CONS0009 Construction Planning and Control

Computer Lab Tutorial

MS Project Lab 1
In this lab session, students will do the following tasks:

1. Outlining a housing project

2. Using Gantt Chart View
3. Manipulating some format settings
4. Basic progress information

After you complete all the lab tasks, ask your tutor to check your work and award you the mark
out of 5. Make sure you always keep a copy of your work.

Outlining a project

Tasks A, B, C, D, E, & F are Major Tasks - MS Project calls these SUMMARY TASKS

The other Tasks are Minor Tasks - MS Project calls these SUBTASKS

“Outlining a project” is merely the process of dividing the project into Major Tasks and Minor
Tasks.

Preliminary - Prepare Gantt Chart columns for entering Task Information, etc.
1. Load MS PROJECT 2016: Start/ All Programs/Project 2016

Tool bar/ Task/Under View/ tick Gantt Chart

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Name your project:
in File /Info/Project Information/Advanced Properties
Title = HOUSE PROJECT IN SYDNEY + Your zID
Manager = Your name.
Click “OK”.

2. Define the Start Date or End of the Project:

Project / Project Information: check that “Schedule From” = Project Start Date
“Start Date” = date of the today.

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3. By default, there should be seven columns called:

 Indicators (i)
 Task Name
 Duration
 Start
 Finish
 Predecessors
 Resource Names

Delete the Resource Column:

• In Task/Gantt Chart view
• Select Resource Name Column
• Format / Column Setting / Hide Column.

[SHORTCUT – Select column / right click mouse / Hide Column]

Create ID Column after the Indicator

• In Task/ Gantt Chart view
• Select Task Mode Column (Because inserted column will appear left side of selected
column)
• Format / Insert Column / then choose Field Name (type ID and select).

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 [SHORTCUT – Select column / right click mouse / Insert Column]

4. Set the Timescale.

• In Task/ Gantt Chart view

• View/ Timescale

[SHORTCUT – Double click on the timescale]

/Top Tier/None
/Middle Tier/Units = weeks
/Bottom Tier/Units = days.
Left align the week commencing dates (all weeks commence on Mondays).

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Using the Gantt Chart View, enter the Tasks for Building a House

Note: MS PROJECT will calculate all the task Start Dates and End Dates,
using the Durations that you enter.

5. Enter the Tasks, Durations, and Predecessors by double clicking the rows.
Type all the tasks into the columns of the Gantt Chart. (excluding the comment)

ID Task name Duration Predecesso Comment

r Tasks
1. A. Approval
2. Draft Proposal 2 days
3. Submit Proposal 1 day 2
4. Final Details 1 day 3
5. Milestone 0 days 4
6. B. Foundations
7. Level Ground 1 day 5
8. Dig Trenches 2 days 7
9. Sewage Connections 4 days 8 Tasks 9,10,11 in parallel
10. Electrical (to mains) 3 days 8 Tasks 9,10,11 in parallel
11. Gas (to mains) 2 days 8 Tasks 9,10,11 in parallel
12. Pour Concrete 2 days 9,10,11
13. Brick Foundations 3 days 12
14. C. Walls + Roof
15. Brick Walls 4 days 13
16. Wooden Rafters 2 days 15 Tasks 16,17,18 in parallel
17. Windows Preparation 3 days 15 Tasks 16,17,18 in parallel
18. Lay Roof Tiles 2 days 15 Tasks 16,17,18 in parallel
19. Milestone 0 days 18
20. D. Interiors (needs
roof)
21. Electrical Wiring 2 days 19 21,22,23,24 in Parallel
22. Pipes and Plumbing 2 days 19 21,22,23,24 in Parallel
23. Doors 1 day 19 21,22,23,24 in Parallel
24. Windows Installing 2 days 19 21,22,23,24 in Parallel
25. Floor Boards 3 days 21
26. Milestone 0 days 22,23,24,25
27. E. Bathroom and
Kitchen
28. Walls 1 day 26
29. Bathroom Fittings 1 day 28
30. Bathroom Tiling 1 day 29
31. Bathroom Flooring 2 days 30
32. Kitchen Fittings 1 day 28
33. Kitchen Slate Flooring 2 days 32
34. Milestone 0 days 31,33
35. F. Finish
36. Plasterboard Walls 2 days 34
37. Painting 2 days 36
38. Milestone 0 days 37

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Note:
To promote a task to a summary task
1. Select the tasks directly below the task that you want to make a summary task.
2. On the Task tab, in the Schedule group, click the Indent Task button.

 Click the “indent” arrow from the tool bar to make a task become “sub-task”.

To insert a new summary task within a task list

1. Select the name of the tasks that will become subtasks.
2. On the Task tab, in the Insert group, click Summary.
Project inserts a row for a new task, indents all the selected tasks directly below
it. Project calls the new task “New Summary Task”.
3. With “New Summary Task” selected, enter the summary task name.

To demote a summary task to a task

1. Select all subtasks below the summary task.
2. On the Task tab, in the Schedule group, click the Outdent Task button.

 Keep the Summary Tasks as a separate group.

Keep the Sub Tasks as a separate group.

You achieve this by connecting the Summary Tasks (only) together [using Predecessors/ use
the Summary task ID].
Then you connect the Subtasks together (independently of, and ignoring the Summary Tasks)
[using Predecessors use the Subtasks ID as in the table above].

 Treat Milestone tasks as Subtasks, but they have Duration = 0.

Hint: select task mode as Auto Scheduling

Many ways to do this:

 To change an individual task from manual to automatic task scheduling

1. Select the manually scheduled task you want to change.
2. Click in the Task Mode field of the selected task, and then click the arrow that
appears.
3. In the list that appears, click Auto Scheduled.

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 To switch several tasks from manual to automatic task scheduling
1. Select the manually scheduled tasks you want to change.
2. On the Task tab, in the Tasks group, click the Auto Schedule button.

 To switch the currently open plan from manual to automatic task

scheduling
1. On the Task tab, in the Tasks group, click the Mode button, and then click Auto
Schedule.

 To change the default scheduling mode that Project applies to all new plans
1. On the File tab, click Options, and then in the Project Options dialog box, click
the Schedule tab.
2. In the “Scheduling Options For This Project” box, click All New Projects, and then
in the New Tasks Created box, click Auto Scheduled.
3. Click OK.

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6. Critical Path

In Task, Gantt Chart view/Format / Select “Critical Tasks”

Tasks on the critical path will change colour to red.

7. Set the Project Start Date = The date that is one week earlier.

Project / Project Information / Start Date = the date that is one week earlier
(You can write down the date here__________)

Check that all Tasks have moved back one week, note the finish date.

Any tasks with fixed dates will not change when the project date is changed. Task with fixed
dates will appear on the “Indicator” column.
You could specify fixed dates for a task:
Change in Task, Gantt Chart view / Format/double click Task/Task Information / Advanced:
“Constraint Type = Start no earlier than”, or other options.

After you had a try, change it back to“Constraint Type = As soon as possible” to remove fixed
date.

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8. Insert progress information

In Task, Gantt Chart view/ click on the task name you want to record progress
1. In the Task Name column, select the task for which you want to record a percent
complete value.
2. On the Task tab, in the Schedule group, click the 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100%
Complete button.

OR

1. In the Task Name column, select the task for which you want to record a percent
complete value.
2. On the Task tab, in the Properties group, click Information.
The Task Information dialog box opens.
3. On the General tab of the dialog box, enter the Percent Complete value you want.
Enter the following tasks progress (percentage complete and note the difference)

Draft Proposal 100% complete

Submit Proposal 100% complete
Final Details 100% complete
1st Milestone 100% complete
Level Ground 100% complete
Dig Trenches 60% complete.
Sewage Connections 40% complete

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9. Set the Current Date, for the “Time Now” vertical line
The “Time Now” vertical line is shown on Bar Charts.
[After the Project has started, and when actual progress has been input for some of the Bars.]

Set Current Date = Date of today, by using:

Project / Project Information / Current Date = Date of today

10. Set the “Time Now” vertical line to Red Dashes

Format / Gridlines / Line to Change = Current Date
/ Type = --------------
/ Colour = RED.

11. Use the Drawing palette, to place Text comments on the Bar Chart
In Task, Gantt Chart view/Format/ Drawing / Text Box :

Place a Text Box with “Time Now = (Date of today)” and an arrow pointed to the red line.

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12. Printing Layout

Go to: File / Page Setup

 Force to fit on 2 pages wide x 1 page tall.

(a) File / Print / Page Setup / Page Fit to: 2 pages wide x 1 tall.

 Also set the Legend to appear on every page, by

File / Print / Page Setup / Legend
Legend On = “Every Page” (at the right of the dialog box)

Display your name, PC System Date and Time in the Gantt Chart Legend.
Set the Legend to display:
Project Title: &[Project Title]
Date/Time: &[Date] &[Time]
Student: &[Manager]

select Project Title, Date, Time and Manager Name from the “General” pull
down list and click Add. (Note: & is a “pointer”, so “&[Date]” will displace
the current date, while “Date” will display the text Date.) Click “Ok” to
complete.

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  Suppress printing of Blank Pages, by
File / Print / Page Setup / View
Print Blank Pages = de-select.

13. Save the plan as it is.

File / Save As Lab 1_First Name_Last Name.mpp

14. Ask your tutor to check your work and award marks.

You are also required to save a copy by yourself (email yourself or save on a USB drive)
as the copy on the lab computer may be removed by the system admin staff.

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