MSP by MS
MICROSOFT
PROJECT 2007
A Quick Reference Guide for MSP2007
By:
Mani Srikanth
MSP by MS
Microsoft Project is a software that helps you to plan and track projects, i.e. it
helps you to create project plans, communicate them to others and manage the
changes as they occur. It is similar to other Microsoft applications. The menu bars,
toolbars, shortcut menus, dialog boxes, commands etc. have much in common
with MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint etc., making it easy to get started
quickly.
What is a project?
A project is a onetime venture having a beginning and an end, that has to be
completed within a certain budget and is carried out by people who have limited
experience working as a team. Any Project undertaken has to be managed by a
project manager or / with by people working on it.
Main functions of MSP:
1. Planning
includes WBS, activities description.
2. Scheduling
includes calendar creation, assigning holidays, start date/ finish
date, finding critical path and total duration.
3. Costing or Budgeting
includes defining and assigning resources
4. Resource management
includes resource levelling
5. Tracking/monitoring/progress updating
includes creating baseline and recording progress (updating
progress)
6. Variance analysis
includes BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, SV, CV, SPI, CPI
7. Report generation
includes creating reports
8. Communication
includes communicating with stake holders/ clients
MSP by MS
Some More Functions:
1. Organising
2. Grouping
3. Sorting
4. Filtering
5. Controlling
In order to perform all these functions, some INPUT DATA is required.
Input data includes 1. Project details
2. Activity details
3. Resource details
Now let us see how to input all these details one by one:
1.. PROJECT DETAILS:
There are two types of project details:
a. Text information: these details will have no impact on analysis
e.g., project name, location, manager name.
PATH:
FilePropertiesunder summary tab
b. Data information: these details will have an impact in analysis
e.g., project start date, target finish date, project calendar
PATH:
project project information
NOTES:
1. To change the date format
Control paneldate,time regional
regional options customize
language optionsunder
MSP by MS
2. Priority: it is useful when we are working with multi-projects
The values varies from 0 to 1000
1000 gives highest importance
CALENDAR CREATION:
It is the first step to be carried out before creating a project.
How to create new calendar:
PATH: ToolsChange working time select create new calendar
Now you will get one new window create a new base calendar
In that window give the name of the calendar, and then
if you select create a new base calendar it will create a fresh calendar
(or)
if you select make a copy of optionit will create a copy of the calendar you
want to.
And say OK
Now you can select your calendar from for calendar option
Any holidays for selected days can be assigned from EXCEPTIONS tab
We can make a week either working or non-working using WORK WEEK tab
After assigning all these properties to the calendar say OK.
Now assign that calendar to your project trough:
ProjectProject informationCalendar
NOTES:
a. To make a calendar globalised (i.e., we can use that calendar for any
project we are going to create in future), go to
Toolsorganisecalendars tab
and place your calendar in the
left side box i.e., in the Global.MPT box.
MSP by MS
2.. ACTITY DETAILS:
Activity details consists of
i.)
List of activities
ii.)
Duration of the activities
iii.)
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
iv.)
Relationships
v.)
Constraints
vi.)
Deadlines
vii.)
Activity calendar
viii.) Activity type
ix.)
Milestones
x.)
Notes
i.)
List of activities:
enter the activity names under task name
column
ii.)
Duration of the activities:
enter these values under duration
column
iii.)
WBS:
the process of dividing group of activities into different
segments is called WBS.
Select the activity, which you want to make it as a sub-task for the
above task, and go to
ProjectOutlineindent
To know more, watch 03_02_subtasks video from MSP Videos.
iv.)
Relationships:
the process of assigning dependencies between
activities.
Goto
windowsplit
MSP by MS
Now right click on the bottom window and select predecessors &
successors option.
Now select the activity and give the predecessor/successor name,
relation type, and lag/ lead time.
v.)
Constraints:
any condition for an activity whether to start on
or to finish on is given by constraints.
PATH: select activityprojecttask informationunder
advanced tabassign constraint type and constraint date
For more information watch 04_05_constraint video
vi.)
Dead lines:
dead line for an activity will be given here
PATH: select activityprojecttask informationunder
advanced tabassign dead line date
NOTES:
1. Constraints will have an effect in scheduling.
2. Dead lines will have no effect in scheduling.
3. Dead lines will be indicated as a red signal in indicator column.
4. Dead lines are preferable than constraints.
5. Dead lines will have effect in total float calculation.
vii.)
Activity calendar: a activity can follow a calendar other than
project calendar, it is given as activity calendar
PATH: select activityprojecttask informationunder
advanced tabassign calendar
viii.) Activity type:
the type of activity whether it is fixedduration,
fixed units, or fixed work
Duration = work / units.
In a . . .
Fixed units task
If you revise work . . .
If you revise duration . . .
If you revise units . . .
Duration changes
Work changes
Duration changes
MSP by MS
Fixed work task
Fixed duration task
Duration changes
Units change
Units change
Work changes
Duration changes
Work changes
ix.)
To set a default task type for the entire project, click Options on
the Tools menu, and then click the Schedule tab. In the Default
task type box, select Fixed Units (the default), Fixed Duration, or
Fixed Work.
To change the task type for an individual task, select the task, and
then click the Task Information button. Click the Advanced tab,
and then in the Task type box, click the task type that you want to
create.
Milestones:
milestones represents a particular point of
time
Activities with zero duration are called milestones.
x.)
Notes:
any important notes can be written here
PATH: select activityprojecttask informationnotes tab
IDENTIFYING CRITICAL PATH:
1. Gantt chart view:
PATH: formatgantt chart wizardnextselect critical
pathfinishformat itexit wizard
in gantt chart, critical activities will be shown in red colour.
2. Filtering:
PATH: projectfiltered forcritical
You can see only critical activities in the activity sheet.
3.. Resource Details:
1. Defining resource and
2. Assigning resources for activities.
MSP by MS
1. Defining resource:
PATH: view resource sheet
In this sheet enter the
i.)
ii.)
iii.)
iv.)
v.)
resource name
type:
includes two types named work and material, in which
Men and machines comes under work type and
Material like sand, cement etc.., comes under material type.
Material label:
it is an unit of measurement for material type
of resources.
It is not applicable for work type resources.
Initials
Group
Both initials and group are useful in grouping of resources
vi.)
Max. units: it indicates the max availability of that resource.
It is applicable for work type resources only.
NOTE: to change the unit ( percentage or decimal) of this goto
toolsoptionsscheduleshow assignment units as a
vii.) Std. rate:
it gives the standard rate to be given for that resource.
Default format is per hour
To give in per day format
enter number and leave a space then type /d
e.g., 200 /d
NOTE: to change the currency units go to
Toolsoptionsview change currency format
viii.) Ovt. Rate:
it gives the over time rate for that resource.
ix.)
Cost/use:
it is defined as one time charges occurred.
x.)
Accrue at: it is the payment method for that resource. Default type
is prorated which indicates payment at regular intervals. The other
two are start and end where payment is done at starting and ending
of the project respectively.
xi.)
Base calendar:
it gives the calendar which the resource has to
follow.
xii.) Code: any specifications for that resource can be written here.
2. Assigning resources:
Task information(double click on a task)resource
Assign resource name and no. of units required
For each activity repeat the process
MSP by MS
NOTE:
1. If multiple activities have the same resources to be assigned then
Select those activitiestoolsassign resources
HOW TO SEE PROJECT COST:
1. Viewtablecost
(or)
2. Projectproject informationstatistics.
HOW TO SEE OVERALLOCATED RESOURCES:
If the required no. of resources are greater than the max. units of resources then
that resource is said to be over allocated
To see the over allocated resorce:
1. Resource sheet : over allocated resource will be in red colour
2. Resource graph: over allocated resource will be in red colour
(or)
RESOLVING OVER ALLOCATION PROBLEM (OR) RESOURCE LEVELLING:
Before solving over allocation problem steps to be followed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identify which resource is over allocated
Identify at which task these resources are over allocated
At what time these resources are over allocated
How much over allocated
Go to viewtoolbarsresource management
Now we will get one new tool bar(resource management)
Select the over allocated resource and select assign resource option from the
resource management tool bar and then say replace
If the over allocation problem is not solved then goto
Tools level resource
WITH THIS THE INPUTS REQUIRED ARE FINISHED
MSP by MS
TRACKING (OR) VARIANCE ANALYSIS:
It is a step by process, steps involved are
1. Creating a base line
2. Recording progress
3. Variance analysis
1. Creating a base line:
Toolstrackingset base line
Select whether to set a base line or a interim plan
And say ok
Base line:
in a base line all the information including cost and
dates will be saved.
Interim plan:
in a interim plan only information about dates are
saved.
Interim plans are not useful for cost analysis.
Now go to tracking gantt view from view bar ( left side)
Grey colour bar is the base line.
2. Recording progress:
Toolstrackingupdate project
From the above step the whole project is updated, but each activity should
also be updated. So select each task and go to
Toolstrackingupdate task (change the actual start and finish
dates)
Now to see the variance go to
View tablevariance
To see the cost variance go to
Viewtablecost
MSP by MS
To see the work variance go to
Viewtablework
3. Variance analysis:
Goto
Viewtablemore tablesearned valueapply
In that table
PV indicates BCWS
EV indicates BCWP
AV indicates ACWP
If SV is negative then the project is behind scheduled
If SV is positive then the project is ahead of scheduled
If CV is negative then the project is over spent the money
If CV is positive then the project is under spent the money
REPORT GENERATION:
View reports
COMMUNICATION:
Filesend to
(or)
Filesave as web page
