Wiley Msft Office Project 2007 For Dummies
Contents
1. 1 Set the finish date for the project Especially if you have a drop dead date an attention getting term beyond which the project cannot wander and still reach completion you can set the finish date In such a case be sure to look at the next setting in this list and change it accordingly 1 Schedule from the start or finish of the project Most projects work for ward from the start date However if you have an absolute drop dead Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care 2 7 NG O lt e date for the end of your project for example if you re organizing a sports event that must occur on New Year s Day next year you might want to set the finish date and then work backward to fit all your tasks into the allotted length of time If you change this setting to Project Finish Date the Finish Date field becomes available 1 Set the current date You can fill in the current date according to your computer calendar Or you can choose another date if you like but that usually doesn t make much sense unless you re in a different time zone from where the project will occur 1 Set a status date By default there is no status date set for the project You use a Status date when you re tracking the progress of your project at regular intervals If you set a status date your computer assumes that any activity you record in your project is being tracked as of this date You can find out more2. Gantt from a Web site Do you want Chart to use Project Server and Project Web Access Yes Network No Diagram Project Server Ew information not entered Before you can use Project Task Server you need to specify Usage connection information by ey clicking the link below Te Change Project Server Figure 1 10 Connection Tracking Gantt A typical information il request ee Step 2 of 3 from Project Guide PERS ees Cifer cars num 5e Jour Save and go to Step 3 Go back to Step 1 poe a NEER Microsoft laid out these categories and tasks in the logical order in which you should tackle them to build most projects Thus when you start to use Project Guide just click the categories and the tasks within them in sequence They should remind you of all the things you should consider even if you choose to skip a few steps here and there for your particular project Starting from scratch Although you can use Project Guide to start a project you don t have to You can enter information on your own at any time When you open Project 2007 you see a blank project file on screen along with the Project Guide task pane You can start building your new project directly in this blank schedule Starting to create a new project usually involves enter EER ing some general project information and then adding some task information N amp You can open a new blank project sched
3. You probably handle projects day in and day out Some are obvious because your boss named them so that any fool would know that they re projects the Acme Drilling Project or the Network Expansion IT Project for example Others are less obvious such as that speech thing you have to do on Saturday for your professional association or washing the dog If you need to organize a company holiday party it s a project If you were handed a three year Earth exploration initiative to find oil in lowa coordinate subcontractors and government permits and work with a team of 300 people that s definitely a project Yes even that speech you have to present is a project because it has certain characteristics Understanding what your projects large or small have in common is the basis of understanding what Project can do for you All projects have 1 An overall goal 1 A project manager 1 Individual tasks to be performed 1 Timing for those tasks to be completed such as three hours three days or three months 1 Timing relationships between those tasks For example you can t put a new manufacturing process in place until you train people in how to use the process YY Resources people equipment facilities and supplies for example to accomplish the work v A budget the costs associated with those people equipment facilities and supplies Project management is simply the process of managing all the elements of a p
4. 00hr 50 00hr Procurement Work P 100 45 00 hr 0 00 hr Gantt Management Work M Mgmt 100 0 00fr 0 00 nr Chart Blueprints Cost 5 Cables Material c 35 00 Network Diagram id ExT cars Num scrt ovr 15 16 Part I Setting the Stage for Project a Figure 1 5 Study resource usage with the graphical Resource Graph view ee esr cars num scrt four Spreading the news I m one of those people who need instant gratification One of the first things I ask about learning to use any new software product is What s in it for me Until now I ve told you about the type of information you have to put into Project information about tasks task dependencies and resources But isn t it about time you got something back from Project Of course it is You finally reached one of the big payoffs for entering all that information reporting After you enter your information Project offers a wealth of report ing options to help you view your project and communicate your progress to your project team clients and management You can generate predesigned reports based on information in your schedule or simply print any of the views you can display in Project Project 2007 offers a set of Basic Reports and Visual Reports You must have the Microsoft NET Framework installed in order to use Visual Reports which is free and down loadable from www microsoft com downloads Figures 1 5 and 1 6 s
5. Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help 8 x HEDINS MA ME 7 2a FJA n a ja 25 a m LB No Group QQF i3 ia p be Shows Arial 28 z B Z U Z S altasks EENEN fi Task Name Duration Dec 31 06 dan 7 07 Jan 14 07 Ja S SIM T wit lF s s m t IW T IF S S M T wT F S 0 Infrastructure Deployment 161 25 days 9 1 Infrastructure Deployment 161 25 days g Scope 4 days 3 Determine project scop 1 day Project management 4 Secure project sponso 1 day Project management 5 Define prelininary resc 4 day Project management 6 Secure core resource 1 day Project management 7 Scope complete 0 days 8 Analysis 50 days pinaran 9 Review Current infr 25 days _ Review hardware 5 days Review software e Sdays Review communice 5 days 13 Review connectivit S days 14 Review support en Sdays 15 Review geographic 5 days 16 Review current infi Odays 17 Review business goal 10 days 18 Identify Target Area 5 days Crop 19 Kdentify hardware i S days ea rar gt I lt gt Ready BAGCA P E Projects F Infrastructure Deploy You can find out more about constraints in Chapter 4 and about the fine art of managing dependencies in Chapter 6 Lining up your resources When people first use Project some get a bit confused about resources Resources aren t just people A resource can be a piece of equipment you rent a
6. about this feature in Chapters 12 13 and 14 Set the working calendar for your project You have three choices Standard Night Shift and 24 Hours Base your choice on the working habits of your organization For example if your company uses resources in three shifts per day a total of 24 hours of straight work ing time and all those shifts would contribute work to your project choose 24 Hours If you use a day shift and a night shift choose Night Shift If you work a standard 8 hour day choose Standard Most projects use a standard calendar with a typical 8 hour workday Calendars can get a little confusing A project calendar that you set in this dialog box indicates what the usual workday is like in your com pany but you can set up individual calendars for each resource you create You can then more easily accommodate both shift workers and nine to fivers in the same schedule See Chapter 3 for more about resource calendars Assign a priority to your project Assigning a priority such as 500 for high priority or 100 for a lower priority can be especially useful if you use the same resources across several projects With your priorities set on all projects Project tools can then automatically reallocate resources You can also create custom project information fields for your organization in the Enterprise Custom Fields section of this dialog box For example you might want a field that explains which department in the
7. begin to add tasks e Taskbars in this area indicate the duration and timing of tasks in addition to the progress you record on them e The timescale the indications of time increments across the top of the chart area helps you interpret the timing of each taskbar You can adjust the increments to show your project in larger or smaller increments of time Figure 1 12 for example shows incre ments in days You start building a project by entering tasks Simply click a cell in the Task Name column of the sheet section and then type the name You can enter and edit details of a task by entering information directly into various columns which you can display in many views or by double clicking the task name in the sheet to access the Task Information dialog box see Figure 1 14 I get into more detail about entering task information in Chapter 2 Task Information General Predecessors l Resources Advanced l Notes Custom Fields Name Document high level Project Office req Duration 2d I Estimated E Percent complete 0 Priority 500 Figure 1 14 The various es E K Start Tue 1 6 04 x Einish wed 1 7 04 tabs in this dialog box peas Hide task bar hold a T Roll up Gantt bar to summary wealth of information about a single task in your project 30 Part I Setting the Stage for Project Figure 1 15 Templates provide a great head startin building common business proje
8. but also the specific ways in which the tasks relate to each other Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care 5 osoft Proje e Deployme Pal bs a File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help ax DS EGQF 2aB D amp aa S No Group F Bi arial O Tasks Resources Track Report p Infrastructure Deployment Template Task Name Duration Ape 15 07 Apr 22 07 a AEREA A A A A A A Infrastructure Deployment Te 132 25 days Scope 1 day Determine project scope 1 day Gp Project management Secure project sponsorship 1 day Gp Project management Define preiminery resource 1 day amp Project management Secure core resources 1 day Gp Project management Scope complete Odays gt 46 Analysis 25 days T oO Review Current infrastr 5 days O Review hardware envirc 5S days GD Architecture analyst PC Review software enviro 5 days GD Architecture analyst y Review communications 5 days GD Architecture analyst Figure 1 2 Review connectivity LAt 5 days GD Architecture analyst This Review support envirore 5 days GD Architecture analyst Review geographic fact days GUD Architecture analyst schedule leview current infrastru O days WE includes Review business goalsdire 10 days tasks with Identify Target Areas for 5 days ee Identity hardware impros 5 days timing but Identify software improv
9. meeting room that you have to pay an hourly fee to use or a box of nails or a software program you have to buy Project allows for three kinds of resources work resources material resources and cost resources A work resource is charged by how many hours or days the resource often human works on a task A material resource such as sewing supplies or steel is charged by a per use cost or by a unit of measurement such as square yards or linear feet or tons A cost resource has a set cost such as a conference fee of 250 this cost doesn t vary by how much time you spend at the conference or how many people attend Some resources such as people perform their work according to a working calendar If a person works an 8 hour day and you assign him to a task that takes 24 hours to complete that person has to put in three workdays to Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care ar lt P if Figure 1 4 Resources charged ata rate per hour are the basis of how Project tallies costs PCS complete the task In comparison someone with a 12 hour workday takes only two days to complete the same task In addition you can set working and nonworking days for your human resources which accommodates varia tions such as 4 day weeks or shift work You can set different rates for resources such as a standard hourly rate and an overtime rate Project applies the appropriate rate based on each resource s
10. resources 1 day Mon 4 1607 Mon 4 16 07 O Resource name unts wom sews sra pinisr T aG wog TFE Ure Won ayer War a70 Scope complete 0 days Mon 4 10 07 Mon 4 16 07 10 Review hardware environment 6 days Mon 4 16 07 Fri 420 07 o Resource name ves Wok Dewr Sten Finish a srt 8S a0 sO aa TE EEE 1 Review software environment 5 days Mon 416 07 Fri 4120107 D Resource Nome vats Won Dewr Ster Finish 7 Aneen seyi 5S ao Ss 0 aps ar aT Pa 12 Review communications environment 5 days Mon 4 1 6407 Fri 412007 io Resource iame vats Won Ocean Stea Finish T areec huie a ray F iid IFE Car Won aay FRUE 13 Review connectivity LANAN AN 5 days Mon 41007 Fri 4 2007 D Resource name wens wom ene zisa pirisr g Arcrtechs re z carly at 100 40 rs 9 drys Monario FEN ante 14 Review support emirnment 5 days Mon 41607 Fri 4 2007 Eat fal Reese i f ExT cars num scr ovr Planning to keep things on track Projects aren t frozen in amber like some organizational mosquito They go through more changes than a politician s platform in a campaign year That s where Project s capability to make changes to your project data comes in handy After you build all your tasks give them durations and dependencies and assign all your resources and costs you set a baseline A baseline is a snap shot of your project at the moment you feel your plan is final and you re ready to proceed with the project After you set a baseline you record some activity on your
11. tasks into phases Diagram Schedule tasks Link to or attach more task information Add columns of custom Task i information Usage he Set deadlines and constrain tasks Identify risks to the project MEDS Add documents to the project Publish project information to halls the Web wi Fearne After planning your tasks you Graph can go to the Resources area to build your project s team ES and assign people to tasks z a 4 za 3 mmi 4 ExT CAPS Tram so fon f I View bar Project Guide Sheet Chart area Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care 29 In Figure 1 13 you see Gantt Chart view You can discover more about various views in Chapter 2 For now note the following View bar To go to different views click the bar of icons on the far left the View bar If this bar isn t displayed choose View View Bar to do so Project Guide To the right of the View bar is the Project Guide task pane which is an informational area with step by step guidance on how to build your project If Project Guide isn t displayed click the Show Hide Project Guide button on the Project Guide toolbar to display it Sheet In the middle of the view is the sheet section You can use this spreadsheet interface to enter edit and view information about your project Chart area Finally the chart area on the far right reflects your task information graphically as soon as you
12. 5 days no d e p end Identify communications S days bd H Identify connectivity LAN 5 days encies of Lat i a ExT cars num scr ovn li Here are some examples of dependencies 1 You can t begin to use a new piece of equipment until you install it vy You must wait for a freshly poured concrete foundation to dry before you can begin to build on it You can t start to ship a new drug product until the FDA approves it Figure 1 3 shows a project plan where each task s duration and the dependen cies among tasks have been established and the resulting overall timing of the project One other brief note about the timing of tasks In addition to applying depen dencies to tasks you can apply constraints For example say that you don t want to start shipping your new cake flavor until you get the ad for it in your Christmas catalog so you set a dependency between those two events You can also set a constraint which says that you must start producing the cakes no later than November 3 In this case if you don t make the catalog deadline the product will still ship on November 3 that task will not be allowed to slip its constraint because of this dependency relationship 13 14 Part I Setting the Stage for Project PCS Figure 1 3 This schedule includes tasks with both timing and depend encies 1 Microsoft Project Infrastructure Deployment oog iE File Edit View Insert
13. Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care In This Chapter Discovering how traditional project management makes the move to software Understanding what elements of a project are managed in Project Understanding the project manager s role Exploring the role of the Internet in project management Getting started using Project Guide Using a template to start a new project Saving a project file Finding help in Project Por to the world of computerized project management with Microsoft Project If you ve never used project management software you re entering a brave new world It s like walking from the office of 25 years ago with no fax voicemail or e mail into the office of today with its wealth of high tech devices Everything you used to do with handwritten to do lists word processors and spreadsheets all magically comes together in Project However this transi tion won t come in a moment and you need a basic understanding of what project management software can do to get you up to speed If you ve used previous versions of Project this little overview can help you refresh your memory as well as ease you into a few of the new features of Project 2007 So even if you re a seasoned project manager take a minute to review this chap ter It provides the foundation for how you ll work with Project from here on 0 Part I Setting the Stage for Project The ABCs of Project Management
14. Compile package gap document 2 days Package and requirements revit 1 day Implementation Options 2 days Identity business process optio 2 days Evaluate data migration strateg Odays Evaluate deployment approach 0 days Evaluate systems intertaces 0 days e Ai g 2 feet cars num scr Jour IF 11 12 Part I Setting the Stage for Project ar MBER we amp One handy thing about this outlining structure is that you can roll up all the timing and cost data from the subtasks within your phases into summary level tasks Three sequential subtasks that take a day each to complete and cost you 200 apiece result in a summary task that spans three days and costs 600 You can view your project at various levels of detail or get auto matic tallies of timing and costs if you prefer to simply view the summary level of tasks For more about defining and creating tasks check out Chapter 4 All in the timing They say that timing is everything Rome wasn t built in a day a stitch in time saves nine and don t even ask me about choosing exactly when to sell your high tech stocks The importance of timing applies to Project tasks too Almost all tasks have timing referred to as duration which is the amount of time needed to complete the task The only tasks without duration are milestones A milestone is a task of zero duration in essence it simply marks a moment in time that must be reflected in your
15. Is It and Why Should You Care EEE Figure 1 9 A resource usage chart helps you spot resource scheduling problems a iw iw Risk management is a central part of project management because frankly projects are chock full of risk You run the risk that your resources won t perform that materials will arrive late that your cus tomer will change all the parameters of the project halfway through well you get the picture Risk management is the art of anticipating risks ranking them from most to least likely and determining strategies to prevent the most likely ones from occurring Project helps you with risk management by allowing you to try out what if scenarios You can change the start date or length of a task or phase of tasks for example and see just what that change does to your schedule such as the delays cost overruns and resource conflicts that might occur in such a scenario down to the last hour and penny Having this kind of information at your fingertips makes risk man agement easier and almost painless Resource management consists of using resources wisely A good pro ject manager finds the right resource for the job assigns that person a reasonable workload stays alert for shifts in the schedule that cause that resource to be overbooked and during the life of the project makes adjustments that keep all resources most productive In Project tools are available such as a resource graph tradi
16. Office Online Review giobal marketing strate 0 days a2 a On my computer Review merketing plan for cam Odays 42 E On my Web stes Establish go to markets for org Odays 42 Recently used templates Evaluate alignment to corporate Odays 42 Marketing Campaign Planning Evaluate competitive advantage Odays 42 Infrastructure Deployment Review product and service m Odays 42 Finance and Accourting System In Review previous campaign pet Odays 42 Marketing Event Planning and Exe Business Strategy Landscape Odays 42 Develop Campaign Concepte 0 days 42 Create process for qualifying ic Odays 42 Establish process for idea shar Odays 42 Gather ideas Odays 42 Final shaping and development Odays 412 Research market environment Odays 42 Develop preliminary campaign Odays 42 Identity campaign targets Odays 42 a za 2 Click the On My Computer link The Templates dialog box opens You can also use the On My Web Sites and Templates on Office Online links to access online templates w 4 v Click a template to display a preview When you find the template you want to use click OK Click the Project Templates tab which is shown in Figure 1 17 The template opens in Project document format MPP You can then save the file with a new name You can also delete tasks move them around or add tasks as necessary for your project After opening a template be sure to check its Project Information choose P
17. Project outline Typical milestones are the approval of a brochure design and an assembly line startup Project doesn t provide magic formulas for duration You assign duration based on your own experience and judgment Does designing a product pack age take three days or three weeks Will obtaining a building permit happen in a day or a month Remember that you re dealing with city hall so think before you answer Project isn t an oracle You have to provide facts figures and educated guesses to build your Project schedule After that information is entered though Project can do some wonderful things to help you main tain your schedule and monitor your progress Task co dependencies The final piece in the puzzle of how long your project will take is the concept of dependencies or the timing relationships among tasks If you have a sched ule that includes ten tasks that all begin at the same time your entire project will take as long as the longest task see Figure 1 2 After you define and implement timing relationships among tasks your schedule can stretch over time like a long rubber band For example one task might begin only after another is finished Another task can start halfway through the preceding task The second task cannot start until a week after the first task is finished Only after you start to assign these relationships can you begin to see a project s timing as related to not just each task s duration
18. a project you can build a project on your own from scratch by entering individual task and resource details or you can use a project template that already contains data related to your industry or the type of project you re doing Getting going with help from Project Guide Project Guide is like some of those wizards you see in Microsoft products It walks you through a series of steps that ask you to enter some information and then automates a process for you However in many ways Project Guide is like no wizard you ve ever seen Taking a first look at the Guide Project Guide has four different sections Tasks Resources Track and Report Within each of those categories might be ten or so links for you to click to initiate an action When you do so you might have to choose a vari ety of subactions depending on your particular project Also the sections of Project Guide span the entire life of your project from the time you first enter task information to the time you generate your final report If you ve never used project management software or Project itself you might find it helpful to run through Project Guide to set up your first schedule enter resources track activities on tasks or generate reports However to know how to make intelligent choices in Project Guide you have to have some basic understanding of how a project is built which I provide in the next few chapters My advice is to walk with me through many
19. cal endar and work assigned For more about resources and costs see Chapter 7 Several views in Project let you see information about resources and how their assignment to tasks has an effect on project costs Figure 1 4 shows you the Resource sheet which has columns of information about resources and their costs Here s one other important thing you should know about resources They tend to have conflicts No I m not talking about conference room brawls although that happens These conflicts have to do with assigned resources that become overallocated for their available work time For example if you assign one poor soul to three 8 hour tasks that must all happen on the same day and in the same eight hours Project has features that do everything but jump up on your desk and turn on an alarm to warn you of the conflict Luckily Project also provides tools that help you resolve those conflicts Microsoft Project Infrastructure Deployment SG Eg Ra File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help 8 x 2828 42 7 23 BD amp o wa e No Group Bi areas B H Tasks Resources Track Report B Architecture analyst Resource Name Type Material Label initials Group Max Units Std R e Ovt Rate Cost E amp Architecture analypvork A Arct 100 110 00r 0 00 hr san 2 Project manageme Work P Mgmt 100 65 00 hr 0 00 hr Deployment resource Work D 100 35
20. company is running the project Clicking the Statistics button in this dialog box presents an overview of your project as shown in Figure 1 12 28 Part I Setting the Stage for Project ns Figure 1 12 You can review a summary of the information you entered C Figure 1 13 Begin with a new Project schedule Project Statistics for PROJOFF SE Wed 8 4 04 Remaining 78 820 00 Percent complete Duration 0 Work 0 Perusing the project schedule After you choose settings in the Project Information dialog box and then click OK you re faced with a blank Project schedule as shown in Figure 1 13 As a writer I can tell you that nothing is as daunting or as inspiring as facing a blank page It s the canvas on which you create your Project plan Note the Project Guide pane to the left of the spreadsheet section Microsoft Project Project2 a File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help G x DG ESB FT S3 By C B eo ga amp No Group 7 l fiara Resources Track Report D GOrasks a mea teak nena 8 05 Jan 15 06 Jon 22 06 a 9 MT wiT F s s M WITIFIS S Mi wT Plan and schedule your cnie project s tasks by clicking an item below Clicking an item displays tools and instructions for completing that step oar Define the project Define general working times List the tasks in the project Neework Organize
21. cts De Starting with templates Reinventing the wheel has never been one of my favorite sports so I m grate ful that Microsoft provides some convenient project templates These include projects by type for example an engineering project or office move Templates already have many tasks appropriate to the task type created for you Figure 1 15 shows the Project Office template Templates typically contain sample tasks broken into logical phases with task durations and dependencies in place The templates from Microsoft often include resources but you can create your own resources as well as use edit or delete the ones provided You can open a template from the New Project task pane To do so follow these steps 1 Choose File gt New The New Project task pane appears as shown in Figure 1 16 Microsoft Project Marketing Campaign Planning rl ES fa File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help 8 x 1 d Epea EA ERE SETE No Group 7 Bi arial E iB Resources Track Report H Task Name Duration 3 07 Ape 1 07 are 0 Appr 15 07 a MMITIFISISIM TIWITIF S SIM TIWITIF ss mM M Review Business Strategy Lar 0 days V2 Identify servicesproduct gaps e Odays 42 6 Complete SWOT analysis O days 42 Review business model Odays 42 Review organizational merketir Odays 42 gan Review local marketing stra
22. ect map is another take on the phases involved in building your project Microsoft Office Online Because Project is part of the Office family of products this link is provided to the Office online Assistance Center Microsoft Office Diagnostics This option automatically identifies errors and tries to correct them Use it if you have serious problems using the software for example if the software continually shuts down and gives you error messages Project Guide The one option not accessed from the Help menu Project Guide is new in Version 12 Project Guide which appears when you open a new project offers links to step by step infor mation on how to build your project As you can see you could spend a year just working your way through all the help topics in Project Don t worry They re there when you need them and some such as Project Guide even pop up automatically to offer help 34 Part I Setting the Stage for Project
23. how you just two of the reporting options available in Project Microsoft Project Infrastructure Deployment tes File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help 8 x DF eh SF 2a ERE EE T ReGreOE Jyo pima J HE Resources i Track Report H Jun 40 07 dun 17 07 son eo E EEN eho ole P einer let Calendar z 450 Gantt Chart 400 350 L RUPE RI EOAR ORM ere AOOO Network i Diagram Architecture analy Overallocatect Allocate E Task Usage 150 Tracking Gantt Resource Graph EEH Peak Unts Ek 4 100 Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care 7 Dn Figure 1 6 An Unstarted Tasks report a Microsoft Project Infrastructure Deployment EE lt 4 gt v R GB 8 Page Setup Print Close Help a Unstarted Tasks as of Fri 1 13 06 Infrastructure Deployment 1D Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors 3 Determine project scope 1 day Mon 4 16 07 Mon 4 18 07 Resource Name ures Won Dewy Stat Finsh A L erect araaement OS SRE RYE TEE it SFTP 4 Secura project sponsorship 1 day Mon 4 16 07 Mon 4 18 07 Resource Name vars Won oem Stet Fins PASC m eney ement TOS LIGJ vays woAarroeT War I7 0T 5 Define preliminary resources 1 day Mon 416007 Mon 4 16 07 D Resource Nome vets Won Dewy Ster Finish C L o mos ama aay MORIS MOn a707 6 Secure core
24. ion 1 day Task Package and Requirements Re 11 days Cha rt Usage Explore the package 3 days Information Systems Accounting method of Validate business requirements 2days aw opao Systems Accou TT Map business requirements to 3 days Information S project et ee Tracking Compile package gap document 2 days n scheduling Gantt Package and requirements revi 1 day G as it alli Implementation Options 2 days q ats Identity business process optio 2days appears In fee Evaluate data micyation strate 0 days M i Cc rosoft Evaluate deployment approach O days Ba E Evaluate systems interfaces 0days Project ERS mwa m a es fear ears num scro Torr li W Microsoft Project Finance and Accounting System Implementation S ES e File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help 8 x DAH aa Slama o a E B No Group Fl Bia G HEJ z Resources Track Report New Finance and Accounting System chosen t Package Architecture Validati Review technical architecture Sat aaa O aau yya a i NG Du das H i a Network H Diagram Figure 1 8 A cor i A kissin Task cousinto i ifamaian Sten the original H Package and Requirements F PERT chart e aee e e i the Network P ae Diagram Jail g hi i focuses r Implementation Options i Gaph ani ID ta on work not 20 bur Daas A Comp h X on time E B ee Er ears num scm fou li Chapter 1 Project Management What
25. licts filter tasks by various criteria model what if sce narios and calculate in dollars the value of work performed to date Collaborating with your project team online You can take advantage of all the Internet has to offer by using Project fea tures to collaborate with others In fact Project 2007 begins to step into the world of Enterprise Project Management EPM where easily sharing ideas information and documents across your enterprise becomes possible For example Project allows you to request updates on a task s progress from team members via e mail You can post documents and ask for team input You can even publish your project on the Web The Professional version of Project includes Project Server and Project Web Access which enhance workgroup collaboration You can take advantage of an online project center and resource center with areas for discussions progress tracking document exchange and more p Part V of this book Working with Enterprise Projects looks at how to take advantage of the enterprise wide features of Project Server and Project Web Access Getting Started As Shakespeare said In delay there lies no plenty I don t know about you but I need all the plenty I can get so it s time to jump in and start using Project 24 Part I Setting the Stage for Project You have three choices when starting a new project You can use Project Guide to get Project s assistance creating
26. line 1 Project offers views and reports that with the click of a button make a wealth of information available to you and those you report to No more manually building a report on total costs to date to meet a last minute request from your boss If she wants to know total costs to date you can just print your Tracking Gantt view with the Tracking table displayed See Chapter 16 for information about reporting 1 You can use built in templates to get a head start on your project Project templates are prebuilt plans for a typical business project such as com mercial construction an engineering project a new product rollout Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care 23 software development or an office move See Starting with templates later in this chapter for more about this time saving feature A You likely do similar types of projects all the time After you create one project you use it as a template for future projects vy You can create resources for your project according to information you already created in your Outlook Address Book You can even create one set of company resources and give access to every project manager in the company see Chapters 18 and 19 for how to set up centralized enterprise resources 1 A number of tools in Project employ complex algorithms that you couldn t even begin to figure out to do such tasks as level resource assignments to solve resource conf
27. manages the project manager up to and including members of senior management Rather the project manager is the person on the front lines who makes sure that the parts of the project come together and assumes hands on responsibility for successes as well as failures In project management parlance the person who champions and has the ultimate responsibility for a project is the project sponsor A project manager manages these essential pieces of a project Y The project plan or schedule This is what you create with Microsoft Project It includes the estimated steps and associated timing and costs involved in reaching the project goal 1 Resources Managing resources involves resolving resource conflicts and building consensus as well as assigning resources and tracking their activities on the project This part of the job also involves managing nonhuman resources such as materials and equipment Y Communication with the project team management and customers Communicating the project s status to everyone who has a legitimate stake in its success stakeholders is a key responsibility Although a project manager might work for a project sponsor the project often also has a customer for whom the end product is produced That cus tomer can be outside the project manager s own company or within Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care Understanding the dreaded triple constraint You ve seen
28. of the steps in this book and then use Project Guide to practice building your first project Then you can see whether its structure works the way your mind does or not Using Project Guide A Project Guide toolbar displays by default in the toolbar area at the top of your Project screen The toolbar has an icon you click to show or hide the Project Guide so if the Project Guide doesn t appear on the left side of your screen just click the Show Hide Project Guide button To use the Project Guide you click a category such as Tasks and then click a link such as List the Tasks in the Project in that category This action dis plays additional information in the Project Guide pane see Figure 1 10 asking you to enter data or choose or accept a setting and move through a series of screens When you finish working through one set of screens you return to the Project Guide pane and can click another task or category to proceed Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care 25 B Microsoft Project Projecti i File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help 8 x DW SOF T 9 amp E TEE NoGroup JFL Bi ara Resources Track Report B Define the Project Task Name Collaborate on your project Project Server and Project Web Access allow you and your team members to view and update project information
29. ost you a thing except a nanobit of memory so a project can have as many tasks and as many phases as you like You simply use the outlining structure in Project to indent various levels of tasks The more deeply indented in an outline a task is the more detailed the task Microsoft Project Finance and Accounting System Implementation BAE azi File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help 8 x 1668 42 7 23 Bh 9 amp amp da B NoGroup F B Arial E FE Resources Track Report H New Finance and Accounting System chosen Task Name Duration Apr1 07 Apr 8 07 Apr 15 07 4 FIS S M TWIT FIS SM TWITIF S S M T WIT IF New Finance and Accounting System 0 days 42 implementation Requirements 18 days Package Architecture Validatia 12 days Review technical architecture 2 days Information Systems Gantt Determine package implemertet 3 days information Systems chat Provide initial training 2 days rmation Systems om Install the package Odays Estimate usage volumes and sc 2 days Information Systems ee Ensure thet installation is archite 4days information Systems Review and baseline technical 2 days Informatio Package archtecture validation 1 day Package and Requirements Re 11 days Explore the package 3 days Information Systems Acc Validate business requirements 2 days ation Systen Map business requirements to 3days ey Infor
30. project where you save in one place not only your Project files but also supporting documents e mails and other items You can create a new folder from within the Save As dialog box by clicking the Create New Folder button A Getting Help from Project If you can get to work without mishap and turn on your computer you proba bly know how to use a help system in software too Table 1 1 offers a rundown of the type of help you can find in Project 2007 when you click the Help button on the Standard toolbar Table 1 1 Help Option Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care 33 Project Help Features How to Use It Microsoft Project Help This option displays the full Help feature with a table of contents and a search field Show the Office Assistant Displays the annoying little icon that asks you to enter your question in a natural language style that is a sentence and offers topics to try to address your questions Contents and Index Displays the same thing as Microsoft Project Help Go figure Reference Provides reference information such as a com prehensive list of all fields in Project a glossary and a table of mouse and keyboard shortcuts Getting Started A side menu for this Help menu option offers a tutorial and project map The tutorial provides a set of topics explaining Project from the basics of what is project management through creat ing a plan The proj
31. rea Being able to view all this information on one page helps you understand what s happening in your project in terms of time and costs y The Network Diagram also called a logic diagram shown in Figure 1 8 is essentially the Microsoft version of a PERT chart PERT Program Evaluation and Review Technique was developed during the construc tion of the Polaris submarine in the 1950s This mostly graphical repre sentation of the tasks in your project reflects the flow of work in your project rather than the literal timing of tasks This view helps you to see how one task flows into another and to get a sense of where you are not so much in time but rather in terms of the work you have to accomplish 19 20 Part I Setting the Stage for Project W Microsoft Project Finance and Accounting System Implementation Task Name Duration 1 07 Apr 8 07 Apr 15 07 Apr 2 MIT WITIFIS SIMIT WITIF S SIMIT iWITIFIS SIM New Finance and Accounting System Implementation Requirements Package Architecture Validatia Review technical architecture Determine package implementat Provide initial training g Install the package Estimate usage volumes and sc 2 days Information Systems a apa Ensure that installation is archite 4days Information Systems Figure 1 7 Review and baseline technical 2days The Gantt Package architecture validat
32. reschedules resources to resolve overbooking which can enable you to manage resources much more effectively You can see how overbooked the Information Systems Analyst is on this date You can use codes for resources that designate skill levels or abilities so that finding the right resource for each job is as simple as performing a search From To Do List to Hard Drive If you re reading from start to finish in this chapter you re probably shaking your head and saying Boy handwritten to do lists look pretty good right now Beats creating hundreds of tasks assigning them durations establishing dependencies among them creating resources entering resource calendar and rate information assigning resources and costs to tasks entering activity performed on tasks and so on Well you re right and wrong about that You do have to enter a lot of informa tion into Project to get the benefit of its features But you can also get a lot out of Project Getting up to speed with Project Take a moment to look at some of the wonderful things Project can do for you This list describes why you or your company bought it and why you re investing your time to read this book With Project you enjoy the following benefits Project automatically calculates costs and timing for you based on your input You can quickly recalculate what if scenarios to solve resource conflicts get your costs within budget or meet your final dead
33. roject Project Information to make sure that the Start Date and Calendar options are set as you want If you modify a template and think that you might use that set of tasks again for future projects consider saving the file as a custom template Just choose File Save As and then select Template in the Save As Type list Part I Setting the Stage for Project Templates General Project Templates 8 ra 8 ra ees Commercial Engineering Home Move Infrastructure Preview Construction Deployment i Figure 1 17 l ia 8 gi Business Microsoft Active Microsoft Microsoft Office Microsoft and Directory Dep Exchange 20 XP Corporate SharePoint personal Preview not available EJ 8 8 templates a a units SS Microsoft MSF New Business New Product such as Windows Application Home Move are amp El E A included here Templates on Office Online E Cancel D iii Saving a Project for Posterity Saving Project files works just as saving does in most other software you ve used Here s a reminder To save a Project file that you haven t saved before follow these steps 1 Choose File Save As 2 Use the Save In list to locate the folder where you want to save the file then click to select it 3 In the File Name text box type a name for the project 4 Click Save It s good organizational practice to create a folder for your
34. roject whether that project is large or small The three Ts Tasks timing and dependencies well two Ts and a D As Lewis Carroll said If you don t know where you re going any road will get you there So first things first You have to understand the goal of your project so you can begin to build the tasks that have to be performed to get you there Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care MBER we amp Sa Figure 1 1 You ll probably spend most of your time in Project in outline like Gantt Chart view al A task is simply one of those items you used to scribble on your handwritten to do lists such as Write final report or Apply for permits Tasks are typically organized into phases appropriate stages in Project arranged in an outline like structure as you can see in the project shown in Figure 1 1 Because timing is essential in any project Project helps you set up and view the timing rela tionships among tasks Becoming a task master A task can be as broad or as detailed as you like For example you can create a single task to research your competition or you can create a project phase that consists of a summary task and subtasks below it For example the sum mary task might be Competitive Research with the subtasks Researching Online Business Databases Assembling Company Annual Reports and Reviewing Competitive Product Lines Adding tasks to a Project file doesn t c
35. tasks Then you can compare that actual activity with your baseline because Project saves both sets of data in your schedule Tracking activity in your project involves recording the actual timing of tasks and recording the time that your resources have spent on those tasks as well as entering any actual costs that accrue You can then display Project views that show you how far off you are at any time compared with your baseline in terms of the actual timing of tasks and cost of your project 18 Part I Setting the Stage for Project Whether you have good news or bad you can use reports to show your boss how things are going compared with how you thought they would go Then after you peel your boss off the ceiling you can use many more Project tools to make adjustments to get everything back on track The Role of the Project Manager lt P MBER K amp Although understanding the role let alone the usefulness of some managers isn t always easy it s always easy to spot the value of a project manager This person creates the master plan for a project and tries to ensure that it gets implemented successfully Along the way this key person uses skills and methods that have evolved over time always seeking to manage how things get done and generally keeping schedules on track What exactly does a project manager do A project manager isn t always the highest authority in a project often that role belongs to whomever
36. teg 0 days a2 aiz wA Review global marketing strate 0 days a2 Review marketing plan for cam O days 4 2 Network Diagram Establish go to markets for org O days 42 Evaluate alignment to corporate Odays 42 Evaluate competitive advantage Odays 42 Review product and service m Odays 42 Review previous campaign pet Odays 42 Business Strategy Landscape O days a2 Develop Campaign Concepts 0 daye a2 6 Create process for qualifying it Odays 42 Establish process for idea sha 0 days 42 Gather ideas Odays 42 Final shaping and development O days 4i2 Research market environment Odays 42 Develop preiminery campaign Odays 42 Identity campaign targets O days 42 B sja r CACAN l Chapter 1 Project Management What Is It and Why Should You Care e Figure 1 16 Open a template from the New Project task pane a lt e A 31 4 File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help ax VG esi 37 23 BB I amp a NoGroup J 4 Arial fE Resources Track Report 2 New Project h Aa 1 Aa CON o b Eat F sa Sanr 7 New Review Business Strategy Lar 0 days 42 B Blank Project Identify serviceiproduct gaps 0 days an 2 From existing project e Complete SWOT analysis Odays 412 Templates Review business model Odays 42 Search online for Review orgenizational marketir Odays 42 amp o Review local marketing strateg 0 days a2 2 Templates on
37. the signs at the copy store or the auto repair place You can have it fast cheap or right pick two That my friend is the triple constraint of project management in a nutshell In a project you have timing resources which are essentially costs and quality of the product or service produced at the end of the project Microsoft Project helps you manage the resources and timing of your project The qual ity of your project is often affected directly by how well you manage them If you add time costs increase because resources are working longer hours at a certain wage If you take away resources you save money but this can affect quality and so on Coming to a logical balance of time money and quality is at the core of what a good project manager does throughout the life of a project Applying tried and true methodologies Microsoft Project incorporates some scheduling and tracking tools that are the result of many years of developing project management methods A few of these are worth noting 1 The Gantt Chart shown in Gantt Chart view of Figure 1 7 which is the main view of Project shows you a spreadsheet with columns of data along with a graphical representation of the tasks in the project arranged along a horizontal timeline By using the data in the columns such as task name start date finish date and resources assigned to tasks you can understand the parameters of each task and see its timing in the graphical a
38. tionally called a histogram and the resource usage chart shown in Figure 1 9 which reflects resource workload B Microsoft Project Finance and Accounting System Implementation a File Edit View Insert Format Tools Project Report Collaborate Window Help 8 x DAH gaAaA7 Rae A A a E S NoGroup Jl f i arial fE z Resources Track Report i 8 07 r15 a Resource Name Work netaas sae ee z m n x Jae Laj sau 1 Executive Manageme Ohrs work i i i i Calendar Obtain signoff oi Ons wok creed Review project s ons work us Review project s 0 hrs work Gantt 2 information systen 246 hrs work cha Review technica 16 Ars Work OT Determine packs 24 hrs work Provide initial tr 16 Ars Work al Install the packa ORS Work Estimate usage 16 hrs Work y Ensure that inste 32 Ars Work Task Review and base 16 hrs vork Usage Explore the pact 24 hrs Work Validate busines 16 8 wwork Tithe Map business re 24 hrs Work Tracking Compile packag 16 Ars Work Gantt identity busines 16 hes wok hulls Evaluate data m 0 hrs Work i Evaluate deploy O Ars Work Resource Evaluate system 0 hrs work aa Evaluate deliver O hrs Work Document imple Ons Work ah Ki ext cars num Scr E 21 22 Part I Setting the Stage for Project Figure 1 9 also shows resource leveling a calculation that automatically
39. ule at any time by choosing File New and clicking the Blank Project link in the New Project task pane 26 Part I Setting the Stage for Project ay You need to enter much more information in addition to general project infor mation and tasks in order to build a complete project as you discover in the next few chapters Entering general project information and task information is your usual starting point however Tell Project about your project With a blank project open a logical first step is to enter some general project information such as the project start date To do so you choose Project Project Information The Project Information dialog box appears as shown in Figure 1 11 Sertdate mons Cuentdate Fri 1 13 05 7 Frish date Weds 2507 I Statusdate NA x E checule from Project Start Date m Calendar se Figure 1 11 All tasks begin as soon as possible Priority 500 Use the Enterprise custom Fields Project Information Oane aeenasaeneeneaeeeneamenenmesunein dialog box for some basic project settings C Here s what you can do in this dialog box 1 Set the start date for the project If you re not sure when the project will start set the start date about a month from today Then after you build some tasks and have a better handle on the entire length of your project you can come back and set a real start date Project automatically recal culates all dates when you do
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search