Working on Critical Path Schedule (CPS)

Microsoft Project 2007

What is Microsoft Project 2007?
It is essential to understand that project managers are responsile and accountale for the success of the
projects that the! manage" #o assist them in this task there are numer of different tools such as resources$
udgets$ plans$ contracts and ma!e a project management soft%are like Microsoft Project 2007 (MS Project
2007)"
MS Project 2007 can e a %onderful assistant to ha&e in the project if it is utili'ed in a proper %a!"
MS Project 2007 Standard (dition support !ou %ith the follo%ing)

Task administration. *ou are ale to plan and administrate all the tasks !ou ha&e in the project" *ou can
&ia &ie%s look upon the tasks from different angles that pro&ide information in different %a!s"

Resource administration" *ou ha&e e+tensi&e possiilities to administrate the resources in the project$
oth human and material resources"

Reporting. #he tool ha&e useful reports that !ou easil! can produce"

Budgeting. ,se Microsoft Project to define the udget for the project and also follo% up against the
udget"

Follow up of progress" -oes the project follo% the plan. -efine the aseline and !ou can measure the
progress against it"
#his is actuall! MS Project 2007 in a nutshell ut there are ofcourse man! details in each area and &ast
amount of functionalities to e+plore in the tool"
#he majorit! of the users %ill e fine %ith the Standard edition of MS Project 2007 ut larger companies
should consider to use the Professional edition that %ill gi&e !ou additional features such as possiilities to
%ork %ith MS Project Ser&er and /ffice Project We 0ccess
How to use Microsoft Project 2007 in a
project & When?
Microsoft Project 2007 is one of man! tools that can support !ou in !our dail! %ork as a manager or a project manager$ if !ou
kno% %hen and ho% to use it"
0s !ou most likel! kno% !ou can di&ide the lifec!cle of a project into 1 phases"
Initiation Planning Executing Closing
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Phas
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#he main tasks in MS Project 2007 (or an! other project management soft%are) in each phase are descried elo%"
Phase 1 Initiation is %hen !ou get the re2uired permissions %here initial preparations are done" 0 pre3stud! might e&en
e conducted in this phase" Microsoft Project 2007 or an! other project management soft%are is not used much in this
phase"
Phase ! Planning is &er! important phase %here 453706 decisions are made if the project %ill e successful or if it %ill
fail" In this phase !ou la! the foundation for the project and decide the scope (in a W7S)$ resources$ udget$ time3plan$
identif! e+ternal8internal stakeholders$ identif! assumptions$ do !our risk3plan$ start staffing the project and !ou also start
using the project management soft%are in this phase"
Connected to the project management soft%are there are a numer of acti&ities that !ou should do in this
phase)
Create the pro"ect and the #asic time plan in $% Pro"ect !&&'" Start ! creating !our Work 7reakdo%n
Structure$ this is a first &er! important step to%ards a successful project" When this is done !ou enter the
indentified tasks in MS Project 2007 in the same structure as in the W7S"
Estimate the duration of the tasks. #ake the time to ha&e the resources that %ill perform the tasks to do the
estimations together %ith !ou as the manager8project manager"
(efine deadlines. In some project !ou need to e read! ! a certain date and !ou need to define and insert
these constraints in Microsoft Project 2007"
(efine relationships #etween tasks and link them" 0fter W7S is done$ It is recommended to do a net%ork3
diagram of all the ke! deli&erales$ as %ell as the W7S !ou should first do this on a ro%n paper %ith !ello%
stickers" When !ou ha&e done !our net%ork3diagram on the %all !ou can easil! update the relationships
et%een the tasks in Microsoft Project 2007"
(efine resources. 9irst of all its recommended to define the resources that %e ha&e in the project" #his can
e done in the resource3sheet" When the resources are defined in Microsoft Project 2007 it %ill e possile to
assign the resources to the tasks %hich are alread! entered"
(efine the cost for resources. When all the resources are defined %e can also define the cost per resource
per hour8da!8month"
Tuning. It is no% time to fine tune the plan" #his can e done ! remo&ing scope (tasks)$ adding resources or
proponing the time plan to meet the milestones" :ememer that adding or remo&ing resources$ time or scope
ha&e conse2uences that needs to e handled"
How to use Microsoft Project 2007 in a
project & When?
Phase ) Execution of the pro"ect" #his is the phase in %hich !ou utili'e all the preparations that !ou
made in the pre&ious phase" 0s the name sa!s this phase is aout e+ecuting and not planning$ It is
recommended not to start an! kind of project until the correct preparations for that specific project are
completed"
0lso there are a numer of more phase3specific acti&ities that should e done 3
Baseline. It is important that !ou sa&e !our aseline ecause this it %hat !ou %ill measure !our progress
against during the project"
*ctual progress. 0ctual progress of the tasks needs to e regularl! updated in the project"
Resource+conflicts. ;uge projects often ha&e resource3conflicts ut %ith correct information in MS Project
its easil! possile to identif! and sol&e resource3issues in earl! stages"
Compare #aseline with actual progress. *ou should compare the sa&ed aseline %ith the actual progress
in !our project to monitor progress and possile de&iations from the plan" If !ou do this on a regular asis
!ou should e ale to act pro3acti&el! and sol&e an! issues efore the! turn into prolems or possile sho%3
stoppers" In the same %a! that !ou are ale to &ie% &ariances et%een planned and actual progress !ou
are also ale to monitor the &ariance et%een planned and actual cost"
Reports. *ou a &ast amount of data in the dataase in MS Project 2007 and !ou ha&e also a numer of
pre3defined reports to choose from" 7oth &isual and te+tual" *ou can e+port the information to MS (+cel or
<isio for further processing to the data"
,pdating - Tuning. Projects are all aout change and there %ill e changes in time$ scope or resources" If
!ou ha&e a true picture of the project in MS Project 2007 !ou are ale to tune the project %hen needed or
ans%er to challenges from the management of cutting the time or the resources in the project" :ememer
that *our decisions ased on the information !ou ha&e the project management soft%are is not etter than
the 2ualit! of the stored information" #he information in MS Project 2007 must reflect the realit!"
How to use Microsoft Project 2007 in a
project & When?
Phase . Closing of the pro"ect" 0fter$ a hopefull!$ successful project !ou enter the fourth and last phase in
the project %hich is to close the project in a proper %a!" *ou can utili'e the information in MS Project in a
numer of different %a! for this"
Re/iew duration" If !ou ha&e captured the progress of the tasks during the lifetime of the project !ou are in
good position to re&ie% the planned &8s the actual duration of the tasks" #he outcome of such e+ercise is
&aluale input for the final report of the project"
Template. *ou are ale to sa&e the project as a template in MS Project to use in future similar projects"
0essons learned and #est practice" (+tract the data from MS Project 2007 as lessons learned and
pro&ide est practice information to other project managers"
Final Report. ,se MS Project 2007 to support !ou in !our %ork to %rite the final report of the project"
Even though MS Project 2007 is a great project management tool it is important to remember that You
manage the project and the tool will only support you with the information that You feed into it
How to use Microsoft Project 2007 in a
project & When?
Entering Tasks and Sub Tasks
When !ou ha&e identified the majorit! of the tasks in the project$ preferal! in a W7S$ !ou should enter
them into Microsoft Project" -o not %orr! aout putting the tasks in the e+act correct order in the eginning"
It is eas! to re3organi'e them later on" *ou enter a task ! one of the follo%ing %a!s)
=" Click the correct ro% in the #ask >ame column and enter the name of the #ask"
2" Write the name of the #ask in the (ntr! 7ar" Click the correct ro% in the #ask >ame column and press
the green check o+ ne+t t the (ntr! 7ar"
When entering ne% task !ou %ill notice that MS project also enter the -uration for the task %ith a 2uestion
mark directl! after the duration" #his indicates that the duration of the task is (stimated"
Sometimes !ou are going to %ant to insert a task et%een t%o e+isting tasks" *ou do this ! clicking on the
task that !ou %ould like to ha&e elo% the ne% one and choose Insert 3? >e% #ask" or press the Insert3
utton directl! on !our ke!oard"
0fter !ou ha&e entered the major tasks of the project it is time to add the details in terms of Sutasks" When
adding sutasks the upper le&el task ecomes a$ so called$ Summar! #ask" #his is a good %a! of structuring
the project and displa! information easil!" *ou are ale to ha&e up to @ le&els of tasks"
1ou add a %u#task #2 3
=" Click the ro% elo% task = (e"g" #0SA 0)
2" Create a ne% task (e"g" S,7 0 B S,7 0 =)
C" Select the tasks %hich !ou %ant to make as su task (e"g" S,7 0 B S,7 0=)
1" 0t the top click on the Indent 0rro% or press *0T 4 %5IFT 4 Right arrow together"
The summary task is in Bold and the Subtask is Indent.
The summary task is displayed as a black bar on the Gantt Chart
Entering Tasks and Sub Tasks
Assign Resources to tasks
=" /pen the Dantt Chart3&ie% ! clicking <ie% 3? Dantt Chart or ! clicking the Dantt Chart on the <ie%
7ar"
2" Select the task that !ou %ould like to assign resources to and click the assign resource3utton under
tools menu or press 0ltE9=0"
C" Select the resource that !ou %ould like to assign to the task and enter the percentage that !ou %ould
like to assign the resource to the task" =006 is fulltime assigned to the task"
1" :epeat step 2 and C if !ou %ould like to assign more resources to the task"(If !ou forgot to add the
appropriate resource(s) in the :esource sheet !ou can just add the name of the resource in the first
a&ailale ro%")
Resource Grah
*ou are also ale to see the planned %orkload for the different resources ! clicking the Draphs utton" *ou
%ill then see the follo%ing dialog3o+"
!i"erent #ie$s
<ie%s are one the most important features in Microsoft Project 2007 for !ou as Project Manager" It is in the
&ie%s that !ou get all the needed data to make decisions ut rememer that the information in the &ie%s are
not etter than the information that !ou enter into MS Project" #o ase !our decisions on correct data is
crucial for the success of the project ut also for *our success as a project manager"

*ou are often approached %ith 2uestions like) FI need help from a de&eloper$ %hich one is free.G$ FIs the
project keeping the time plan.G or FWhich acti&ities are on the Critical Path.G" 0 &ie% lets !ou look upon the
project from different angles on different topics and enales !ou to ans%er all the 2uestions and make the
correct decisions in a timel! manner"
#here are three different t!pes of <ie%s in MS Project 2007)
=" Sheet &ie%s" Presents the information as spreadsheet %ith Columns and :o%s"
2" Draph or Chart &ie%s" Information is presented as pictures in a graph or chart"
C" 9orms" #he information is displa!ed as a report on a paper"
*ou find the most fre2uentl! used <ie%s on the left hand side of the screen in the <ie% 7ar" *ou can
hide8sho% the <ie% 7ar ! choosing <ie%3?<ie% 7ar" Please note that not all of the &ie%s are displa!ed in
the <ie% 7ar ut click the More <ie%sH3icon at the ottom to choose from more &ie%s"
#ie$ %ar
The /iews that 2ou are a#le to choose #etween are

7ar :ollup

Calendar

-escripti&e >et%ork -iagram

-etail Dantt

Dantt Chart

Ie&eling Dantt

Milestone -ate :ollup

Milestone :ollup

Multiple 7ases Dantt

>et%ork -iagram

P0J(+pected DanttK

P0J/ptimistic DanttK

P0JP(:# (ntr! SheetK

P0JPessimistic DanttK

:elationship -iagram

:esource 0llocation

:esource 9orm

:esource Draph

:esource >ame 9orm

:esource Sheet

:esource ,sage

#ask -etails 9orm

#ask (ntr!

#ask 9orm

#ask >ame 9orm

#ask Sheet

#ask ,sage

#racking Dantt
Resource A&&ocation #ie$
Which &ie% of the 2L &ie%s are est !ou use.
#hat is up to !ou to decide" *ou need to find the
<ie%s that suits !our %a! of %orking as a Project
Manager"

Spend time on familiari'ing !our self %ith the
&ie%s to est choose a couple of the to %ork %ith"
In the picture eside$ !ou see the :esource
0llocation &ie%" #his is a comined &ie% et%een
:esource ,sage (on top) and Ie&eling Dantt (in
the ottom)" #he upper part (:esource ,sage)
informs !ou of ho% man! hours !ou ha&e
allocated a specific resource to certain tasks per
da!" #his &ie% also pro&ides !ou %ith information
aout o&er3allocation$ %hich in that case are
displa!ed as red time3units
#he ottom part gi&es !ou information aout
relationships et%een tasks and if there are
dela!s in tasks" Choose the tasks in the top part
! holding do%n C#:I and click the tasks of !our
choice" *ou %ill then see them in the ottom part"
#his &ie% is useful for anal!sis of %hich
resources that are o&er or under allocated and
ho% their different tasks are related to other
tasks"
'on Working !a(s in MS Project
#o get correct accurac! in planning and follo% up in Microsoft
Project 2007 !ou need to define the holida!s or other non
%orking da!s in the Project Calendar" #his can e done !
follo%ing the steps descried elo%"
=" /pen #ools 3? Change Working #ime"
2" Choose the date that !ou %ould like to set to >o Working
#ime" In this case 4th of 0pril 2007" (nter the name of the
>on Working -a! in the tale elo% and choose start and
end3date" Click on -etails"
It might e the case that !ou
%ant the >on Working -a! to
recur dail!$ %eekl!$ monthl! or
!earl! and then !ou use the
:ecurrence Pattern"
7ut in this case %e %ant it to
happen onl! once"
Mark the (nd 0fter utton and
set it to = occurrence" <erif!
! clicking /k t%ice"
'on Working !a(s in MS Project
Recurring Tasks
In a project ma! often e recurring tasks$ for an
e+ample project meetings or reports that !ou
ha&e on %eekl! or i3%eekl! asis" /ne option is
that !ou create one task for each such meeting
or report ut !ou could also create one recurring
task$ %hich is recommended to done" #o create
a recurring task in Microsoft Project 2007)
=" Choose Insert 3? :ecurring #askH
2" (nter the name of the :ecurring #ask
(Weekl! :eport)"
C" (nter the duration of the task" *ou estimate
that the report on a&erage takes half a da!
to complete"
1" When this is a %eekl! report !ou set the
:ecurrence Pattern to Weekl! and that the
task is schedule to e&er! 9rida!"
5" *ou can either define an (nd date of the
recurring task or define the task to end after
+ occurrences.
Please note that you are able to e!pand the summary tas"
and edit each individual #ee"ly $eport
%o create a recurring tas"
$esult after creating a recurring tas"
)ndi*idua& Working +ours
Microsoft Project 2007 uses$ ! default$ the Standard 7ase Calendar %hen !ou create a ne% project ut it
can sometimes e hand! to set specific calendars for indi&idual resources" If :esource = is for e+ample
una&ailale e&er! #uesda! after lunch and it is much easier and secure to define this information in MS
Project 2007 than to calculate this manuall!"
*ou do this !M
=" 7ring up the resource3sheet"
2" -oule3click on the resource of !our choice$
in this case :esource =$ and the :esource
Information -ialogue o+ appears"
C" Click Change Working #imeH3utton and !ou
%ill see the Change Working #ime dialogue
o+"

1" Click the Work Week3ta"
5" Click the N-efaultO and then the -etails3utton"
4" Select the da!s that !ou %ould like to change
%orking time for" Press and hold C#:I3utton and
choose more than one da!" In this e+ample
:esource = is onl! off on #uesda! afternoon"
Choose the Set da!(s) to specific %orking times3
option"
7" Click on the second ro% %hich ! defaults sa!s
=CM00 3 =7M00"
L" -elete that ro%"
@" Change the time from 0LM00 to 07M00 and click
/A"
&Please note that this change is not considered as an e!ception
but a change to the Standard 'alendar for the specific resource
)ndi*idua& Working +ours
%ase&ine, to -easure against
0s the Project Manager !ou need to kno% %hat to do$ %ho should do %hat$ %hen it should e done$ %h! it
should e done$ the cost for it and a &ariet! of other important things" #o e ale to get control and sta! in
control !ou need a 7aseline in !our project to measure !our progress against" If !ou do not set the aseline
!ou ha&e nothing to measure against and in that case its not possile to ha&e total control of !our project" 0s a
manager !ou need to sta! in control" #he aseline is nothing else than a fro'en picture of !our project at a
certain point of time" In Microsoft Project 2007 !ou are ale to ha&e up to == different aselines in a project" It
is although recommended to ha&e a fe% aselines as possile" *ou should onl! re3aseline %hen !ou ha&e
major changes in !our project such as) dela!s$ o&errun of udget or loss of ke! resources" #he right place in
time to do the first aseline is %hen the initial planning is done and the udget is appro&ed"
0fter !ou ha&e done !our Work 7reakdo%n Structure and inserted the tasks into MS Project 2007$ !ou ha&e
done !our resource3udget and allocation$ it is time for !ou to 7aseline !our project" *ou %ill most likel! sa&e
the MS project3file a numer of times efore !ou ha&e finali'ed the initial planning and the project is in such
shape that !ou can and should aseline it" #his is a natural process" When !ou do a aseline !ou sa&e the
follo%ing data aout the project at that specific point in time"
%,CCE%%
%ase&ine
*ssignments Start and 9inish dates$ %ork$ time
phased %ork$ costs and time phased costs"
Tasks -uration$ Start and 9inish dates$ %ork$ time
phased %ork$ cost and time phased cost"
Resources Work$ time phased %ork$ cost$ time
phased cost$ udget %ork$ time phased udget %ork$
udget cost and time phased udget cost"
In Microsoft Project 2007 !ou can set the aseline ! P
=" Create the project that !ou %ould like to aseline"
2" Choose #ools
C" Select #racking
1" Click on Set 7aseline"
5" /pen the 7aseline list o+ and choose the numer
of !our aseline"
4" <erif! ! clicking ok"
After clicking on set baseline it gets you the
screen below.
Resources
0s a project manager !our primar! task is to lead and manage resources to predefine goal and ojecti&e"
#o e ale to assign resources to tasks in Microsoft project !ou need to define the resources first" *ou do
this in the :esource Sheet and !ou %ill notice that !ou ha&e three different t!pes of resources to choose
from) Work$ Material and Cost"
1. 6ork
*ou should use this t!pe %hen !ou %ould like to define a human resource or e2uipment thatQs consuming
time %hen %orking on a task" 9or an e+ample this could e used %hen !ou ha&e a carpenter
remodeling !our house$ etc"
!. $aterial
#his t!pe is used for recourses that are consumed o&er time$ like petrol$ nails$ %ater or %ood"
). Cost
If !ou need to rent a house for a specific acti&it! !ou should use this t!pe or resource" *ou are ale to
connect a specific cost to an acti&it!"
(t is beneficial for you to define the resources in a good way because)
.
Microsoft Project %ill pro&ide accurate information aout the cost of each task and the project as a
%hole"
.
*ou are ale to filter out %hich tasks that are performed ! %hich resource"
.
*ou are ale to identif! o&er and under3utili'ed resources and in that %a! gain a higher efficienc! in the

project"
Resource Sheet *ie$
*ou can enter !our resources in the :esource sheet that !ou find ! choosing <ie% ? :esource Sheet in the
menu" It is recommended to use the resource3sheet to enter !our resources" *ou get a etter o&er&ie% of
!our resources allocated to the project and !ou also a&oid mistakes
0s !ou see in the resource3sheet !ou ha&e =C different columns %ith information)
1. Indicators. *ou are not ale to enter information in this field ut !ou %ill see icons here that for e+ample indicate that !ou ha&e o&er allocated the
resource or if !ou ha&e entered a note aout the resource"
!. Resource 7ame. #he name of the resource" In the e+ample ao&e Its entered :esource =$ :esource 2 etc"
). T2pe. Choose the t!pe of resource as mentioned ao&e) Work$ Material or Cost"
.. $aterial 0a#el" If !ou ha&e entered a Material3resource !ou can specif! a ,nit for the material" *ou can for e+ample enter Ailometers or Miles if !ou ha&e
a 9uel as a Material resource"
8. Initials. Microsoft Project automaticall! chooses the first letter in the name of the resource ut !ou are free modif! in an! %a! !ou %ould like to" It can
although e %ise to make sure that !ou ha&e indi&idual and specific initials for !ou resources %hen the initials %ill e displa!ed in an! &ie% that displa!s
the Initials"
9. :roup. 0 resource can e often elong to a line3organi'ation and !ou can for e+ample choose to enter the home3organi'ation or Compan! name if the
resource is a consultant"
'. $ax. ,nits. ;ere !ou enter the ma+imum amount of %ork the resource is ale to perform in terms of percentage" =006 R /ne ,nit or a 9ull #ime
:esource" 50 6 R half a ,nit or a ;alf #ime :esource"
;. %td. Rate" #his is the standard rate for the :esource" In m! case Carpenter Sohn charges me TL08hour"
<. =/t. Rate. If :esource = is to %ork o&ertime then he %ill charge T==08hour"
1&. Cost>,se. Some resources %ill re2uire a one time cost %hich !ou enter here" *ou might for e+ample %ant to rent some king of hard%are %hich cost T20
to rent and T=08hour" Microsoft Project %ill calculate the total cost for renting this hard%are to T20E(T=0Knumer of hours)"
11. *ccrue *t. #his field specifies ho% and %hen Microsoft project %ill calculate and charge the cost of a resource to a task" *ou are ale to choose et%een
Start$ (nd and Prorated" If !ou choose Start %ill Microsoft Project calculate the cost as soon as the task egins" (nd %ill make Microsoft project to
calculated the cost %hen the task is completed" Prorated %ill make Microsoft Project to accrue the cost of task %hen the task is completed"
1!. Base calendar. -efines %hich calendar to use for the resource" Is useful to specif! different calendars for e+ample if !ou ha&e resources in different
countries that ha&e different holida!s"
1). Code. In this field !ou can enter more or less %hat !ou %ould like to$ for e+ample a cost center code or some other information that is &alid to filter on"
Resource Sheet .o&u-n
/inking Tasks
In MS Project !ou often need to link tasks together" #his is ho% !ou define and displa! relationships and
dependencies et%een different tasks" #he default link t!pe is 9inish to Start Iink ut there are C additional t!pes$ in
total 1 different link t!pes)
1. Finish to start ?F%@. *ou ha&e t%o tasks) Ia! foundation (#ask 0) and :aise Walls (#ask 7)" *ou are not ale to
start #ask 7 efore !ou ha&e finished the foundation" #he link et%een these t%o tasks is therefore a 9inish to Start"
!. %tart to %tart ?%%@. IetQs sa! that !ou and a friend are going to put up a ne% fence" *ou are putting do%n the poles
and !our friend are attaching the net" #his is t%o different tasks) Putting do%n poles (#ask 0) and 0ttaching net (#ask
7)" #hese t%o tasks are of Start to Start link t!pe ecause !our friend needs to %ait until !ou ha&e started !our acti&it!
ut he does not need to %ait until !our are finished %ith !our task" #he SS link t!pe does not re2uire that oth task
starts simultaneousl!"
). Finish to Finish ?FF@. ,sing the same e+ample as ao&e !ou can also sa! that !ou need to e finished %ith putting
do%n the poles efore (#ask 0) efore !our friend is ale to finish his task of attaching the net (#ask 7)" #his is a 99
link t!pe"
.. %tart to Finish ?%F@. When !ou la! a foundation to a house %ith concrete !ou could ha&e t%o tasks$ Ia! foundation
(#ask 0) and -eli&er Concrete (#ask 7)" #ask 0 is not possile to completed efore #ask 7"
%o create a *inish to Start lin" between two tas"s)
=" Click on the 9inish3date of the first task"
2" Press C#:I and click on the Start3date of the second
task"
C" Click on the Iink #ask utton in the #oolar
#o change Iink #!pe P
=" /pen the #ask Information of the
specific task ! doule3clicking on
the task"
2" Choose the Predecessor3ta
C" Choose %hat kind of Iink #!pe
!ou %ould like from the drop
do%n3list"
1" Confirm ! clicking /A"
/inking Tasks
0 2uick %a! of sorting information in MS Project is to use 9ilter" 0 9ilter is
predetermined set of rules that %ill find certain tasks" #his is especiall!
useful %hen !ou ha&e large projects %ith man! tasks and need to find
certain tasks easil!"
0s default there are =0 different 9ilters in MS Project 2007)
1. *ll Tasks" 0s it sounds$ %ill sho% !ou all tasks in the project"
!. Completed Tasks. Sho%s all completed tasks in the project" 9ilter on
the Percentage Complete 9ield in the Deneral #a in #ask Information"
). Critical. Sho%s all tasks that are on the critical path in the project"
.. (ate Range. Will filter out tasks that starts or finish after a certain date
of !our choice"
8. Incomplete Tasks. Sho%s all incomplete tasks in the project" 9ilter on
the Percentage Complete 9ield on the Deneral #a in #ask
Information"
9. $ilestones. 9ilters out all tasks that are marked as a milestone on the
0d&anced ta in #ask Information"
'. %ummar2 Tasks. Sho%s all the summar! tasks"
;. Task Range. Will gi&e !ou the possiilit! to sho% task et%een I- +
and I- !"
<. Task 6ith Estimated (urations. Sho%s all tasks %ith the duration
estimated" #his is indicated ! a F.G after the time in the duration field"
1&. ,sing ResourceA Iet !ou filter on resource of !our choice"
9or filters click on Project and then select 9iltered for"
!efau&t 0i&ters
-ependencies are often crucial and important to
understand and monitor in a project and it can often e
e+ternal dependencies that dri&es the time line for the
project" It is therefore important to 2uickl! get an
o&er&ie% of the dependencies to a certain task" If !ou
ha&e man! tasks in a project it %ill 2uickl! get difficult
to manuall! follo% the dependencies" #here are three
different %a!s of &ie%ing the dependencies in Microsoft
Project 2007"
=" /pen the #ask Information dialog o+ ! doule3
click on the task and choose the Predecessor3ta"
2" <ie% the Predecessors in the Predecessors3column"
*ou %ill then see the #ask3I- of the Predecessors"
C" #he third alternati&e$ %hich is recommended$ is to
use the #ask -ri&ers pane %hich is a >e% 9eature in
MS Project 2007"
Select a task and choose Project then click #ask
-ri&ers" Microsoft Project 2007 displa!s the
follo%ing information) >ame and #ask I- of the
Predecessor$ #ask #!pe and if there is an! Iag
et%een the #asks$ %hich calendar that is used$ and
%hich resource(s) that are assigned to the
predecessor"
Click on Project in main menu and then select Task
Drivers
After selecting Task Drivers it gets the screen below at the left
hand side of the Gantt Chart
Task !ri*ers Pane
0s soon as !ou start e+ecuting the project ((+ecution3phase) !ou also need report progress and measure that against the
defined aseline(s) !ou ha&e in the project" #here are three main challenges %ith reporting actual progress in a project)

1. 0e/el of detail. *ou need to decide on %hich le&el of details !ou should report on" If !ou decide to report on a &er! detailed
le&el !ou risk of spending &aluale time on just reporting" If !ou$ on the other hand$ define a too high reporting le&el !ou %ill
loose the accurac! of the progress3reporting" Which le&el to choose depends on a numer of things$ such as comple+it!$
si'e of the project$ re2uirements from stakeholders and e+perience in the team" 0 general rule of thum is to report on the
second lo%est le&el in the W7S ut this is up to !ou as a Project Manager to decide"
!. ,nderstanding 651. *ou need to get the team to understand W;* it is so important that all report progress and estimate
time to completion for the tasks" /ne of the FsecretsG is to get the team to understand ! them sel&es that all resources in
the project %ill ha&e etter %ork3en&ironment if the project is under control" It usuall! takes time efore all the project
understands this and also accepts the fact that the! need to report progress" 0ll projects ha&e different and specific reasons
ut it all comes do%n to$ that !ou as a Project Manager needs to sta! in control"
). Bualit2 of input. *ou %ill most likel! use the progress3report in different reports to stakeholders and also internal the project
and it is therefore &er! important that the reported progress is as correct as possile" -ependent on %hat !ou decide
regarding the le&el of details and ho% %ell the team understand %h! reporting is important !ou %ill ha&e etter orHnot so
good correctness in the progress3reports"
.. (efine the process. 0s stated in pre&ious tutorials it is important that !ou al%a!s ha&e updated information in Microsoft
Project %hich enales !ou to take correct decisions" /ne of the main challenges (in m! opinion) %ith Microsoft Project
2007 is to ha&e a smooth process of updating 0ctual Progress for each task" 0s the Project Manager !ou need to get reports
from the resources in !our project aout their actual progress and estimated time to completion for each of their tasks" #he
2uestion is ho% and %ho that should update the task3information in Microsoft Project 2007. In small projects it is feasile
to let all resources ha&e access to the MS Project3file and update their tasks ut in mid3si'e and larger projects this is not a
good %a!" #his is %here Microsoft Project 2007 Ser&er and We 0ccess do a major difference ut %hat do !ou do if !ou onl!
ha&e the stand a lone &ersion of MS Project. #hen !ou need to e careful %hen defining the le&el of detail that !ou should
report on and !ou could also set up a e+cel3sheet that the resources report detail progress into and !ou transfer the
information into MS Project on a mid le&el of details" #here are no great solutions to this (e+cept MS Project 2007 ser&er and
%e3access) and !ou need to find the solutions that fits !our project"
About Actua& Progress
Iearn from the Past and plan for the 9utureU
It is of course important to track ho% much resources !ou ha&e spent so far ut it is e&en more important for
!ou as the project manager to al%a!s kno% ho% much !ou ha&e left of the project$ oth in time and mone!"
Project managers should manage the project and not estimate time to completion for the resources$ this
should e done ! the resources them self" (stimate #ime to Completion ((#C) is one the most po%erful
techni2ues that !ou as Project Manager has$ if !ou do it correct !ou %ill ha&e a comprehensi&e picture of if
!ou %ill meet the deadlines of not" 0t the same time as the resources reports the actual progress the! should
also report the (#C for the specific tasks$ the (#C can than e aggregated for the total project and !ou %ill
then ha&e solid and &alid information to report to the team and to the stake holders"
#o e ale to measure progress and plan for the future !ou need to at least record three asic t!pes of
informationM

;o% much that ha&e een completed of the task$ either in percentage complete or in actual %ork per task
(on the le&el of detail that !ou decide)"

0ctual start of the task" (on %hich date did the e+ecution of the task start")

(stimate time to completion$ preferale in remaining %ork" ;o% much %ork remains of the task"
If !ou record these three &alues !ou %ill e ale to report the amount of %ork that !ou ha&e spend per task or
summar! task and also ho% much remains per task and summar! task" #his information is &er! important for
!ou as Project Manager and !ou %ill e ale to sta! in control if !ou use the &alues mentioned ao&e"
Actua& Progress
0s said in the tutorial aout 0ctual Progress !ou need to update the actual progress of !our project into
Microsoft Project 2007 to e ale to compare the aseline in !our project to%ards the actual progress"
Comparing the actual progress and the aseline %ill pro&ide !ou %ith information if !ou are on track or
slipping ehind the time scheduleHor e&en ahead of the plan"
:ememer that this information is essential for !ou as a Project Manager and !ou should al%a!s e a%are if
!ou are on track or running late in the project" >ot kno%ing the current status of the project %ill force !ou into
take incorrect decisions and in the long run also hurt !our project management career"
0ctual progress of a task can e
updated as elo% 3
=" /pen the Dantt Chart"
2" Choose Windo% click Split"
C" Click on the ottom pane"
1" Choose <ie% select More <ie%s
then click #ask -etail 9orm
5" Choose the task in the Dantt Chart
that !ou %ould like to update !
clicking it"
4" Choose 0ctual in the -ates3section"
7" (dit either start or 9inish3date"
L" Confirm ! clicking /A"
+pdate ,ctual Start or *inish date for the tas" -%,S. ,/
1dating Start and 0inish !ate
0s the captain of a ship !ou need to outline the course that !ou are aout to sail and then !ou al%a!s need to
keep !our earings under close control to e sure that !ou na&igate correctl!" #he same goes for *ou as
project manager$ !ou define the plan and e+ecute !our project and during the e+ecution of the project !ou
need to sta! in control of !our progress and ne+t step8tasks in the project" ;o% *ou choose to %ork %ith
updating progress in !our progress is something that *ou as Project Manager need to decide and %hat %orks
in one project ma! not %ork in another" :ead more aout 0ctual Progress to get more information aout %hat
to think of %hen updating the progress in !our project"
0 con&enient %a! of updating the actual progress in Microsoft Project 2007 is to use the #racking #oolar" *ou
find the #racking #oolar ! clicking <ie%3?#oolars3?#racking"
1. Pro"ect %tatistics. Microsoft Project 2007 gi&es !ou statistics aout the progress in the project" MSP
%ill pro&ide !ou information aout Start$ 9inish$ -uration$ Work and Cost
%rac"ing %oolbar
Project Statistics
Tracking Too&bar
!. ,pdate as %chedule. With this option !ou update the selected tasks to progress e+actl! according to the
schedule"
). Reschedule 6ork. #his feature reschedule the selected tasks to start8continue at the current date"
.. *dd Progress 0ine. #he cursor changes into to a selection tool that lets !ou choose the date for the
progress line
8+<. &C to 1&&C complete. Select the task(s) that !ou %ould like to update and choose the 06$ 256$ 506$
756 or =006 progress for the task(s)" *ou can from the start of the project decide to onl! report progress in
06$ 256$ 506$ 756 or =006 per task" If !ou do so this feature is con&enient for !ou"
1&. ,pdate tasks. /pens up the ,pdate #asks -ialog o+" ;ere !ou update 0ctual and Current Start and
9inish and !ou are also ale to update 6 complete$ 0ctual duration and :emaining duration
Progress Line
Tracking Too&bar
==" Set reminder" #his feature lets !ou set a reminder to e sent &ia Microsoft /utlook" *ou can set the timer
in ;ours$ -a!s$ Weeks or Months efore the start or the finish of the task"
=2" Collaorate toolar" 7! choosing this option !ou %ill se the Collaorate #oolar and this is &er! useful if
!ou are %orking %ith Project Ser&er$ We access and enterprise project management" Without Project
Ser&er and We 0ccess installed and configured !ou ha&e no use of this option"
Collaborate
Toolbar
Tracking Too&bar
0s the Project Manager of !our project !ou need to
sta! in control of the allocation of !our resources" *ou
should al%a!s e ale to ans%er the 2uestionM FWho
do %hat and %hen.G Microsoft Project 2007 supports
!ou in this matter in a &er! good %a!" 0 project is a
pre3defined scope of %ork that !ou need to deli&er
%ithin a certain time$ %ithin udget and on time" #o
ha&e an honest %a! of doing so !ou should al%a!s tr!
to ma+imi'e the allocation of the resources and make
sure that e&er!od! al%a!s ha&e tasks allocated to
them" Planning a project is a science in it self and it
%ill often re2uire a numer of iterations efore !ou are
satisfied %ith the plan" -uring the Start3up and
(+ecution phase of the project !ou need to alance
the %orkload for all resources and also take into
consideration aspects such as competence$ general
performance$ parallel tasks$ comple+it! of tasks and
a&ailailit! of the resources" #r! to get a feeling for
each resource as soon as possile in the project and
ho% each indi&idual performance and his8her
capailit! of deli&ering on time" #he general rule of
thum is to allocate resources to not more than =006$
tr! to stick %ith that and it %ill increase !our
possiilities to deli&er on time" #he information that
!ou enter in Microsoft project 2007 must e in line
%ith the realit! and it is no use for an!one to allocate
a resource to =C06 %hen !ou kno% that he onl! %ill
e ale to deli&er L56 that specific %eek" It %ill end
up %ith irritation and disappointments" 0fter !ou ha&e
done !ou initial Dantt3chart and assigned tasks to
resources !ou can use t%o of the &ie%s) :esource
Draph and :esource ,sage (or a comination of
them oth) :esource Draph" #he :esource Draph
sho%s !ou %hich resources that are o&er or under
allocated in the project" #he lue colors are sho%ing
that the resource not is o&er3allocated" :ed indicates
o&er3allocation and that *ou should in&estigate if !ou
need to take actions"
$esource 0raph showing over allocation for $esource 1
%a&ancing Work&oad
#his graph gi&es !ou a good o&er&ie% of the %orkload o&er time per resource" #he picture ao&e sho%s
that the :esource = is o&er allocated to C006 and this is a situation that !ou need to sol&e" *ou can either
reschedule tasks or add more resources to the tasks"
>o% !ou kno% that the :esource = is o&er allocated during a certain duration ut !ou do not kno% %hich
tasks that are causing the o&er allocation" 9or this purpose !ou can use the :esource ,sage3&ie%"
$esource usage2view showing over allocation of three resources 3red te!t4
$esource +sage 5iew
Resource 1sage #ie$
#his &ie% is &er! useful to use %hen anal!'ing %h! certain resources are o&er allocated" In this case it is the
:esource=$ :esource 2 and :esource C that are o&er allocated" In larger project %ith man! resources and
that has a long duration it is recommended to print this &ie% in a color3printer and tap the pages together"
*ou %ill in this %a! ha&e an e+cellent o&er&ie% of the resource3allocation o&er time"
When alancing the %orkload !ou can either do that in the Dantt chart or directl! in the :esource usage3
&ie%" It is easier to do it in the Dantt chart ecause it pro&ides !ou %ith more &aluale information aout
duration$ dependencies$ etcH *ou are although ale to do it in the :esource usage &ie% as %ell ! editing
the %orkload per task per %eek" Click the cell for a certain task and da! and change the %ork"
You are able to update the wor" in the $esource +sage view
Resource 1sage #ie$
*ou can see that the #asks 0$ - B (
ha&e een edited for :esource 2"
Please note the s!mol to the left of
the name that indicates that the task
has een updated and that the
:esource 2 is no longer o&er
allocated an! more" #his change %ill
impact the duration of the #asks 0$
- B ( and !ou need to anal!'e the
Dantt chart to secure an!
dependencies" If !ou canQt change
the duration of the task !ou need to
add more resources to these tasks"
Split &ie% et%een :esources
Draph and :esources usage
*ou can also split the %indo% to
displa! t%o &ie%s" *ou do this !)
=" Choose Windo% and then click
Split
2" Choose <ie% and then click
:esource Draph"
#his %ill pro&ide more information in
the same screen"
Split view for $esource 1 who still is partly over allocated
Resource 1sage #ie$
Microsoft Project 2007 also gi&es !ou the opportunit! to do a automatic le&eling of the resources ut it is
strongl! recommended not to use the feature ecause it gi&es !ou a false feeling of ha&ing sol&ed the
prolem and !ou do not ha&e total control of %hat MS Project has done" -o the resource alancing
manuall! and !ou %ill still e in control"
Regards2
Shaan3
Technical (irector 3
Calculus Technologies P/t. 0td
#ra/eheartshaanDgmail.com
%a&ance Work&oad