PROJECT PLANNING

USING MS PROJECT
C h a p t e r 1 : I n t ro d u c t i o n

Eng. Ahmad Mroueh

 OUTLINE
1. MS Project Intro
2. Calendar
3. Project Summary
4. Network Diagram
5. WBS
6. Resources
7. Filter and Grouping
8. Customization
9. Constraint
10. Recurring Task
11. Resource Analysis and Levelling
12. Tracking
13. Earned Value Analysis
14. Reports

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 Introduction

What is Project?
• A project is a set of inter-related activities which are initiated to achieve an objective.
As soon as the objective is achieved the project is deemed to be over.
• A project is not an objective in itself (it has an objective), nor is it the end-result (It
results into something)
• It has a definite beginning and a definite end
How does MS Project help?
• Manage Schedule, Resources, cost
• Easy tracking and update

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 Project Management Tool

• Track all of the information you gather about the work (tasks), task duration, and
resource requirements for your project.
• Visualize your project plan in standard, well-defined formats.
• Schedule tasks and resources consistently and effectively.
• Exchange project information with stakeholders over networks and the Internet using
standard file formats.
• Communicate with resources and other stakeholders while leaving ultimate control
in the hands of the project manager.

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 What Is Microsoft Project?

Microsoft Project (or MSP) is a project management software program

It is designed to assist project managers in:

 developing plans
 assigning resources to tasks
 tracking progress
 managing budgets
 analyzing workloads

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 What Is Microsoft Project?

A lot of project managers get confused between a schedule and a plan.

MS Project can help you in creating a Schedule for the project even with the provided constraints. It
cannot Plan for you.
MS Project cannot answer these for you:
1. What tasks need to be performed to create the deliverables of the project and in what order?
This relates to the scope of the project.
2. What are the time constraints and deadlines if any, for different tasks and for the project as a
whole? This relates to the schedule of the project.
3. What kind of resources (man/machine/material) are needed to perform each task?
4. How much will each task cost to accomplish? This would relate to the cost of the project.
5. What kind of risk do we have associated with a particular schedule for the project? This might
affect the scope, cost and time constraints of your project.

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 Project Basics

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

• Temporary endeavor  Every project has an end date.

• Resources, such as people and equipment  do work.
• The work is undertaken by a team or an organization, and therefore projects have a sense of being
planned events  Tasks & Resources
• Every project creates a unique product or service. This is the deliverable for the project and the reason
that the project was undertaken.

When the Great Pyramids at Giza in Egypt were built, somebody somewhere was tracking
resources, schedules, and specifications in some fashion.

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 Time, Cost, And Scope: Managing Project Constraints

• Project management gets most interesting when you must balance the Project
Triangle: time, cost, and scope constraints of your projects.
• The project triangle illustrates the process of balancing constraints because the three
sides of the triangle are connected, and changing one side of a triangle affects at
least one other side.

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 Project Management

Project management : planning, organizing, securing and managing resources to achieve specific
project goals and objectives. Goals is the desired outcome of a Project.

The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives
while honoring the project constraints (time, budget,…).

The MS Project will help Project Managers to better manage their projects.

Project Management Process of:

 initiating
 Planning
 Executing
 Controlling

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 Benefits Of Project Management

• Better understanding of overall project goals

• Better understanding of alignment with business objectives
• More organized and streamlined way to manage a project
• More accurate and reliable project status information
• More efficient use of project resources

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 Benefits Of Project Management, Cont.

• Better communication
• Faster response to conflicting project goals
• Greater awareness of project progress
• Faster project completion
• Lower project costs
• Fewer project failures

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 Project Management Terminology
Understanding key project terminology is fundamental to your success as a project manager

 Task: Activity that needs to be accomplished within a define period of time with a beginning and an
end
 Resources: The people, equipment, and material used to complete tasks in a project.
 Project Manager: Person responsible of the planning and executing of a particular project
 Risk: Factors that reflect elements if unpredictability to the project, such as “Technical risk, Financial
risk, Safety risk, Quality risk and Legal exposure”.
 Working Time : Hours designated in a resource or project calendar during which work can occur.
 Assignment: A specific resource assigned to a specific task

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Elements Of The Project Window
 Elements of the Project Window

• Quick Access Toolbar: Contains common commands such as Save and Undo.
• Tab: Contains basic task commands for your project.
• Ribbon: The Ribbon is the command center.
• Groups : are collections of related commands. Each tab is divided into multiple groups.
• Commands: The specific features you use to perform actions in Project. Each tab contains several
commands.
• View Label: The View label tells you about the view you are using currently.
• View Shortcuts: This lets you switch between frequently used views in Project.
• Zoom Slider: Simply zooms the active view in or out.
• Status bar: Displays details like the scheduling mode of new tasks (manual or automatic).

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 View Bar And View Tab

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Entry Table

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Gantt Chart And Split Bar

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 Timeline View
• Seeing the Big Picture of the project plan.
• Zoom: Zoom in or out / Changing the Timescale

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 The Timeline

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 The Timescale

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 Chart And Diagram Tools

The Network Diagram’s primary purpose is to show the critical path of the
project.
• Tasks are displayed as boxes, called nodes.
• Dependent tasks are linked together via link lines.
• The critical path is the series of tasks that dictates the earliest calculated project
finish date.

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 Common Views

• Gantt Chart View

• Network Diagram View
• Calendar View
• Task Information Dialog Box
• Notes Tab, Notes Indicator
• Relationship View

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 UNDERSTANDING PROJECT VIEWS
VIEW TAB
TASK VIEWS
 Gantt Chart: Displays a list of tasks with bar chart information. Use this task view to enter and schedule tasks.
 Network Diagram View

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 Network Diagram View

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 Task Usage: Displays a list of tasks showing assigned resources under each task. Use this view to see which resources are
assigned to which tasks.
 Network Diagram: Displays a sequence or logic diagram that shows tasks and dependencies. Use this view to create and
adjust a schedule in a flow chart format.
 Calendar View

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Calendar: Displays tasks and durations in a monthly calendar. Use this task view to see tasks scheduled in a
specific week or range of weeks.

Task Form: form for entering and editing information about a specific task.
Task Sheet: A list of tasks and related information. Use this task view to enter and schedule tasks in a
spreadsheet-like format.
Timeline: A broad overarching view of the project in timeline format.
 Resource Views
• Resource Usage: Displays assigned tasks grouped under each resource. Use this view to show work or cost
information for each resource.
• Resource Sheet: Displays a list of resources and their details in rows and columns. Use this view to enter and
edit general information for each resource.
Team Planner: Display your schedule and see what your team members are working on, move tasks from one
person to another, view and assign work, view over-allocations, and see task and resource names.
Resource Graph: Displays a graph showing your resources and their costs, allocations, etc. over time. Use
this view to see information about your resources over a specific period of time.
Resource Form: A form for entering and editing information about a specific resource.

 Using More Views:

 Click a View button list arrow and select More Views from the list.

 The More Views dialog box appears.

 Select a view and click the Apply button.

 Resource Tab
The buttons on the Resource tab help to manage the resources who do the work on your project. From this tab, you can
add resources, assign them to tasks.
 Task Information Dialog Box

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 Notes Tab

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 Notes Indicators

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 Task Tab
1. The Task tab provides buttons for adding, formatting, and working with tasks.
2. From the Schedule group, you can mark the percentage complete, link tasks to one another, and inactivate a
task.
3. From the Tasks group you can also convert manually scheduled tasks into automatically scheduled tasks from
the Tasks group.
Task Tab
 Entering Tasks

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 Two Tasks Entered

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 Saving A Project

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 Project Tab

Use the Project tab to handle advanced project functions involving properties, scheduling, and reporting.
 View Tab
The View tab is a one-stop shop for selecting the various views and for customizing your current view. It is also
where you can add a timeline to your view.
 View Bar and View Tab

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 Format Tab
The Format tab buttons help you customize the text, columns, colors, and other elements of view.
 Common Views, Cont.

• Entry Table
• Schedule Table
• Split View
• Zooming in and Out
• Timescale Dialog Box
• Changing the timescale

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 Entry Table

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 Entry Table

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 Schedule Table

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 Split View

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Zooming In And Out

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 Timescale Dialog Box

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Changing The Timescale

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 MS PROJECT 2013 – SETTINGS
• Step 1: File  Options  General tab  Project view  Default view  Select “Gantt with Timeline”
• Step 2: File  Options  Display tab  Show Indicators and Options Buttons For, Check all options

• Step 3: File  Options  Schedule tab  Schedule  Show Assignment Units. Choose “percentage”
 Step 4: File  Options  Schedule tab  Calculation  Calculate Project after Each Edit, Check the
“On” button
• Step 5: File  Options  Save tab  Save projects  Save Files In this format. Select Project (*.mpp)
• Step 6: File  Options  Advanced tab  Edit, Check all options
• Step 7: File  Options  Advanced tab  Display  Check on both Show Status Bar & Show Scroll
Bar
 Step 8: Resources  Level  Leveling Options  Leveling Calculations, Set to manual
• Step 9: Resources  Level  Leveling Options  Leveling calculations  Look for Overallocations,
Select “Day By Day” from dropdown box
 Getting Started With Project.
• Current Date
• Working Days and Nonworking Days
• Setting Automatic Scheduling
• Setting Project Start and Finish Dates
• Entering Tasks
• Saving a Project
• Closing a Project
• Opening an Existing Project
• Saving a Project with a new name

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 Creating a New Project
• Create a Project File: Click the File tab on the Ribbon and select New, then Click on the Blank Project option.
Other Ways to Create a Blank Document: Press <Ctrl> + <N>.

• Project Information:

1. Enter the Project Scheduling Date: Enter the start or finish date of the project. It’s easiest to schedule tasks from
the start date.
2. Select the Project calendar: The Project calendar defines the working time for tasks and resource in the project .
3. Set the working time for the project calendar : the default working time is Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to
12:00 P.M. and 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. (allotting an hour for lunch). You can change working hours for all
working days, or certain dates such as holidays or vacation days.

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 Setting The Scheduling Mode

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I. Step 1: Start Date:

1. Click Project tab  Properties Group  Project Information  The Project Information dialog box appears.

2. Click the Schedule from list arrow and select the scheduling option you want to use. “Project Start Date” is the default
setting of Project Information

3. Click the Start date or Finish date list arrow and select the project’s Start date or Finish date.
 Setting Project Start And Finish Dates

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 Changing The Current Date

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II. Step 2: Set Up Calendar:
• Click Project tab  Properties Group  Project Information

• Click the arrow on the calendar dropdown box. A list appears containing three base calendars :
 24 Hour: A calendar with no non-working time.
 Night Shift: Covers 11 PM to 8 AM, night shifts covering all nights from Monday to Friday, with one hour breaks.
 Standard: Regular working hours, Monday to Friday between 8 AM to 5 PM, with one hour breaks.

• Select a Standard Calendar as your project Calendar. Click “Cancel” or “OK” to close the dialog box.

Choose the project’s base calendar

III. Step 3: Adding Exceptions to Calendar

A. Adjusting Working hrs.:

1. Click Project tab  Properties Group  Change Working Time.
2. Click the Work Weeks tab in the bottom half of the dialog box. Click the Details button , select the day(s) for which you
want to change working hours
3. Select : Set days to these specific working times
4. Enter the working hours you want to use in the From and To boxes.
5. Notice that you can break up working hours into several segments .
B. Adjusting Working Days:
1. Click the Project tab and click the Change Working Time button in the Properties group
2. Click the Exceptions tab in the bottom half of the dialog box
3. First you need to enter a name for the exception, Click the first row under the Name column and enter a name
4. Enter the exception dates in the Start and Finish columns
5. Click the Details button and set the working time settings in the Details dialog box.
 Nonworking: Select this option to cease work on the project for the selected date(s).
 Working times: Select this option to edit the working hours in the From and To boxes for the selected date(s).
IV. Step 4: Setting up Resource Calendar

A. Change the work and non-working days for each resource

1. Resource Calendar can only be applied to work resources and not to material and cost resources.
2. Click Project tab  Properties group  Click Change Working Time
3. Change Working Time dialog box appears.
4. Click the down arrow for the “For Calendar” drop-down box.
5. Select the resource for whom you want to create an exception.
6. Under Exceptions Tab click on the Name Field, enter event as “Personal holiday”.
B. Change Working times for Each Resource
1. Click Project tab  Properties group  Click Change Working Time.
2. The Change Working Time dialog box appears.
3. Click the down arrow for the “For Calendar” dropdown box.
4. Select the resource for whom you want to change work schedule. Click “Work Weeks” tab.
5. Double-click the [default] cell below the Name column heading.
6. Under “Selected Day(s)” choose any day/days you want to change the work schedule.
7. Click Set day(s) to these specific working times. Change the time.
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STEP 5: Create Non-working Days

1. Click Project tab -> Properties group -> Click Change Working Time.
2. The Change Working Time dialog box appears.
3. Click the down arrow for the “For Calendar” dropdown box.
4. Select the resource for whom you want to change work schedule. We have chosen John again.
5. Click “Work Weeks” tab.
6. Double-click the [default] cell below the Name column heading.
7. Under “Selected Day(s)” choose any day you want to change the work schedule.
8. Click any day (we have chosen Friday) and use the radio button “Set days to nonworking time”.
9. Click OK to close the Dialog box.

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 Creating a New Calendar

• Click the Project tab on the Ribbon and click the Change Working Time button in the Properties group.
• The Change Working Time dialog box appears.
• Click the Create New Calendar button in the dialog box.
• The Create New Base Calendar dialog box appears.
• Enter the calendar name in the Name text box.
• When you want to assign the new calendar to the task, this is the name you will look for.
• Notice that there are two options to choose from in the dialog box:
• Create a new base calendar: Select this option if you want to create an entirely new calendar.
• Make a copy of: Instead of creating an entirely new calendar, copy an existing base calendar and change the
working time to make a new calendar.
• Click the calendar option you want to use and choose the base calendar you want to copy, if necessary. If you
choose to make a copy, your calendar will be based on the schedule for that calendar.

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