Instructor

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
[email protected]

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 What do you expect to
benefit from this course?

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
WHY SCHEDULE PROJECTS?
 For the contractor
 Calculate the project completion date.
 Calculate the start or end of a specific activity.
 Coordinate among trades and subcontractors, and expose
and adjust conflicts.
 Predict and calculate the cash flow.
 Improve work efficiency.
 Serve as an effective project control tool.
 Evaluate the effect of changes.
 Prove delay claims.
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
WHY SCHEDULE PROJECTS?
 For the owner
 Get an idea on project’s expected finish date.
 Ensure contractor’s proper planning for timely finish.
 Predict and calculate the cash flow.
 Serve as an effective project monitoring tool.
 Evaluate the effect of changes.
 Verify delay claims.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 01

Introduction to project management

 What is a Project?
 What is Project Management?
 Objectives of the Project Management
 Project Management life cycle

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 What is a Project?
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique
product, service or result.
Temporary: Have a definite beginning and end.
Unique: The final product or result is different, even with some
repetitive elements.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 What is Project Management?
Project Management is The application of knowledge, skills, tools
and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Objectives of the Project Management :
Project Management aims to complete the project in the :
1- shortest possible time .
2- lowest possible cost .
3- quality required .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Project Management Life Cycle
Initiating
process
A project life cycle is a collection of generally group

sequential and sometimes overlapping project

phases. Planning
process
group

Exe cuting
process
group

Controlling
process
group

Clos ing
process
group

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Initiating Process
 Study of contract documents :
- General Conditions .
- Particular Conditions .
- General Specifications .
- Tender Drawings .
- Bill Of Quantities ( B.O.Q) .
- Agreement .

 Method of Statement
- Construction Phases / Zones .
- Resources (Labor, Equipment, Materials, ..) .

 General layout of the site

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 Planning Process
 Steps in the Planning process include:
 Create Work Breakdown Structure.
 Define Activities.
 Sequence Activities.
 Estimate Activity Resources.
 Estimate Activity Durations.
 Costs Loading.
 Risk Management Plan
 Procurement Management Plan
 Evaluate, optimize, and create baseline plan.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Executing Process
 Steps in the Executing process include:
 Distribute information.
 Track work in progress and actual costs.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling Process
 Steps in the Controlling process group include:
 Analyze and evaluate the project.
 Recommend necessary action.
 Modify the current project with realistic data.
 Re-forecast the schedule.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Closing Process
 Steps in the Closing process include:
 Document lessons learned.
 Determine if project can be used as a methodology.
 Deliver product to client or stakeholders.
 Back-up or archive project files.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 02
 Navigating in the Project Management Module
 Global vs. Project-Specific Data
 Open an existing project
 Navigate the Home and Activities windows
 Open an existing layout
 Customize a layout
 Save a layout

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Enterprise vs. Project-Specific Data
Enterprise Data :
Enterprise data provides the global structure needed to manage
multiple projects. It is available to all projects across the organization .
 Project structure
 Project codes
 Admin categories and preferences
 Resources
 Cost accounts
 Resource codes
 OBS
 Roles

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Enterprise Data
Project
Structure OBS

Resource
Admin codes
categories &
preferences

Project
codes
Roles Cost Resources
accounts
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Project Specific Data :
Project-specific data is only available to the project in
which it is defined.
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 Activities
 Activity relationships
 Dates
 Baselines
 Expenses
 Risks
 Thresholds and Issues
 Work Products & Documents
 Project Web Site

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Thresholds & Issues

Activities Project-Specific
AS EF Data Baseline/Target
AS EF
ES
EF

Dates
Work Products & WBS
Documents
$

Expenses
Risks Project Web Site
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Enterprise/Project-Specific Data
The following types of data are enterprise, as well as project-
specific:
 Calendars
 Reports Enterprise/Project-
 Activity codes Specific Data

2000

Calendars
Activity
Reports Codes
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 03
 Managing Multiple Projects
 Describe the Enterprise Project Structure (EPS).
 Describe the Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS).

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Enterprise Project Structure (EPS)
 The Enterprise Project Structure (EPS) is a hierarchy developed
to help organize projects.

 Each root in the project structure can be subdivided into many

nodes.

 All projects must be included in a node.

 Each node can contain an unlimited number of projects.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Enterprise Project Structure (EPS)
Level 1
EPS
Root

Level 2
EPS EPS
Node Node

Project
Level 3
EPS EPS EPS F
Node Node Node

Project Project Project Project Project

A B C D E

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 For Example (EPS)

Construction Company

Dammam Riyadh Makkah

Branch Branch Branch

Construction Highway
Department Department

Residential
Hotel project Hospital project
project

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
 The organizational breakdown structure (OBS) is a global
hierarchy that represents the managers responsible for the
projects in your organization.

 The OBS usually reflects the management structure of your

organization, from top-level personnel down through all levels.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 For Example (OBS)

Chairman of Construction
Company
Dammam Branch Riyadh Branch Makkah Branch
Manager Manager Manager

Construction Highway
Manager Manager

Residential Hospital
Hotel Manager
Manager Manager

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 04
 Creating a Project
 Create a project.
 Navigate the Projects window.
 View and modify information on the Project Details .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 05
 Creating Calendars
 Define work time and non work time.
 Designate between global, project, and resource
calendars.
 Create a new project calendar.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Calendars
 You can create and assign calendars to each resource and activity.
Calendar assignments are used for scheduling and tracking
activities, and leveling resources.
• An unlimited number of calendars can be created.
• An activity's type determines whether the activity uses the calendar
of the assigned resource(s) or its activity calendar.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Calendar Types :
 Global calendar
 Contains calendars that can be used by all projects in the Database
 Available for all resources and activities in the database .

 Resource calendar
 Contains separate calendars for each resource .
 Available for resources .

 Project calendar
 Contains a separate pool of calendars for each project .
 Available for the current project only .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Worktime Types :
The calendar consists of three types of worktime:
 Standard
• Work time matches the hours set up in the Calendar Weekly Hours
dialog box.
• Define which days of the week are workdays.
• Define the number of work hours in a workday.
 Nonwork
• All 24 hours are nonwork time.

 Exception
• Does not match the work/nonwork set up in the Standard Calendar
Weekly Hours dialog box.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Calendar Coding :
The colors indicate the type of worktime:
 Light gray dates = standard work
 Dark gray dates = nonwork
 White dates = exceptions

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 06
 Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 This lesson describes how to set up and implement a
work breakdown structure (WBS).
 At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Define a WBS
 Create multiple levels of a WBS hierarchy
 Assign a responsible manager to a WBS element

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Subdividing the project deliverables and project work into smaller
and more manageable components.

 WBS Attributes
 Each project has a unique WBS hierarchy.
• The root level of the WBS is equal to the project ID and name.

 By default, the Project Management module groups activities,

tracks costs, and monitors schedule data according to the WBS.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 WBS Benefits
 Allows you to divide a project into meaningful and logical
pieces for the purpose of planning and control.

 The WBS is used to report program status externally to the

Owner.

 Cost collections begins at a WBS element.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
For Example (WBS)
Residential Building

Superstructure Substructure

Concrete works Earth works

Ground Floor First Floor Second Floor Third Floor

Architecture
Civil Works Electrical works Mechanical works
works
Reinforced Concrete Columns
Reinforced Concrete Slabs
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 07
 Adding Activities
 At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Define an activity
 Define activity types
 Add activities
 Estimate Activity Durations
 Add a notebook topic to an activity
 Add steps to an activity
 Change a calendar assignment

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 What are Activities ?
 Activities are the fundamental work elements of a project .
 Most detailed work unit tracked in a project schedule
 Contains all information about the work to be performed
 Also known as a task, item, event, or work package

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Activity Type
 The Activity Type controls how an activity’s duration dates are
calculated .
 Select the Activity Type according to the activity's function in
the project and the calendar that should be used for the activity
during scheduling.
 Task Dependent
 Resource Dependent
 Level of Effort
 WBS Summary
 Start Milestone
 Finish Milestone

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Task Dependent
 This type is typically used when the work needs to be
accomplished in a given time frame, regardless of the assigned
resources’ availability.
 The activity's resources are scheduled to work according
to the activity calendar.
 Duration is determined by the assigned calendar's
workweek.

✍ NOTE: This is the default activity type.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Resource Dependent
 This type is typically used when multiple resources assigned to
the same activity can work independently.
 The activity’s resources are scheduled according to the
individual resource’s calendar.
 Duration is determined by the availability of the resources
assigned to work on the activity.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Level of Effort
 This type is typically used for ongoing tasks dependent on other
activities .
 Duration is determined on its predecessor or successor
activities.
 Examples include clerical work, a security guard and
meetings.
 You cannot assign constraints

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 WBS Summary
 This type is used to summarize a WBS level.
 The WBS summary activity comprises a group of
activities that share a common WBS level.
 The dates calculated on a WBS summary activity are
based on the earliest start date of the activities in the group
and the latest finish date of these activities.
 The WBS summary activity duration is calculated based
on its assigned calendar.
 You cannot assign constraints to WBS summary activities.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Start Milestone
 This type is typically used to mark the beginning of a phase or to
communicate project deliverables .
 Zero duration activity.
 Only has a start date.
 You can assign constraints, expenses, work products, and
documents.
 You can assign a primary resource.
 You cannot assign roles.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Finish Milestone
 This type is typically used to mark the end of a phase or to
communicate project deliverables.
 Zero duration activity.
 Only has a finish date.
 You can assign constraints, expenses, work products, and
documents.
 You can assign a primary resource.
 You cannot assign roles.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Estimate Activity Durations
Total Quantity
 Duration = Crew Productivity x No. of Crews

 The productivity has many sources :

1. The company
2. The market
3. Special books

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Estimate Activity Durations According to PMI
1- Analogous Estimating
 Uses historical information and expert judgment to predict
the future.
 Less costly and time consuming than other techniques.
 Less accurate

2- Parametric Estimating
 Uses statistical relationships between historical data and
other variables.
 e.g., a resource can finish 3 drawings per day. A 30
drawings project requires 10 days.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
3- Three Point Estimates (PERT analysis)
 Using three estimates can provide an improved perspective of
the overall project estimate.
T = O+4M+P
6
 O= Optimistic (activity duration based on the best scenario)
 P= Pessimistic (activity duration based on the worst scenario)
 M= Most likely (activity duration based on resources
productivity,..)

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Contingency Reserves
 Contingency reserves may be added into the overall project
schedule to account for schedule uncertainty. Later, it may
be used, reduced or eliminated as more information
becomes available.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Activity Steps
• This type is typically used to mark the end of a phase or to
communicate project deliverables.

 Steps Attributes
 You can assign an unlimited number of steps per activity.
 Steps can be marked completed by:
• The project manager in the Project Management module
• The primary resource in Progress Reporter
 Steps do not have duration estimates or dates.
 Each step can have an additional explanation in the text area on the
right side of the Steps tab.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
✍ NOTE:
The Project Management module also has the functionality to
update an activity’s physical percent complete based on the
weight you assign to each activity step. Weighted steps enable
you to track the progress of an activity based on the number of
steps completed.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Activity Notebook
 Enables you to assign notes to an activity.
 Notebook topics are typically instructions or descriptions that
further describe the activity according to specific categories of
information.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Lesson 08
 Creating Relationships
 This lesson describes how to create relationships between activities.
At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Create a network logic diagram
 Differentiate between the four relationship types
 Create relationships in the Activity Network
 Create relationships in Activity Details

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Network logic diagram
 Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
 A box or rectangle represents each activity.
 Lines with arrows connect the boxes and represent relationships
between activities.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Predecessor
 controls the start or finish of another activity
 Successor
 depends on the start or finish of another activity

Predecessor to Successor to
Act. B Act. B

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Relationship Types
There are four types of relationships. In the following diagrams, activity
A represents the predecessor and activity B represents the successor.

 Finish-to-Start (FS)
 When activity A finishes, activity B can start. This is the most common type of
relationship.

A B
Masonry Plaster

✍ NOTE : This is the default relationship type.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Start-to-Start (SS)
 When activity A starts, then activity B can start.

A
Installation Doors

B
Installation Windows

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 Finish to Finish (FF)
 When activity A finishes, then activity B can finish.

A
Ceramic Tiles

With lag 1day

B
Toilet accessories

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Start to Finish (SF)
 When activity A starts, then activity B can finish.

A
First Activity

B NOTE :To modify or delete a

Second Activity relationship, double-click the
relationship line.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Dissolving Activities
 Dissolving deletes an activity and joins its predecessor
and successor activities with a finish to start
relationship.
 The selected activity to be dissolved must have a
predecessor and successor.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Dissolving Activities cont.
A B C
Activity Activity Activity

This sequence of activities above can be completed with just two activities.
Dissolve activity B. Activity A and C automatically join with a finish to start
relationship

A F.S C
Activity Activity

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Relationships with Lag
 Lag specifies an offset or delay between an activity and its
successor.
 Always expressed in days .
 Scheduled based on the calendar selected in the scheduling advanced
options .
 Can be added to any type of relationship .
 Can be a positive (Lag) or a negative (Lead) value .

NOTE: In Advanced Scheduling Options there are 4 calendar options for

scheduling relationship lag, scheduling based upon the: Predecessor Activity
Calendar , Successor Activity Calendar , 24 Hour Calendar or the Project
Default Calendar.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Lesson 09
 Scheduling
 This lesson describes how schedule dates are calculated. At the
completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Definitions scheduling
 Perform a forward and backward pass
 Define float and its impact on a schedule
 Identify loops and open ends
 Calculate a schedule
 Analyze the scheduling log report

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Definitions scheduling
 Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling
 The Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling technique is utilized
to calculate project schedules.
 CPM uses activity durations and relationships between activities
to calculate schedule dates.
 This calculation is done in two passes through the activities in a
project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Critical Path
 The critical path is a series of activities that determines a
project's completion time.
 The duration of the activities on the critical path controls
the duration of the entire project; a delay to any of these
activities will delay the finish date of the entire project.
 Critical activities are defined by either the total float or the
longest path in the project network.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Activity or Task
 A basic unit of work as part of the total project that is
easily measured and controlled. It is time- and resource
consuming.

 Critical Activity
 An activity on the critical path any delay on the start or
finish of a critical activity will result in a delay in the
entire project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Early Dates
 The early start date and early finish date of an activity.
 Early Start (ES)
 The earliest date on which an activity can start within
project constraints.
 Early Finish (EF)
 The earliest date on which an activity can finish within
project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Late Dates
 The late start date and late finish date of an activity.
 Late Start (LS)
 The latest date on which an activity can start without
extending the project duration.
 Late Finish (LF)
 latest date on which an activity can finish without
extending the project duration.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 What is the Data Date?
 The data date is the date that is utilized as the starting point for
schedule calculations.
 Date used to schedule all remaining work.
 During the Planning phase the data date should match the project
start date.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Data Date

J F M A M J J A S
Schedule
Data Date Line

Time

Resource

Resource
Quantity
(person-
days)

Time

Cost

Time

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Scheduling Concepts
 Forward Pass
 The forward pass calculates an activity's early dates.
 Early dates are the earliest times an activity can start and finish
once its predecessors have been completed.
 The calculation begins with the activities without predecessors.
 Early Finish (EF) = Early Start (ES) + Duration

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Forward Pass Calculations

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Forward Pass Calculations Early Start Early Finish

5 40

Late Start Late Finish

0 5 5 15 15 20 20 35 40 55 55 85

5 13

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Scheduling Concepts
 Backward Pass
 The backward pass calculates an activity’s late dates.
 Late dates are the latest times an activity can start and finish
without delaying the end date of the project.
 The calculation begins with the activities without successors.
 Late Start = Late Finish − Duration

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Backward Pass Calculations Early Start Early Finish

5 40

Late Start Late Finish

5 40

0 5 5 15 15 20 20 35 40 55 55 85

0 5 10 20 20 25 25 40 40 55 55 85

5 13

12 20

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Types of Floats
 Total Float
 The amount of time an activity can slip from its early start
without delaying the project.
 The difference between an activity’s late dates and early dates.
 Activities with zero total float are critical.
 Total Float (TF) = Late date − Early date

✍ NOTE: An activity's total float is automatically calculated each time you

schedule the project. You cannot edit an activity's float values directly.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Free Float
 may be defined as the maximum amount of time an activity can
be delayed without delaying the early start of the succeeding
activities.
 Free Float = ES successor – EF

✍ NOTE: We must always realize that FF ≤ TF

 Interfering Float
 may be defined as the maximum amount of time an activity can
be delayed without delaying the entire project but causing delay
to the succeeding activities.
 Int. Float = TF - FF
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Negative Float
 Negative float is a situation that occurs when performing an
activity even on its early dates, fails to meet the project’s
imposed finish date or other constraint.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Early Start Early Finish

 Critical Path Calculation &Total Float

TF=0
5 40

Late Start Late Finish

5 40

TF=0 TF=5 TF=5 TF=5 TF=0 TF=0

0 5 5 15 15 20 20 35 40 55 55 85

0 5 10 20 20 25 25 40 40 55 55 85

TF=7
5 13
TF = LS – ES OR TF = LF – EF
12 20
FF = ES successor – EF

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Further Discussion of Float
 In construction project scheduling, total float, TF, is the most
frequently used type of float. Free float, FF, comes in a distant
second. Interfering float and independent float are almost
unheard.
 The project manager should be responsible for distributing the
total float and should understand that total float, in most cases, is
shared among several activities. If the first activity in line
consumes it, the remaining activities will be affected and may be
left without float (or with less float) and become critical.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Further Discussion of Float cont.
 Total float may be used for resource leveling . The project
manager may choose a certain day on which to start an activity
(between the early start and the late start) to satisfy certain
resource or other needs. For example, an activity that includes
the installation of expensive equipment may have 60 days of
float. The owner may elect to delay the installation as late as
possible to defer the cost.
 The project manager may choose to hide or reduce the total
float. Scheduling software provides several tricks for doing so,
such as imposing a constraint on the activity to finish by a
certain date.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Further Discussion of Float cont.
 Who Owns the Float ?
 The question of float ownership is a broad and complicated
subject. It is not only a technical subject but a legal one as well.
Some contracts spell out whether the contractor has granted the
owner float ownership. If not, the float could be distributed in
different ways. Some regulations give the right of ‘‘first come,
first served.’’ Others suggest distributing it in proportion to the
duration, budget, a ‘‘priority code,’’ or other criteria of the
activities that share it. There are many publications on this
subject, such as those by Pasiphol and Popescu (1994) and
Ponce de Leon (1986).

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Circular Relationships (Loops)
 Loops indicate circular logic between two activities.
 The schedule will not be calculated until the loop is eliminated.
 Determine proper logic
 Rerun the schedule

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Open Ends
 Open Ends are activities without a predecessor or successor.
 No predecessor - Activity uses data date as its Early Start.
 No successor - Activity uses project finish as its Late Finish
 Open-ended activities can portray an unrealistic amount of
positive total float.

✍ NOTE: We recommend that each project have only two open ends, the first
activity and the last activity.
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Open Ends cont.

* Notice : the relationship between activity 30 and 50 is missing, creating two

additional open ends.
What will happen when this network is scheduled ?
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Analyze the scheduling log report
 The Schedule Log records scheduling results, including:
 Scheduling/leveling settings
 Statistics
 Errors
 Warnings
 Scheduling/leveling results
 Exceptions

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Driving Relationship
 An activity may have a relationship from a predecessor that
determines its Early Start. This logic tie is called a driving
relationship.
 A solid relationship line indicates a driving relationship.
 A dashed relationship line indicates a non-driving relationship.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Driving Relationship

Free Float

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Scheduling Summary
 The data date is the date up to which actual performance data is
reported and the date from which future work is scheduled.
 The forward pass calculates early start and finish dates.
 The backward pass calculates late start and finish dates.
 Total float is the number of work periods that an activity’s early
start can be delayed without delaying the end date of the project.
 Total float is calculated by subtracting an activity’s early dates
from its late dates.
 The Project Management module will not calculate the schedule
until all loops are eliminated.
 Open ends are activities without a predecessor or a successor.
 A driving relationship determines its successor’s early start.
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Lesson 10
 Assigning Constraints
 This lesson describes the various types of constraints and how to
apply them. At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Apply an overall deadline to a project
 Apply a constraint to an individual activity
 Add notebook topics to constrained activities
 Describe the available constraint types

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Attributes
 Constraints are user-imposed.
 Two constraints can be assigned to an activity.
 After applying a constraint, the project must be rescheduled
to calculate the new dates.

 Benefits
 Build a schedule that more accurately reflects the real-world
aspects of the project .
 Provide added control to the project
 Use to impose a restriction on the entire project or an
individual activity

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Must Finish By
 Used when an overall project deadline must be met .
 Forces all activities in the project to finish by the date (and
time) Specified .
 Affects the total float of the entire project .

 Start On or After
 Use the Start On or After constraint to set the earliest date an
activity can begin.
 Forces the activity to start no earlier than the constraint date .
 Pushes the early start date to the constraint date .
 Affects the early dates of its successors .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Start On or Before
 Forces the activity to start no later than the constraint date .
 Shifts the late start to the constraint date
 Affects the late dates of its predecessors
 Used to place a deadline on the start of the activity

 Start On
 Forces the activity to start on the constraint date .
 Shifts both early and late start dates .
 Delays an early start or accelerates a late start .
 Used to specify dates submitted by contractors or vendors .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Finish On or After
 Forces the activity to finish no earlier than the constraint date
 Shifts the early finish to the constraint date
 Affects the early dates of its successors
 Used to prevent an activity from finishing too early

 Finish On or Before
 Use the Finish On or Before constraint to set intermediate
completion points in the project.
 Forces the activity to finish no later than the constraint date.
 Pulls the late finish date to the constraint date.
 Affects the late dates of its predecessors.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Finish On
 Forces the activity to finish on the constraint date
 Shifts both early and late finish dates
 Delays an early finish or accelerates a late finish
 Used to satisfy intermediate project deadlines

 Mandatory Start and Finish

 Forces early and late dates to be equal to the constraint date
 Affects late dates of predecessors and early dates of
successors
 May violate network logic

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 As Late as Possible
 Forces the activity to finish on the constraint date
 Delays an activity as late as possible without delaying its
successors
 Shifts the early dates as late as possible
 Also called a zero free float constraint

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Lesson 11
 Activity Coding
 In this lesson, you will learn how to use activity codes to break
down and organize a project into groups of activities. At the
completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 View the activity codes dictionary
 Differentiate between global and project activity codes
 Add new activity codes and values

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Attributes
 Activity codes can be global, which means they are all
available to projects in the database.
 Organize activities within a project or across the Project Structure .
 Create an unlimited number of global activity codes

 Activity codes can be project specific, which means they are

available only in the project in which they were created.
 Filter and organize activities based on unique, project specific
requirements .
 Create up to 500 activity codes per project

 Each activity code (global and project) may contain an

unlimited number of activity code values.
 Activity code values can be organized in a hierarchy.
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Benefits
 View and roll up activities in the activity table
 Build reports in the report wizard or report editor
 Organize a layout
 Groups activities into specific categories
 Select and summarize activities
 Examples
 Phase, Area, Site, Division

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Lesson 12
 Filtering Activities and project
 At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Applying a Default filter.
 Creating filters.
 Using multiple filters.
 Applying the All Activities filter.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Filtering Attributes
 A set of pre-defined filters is provided, as is the ability to
create user defined filters of your own.
 Filters are divided into the following groupings:
 Default
- Available to all users
- 15 pre-defined filters
- Cannot be deleted or modified
 Global
- Available to all users
 User Defined
- Available to current users for all projects to which they have access

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Attributes cont.
 One or more filters may be applied to a layout at a time.
 Multiple criteria for selection may be used within a single filter.
 Filter specifications can be saved and reapplied.
 Filters can be saved as part of a layout.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Filtering Benefits
 Allows the user to focus on specific data by limiting the
number of activities in the layout .
 Enables the user to create and customize layouts .
 Facilitates updating .
 Use to analyze critical activities .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Lesson 13
 Formatting Schedule Data
 This lesson defines the formatting capabilities which allow you to
determine how activities are displayed in a layout. At the
completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Group activities according to a specific criteria
 Sort activities
 Time Scale formatting
 Bars Formatting

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Grouping Data
 Grouping is a flexible way to organize data into categories
that share a common attribute.
 You can group data to customize your layouts.
 These layouts can be used for reporting purposes.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Attributes
 Grouping is available in all the windows throughout the
Project Management module. It is also available in most
dialog boxes.
 Each window or dialog box has its own grouping options
 Some windows have customized/pre-defined groups
 Activities can be grouped by hierarchical fields, such as
WBS, activity codes, and project codes.
 Activities can be grouped by data fields, such as dates, costs,
total float, and other numeric data.
 The default grouping criteria is WBS.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Benefits
 Quickly view subtotal data in the group title bands
 Quickly view summary bars in the Gantt Chart
 Easily summarize data for reporting purposes

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Lesson 14
 Working with Layouts
 At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Layout Examples
 Creating, Opening, and Saving Layouts
 Exporting and Importing Layouts
 Copying Data to External Applications

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 15
 Maintaining the Project Documents Library
 This lesson describes how to utilize the Work Products and
Documents window to catalog and track all project-related
documents. At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Describe the difference between a work product and a reference
document
 Link to a project document
 Specify the location of the document file
 Assign a project document to an activity

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Attributes
 Create a link to the actual document file
 Stored on a network file server or Web site
 Maintain general information about project documents, such as
version, revision date, and author
 Organized in a hierarchical manner
 Can be designated as a work product or reference document:
 Work Product
- Includes project or activity deliverables that will be turned over to the
end user or customer
- Examples: CAD files, testing plans, blueprints
 Reference Document
- Include documents that can be referenced by a project participant to
provide standards and guidelines for performing work

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Benefits
 Catalog and track project-related documents and deliverables .
 Provide standards and guidelines for performing work on an
activity

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 16
 Defining Resources
 This lesson outlines the procedures for resource management in
a project plan. It also demonstrates where resources are stored
in the Project Management module. At the completion of this
lesson, you will be able to:
 Define resources
 Identify the differences between labor, non labor and material
Resources
 Describe the steps for resource management
 View the resource dictionary

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Definition of a Resource
 A resource is anything used to complete an activity.
 Resources are divided into three categories:
 Labor (people)
 Measured in units of time
 Generally reused between activities/projects
 Recorded in terms of price/unit, e.g., $50.00/hour
 Nonlabor (equipment)
 Measured in units of time
 Recorded in terms of price/unit, e.g., 1 training room per day
 Material
 Measured in units other than time, e.g., $4.50/square foot

✍ NOTE: Users need to define a unit of measure for material resources.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Expenses
 Expenses are non-resource costs associated with a project.
They are typically one-time expenditures for non-reusable
items.
 Examples of expenses include facilities, travel, overhead, and
training .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 The cost of a resource can be calculated based on the Price/Unit
defined in the resource dictionary.

 Budgeted Cost = Budgeted Units x Price/Unit

 Budgeted Units = Budgeted Units/Time x Duration

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 17
 Assigning Resources and Costs
 This lesson reviews the procedures for assigning resources and
costs in a project plan. At the completion of this lesson, you
will be able to:
 Assign resources to activities
 Assign expenses to activities
 Cost Loading.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 18
 Analyzing Resources and Costs
 This lesson describes various methods for analyzing resources
and costs in a project plan. At the completion of this lesson, you
will be able to:
 Display a resource usage profile
 Format a resource usage profile
 Display a cost profile
 Format the timescale
 Display a resource usage spreadsheet
 Format columns to view project costs

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Resource Usage Profile
 Resource usage profiles provide a graphical view of unit/cost
distributions over time. They display the amount of effort
needed from each resource/role on the project during each time
period.

 Attributes
 View unit/cost distributions from a specific project or
across all projects in the project structure .
 View resource or role allocations .
 Can display separate bars for one or all of the following:
- Budgeted units/costs
- Actual units/costs
- Remaining Early units/costs
Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Attributes cont.
- Remaining Late units/costs
 The resource usage profile timescale matches the timescale
for the Gantt Chart
 Format columns, group, sort, and filter resources/roles in
the Profile
 The resource usage profile can be saved as part of a layout

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Benefits
 Determine how many hours each resource/role is scheduled
to Work .
 Identify over allocated resources .
 Track expenditures per time period .
 Display a "banana" curve to compare early and late dates .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Resource Usage Spreadsheet
 Resource usage spreadsheets provide a tabular view of unit/cost
distributions over time. They display the amount of effort
needed from each resource/role on the project during each time
period.

 Attributes
 View unit/cost distributions from a specific project or
across all projects in the project structure .
 View resource or role allocations .
 Pre-defined spreadsheet fields are available, such as
Remaining Early Units, Over Allocation, and Availability .
 Timescale matches the timescale for the Gantt Chart .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Attributes cont.
 Format columns, group, sort, and filter resources/roles in
the Spreadsheet .
 Can be saved as part of a layout .
 Benefits
 Quickly analyze unit/cost distributions for multiple
resources .
 View past period actual data from the Timesheets module .
 Compare staffed and unstaffed role assignments .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 19
 Optimizing the Project Plan
 This lesson illustrates techniques used to optimize a project
plan, including shortening the schedule, removing over
allocation, and analyzing the budget. At the completion of this
lesson, you will be able to:
 Analyze schedule dates
 Shorten a project schedule
-Refine duration estimates
-Use relationships to overlap activities .
-Change calendar assignments .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Analyzing Schedule Dates
 The most important date in the schedule is the calculated
project finish date. If the calculated finish date of the project is
beyond the required project finish date, the project must be
shortened. In addition, each deliverable in the project should be
scheduled to finish by the dates imposed by the project
stakeholders.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Analyzing Schedule Dates cont.
 Steps for Analysis
 Compare the calculated finish to the Must Finish By date.
 Copy the project.
- Use the copy for what-if analysis or to keep as a backup.
 Focus on critical activities.
 Shorten the project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Analyzing Schedule Dates cont.
 Shorten the Project
 If the schedule dates analysis leads you to conclude that the
imposed finish date cannot be met, you need to concentrate
your efforts on shortening the schedule. Several methods can
help you accomplish this goal.
 Refine duration estimates
- Break down long activities
- Assign additional resources to reduce duration
 Use relationships to overlap activities .
 Apply/modify constraints .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Shorten the Project cont.
 Change calendar assignments .
- Put critical activities on a longer workweek .
- Add exceptions to nonwork time .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Analyzing Resource Allocation
 The project plan is now scheduled to be completed by the
deadline. Before proceeding, verify the resources are
appropriately allocated.

 Identifying Over allocated Resources

 You can use the resource profile information to determine which
resources are over allocated/under utilized. From this point, you
can reassign resources to help even out the workload.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Correcting Over Allocation
 If over allocation is identified, you need to choose a method to
remove the over allocation from the specific resource. Several
methods can help you accomplish this goal.
 Replace the over allocated resource with an available resource
 Increase the resource’s workweek
 Increase the hours/day that the resource works

 Analyzing the Budget

 There are many options for analyzing the budget. By displaying
cost columns in the Activity Table, you can analyze the budgeted
cost of the entire project, as well as each individual activity.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 20
 Baseline the Project Plan
 This lesson will show how to create a baseline plan from an
optimized project plan. At the completion of this lesson, you
will be able to:
 Create a baseline plan
 Display baseline bars on the Gantt Chart
 Modify the bars on the Gantt Chart
 Adjust the row height

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 What is a Baseline?
 A baseline is a copy of a project. You can compare a baseline to
the current project to evaluate progress.
 Before updating a schedule for the first time, you should create a
baseline plan.
 Attributes
 Save up to 50 baselines per project.
 Designate up to three baselines at a time for comparison to the
current project.
 Assign a baseline type that categorizes its purpose.
- This helps organizations benchmark performance across multiple projects
- Examples: initial planning, what-if, or mid-project baselines

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Benefits
 Baselines provide a target against which a user can track a project’s
cost, schedule, and resource performance
 "What-if" project baselines allow you to enter different scenarios to
examine how they affect the current schedule

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 21
 Executing the Project Plan
 This lesson examines the process of updating activities. At the
completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Describe several methods for updating the project schedule.
 Update the status of completed activities and activities in
progress.
 Reschedule the project

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Updating a Project
 Once a project has started, you need to update the actual
schedule information and resource usage at regular intervals.
Your company will establish a standard update procedure. This
procedure includes how data is collected and how often it is
updated.

 How Often?
 You may need to update daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on
the length of your project and how frequently you want to adjust
your forecasts.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 What is the Data Date?
 When updating a project, actuals are recorded for each activity
relative to the data date.

 The data date is the date up to which actual performance data is

reported and the date from which future work is scheduled.
 The data date is what is utilized as the starting point for schedule calculations.
 Always starts at the beginning of the day .

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Entering Actuals
 Once a project is underway, you must enter actual schedule and
resource use at regular intervals. You may need to update daily,
weekly, or monthly, depending on the timespan of your project
and how frequently you want to adjust your forecasts. Actual
data is different than planned data - it is the real time/cost
associated with an activity.
 Enter schedule, resource and cost data in the following order:
 For Completed Activities
1. Actual start and actual finish dates
2. Actual regular units/costs
3. Actual expense costs

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 For Activities In-Progress
1. Actual start date
2. Percent complete and/or remaining duration
3. Actual regular units/costs and remaining units/costs
4. Actual and remaining expense costs

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Rescheduling the Project
 Now that actuals have been entered, it is time to reschedule the
project based on the new data date. Any activities that did not
finish on time will delay their successor activities.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Viewing the Results of Rescheduling Project
 After the project has been rescheduled, the successors to the
delayed activity, xxxxx, have also been delayed.
 Analyze the activities on the critical path.
 Review the project's performance to date.
 Develop strategies for getting the project back on track.
 Gain agreement within your project team.
 Implement the revised project plan.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 22
 Analyzing the Updated Project (Controlling)
 This lesson demonstrates various methods that can aid you in
the controlling process group. At the completion of this lesson,
you will be able to:
 Analyze a project
 Perform baseline analysis
 Adjust schedule data

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project
 After scheduling a project, you must view performance
information to analyze the project. Once you have scheduled the
project, you should:
 Analyze Schedule Dates
 Analyze the schedule to determine if milestone dates and project dates are
being achieved.
 Compare your project finish date to the baseline finish date in order to see if
you will complete the project on time
 If the project finish date is behind schedule, analyze the critical activities
causing the delay
 Adjust the project to meet your project finish date

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project cont.
 To adjust the project, you should perform the following steps
for analysis:
- Perform baseline analysis.
- Focus on critical activities.
- Monitor thresholds and issues.
- Copy the project for what-if analysis.

 Analyze Resource Allocation

 After adjusting, determine if resources are being used effectively.
 Analyze the Cost Budget
 After adjusting, determine if you are within your budget.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project cont.
 Adjust the Project
 The project has been updated, but the calculated finish date is
later than the Must Finish By date. You can use several methods
to shorten the project:
 Use relationships to overlap activities.
 Add resources to reduce durations.
 Break down long activities.
 Change calendar assignments:
- Put critical activities on a longer workweek .
- Add exceptions to nonwork time .

✍ NOTE: Prior to making any major changes to the schedule, it is recommended

that you make a copy of the project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project cont.
 You can use the following set of questions to help you
decide how to most appropriately adjust the schedule.
 Can the Finish date of the project slip?
 The project may need to be delayed if no other options are available.
 If the delay is approved, adjust the affected milestones.
 If the delay is not approved, find another way to meet the project milestones
and finish date of the project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project cont.
 Can the scope of the activity/project decrease?
 In some cases, in order to meet the project milestones and finish date, you can
decrease the total amount of work that will be accomplished, i.e., decrease the
scope of the project.
 If the scope change is approved, decrease the scope by decreasing the total
hours worked on activities. This will change the duration of the activities.
 If the scope change is not approved, find another way to meet the project
milestones and finish date of the project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project cont.
 Were the budgeted hours Overestimated or underestimated?
 You may have overestimated the number of hours to complete activities; the
scope of work can be accomplished in fewer hours.
 You can decrease the total hours worked on activities, which decreases the
duration of the activities.

 Can an additional resource be assigned?

 You can assign another resource to the activity to finish it on time.
 This may be possible if another resource with the necessary skills is available.
 If a resource is available, you can assign it to make up the hours.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project cont.
 Can the resource work overtime?
 The resource may need to work overtime to complete an activity on time.
 If this is possible, you can decrease the duration of the activity, then enter the
original remaining hours.
 The hours the resource works each day will increase.

✍ NOTE: You must reschedule after making these changes to see the effect on
the project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project cont.
 Analyzing Resource Availability
 The schedule has been adjusted to meet the project deadline.
Before proceeding, verify that the resources are not over
allocated.
 Identifying Over Allocation
 You can use the resource usage profile to determine which resources are over
allocated/under utilized. From this point, you can reassign resources to
balance the workload.
 Identifying Available Resources
 When over allocation is identified, available resources need to be utilized to
distribute the work evenly.
 Removing Over Allocation
 If problems exist, explore options for removing over allocation.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
 Controlling a Project cont.
 Analyzing the Cost Budget
 You can analyze the total budgeted and actual costs for your
project.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 23
 Reporting Performance
 This lesson demonstrates how to run and create tabular reports
as a means of reporting performance information. At the
completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Running an Existing Report.
 Creating a Report with the Report Wizard.
 Assigning a Report to a Report Group.
 Assigning a Report to a Batch Report.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 24
 Printing Layouts and Reports
 This lesson At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Defining Page Settings
 Previewing Layouts and Reports.
 Printing Layouts and Reports.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy
Lesson 25
 Importing and Exporting Data
 This lesson At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Describe the process of importing and exporting data.
 Transferring Data Using Microsoft Excel Files.
 Exporting Project Data to Microsoft Excel.
 Importing Projects from Microsoft Excel.
 Updating Project Data in Microsoft Excel.

Eng.Hytham Elmansy