use the Incorporate Progress side pane to quickly group a view. On the Project

Guide toolbar, click Track, and then click Incorporate progress information into the project. Follow the instructions that appear in the side pane.

Update actual work by time period

You can track actual work by period using the timephased fields in Microsoft Project. With this method, you can enter work for a particular day or week in your schedule.

1 On the View menu, click Task Usage.

2 On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click Actual Work.

3 In the time phased portion of the view, in the Act. Work field, type the actual work of each assigned resource.

Tips

If it makes no difference which of the resources assigned to a task performs the work,

in the Act. Work field for the task, type a value for the combined work done on the task by all the resources. Microsoft Project divides the actual and remaining work

among the resources based on when they are scheduled on the task and the remaining work for each assignment.

To enter actual work for a week at a time, on the View menu, click Zoom, and click 1 month to display the timescale in weekly increments. Then type actual work for the

week in the Act. Work field.

See if tasks have more or less work than

planned

If you're managing assignments in your project, you need to make sure resources

complete tasks in the time scheduled. If you've saved a baseline for your project, you can check the variance information.

Variances in your schedule can be good or bad, depending on the type and severity of the

variance. A task with less work than planned, for example, is usually good news, but can also indicate that your resources are not allocated efficiently.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Work.

If necessary, press TAB to view the Actual field.

3 Compare the values in the Work, Baseline, and Actual fields.

The values in the Variance field show the difference between the work scheduled and the

originally planned amount of work saved in the baseline.

Compare actual task information to the

baseline

When you save a baseline and then update your schedule, you can compare the baseline to your actual progress to identify variances. Variances alert you to the areas of the project that are not

going as planned. To keep your project on schedule, keep a close eye on significant variances in task start or finish dates. Where necessary, adjust task dependencies, reassign resources, or delete tasks to meet your deadlines.

1 On the View menu, click Tracking Gantt.

The Tracking Gantt view shows task variances graphically, making it easier to analyze progress in your schedule.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Variance.

If necessary, press TAB to view the variance fields.

Note You must update tasks' actual start and finish dates, actual work values, or actual durations before variances appear. Microsoft Project calculates the other task information based

on the information you enter.

Compare actual task information to the

baseline

When you save a baseline and then update your schedule, you can compare the baseline to your

actual progress to identify variances. Variances alert you to the areas of the project that are not going as planned. To keep your project on schedule, keep a close eye on significant variances in task start or finish dates. Where necessary, adjust task dependencies, reassign resources, or delete

tasks to meet your deadlines.

1 On the View menu, click Tracking Gantt.

The Tracking Gantt view shows task variances graphically, making it easier to analyze progress in your schedule.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Variance.

If necessary, press TAB to view the variance fields.

Note You must update tasks' actual start and finish dates, actual work values, or actual durations before variances appear. Microsoft Project calculates the other task information based

on the information you enter.

Enter the total actual work done by a

resource

If you schedule tasks based on the availability of resources, you can update the actual work completed on a task. Using this approach, not only can you track task progress, but you can also

track the work each resource is performing.

When you update the actual work a resource has done on a task, Microsoft Project automatically calculates the work remaining by subtracting the actual work done by the resource from the total

work the resource is scheduled to do.

1 On the View menu, click Task Usage.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Work.

In the Task Name field, both task and resource names are listed. If necessary, press TAB to view the Actual field.

3 In the Actual field for each resource, type the updated work value and the duration abbreviation for the actual work of each assigned resource.

Tip If it makes no difference which resource assigned to a task performs the work, then type a value for the combined work done on the task by all the resources in the Actual field for the task. Microsoft Project divides the actual and remaining work among the resources based on when

they are scheduled on the task and the remaining work for each assignment.

Update a resource's actual work by time

period

Using the time phased fields in the Resource Usage view, you can track actual work by time period such as days or weeks. This method can keep your project up to date on a detailed level.

1 On the View menu, click Resource Usage.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Work.

3 On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click Actual Work.

4 In the Act. Work field for the resource, type the actual work value.

See the variance between planned and actual

work

If you schedule tasks based on the availability of resources, and if you track actual work, you can analyze how much total work a resource is accomplishing by reviewing the variance between the

baseline work and actual work.

1 On the View menu, click Resource Usage.

2 On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Work.

If necessary, press TAB to view the Baseline and Actual fields.

3 Compare the values in the Baseline and Actual fields for each resource.

4 Make sure the Work and Act. Work fields are displayed in the time phased portion of the view. If these fields are not displayed, on the Format menu, point to Details, and then click

Work or Actual Work.

5 In the time phased portion of the view, compare the Work and Act. Work fields for a daily,

weekly, or monthly summary of each resource's work.

Lesson: How do you balance a resource's

work load?

Check your schedule periodically for resources with too much or too little work. If some

resources are over allocated, see if adding more resources to a task or reassigning a task will balance out the work load better. If this doesn't work, you can delay tasks assigned to an overworked resource until later in the schedule or reduce the amount of work for tasks. When

you've completed this lesson, you'll know how to find over allocated resources and understand techniques for balancing resource work loads. This lesson has four procedures. Use the

navigation bar at the top of the screen to move through the lesson.

Find over allocated resources and their task

assignments

People and equipment are over allocated when they are assigned more work than they can complete in their scheduled working hours. First determine which resources are over allocated,

when they are over allocated, and which assignments are scheduled at those times. Resolve the over allocation by shifting assignments or rescheduling tasks.

1 On the View menu, click Resource Usage.

The Resource Usage view shows the total hours the resource is working, the total hours the resource is working on each task, and the hours worked per time period on the timescale.

Resources with no tasks yet assigned do not have tasks listed under their names.

Tasks with no resources assigned are listed under Unassigned in the Resource Name field.

2 On the Project menu, point to Filtered for and then click Over allocated Resources.

Any work resources that are over allocated are displayed.

Tips

If you see number signs (##) in the time phased portion of the view, the columns in

the timescale are not wide enough to display the information. To change the width of the columns, click Timescale on the Format menu, and then increase the value in the

Size box. You can see how much of a resource's work is allocated to particular tasks and per

time period. On the Format menu, click Detail Styles. Click the Usage Details tab and

in the Available fields list, click Percent Allocation, and then click Show.

Reduce a resource's work

After you've assigned a resource to a task, you can change the total work values for the

resource's work on the task or change work values for a specific time period when the resource works on the task. Tailoring work values this way can make your schedule more

accurate at a finer level of detail.

1 On the View menu, click Task Usage.

Resources are grouped under the tasks they are assigned to.

2 In the table portion of the view, enter a new value in the Work field to change the total work value for an assignment.

Tip You can also use the Resource Usage view to see and edit work values for tasks grouped under the resources are assigned to them. On the View menu, click Resource Usage.

Note You can also change the individual work values (or hours) for the assigned resources in the time phased portion of the view.

Reassign work to another resource

One method for resolving a resource over allocation is to reassign the task to another resource with more time. This method of manually leveling your schedule reassigns rather than delays work.

1 On the View menu, click Resource Usage.

2 On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click Over allocation.

3 In the time phased portion of the view, for each highlighted over allocation, examine the

availability of other resources on that day.

4 Click the ID field to select the entire row of the task you need to reassign.

5 Drag the task from the existing resource to the new resource. This reassigns the task

accordingly

Delay a task

A simple way to resolve a resource over allocation is to delay a task assigned to the resource

until the resource has time to work on it. You can add delay to a task, check the effect on the resource's allocation, and then adjust the delay further if necessary.

Delaying a task also delays the start dates of its successors and can affect the finish date of your

schedule. To avoid this, delay tasks with free slack first (noncritical tasks) and only delay them

up to the amount of slack that is available for each task. Experiment with adding delay to different tasks to see the effect on your schedule.

1 On the View menu, click More Views.

2 In the Views list, click Resource Allocation, and then click Apply.

In the time phased portion on the top right, resource over allocation is shown in red.

In the bottom view, the bar chart shows slack for the task selected in the top view. Slack is shown as a thin bar adjoining the standard Gantt bar.

3 In the Resource Name field in the top left portion of the view, click the name of the over allocated resource with a task you want to delay.

4 In the Leveling Delay field (in the bottom left portion of the view) for the task you want to delay, type the amount of time that you want the task to be delayed.

To ensure that successor tasks are not affected, do not enter more lag than the amount of free slack for that task.

5 To return to a single view, on the Window menu, click Remove Split.

Communicate results

To manage a project effectively, you need to communicate and distribute project information.

You might prepare reports or presentations; publish information on a Web site; or use Microsoft Project Server to communicate with your project team on the Web. With Microsoft Project, you

can format and print views and reports to meet the needs of a particular person or group. You can publish the information in Web format (HTML) or include it in a presentation by using a program such as Microsoft PowerPoint. The three lessons in this section show how to

communicate and distribute results on your project.

Lesson: How do you format the schedule to

look the way you want?

Especially with larger projects with extensive task lists, sometimes it can be difficult to focus on areas that concern you. To emphasize what you need to see, you can customize the format of the

task list and the Gantt bars.

You can format categories of information, such as all tasks that must end by a certain date. You can change or add Gantt bars for certain information. You can also format individual text and

Gantt bars if needed.

This lesson has four procedures. Use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to move through the lesson: .

Use the Gantt Chart Wizard for easy formatting

The Gantt Chart Wizard is a series of interactive dialog boxes containing options that you select

to format the Gantt chart, such as highlighting the critical path. When you finish selecting the options you want, the Gantt Chart Wizard formats your Gantt chart for you.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 Click Gantt Chart Wizard .

3 Follow the Gantt Chart Wizard instructions.

Tip To undo the formatting you chose with the Gantt Chart Wizard, click Gantt Chart Wizard and reapply the default options by clicking Next for each step to return the Gantt Chart to its default settings.

Format a category of Gantt bars

To call attention to all tasks of a certain category, you can change the format of the Gantt bars that represent that category on the Gantt Chart. A category can, for example, include specific types of tasks such as milestones, critical tasks, or completed tasks.

Instead of selecting Gantt bars manually and applying formatting to them, you can create or

modify a bar style. Any change you make to the style will affect all bars in the category.

1 On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2 On the Format menu, click Bar Styles.

3 To modify an existing style, in the Name field, click the name of the bar style.

4 Click the Bars tab in the bottom portion of the Bar Styles dialog box.

5 To create a new style, click in the Show For ... Tasks column, and then click the arrow next

to the selection to select a new category (such as Critical or Finished).

6 If you are creating a new style, type its name in the Name field, and then click the Bars tab.

7 Under Start, Middle, and End, select shapes, patterns or types, and colors for the bar.

8 Click OK.

Tip To change the formatting of an individual Gantt bar, select the task, and then click Bar on the Format menu. Click the Bar Shape tab, and format the Gantt bar.

Format a category of tasks in your task list

To distinguish a category of tasks, such as critical tasks or milestones, from other tasks in your

project, you can change the text formatting for all tasks in that category. You can also change the look of row and column headings, the timescale, and Gantt bar text.

You can change text styles in any view except the Network Diagram and form views. In some

views, however, not all formatting options are available. Changes you make apply only to the current view.

1 On the View menu, click a sheet view such as the Gantt Chart.

2 On the Format menu, click Text Styles.

3 In the Item to Change box, click the type of information you want to change, and then select formatting options for that information.

4 To change the formatting of another type of information without closing the dialog box, click a new type in the Item to Change box, and then select formatting options for that

information.

5 Click OK.

Tip To quickly copy the text formatting of one task to another, select the task with formatting you want to copy, click Format Painter, and then select the task to which you want to apply that

formatting.

Format text

If certain information in your view requires urgent attention, such as the completion date of a

slipped task, you can call attention to that information by formatting the text individually. In most views, you can change the font, font style, color, and size of the text.

To change the font, font style, color, and text size, select the text you want to change,

click Font on the Format menu, and then select the formatting you want to apply. You can quickly apply character formatting such as bold, italic, or underlining by

using the Formatting toolbar. Select the text you want to format, and then click Bold,

Italic, or Underline. To change text alignment, click Align Left, Align Center, or Align Right.

Note This type of formatting won't change if you change the data later.

Lesson: How do you print project information?

Printing various aspects of your project plan can be useful when you're analyzing the plan, or

sharing project information with others. On your project printout, you can add headers, footers, and page numbers. You can switch to a different view, customize the view to show only the

information you need, and print it. You can also select from an array for predefined reports. When you've completed this lesson, you'll know how to print the project information you want. This lesson has four procedures. Use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to move through

the lesson.

Add a title, page number, or other project information

You can add project information to the header, footer, or legend of a view. Such information can

be data you enter (such as your company's name or manager's name) or data provided by Microsoft Project (such as the page number or project finish date).

1 On the File menu, click Page Setup.

2 Click the Header, Footer, or Legend tab.

3 Click the Left, Center, or Right tab.

4 In the text box, type the information you want.

5 In the General and Project fields boxes, click each type of information you want, and then click Add.

6 Microsoft Project will use information you entered in the Project Information and Properties

dialog boxes as appropriate.

Note To format project information, select the ampersand (&) that precedes it, or select the entire line, and then click Format Text Font. Select the options you want, such as font, color, or

underlining, and then click OK.

Preview the printed schedule

Before printing a view, it is useful to see what the information will actually look like when

printed. You can adjust the page orientation and size; edit headers, footers, and legends; and set print options.

To see what a project view will look like when printed, click Print Preview .

Print the view that appears on the screen

When you want to print what you see on your screen, print a view. You can print sheet views,

graph views, and most chart views, that is, any view except form views and the Relationship Diagram view.

To print a view using the default settings, click Print.

Tips

To change options, such as printing notes or a specific number of columns, click Page

Setup on the File menu, click the View tab, and then select the options you want. If you preview a view and then decide to change the appearance of the view pages,

click Page Setup in the Print Preview window, and then make the changes you want. To return to the Print Preview window, click Print Preview in the Page Setup dialog box.

Note To change the default print settings, click Print on the File menu. Here you can specify the printer and printer properties if necessary, the print range, the number of copies, or the date range. To see the results of your changes immediately, click Preview in the Print dialog box.

Print a standard report

A report is a predefined set of detailed information about a specific part of your plan. Microsoft Project provides more than 20 predefined reports. For example, the Who Does What report

automatically includes information about each resource's task assignments.

1 On the View menu, click Reports.

2 Click the report type you want, and then click Select.

3 Click the specific report you want to print, and then click Select.

4 Click Print.

Tips

You can change the appearance of your report pages and see the results before you print. Click Page Setup in the Print Preview window, make the changes you want, and

then click Print Preview to return to the Print Preview window. You can switch between Print Preview and Page Setup as many times as necessary before printing

your report. You can print any report without using Print Preview. On the View menu, click

Reports, click Custom, and then click Select. In the Reports list, click the report you

want to print, and then click Print. Make any necessary changes to the print options, and then click ok.

Lesson: How do you distribute project information online?

Microsoft Project puts the communication potential of the World Wide Web at your fingertips with a variety of Internet and intranet features. With Microsoft Project, you can take advantage of the power of the Web by:

Communicating project plans and collecting project information from team members.

Copying information as a static picture and saving the picture in a Web-compatible file format.

Distributing documents related to your project on the Web.

When you've completed this lesson, you'll have a published version of your plan.

This lesson has three procedures. Use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to move through

the lesson.