Category: ms Project

MS Project – Assign Resources to Task ”; Previous Next Once the task and resource list are complete, resources need to be assigned to tasks in order to work on them. With MS Project you can track task progress, resource and tasks costs. Assign Material Resource to Task Method 1 Click View Tab → Gantt Chart View → Resource Name column. Click the box below the Resource Name column for the task you need the resource to be assigned. From the dropdown, choose the resource name. In the following screenshot as an example. For Task 1 “PT1”, we have chosen the resource “Celic”. You can also select multiple resources to work on a single task. Method 2 Click Resource tab → Under Assignments group → Assign Resources. In the Assign Resources dialog box, click the resource name you like to assign. Here let’s choose “Hitesh”. Now click the Assign button. You can also select multiple resources to work on a single task. Method 3 Click View Tab → Gantt Chart → Task Name column. Double-click the Task Name. Task Information dialog box opens. Click the Resources tab. Click the cell below the Resource Name column. Select the resource from the dropdown list. You can also select multiple resources to work on a single task. Method 4 Click View Tab → Split View group → Details → Task Form. The window is split in two, Gantt Chart view and Task Form view below it. In the Task Form view, click under the Resource Name column and select the resource. You can also select multiple resources to work on a single task. Assign Cost Resource to Tasks Click View Tab → Gantt Chart View → Task Name column. Double-click the Task Name. Task Information dialog box opens. Click the Resources tab. Click the cell below the Resource Name column. Select the resource from the dropdown list. In the following example below, let’s choose “Travel” as cost resource and enter the cost at $800. We can also assign other material resources to the same task. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Discuss MS Project ”; Previous Next MS Project, the project management software program by Microsoft, is a very handy tool for project managers that helps them develop a schedule, assign resources to tasks, track the progress, manage the budget, and analyze workloads for an ongoing project. This tutorial discusses the various features of the software program with examples for easy understanding. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

MS Project – Introduction ”; Previous Next Microsoft Project is a project management software program developed and sold by Microsoft, designed to assist a project manager in developing a schedule, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing the budget, and analyzing workloads. Project creates budgets based on assignment work and resource rates. As resources are assigned to tasks and assignment work estimated, the program calculates the cost, equal to the work times the rate, which rolls up to the task level and then to any summary task, and finally to the project level. Each resource can have its own calendar, which defines what days and shifts a resource is available. Microsoft Project is not suitable for solving problems of available materials (resources) constrained production. Additional software is necessary to manage a complex facility that produces physical goods. Project Management MS Project is feature rich, but project management techniques are required to drive a project effectively. A lot of project managers get confused between a schedule and a plan. MS Project can help you in creating a Schedule for the project even with the provided constraints. It cannot Plan for you. As a project manager you should be able to answer the following specific questions as part of the planning process to develop a schedule. MS Project cannot answer these for you. What tasks need to be performed to create the deliverables of the project and in what order? This relates to the scope of the project. What are the time constraints and deadlines if any, for different tasks and for the project as a whole? This relates to the schedule of the project. What kind of resources (man/machine/material) are needed to perform each task? How much will each task cost to accomplish? This would relate to the cost of the project. What kind of risk do we have associated with a particular schedule for the project? This might affect the scope, cost and time constraints of your project. Strictly speaking, from the perspective of Project Management Methodology, a Plan and Schedule are not the same. A plan is a detailed action-oriented, experience and knowledge-based exercise which considers all elements of strategy, scope, cost, time, resources, quality and risk for the project. Scheduling is the science of using mathematical calculations and logic to generate time effective sequence of task considering any resource and cost constraints. Schedule is part of the Plan. In Project Management Methodology, schedule would only mean listing of a project”s milestones, tasks/activities, and deliverables, with start and finish dates. Of course the schedule is linked with resources, budgets and dependencies. However, in this tutorial for MS Project (and in all available help for MS Project) the word ‘Plan’ is used as a ‘Schedule’ being created in MS Project. This is because of two reasons. One, MS Project does more than just create a schedule it can establish dependencies among tasks, it can create constraints, it can resolve resource conflicts, and it can also help in reviewing cost and schedule performance over the duration of the project. So it does help in more than just creating a Schedule. This it makes sense for Microsoft to market MS Project as a Plan Creator rather than over-simplifying it as just a schedule creator. Two, it is due to limitation of generally accepted form of English language, where a schedule can be both in a noun as well as verb form. As a noun, a Schedule is like a time table or a series of things to be done or of events to occur at or during a particular time or period. And in the verb form, schedule is to plan for a certain date. Therefore it is much easier to say that, “One can schedule a plan from a start date” but very awkward to say, “One can schedule a schedule from a start date”. The distinction is important for you as a project manager, but as far as MS project is concerned the noun form of Schedule is a Plan. Of course, a project manager should also be able to answer other project-related questions as well. For example − Why this project needs to be run by the organization? What’s the best way to communicate project details to the stakeholders? What is the risk management plan? How the vendors are going to be managed? How the project is tracked and monitored? How the quality is measured and qualified? MS Project can help you − Visualize your project plan in standard defined formats. Schedule tasks and resources consistently and effectively. Track information about the work, duration, and resource requirements for your project. Generate reports to share in progress meetings. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

MS Project – Plan Duration Cost & Time ”; Previous Next After assigning resources to tasks you can view the cost, duration and work required for the plan to complete. Check Plan’s Duration In Gantt Chart View → View Tab → Split View group → Timeline checkbox. You will be able to see the plan’s start and finish dates. In the Gantt Chart view, you can also look at the project summary task, to note the duration, start and finish dates of the plan. In the following example, Assign Resources is the project summary task (identified as Task 0). Duration=53 days, Start date: 1/5/15 and Finish Date: 3/19/15. One can switch Project Summary Task on by following these steps − In Gantt Chart View → Format Tab → Show/Hide → To check Project Summary Task on. Check Plan’s Cost Click View tab → Data group → Tables → Cost. Cost for each task gets rolled up into summary tasks, and then ultimately to project summary task. Check Plan’s Work Click Report Tab → View Reports group → click Resources → click Resource overview In Resource status table which appears at the bottom, you will get a summary of resource’s earliest start dates and latest finish dates as well as remaining work. Check Project Statistics Click Project Tab → Properties group → Project Information → in the new dialog box click Statistics… Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

MS Project – Create a New Plan ”; Previous Next When working with MS Project you either specify a start date or a finish date. Because once you enter one of the two, and other project tasks, constraints and dependencies, MS Project will calculate the other date. It is always a good practice to use a start date even if you know the deadline for the project. Launch MS Project Windows 7 − Click on Start menu, point to All Programs, click Microsoft Office, and then click Project 2013. Windows 8 − On the Start screen, tap or click Project 2013. Windows 10 − Click on Start menu → All apps → Microsoft Office → Project 2013. Create Blank Project MS Project 2013 will display a list of options. In the list of available templates, click Blank Project. Project sets the plan’s start date to current date, a thin green vertical line in the chart portion of the Gantt Chart View indicates this current date. Project Information Let us change the project start date and add some more information. Step 1: Start Date Click Project tab → Properties Group → Project Information. A dialog box appears. In the start date box, type 11/5/15, or click the down arrow to display the calendar, select November 5, 2015 (or any date of your choice). Click OK to accept the start date. Step 2: Set Up Calendar Click Project tab → Properties Group → Project Information. Click the arrow on the Current Date dropdown box. A list appears containing three base calendars. 24 Hour − A calendar with no non-working time. Night Shift − Covers 11 PM to 8 AM, night shifts covering all nights from Monday to Friday, with one hour breaks. Standard − Regular working hours, Monday to Friday between 8 AM to 5 PM, with one hour breaks. Select a Standard Calendar as your project Calendar. Click “Cancel” or “OK” to close the dialog box. Now let us add exceptions. Step 3: Adding Exceptions to Calendar Exceptions are used to modify a Project calendar to have a non-standard workday or a non-working day. You can also allot unique working hours for a particular resource as well. Here is an example to create a non-working day, which could be because of a holiday or office celebrations or events other than the standard office work effort. Click Project tab → Properties Group → Change Working Time. Change Working Time dialog box appears. Under Exceptions Tab click on the Name Field, enter event as “Office Anniversary”. In the Start field enter 11/22/15, and then enter the same date in the Finish field. This date is now scheduled as a non-working day for the project. You can also verify the changed color indicated in the calendar within the dialog box as below. Click Ok to close. Step 4: Setting up Resource Calendar Just like you can change a Standard Base Calendar, you can change the work and non-working time for each resource. You can modify the resource calendar to accommodate flex-time, vacation time, training time, etc. Also remember, Resource Calendar can only be applied to work resources and not to material and cost resources. By default when we create the resources in a plan, the resource calendar matches the Standard base calendar. And any changes you make to the Project Calendar, gets reflected automatically in resource calendars, except when you create an exception in the resource calendar. In that case even if you update the project calendar, the exception in resource calendar is not affected. Click Project tab → Properties group → Click Change Working Time Change Working Time dialog box appears. Click the down arrow for the “For Calendar” drop-down box. Select the resource for whom you want to create an exception. In example below I have chosen John. Under Exceptions Tab click on the Name Field, enter event as “Personal holiday”. In the Start field enter the date (example 9/15/2015), and then enter the same date in the Finish field. Step 5: Change Working times for Each Resource Click Project tab → Properties group → Click Change Working Time. The Change Working Time dialog box appears. Click the down arrow for the “For Calendar” dropdown box. Select the resource for whom you want to change work schedule. In the following screen you can see we have chosen John. Click “Work Weeks” tab. Double-click the [default] cell below the Name column heading. Under “Selected Day(s)” choose any day you want to change the work schedule. We have chosen Tuesday and Wednesday. Click Set day(s) to these specific working times. Change the time. Step 6: Create Non-working Days Click Project tab → Properties group → Click Change Working Time. The Change Working Time dialog box appears. Click the down arrow for the “For Calendar” dropdown box. Select the resource for whom you want to change work schedule. We have chosen John again. Click “Work Weeks” tab. Double-click the [default] cell below the Name column heading. Under “Selected Day(s)” choose any day you want to change the work schedule. Click any day (we have chosen Friday) and use the radio button “Set days to nonworking time”. Click OK to close the Dialog box. You will now see all Fridays are greyed out in the calendar. Change File Properties With Microsoft Windows Operating system, right clicking a file and selecting “Properties” brings up the file properties dialog box that contains version, security and other file details. You can record some top level information for your .mpp project file as well. This can be done as follows − Step 1: Launch MS Project Windows 7 − Click on Start menu, point to All Programs, click Microsoft Office, and then click Project 2013. Windows 8 − On the Start screen, tap or click Project 2013. Windows 10 − Click on Start menu → All apps → Microsoft Office → Project 2013. Step 2: Save Properties Click File Tab. Under Info Tab go to Project

MS Project – Useful Resources ”; Previous Next The following resources contain additional information on MS Project. Please use them to get more in-depth knowledge on this topic. Useful Video Courses MS Word Online Training Course Most Popular 33 Lectures 2.5 hours Tutorialspoint More Detail MS Outlook Online Training Course Featured 53 Lectures 4 hours Tutorialspoint More Detail MS Project 2013 Online Training Featured 46 Lectures 4 hours Tutorialspoint More Detail Ms-Office in Telugu 38 Lectures 5 hours Vijay Kumar Parvatha Reddy More Detail 2021 Professional MS EXCEL Course with Real Applications 32 Lectures 3.5 hours Smarter Academy More Detail Construction Project Planning & Project scheduling -MS Excel 33 Lectures 5.5 hours Akshay Kamath More Detail Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;