To learn more about this book, visit Microsoft Learning

Transcription

1 To learn more about this book, visit Microsoft Learning

2 Table of Contents Acknowledgments xix About the CD xxi Conventions and Features Used in This Book xxiii Part 1: Project Fundamentals Chapter 1 Introducing Microsoft Office Project Using This Book Using Microsoft Project An Overview Microsoft Office Project Standard Microsoft Office Project Professional Microsoft Office Project Server Microsoft Office Project Web Access Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server What s New in Microsoft Office Project What s New in Microsoft Office Project Standard What s New in Microsoft Office Project Professional What s New in Project Server 2007 and Project Web Access Learning As You Go Working with the Project Guide Getting Help Working with Project Smart Tags Chapter 2 Understanding Projects and Project Management Understanding Project Management Basics What Is a Project? What Is Project Management? Understanding Project Management Processes Planning the Project Executing the Project Controlling the Project What do you think of this book? We want to hear from you! Microsoft is interested in hearing your feedback so we can continually improve our books and learning resources for you. To participate in a brief online survey, please visit: v

3 vi Table of Contents Closing the Project Facilitating Your Project with Microsoft Project Creating a Model of Your Project Working with Your Team Through Microsoft Project Using Microsoft Project in Your Enterprise Working with the Project Stakeholders Keys to Successful Project Management Part 2: Developing the Project Plan Starting a New Project Focusing the Project Vision Defining Scope Understanding Product Scope and Project Scope Developing the Scope Statement Creating a New Project Plan Creating a Project File Saving Your New Project Scheduling from a Start or Finish Date Setting Your Project Calendar Attaching Project Documentation Entering Tasks Adding Tasks to Your Project Plan Importing Tasks from an Excel Worksheet Entering Recurring Tasks Sequencing and Organizing Tasks Moving Tasks Inserting Additional Tasks Copying Tasks Deleting Tasks Undoing Multiple Edits Organizing Tasks into an Outline Setting Up Your Work Breakdown Structure Understanding Work Breakdown Structure Codes Setting Up Work Breakdown Structure Codes Adding Supplementary Information to Tasks Chapter 4 Viewing Project Information Understanding Project Information Categories Accessing Your Project Information Using Views Using Tables Using Fields Rearranging Your Project Information Sorting Project Information Grouping Project Information Filtering Project Information

4 Table of Contents vii Arranging Your Microsoft Project Window Setting Your Default View Showing and Hiding Screen Elements Splitting a Window Switching Among Open Projects Navigating to a Specific Location in a View Chapter 5 Scheduling Tasks Setting Task Durations Developing Reliable Task Duration Estimates Understanding Estimated vs. Confirmed Durations Entering Durations Understanding How Durations Affect Scheduling Reviewing Durations Calculating Your Most Probable Duration Establishing Task Dependencies Creating the Finish-to-Start Task Dependency Understanding the Dependency Types Delaying Linked Tasks by Adding Lag Time Overlapping Linked Tasks by Adding Lead Time Changing or Removing Links Reviewing Task Dependencies Scheduling Tasks to Achieve Specific Dates Understanding Constraint Types Changing Constraints Working with Flexible and Inflexible Constraints Reviewing Constraints Setting Deadline Reminders Creating Milestones in Your Schedule Working with Task Calendars Setting Up the Task Calendar Assigning a Base Calendar to a Task Seeing Feedback on Scheduling Changes Highlighting the Ripple Effects of Schedule Changes Reviewing the Factors That Affect a Task Start Date Chapter 6 Setting Up Resources in the Project Understanding the Impact of Resources in the Project Plan Adding Resources to the Project Entering Resources in the Resource Sheet Adding Work Resources to the Project Adding Material Resources to the Project Adding Cost Resources to the Project Removing a Resource from the Project Identifying Tentative, Generic, or Budget Resources Proposing Tentative Resources Using Generic Resources as a Placeholder

5 viii Table of Contents Specifying a Budget Resource Setting When Resources Are Available for Work Setting Working Times and Days Off for Work Resources Specifying Resource Availability with Max Units Adding Detailed Resource Information Working with Supplemental Resource Fields Specifying Contact Information Adding a Note Regarding a Resource Hyperlinking to Resource Information Chapter 7 Assigning Resources to Tasks Assigning Work Resources to Tasks Creating Work Resource Assignments Adding and Assigning Resources at the Same Time Finding the Right Resources for the Job Understanding Assignment Calculations Assigning Material Resources to Tasks Assigning Cost Resources to Tasks Reviewing Assignment Information Showing Assignments by Task or Resource Showing Assignment Information Under a Task View Changing Resource Assignments Controlling Changes with Effort-Driven Scheduling Controlling Schedule Changes with Task Types Contouring Resource Assignments Chapter 8 Planning Resource and Task Costs Working with Costs and Budgeting Planning Resource Costs Setting Costs for Work Resources Setting Costs for Material Resources Setting Multiple Costs for a Resource Setting Cost Accrual Entering Costs for Cost Resource Assignments Planning Fixed Task Costs Reviewing Planned Costs Reviewing Assignment Costs Reviewing Resource Costs Reviewing Task Costs Reviewing the Total Planned Cost for the Project Setting Up and Reviewing a Project Budget Creating Budget Resources Assigning Budget Resources to the Project Summary Task Entering Budget Values for the Budget Resources Aligning Resources with their Budget Resource Type Comparing Resource Costs with Budget Resource Values Setting a Different Currency

6 Table of Contents ix Setting Up a Different Currency in Your Computer Setting Up a Different Currency in Microsoft Project Chapter 9 Checking and Adjusting the Project Plan Working with the Critical Path and Critical Tasks Understanding Slack Time and Critical Tasks Viewing the Critical Path Bringing in the Project Finish Date Viewing Finish Dates and the Critical Path Checking Your Schedule Assumptions Adjusting Resource Settings to Bring in the Finish Date Reducing Project Costs Viewing Project Costs Checking Your Cost Assumptions Adjusting the Schedule to Reduce Costs Adjusting Assignments to Reduce Costs Adjusting Cost Resources Balancing Resource Workloads Viewing Resource Workloads Adjusting Resource Availability Adjusting Assignments Splitting Tasks Leveling Assignments Changing Project Scope Reviewing the Impact of Changes Obtaining Buyoff on the Project Plan Part 3: Tracking Progress Chapter 10 Setting a Baseline and Updating Progress Saving Original Plan Information Using a Baseline Setting a Baseline Reviewing Baseline Information Saving Additional Baselines Reviewing Multiple Baselines Saving Additional Scheduled Start and Finish Dates Clearing a Baseline Updating Task Progress Choosing the Best Method for Entering Actuals Updating Progress with Task Scheduling Controls Using Resource Work to Update Progress Rescheduling the Project Updating Actual Costs Updating Actual Costs for Work Resources Updating Actual Costs for Material Resources Updating Actuals for Cost Resources Updating Actuals for Fixed Costs on Tasks

7 x Table of Contents Manually Updating Project Costs Chapter 11 Responding to Changes in Your Project Monitoring and Adjusting the Schedule Monitoring Schedule Progress Correcting the Schedule Monitoring and Adjusting Costs Monitoring Project Costs Realigning the Project with the Budget Monitoring and Adjusting Resource Workload Monitoring Resource Workload Balancing the Resource Workload Part 4: Reporting and Analyzing Project Information Chapter 12 Reporting Project Information Establishing Your Communications Plan Using Views to Report Project Information Setting Up and Printing Views Getting Assistance from the Report Project Guide Generating Text and Visual Reports Working with Text-Based Reports Working with Visual Reports in Excel and Visio Running Reports for Your Requirements Summarizing with Overview Reports Focusing on Tasks with Schedule Progress Reports Analyzing Budget Status with Cost Reports Evaluating Resource Allocation with Assignment Reports Revising a Built-In Report Modifying a Text Report Modifying a Visual Report Building a Custom Report Creating a New Text Report Creating a New Visual Report Template Saving Project Data Fields Saving the Reporting Cube Saving the Reporting Database Chapter 13 Analyzing Progress Using Earned Value Generating Earned Value Data Setting the Baseline Specifying the Status Date Reviewing Earned Value Data Working with Earned Value Tables Understanding the Earned Value Fields Generating the Earned Value Text Report Generating the Earned Value Over Time Visual Report

8 Table of Contents xi Part 5: Managing Multiple Projects Chapter 14 Managing Master Projects and Resource Pools Structuring Master Projects with Subprojects Setting Up a Master Project Working with Subproject Information Unlinking a Subproject from its Source File Removing a Subproject from the Master Project Consolidating Project Information Sharing Resources by Using a Resource Pool Setting Up a Resource Pool Linking a Project to Your Resource Pool Checking Availability of Resource Pool Resources Updating Resource Pool Information Disconnecting a Resource Pool from a Project Plan Chapter 15 Exchanging Information Between Project Plans Linking Information Between Project Plans Linking Tasks Between Different Projects Reviewing Cross-Project Links Updating Cross-Project Links Removing Cross-Project Links Copying and Moving Information Between Projects Copying and Moving Task and Resource Information Copying Fields Between Projects Copying Project Elements by Using the Organizer Copying an Element from a Project to the Global Template Copying an Element Between Two Projects Part 6: Integrating Microsoft Project with Other Programs Chapter 16 Exchanging Information with Other Applications Copying Information Copying from Microsoft Project to Another Application Copying from Another Application to Microsoft Project Copying a Picture of a View Embedding Information Embedding from Microsoft Project to Another Application Embedding from Another Application to Microsoft Project Linking Information Linking from Microsoft Project to Another Application Linking from Another Application to Microsoft Project Hyperlinking to Documents in Other Applications Importing and Exporting Information Updating Security Settings to Allow Data Import and Export Importing Information into Microsoft Project Exporting Information from Microsoft Project

9 xii Table of Contents Working with Microsoft Project and XML Files Importing and Exporting Database Information Chapter 17 Integrating Microsoft Project with Microsoft Excel Copying Between Microsoft Project and Excel Copying Information from Excel Copying Information to Excel Embedding Between Microsoft Project and Excel Embedding an Excel Object in Microsoft Project Embedding a Microsoft Project File in Excel Linking Between Microsoft Project and Excel Linking from Excel to Microsoft Project Linking from Microsoft Project to Excel Working with a Linked Object Importing and Exporting with Excel Importing from Excel to Microsoft Project Exporting from Microsoft Project to Excel Re-Using a Previously Saved Export Map Producing a Visual Report of Project Data in Excel Generating a Visual Report from a Built-In Template Creating and Editing Visual Report Templates in Excel Configuring a Visual Report in Excel Chapter 18 Integrating Microsoft Project with Microsoft Outlook Exchanging Task Information with Outlook Adding Outlook Tasks to Your Project Plan Adding Microsoft Project Tasks to Outlook Tasks Building Your Resource List with Outlook Sending Project File Information Sending an Entire Project File Sending Selected Tasks or Resources Routing a Project File Publishing the Project File to an Exchange Folder Chapter 19 Integrating Microsoft Project with Microsoft Visio Creating a Visual Report of Project Data in Visio Generating a Built-in Visual Report for Visio Configuring a Visual Report in Visio Creating and Editing Visual Report Templates in Visio Presenting Microsoft Project Data with Visio Showing Project Timeline Information in Visio Displaying Project Information in a Visio Gantt Chart Exporting Data from Visio to Microsoft Project Exporting Timelines from Visio to Microsoft Project Importing Visio Gantt Charts to Microsoft Project Representing Project Data in a Visio Diagram Using the Visio Timeline Template

10 Table of Contents xiii Using the Gantt Chart Template Using the PERT Chart Template Part 7: Managing Projects Across Your Enterprise Chapter 20 Understanding Enterprise Project Management Who s Who in Enterprise Project Management Understanding the Components of EPM Understanding the Role of Project Server Understanding the Role of Project Professional Understanding the Role of Project Web Access Putting the Project Server Components Together Understanding the EPM Workflow Collaborating as a Project Team Standardizing Enterprise Projects Managing Enterprise Resources Analyzing Project Portfolios Chapter 21 Administering Your Enterprise Project Management Solution Logging On and Off Managing Users and Permissions Understanding Groups, Categories, and Permissions Creating a New User Account Removing a User from Your Project Server Viewing or Changing Permissions for User Groups Creating a New Security Template Creating a New Group Customizing Categories Sending Automated Alerts and Reminders to Users Administering the Enterprise Resource Pool Creating the Enterprise Resource Pool Updating Resource Information Removing a Resource from the Enterprise Resource Pool Establishing the Enterprise Portfolio Standardizing Enterprise Project Elements Working with the Enterprise Global Template Customizing Enterprise Project Fields Creating Calendars to Reflect Nonworking Times Setting Up Team Member Work Pages What s the Difference Between My Tasks and My Timesheets? Defining the Task Progress Page Defining the My Timesheets Page Managing Pages, Views, and Reports Creating and Managing Pages with Web Parts Integrating Project Information with Business Processes Creating and Managing Views Customizing the Quick Launch Task Bar

11 xiv Table of Contents Setting Up Project Report Cubes for Data Analysis Managing and Maintaining the Server Chapter 22 Managing Enterprise Projects and Resources Connecting to Your Project Server Setting Up Project Professional for Your Server Logging On via Project Professional Logging On via Project Web Access Finding Your Way Around Working with Enterprise Projects Creating a New Enterprise Project Managing Your Project Files on the Server Refining Your Enterprise Projects Building Your Enterprise Project Team Finding Resources to Meet Your Needs Assigning Tasks to Enterprise Resources Collaborating with Your Project Team Configuring Task Update Options Publishing Project Information for Resources Exchanging Task Progress Requests and Updates Requesting and Receiving Status Reports Tracking Billable and Nonbillable Time by Using Timesheets Managing Documents, Risks, and Issues Creating Proposals and Activity Plans Working with Proposals Creating an Activity Plan Creating a Resource Plan for a Proposal or Activity Plan Chapter 23 Participating On a Team Using Project Web Access Getting Started with Project Web Access Logging On and Off Finding Your Way Around Working On Your Assignments and Updates Reviewing New and Changed Assignments Reassigning a Task to Another Resource Assigning Yourself to New Tasks Working with Your Assignment Information Glimpsing the Big Project Picture Tracking Assignments and Submitting Progress Updates Submitting Text-Based Status Reports Logging Time Using Timesheets Working with Your Timesheets Copying Items Between My Tasks and My Timesheets Requesting Nonproject or Nonworking Time Setting Up , Reminders, and Calendars Setting Your Alerts and Home Page Reminders Working with Project Tasks in Outlook

12 Table of Contents xv Managing Resources in Project Web Access Chapter 24 Making Executive Decisions Using Project Web Access Getting Started with Project Web Access Logging On and Off Finding Your Way Around Viewing Project Portfolio Information Working with Pages and Controls Working with Tables Understanding Fields Rearranging View Information Working with the Project Portfolio Viewing the Portfolio of Projects Opening a Project in Project Professional Reviewing Program Information Project Workspaces and Documents, Issues, and Risks Creating a New Project Creating Proposals and Activity Plans Working with Resource Information Viewing the Enterprise Resource Pool Viewing Resources for Specific Projects Reviewing Resource Assignments Reviewing Resource Availability Reviewing Resource Plans Requesting and Responding to Status Reports Analyzing and Reporting on Project Information Setting Your Alerts and Reminders Part 8: Customizing and Managing Project Files Chapter 25 Customizing Your View of Project Information Customizing Views Changing the Content of a View Creating a New View Changing the Font for a View Formatting a Gantt Chart View Modifying a Network Diagram Modifying the Resource Graph Modifying the Calendar View Modifying a Sheet View Modifying a Usage View Modifying the Timescale Customizing Tables Customizing Fields Customizing a Field Working with Outline Codes Setting Up Outline Codes

13 xvi Table of Contents Assigning Outline Codes Reviewing Your Tasks or Resources by Outline Code Customizing Groups Modifying a Group Creating a New Group Customizing Filters Modifying a Filter Creating Filters Customizing AutoFilter Criteria Sharing Customized Elements Among Projects Working with the Organizer Copying Customized Elements Removing Customized Elements Renaming Customized Elements Restoring Customized Elements to their Default State Chapter 26 Customizing the Microsoft Project Interface Creating and Customizing Toolbars Customizing Toolbars Creating Toolbars Deleting Toolbars Modifying Button Images Creating and Customizing Menus Creating and Customizing Forms Creating Forms Editing Forms Renaming Forms Displaying Custom Forms Chapter 27 Automating Your Work with Macros Understanding Macros What Is a Macro? Why Use Macros? Creating Macros Understanding the Record Macro Dialog Box Knowing When to Say When Recording a Macro Looking at Macro Code Running Macros Creating Keyboard Shortcuts Creating Toolbar Buttons Chapter 28 Standardizing Projects Using Templates Understanding the Template Types Working with the Project Global Template Working with Project Templates Starting a New Project Using a Template

14 Table of Contents xvii Downloading a Project Template from the Web Creating Your Own Project Template Updating an Existing Template Closing a Project Analyzing Project Performance Recording Lessons Learned Saving Acquired Project Knowledge Chapter 29 Managing Project Files Opening Project Files Opening a Saved Project Opening Projects Created in Previous Versions of Microsoft Project Searching for Files Adding and Removing Project Summary Information Saving Files Saving a New Project to Your Local Computer or Network Drive Saving an Enterprise Project File Specifying the Default Save Location Saving and Opening with Different File Formats Safeguarding Your Project Files Saving Project Files Automatically Backing Up Your Project Files Protecting Your Project Files with a Password Responding to a Microsoft Project Problem Opening Files Safely Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Index to Troubleshooting Topics Index What do you think of this book? We want to hear from you! Microsoft is interested in hearing your feedback so we can continually improve our books and learning resources for you. To participate in a brief online survey, please visit:

15 CHAPTER 3 Starting a New Project Focusing the Project Vision Creating a New Project Plan Entering Tasks Sequencing and Organizing Tasks Organizing Tasks into an Outline Setting Up Your Work Breakdown Structure Adding Supplementary Information to Tasks Because the heart of project management is planning, it s no wonder that the planning processes of a new project has you doing a significant amount of work just to set the stage. You define the big picture and obtain stakeholder approval for the specifications of the product or service you re creating and for the boundaries defining the overall scope of the project itself. After this vision is in place, you re ready to create your project blueprint the project plan using Microsoft Office Project You create a new project file and enter foundation information. Then you break down your project goals and objectives into the actual phases, milestones, and tasks that form the backbone of your project information system. You sequence the phases and tasks, and organize them into a hierarchy that maps to your project. If your project or organization has more specialized or advanced requirements, you can use work breakdown structure codes that organize your task list by each deliverable. You can add your supporting documentation, such as the vision or strategy document, to the project plan. Likewise, you can add other supplementary information such as notes or hyperlinks to individual tasks, milestones, and phases. All this information makes your project plan the central repository of all project information. Focusing the Project Vision You might already have a clear picture in your mind of what your project is about and what it will be when it is complete. On the other hand, the project might still seem a little fuzzy, at least around the edges. It s not uncommon for other stakeholders to have a clear vision when you re not sure if you get it just yet. And don t be surprised if one stakeholder s expectations seem clear enough, but another stakeholder s expectations sound entirely contradictory. 59

16 60 Starting a New Project The challenge at this important starting point is to clearly define the project without ambiguity, so that everyone involved is talking about the same project, the same expectations, and the same results. Defining the vision clearly at the beginning prevents redirection (and the attendant wasted effort) in the middle of the project or disappointment at the end. So how do you create a vision? You work with key stakeholders such as the customers, potential users, sponsors, executives, and project team members to get their project expectations. You might have to reconcile conflicting views and opposing agendas. Throughout this process, you ll identify the goals of the project as well as their measurable objectives. You ll identify project assumptions, spell out potential risks, and make contingency plans for those risks. You ll also identify known limitations, such as budget, time, or resources. By the time you finish this high-level project planning and get the necessary approval, everyone involved will know exactly what they re signing up for. Defining Scope A defined scope articulates the vision of the product you re creating and the project that will create it. As your project is executed and issues arise, your defined scope can help you make decisions. The scope definition is your guideline for whether the direction you re considering is really the job of this project. If you don t stay focused on the agreed-upon scope of the project, you re likely to experience scope creep, in which you end up spending time, money, and resources on tasks and deliverables that are not part of the original vision. This is not to say that scope can t change during the course of a project. Business conditions, design realities, budgets, time, resource availability, and many other factors can make it necessary to change project scope midway through. In addition, as members of your project team work on their tasks, they are likely to generate great new ideas. Nonetheless, your scope document helps you make decisions and manage those changes so that you change in the proper direction in line with your organization s overall strategy, the product s reason for being, and the project s goals. Understanding Product Scope and Project Scope There are two types of scope: product scope and project scope. First, you define the product scope, unless it has already been defined for you. The product scope specifies the features and functions of the product that will be the outcome of the project. The product scope might well be part of the product description in your charter. The product can be tangible, such as the construction of a new office building or the design of a new aircraft. The product can also be the development of a service or event, for example, deployment of a new computer system or implementation of a new training initiative. Regardless of the type of product, the product scope indicates the specifications and parameters that paint a detailed picture of the end result. For example, the product

17 Focusing the Project Vision 61 scope of the construction of a new office building might include square footage, number of stories, location, and architectural design elements. The project scope specifies the work that must be done to complete the project successfully, according to the specifications of the associated product scope. The project scope defines and controls what will and will not be included in the project. If there will be multiple phases of product development, the project scope might specify which phase this project is handling. For example, a computer system deployment project might specify that its scope encompass the infrastructure development and installation of the new computer system, but not the documentation and training for new system users. Or it might specify that the project handle all aspects of the product, from concept through completion of the final stage. Developing the Scope Statement To define the project scope and communicate it to other key stakeholders, you develop and record the scope statement. Depending on your organization s planning methods, certain elements of the scope statement might be defined very early, sometimes even before you ve been assigned as project manager. Other elements might be defined just before you begin identifying and sequencing the project s tasks. Your scope statement should include the following: Project justification. The scope statement should define the business need or other stimulus for this project. This justification provides a sound basis for evaluating future decisions, including the inevitable tradeoffs. Product description. The scope should characterize the details of the product or service being created. The project justification and product description together should formulate the goals of the project. Project constraints or limitations. The scope should include any limiting factors to the project. Factors that can limit a project s options include a specific budget, contractual provisions, a precise end date, and so on. Note Because we use the term constraints throughout this book to mean task constraints, in this chapter we re using the term limitations to refer to overall project constraints. Project assumptions. The scope should list any elements considered to be true, real, or certain even when they might not be for the sake of being able to continue developing the project plan and moving forward. By their nature, assumptions usually carry a degree of risk. For example, if you don t know whether the building for a commercial construction project will be 10,000 or 15,000 square feet,