microsoft project 2007 - key trainingsubmenu do not meet your needs, you can create a custom sort....

MICROSOFT PROJECT 2010 Level 2

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Contents LESSON 1 - ORGANISING PROJECT DATA ......................................................................................................... 3

FILTERING DATA ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 USING THE AUTOFILTER FEATURE ............................................................................................................................... 4 SORTING A VIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 CREATING A CUSTOM SORT .......................................................................................................................................... 6 GROUPING DATA ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 USING THE TIMELINE FEATURE ..................................................................................................................................... 8 ZOOMING AND PANNING WITH THE TIMELINE ............................................................................................................ 9 ADDING/REMOVING TASKS TO THE TIMELINE .......................................................................................................... 10 ARRANGING TASKS ON THE TIMELINE ....................................................................................................................... 11 FORMATTING THE TIMELINE ....................................................................................................................................... 13 SHARING THE TIMELINE .............................................................................................................................................. 14

LESSON 2 - WORKING WITH VIEWS ................................................................................................................... 15

WORKING WITH VIEWS................................................................................................................................................ 16 CHANGING VIEWS ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 APPLYING A TABLE TO A VIEW ................................................................................................................................... 20 USING A SPLIT VIEW .................................................................................................................................................... 22 CHANGING THE VIEW IN A PANE ............................................................................................................................... 23 CREATING A CUSTOM TABLE ...................................................................................................................................... 23 ADDING A COLUMN (FIELD) TO AN EXISTING TABLE ................................................................................................ 25 HIDING A TABLE COLUMN .......................................................................................................................................... 26 CREATING A CUSTOM VIEW ........................................................................................................................................ 27 CREATING A CUSTOM FILTER ...................................................................................................................................... 28 CREATING AN INTERACTIVE FILTER ............................................................................................................................ 30 USING THE ORGANIZER TO RESET DEFAULTS ............................................................................................................ 32 USING THE ORGANIZER TO COPY CUSTOM ITEMS TO OTHER FILES .......................................................................... 33

LESSON 3 - COMMUNICATING PROJECT INFORMATION ......................................................................... 35

PRINTING A VIEW ........................................................................................................................................................ 36 VIEWING OR PRINTING A REPORT ............................................................................................................................... 36 USING THE PRINT PREVIEW PANE............................................................................................................................... 37 CHANGING PAGE SETUP OPTIONS .............................................................................................................................. 38 CREATING A CUSTOM REPORT .................................................................................................................................... 39 CREATING A CUSTOM CROSSTAB REPORT .................................................................................................................. 41 UNDERSTAND VISUAL REPORTS ................................................................................................................................. 42

LESSON 4 - IMPLEMENTING A PROJECT ........................................................................................................... 44

SAVING A PROJECT BASELINE...................................................................................................................................... 45 VIEWING BASELINE DATA IN TABLES ......................................................................................................................... 46 TRACKING PROGRESS .................................................................................................................................................. 46 UPDATING A TASK COMPLETED ON SCHEDULE ......................................................................................................... 47 UPDATING A TASK NOT COMPLETED ON SCHEDULE................................................................................................. 48 VIEWING BASELINE AND SLIPPAGE ............................................................................................................................. 49 MANUALLY UPDATING IN PROGRESS TASKS ............................................................................................................. 51 AUTOMATICALLY UPDATING IN PROGRESS TASKS .................................................................................................... 52 UPDATING TASKS NOT PROGRESSING AS EXPECTED .................................................................................................. 53 SAVING A BASELINE FOR A SINGLE TASK.................................................................................................................... 54 ENTERING ACTUAL TASK COSTS ................................................................................................................................ 55 CHANGING THE PROJECT STATUS DATE ..................................................................................................................... 56 APPLYING PROGRESS LINES ........................................................................................................................................ 57 VIEWING SUMMARY INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................ 58 CLEARING A BASELINE ................................................................................................................................................ 59 COMPARING PROJECTS ................................................................................................................................................ 59

Microsoft Project 2010 Level 2 Contents

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LESSON 5 - FINALISING A PROJECT ................................................................................................................... 62

MARKING TASKS COMPLETE ....................................................................................................................................... 63 CORRECTING ACTUAL WORK DATA .......................................................................................................................... 63 ANALYSING FINAL DATA ............................................................................................................................................ 64 USING FINAL DATA IN A NEW PROJECT ..................................................................................................................... 65 COPYING TASK NAMES ONLY TO A NEW PROJECT .................................................................................................... 67

LESSON 6 - WORKING WITH MULTIPLE PROJECTS ...................................................................................... 69

WORKING WITH MASTER PROJECTS ............................................................................................................................ 70 CREATING A SUBPROJECT ............................................................................................................................................ 70 INSERTING A PROJECT .................................................................................................................................................. 72 CONSOLIDATING OPEN PROJECTS .............................................................................................................................. 73 LINKING SUBPROJECT INFORMATION ......................................................................................................................... 74 UNLINKING SUBPROJECTS ........................................................................................................................................... 76 VIEWING MULTIPLE CRITICAL PATHS ........................................................................................................................ 77 SAVING A WORKSPACE FILE ........................................................................................................................................ 78

LESSON 7 - SHARING RESOURCES ...................................................................................................................... 80

USING RESOURCE POOLS ............................................................................................................................................. 81 CREATING A RESOURCE POOL..................................................................................................................................... 81 LINKING A PROJECT TO A RESOURCE POOL ................................................................................................................ 81 OPENING A SHARER FILE............................................................................................................................................. 82 UPDATING A RESOURCE POOL .................................................................................................................................... 83 OPENING A RESOURCE POOL ...................................................................................................................................... 85

APPENDIX A - ADDITIONAL BASELINES AND INTERIM PLANS .............................................................. 86

SAVING AN ADDITIONAL BASELINE FOR A PROJECT ................................................................................................ 87 SAVING A PROJECT INTERIM PLAN ............................................................................................................................. 87 SAVING A TASK INTERIM PLAN ................................................................................................................................... 88 VIEWING ADDITIONAL BASELINE OR INTERIM PLAN INFORMATION ........................................................................ 89

APPENDIX B - WORKING WITH CUSTOM FIELDS ......................................................................................... 92

OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................................................... 93 USING A CUSTOM FIELD TO ENTER DATA .................................................................................................................. 94 USING CUSTOM FIELDS FOR CALCULATIONS ............................................................................................................. 95 CREATING A LOOKUP IN A CUSTOM FIELD ................................................................................................................. 97 DISPLAYING GRAPHICAL ELEMENTS IN A CUSTOM FIELD (TRAFFIC LIGHTS - RAG) ............................................... 99 EDITING AND DELETING CUSTOM FIELDS ................................................................................................................ 103 COPYING CUSTOM FIELDS ......................................................................................................................................... 104

INDEX ........................................................................................................................................................................... 108

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LESSON 1 - ORGANISING PROJECT DATA

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Filter data

• Sort sheet columns

• Group resources or tasks

• Use the Timeline feature

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Lesson 1 – Organising Project Data


FILTERING DATA

Discussion As the size of your project increases, you may find it useful at times to display only a subset of your tasks. Filters provide the means for displaying or selecting only the information you need at a particular time. For example, you could use a filter to display only milestone tasks or tasks with estimated durations.

Microsoft Project provides a variety of filter options to help you access only the pertinent information you want. After filtering for the desired information, you can display all the tasks again by clearing the filter(s).

Filter options will vary depending on the type of information being viewed. For example, if you are viewing a task view (eg. Gantt Chart, Network Diagram) filter options will be different from if you have a resource view such as the Resource Sheet.

Filter list for a task view Filter list for a resource view

Procedures 1. Switch to the desired view.

2. Click the Filter arrow on the View tab . 3. Select the desired filter option. 4. If necessary, enter additional information and click OK. 5. When finished, click the Filter arrow on the View tab.

6. Select No Filter or Clear Filter .

USING THE AUTOFILTER FEATURE

Discussion As you adjust or start your project, you may need to extract certain information. In addition to using the Filter drop-down list on the View tab, you can also use the AutoFilter buttons that appear as down-arrows next to each column heading of the applied table. A list of filtering options for the column appears when you click an arrow.



Example AutoFilter list for Start field

After selecting the desired filtering option, the down arrow next to column heading changes into a funnel icon , indicating that a filter has been applied to that column and only those items meeting the filter criteria appear in the current view. For example, if you only want to see resources that have an overtime rate of £40.00 per hour in the Resource Sheet view, you can click the AutoFilter arrow next to the Ovt. Rate column heading and choose the £40.00/hr option. After using a filter, you can choose the Clear filter from <field> option from the list to redisplay all items in the view.

The AutoFilter will only display in tables. If the AutoFilter feature is not displaying, you can enable it by selecting the View tab, clicking the Filter command (drop-down list) and selecting Display Autofilter. Conversely, you can hide the AutoFilter arrows using the same method.

Tip You can disable the filter down arrows next to the field heading for all NEW projects by opening the Options dialog box and deselecting the Set AutoFilter on for new projects check box in the Advanced pane.

Procedures 1. Click the AutoFilter arrow for the desired column. 2. Select the desired filtering option(s).



3. When finished, click the AutoFilter arrow for the filtered column. 4. Select Clear filter from <fieldname>.

SORTING A VIEW

Discussion In most views, Microsoft Project provides default sort options that you can use to organise your data. For example, in the Resource Sheet view, you can list the resources in alphabetical order using the by Name sort option.

When you sort a view, only the current view is affected. When you close and save the project file, the data will remain in the current sort order.

Procedures 1. Switch to the desired view. 2. Select the View tab. 3. Click the Sort command in the Data group. 4. Select the desired sort option.

CREATING A CUSTOM SORT

Discussion If the default sort options available in the Sort submenu do not meet your needs, you can create a custom sort. In the Sort dialog box, you can specify up to three fields by which to sort. In addition, you can indicate if the sort order is ascending or descending, as well as permanently renumber tasks or resources according to the sort. In addition, you can also choose to keep the outline structure when sorting, or sort tasks and resources, regardless of the outline structure.

Unlike other custom options in Microsoft Project, such as a custom filter, you cannot save a custom sort. However, if you apply a custom sort and save your project file, the data will be saved in the custom sort order.



The Sort dialog box

Procedures 1. Switch to the desired view. 2. Select the View tab. 3. Click the Sort command in the Data group. 4. Select the Sort by… command. 5. Select the Sort by list. 6. Select the field by which you want to sort. 7. Select the Ascending or Descending option. 8. Continue to select sort options as desired and click Sort.

GROUPING DATA

Discussion Grouping data is similar to sorting, the difference being that:

• If grouping tasks, Project ignores the outline structure of the project.

• If grouping tasks, summary tasks are not included.

• Record are placed together into sections (groups) surrounded by a yellow border to make them easier to identify, and

• Outlining symbols are added to each section so that the details below can be hidden.

The Resource Sheet with the Entry table applied and grouped by Resource Group



Procedures 1. Switch to the desired table view.

2. Click the Group by: drop down arrow on the View tab.

3. Select the desired grouping option.

4. When finished, click the Group by: drop down arrow on the View tab.

5. Select No Group or Clear Group .

USING THE TIMELINE FEATURE

Discussion Project 2010 introduces the new, Timeline feature that allows you to easily create a high level view of your project plan to share through other Office applications such as PowerPoint and Outlook.

The default view for Project 2010 is the Gantt with Timeline, so you’ll see the Timeline at the top of your window as soon as you launch Project.

Project Window displaying the Gantt with Timeline view

If it isn’t there, you can display it by selecting the View tab and ticking the Timeline check box in the in the Split View group.

Note: the Timeline may not appear by default if opening a project that was saved in a previous version of Microsoft Project.



If you click on the Timeline, the Timeline Tools contextual tabs appears giving commands for working with it.

The Timeline can be made bigger by activating it (clicking into the Timeline area) and using the Zoom slider at the bottom right of the application window.

Procedure (to display/hide the Timeline) 1. Select the View tab.

2. In the Split Views group, click the Timeline checkbox .

ZOOMING AND PANNING WITH THE TIMELINE

Discussion The Timeline makes it quick and easy to zoom the project so that it displays the date range that you want to see. You can also drag the Timeline to display a specific date, a techniques known as “panning.” By combining the zoom and panning functionality, you can intuitively view whichever parts of the project you wish to see.

The currently visible date range for the project displays on the Timeline as a dark grey bar superimposed over a lighter grey bar that represents the entire project date range. Above the dark grey bar is a light blue bar. By clicking and dragging this bar you can pan the project.

Clicking and dragging the ends of the dark grey bar on the Timeline intuitively adjusts the timescale for the view shown below. A small, double-headed arrow appears when the mouse pointer is in the right position.

Visible date range

Overall date range for project

Click and drag to zoom

Click and drag to pan



Note: If the project date range is fully visible, the Timeline will only contain a dark grey bar between the start date and the end date. You cannot use the Timeline to zoom or pan a fully visible project.

Procedure 1. To zoom the project date range, point to the right or left end of the dark grey bar

on the Timeline. Ensure that the mouse pointer changes to a double-headed

arrow . 2. Click and drag left or right to zoom the date range as required. 3. To pan the project date range, point on the blue bar at the top of the Timescale.

Ensure it changes to a cross with arrowheads . 4. Click and drag left or right as necessary.

Tip

You can disable the zooming and panning functionality by selecting the Timeline Tools > Format tab and unticking the Pan and Zoom check box in the Show/Hide group .

ADDING/REMOVING TASKS TO THE TIMELINE

Discussion Because the Timeline is designed to provide you with a high-level “big picture” overview of the entire project, you can easily add key milestones or tasks to it and create a concise project summary for more effective communication to key stakeholders and senior managers who are not necessarily interested in the detail.

Procedure 1. On the Gannt Chart, right-click the task you want to add to the Timeline.

2. Select Add to Timeline . 3. On the Timeline, right-click the task you want to remove.

4. Select Remove from Timeline .

Tip

Bars can also be added to the Timeline by clicking and dragging them from the Gantt onto the timeline or, by using the Timeline Tools >Format tab and

selecting the Existing Tasks command in the Insert group .

The Existing Tasks command also allows you to quickly add multiple tasks.



Timeline for a two-week period showing tasks added from the Gantt

Tip

You can show just the bars on the Timeline without the task names by selecting the Timeline Tools > Format tab and toggling the Detailed Timeline

command in the Show/Hide group .

ARRANGING TASKS ON THE TIMELINE

Discussion If you have added tasks to the timeline, you can easily re-arrange them so it looks even better. You can drag tasks above or below the grey bar which represents the project to display the tasks as callouts or drag tasks up or down within the grey bar to display the tasks on different rows.

Timeline displaying a task as a “callout”

Tasks on the Timeline arranged in a “stack”



Procedure 1. Right click the bar on the Timeline that you want to create a callout from. 2. Select Display as Callout from the shortcut menu.

3. To remove the callout, right-click over the name or date. 4. Select Display as Bar from the shortcut menu.

Alternatively,

1. Select the bar on the Timeline that you want to create a callout from. 2. Select the Timeline Tools > Format tab. 3. Click Display as Callout in the Current Selection group.

4. To remove the callout, select it and click Display as Bar in the Current Selection

group.

Or,

Click and drag the required bar up or down across the edge of the Timeline. To remove the callout, click and drag it back onto the grey area of the Timeline.

Tip

You can show just the bars on the Timeline without the task names by selecting the Timeline Tools > Format tab and toggling the Detailed Timeline

command in the Show/Hide group .

Tip

You can reposition a callout by holding the mouse pointer over the name/date and then clicking and dragging it to a more suitable location.



FORMATTING THE TIMELINE

Discussion Adding some formatting to the timeline makes it more readable. You can tweak the dates to make them more readable, set more text lines so you can read the tasks names, and highlight tasks with different colours to make them stand out.

Procedure 1. Ensure the Timeline is visible; if not, select the View tab and tick the Timeline

check box in the Split View group. 2. Select the Timeline Tools > Format tab. If this is not visible, activate the Timeline

by clicking anywhere on a visible part of it, the tab will then appear at the right of the Ribbon.

3. To globally change the text on the Timeline, click the Test Styles command in the Text group.

4. Click the Item to Change: drop down list. 5. Select the type of text on the Timeline that you want to change. 6. Use the controls in the various sections below to modify the font, style, size, etc.

of the selected item. 7. Click OK. 8. Select individual objects on the timeline (eg. the background, the bars and

milestones). Hold down the CTRL key and click to make multiple selections. 9. Use commands in the Font group to change the appearance of the selected item.

The Timeline Text Styles dialog box



Formatted TimeLine

SHARING THE TIMELINE

Discussion You can paste the Timeline into other Office applications such as PowerPoint and Outlook by clicking Copy Timeline on the Timeline Tools > Format tab and selecting the proper size.

When you paste the Timeline view, the items are pasted as individual Shapes, so you can format the shapes using the graphics ability of those applications.

Procedure 1. Ensure the Timeline is visible; if not, select the View tab and tick the Timeline

check box in the Split View group. 2. Select the Timeline Tools > Format tab. If this is not visible, activate the Timeline

by clicking anywhere on a visible part of it, the tab will then appear at the right of the Ribbon.

3. Click the Copy Timeline command in the Copy group. 4. Select an option for rendering the copy, ie. email, presentation or full size. This

will transfer a picture of the Timeline to the clipboard. 5. Launch the application that you want to copy the Timeline picture to or, if you

wish to send it to someone via email, create a new email in Outlook. 6. Use the application’s Paste command (or press CTRL V) to transfer the copied

Timeline picture to the receiving document or email.


LESSON 2 - WORKING WITH VIEWS

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Work with views

• Applying tables to a view

• Use a split (combination) view

• Create a custom table

• Modify a table design

• Create a custom view

• Create a custom filter

• Use the Organizer to manage custom items

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Lesson 2 – Working with Views


WORKING WITH VIEWS

Discussion A view is one of several ways in which you can display project information. The default view when you launch Microsoft Project 2010 is the Gantt with Timeline view. If, however, you open a project that was saved in a previous version of Project, the view will be the Gantt Chart; the Timeline is not available in pre-2010 versions.

Views are of either tasks or resources. Tasks (the steps taken in completing a project) and resources (the people, materials, and equipment needed to perform the tasks) are the major components of a project.

Within each category (task and resource), Microsoft Project provides three basic types of views: sheet, chart, and form. The types of views are described in the following table:

View Type Description

Sheet Displays information in a table or list. Sheets are typically used to enter information. The Resource Sheet and Task Sheet views are examples of sheet views.

Chart Uses graphics and sometimes a timescale to display information. Charts are typically used to analyse information. The Resource Graph view is an example of a chart view.

Form Displays information about a single task or resource. Forms are typically used to view table data one record (row) at a time. The Resource Form and Task Form views are examples of form views.

The list below gives all the views available in Project 2010.

View Name Description

Task Views

Bar Rollup Displays summarised task information. It is especially useful when the project dates are far apart.

Calendar Similar to the calendar found in Microsoft Outlook. It presents the tasks across the days in either a Month and Week view with the current day highlighted.

Descriptive Network Diagram

Based on the Network Diagram with a focus on the general flow of work, the relationships between tasks, and task progress information

Detail Gantt

Shows a list of tasks and their related information in both the list view and the Gantt view with thin lines showing the individual task slippage. You will need at least one baseline to be able to see task slippage

Gantt Chart Probably the most commonly used views in Microsoft Project. It is used to view tasks, create dependencies between tasks through links, and see how your project is project is progressing over time

Gantt with Timeline Identical to the Gantt Chart with the addition of the new Timeline view above the Gantt Chart



Levelling Gantt is used when levelling resources. It focuses on delayed tasks and provides information in both a detailed and a graphical view and includes the before and after effects of the resource levelling process

Milestone Date Rollup

Displays summarised Date information. It is especially useful when the project dates are far apart

Milestone Rollup Displays summarised Milestone information. It is especially useful when the project dates are far apart

Multiple Baselines Gantt

Based on the Gantt Chart view with the addition of allowing you to see the first three baselines saved for the project. Each of the baselines is represented by a different colour.

Network Diagram Used to access the relationships and flow of work in your project, with the critical path highlighted in red. Non critical tasks are shaded in blue and manually scheduled tasks are textured.

Relationship Diagram

Based on the Network Diagram with the current task in the centre pane, its predecessors to the left and successors to the right.

Resource Views

Resource Allocation Used to manage task resource allocations. It is not the only way to manage resources, it is a cleaner, simpler, more focussed way to do so

Resource Form Displays detailed information about individual resources. You can navigate through the resources by using the Next and Previous buttons

Resource Graph

Graphical view that allows you to assess how a resource is being used on a project and to easily spot inappropriate allocations. Over allocations are highlighted making them easier to spot.

Resource Name Form Simplified version of the Resource Form

Resource Sheet Facilitate managing your project resources including their types and cost information.

Resource Usage

Displays each resource and allocated tasks. It is useful when checking for over allocations and examining the number of hours or percentage of capacity at which a resource is assigned to work. The list of tasks are grouped by the resource name

Task Details Form

Similar to both the Task Form View and the Task Name Form. It enables you to view and edit tracking information about one task at a time. You can navigate through the tasks by using the Next and Previous buttons

Task Entry Combination of the Gantt Chart and the Task Form

Task Form Appears at the bottom of the Task Entry view

Task Name Form Simplified version of the Task Form

Task Sheet The counterpart to the resource sheet in that the Task Sheet view displays task information in a spread sheet style. You can create, edit and link tasks and allocate resources in this view



Task Usage Used to focus on how resources affect the task by showing resource assignments for each task

Team Planner

Only available in the Professional edition of Microsoft Project. It is particularly useful when assessing resources, tasks and resource allocations. It has 4 quadrants that display tasks in particular statuses. The quadrants are: resources, assigned and scheduled, unassigned and scheduled and unassigned and unscheduled. What’s really nice here is that tasks can be reassigned and moved by simply dragging them around

Timeline New to Microsoft Project 2010 and allows you to add key tasks to a timeline that can be used to graphically communicate high level schedules to project stakeholders

Tracking Gantt

Based on the Gantt view and provides a visual way to evaluate the progress of individual tasks, the project as a whole, or any level in between. It presents additional information about tasks such as planned vs. actual progress and slippage visually, allowing you to plan necessary corrective action. y

CHANGING VIEWS

Discussion There are many ways of applying views in Project 2010. The most commonly used views appear in the Task Views and Resource Views groups on the View tab of the Ribbon.

You can also access a fuller list of commonly used views by clicking the lower half of the Gantt Chart command in the View group or the Team Planner command in the View group of the Resource tab.



In addition to the above, you can also click the More Views… command

. This appears as a sub-command in all the above-mentioned locations.

The More Views dialog box

Procedures 1. Select the Task or Resource tab.

2. Click the lower half of the Gantt Chart or Team Planner commands in the View group.

3. Select the required view.

To apply more views

1. Click the lower half of the Gantt Chart or Team Planner commands in the View group.

2. Select More Views… . 3. Select the required view in the Views: list box. 4. Click OK.

Or

1. Select the View tab. 2. Click the down arrow below or to the right of any of the commands in the Task

Views or Resource View groups.

3. Select More Views… . 4. Select the required view in the Views: list box. 5. Click OK.



APPLYING A TABLE TO A VIEW

Discussion Microsoft Project has task and resource tables that control the fields that appear in a sheet view. These tables consist of fields of related information. Task tables can be applied to any task view; resource tables can be applied to any resource view. The type of table you select determines the type of information that appears. For example, a Cost table contains only fields with cost information for the project.

The Table command menu on the View tab contains commonly used task and resource tables and the More Tables… command at the bottom of the command provides a list of other available tables. The following table gives a full list of Project 2010 task tables.

Table Description of Task Table

Baseline Contains fields for original baseline values (ie. Duration, Start, Finish, Work and Cost).

Constraint Dates Contains fields for easily seeing and modifying how tasks are constrained (eg. As Soon As Possible, Start No Earlier Than, etc.). Also give date of constraint where applicable.

Cost Contains fields for fixed cost and fixed cost accrual, as well as total, baseline, variance, actual, and remaining cost.

Delay Helps identify and work with tasks that have been delayed due to levelling.

Earned Value

Used for Earned Value Analysis purposes (not covered in this course).

Earned Value Cost Indicators

Earned Value Schedule Indicators

Entry This table contains fields for duration, scheduled start and finish dates, predecessors, and resources.

Export

Hyperlink This table contains fields for hyperlink text, addresses, and subaddresses.

Rollup Table

Schedule This table contains fields for scheduled dates, late start and finish dates, and free and total slack.

Summary This table contains summary fields for task duration, scheduled start and finish dates, percent complete, cost, and work.

Tracking This table contains fields for actual start and finish dates, percent complete, actual and remaining duration, and actual cost and work.

Usage This table contains fields for work, duration, and scheduled start and finish dates.

Variance This table contains fields for scheduled and baseline start and



finish dates, as well start and finish date variances.

Work This table contains fields for scheduled, baseline, variance, actual, and remaining work, as well as the percentage of work complete.

The following lists the more commonly used resource tables:

Table Description of Resource Table

Cost This table contains fields for total and baseline cost, as well as the variance in cost between them. It also displays fields for actual and remaining cost.

Earned Value Used for Earned Value Analysis purposes (not covered in this course).

Entry This table contains fields for type, material label, initials, group, maximum units, standard and overtime rates, cost per use, accrual method, calendar, and resource code.

Entry - Material Resources

Similar to Entry table but displays only fields that are relevant to material resources.

Entry - Work Resources Similar to Entry table but displays only fields that are relevant to work resources.

Export

Hyperlink This table contains fields for hyperlink text, addresses, and subaddresses.

Summary This table contains fields for resource group, maximum units, peak resource usage, standard and overtime rates, cost, and work.

Usage This table contains a field for work data.

Work This table contains fields for percent complete, as well as total, overtime, and baseline work. It also displays fields for the variance in work, and actual and remaining work.

Tip

If you cannot see all the information in a field, you can adjust the column width by double-clicking at the right of its heading border.

Procedures 1. Switch to the desired task or resource view (usually Gantt Chart or Resource

Sheet). 2. Select the View menu. 3. Point to the Table command. 4. Select the desired table in the side menu.



USING A SPLIT VIEW

Discussion You can view information in Microsoft Project using any one of the available views. You can also view information in two views simultaneously. Historically in Microsoft Project, this is referred to as a combination view where the application window is split horizontally to show two panes at once.

In a combination view, the top pane is typically the “universal pane, while the bottom pane shows details for whatever is selected in the top pane. The two views are separated by a Split Bar.

When you have finished working with a combination view, you can remove the split. When you remove a split from a window, the view in the top pane expands to occupy the full window.

A typical Details (Combination) View. The top pane displays the Gantt Chart

and the bottom pane (in this case the “Task Form” displays detailed information about the task selected above.

Tip

You can also use the split bar between the panes in a combination view to remove the split or resize the panes. The split bar is the bar that appears between the vertical and horizontal panes. You can double-click the split bar to remove the split. When you point to the split bar the mouse pointer

changes into two parallel lines with arrows on either side .

Procedures 1. Switch to the desired view. 2. Select the View tab.

Gantt Chart View

Split Bar

Task Form View



3. Tick the Details check box in the Split View group. 4. If desired, select a different view for the lower pane in the drop-down list.

CHANGING THE VIEW IN A PANE

Discussion When you split a window, Microsoft Project provides default views in both panes. You can change the view in either pane without affecting the other. This option allows you to adjust the views to display only the information you need. The pane in which you are currently working highlights the left border, indicating that it is the active pane.

The Calendar view is the only view that cannot be displayed in the bottom pane. If you select the bottom pane and try to change it to this view, a message box opens, stating that you cannot perform this action.

Procedures 1. Create a split view as described in the previous topic. 2. Select the View tab. 3. In the Split View group, click the Details drop-down list. 4. Select the desired.

CREATING A CUSTOM TABLE

Discussion While Microsoft Project contains many tables, there may not be one that shows the specific information you need to help plan and monitor your project. You can create custom tables to display the task or resource data that meets your needs.

You can use the Table Definition dialog box to create a table or make a copy of an existing table and modify it. In this dialog box, each row in the Field Name column represents a field in the table. You can add, insert, delete, cut, and copy rows to create a custom table. Once you identify the fields you want in your table, you can specify the desired alignment and width for each field, as well as enter a title and select the title alignment. If you do not enter a title, the field name becomes the column heading. You can type the information to define the fields in your table or, for some fields, you can choose from a list of available options.

If you want the custom table to appear on the Table menu, you can select the Show in menu option in the Table Definition dialog box. In addition, if you do not want the first column locked into its current position, meaning it will scroll, you can deselect the Lock first column option. If you want to allow word wrapping in the table header row, select the Auto-adjust header row heights.



The Table Definition dialog box

Procedures 1. Switch to a task view to create a task table or switch to a resource view to create a

resource table. 2. Select the View tab. 3. Click the Table command in the Data group. 4. Select the More Tables… command. 5. Select the table you want to copy. 6. Click the Copy button. 7. Enter a name for the table. 8. Select the Show in menu option, if desired. 9. Select a row you want to delete, if applicable. 10. Click Delete Row, if applicable. 11. Select a row where you want to insert another row. 12. Click Insert Row. 13. Enter the desired field name or select the Field Name list. 14. Select the desired field from the Field Name list, if applicable. 15. Continue to add, delete, or modify fields as desired. 16. Select OK. 17. Select Apply to apply the custom table or select Close to close the More Tables

dialog box.

Tip

To delete a custom table, select the File tab and in the Info pane, click the Organizer button. Click the Tables tab and select in the list box the custom table that you want to delete. Click Delete and then click Yes to confirm the deletion. Close all open dialog boxes. If you chose to display the table on the Table menu, the table will also be removed from the menu when you delete it.



ADDING A COLUMN (FIELD) TO AN EXISTING TABLE

Discussion When you are analysing information and viewing various tables, Microsoft Project may not display all the information you need. You can insert information you need into a particular table by adding a column.

You can add a column to a table by scrolling to the right-hand side of the table and clicking the Add New Column heading. You can then select the column that you want from the field list.

Alternatively (and just as easily) you can add a new column to a table by right-clicking an existing column heading and selecting the Insert Column command. To edit the column (eg. change its title or align the text), you can right click the relevant heading and use the Field Settings command. If you do not enter a title, the field name is used.

Many of the fields that you can add to a table are ready-made. Most of them allow you to enter or edit data but in a few cases contain calculated data that cannot be edited.

There are also a large variety of fields ending with a number (eg. Text1, Text2, Text3, etc.). These can be used as custom fields and used for entering any additional data that you feel is needed in your project for which there isn’t a ready-made field. The more commonly used ones are:

Field Name Description

Text1 - 30 Use to store any text information you want to include in your project about tasks, resources, or assignments. The maximum number or characters you can enter into a text field is 255.

Number1 - 20 Use to store any numeric information you want to include in your project relating to tasks, resources, or assignments.

Cost1 - 20 Use to store any monetary information you want to include in your project relating to tasks, resources, or assignments. The difference between number and cost fields is that number fields are formatted to a plain number style, while cost fields are formatted to a currency style (£) with two decimal places.

Flag1- 20 A “Yes/No” field used to indicate whether a task, resource, or assignment is marked for further action or identification of some kind. By default, flag fields are set to No.

Tip For further assistance and information about custom fields, search for Custom Fields in Microsoft Project Help.

Procedures 1. Apply the required table to a view. 2. Right-click the heading of the column where you want to insert a new one.



3. Select Insert Column. 4. Select the required field in the list. 5. To rename a column, double click the heading. 6. Type a title for the column. 7. Press Enter. 8. To make other changes to the column, right click the heading and select Field

Settings. 9. Make changes as required. 10. Click OK.

The Field Settings dialog box

Tip You can also insert a new column by selecting a column and pressing Insert on the keyboard.

Tip Commands for editing the column/field settings are also available in the Column group of the current table’s Format contextual tab.

HIDING A TABLE COLUMN

Discussion Some tables may provide more information than you need at the present time. You can remove information you do not need from a table by hiding a column. If you hide a column and then decide that you need to view the information in the column, you can add the column back to the table (see previous topic). When you add a column back to a view, however, you may need to adjust the field settings, such as alignment and width, to reflect the previous settings.

Procedures 1. Apply the required table to the view. 2. Right-click the heading of the column that you want to hide. 3. Select Hide Column.

Tip A hidden column cannot be unhidden; it needs to be re-inserted.



Tip You can also hide a column by selecting it and pressing Delete on the keyboard. This does not lose the data in the column.

CREATING A CUSTOM VIEW

Discussion Microsoft Project presents information in a variety of view formats. However, you may be unable to find a view that meets your particular needs. You can create a single or combination custom view to display the information you need. Creating custom views enables you to quickly access the information that best meets your project management needs.

To create a custom view, you can either create a new view or make a copy of an existing view and modify it. In addition, you can choose whether or not you want the view to appear in certain Ribbon command menus as a Custom View. These commands are as follows:

Tab Command

Task Gantt Chart menu

Resource Team Planner menu

View Gantt Chart menu (task views only)

When you create a single custom view, you name it and select the screen you want to use in the view, such as Gantt Chart, as well as the table, group, and filter you want as the defaults. In addition, you can choose to have filtered items highlighted, which means that all items in a view appear, but those meeting the filter criteria appear in blue.

When you create a split custom view, you name the view and then select the view to appear in the top pane and the view to appear in the bottom pane.

The View Definition dialog box when creating a new table view



Tip

To create a custom view based on an existing view, select the view you want to copy in the More Views dialog box and then select Copy. Then, name the new view and make the changes to the existing view settings as desired.

Tip

To delete a custom view, select the File tab and in the Info pane, click the Organizer button. Click the Views tab and select in the list box the custom view that you want to delete. Click Delete and then click Yes to confirm the deletion. Close all open dialog boxes. If you chose to display the view in the menu, the table will also be removed from the menu when you delete it.

Procedures 1. Select the View tab. 2. To create a task view, click any of the commands in the Task Views group. To

create a resource view, click any of the commands in the Resource Views group. 3. Select More Views… at the bottom of the menu. 4. Click the New… button. 5. Select the Single view or Combination view option. 6. Click OK. 7. Enter the name of the new view in the Name: text box. 8. Select the Screen list. 9. Select the desired screen type. 10. Select the Table list. 11. Select the desired table. 12. If desired, continue to set the view properties by selecting from the Group and

Filter lists or leave as No group and All tasks/resources. 13. Set the Highlight filter and/or Show in menu options as desired. 14. Click OK. 15. Select Apply to apply the custom view or select Close to close the More Views

dialog box.

CREATING A CUSTOM FILTER

Discussion While Microsoft Project contains many filters and offers the AutoFilter feature, you may not find a filter to display exactly the information you need. You can use the Filter Definition dialog box to create custom filters. You can create custom filters either by creating a new filter or by making a copy of an existing filter and modifying it. New custom filters automatically display in Custom Filters section of the Filters list on the View tab.



A filter consists of a field, a test, and a value. In the Filter Definition dialog box, the Field Name field specifies the field containing the information you want to test, the Test field indicates the test for the condition, and the Value(s) field specifies the information against which you want to compare the field data. You can type information into any of these fields, or you can select from a list of options for each field.

When you create a filter that compares one field against another, the data in the Field Name and the Value(s) field must be of the same type. For example, if the field name is Start Date (a date field), the value cannot be Cost (a number field).

You can create multiple criteria to use with your custom filter. If you define three or more criteria, the And statements are considered before the Or statements.

Procedures 1. Switch to a task view to create a task filter or switch to a resource view to create a

resource filter. 2. Select the View tab. 3. Click the Filter drop-down list. 4. Select New Filter. 5. Enter the desired filter name in the Name text box. 6. Select the Show in menu option to display the filter in the Filter drop-down list. 7. Select the Field Name field. 8. Enter the field name or select the Field Name list. 9. Select the desired field name from the Field Name list, if applicable. 10. Select the Test field in the same row. 11. Enter the desired test or select the Test list. 12. Select the desired test from the Test list, if applicable. 13. Select the Value(s) field in the same row. 14. Enter the desired value or select from the Value(s) list. 15. Continue to add filtering criteria, using the And/Or column. 16. Select Save. 17. Select Apply to apply the filter or Close to close the More Filters dialog box.



Creating a custom filter

Tip

To create a custom filter based on an existing filter, select More Filters… in the Filters drop-down list. Select the filter you want to copy in the More Filters dialog box and then click Copy. Name the new filter and make the changes to the existing filter criteria as desired.

Tip

To delete a custom filter, select the File tab and in the Info pane, click the Organizer button. Click the Filters tab and select in the list box the custom filter that you want to delete. Click Delete and then click Yes to confirm the deletion. Close all open dialog boxes. If you chose to display the table on the Filter menu, the table will also be removed from the menu when you delete it.

Tip

Microsoft Project also provides highlighting filters and interactive filters. To use a highlighting filter, choose the filter in the More Filters dialog box and then select the Highlight button. All items remain in view; however, those items meeting the filter criteria are highlighted in blue. To use an interactive filter, select a filter followed by an ellipsis (...). Then, respond to the prompts to filter for the desired information.

CREATING AN INTERACTIVE FILTER

Discussion Filters ending with an ellipsis (…) are interactive. An interactive filter will prompt you to complete the filter criteria each time you use it. The Resource Group… filter, available on the Filter for menu in a task view, is an example of an interactive filter.



Filter dialog box

You can create an interactive filter by typing the text for the value in quotation marks, followed by a question mark.

Procedures 1. Switch to a task view to create a task filter or switch to a resource view to create a

resource filter. 2. Select the View tab. 3. Click the Filter drop-down list. 4. Select New Filter. 5. Enter the desired filter name in the Name text box. 6. Select the Show in menu option to display the filter in the Filter drop-down list. 7. Select the Field Name field. 8. Enter the field name or select the Field Name list. 9. Select the desired field name from the Field Name list, if applicable. 10. Select the Test field in the same row. 11. Enter the desired test or select the Test list. 12. Select the desired test from the Test list, if applicable. 13. Select the Value(s) field in the same row. 14. Enter the prompt for the value in quotation marks (“) and end the text with a

question mark (?). The filter below would prompt for a value which would then be used to filter out tasks with a slack greater than the entered value.

15. Continue to add filtering criteria as necessary, using the And/Or column. 16. Click Save. 17. Select Apply to apply the filter or Close to close the More Filters… dialog box.



USING THE ORGANIZER TO RESET DEFAULTS

Discussion Microsoft Project includes a variety of views, tables, and groups as well as other elements that you can use to manage your project information. The default settings for these elements are stored in the global template file (global.mpt). You can find a list of the default elements in the global template file in the Organizer dialog box.

If you modify the properties of a default element, you need to use the Organizer to restore the default settings for that element. For example, you delete the Resource Names field and increase the width of the Duration field in the default Gantt Chart view. If you later decide that you want to restore the default settings, you need to use the Organizer to restore the settings in the Entry table, which is applied to the Gantt Chart view by default.

To restore the default settings, you need to copy the default element stored in the global template file (global.mpt) to the current project file. When you do this, you overwrite the modified version of the element in the current project file and restore the default settings. These settings, however, will not apply until you select the element again.

The Organizer dialog box

Tip

You cannot restore the settings of an active view. In order to restore those settings, you must first switch to another view before opening the Organizer.

Procedures 1. Select the File tab. 2. Select Info at the left.

3. Click the Organizer button . 4. Select the desired tab. 5. Select the Task or Resource option at the top of the page, if applicable. 6. Select the element in the GLOBAL.MPT list box that you want to reset. 7. Select Copy to replace the element in the current project with the same element in

the global template. 8. Select Yes.



9. Select Close.

USING THE ORGANIZER TO COPY CUSTOM ITEMS TO OTHER FILES

Discussion Elements that you customize for one project, such as tables, filters, or views, are stored in the project file in which they were created. If you want to make these customized elements available in all other project files, you must copy them to the global.mpt file. The global.mpt file contains elements that are available to all Microsoft Project files, including tables, filters, views, and reports.

You can use the Organizer to manage customized elements. The Organizer lists all the customized elements in the open project file and all the elements in the global.mpt file. The Organizer provides buttons for copying, deleting, and renaming elements.

Tip

If you want to make a customized element in the current file available to another file only, open the desired file and then open the Organizer dialog box. Select the appropriate tab and then use the <element> available in list below the GLOBAL.MPT list box to select the open project file. Then, copy the customized element from the current file to this file.

Tip

To delete an element, select it and then press the [Delete] key. To rename an element, select it, select the Rename button, enter the new name, and then select OK.

Tip

When you copy a customized element to the global.mpt file, you should make sure that the customized element does not have the same name as a standard element. If it does, the standard element is overwritten and permanently changed for all files. To prevent this problem, it is a good idea to give a custom element a different name.

Procedures 1. Select the File tab. 2. Select Info at the left.

3. Click the Organizer button . 4. Select the desired tab. 5. Select the Task or Resource option at the top of the page, if applicable. 6. Select the custom item in the <project name> list box that you want to add to the

global template. 7. Click Copy to copy the custom item to the global template. 8. Click Close.


LESSON 3 - COMMUNICATING PROJECT INFORMATION

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Print a view

• View a report

• Print a report

• Use the Print Preview window

• Change page setup options

• Create a custom report

• Understand Visual Reports

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Lesson 3 – Communicating Project Information


PRINTING A VIEW

Discussion You can print any view to get a hardcopy record of task or resource information. The only views that cannot be printed are form views. If a split view is displayed, only the view in the top pane will print.

You can quickly print a view (ie. what you have on the screen) using the Print command in the File tab of the Ribbon. In the Print Pane you can specify the pages, dates, and number of copies you want to print, as well as select other print and page setup options.

Tip

To open Page Setup options, select the File tab, click Print at the left and then click the Page Setup link at the bottom right of the print

settings .

Procedures 1. Switch to and adjust the view you want to print. 2. Select the File tab. 3. Click Print at the left. 4. Change settings as desired.

5. Click Print .

VIEWING OR PRINTING A REPORT

Discussion Microsoft Project provides a variety of reports you can use to view and distribute project information. You can choose reports from the following categories: Overview, Current Activities, Costs, Assignments, Workload, and Custom.



The Overview category provides reports that reflect summary information for the entire project, such as summary tasks and working days. The Current Activities category offers reports that contain a variety of task information, such as tasks starting soon, in progress, and complete. The Costs category contains reports that reflect a variety of cost information, such as overbudget tasks and resources. The Assignments category provides reports containing resource assignment information, such as who does what, when, and overallocated resources. The Workload category offers two types of reports: task usage and resource usage. The Custom category allows you to create custom reports that reflect the specific information you need.

Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. In the Reports group, click the Reports command. 3. Double-click the desired report category. 4. Double-click the desired report. The report opens in the Print & Print Preview

pane. 5. Adjust print settings and click the Print button to create hardcopy of the report. 6. Click any of the Ribbon tabs to return to editing the project.

USING THE PRINT PREVIEW PANE

Discussion Before you print a view or a report, you can preview it. The print preview window displays the view as it would look on the printed page. Print preview allows you to make changes to the layout before you print, saving time and paper.

If you want to preview a view, select the File tab and click Print at the left.

The print preview window has a group of buttons in the bottom right-hand corner that enable you to manipulate the view to magnify information; page right, left, up, and down; and display multiple pages.



Procedures 1. Select the File menu.

2. Select Print at the left .

3. Click the Zoom button to see the view more clearly. 4. Click anywhere in the window to zoom out.

5. Click the Page Right button or the Page Down button to move to a following page in a multi-page view.

6. Click the Page Left button or the Page Up button to move to a previous page.

7. Click the Multiple Pages button to view more than one page.

8. Click the One Page button to return to a single-page view. 9. Select Close.

Tip

You can also zoom the Print Preview pane with the mouse pointer. To zoom in, click the mouse pointer, which appears as a magnifying glass with a plus sign (+), on the text you want to enlarge . The plus sign on the mouse pointer changes to a minus sign (-) . To zoom out, click the mouse pointer anywhere in the pane.

CHANGING PAGE SETUP OPTIONS

Discussion Before printing a view or a report, you may need to make some changes to the page setup. Viewing a view or a report in the print preview window enables you to see what page setup changes you need to make.

You can change the orientation and margins, as well as add a header and/or footer to your reports. Page orientation is the direction of the print on the paper. Portrait orientation means that the short edge of the paper is at the top, while landscape orientation means that the long edge of the paper is at the top. You can change the settings of the top, bottom, right, and left margins by increasing or decreasing them to best meet your needs. A header is text that appears at the top of every printed page and a footer is text that appears at the bottom of every printed page. You can type text, or you can enter codes to print the current date, time, file name, or page number. In addition, you can add project-level fields, such as % Complete, to a header or footer as desired.



The Page Setup dialog box

Procedures 1. Select the File tab. 2. Click Print at the left. 3. Click the Page Setup link at the bottom right of the print settings (approx. centre

of pane) . 4. Select the desired options in the Page, Margins, Header, Footer, Legend and

View tabs of the dialog box. 5. Click OK.

CREATING A CUSTOM REPORT

Discussion You can create custom reports by creating a new report or by copying an existing report and modifying it. Custom reports reflect only the information you need. The Base Calendar and Project Summary reports are the only reports you cannot copy and modify.

When you create a custom report, you work in the Reports dialog box, which has three tabbed pages. On the Definition page, you type a name for the report, select the time period to include, and select the table and filter to apply. You can select a predefined table or filter, or use a custom one you created. This page also includes options to highlight the items that meet the filter criteria, print grey bands between tasks or resources, and include summary tasks. On the Details page, you can select the task, resource, or assignment details you want to include in the report, as well as how you want them to appear. On the Sort page, you can choose the field(s) by which you want to sort the report information and the sort direction.

You can also create a custom report by editing an existing report. Select the report in the Custom Reports dialog box, select the Edit button, and then make the desired changes. The changes to the report only apply to the current file; the same report in other files is not affected.



Creating a custom table report

To create a new custom report, select New in the Custom Reports dialog box, select the report type, and then select OK. You can then name the report and set its properties in the Report Type dialog box.

Procedures Creating a custom report from an existing report

1. Select the Report tab.

2. In the Reports group, click the Reports command . 3. Double-click the Custom category. 4. Select the report you want to copy in the Reports list box. 5. Click Copy. 6. In the Name text box, enter the name of the new report. 7. Continue to select options on the Definition page as desired. 8. Select the Details tab. 9. Select the desired options on the Details page. 10. Select the Sort tab. 11. Select the desired options on the Sort page. 12. Click OK.

13. Click the Select button to preview the report.

Creating a custom table report (task or resource data) from scratch

1. Select the Report tab.

2. In the Reports group, click the Reports command . 3. Double-click the Custom category. 4. Click the New button. 5. In the Define New Report dialog box, select the type of report you want to

create. 6. Continue as in steps 6 to 13 above.

Ti You can edit a custom report by selecting it in the Custom Reports dialog box and then clicking Edit.



p

CREATING A CUSTOM CROSSTAB REPORT

Discussion A crosstab report allows you to compile task or resource information across a specified time period. The cost or work information for the tasks or resources is listed for each division of the time period. For example, you can display work information per week by resource.

Example of a crosstab report - Cashflow

Creating a crosstab report is done by using similar methods to those described previously in this lesson. As well as using the built-in crosstab reports, you can create custom ones using the Crosstab Report dialog box. The Crosstab Report dialog box has three tabbed pages. The Definition page varies slightly as you select row and column options, as well as the calculated field for the body of the report. The Details page also varies slightly in the type of options available.

The Crosstab Report dialog box



Procedure 1. Select the Report tab. 2. In the Reports group, click the Reports command. 3. Double-click the Custom category. 4. Select New. 5. Select Crosstab in the Report type: list box. 6. Click OK. 7. In the Name box, enter a name for the new crosstab report. 8. Select the Row drop down list. 9. Select Tasks or Resources depending on whether you want the report to show

task or resource data. 10. Select the Column drop down list. 11. Select the required time period. 12. Select the calculation drop down list. 13. Select the field that you want a summary for at the intersection of each row and

column. 14. Continue to select options on the Definition page as desired. 15. Select the Details tab. 16. Select the desired options under Show. 17. Continue to select options on the Details page as desired. 18. Select the Sort tab. 19. Select the Sort by list. 20. Select the field by which you want to sort. 21. Select the Ascending or Descending option. 22. Continue to select options on the Sort page as desired. 23. Click OK.

24. Click the Select button to preview the report.

Tip

You can edit a custom report by selecting it in the Custom Reports dialog box and then clicking Edit.

UNDERSTAND VISUAL REPORTS

Discussion Visual reports allow you to view Project information graphically using enhanced PivotTables in Excel 2010. Once Project information has been exported to Excel, you can customise the reports further with Excel 2010 enhanced PivotTable features, such as filter slicers, searching within PivotTables, sparklines within PivotTables to show trends instantly, and OLAP write-back improvements.

For a good, detailed explanation of how to work with visual reports, click the following link:



http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/project-help/create-a-visual-report-of-project-data-in-excel-or-visio-HA101811060.aspx




LESSON 4 - IMPLEMENTING A PROJECT

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Work with baselines

• Track project progress

• Update tasks

• View baseline and slippage information

• Enter actuals

• Apply progress lines

• Save baselines for individual tasks

• Enter actual cost information

• Change the project status date

• Apply progress lines

• Clearing a baseline

• Comparing projects

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Lesson 4 – Implementing a Project


SAVING A PROJECT BASELINE

Discussion The baseline plan is the original project plan you save to track progress. The baseline plan includes task start and finish dates, as well as resource and cost information. You can use the baseline to compare with the actual data recorded as your plan progresses. This information may also be useful when the project is completed, should you have a similar project in the future.

When you create a baseline plan, Microsoft Project copies the plan information for dates, work, and cost entered from the current fields into the baseline fields. You can save the baseline at any time, but it is a good idea to wait until you have completely entered the plan. If you need to change the plan later, you can save the original baseline again or save additional baselines. You can save up to 11 baselines in total.

Before deciding on the final baseline, everyone involved in the project should know what is expected of them and agree to perform according to the plan. In addition, necessary approval should be obtained for the required resources.

Baseline information stores the current:

• Start dates (Start, Estimated Start, Deliverable Start)

• Finish dates (Finish, Estimated Finish, Deliverable Finish)

• Work (Work, Budget Work)

• Durations (Duration, Estimated Duration)

• Costs (Cost, Budget Cost, Fixed Cost, Fixed Cost Accrual)

You can also set up to 11 different interim plans. Interim plan information stores only the current start and finish dates. These are included in Project 2010 for compatibility with older versions of Microsoft Project where it was not possible to save multiple baselines.

Saving a project baseline

Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. In the Schedule group, click the Set Baseline command.



3. Click Set Baseline…. 4. Click OK.

Tip

Whenever you use the Save Baseline command after a baseline has been saved, the date that the baseline was saved is shown next to the listed item.

VIEWING BASELINE DATA IN TABLES

Discussion When you first save a baseline, the baseline data and the information in the current schedule will be identical; however, as you track your progress, the actual data could vary from the original plan. Microsoft Project provides three built-in tables that allow you to compare the baseline with the current schedule: Variance, Cost, and Work.

The Variance table displays information regarding dates only. This table displays the start and finish dates and baseline start and finish dates, along with the start and finish variances. Until actual information is entered, the start and finish dates display the anticipated start and finish dates. Once the project starts and you enter actual information, the Start and Finish fields display the actual dates.

The Cost table displays cost information, including the total cost, baseline, actual, and remaining cost information. It also displays the variance between the total cost and baseline cost. Tasks that have not started display an actual cost of £0 and a remaining cost that equals the total cost. Once the project starts and you enter actual information, the Actual field displays the actual costs. If costs vary from the plan, the Variance field will display the difference.

The Work table displays information regarding the number of hours of work for each task. It displays the total work, baseline, actual, and remaining work values. It also displays the variance between the total work and baseline values, and the percentage complete for each task. Tasks that have not started display 0 hours of actual work and the remaining work amount equals the total work value. Once the project starts and you enter actual information, the Actual field will display the actual hours of work. Completed tasks display 100% in the % W. Comp. field.

TRACKING PROGRESS

Discussion Once the project has started, it is important that you track the progress of the individual tasks and the project as a whole. Tracking the project involves entering and revising dates, cost, and work information; comparing the actual data to the baseline plan; and viewing project progress using the various tools provided by Microsoft Project.

As a project progresses, you may discover tasks that start early or finish late, as well as tasks that cost more or less than expected. As you analyse the task relationships that exist, you may want to revise some of them in order to stay on or near schedule. You may need to modify tasks in order to meet the projected finish date. As you record the actual information



into your project, Microsoft Project reschedules the tasks that are affected by this data. As you look at the affected tasks, you can take corrective action as soon as possible to minimise future problems. You can also look at various scenarios using what-if analysis to help you decide on the best solution.

The Tracking table is a convenient way of entering tracking information for your project. It contains fields for entering actual start and finish dates, percentage complete, actual and remaining durations for tasks in progress, and actual costs incurred and work done.

You should update your project with tracking information often. These updates allow Microsoft Project to warn you of potential problems and help your project get completed as close to the original finish date and budget as possible.

UPDATING A TASK COMPLETED ON SCHEDULE

Discussion Microsoft Project allows you to update tasks that start and finish on schedule. When a task is marked as 100% complete, the corresponding data in the Start, Finish, and Duration fields is automatically copied to the task’s actual fields. On the Gantt chart, Microsoft Project displays a thin, black bar within the thicker task bar called the progress bar. The progress bar indicates the task’s progress or its percentage of completion. When a task is marked as 100% complete, the progress bar extends the entire length of the task bar. In addition, a checkmark appears in the Indicators column of the Entry table, indicating that the task is complete.

Updating a task on schedule using the Tracking table

Procedures 1. Apply the Tracking table to a task view (eg. Gantt Chart). 2. Enter 100% into the % Comp. column of the table.

Tip You can enter a task’s percent complete by opening the Task Information dialog box (double click the task) and in the General tab enter a value in the Percent complete: box.



UPDATING A TASK NOT COMPLETED ON SCHEDULE

Discussion Tasks do not always progress as originally planned. A task may start or finish early or late. In these situations, you can enter the data in several different ways.

If a task starts on schedule but finishes late, you can enter the actual finish date in the Act. Finish field of the Tracking table. Microsoft Project will then mark the task as 100% complete in the % Comp. field. If a task starts early or late, but finishes on schedule, you can enter the actual start date in the Act. Start field of the Tracking table. You will also need to enter 100% in the % Comp. field as the task will not automatically be marked complete. If a task starts early or late and finishes early or late, you can enter the actual dates in the Act. Start and Act. Finish fields. Microsoft Project will automatically mark the task as 100% complete.

Updating a task not on schedule

Tip

If a task with a constraint is impacted by a task that is not on schedule, a Planning Wizard dialog box will open. You then need to select an option in the dialog box and adjust the schedule as necessary.

Procedures 1. Apply the Tracking table to a task view (eg. Gantt Chart). 2. Select the Act. Start field for the desired task. 3. Enter the actual start date for the task. 4. Select the Act. Finish field for the desired task. 5. Enter the actual finish date for the task. 6. Press [Enter].



VIEWING BASELINE AND SLIPPAGE

Discussion If a task starts later than the original baseline start date, or the duration is longer than originally planned, the task has slipped. Microsoft Project refers to this as slippage, which is measured by the amount of time a task’s schedule is behind its baseline dates.

You can view slippage in the Tracking Gantt view. The tracking Gantt chart is similar to the Gantt chart, but it has paired bars for each task. The lower bar displays the baseline start and finish dates and the upper bar displays the current start and finish dates (scheduled or actual, depending upon whether or not the task has started). If the bars do not line up on the timescale, the task has slipped. The farther apart the bars are located, the greater the slippage.

The Tracking Gantt view

Microsoft Project 2010 introduces two new commands for viewing baseline and slippage. These can be found in the Bar Styles group for the Gantt Chart Tools > Format contextual tab.

The Baseline command superimposes baselines bars for each task over the lower half of the normal bars. This means you can keep the normal Gantt Chart as your view, but achieve a similar result to the Tracking Gantt.



Gantt Chart showing baseline bars superimposed

What is most powerful about this command is that if you have saved multiple baselines (see Appendix on page 86), you have a choice of which one to apply. There is no equivalent built-in view for this and creating one would require a significant amount of customisation.

The Slippage command adds to the left of each bar a thin black line; the length of the line from the beginning of the bar indicates how many days the task has slipped by.

Gantt Chart showing slippage lines

NB: A baseline must have been saved for the above mentioned commands to produce an effect.

Procedures 1. Select the Task or View tab. 2. At the left of the Ribbon, click the lower half of the Gantt Chart command

button. 3. Select Tracking Gantt.



Alternatively to display baseline bars

1. Apply the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the Format tab under Gantt Chart Tools. 3. In the Bar Styles group, click the Baseline command. 4. Select the required baseline. 5. To remove the baseline bars, follow steps 2 and 3 above. 6. Click the highlighted baseline in the list.

Alternatively to display slippage lines

1. Apply the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the Format tab under Gantt Chart Tools. 3. In the Bar Styles group, click the Slippage command. 4. Select the required baseline for which you wish to see slippage. 5. To remove the slippage lines, follow steps 2 and 3 above. 6. Click the highlighted baseline in the list.

MANUALLY UPDATING IN PROGRESS TASKS

Discussion Tracking a project involves not just updating completed tasks but also tasks that are in progress. An “in progress task” is one that has started but has not yet finished, and can be ahead of schedule, on schedule, or behind schedule. An in progress task will have a percent complete value between zero and 100.

You can update in progress tasks by entering the actual or remaining duration of a task. You can enter this information in the Act. Dur. or Rem. Dur. fields of the Tracking table.

For example, a task in your project started 5 days ago and is scheduled to continue for another 5 days. It would be entered in the Tracking table by:

a) giving it an actual start date (if it’s “in progress” then it MUST have started sometime);

b) entering in the Act. Dur. field how long ago it started (ie. 5 days); and

c) entering in the Rem Dur. field how many days are still left until it finishes (ie. 5 days).

In the above scenario, Project will automatically (and logically) calculate that the task must be 50% complete.

The points below explain how Microsoft Project interprets Act. Dur and Rem. Dur. if entered under different circumstances.

• If you enter an actual duration that is less than or equal to the scheduled duration, Microsoft Project assumes that the work on the task is going according to schedule and automatically sets the actual start date as scheduled. Microsoft Project also completes the percent complete value and remaining duration by comparing the actual duration with the original duration.

• If you enter an actual duration that is greater than the original duration, Microsoft Project assumes that the task is complete and took longer than expected. The percent



complete value is set to 100%, the remaining duration is set to zero, and the current duration is revised to match the longer duration.

• If you enter a remaining duration that is different from the current task duration or current remaining duration value, Microsoft Project assumes that you are providing a new estimate of the total duration of the task. If you enter a remaining duration of zero for a task that has started, Microsoft Project marks the task as 100% complete and enters the finish date per the original schedule.

Procedures 1. Apply the Tracking table to a task view (eg. Gantt Chart). 2. Select the Act. Start field for task you want to update. 3. Enter the actual start date for the task. 4. Select the Act. Dur. field for the task you want to update. 5. Enter how many days ago the task started. 6. Press [Enter]. 7. Select the Rem. Dur. field for the task you want to update. 8. Enter how many days the task still needs in order to be competed (this may be

more than originally planned). 9. Press [Enter].

AUTOMATICALLY UPDATING IN PROGRESS TASKS

Discussion If a task has been progressing as expected, you can use the Update Project command in the Status group of the Project tab to automatically update the task.

The Update Project dialog box

When you use the Update Project dialog box, Microsoft Project copies the scheduled start date for the task into the Act. Start field for the task and then calculates the percent complete value of the task using the current date entered. It calculates the number of days between these two dates and divides that number by the total length of the task to calculate the percent complete value. For example:

Total length of task: 15 days

Start date of task: 02/04/2012

Date to update to: 06/04/2012



Actual duration: 06/04/2012 minus 02/04/2012 = 5 days

∴ percent complete = 15 ÷ 5 = 33% (Project cannot display fractions for percent complete)

Tip

If you want to update multiple tasks at once, you can select the tasks and then use the Update Project dialog box to update them all.

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the Project tab. 3. In the Status group, click the Update Project command. 4. Enter the relevant date in the Update work as complete through: box. 5. Select the Set 0% - 100% complete: option is you want Project to estimate the

percent complete to the nearest integer. 6. Select the Set 0% - 100% complete only if you only want Project to enter 100% for

fully completed tasks and to leave the percent complete at 0% in all other cases. 7. Click OK.

UPDATING TASKS NOT PROGRESSING AS EXPECTED

Discussion If a task is not progressing as expected (ie. it is behind schedule), you may wish to extend its remaining duration to account for lost time.

For example, you are updating the 4-day task below to the 18/06 but have been informed that due to unexpected circumstances, only 25% of the work has so far been done. The task was scheduled to start on 17/06 and hence, if it had been progressing as expected, it should be 50% complete by 18/06. This means that the task may not finish as expected on 20/06 and will have to have its duration extended by an additional day.

The Update Project command can be used under such circumstances to calculate the remaining duration.

When you use the Update Project dialog box for this purpose, Microsoft Project copies the scheduled start date for the task into the Act. Start field for the task and then creates a split between the completed work and the remaining work, thus extending the task’s duration by the required amount.

Task being updated to 18/06

Only 25% complete. Should

be 50%

Work not done here needs to

be done…

… here!



Scenario above after Update Project has updated the remaining work

You could, of course, just ignore the shortfall and hope that it resolves itself!

Tip

You can achieve the same result by manually by entering a percent complete for a task, and then using the Split Task command in the Schedule group of the Task tab to move the incomplete part of the task to a new date.

Tip

You can check the resume date for the incomplete part of the task by inserting the Resume field in the table of the Gantt Chart view.

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the task you with to reschedule. 3. Select the Project tab. 4. In the Status group, click the Update Project command. 5. Select the Reschedule uncompleted work to start after: option. 6. Enter the required date in the box to the right; this will usually be the day after

you are updating the task to. 7. Click the Selected tasks check box. 8. Click OK.

SAVING A BASELINE FOR A SINGLE TASK

Discussion When you save the baseline, the default option makes a copy of the baseline for the entire project; however, you can also save a baseline of selected tasks. Saving a baseline of selected tasks is helpful when you save a baseline of the entire project and then realise you need to adjust certain task information. You can revise the tasks and then save the baseline for only those tasks.

In addition, you may need to add tasks during the life of the project, after the baseline has been saved. You can select those new tasks and save a baseline for them, adding them to your original plan.

When saving a baseline for selected tasks, you can select those you want baseline data to roll up.

If you want updated baseline data for the selected tasks (and all other subtasks that share the same summary task) to be rolled up to those tasks' summary tasks, select the To all summary tasks check box. Otherwise, summary tasks baseline data may not accurately reflect subtask baseline data.



If you want selected summary tasks’ baseline data to be updated to reflect either deletions of subtasks or added tasks for which you have previously saved baseline values, select the From subtasks into selected summary task(s) check box. The following table gives examples for the options.

Setting Description

Selected tasks with no options Duration, costs and work data shown for selected tasks but not added to any summary task totals.

Selected tasks plus To all summary tasks

Duration, costs and work data shown for selected tasks and added to all levels of summary task.

Selected tasks plus From subtasks into selected summary task(s)

Duration, costs and work data shown for selected tasks and added to selected summary tasks. For this to work, not only must you select the individual tasks, but you must also select the summary task(s) to add the totals to. If you want the totals aggregated up several levels of summary, you must also select all the summary tasks at the lower levels.

Selected tasks plus both options Seems no point to this as the To all summary tasks option over-rides the other one.

If you have selected both subtasks and summary tasks, select both check boxes.

Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. In the Schedule group, click the Set Baseline command. 3. Click Set Baseline…. 4. Select the Selected tasks option. 5. Under Roll up baseline, tick your preferred check box option (see table above). 6. Click OK.

Tip

It may be advisable to add a note to tasks where the baseline has been resaved or added later (eg. new tasks).

ENTERING ACTUAL TASK COSTS

Discussion In addition to keeping a record of how start and finish dates are varying from the baseline, you may also wish to do the same for costs. By default, Microsoft Office Project automatically calculates actual costs according to the actual work accumulated or material consumed on tasks. Once a task is 100% complete, however, it should be possible to ascertain the true actual cost for the task. This value can then be entered in the Actual Cost field and Project



will calculate the variance between this and the baseline, thus indicating how much a task is over or under the planned budget.

Procedures 1. Apply the Tracking table to a task view (eg. Gantt Chart). 2. Mark the task(s) that you want to enter actual costs for as 100% complete. 3. Enter the actual cost value in the Actual Cost field. 4. Press Enter.

Tip

You can also enter actual costs for a task in the Actual Cost field of the Cost table.

Tip

If you wish to update an actual cost for a task that is not yet complete, you need to select the File tab, click Options, and then open the Schedule pane. Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Project check box.

Tip

To view cost variances for tasks, apply the Cost table to the Gantt Chart view and note the Variance field. .To view cost variances for resources, apply the Cost table to the Resource Sheet and note the Variance field.

Entering actual cost information in the Tracking table

CHANGING THE PROJECT STATUS DATE

Discussion Microsoft Project uses the status date to assist with:



• displaying progress with progress lines;

• placing non-timephased progress information;

• calculating earned value totals; or

• determining where to place actual and remaining work in the schedule when entering progress information in certain ways.

The status date is the same as the current date (today's date) so it is not normally necessary to change it unless you want to provide the information given above for a different date to the current one.

Changing the status date is not necessary for most tracking and updating procedures.

Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. In the Status group, click the Status Date box. 3. Select the required status date from the calendar control. 4. Click OK.

APPLYING PROGRESS LINES

Discussion Microsoft Project provides many ways to view the progress of a project. In addition to the different views and tables available, you can display progress lines on the Gantt Chart. Progress lines connect tasks in progress and contain peaks that illustrate whether or not a task is behind or ahead of schedule. If a peak points to the left, then the task is behind schedule; if a peak points to the right, then the task is ahead of schedule.

When you apply progress lines, you can display them as of the current date or the status date entered in the Project Information dialog box. The project status date is any date you specify for checking progress. You can also display progress lines on particular dates and at recurring intervals. In addition, you can display progress lines in relation to the actual plan or the baseline plan.



The Progress Lines dialog box

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Right-click a blank part of the Gantt Chart pane (not on a bar). 3. Select Progress Lines…. 4. Select the Dates and Intervals tab. 5. Select the Always display current progress line option. 6. Select the At project status date or At current date option. 7. Continue to select options as desired. 8. Select OK.

VIEWING SUMMARY INFORMATION

Discussion As you work on your project, you can quickly view summary information in the Project Statistics dialog box. This dialog box is split into three different areas. The top area of the dialog box shows a comparison of the current, baseline, actual, and variance information for a project’s start and finish dates. The bottom area displays the current, baseline, actual, and remaining information for a project’s total duration, work, and cost. The area at the very bottom of the dialog box, in the far left corner, includes the percent complete for duration and work.

The Project Statistics dialog box



Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. Select the Project Information command. 3. Click the Statistics… button. 4. Click Close when you have finished viewing the summary information.

CLEARING A BASELINE

Discussion After saving baseline data, you may decide that you do not want this data used for comparison purposes. If desired, you can clear the baseline and save it at a later time. You may also want to clear baseline data if you plan to use a completed project as the basis for future projects.

You can clear baseline information for the entire project or for a particular task. In addition, you can clear the dates saved in an interim plan as desired.

The Clear Baseline dialog box

Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. In the Schedule group, click the Set Baseline command. 3. Click Clear Baseline…. 4. Select the Clear baseline plan or Clear interim plan option. 5. Select from the Clear interim plan list, if applicable. 6. Select the fields you want to clear. 7. Select the Entire project or Selected tasks option. 8. Click OK.

COMPARING PROJECTS

Discussion A new feature of Microsoft Project 2010 is Compare Projects. This is useful for users who need to know what has changed on a project over its lifespan or, to see what has been changed following edits by another person. If different versions of the project exist, they can compare project files and run different reports.



In order to compare projects, you need first to open the current (latest) version. You then execute the command to compare it to the previous (earlier) version. Only one table can be compared at a time, so you may have to carry out several comparisons to analyse all the required data (eg. dates, costs and work).

When comparing projects, MS Project creates a new file named Comparison Report [#]. It displays the merged projects in a pane at the top of the window (the “Comparison Report”) and the two original projects in smaller panes at the bottom. It also provides a special Compare Projects Ribbon with commands to assist with analysing the comparison.

The Comparison Report pane displays the differences between the versions in a special table giving “before and after” data. The columns in the table can be changes using the Tables command in the View tab to show: Task All columns, Task Data columns, Task Differences columns.

This table is augmented with a special Gantt Chart showing two bars for each task; a green one representing the current version and a green one representing the previous version. Inserted tasks are shown with a minus symbol in a column at the left, and deleted tasks are shown with a plus symbol . A legend in a pane at the left explains the symbols and colour coding used on the Gantt Chart.



A comparison report for the Entry Table

Procedure 1. Open the current version of the project that you want to compare to a previous

version. 2. Select the Project tab.

3. In the Reports group, click the Compare Projects command . 4. Click the Browse… button. 5. Navigate to the location of the previous project version. 6. Select the file. 7. Click Open. 8. Select the task table to use in the comparison. 9. Select the resource table to use in the comparison. 10. Click OK. 11. If desired, save the comparison report as a separate file.


LESSON 5 - FINALISING A PROJECT

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Mark tasks complete

• Correct actual data

• Analyse final data

• Use final data in a new project

• Copy task names to a new project

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Lesson 5 – Finalising a Project


MARKING TASKS COMPLETE

Discussion When your project is finished, all tasks should be marked as 100% complete. Often, some tasks may be overlooked and not marked complete, even though the project has ended. You should mark all tasks as 100% complete before beginning your analysis of the actual information versus baseline information.

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Filter for Incomplete Tasks. 3. Select all the incomplete tasks.

4. Click the 100% Complete button in the Schedule group of the Task tab .

CORRECTING ACTUAL WORK DATA

Discussion The project is complete when all tasks are marked as 100% complete. Microsoft Project calculates the duration, resource usage, and costs for the individual tasks and for the project in its entirety. All of these calculations are based on the available schedule information. This information may or may not reflect what actually happened on the project. You may need to enter actual information manually in order to get an accurate picture of the final project information. For example, a task may have had a duration of three days, but the resources only worked on the task for six hours on the last day. In this situation, you would need to adjust the data to reflect actual hours, which would alter your cost information, making it more accurate. Manually entering actual information should be done before comparing the actual information to the baseline information.

Using Resource Usage view with actual work details applied to correct actual work data



Procedures 1. Switch to Resource Usage view. 2. Select the Resource Usage Tools > Format menu. 3. Tick the Actual Work check box in the Details group. 4. Select the cell containing the value you want to correct. 5. Enter the actual data. 6. Press [Enter].

ANALYSING FINAL DATA

Discussion When a project has been completed, it is recommended that you analyse the final data and review any problems that may have occurred during the project. If you are able to learn the causes of these problems, then you can prevent them from happening on future projects. The areas that should be reviewed include actual versus baseline dates, durations, costs, and work; as well as recurring problem areas.

Once all tasks are marked complete and the actual information is correct, you can compare baseline data versus actual data for resource usage, costs, dates, and durations. You can determine how accurate the baseline forecasts were and what actions should be taken in the future on similar projects. You should review large variances to determine the cause of the problem so that you can prepare more accurate baseline data for future projects.

You do not necessarily have to review every task in a project, but you should review those tasks that had the largest cost, schedule, and work variances. If the project did not go as planned, you could ask yourself questions such as:

• What caused the continued cost growth or schedule slippage?

• Were the problems a result of internal management factors, specification changes to the contract, or economic factors such as inflation?

• What can prevent these problems from occurring in future projects?

• Will employing more highly-skilled labour or using overtime be a solution?

• Was a management reserve cost set aside at the beginning of the project to handle problem areas?

The project manager should be aware of the problems in a project so that they can control future projects.

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Expand the left pane as much as possible. 3. Apply the Cost table. 4. View the Variance field to see how the baseline and actual costs for each task

compare. 5. Apply the Work table.



6. View the Variance field to see how the baseline and actual work hours for each task compare.

7. Apply the Variance table. 8. View the values in the Start Var. and Finish Var. fields to see how the actual and

baseline start and finish dates compare. 9. Switch to the Resource Sheet view. 10. Apply the Cost table. 11. View the Variance field to see how the baseline and actual costs for each

resource’s assignments compare. 12. Apply the Work table. 13. View the Variance field to see how the baseline and actual work hours for each

resource compare.

USING FINAL DATA IN A NEW PROJECT

Discussion When you are starting a new project that is similar to a completed project, you can copy all the information from the completed project into the new project. After you copy the data, you can edit, insert, and delete information as desired.

After copying a completed project, you should change all the tasks from 100% complete to 0% complete. You can update the durations, start dates, and links to create a baseline plan based on the final results of the completed project. In addition, you can update the resource and assignment information to reflect the needs of your new project. When you copy project information, the resources from the completed project appear in the Resource Sheet view; however, each one is assigned a maximum unit value of 100%.

You can save your new project file with or without a baseline. Before you save a baseline, everyone involved with the project needs to commit to the plan and all necessary approvals need to be obtained. If you decide to save the project with a baseline at this point, Microsoft Project copies all current information and uses it for comparison purposes. If you do not save a baseline, the baseline dates from the original file from which you copied the data appear in the baseline fields, but have no effect on your project. When you are ready to save a baseline later, you can save it and all the baseline fields will be updated to reflect the current plan for the new project.

Tip

When you first copy the data to your new project file, all tasks reflect the original project dates. Once you mark all tasks as 0% complete and remove any constraints, the tasks reflect dates based on the current date. You can change the dates by entering a project start or finish date in the Project Information dialog box.

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the tasks you want to copy (select the entire rows). 3. Right click the selected area and select Copy. 4. Select the File tab.



5. Select New at the left.

6. Double click the Blank Project button .

7. In the Clipboard group of the Task tab, click the Paste command . 8. Select all the tasks you copied.

9. In the Schedule group of the Task tab, click the 0% Complete button . 10. Remove all constraints on all copied tasks by changing the constraint type to As

Soon As Possible, if applicable. 11. Enter the desired start or finish date for the project. 12. Save the new project.

Copying tasks

Tip

When you follow this process, the resource information for the selected tasks is copied to the new file. However, the maximum unit value is the default of 1 unit (100%) for each resource, regardless of the value in the original file

Tip

When you copy project information, you can enter a new project start or finish date, but you will be advised of conflicts with any dates that have constraints applied to them. For this reason, it is recommended that you remove all constraints before you enter a start or finish date for your new project. Once you remove all constraints and enter the new start or finish date, all task dates are updated accordingly. You can then constrain and modify the tasks in your new project file as desired.



COPYING TASK NAMES ONLY TO A NEW PROJECT

Discussion You can begin a new project file by copying only the task names. When you copy only the task names, Microsoft Project displays all the copied task names in the new project file with an estimated duration of one day. The advantage of copying only the task names is that you can then create a baseline plan. You can set task durations, link tasks, and apply constraints, as if you had typed the tasks to start a new project. In addition, you can create and assign only those resources you need for this project.

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the task names in the Task Name column that you want to copy to create a

new file. 3. Right click the selected area and select Copy. 4. Select the File tab. 5. Select New at the left.

6. Double click the Blank Project button . 7. Select the first cell in the Task Name column.

8. In the Clipboard group of the Task tab, click the Paste command .


LESSON 6 - WORKING WITH MULTIPLE PROJECTS

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Work with master projects

• Create a subproject

• Insert a project

• Unlink subprojects

• Consolidate open projects

• Link subproject information

• View multiple critical paths

• Save a workspace file

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Lesson 6 – Working with Multiple Projects


WORKING WITH MASTER PROJECTS

Discussion Very large or complex project files use a large amount of memory and can be difficult to manage. You can address the problem of working with large projects by creating subprojects and master projects.

A master project is a project that has other projects inserted and linked to it. You can create a master project by inserting existing project files into a single project file. The inserted projects are also called subprojects. Each subproject appears as a summary task in the master project file.

You may find it helpful to create standard subprojects that can be reused in other projects. For example, if you are a building contractor, you can create subprojects containing tasks, such as Build Foundation and Build Infrastructure that you can insert into various projects as needed.

Subprojects do not need to be open to work in a master project. By default, if you make changes to the subproject information in a master project, the subproject file is updated to reflect the changes. Likewise, if you make changes to the subproject file, the master project file is updated to reflect the changes.

You can group related tasks together to form a subproject according to a variety of criteria. One logical grouping would be to create a subproject of all the tasks in one phase of a project. In addition, you may want to consider grouping tasks by similar time periods; related dependencies; related work sites, resources, or supervisors; or different budgets.

CREATING A SUBPROJECT

Discussion Subprojects can be existing projects that you insert into a master project file, or they can be created from the information in the current project file. You can create a subproject by copying the tasks from the current project file, pasting them into a new file, and then saving as a subproject file.

A consolidated project with three subprojects



After you create a subproject from existing task information, you can later insert it into a master project file. The subproject will appear as a summary task in the master project, saving space and enabling you to better manage the master project. Subprojects also appear with a project indicator in the Indicators column.

You can also turn an existing project into a master project by copying or cutting the tasks from the original project and saving them as subprojects. Then, you can insert the subprojects back into the original file. Before you cut the tasks, it is a good idea to locate the earliest start date among the tasks you want to cut. This step allows you to enter the subproject start date in the Project Information dialog box when prompted, before pasting the tasks into the new subproject file. Alternately, you can enter the start date after you cut and paste the tasks.

Tip

If the copied tasks use a special task or resource calendar, you should copy the calendar to the new project file. You can use the Calendars page in the Organizer to copy the calendar from one file to another. Use the Calendars available in list box to display the list of calendars in both project files.

Tip

When you follow this process, the resource information for the selected tasks is copied to the new subproject file. However, the maximum unit value is the default of 1 unit (100%) for each resource, regardless of the value in the original file.

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the tasks you want to copy (select the entire rows). 3. Right click the selected area and select Copy. 4. Select the File tab. 5. Select New at the left.

6. Double click the Blank Project button .

7. In the Clipboard group of the Task tab, click the Paste command . 8. Save the project without a baseline.

Cutting tasks to place into a subproject



Tasks pasted into a new subproject

INSERTING A PROJECT

Discussion A master project is a project that has other project files inserted into it. These other files are called inserted projects or subprojects. By default, a link is created between the two projects when you insert a subproject into another project file. The subproject file is updated when you make changes to the subproject information in the master file and vice versa. You can view subproject information in a master project just as you would view subtasks belonging to a summary task.

When you insert a project, you can create a link between the files using the Link to Project option in the Insert Project dialog box. This option is selected by default. When the master project is linked to its subprojects, changes made to either file will be synchronized automatically. When the master project is saved, you are prompted to save the subprojects.

You can insert a subproject as read-only by selecting the Insert list and selecting the Insert Read-Only option. This option prevents the subproject file (source file) from being updated when you make changes to the inserted file.

Once the file is inserted, you can hide and display the subtasks (or subproject information), just as you would hide and display any other subtasks that belong to a summary task.

The Insert Project dialog box



Tip

You can save baselines and interim plans for a master project using the same methods you use for a single project.

Tip

When a subproject is inserted as read-only, you can save the changes to the master and subproject by saving the read-only subproject with a new name when prompted.

Tip

If you choose not to save changes to the subproject files, the master project will revert to its original data the next time you open it, even if you save the master project. You must unlink the master and subproject in order to save separate data.

Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the task where you want to insert the project. 3. Select the Project tab.

4. In the Insert group, select the Subproject command . 5. Navigate to the location for the subproject. 6. Select the subproject. 7. Click Insert.

CONSOLIDATING OPEN PROJECTS

Discussion Instead of spending time inserting subprojects to create a master project, you can open all the subproject files and allow Microsoft Project to create a master project for you by consolidating them. When you select the files, you can also specify the view in which you want them to appear in the new project file.

After you consolidate the projects into a master project, you can rearrange the subprojects just as you would rearrange tasks. Each subproject in the consolidated file is given a subproject number and all tasks within a subproject start with the number one.

Procedures 1. Open the project files that you want to consolidate. 2. Select the View tab on the Ribbon.

3. In the Window group, click the New Window command . 4. Select the files in the Projects list box you want to consolidate.



5. Select the View list. 6. Select the view in which you want the consolidated project to appear. 7. Select OK. 8. Rearrange the subprojects as desired. 9. Save the consolidated file as a master project.

The New Window dialog box

LINKING SUBPROJECT INFORMATION

Discussion You can link subproject information just as you link tasks in the same project file. By default, a Finish-to-Start relationship is created, but this relationship can be changed as desired.

When you link tasks in different subprojects, the file path, file name, and task ID appear in the Predecessors field for the appropriate task. This information appears in both the master file and the subproject files. In addition, each subproject file displays the linked task(s) in grey. This grey link to an external task is also called a ghost task. You can double-click a grey (or ghost) task to switch to, or open, a subproject file.

If you later decide that you no longer want the subprojects linked, you can remove the link between subproject information just as you can with other tasks.

Cross project links on the Gantt Chart



Cross project links in the Predecessor field

Tip

You can also link projects in the master project by pointing to the Gantt bar for the predecessor and dragging it to the Gantt bar for the successor.

Tip

You can also create a link to a task in an external file by opening both files and double-clicking the task whose predecessor is located in the other file. Select the Predecessors page in the Task Information dialog box, select the ID field, and type the file name and task ID in the following format: project name\task ID#. If you were linking to task 4 in the home file, you would enter home\4 in the ID field. After you close the Task Information dialog box, a task representing the link to the external task appears in grey before the task. If the external file is not open, you must include the full path to the file in the ID field.

Tip

You can remove links in any file by selecting the Project tab and clicking the Links Between Projects command in the Properties group

. This opens the Links Between Projects dialog box. To remove the link, select the linked task on the appropriate tab and then select the Delete Link button.

Procedures 1. Select the first subproject or subproject task you want to link. 2. Hold down the [Ctrl] key and click the next subproject or subproject task you

want to link. 3. Release the [Ctrl] key. 4. Select the Task tab.

5. In the Schedule group, click the Link Tasks button . 6. Select the first subproject or subproject task you want to unlink. 7. Hold down the [Ctrl] key and click the next subproject or subproject task you

want to unlink. 8. Release the [Ctrl] key. 9. Select the Task tab.

10. In the Schedule group, click the Link Tasks button .



UNLINKING SUBPROJECTS

Discussion When a subproject and master project are linked, changes made to either file affect the other. In addition, if the same subproject is inserted into several master projects, changes to any linked file automatically changes the other files. Although this may be desirable in some situations, you may want to change task information in a master project without affecting the original source file or other master projects. By unlinking the master and subproject files, you can save changes that are independent of the other file.

Tip

You can also select the Read only option on the Advanced page of the Inserted Project Information dialog box to prevent changes made to the master project from being saved back to the source subproject. In addition, changes made in the master project to read-only task information will not be retained when you save the master project.

Tip

Once you break a link to a subproject, you cannot re-establish it. To create a new link, delete the unlinked tasks in the master project and then reinsert the subproject again.

Procedures 1. Double-click the summary task for the inserted subproject that you want to

unlink. 2. Select the Advanced tab. 3. Deselect the Link to project check box. 4. Click OK.

The Advanced tab of an Inserted Project Information dialog box



VIEWING MULTIPLE CRITICAL PATHS

Discussion By default, Microsoft Project considers an inserted project as a summary task in its position in the project. Critical tasks in the subproject file may not display as critical when inserted into the master project, since only one critical path displays by default.

The critical path is made up of critical tasks, which are tasks that affect the project finish date. Although the inserted project may contain its own critical path, if the project is not inserted within the critical path of the master project, these tasks will not be considered as critical. You can choose to view multiple critical paths, which is helpful in a consolidated file as it allows you to see the critical path for each subproject.

When you view multiple critical paths, any task that does not have a successor or a constraint will have a late finish date that is the same as its early finish date. This will result in zero slack, making the task critical. When only one critical path is displayed, any task without a successor or a constraint will have its late finish date set to the project finish date, resulting in slack, and thereby making the task noncritical. Therefore, it is beneficial to view multiple critical paths in order to see all the tasks in all subprojects that will affect the finish date of the consolidated project.

The Advanced pane – File, Options

Procedures 1. Select the File tab.

2. Click Options . 3. Select Advanced at the left. 4. Under Display options for this project: tick the Calculate multiple critical paths:

check box. 5. Click OK.



SAVING A WORKSPACE FILE

Discussion You may need to work in more than one file, but do not want to consolidate the files because they are unrelated or you prefer to keep them as separate files. Instead of opening each file individually, which can be time-consuming, you can create a workspace file. A workspace file opens all the files contained in the workspace at one time. For example, if a workspace file contains four project files, you only need to open the workspace file once, rather than open the four individual files.

The Save Workspace As dialog box

Before you save a workspace file, you need to open only those project files that you want saved in the workspace file. You can then save the files in a workspace file, which is saved with an .mpw extension. When you want to work with the files saved in a workspace, you open the workspace file just as you would open any other project file, and all the associated files open automatically.

In Microsoft Project 2010, the Save Workspace command has to be added to the Quick Access Toolbar or the Ribbon. The procedure below describes adding the command to the Quick Access Toolbar.

Procedures 1. Open only the files you want to save in the workspace file. 2. Select the File tab.

3. Click Options . 4. Select Quick Access Toolbar at the left. 5. Under Choose commands from: select All Commands. 6. Scroll down the list and select Save Workspace….

7. Click the Add > > button . The command is added to the list at the right.

8. Click OK.



9. Click the Save Workspace command on the Quick Access Toolbar . 10. Enter the desired file name. 11. Navigate to the location where you want to store the file. 12. Click Save.


LESSON 7 - SHARING RESOURCES

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Use resource pools

• Create a resource pool

• Link a project to a resource pool

• Open a sharer file

• Update a resource pool

• Open a resource pool

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Lesson 7 – Sharing Resources


USING RESOURCE POOLS

Discussion You may have projects that use many of the same resources. Instead of creating the same resources in each project file, you can share resources between projects using a resource pool. You can create a resource pool by entering only resource information in a project file and saving it. You can also use the resources in an existing file as a resource pool. To share the resources, you specify the project file that contains the resources you want to share. The project files that share the resource information are referred to as sharer files.

The resource pool is linked to all the files that share the resources. If you make changes to the pool information, all sharer files will be updated. When you make changes to the resource information in the sharer files, you can update the pool with the information.

CREATING A RESOURCE POOL

Discussion To create a resource pool, you enter the resource information in a project file and then save it. You do not need to enter any task information or a project start or finish date. In addition, you can enter the corresponding resource information as you create the resources or at a later date. All the projects that share the resource information are linked to the pool, allowing changes to the pool to be automatically included in the sharer files.

Tip

Although you can use any other existing project file as a resource pool, it is recommended that you create a new project file just for resource information This makes it easiest to manage resource information and task assignments between sharer files and the resource pool.

Procedures 1. Create a new, blank project. 2. Switch to the Resource Sheet view. 3. Create the desired resources. 4. Save the resource pool as a project file.

LINKING A PROJECT TO A RESOURCE POOL

Discussion When you share resources, the resource pool is linked to the project files. As a result, all the resources in the pool appear in each project sharing the pool, even if a sharer file does not need all of them.

In order to share resources in a resource pool, you must open the pool file and the project files that will share the resources (sharer files). When establishing a resource pool, you must



choose whether the pool or the sharer files will take top precedence. This option is relevant only if the sharer file that you are “connecting” to the pool already contains resources.

The option you choose overwrites duplicate information from the other file when there are conflicts with resource information. For example, if a pool file and a sharer file both have a Manager resource with different working hours and the pool takes precedence, then the information for the Manager resource in the pool file will overwrite the resource information for the Manager resource in the sharer file. By default, the pool takes precedence over the sharer file.

The Share Resources dialog box

Procedures 1. Open the file containing the resource pool. 2. Open the file(s) with which you want to share the resources in the pool. 3. Select the Resources tab.

4. In the Assignments group, click the Resource Pool command . 5. Select Share Resources… in the menu. 6. Tick the Use resources (requires at least one open resource pool) check box. 7. Select the From: list. 8. Select the file containing the resources. 9. Select the Pool takes precedence or the Sharer takes precedence option (see

discussion above). 10. Click OK. 11. Save and close all open project files.

OPENING A SHARER FILE

Discussion When you open a project that is linked to a resource pool and the pool file is not already open, the Open Resource Pool Information dialog box opens providing two options. The default option is Open resource pool to see assignments across all sharer files, which causes the pool and the selected sharer file to open. This option opens the resource pool read-only file so that other sharer files will still have access to it.



The Open Resource Pool Information dialog box

Despite the resource pool opening as a read-only file, it does still allow you to update it with assignment information (viz. “who does what and when”). You cannot, however, save other changes to the resources such as standard rates, calendars or adding and removing resources.

The Do not open other files option opens the selected sharer file only. If you open the sharer file using this option, you will not be able to assign resources from the resource pool although you can then add additional resources for use on that project only and that you do not want to be part of the pool.

Tip

If the resource pool is already open, the Open Resource Pool Information dialog box will not open.

Procedures 1. Open the file that shares resources in a pool. 2. Select the desired option in the Open Resource Pool Information dialog box to

specify which files you want to open. 3. Click OK.

UPDATING A RESOURCE POOL

Discussion When you open a project and its associated shared resource pool and make changes to the sharer file, the changes are synchronized with the resource pool in memory, but not the file saved to disk.

This means that the resource pool is not updated in real time, and if a user has had a resource pool open for a considerable length of time, other users opening or simultaneously using the same resource pool will not have the latest information available. They may, therefore, be assigning resources to their own projects’ not realising that they have already been assigned to tasks in someone else’s.

If you are sharing a resource pool with other people, therefore, it is a good idea to update the resource pool after you make any changes to your sharer file. Then, other users will not have to wait until you save and close your files to view the most updated resource pool information.

A convenient way of doing this is to save the project file; a message will then appear prompting you to update the pool information. As explained in the previous topic’s



discussion, this will only save the assignment information, not changes to things such as pay rates and calendars, etc.

A quicker way of achieving the same result is to use the Resource Pool command and selecting Refresh Resource Pool and/or Update Resource Pool from the menu. These two commands will have the effect of saving to the resource pool assignments that you have made (Update Resource Pool) and reading back from the pool changes to assignments that others have made (Refresh Resource Pool).

Tip

The Update Resource Pool command only appears if the resource pool is opened as read-only.

Tip

You can unlink the sharer file from the resource pool by opening both files, selecting the Resources tab, clicking the Resource Pool command and selecting Share Resources.... In the Share Resources dialog box, select the Use own resources option to break the link. Click Yes to the warning message.

Procedures 1. Open the project sharing a resource pool and the shared resource pool. 2. Make the desired changes to the resource assignments of the sharer file. 3. Select the Resources tab. 4. In the Assignments group, click the Resource Pool command. 5. Click Update Resource Pool. 6. Click Refresh Resource Pool.



OPENING A RESOURCE POOL

Discussion You may want to open a resource pool file to add and remove resources or edit their information.

When you open a shared resource pool, the Open Resource Pool dialog box offers three options on how the file should be opened. The default option is to open the resource pool as read-only. This allows others to continue to use the pool while you view the information.

If you need to modify the information, you can open the resource pool file as read-write. While the file is open, other users will not be able to update the resource pool from their sharer files.

The last option is to create a new master project file that contains the resource pool and all sharer files (see Working with Master Projects on page 70). These files will be opened with read-write access.

Tip

Opening the resource pool file as read/write will allow you to make changes to resource information (such as pay rates and work schedules). While you have the file open, however, other projects will not be able to update the resource pool with new information.

The Open Resource Pool dialog box

Procedures 1. Open the file containing the resource pool. 2. Select the desired option to open the resource pool file in the Open Resource

Pool dialog box. 3. Click OK. 4. Make the desired changes and resave the file.


APPENDIX A - ADDITIONAL BASELINES AND INTERIM PLANS

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Save an additional baseline for a project

• Save interim plan information

• View additional baseline or interim plan information

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Appendix A – Additional Baselines and Interim Plans


SAVING AN ADDITIONAL BASELINE FOR A PROJECT

Discussion Microsoft Project allows you to save up to 11 baselines in a project plan, and roll up updated baseline data to summary tasks. These are named Baseline, and Baseline1 through to Baseline10. By comparing the information in your baseline or baselines to your up-to-date schedule later in the project, you can identify and solve discrepancies and plan more accurately for similar future projects (although you may need to copy your most recent baseline values to the Baseline fields for variance analysis). When you add tasks to your project or change other information, you can update a baseline plan. At any point in your project, you may also need to add a task to your schedule. If you add a new task to your schedule after you set a baseline plan, you should update the baseline to include new tasks as well so that you can track the progress of the new task along with the rest of the tasks in your schedule.

Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. In the Schedule group, click the Set Baseline command. 3. Select Set Baseline… in the menu. 4. Select the baseline number that you want to save the current plan as. 5. Select the Entire project option. 6. Select OK.

Tip

Whenever you use the Save Baseline list after a baseline has been saved, the date that the baseline was saved is shown next to the listed item.

SAVING A PROJECT INTERIM PLAN

Discussion At certain times during a project, you may want to save the current start and finish dates for tasks. This set of dates is referred to as an interim plan. You can create an interim plan during the planning stage or after the work has begun. Microsoft Project allows you to compare an interim plan with the baseline or current plan to manage your project.

Microsoft Project provides ten sets of interim baseline dates that can be used for comparison purposes, in addition to the baseline dates (saved in the various Baseline Start/Finish fields). The interim baseline dates are saved in fields named Start1 through Start10 and Finish1 through Finish10. You can save the current dates for comparison against these baseline dates, which helps you to analyse problem areas both during and after the project. These fields are for dates only; work and cost values are not included. In addition, no resource or assignment data is saved in an interim plan.

In the Save Baseline dialog box, you can specify in which of the ten fields you want to hold the saved data. If you select fields that already contain data, the new data overwrites the existing data.



Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. In the Schedule group, click the Set Baseline command. 3. Select Set Baseline… in the menu. 4. Click the Set interim plan option button. 5. Click the Copy list. 6. Select the fields you want to copy. 7. Click the Into list. 8. Select the fields into which you want to copy the selected fields. 9. Select the Entire project option. 10. Click OK.

SAVING A TASK INTERIM PLAN

Discussion At certain times during the project, you may want to save the current dates for only selected tasks, not the entire project. You can save an interim plan for selected tasks and compare the dates for these tasks with the baseline dates. This option is helpful if you analyse problem areas both during and after a project.

The dates for the selected tasks can be saved in fields named Start1 through Start10 and Finish1 through Finish10. These fields are for dates only; work and cost values are not included. You can save dates for individual tasks in their own interim plan, or you can add them to an existing interim plan.

Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. In the Schedule group, click the Set Baseline command. 3. Select Set Baseline… in the menu. 4. Click the Set interim plan option button. 5. Select the Copy list. 6. Select the fields you want to copy. 7. Select the Into list. 8. Select the fields into which you want to copy the selected fields. 9. Select the Selected tasks option. 10. Select OK.



VIEWING ADDITIONAL BASELINE OR INTERIM PLAN INFORMATION

Discussion Any additional baselines that you may save store Start, Finish, Duration, Work and Cost information in fields named Baseline 1, 2, 3 ... through to 10. Similarly, interim plan data is stored in fields named Start1, 2, 3 ... and Finish1, 2, 3 ... through to a maximum of 10.

There are no built-in tables in Project that display this information; you have to, therefore, edit an existing table (or create a new one) and add the relevant fields to the table definition.

There are in Microsoft Project 2010, Baselines and Slippage commands in the Gantt Chart Tools > Format tab that allows you to visually compare the start and finish dates and slippage for each saved baseline against the current schedule.

Displaying saved baselines against current plan on the Gannt Chart

Procedures 1. Switch to a task view (eg. Gantt Chart), if necessary. 2. Select the View tab. 3. In the Data group, click the Tables command. 4. Select the More Tables… command. 5. Click New.... 6. Enter a name for the table (eg. Baseline 1 & 2 Comparison). 7. Select the Show in menu option, if desired. 8. Select the Field Name column of the first row in the table definition grid. 9. Select from the drop down list, the ID field.



10. Select the Field Name column of the second row in the table definition grid. 11. Select from the drop down list, the Name field. 12. Type a descriptive name for the column (eg. Task Name) in the Title column of

the grid. 13. Leave the default entries in the other columns. 14. Continue to add fields and titles as follows:

Row Field Title

3 Start Current start

4 Finish Current finish

5 Baseline Start Original plan start

6 Baseline Finish Original plan finish

7 Baseline Cost Original plan costs

8 Baseline Work Original plan word

9 Baseline1 Start Second baseline start

10 Baseline1 Finish Second baseline finish

11 Baseline1 Cost Second baseline costs

12 Baseline1 Word Second baseline work

15. Click OK. 16. Select Apply to apply the custom table or select Close to close the More Tables

dialog box.



Comparing baseline data – customised table


APPENDIX B - WORKING WITH CUSTOM FIELDS

In this lesson, you will learn how to: • Use a custom field to enter data

• Create calculations in a custom field

• Create a lookup list for a field

• Display data as graphical indicators

• Edit and delete custom fields

• Import and export custom fields

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Appendix B – Working with Custom Fields


OVERVIEW

Discussion Microsoft Project 2010 can store approximately 450 fields of information for every task in your project, and about 290 for resource information.

Many of these fields are ready-made for use and in most cases enable the user to enter information. Some fields carry out calculations and are read-only. The table below lists the more popular fields.

Tasks Resources

%age complete Accrue At

Actual Cost Baseline Cost

Actual Finish Baseline Work

Actual Start Cost

Cost Cost / Use

Duration Group

Finish Indicator

ID Initials

Indicator Max. Units

Name Name

Notes Std. Rate.

Start Type

Work Work

Many fields are arranged into various related tables and can be accessed from the View tab, Table command. Many of these tables have been described in this booklet and Lesson 2 explains how to combine them into custom tables.

Among these fields are many “custom fields” that have been added for you to use as you wish. Think of them as blank columns that you can add to tables in order to enter, display or calculate out data.

Custom fields can be identified easily because they end in a number, eg. Text1, Cost2, Date3, etc. Custom fields are divided into types (Text, Cost, Number, etc.) with each type used for a specific purpose. The table below lists the field type and describes how they can be used.

Field Type Number Use to store…

Cost 1 to 10 numeric values that you want formatted as currency and that you may wish to use in calculations.

Date 1 to 10 dates (and times) in the format specified in your computer’s Regional Settings. Dates can be used in calculations. Provides drop down calendar for picking date.

Duration 1 to 10 numeric values representing durations that can (if desired) be used in calculations. Maximum value is 72270 days (or



equivalent in hours, weeks or months).

Finish 1 to 10 same as Date field type but is also used for storing Interim Plan finish dates (see page 87) or for creating custom bars on Gantt Charts

Flag 1 to 20 Yes/No values useful for confirming or checking values. Provides a drop down list from which Yes and No can be selected.

Number 1 to 20 unformatted (general style) numeric values that you may wish to use in calculations. Can display 2 decimal places only.

Start 1 to 10 same as Date field type but is also used for storing Interim Plan start dates (see page 87) or for creating custom bars on Gantt Charts

Text 1 to 30 text, freeform dates, costs and numbers. Numeric data entered in text fields cannot be used in calculations.

Outline Code 1 to 10 custom WBS codes.

Custom fields are defined in the Custom Fields dialog box that can be opened from the Project tab, Properties group.

The Custom Field dialog box

USING A CUSTOM FIELD TO ENTER DATA

Discussion The simplest use that you can put a custom field too is for entering data. There is not usually a need to define the custom field in any special way for this purpose although it is useful –



especially if using many custom fields in your project – to rename it with an ‘alias’ so that it is made clear the field is already being used for a purpose and hence, may contain data. It also makes the field easier to find.

Once the custom field has been renamed, it can be inserted into an existing table or used in a custom table as explained in Lesson 2 on pages 25 and 23. If the custom field is a numeric type (eg. cost, number, date, etc.), it can also be used in other custom fields for calculation purposes.

Procedure 1. Select the Project tab.

2. In the Properties group, click Custom Fields . 3. Pick the Task or Resource option depending on whether you wish your custom

field to store task-related information or resource-related information. 4. In the Type: box, select the type of field required (see table on page 93). 5. In the Field list, select the first available field. 6. Click Rename…. 7. Type a short but descriptive name for the custom field. 8. Click OK. 9. Click OK. 10. When adding the custom field to a table, you can search for it using either the

original field name (ie. Text1, Cost2, etc.) or by its name (alias) as defined in 6 above.

USING CUSTOM FIELDS FOR CALCULATIONS

Discussion Although Microsoft Project has many calculated fields built-in, there will always be cases where a need arises for a specific calculation that does not come ready-made with the program.

This can be done by creating a custom field and populating it with a calculation as opposed to typed in data as described above.

Calculations are created using a mixture of fields, mathematical operators (+, - , * and / ) and functions. Field names (whether built-in or custom) have to be entered inside square brackets, eg. [Baseline Start]. A good knowledge of Microsoft Project’s built-in fields is useful but not essential.

The following examples show how a calculated field might be populated.

Calculating a 15% mark up on the cost of each task [Cost] * 0.15

Calculating resource costs only [Cost] – [Fixed Costs]

Calculating the cost difference between a baseline cost and the current cost. [Baseline1 Cost] – [Cost]



Calculating the difference between the start dates of two baselines. [Baseline2 Start] – [Baseline1 Start]

Creating a formula for a custom field

When creating a calculated field, you also need to decide how any summary tasks will inherit the data, ie. if you want it rolled up (aggregated) and how.

Custom field (Resource Costs) with summary tasks summing the totals



field to store task-related information or resource-related information. 4. In the Type: box, select the type of field required (see table on page 93). 5. In the Field list, select the first available field. 6. Click Rename…. 7. Type a short but descriptive name for the custom field. 8. Click OK.

9. Under Custom attributes, click the Formula… button . 10. In the Edit Formula box, enter the expression for the calculation. If you know the

necessary field names, type them inside square brackets. If you want to search for a field:



a. Click the Field button . b. Point to the field type where you want to find the required field. In cases

where there is a symbol, hold the mouse pointer over the item to see further field choices.

c. Click the required field in the list. 11. Continue adding mathematical operators, functions and fields as necessary. 12. Click OK when finished. 13. Under Calculation for task and group summary rows, select as option. Use

None for no calculation (leave summary tasks empty); use Rollup for aggregate functions (these will vary depending on the field type used); use Formula to calculate summary rows using the same calculation as used under Custom attributes (see 7 above).

14. Under Calculation for assignment rows, select None. Assignment rows apply only to tables applied to the Resource or Task Usage views.

15. Under Values to display: select Data. 16. Click OK. 17. When adding the custom field to a table, you can search for it using either the

original field name (ie. Text1, Cost2, etc.) or by its name (alias) as defined in 6 above.

CREATING A LOOKUP IN A CUSTOM FIELD

Discussion When creating a custom text field, it is usual practice to enter data into the field by typing it directly from the keyboard.

It is possible (and often desirable), however, to enter the data by selecting it from a lookup (or drop-down list). Not only is this a faster way of entering data but you can also restrict data entry to items on the lookup list only.

Creating a lookup requires setting the Custom Attributes for a field to “Lookup” and then populating the lookup table with the items you want to appear in your lookup list. You can also set a sort order for the items, specify a default for all new entries and specify whether users can select from the list only or add items of their own.



Custom field populated with a lookup




9. Under Custom attributes, click the Lookup… button . 10. In the Edit Lookup Table for <fieldname> dialog box, click in the first row

under Value. 11. Type the first item that you want to display in the lookup list. 12. If desired, click in the Description column and add a comment about the item, eg.

when it should be selected.

13. Repeat 9 & 10 above for all the items you wish to add to the lookup list.



14. Use the buttons at the top of the lookup table to cut, copy and paste items in the

list and/or to insert or delete items. 15. If desired, select an item in the table, click Use a value from the table as the

default entry for the field and click the Set Default button. This will only apply to any new tasks that are added. Existing data will not be affected.

16. Click the expand button to the left of Display order for lookup table and if desired, select an option for how you want the values sorted. If you want the items listed in a custom (non alphabetic) order, select an item in the list and click

the Move Up or Move Down button.

17. Click the expand button to the left of Data entry options and tick the Allow additional items to be entered into the fields. (Values will be added to the lookup) check box.

18. Click Close. 19. Click OK. 20. Use the custom field as described in previous topics of this lesson.

DISPLAYING GRAPHICAL ELEMENTS IN A CUSTOM FIELD (TRAFFIC LIGHTS - RAG)

Discussion Project fields normally display their values as data, ie. text, numbers and dates.

You can, however, create a custom field to display its data as graphical indicators. The graphical indicators displayed take the form of coloured circles, flag and other symbols.

Full set of Project graphical indicators

Graphical indicators provide a pleasing way of visually assessing data and instantly identifying areas for concern.

The graphical indicator displayed for each piece of data is based on a condition. For example, you might want to display red, amber and green circles to indicate high, medium and low costs tasks or, tasks where the finish variance is more than a certain number of days.

This would be achieved by creating a custom cost (or number) field which a) makes a copy of the Cost field, and b) is configured to display (for example) any value over £500 as a red circle, a value between £250 and £500 as an amber circle and any value below £250 as a green circle.



Graphical indicator displaying high, medium and low cost tasks.

Summary tasks are excluded.

When it comes to summary tasks, you may want to omit the graphical indicators completely as has been done in the picture above or, use different criteria. This is because the criteria for individual tasks will almost certainly be set too low for the overall summary that the tasks are part of.

In the example above, this would result in all the summary tasks being flagged up as high cost (they are all over £500) which would not be correct; how can the Preparation Phase of the project be flagged up has high cost when all its subtask are at an acceptable low or medium level?!




9. Under Custom attributes, click the Formula… button . 10. In the Edit Formula box, enter the field that you want to use for the graphical

indicators. If you know the correct field names, type it inside square brackets. If you want to search for a field:

a. Click the Field button . b. Point to the field type where you want to find the required field. In cases

where there is a symbol, hold the mouse pointer over the item to see further field choices.

c. Click the required field in the list. 11. Click OK when finished. 12. Click OK to the warning message.



13. Under Calculation for task and group summary rows, select as option. Use None for no calculation (leave summary tasks empty); use Rollup for aggregate functions (these will vary depending on the field type used); use Formula to calculate summary rows using the same calculation as used under Custom attributes (see 7 above).

14. Under Calculation for assignment rows, select None. Assignment rows apply only to tables applied to the Resource or Task Usage views.

15. Under Values to display: click the Graphical Indicators… button. 16. Ensure Nonsummary rows option is selected under Indicator criteria for. 17. Click in the first row under Test for <fieldname>. 18. Select a comparison operator from the drop down list. 19. Click in the Value column for the same row. 20. Enter a value to carry out the comparison against. 21. Click in the Image column for the same row. 22. Select an image to display if the test for than row evaluates to TRUE. 23. Click in the second row under Test for <fieldname>. 24. Repeat steps 15 to 19 above. 25. Continue adding tests as necessary. Use the buttons above the list of tests

to add, remove or cut/copy/paste rows. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to re-order the tests.

26. If required, under Indicator criteria for, select Summary rows. 27. Either tick the Summary rows inherit criteria from nonsummary rows check box

or, repeat steps 14 to 22 above to create a different criteria. 28. If required, under Indicator criteria for, select Project Summary. 29. Either tick the Summary rows inherit criteria from summary rows check box or,

repeat steps 14 to 22 above to create a different criteria. 30. When finished, click Close. 31. Click OK. 32. Use the custom field as described in previous topics of this lesson. NB: Because there is no ‘Between’ comparison operator, when testing for ranges of numeric values, you must arrange then in descending order so that the ranges are eliminated in the correct, logical order. See the picture below; it tests for ranges where:

a) values are over or equal to 500;

b) values are over or equal to 250 (this is the equivalent of between 250 and 499 (inclusive)); and

c) values that are below 250.



.

NOTE: If using graphical indicators to test time criteria, use a custom Duration field to make a copy of the finish variances for all the tasks. Although it is possible to use a number field for this purpose, the finish variance durations have to be converted to working minutes! The formula (assuming an 8hr working day) is as follows:

1 day = 1 * 8 * 60

∴ 1 day = 480 minutes, 2 days = 960 minutes, 3 days = 1440 minutes, etc.

For example, the following picture shows how to test Finish Variance where if it is greater than 5 days, a red circle is displayed, if it is greater than 2 days (ie. between 2 days and 5 days), an amber circle is displayed, if it is 2 days or less, a green circle is displayed and if the finish variance is negative (ahead of baseline), a light bulb is displayed!

Using a Duration custom field for the finish variances, the criteria would be as follows:

Using a Number custom field for the finish variances, the criteria would be as follows:



EDITING AND DELETING CUSTOM FIELDS

Discussion As with other customised Microsoft Project items, custom fields may sometimes need to be edited, renamed or deleted.

While it is possible to use the Organizer (see page 33) to delete or rename custom fields, it may be more practicable to delete or rename them from the active project by using the Custom Fields dialog box. This is also where you can edit any existing custom fields created.

The Custom Fields dialog box

Procedure Editing a custom field

1. Select the Project tab. 2. Click the Custom Fields command in the Properties group. 3. Select the Resources or Task option. 4. In the Type: drop down list, select the field type. 5. Select the field name in the Field list. 6. Under Custom Attributes, make changes as necessary (refer to previous topics in

this lesson). 7. Under Calculation for task and group summary rows, make changes as

necessary (refer to previous topics in this lesson). 8. Under Calculation for assignment rows, make changes as necessary (refer to

previous topics in this lesson). 9. Under Values to display, make changes as necessary (refer to previous topics in

this lesson). 10. Click OK when finished.



Renaming a custom field

1. Select the Project tab. 2. Click the Custom Fields command in the Properties group. 3. Select the Resources or Task option. 4. In the Type: drop down list, select the field type. 5. Select the field name in the Field list.

6. Click the Rename button . 7. In the New name for <’current field name’>: box, type a new name for the custom

field. 8. Click OK. 9. Click OK.

Deleting a custom field

1. Select the Project tab. 2. Click the Custom Fields command in the Properties group. 3. Select the Resources or Task option. 4. In the Type: drop down list, select the field type. 5. Select the field name in the Field list.

6. Click the Delete button . 7. Click OK.

COPYING CUSTOM FIELDS

Discussion As well as editing and deleting your custom fields as described in the previous topic, you can also copy them in to or out of other projects, either in their entirety or in part.

By copying a field in its entirety, you immediately have a ready-made field that can you can put to use in the project. By copying part of a custom field, you have a starting point for a new custom field. For example, you can copy a formula from one field to another and then tweak it for a different purpose. Alternatively, you can copy a lookup from one custom field to another and/or, the criteria and styles for graphical indicators.

When copying fields from one project to another either in their entirety or in part, it is essential for both the ‘receiving’ project (the one that you want to copy the field to) and the ‘donating’ project (the one that already contains the field) to be open.

Procedure Copying a complete custom field from one project to another

1. Ensure both receiving AND donor projects are open. 2. Activate the receiving project. 3. Select the Project tab.



4. In the Properties group, click Custom Fields .

5. Click the Import Field… button .

6. Under Select the field from the currently open projects that contains the

custom field to import: click the Project: drop down list. 7. Select the donor project. 8. Select the appropriate Field type: option. 9. In the Field: drop down list, select the custom field that you want to copy to the

receiving project. 10. Click OK. 11. Click OK.

Copying a Formula, a Lookup or Graphical Indicators from one project to another

1. Ensure both receiving AND donor projects are open. 2. Activate the receiving project. 3. Select the Project tab.

4. In the Properties group, click Custom Fields . 5. Select the Task or Resource option. 6. In the Type: box, select the type of field that you want to copy a formula, lookup

or graphical indicators to. 7. In the Field list, either select an existing custom field that you want to copy a

formula, lookup or graphical indicators to or, if you wish to copy a formula, lookup or graphical indicators into a new custom field: a. select the first, available custom field to use. b. click Rename…. c. Type a short but descriptive name for the custom field. d. Click OK.

8. In all cases, continue with one of the following: a. If copying a formula, under Custom attributes, click the Formula… button

; b. If copying a lookup, under Custom attributes, click the Lookup… button

; c. If copying graphical indicators, under Values to display, click the Graphical

indicators… button . 9. Do one of the following:



a. If copying a formula, click Import Formula… ;

b. If copying a lookup, click Import Lookup Table… ;

c. If copying graphical indicators, click Import Indicator Criteria…

;

10. In all cases, under Select the field from the currently open projects that contains

the <type of item> to import: click the Project: drop down list. 11. Select the donor project. 12. Select the appropriate Field type: option. 13. In the Field: drop down list, select the custom field containing the item that you

want to copy to the receiving project. 14. Click OK. 15. If necessary, make further edits to the item settings. 16. Click OK. 17. If prompted, click OK to confirm the warning message. 18. If necessary, make further modifications to the custom field settings. 19. Click OK.

Tip

Although you can also use the Organizer to rename, copy and delete custom fields (see pages 33). You cannot use the Organizer, however, to copy just part of a custom field (eg. its formula or graphical indicators).

Tip

Use the methods given above and copy a custom field to Global.MPT to make a custom field available to all projects.


INDEX A

AutoFilter ..................................................................... 4 options..................................................................... 5

B

Baselines clearing .................................................................. 57 saving a project ..................................................... 44 saving a project interim ......................................... 85 saving a task interim .............................................. 86 saving for a task ..................................................... 53 saving multiple ...................................................... 85 using tables to view data ....................................... 45 viewing additional ................................................. 87

C

Combination view using ...................................................................... 22

Comparing projects ................................................... 58 Consolidating

open projects ........................................................ 71 Consolidation

adding projects to a master .................................. 68 inserting projects ................................................... 70 linking subprojects ................................................ 72 subprojects ............................................................ 69 unlinking subprojects ............................................ 74 viewing multiple critical paths ............................... 75

Costs updating actuals .................................................... 54 viewing variances .................................................. 55

Customisation calculated fields ..................................................... 93 copying items to other projects ............................ 33 creating a crosstab report ..................................... 41 creating reports ..................................................... 39 data entry fields .................................................... 93 display as graphical indicator ................................ 97 editing and deleting fields ................................... 101 fields ...................................................................... 91 importing and exporting fields ............................ 102 lookup fields .......................................................... 95 resetting to defaults .............................................. 32

D

Data analysing final ........................................................ 63 copying task names to a new project .................... 66 using in a new project ........................................... 64

Datasheets filtering .................................................................... 4 grouping .................................................................. 7 sorting ..................................................................... 6

F

Fields

creating a lookup ................................................... 95 creating calculations .............................................. 93 creating for custom data entry .............................. 92 creating graphical indicators ................................. 97 customisation ........................................................ 91 editing and deleting custom ................................ 101 importing and exporting custom ......................... 102

Filtering tasks ......................................................................... 4

Filters creating custom ..................................................... 28 interactive .............................................................. 30 using AutoFilter ....................................................... 4

Formatting Timeline ................................................................. 12

G

Grouping grouping a view ................................................... 7, 8

I

Interim plans saving ..................................................................... 44

M

Master projects working with .......................................................... 68

O

Options AutoFilter ................................................................. 5

Organizer customizing the global template ........................... 33 using ................................................................ 32, 33

P

Printing a view..................................................................... 36

Progress applying progress lines .......................................... 56 correcting actual work data ................................... 62 entering actual and remaining durations .............. 50 tracking .................................................................. 45 updating a task in progress........................ 50, 51, 52 updating tasks not on schedule ............................. 47 updating tasks on schedule ................................... 46 viewing baseline and slippage ............................... 48 viewing summary information .............................. 57

Progress lines applying ................................................................. 56

Projects consolidating ......................................................... 68 consolidating open ................................................ 71 copying task names to new ................................... 66 creating a subproject ............................................. 68 inserting ................................................................. 70 inserting into another ............................................ 70

Microsoft Project 2010 – Level 2 Index


linking subproject information .............................. 72 removing a linked project...................................... 74 saving a workspace file .......................................... 76 viewing multiple critical paths ............................... 75 working with master ............................................. 68

R

Reports changing page setup options ................................ 38 creating............................................................ 36, 37 creating custom ..................................................... 39 crosstab ................................................................. 41 using Print Preview ................................................ 37

Resource pools creating.................................................................. 79 linking to a project ................................................. 79 opening file ............................................................ 83 opening sharer files ............................................... 80 opening to edit ...................................................... 83 updating ................................................................ 81 working with .......................................................... 79

S

Sharing creating a resource pool ........................................ 79 linking a project to a resource pool ....................... 79 opening a project sharing a resource pool ............ 80 opening a resource pool for editing ...................... 83 Timeline ................................................................. 13 updating a resource pool ...................................... 81

Sharing resources ...................................................... 79 Sorting

a view ...................................................................... 6 creating a custom .................................................... 6

Split view changing pane contents ........................................ 23

Status date changing ................................................................ 55

Subprojects creating.................................................................. 68 inserting ................................................................. 70 linking .................................................................... 72 unlinking .................................................... 72, 73, 74

T

Tables adding columns ..................................................... 25 applying to a view ................................................. 20 creating custom ..................................................... 23 hiding columns ...................................................... 26

Tasks displaying on Timeline ........................................... 11 filtering .................................................................... 4 marking complete .................................................. 62 saving a baseline for .............................................. 53

Timeline adding & removing tasks to ................................... 10 arranging tasks on ................................................. 11 formatting .............................................................. 12 hiding and unhiding ................................................. 8 overview .................................................................. 8 sharing with other applications ............................. 14 zooming and panning .............................................. 9

Tracking analysing final data ................................................ 63 applying progress lines .......................................... 56 changing the status date ....................................... 55 comparing project ................................................. 58 correcting actual work data ................................... 62 entering actual and remaining durations .............. 50 entering actual cost information ........................... 54 marking tasks as completes ................................... 62 progress ................................................................. 45 tasks not on schedule ............................................ 47 tasks on schedule .................................................. 46 updating a task in progress........................ 50, 51, 52 viewing baseline and slippage ............................... 48 viewing cost variances ........................................... 55 viewing summary information .............................. 57

Traffic lights custom fields ......................................................... 97

V

View printing a ............................................................... 36

Views changing ................................................................ 18 changing a split view ............................................. 23 creating custom ..................................................... 27 showing details ...................................................... 22 splitting .................................................................. 22 types ...................................................................... 16 working with .......................................................... 16

W

Work correcting actual .................................................... 62

Workspace files saving ..................................................................... 76

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