project scheduling with microsoft project -...
Post on 26-May-2018
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2
I have been building and managing project
schedules for manufacturing, construction
and information technology projects since
1983.
The tools I have used are MS Project,
Primavera P3 and C.A.T.
I am PMP Certified
Specialties: Project Scheduling, PMP
Jim Donovan, PMP
Master Scheduler at Dewpoint. I Help develop
schedule solutions for IT projects.
Agenda
• Getting Started
• The Quick Access Bar
• Special Characters in the Task Name a No No
• Units/Work/Duration Task Types
• Dependency Types
• Critical Path
• Baseline your schedule Twice each time you baseline
• Using Custom Fields/Flags/Filters/Views
• Why use a Status Date
• What not to do when statusing tasks
3
Agenda
• Appendix A - Additional Information on MS Project Options
• Appendix B – Common Filters I use
• Appendix C – References I use
4
Getting Started• This is decision time
• Do I use an existing schedule to start with or create a new one?
• Do I use one schedule for the entire project or multiple schedules?
• Are there more than one project managers on the project?
• Will they build and control their own schedule(s)?
• Will there be a Master Schedule?
• Will the project use Project Server or MS Project Professional?
• Will the schedules be stored on a project SharePoint site?
• What holidays will the project observe?
• What work day time frame is the project using?
• Will there be cross schedule interdependencies
5
MS Project Quick Access Bar
6
• Quick Access Bar
• Is a bar below the Ribbon, that contains function
Icons you select.
• The functions can be from any of the tabs
• The functions are what you use the most
• You can add to or remove functions at any time
• It is very easy to use
MS Project Quick Access Bar cont.
7
• Go to File-Options
• Select Quick Access Toolbar
• Check the Show Quick Access Toolbar
below the Ribbon, below the left list
• Change Choose commands from: to All
Commands
MS Project Quick Access Bar cont.
8
• Choose the commands you want on the
Left side
• Click on Add
• Use Arrow on the right to change the order
of your list
• Note: you can also select the
items from the main ribbon,
by right clicking on it and
select Add to Quick Access
Bar.
MS Project Quick Access Bar cont.
9
• Select when this Quick Access Bar will be
available
• Either for all Projects or
• This project only
MS Project Special Characters
10
• Project does not like special characters used in the Name (Task Name)
field
• You can put them in and for a while you are ok, but there will come a
time that something will happen like:
• Your baseline can change
• Dates change
• You can’t open your schedule
• What are special characters:
• ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) + = “ ; ’ : ? / > < [ { } ] \ | ` . , - _
• Can any special characters be used, Yes!
• The following can be used:
• - and _ (Dash and Underscore)
MS Project Task Types
11
• Default Task Type
Determines what
you want to control
between three
types:
• Fixed Units
• Fixed Duration
• Fixed Work
MS Project Task Types cont.
12
• There is a relationship between the Duration of the task, the Work
(hours to complete the task) and Units (per period, the rate of doing the
work or number of people working on the task). The relationship is:
Duration x Units = Work
MS Project Task Types cont.
13
• Fixed Duration: The Duration remains constant if you change Work or Units. If
you change Duration, then Work changes.
• Fixed Units: The Units stays constant if either Duration or Work changes. If you
change Units, then Duration changes.
• Fixed Work: The Work stays constant if either Duration or Units per Time
Period changes. If you change Work, Duration changes.
MS Project Task Types cont.
14
• Fixed Duration: The Duration remains constant if you change Work
or Units. If you change Work, then neither Duration or Units
change.
Original
Increased Work
MS Project Task Types cont.
15
• Fixed Duration cont.: The Duration remains constant if you
change Work or Units. If you change Units, then Work changes.
Original
Changed Units
MS Project Task Types cont.
16
• Fixed Duration cont.: The Duration remains constant if you change
Work or Units. If you change Duration, then Work changes.
Original
Changed Duration
MS Project Task Types cont.
17
• Fixed Units: The Units stays constant if either Duration or Work
changes. If you change Units, then Duration changes.
Original
Changed Units
MS Project Task Types cont.
18
• Fixed Units cont.: The Units stays constant if either Duration or Work
changes. If you change Duration, then Work changes.
Original
Changed Duration
MS Project Task Types cont.
19
• Fixed Units cont.: The Units stays constant if either Duration or
Work changes. If you change Work, then Duration changes.
Original
Changed Work
MS Project Task Types cont.
20
• Fixed Work: The Work stays constant if either Duration or Units per
Time Period changes. If you change Units, Duration changes.
Original
Changed Units
MS Project Task Types cont.
21
• Fixed Work cont.: The Work stays constant if either Duration or
Units per Time Period changes. If you change Duration, neither
Units or Work changes.
Original
Changed Duration
MS Project Task Types cont.
22
• Fixed Work cont.: The Work stays constant if either Duration or
Units per Time Period changes. If you change Work, Duration
changes.Original
Changed Work
MS Project Dependencies
• Dependencies
• Most Common
• Finish to Start or FS
• Start to Start or SS
• Finish to Finish or FF
• Fourth Dependency, Not used much
• Start to Finish or SF
• Not a recommended Dependency to use
23
MS Project Dependencies cont.
• All dependencies can use a Lag or Lead
• Leads use negative durations
• Usually used with a Finish to Start dependency type
24
Task A – 10Days
Task B – 10 Days
FS -5D
MS Project Dependencies cont.
• Lags use a positive duration
• Are used with any of the dependency types
25
Task B – 5 DaysTask A – 5DaysFS +5D
1 5 11 16
Task E –
10Days
Task F – 10 Days
FF +5D
1 10
6 15
Task C – 10Days
Task D – 10 DaysSS +5D
1 10
6 15
MS Project Dependencies cont.
• When using a Start to Start dependency, you must also make sure
you use a Finish to Finish or Finish to Start as well.
• You must always have a successor off the finish of the task.
• You need to do this to maintain a complete chain for Critical Path.
26
Task A
Task BSS +5D
Task C
FS
FS
MS Project Critical Tasks
27
• Critical should be within a chain of other tasks completely through to the
end of the project or at least to the Go Live milestone.
• This will happen if every task as at least one predecessor and one
finishing successor.
• Finishing Successor means, the dependency is coming off the finish of
the task, with either a Finish to Start or Finish to Finish.
• MS Project looks at a task with no successor or finish controlled
successor as the end of the chain/project, causing a fictitious Critical
Path.
• Summary Tasks should not have predecessors or successors and
therefore are not part of the critical path.
MS Project Baselines
30
• Baselining your schedule is the only way to keep track of your original plan.
• You baseline your plan after you have obtained approval of your plan.
• You have 11 baselines to work with.
• You shouldn’t have to use all 11
• Baseline (working baseline)
• Baseline 1-10 (saved baselines)
• The difference between the two types of baselines is:
• Working baseline is used for formulas and is the current baseline
• Saved baseline is simply that. An untouched baseline
• When you save a baseline, you always save it twice.
• Baseline, Baseline 1
• Baseline, Baseline 2
• Baseline, Baseline 3
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views
31
• Thinking Ahead Using Custom Fields/Flags
• What are Custom Fields?
– Text Fields: 1-30
– Flags: 1-10
– Numbers: 1-20
– Duration: 1-10
– Date: 1-10
– Start: 1-10
– Finish: 1-10
– Outline Code: 1-10
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
32
• How are Custom Fields used?
– Creating Custom Views
– Filtering Custom Information
– For additional information about the task
– Renamed to suit your specific requirement
– Can contain a list a values
– Assigned a specific formula for calculating data
– For grouping specific tasks
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
33
• Examples:
– Text Field for who the PM/Owner of the task
– Text Field for the Phase the task is in
– Number Field for Tasks pertaining to a Change Request
– Number Field to calculate status of a task compared to baseline
– Flag to specify a task for a timeline
– Flag a task for a specific vendor or customer
• The larger the schedule the more you will use Custom Fields,
but even small schedules have their uses.
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
34
• Here is a simple Filter I call Jim’s Adhoc Filter
• I use it to find tasks with the same words in the Task Name Field
• You ask why I don’t just use Ctrl F to find it?
– Because it finds one instance at a time and you have to hit next to go to
the next instance
• Jim’s Adhoc Filter finds all instances at once
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
36
• Custom Views need three items, before you create the view
– Custom Table
– Custom Group (“No Group” can be selected)
– Custom Filter (“All Tasks” can also be selected)
• All three items including the Custom View should be named the
same
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
37
• The following Custom view shows me the
Deliverables for the project
Group SyntaxFilter Syntax
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
38
View Syntax
• When you create your custom view,
you need to select the Screen
format.• Task Sheet gives you just the columns
of data.
• Gantt Bar gives you Columns of data
plus the Gantt Bar.
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
• The next view is for a High Level Timeline
• A Timeline is created by selecting certain tasks from anywhere in
your schedule and dragging them to the Timeline area or Right
Clicking on the Task and select Add to Timeline.
• You can now show progress on the Timeline Bar.
• You can’t show Baseline Bars.
• You also don’t have much flexibility with the text in the bar other
than how many lines and what you want to show, but if the bar is
short, it truncates the text
40
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
42Various Metrics from a single View
16831677166516221622
1529
1396
1078
933
783
660599
477
349
224
9433 33 13 6 0
16831677166516221622
1529
1396
1078
933
783
660 638 638 638 638 638 638 638 638 638 638
15471541152914861486
1393
1260
942
798
666
550 512
412
295
194
9433 33 13 6 0
Overall Task Burn Down
Task Count Actual Baseline
57%
100%
25%
47%
71%62%
67%
SubProject %Complete
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
43Various Metrics from a single View
6 152 2
1527
460
9
61
6
50
482
8260
323
2 7 1 1
24
0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 00
100
200
300
400
500
600
Development Data Conversion Infrastructure-Security DEFG-WXYZ Business Operations
Sub-Project Task Status
Sum of Late Task CountSum of Future Task CountSum of Completed Task CountSum of Task On Schedule CountSum of Future Actual Start Count
MS Project Custom
Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.
44Various Metrics from a single View
46
304
42
156
0
21
3 3 00
54
19 156
0 0 0 0 0
44
308
42
126
0
164 5 02
55
18 166
0 0 0 0 00
134
0 2 00
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Business Operations Data Conversion DEFG-WXYZ Development Infrastructure-Security
NM
BE
R O
F T
AS
KS
SUBPROJECT
Task Baseline Status
Sum of Start <=BaselineStartSum of Start <=BaselineStart +10dSum of Start >BaselineStart +10dSum of Task Start Lateand On CPSum of Finish <=BaselineFinishSum of Finish <=BaselineFinish +10dSum of Finish >BaselineFinish +10dSum of Task Finish Lateand on CPSum of Non-BaselinedTask Count
MS Project Status Date
45
• Is the Status As of Date or Status Date
• Does not always match the Current Date
• The Status Date is used to let people know when the schedule
was last updated
• Is used in calculations for filters and when you progress tasks.
• Unfinished work is moved after the Status Date
• You change it on the Project Tab, Status section, or add it to your
Quick Access Tool bar.
• You add it to your Gantt Charts by:
• Right clicking in the Gantt area, Select Gridlines, scroll down
the list to Status Date and click on it. Add a line type ( I
prefer Dashed), Color ( I like Red), and Interval equals None.
• Disable the Current Date line by selecting blank for type.
MS Project Statusing Task No-No’s
46
What Not To Do when Statusing Tasks
• Do not just type in a % Complete, including 100%The current dates may not match the Actual Dates
Always type in the Actual Start, unless it matches the current date
Always type in the Actual Finish, this will automatically fill in the percentage
at 100%
• Do not have Actual Dates where the Actual Start or Finish is in the
futureSet up a filter to look for Future Actuals as a Quality check.
• Do not leave tasks behind that should have started or finishedYou need to progress tasks forward beyond the Status Date
MS Project Statusing Task No-No’s
47
•What Not To Do when Statusing Tasks cont.
• Do not leave incorrect dependencies
– Update dependencies to show reality
• Do not just use the Update Project to globally status your project
– Do this with individual tasks to progress the start or finish, but only do
this, if your dates are accurate
• Do not just use the Mark on Track option, unless you look at the
dates and they are ok.
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