Organized by ST (Public Ver.

Concepts for CQS 311 Quiz 2:

Gantt chart A predefined view in Microsoft Project consisting of a table on the left and a graphical bar chart on the right that shows the project plan over time. Timeline Chapter 2 o Types of data that can be entered for task durations: Time amount, Dates, Text, Dependent on Calendar setup Length of the day, Non-working days o Good ways to estimate task durations Historical estimates similar projects Check with resources who will do the work Consult project managers of similar projects 8/80 rule Task durations typically between 8 hours (1 day) and 80 hours (10 working days or two weeks) o Milestone task (what is it and traits) Significant event in project Deadline Completion point Can be 0 duration or not. Milestone path through project can insert milestone task, can use task information advanced tab (Mark task as Milestone) o Summary task (versus sub/detail task) Summary task duration calculation Duration calculated based on subtasks Way to organize tasks Logical grouping of related subtasks o Predecessor versus Successor task Predecessor : Proceeds tasks that are dependent on it Other tasks can be dependent on completion or dependent on start of the predecessor task Successor: Follows specified task(s) Note: Projects can be scheduled from a start date or from a required finish date. Can also add lag times (delays) between tasks. Change from Manual to automatic scheduling. o Task dependencies

default dependency in MS Project Automatic scheduling versus manual scheduling

Organized by ST (Public Ver.) Manually scheduled tasks let you focus on capturing basic task details, such as name and sequence, without dealing with the complexity of Projects scheduling engine. o Three default calendars in MS Project : Standard, 24 Hours, Night Shift Chapter 3 o Three types of resources in MS Project Work Resource include the people and equipment needed to complete the tasks in a project. Cost Resource represent a financial cost associated with a task that you need to account for. Examples include categories of expenses like travel, entertainment, and etc. Material Recourse are consumables that you use up as the project proceeds. Ex) a construction project might need to track steel or concrete as it is used throughout the project. Documenting resource: Resource tab Details, Format tab Notes Ex) Experience, pay rate, special concerns o Work resource examples People Individuals name, Job title, Skillsets Equipment to track scheduling or loss o Resource capacity 500% per role 5 people available 50% - part time availability Pay rates: can enter per hour/per week, etc. Project can handle overtime o Project calendar versus resource calendar o Calendar customizations (work week, exceptions) Click the Change working times Chapter 4 o Resource assignment examples o Duration versus work Work amount of effort to complete a task by resource(s). In MS Project Work = Duration unless (Multiple resources assigned, Part-time resource assigned) Duration x units = work o Effortdriven scheduling available per task for entire project Determines work calculations only when adding or removing resources to/from a task Use Actions list Options, Use to decide how resource changes affect schedule. Chapter 5 o Scheduling versus Presentation Gantt chart styles by default the Gantt with Timeline is displayed when you start Project. (File Options General, Default View Box: Choose preferred view.) You can change the formatting of almost any element on a Gantt chart. o Other possible customization options Drawing on a Gantt Chart Can graphically emphasis or add information Drawings can be tied to date/task, Format tab, ex) of a Text Box to highlight event. Customize Timeline view Inserting Specific Tasks, Display as Call out option (milestone) Pan and Zoom feature, typical formatting features

Organized by ST (Public Ver.) Chapter 6 o Project Baseline save current schedule values as a Baseline. o Record progress on tasks through a specific date. o Record a tasks percentage of completion. o Enter actual work and duration values. o The more detailed you try and record on project progress the more time / resources required to maintain project information. Snapshot of existing project values. Enables comparison against original plan. Usually do a snapshot once project plan is as detailed as possible but before actual values are entered (work is actually completed). MS Project supports up to 11 baselines in a single plan. Each baseline increases the project file size. o Methods to record task completions and the order of simplicity of these methods Track a Project as scheduled (The simplest approach to tracking project status.) Track Task Completion Percentages Track Actual Values for Tasks (Enter specific actual values Chapter 7 o Three Task constraints Flexible: Project can change start/finish dates. Inflexible: Must begin or end on a certain date. Semi-flexible constraints: Start or finish date boundary with flexibility o Lag versus Lead (for tasks) Lag time Successor task begins some time after predecessor task finishes Predecessor ------------------------------------------------- Successor Lead time successor task begins before its predecessor task finishes. Predecessor ------------------------------------------------- Successor Units of time (2 days), % of duration of predecessor task (50%) Lag positive units, Lead negative units Can be applied to any type of relationship between tasks. o Critical path: Series of tasks that would push out the project end date if delayed. To shorten a project you must shorten the critical path. Usually changes over the life of the project. o Slack (or float) two types of slack. Free amount of time a task can be delayed before affecting another task Total amount of time a task can be delayed before it affects project completion. A task is on the critical path if slack is less than a specific amount (by default 0 days). Appendix A (Lecture 1) o Project Management- Basically managing a project to successfully meet its requirements on time and within budget using allotted resources. Process involved: Initiate, plan, execute, monitor, control, and close. o Important skill for a project manager: Good Communication with stakeholders.

Organized by ST (Public Ver.) o Definition of a project versus operations: Project - a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Ongoing operations, go on indefinitely; you dont establish an end date. Ex) most of activities of accounting and HR dept. Traits of a project : Unique, Specific Deliverable, Specific Beginning and Due Date Three constraints in the project triangle of constraints and balancing constraints If time of project schedule decrease need to increase budget (cost) to have more resources to do work with less time. If budget (cost) of the project decrease increase more time because you cant pay for as many resources or for resources of the same efficiency. X increase time, then you need to decrease project scope. If project scope is increase increase the project duration or increase project cost.

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