Project Tips Tricks for Beginning Advanced Intermediate Users

Project Tips & Tricks for Beginning, Advanced & Intermediate Users Hosted by Michelle A. Thomas, Microsoft V-TSP

Common User Feedback • “It never does what I tell it/want it to do. ” • “When I add more resources, why does it assume I want the duration to decrease? ” • “I can’t stand looking at the Gantt Chart – is there a way to get rid of it? ” • “It doesn’t work and I’m tired of fighting with it. ” • “It’s just like a spreadsheet. ” Page: 2

What is an Expert? • “An expert is someone who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field, ” Niels Bohr, Danish Physicist and Nobel Prize Winner Page: 3

What’s New 2007 http: //go. microsoft. com/fwlink/? Link. ID=93713 • • • Page: 4 Multilevel Undo Visual Reports Calendar & Gantt chart view enhancements Change Highlighting Task Drivers Cost resources Budgeting Desktop OLAP cube Multi-value custom fields

Tip 1 - Beginner s w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Gantt Chart Usage • • • Use Show Menu Use Scroll to Task icon Look at flow of the project and see if it makes sense. Use the Gantt Chart Wizard Change the Gantt to look at the Critical Path and Baseline • Use the Leveling Gantt to view Leveling Delays Page: 6

Gantt Chart Usage Show Menu, Scroll to Task, Change highlighting Page: 7

Gantt Chart Usage Gantt Chart Wizard, Critical Path Page: 8

Gantt Chart Usage Leveling View, Gantt Chart Wizard, Baseline Page: 9

Tip 2 - Beginner w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Start with a WBS • • • Don’t create a task list WBS captures all deliverables Easier to define scope Great communication tool with the project team Ensures that nothing is missed Page: 11

Tip 3 - Beginner w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Scheduling Engine • Project has a scheduling engine – why not use it? • Give project the information on resources and task relationships and let it tell you when tasks should occur • Look at flow of the project and see if it makes sense. • Change the Gantt to look at the Critical Path and Baseline • Use the Leveling Gantt to view Leveling Delays Page: 13

Tip 4 - Intermediate w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Avoid Duration-Based Scheduling • Need a more accurate depiction of effort • Cannot adequately measure or track budget with duration • Provides better insight into resource capacity and demand • Very few projects that are truly duration-based; most have schedule as a constraint, but not all tasks should be estimated in days Page: 15

Tip 5 - Intermediate w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Monitor both • % Complete is based upon duration ONLY • % Work Complete shows progress on man hours • You should compare overall % Complete vs. % Work complete to see how well you are doing on your project § § Page: 17 Example: % Complete = 80 % Work Complete = 20 Our project completion date is approaching, but we only have 20% of the overall work done!

Monitor both %Work Complete, %Complete, even Physical % Complete Page: 18

Tip 6 - Intermediate w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Constraints & Dependencies • Minimize use of Constraints wherever possible – this places a hard stop in your project plan Ø Note: Manually selecting dates places constraints on your tasks • If you have to use constraints, use the ‘Finish no earlier’/later than and ‘Start no earlier/later than’ types because they are flexible. • Dependencies – are all tasks really FS? Could you use SS or FF or SF? Page: 20

Tip 7 - Advanced w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Saving a Baseline • • Save Baseline 1 first Copy Baseline 1 to Baseline ‘ 0’ Copy all subsequent Baselines back to Baseline ‘ 0’ This allows for accurate reports i. e. Project Statistics, Baseline Work, Duration, etc. • Can still compare Baselines in different views Page: 22

Saving a Baseline Set Baseline, Interim Plan, Variance Table Page: 23

Tip 8 – Advanced w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Level your Resources • Takes Work Demand balances against Work Capacity • Use a Leveling Method – prioritization of projects, tasks, resources, etc. • Use the tool to view overallocation • Level one resource at-a-time, using Resource Usage View for results • Level outside of available slack if over allocation cannot be resolved within • Gives you a TRUE perspective of end date Page: 25

Level your Resources Resource Usage, Resource Leveling Tool Page: 26

Tip 9 - Advanced w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Apply Work Contours • Use built-in Work Contours on resources • Choose the one that best suits your project and resource needs • Called ‘manually’ leveling • Use Resource Usage to refine these assignments • Places constraints on tasks Page: 28

Apply Work Contours Resource Usage View Page: 29

Tip 10 - Everyone w ww. t ri bri dge. c om l 877 -744 -1360 l suc c ess@tr ibridge. c om

Snapshot & Project Statistics • Use the Project Snapshot to create a. jpeg, . gif, . png or other picture type of your progress • Can auto-adjust the Gantt chart in the view • Useful for Power. Point and other presentations • Use Project Statistics to view pertinent project information in one screen • Very useful for reports Page: 31

Snapshot & Project Statistics Project Information Statistics Page: 32

Conclusion • Project is a powerful Project planning and Resource tool • Can be used to manage Scope, Schedule and Cost • Best practices dictate how the tool should and should not be used • Practice these and the tool will become more useful Page: 33

Questions? • Please e-mail Tommy. Simon@tribridge. com for sales and service offerings • Please e-mail Michelle. Thomas@tribridge. com for questions on this presentation or for MS Project course offerings from Tribridge Page: 34

Closing and Q&A Hosted by Tribridge