MULUNGUSHI UNIVERSITY

Pursing frontiers of Knowledge

CENTRE FOR ICT EDUCATION

ICT 481 Project Management
Lecture 6
Contents
 Creating a project, Gantt chart, adding tasks and
duration, linking tasks
 Critical Path/ Network diagram. Working with

calendars
 Working with resources and assignments,

tracking project progress, managing project

costs.
 Formatting projects data, printing and reports,

integrating with outlook, collaborating with

project team
2
FAZ League Software Project
 The FAZ has recently decided to reorganise their operations
to support both existing and possibly expanded league
operations in Zambia and part of preparation for the 2014
FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar. To facilitate this
reorganisation and expansion, the Client has outlined a need
to improve their current operational system to embrace the
opportunities provided by contemporary information
technology.
 The software to be developed (henceforth referred to as the

“Chipolopolo League System”) is to facilitate the operations

of the League Manager. The Chipolopolo League System is
to be developed in database management system (DBMS).

3
Clustering tasks for FAZ Software Project
 Requirements and Design
◦ System specification (5 days)
◦ Architectural design (10 days)
◦ Systems design (4 days)
 Coding the FAZ Software system
◦ Coding (20 days)
 Produce systems documentation
◦ Produce technical manual (8 days)
 Testing the system and documentation
◦ Unit and functional test (4 days)
◦ Integrated Test (3 days)
◦ Produce user manual (6 days)
 Deployment
◦ Install systems and operations (5 days)
Gantt Charts
• Allows all key stages of the project, their duration and who
is responsible to be reviewed
• It is useful to create a project by entering tasks and the
amount of time each task will take.
• Establish sequential dependencies between tasks by linking
them.
– When you link tasks, you can see how a change in the duration
of one task affects the start and finish dates of other tasks
and the project finish date.
• Assign personnel and other resources to tasks.
• See how tasks progress across time.
– track progress by comparing planned and actual start and finish
dates
– Track progress by checking the completion percentage of each
task.
• View tasks graphically while still having access to detailed
information about the tasks.
• Split a task so that the task is interrupted and then resumes
later in the schedule; You can include milestones
Example of Gantt Chart
2004 2005 2006 2007
ID Task Name Duration Start Finish Qtr 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4 Qtr 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4 Qtr 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4 Qtr 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3
1 Scaling Up Commitment Control System 315 days? Mon 20/09/04 Fri 02/12/05
and FMS
2 FMS implemented in ABB format 1 day Mon 20/09/04 Mon 20/09/04

3 Appoint Commitment Control Officers in all 1 day? Mon 20/09/04 Mon 20/09/04
ministries
4 Print and Distribute Commitment Control 1 day? Mon 20/09/04 Mon 20/09/04
User Manual
5 Complete Sensitization workshops 1 day? Mon 20/09/04 Mon 20/09/04

6 Procurement of Computers and printers 100 days? Mon 03/01/05 Fri 20/05/05
7 Develop technical requirements and tender document
5 days? Mon 03/01/05 Fri 07/01/05
8 Advertise 20 days? Mon 10/01/05 Fri 04/02/05
9 Evaluation of tenders 10 days? Mon 07/02/05 Fri 18/02/05
10 Ministerial Tender/ ZNTB Approval 10 days? Mon 21/02/05 Fri 04/03/05
11 Award and sign contract 10 days? Mon 07/03/05 Fri 18/03/05
12 Delivery of Computer Equipment 45 days? Mon 21/03/05 Fri 20/05/05
13 Computers delivered and installed in Provincial0 depts
days andFri
Missions
20/05/05abroadFri 20/05/05 20/05
14 Implement FMS in Provincial Departments 43 days? Wed 01/06/05 Fri 29/07/05
15 FMS implemented and operational in Provincial Depts
0 days? Fri 30/09/05 Fri 30/09/05 30/09
16 Implement FMS in Missions Abroad 45 days? Mon 03/10/05 Fri 02/12/05
17 FMS implemented and operational in Mission Abroad
0 days Fri 02/12/05 Fri 02/12/05 02/12
Create a new project
 To start Microsoft Project. Click on Start Button, All
Programs, Microsoft Office, then Microsoft Project
 Do the following Tasks
1. Click Project from the menu.
2. Click Project Information, type or select a start date
eg 17/07/2011 or a finish date for your project, and
then click OK.
2. Click Save.
3. In the File name box, type a name for your project eg
FAZ Software Project, and then click Save.
 You can change your project information at any time by
clicking Project Information on the Project menu.
Enter key project information
 Each project has a unique set of ingredients: the
tasks involved, the people who do them, and the
project goal.
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 that may make it
difficult to reach that goal, and other general
project notes.
3.Click OK.
Set up the project calendar
 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.
4. Click Nonworking time for days off, or Nondefault
working time to change the hours worked.
4. If you clicked Nondefault 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.
5. Click OK.
Enter tasks and their durations
 Enter tasks in the order they will occur. Then estimate
how long it will take to complete each task, and enter
your estimate as the duration.
1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. In the Task Name field, type a task name, and then
press TAB.
3. In the Duration field, type the amount of time each
task will take in months, weeks, days, hours, or
minutes, not counting nonworking time. You can
use the following abbreviations: months = mo;
weeks = w; days = d; hours = h; minutes = m. To
show an estimated duration, type a question mark
after the duration.
4. Press ENTER.
 You can indent related tasks. You can also add a note
about a task.
Enter tasks and their durations
 Enter tasks in the order they will occur. Then estimate
how long it will take to complete each task, and enter
your estimate as the duration.
1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. In the Task Name field, type a task name, and then
press TAB.
3. In the Duration field, type the amount of time each
task will take in months, weeks, days, hours, or
minutes, not counting nonworking time. You can
use the following abbreviations: months = mo;
weeks = w; days = d; hours = h; minutes = m. To
show an estimated duration, type a question mark
after the duration.
4. Press ENTER.
 You can indent related tasks. You can also add a note
about a task.
Create a milestone
 A milestone is a task you use to identify significant
events in your schedule, such as the completion of a
major phase. When you enter a duration of zero days
for a task, Microsoft Project displays the milestone
symbol (diamond) on the Gantt Chart at the start of
that day.
1. In the Duration field, click the duration of the task
you want to make a milestone, and then type 0d.
2. Press ENTER.
3. Create three milestones for the project
 Another way is to mark a task as a milestone, click the
task in the Task Name field. Click Task Information,
click the Advanced tab, and then select the Mark task
as milestone check box.
 To see all milestones, click Milestones in the Filter list.
Create a recurring task
 Recurring tasks are tasks that repeat regularly, such as weekly
meetings. A recurring task can take place daily, weekly,
monthly, or yearly. To create a recurring task:
1. In the Task Name field, click the row below where you
want the recurring task to appear.
2. On the Insert menu, click Recurring Task.
3. In the Task Name box, type the task name: Progress Report
4. In the Duration box, type or select the duration of a single
occurrence of the task.
5. Under Recurrence pattern, click Weekly and every
Mondays.
6. Under Range of recurrence, type a start date in the Start
box and then select End after or End by.
7. If you select End after, type the number of occurrences for
the task (eg 6 occurrences). If you select End by, type the
date you want the recurring task to end (eg 30/10/09).
8. Click OK.
Create relationships between tasks
 To establish relationships between tasks, use task
dependencies. Select the related tasks, link them,
and then change the dependency type, if necessary.
 The task whose start or finish depends on another
task is the successor. The task that the successor is
dependent on is the predecessor.
 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.
 To unlink tasks, select the tasks you want to unlink
in the Task Name field, and then click Unlink
Tasks. The tasks are rescheduled based on existing
links to other tasks, or constraints.
Overlap tasks or add lag time between them
 To create overlap or lag time:
1.In the Task Name field, click the task you want to
add lead or lag time to (it must have
predecessors), and then click Task Information
2.Click the Predecessors tab.
3.In the Lag column, type the lead time or lag time
you want, as a duration or as a percentage of the
predecessor task duration. Type lead time as a
negative number (for example, –2d for two days
lead time) or as a percentage. Or type lag time as
a positive number or as a percentage.
4.Click OK.
Set a specific start or finish date for a task
 You can schedule your tasks most effectively by
entering task durations, creating dependencies between
tasks, and then letting Microsoft Project calculate the
start and finish dates for you. However, you can set a
specific start or finish date for a task if necessary.
 To set specific start 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 eg
Must Finish On
4.Type or select a date in the Constraint date box, and
then click OK.
 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 inform you that a task
will finish past its deadline. You then have the option of
adjusting 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.
 You can drag the deadline symbol on the Gantt Chart to
change the deadline date.
Split a task into segments
 You can split a task if work on the task is interrupted
and then resumes later in the schedule. This is useful,
for example, when you need to temporarily stop work
on a 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. On the task's Gantt bar, click the date where you want
the split to occur and drag the second part of the bar
to the date that you want work to begin again.
 Splitting a task into parts is not the same as entering a
recurring task. You can remove the split by dragging a
portion of a split task so that it touches another portion.
Exercise 1. Create the Gantt Chart

19
Contents
 Creating a project, Gantt chart, adding tasks and
duration, linking tasks
 Critical Path/ Network diagram. Working with

calendars
 Working with resources and assignments,

tracking project progress, managing project

costs.
 Formatting projects data, printing and reports,

integrating with outlook, collaborating with

project team
20
 Logic diagram/ Network diagram
 Suppose you have the following activities
1. Planning
2. Client Survey/ Requirements Elicitation
3. Design Phase 1
4. Design Phase 2
5. Design training
6. Training
7. Purchase order
8. Install
9. Testing
 How to draw the logic/network diagram
Identifying the critical path

Purchase
Planning
order
5 days Design
phase 1 20 days
9 days
Start Design Install Finish
0 days phase 2 5 days 0 days
25 days
Client
Survey Testing
15 days 7 days
Design Train
training Staff
5 days 15 days
Identifying the critical path for the
project
 The critical path is = start – client survey- design
phase 1 – design phase 2 – install – testing –
finish
 Duration = 61 days
 Let us now use Microsoft Project to generate the

critical path and the network diagram.

 Create a new project and enter the data
Creating critical path/ network diagram
 To create critical path
1.On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2.Click GanttChartWizard .
3.Follow the GanttChartWizard instructions to
format critical path tasks.
4.You can display project information in
network diagram view. On the View menu,
click the Network diagram view
 You can filter your schedule so that only the
critical tasks are displayed. On the Project menu,
point to Filtered for, and then click Critical.
Exercise 2. Generate critical Path

25
Contents
 Creating a project, Gantt chart, adding tasks and
duration, linking tasks
 Critical Path/ Network diagram. Working with

calendars
 Working with resources and assignments,

tracking project progress, managing project

costs.
 Formatting projects data, printing and reports,

integrating with outlook, collaborating with

project team
26
Switch to a different view
 You can display project information in task views or
resource views. Some task and resource views are in
sheet views, containing columns (called fields) of
related information.
 You can change the table in a sheet view to see different
fields of information. Other views show tasks or
resource allocation graphically (such as the Calendar,
Network Diagram, and Resource Graph views), or tasks
and resources related to a timescale (such as the Task
Usage and Resource Usage views).
 On the View menu, click the task or resource view you
want. If the view you want to see isn't on the View
menu, click More Views for more choices. Click a view
in the Views list, and then click Apply.
 Changing the view neither adds information to nor
removes information from your project;
Create a resource list
 To create resource list
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, type a resource name.
4.To designate resource groups, in the Group field for the
resource name, type the name of the group.
5.In the Type field, specify the resource type: For a work
resource (people or equipment), set the resource type to
Work. For a material resource (consumed throughout the
project) set the resource type to Material.
6.For each work resource (people or equipment), type the
number of resource units available for this resource in the
Max. Units field, as a percentage. For example, type 300%
to indicate three full-time units of a particular resource.
7.For each material resource (supplies consumed throughout
the project), in the Material Label field, type a measurement
unit for the material resource, such as ton.
Change the work schedule for a resource
 To modify an individual resource calendar.
1.On the View menu, click Resource Sheet, and then select the
resource whose schedule you want to change.
2.On the Project menu, click Resource Information, and then
click the Working Time tab.
3.On the calendar, select the days you want to change. To change
a day of the week for the entire calendar, click the abbreviation
for the day at the top of the calendar.
4.Click Use default, Nonworking time, or Nondefault working
time. When you click Use default, the selected days return to
the Microsoft Project Standard calendar default, which is
Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M., and 1:00
P.M. to 5:00 P.M.
5.If you clicked Nondefault working time in step 4, type the
times that you want work to start in the From boxes and the
times that you want work to end in the To boxes. Click OK.
Assign resources to tasks
 To assign resources
1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. In the Task Name field, click the task to which you want
to assign a resource, and then click Assign Resources.
3. In the Name field, click the resource you want to assign to
the task.
4. To assign a resource part-time, type or select a percentage
less than 100 in the Units column to represent the
percentage of working time you want the resource to
spend on the task. To assign several different resources,
hold down CTRL and click the names of the resources. To
assign more than one of the same resource (such as two
carpenters), type or select a percentage greater than 100 in
the Units column. If necessary, type the name of a new
resource in the Name column.
5. Click Assign. A check mark to the left of the Name
column indicates that the resource is assigned to the
selected task. Click Close.
 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 a 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 a one-day duration
 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.
Check and edit resource assignments
 The Resource Usage view shows project resources with their
assigned tasks grouped underneath them. Using the Resource
Usage view, you can find out how many hours each resource is
scheduled to work on specific tasks and see which resources are
overallocated. You can also determine how much time each
resource has available for additional work assignments.
1.On the View menu, click Resource Usage. To see different
information about resource assignments, such as work and
cost, point to Table on the View menu, and then click the table
you want to see in the Resource Usage view.
2.In the Resource Name column, review the resource
assignments.
3.To reassign a task from one person to another, select the entire
row, position the pointer over the ID field (the leftmost
column), and then drag the task to its new location.
 If a resource name is red and bold, the resource is overallocated.
Assign costs to resources
 Microsoft Project allows you to assign rates to human 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 worker or
machine, or Material if the resource is 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. Press ENTER.
 Set fixed task costs
 When you know an exact cost associated with a task, such as
equipment costs, you can enter a fixed cost.
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.
5. On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Entry.
6. Press ENTER.
7. Select the Predecessor column and then on the Insert menu
select Column
8. In the Field Name select Cost and in the Title box type
“Budget”
9. Click Ok or Press Enter. And you will see the column for
budget and the summary totals
 In the Cost table, you can also change when the fixed cost is
accrued by selecting an accrual method in the Fixed Cost
Accrual field.
Define when costs accrue
 In Microsoft Project, resource costs are prorated
by default. Their accrual is distributed over its
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.
See the cost of tasks or resources
 After you assign rates to resources or fixed costs to
tasks, you may want to review the total cost of these
assignments to make sure they fall within your
expectations. If the total cost of a task or resource does
not meet your budget, you may need to examine each
individual task's costs and each resource's task
assignments to see where costs can be reduced.
1.To see task costs, on the View menu, click More
Views, and then click Task Sheet. To see resource
costs, on the View menu, click Resource Sheet.
2.On the View menu, point to Table, 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.
See the entire project on the screen
 You can get an overview of your project's start and
finish dates and see when major phases will occur by
zooming in and out on the Gantt Chart.
1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. On the View menu, click Zoom, click Entire project,
and then click OK.
Display specific information by using a filter
 When you want to focus on certain tasks or resources in the
current view, you can apply a filter to the view. You can
specify that the filter show or highlight only those tasks or
resources that meet the filter criteria.
1.On the Project menu, point to Filtered for, and then click the
filter you want to apply. To apply a filter that isn't on the
Filtered for submenu or to apply a highlighting filter, click
More Filters.
2.Click Apply to apply the filter, or click Highlight to apply a
highlighting filter.
3.If you apply an interactive filter, type the requested values,
and then click OK.
4.To turn off a filter, point to Filtered for on the Project menu,
and then click All Tasks or All Resources.
Sort information in a view
 You can sort tasks or resources by criteria such as task name,
finish date, and resource name. Sorting can be useful when you
want to see tasks in sequence. For example, you can see which
tasks should start or finish sooner.
 Sorting is maintained when you switch views and is saved
when you close a project file. However, a custom sort cannot
be saved.
1.On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2.On the Project menu, point to Sort, and then click the sorting
option you want.
3.To customize a sort, on the Project menu, point to Sort, and
then click Sort by.
4.In the Sort by box, click the field you want to sort by, and
then click Ascending or Descending to specify the sort order.
5.Specify sorting options.
Adjust schedule: Check and adjust a task
dependency
 A task dependency describes how a task is related to the start or finish of
another task. Microsoft Project provides four task dependencies you can use
to connect a series of tasks in a schedule: finish-to-start (the most commonly
used dependency), start-to-start, start-to-finish, and finish-to-finish. By using
these dependencies effectively, you can modify the critical path and shorten
your project schedule.
 Microsoft Project assigns a finish-to-start task dependency when you link
tasks. If another relationship better models your tasks, change the dependency
type. For example, when two tasks need to start at the same time, you can
create a start-to-start link. When tasks need to finish at the same time, you can
use a finish-to-finish link.
1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. Double-click the link line of the tasks you want to check. The Task
Dependency dialog box appears. If the Bar Styles dialog box appears, you
didn't click precisely on the task link and need to close this dialog box and
double-click the task link again.
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.
Adjust schedule: Check and adjust a task
dependency
 A task dependency describes how a task is related to the start or finish of
another task. Microsoft Project provides four task dependencies you can use
to connect a series of tasks in a schedule: finish-to-start (the most commonly
used dependency), start-to-start, start-to-finish, and finish-to-finish. By using
these dependencies effectively, you can modify the critical path and shorten
your project schedule.
 Microsoft Project assigns a finish-to-start task dependency when you link
tasks. If another relationship better models your tasks, change the dependency
type. For example, when two tasks need to start at the same time, you can
create a start-to-start link. When tasks need to finish at the same time, you can
use a finish-to-finish link.
1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2. Double-click the link line of the tasks you want to check. The Task
Dependency dialog box appears. If the Bar Styles dialog box appears, you
didn't click precisely on the task link and need to close this dialog box and
double-click the task link again.
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.
Overlap tasks
 If you have tasks that can begin earlier than shown in your
schedule, you can overlap (add lead time) to more accurately
model 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 set up a lead time between the finish
of the "Rough-in walls" task and the start of the "Wire outlets"
task. In Microsoft Project, you type lead time as a negative
number or as a negative percentage, such as –50 or –30%.
1.In the Task Name field, click the task you want, and then click
Task Information.
2.Click the Predecessors tab.
3.In the Lag field, type the lead time you want, as a negative
number or as a percentage.
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. You may
need to drag the divider bar to the right to view the Constraint Type and
Constraint Date fields. 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.
Make tasks shorter by adding more
resources
 After you've assigned resources to a task, Microsoft Project
recalculates the task's duration if you add or remove additional
resources. For example, if you add another resource to an
effort-driven task with a four-day duration and one assigned
resource, the task will be shortened to two days. If you have
more flexibility with your resource assignments than schedule
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 Name field, click the resource you want to assign to the
task. If necessary, type the name of a new resource in the
Name field.
4.Click Assign. A check mark to the left of the Name field
indicates that the resource is assigned to the selected task.
Split a task into segments
 You can split a task if work on the task is interrupted
and then resumes later in the schedule. This is useful,
for example, when you need to temporarily stop work
on a 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. On the task's Gantt bar, click the date where you want
the split to occur and drag the second part of the bar
to the date that you want work to begin again.
 Splitting a task into parts is not the same as entering a
recurring task. You can remove the split by dragging a
portion of a split task so that it touches another portion.
Save a baseline plan
 When you've entered all of your project information
and you're ready to start actual work, you can save a
baseline of your project's information to compare with
the actual progress of your project.
 Using a baseline, you can track the progress of your
schedule so you can make the necessary corrections.
For example, you can see which tasks started later than
planned, how much work resources performed, and
whether your budget's on track.
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. Click OK.
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. Click OK.
 An interim plan saves the tasks' start and finish dates
into Start and Finish fields.
Check if tasks are progressing according to plan

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.
4.On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click
Tracking.
5.Update the progress of the tasks in your project.
6.If the task has started as scheduled, click the task, and
then click Update as Scheduled .
7.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.
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. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click
Tracking if it is not already selected.
3. In the Task Name field, select the tasks you want to
update. To select nonadjacent tasks, hold down CTRL, and
then click the tasks. To select adjacent tasks, hold down
SHIFT, and then click the first and last task to update.
4. Click Update Tasks.
5. 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
correct and reschedule tasks accordingly. Click OK.
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. Click OK.
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. For relatively short tasks, it
may not be worthwhile to track progress in such
detail; but 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.
 Update actual work by time period
 You can track actual work using the timephased fields in
Microsoft Project. Tracking using the timephased fields
helps you keep your project up to date periodically
because you can enter information for a particular day 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 timephased portion of the view, in the Actual
Work field, type the actual work of each assigned
resource.
 You can also type 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 Actual Work field.
 See if tasks have more or less work than planned
 If you're managing resource 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 as well as bad,
depending on the type and severity of the variance. A task
with less work than planned, for example, is usually good
news but may 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 plan and then update your schedule,
you can compare the baseline plan 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, make sure that tasks start and
finish on time as much as possible. Every project has variances,
but it is important to find tasks that vary from the baseline plan
as soon as possible so you can adjust task dependencies, reassign
resources, or delete some 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 see
variances in your schedule.
2. On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Variance. If
necessary, press TAB to view the variance fields.
 You must update tasks' actual start and finish dates, actual work
values, or actual durations before variances will 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,
track the progress of your tasks by updating the work
completed on a task. Using this approach, you can track the
work that 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.
 Update a resource's actual work by time period

 You can track actual work for individual resources using

the timephased fields in Microsoft Project. Tracking
resources' actual work by using the timephased fields can
help you keep your project up to date by time period
because you can enter information for a particular day (or
other time period) in your schedule.
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 a resource's planned and actual work

 If you schedule tasks based on the availability of resources and

you track actual work, you can analyze how much total work a
resource is accomplishing by looking at the variance between the
baseline work and actual work. You can also compare those
figures to the baseline work and actual work over time to see
how the resource's work is progressing in greater detail.
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
the timescaled portion of the view. On the Format menu,
point to Details, and then click Work if it's not already
selected. On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click
Actual Work, if it's not already selected, to display it as well.
5. In the timescale portion of the view, compare the Work and
Act. Work fields for a daily summary of each resource's work.
Enter actual task costs manually
 Microsoft Project automatically updates actual costs as a task
progresses based on the task's accrual method and the rates of the
resources. But if you want to track actual costs separately from
the actual work on a task, you can enter costs manually instead.
 To update costs manually you must first turn off the automatic
updating of actual costs and then enter your own actual cost for
an assignment after the remaining work is zero.
1.On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the
Calculation tab.
2.Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Microsoft
Project check box. Click OK.
3.On the View menu, click Task Usage.
4.On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Tracking.
5.If necessary, press TAB to view the Act. Cost field.
6.In the Act. Cost field, type the actual cost for the assignment
whose costs you are updating.
Update actual costs by time period
 You can track actual costs using the timephased fields in Microsoft Project.
Tracking actual costs using the timephased fields can help you keep your
project up to date by time period because you can enter information for a
particular day or other time period in your schedule.
1. Microsoft Project automatically updates actual costs as a task progresses
based on the accrual method you set. You must first turn off the automatic
updating of actual costs to edit actual costs. On the Tools menu, click
Options, and then click the Calculation tab.
2. Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Microsoft Project check
box. Click OK.
3. On the View menu, click Task Usage.
4. On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Cost.
5. On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click Cost.
6. On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click Actual Cost.
7. To enter actual cost values for a task, select a day or other time period in
the timescale portion of the view, and then type a value into the Act. cost
field for the task. To enter actual values for a resource, select a day or
other time period in the timescale portion of the view, and then type a
value into the Act. cost field for the resource.
 You can enter actuals in other time increments, such as weeks. On the View
menu, click Zoom, and click the increment you want.
See if tasks cost more or less than budgeted
 If you assign fixed costs to tasks or specify wages for
resources, you may want to see tasks that cost more
than budgeted. By creating a budget using a baseline
plan and closely tracking your project costs, you can
catch cost overruns early and adjust either your
schedule or your budget accordingly.
 To compare total cost and baseline
1.On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
2.On the View menu, point to Table, and then click
Cost. If necessary, press TAB to view the Total Cost
and Baseline fields.
3.Compare the values in the Total Cost and Baseline
fields. For the cost variance, look at the value in the
Variance field.
See the total project costs

 You can view your project's current, baseline,

actual, and remaining costs to see whether
you're staying within your budget. These costs
are updated each time Microsoft Project
recalculates your project.
1. On the Project menu, click Project Information.
2. Click Statistics. The current, baseline, actual,
and remaining costs are displayed in the Costs
column.
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 (left) portion of the view, enter a new
value in the Work field to change the total work
value for an assignment.
 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.
Reassign work to another resource
 If you have tried to resolve a resource overallocation
using other methods and the overallocation persists, it
may be time to reassign the task to another resource
with more time. You do the following:
1. On the View menu, click Resource Usage.
2. On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click
Overallocation.
3. Look at the timescale on the right and, for each
highlighted overallocation, 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 to the resource that you want to
reassign it to.
Delay a task
 A simple way to resolve a resource overallocation 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.
 To delay a task
1.On the View menu, click More Views.
2.In the Views list, click Resource Allocation, and then click Apply.
In the timephased portion on the top right, overallocation for a
resource is displayed in red. In the bar chart below, slack for tasks
to which the resource is assigned appears graphically as a thin
slack bar adjoining the regular Gantt bar.
3.In the Resource Name field in the top left portion of the view, click
the resource name for the overallocated resource with a task you
want to delay.
4.In the Leveling Delay field (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.
Change a resource's working days and hours
 The project calendar designates the default work
schedule for the project, but you can create a resource
calendar to indicate work hours, vacations, leaves of
absence, and sick time for individual resources.
1.On the Tools menu, click Change Working Time.
2.In the For box, click the resource whose calendar
you want to change.
3.On the calendar, select the days you want to change.
To change a day of the week for the entire calendar,
select the day at the top of the calendar.
4.Click Use default, Nonworking time, or Nondefault
working time.
5.If you clicked Nondefault working time in step 4,
type the times you want work to start in the From
boxes and the times you want work to end in the To
boxes. Click OK.
Contents
 Creating a project, Gantt chart, adding tasks and
duration, linking tasks
 Critical Path/ Network diagram. Working with

calendars
 Working with resources and assignments,

tracking project progress, managing project

costs.
 Formatting projects data, printing and reports,

integrating with outlook, collaborating with

project team
67
 Use the GanttChartWizard for easy
formatting
 The GanttChartWizard 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
GanttChartWizard formats your Gantt Chart for you.
1. Open your departmental Chart
2. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.
3. Click GanttChartWizard.
4. Follow the GanttChartWizard instructions.
Format a category of Gantt bars
 To format a 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. Click OK.
Format a category of tasks in your task list
 To distinguish a category of tasks, such as critical tasks,
from other tasks in your project, you can change the text
formatting for all tasks in that category by modifying the
text style. You can also change the look of row and
column headings, the timescale, and Gantt bar text.
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. Click OK.
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
it 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
Add title, page no. or other project information
 You can add project information to the header,
footer, or legend of a view.
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, place the insertion point where
you want to add the project information.
5.In the General and Project fields boxes, click
each type of information you want, and then click
Add.
6.Microsoft Project will use the information you
typed into the Project Information and Properties
dialog boxes to fill in each type of information.
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 each resource's task
assignments, as well as the work, delay, and start
and finish dates for each assignment.
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.