Microsoft Project Training Blog http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com Microsoft Project Training and MS Project Tutorials Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:28:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Add the Late Indicator tool in Microsoft Project http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/add-the-late-indicator-tool-in-microsoft-project/ http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/add-the-late-indicator-tool-in-microsoft-project/#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 21:27:55 +0000 admin http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/add-the-late-indicator-tool-in-microsoft-project/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

Here is a quick tutorial on how to add a late indicator to Microsoft Project.  I published it thi week on Techrepublic.

Sent to you via Google Reader

Add the Late Indicator tool in Microsoft Project

Learn how to build the Late Indicator tool so anyone viewing your project schedule can quickly determine if any tasks are behind schedule.

This tip was powered by Microsoft Project Training from http://www.tacticalprojectmanagement.com

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

]]> http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/add-the-late-indicator-tool-in-microsoft-project/feed/ 0 Using the Project Statistics box http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/using-the-project-statistics-box/ http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/using-the-project-statistics-box/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 10:44:47 +0000 admin http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/using-the-project-statistics-box/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

I found another relevant article on how to quickly determine WHAT your project performance looks like in Microsoft Project.
It doesn’t take much but with just a click, you can use the Project Statistics box to determine the overall schedule variance and baseline duration, actual and remaining duration in a project.
Ofcourse you need to remember to baseline the schedule to get the most out of these metrics.

via Microsoft Project 2010 by Toney Sisk on 12/9/09


The biggest question in project management is: How is my project going? The quickest way to learn this is to take a look at the Project Statistics dialog box in Project 2007. To get to this, on the Project Menu, click Project Information, and then click the Statistics button.

image

At a glance, you can find the following:

  • At the top, you can review start and finish dates for the currently estimated, baseline, and actual  dates, as well as the variances.
  • At the bottom, you can review the current, baseline, actual, and remaining values for duration, work, and cost.

Now, wouldn’t it nice if doing your taxes and balancing your checkbook were this easy?

This tip was powered by Microsoft Project Training from http://www.tacticalprojectmanagement.com

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

]]> http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/using-the-project-statistics-box/feed/ 0 Tips and Tricks: Mark a single task on the Calendar http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/tips-and-tricks-mark-a-single-task-on-the-calendar/ http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/tips-and-tricks-mark-a-single-task-on-the-calendar/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 03:02:59 +0000 admin http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/tips-and-tricks-mark-a-single-task-on-the-calendar/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

I found this tip via my GoogleReader. If you want to format the Gantt chart differently for specific tasks, you can use this tip to mark your tasks and then format the chart differently using the Bar Styles option.
Ofcourse, you’ll need to mark each individual task but for key tasks, it is helpful to communicate challenge areas in the project schedule. Give the tip below a shot and be sure to check out the MSDN blog for additional tips!

via Microsoft Project 2010 by Toney Sisk on 3/16/10


In my last Tips and Tricks blog I introduced the Calendar view in Project, a very familiar and popular way to present task information for instant reporting. Here is another trick you can do on the Calendar— format single tasks differently than other tasks.

The trick is to first “mark” a task on the Gantt Chart, and then in the Calendar, specify that marked tasks be formatted in a specific way.

1. On the Gantt Chart, add the Marked column (right-click a column and then click Insert Column).

2. For each task that you want formatted differently, click Yes in the Marked column.

image

3. Now, switch to the Calendar view.

4. If you’re using Project 2007, click Bar Styles on the View menu. (If your using Project 2010, click Bar Styles on the Format tab.)

5. In the Bar Styles dialog box, select the “Marked” task type, and then choose a type of formatting for tasks that are marked. Here is an example of a single task that has been marked in the Gantt Chart and then formatted red in the Calendar.

image

This tip was powered by Microsoft Project Training from http://www.tacticalprojectmanagement.com

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

]]> http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/tips-and-tricks-mark-a-single-task-on-the-calendar/feed/ 0 Understanding the Default MS Project Environment http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/gantt-chart-view/ http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/gantt-chart-view/#comments Sun, 09 May 2010 23:51:07 +0000 admin http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/?p=44 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

I found another brief but useful video on Microsoft Project that simply explains the default environment in Microsoft Project 2007.

The key lesson learned is to learn about the different views and tables available in Microsoft Project.  A lot of newbie Microsoft Project users think the tool works a lot like Excel.
It actually works more like a data cube with different tables and viewpoints into the Microsoft Project scheduling engine.

I wrote a brief tutorial on the the different views on my Tactical Project Management blog – Microsoft Project Tutorial Custom Views and Tables

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

]]> http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/gantt-chart-view/feed/ 0 Indenting Tasks in Microsoft Project http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/indenting-tasks-in-microsoft-project/ http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/indenting-tasks-in-microsoft-project/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 16:00:41 +0000 admin http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/?p=34 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

Whenever I teach teams how to build a project schedule, a common question arises about indenting tasks in the project schedule.  When a Work Break Down Structure is decomposed into task packages, the result is a detail list of activities.  These activities are often grouped into sections like a writing outline.  Indenting in Microsoft Project is easy to do however teams can make the mistake of assigning resources to summary tasks or building dependencies at the summary level.

This video demonstrates the outlining concept:

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

]]> http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/indenting-tasks-in-microsoft-project/feed/ 0 Microsoft Project Tutorial – PERT Analysis http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/microsoft-project-tutorial-pert-analysis/ http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/microsoft-project-tutorial-pert-analysis/#comments Sun, 02 May 2010 13:43:03 +0000 admin http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/?p=27 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

In this Microsoft Project Tutorial, there are several good points on using PERT analysis for effort estimation.
Analogous and bottom up estimation techniques use different approaches when estimating effort and cost. One approach to estimation is to use a 3 point estimation technique. The PERT method provides a weighted average that is based on multiple points of estimation.

This video provides a good overview of PERT and how to use it in MS Project. Take a look at 4:30 timeline for the MS Project example.

Another useful approach to estimation using an Agile estimation technique is Planning Poker. You don’t necessarily need to be following Agile to apply the concepts of Planning Poker but it is a fun technique to arrive an agreed estimate. Take look at http://www.planningpoker.com/

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

]]> http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/05/microsoft-project-tutorial-pert-analysis/feed/ 1 Microsoft Project Tutorial – View the Critical Path http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/04/microsoft-project-training-view-the-critical-path/ http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/04/microsoft-project-training-view-the-critical-path/#comments Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:00:56 +0000 admin http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/?p=21 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

I published this Microsoft Project tutorial on how to view the critical path last year to demonstrate how easy it is to view the critical path in Microsoft Project. I often hear project managers use the term “critical path” incorrectly. In status meetings when reviewing a late task, a frequent comment is “don’t worry – the project isn’t on the critical path”.

How do they really know if the late task is on the critical path or not?
The answer is to check the critical path! Hope you like the video.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

]]> http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/04/microsoft-project-training-view-the-critical-path/feed/ 0 Creating Milestones in Microsoft Project 2007 http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/04/creating-milestones-in-microsoft-project-2007/ http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/04/creating-milestones-in-microsoft-project-2007/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:38:10 +0000 admin http://microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/?p=9 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

This video provides a brief demonstration on how to add milestones into your Microsoft Project 2007 project schedule.

Once you’ve added milestones, you can easily view them by selecting the Milestones option from the Formatting Tool Bar.  I’ve also found using the Milestone option in the Group By combo box in the Standard Tool Bar an effective option as well.  Once you have milestones in your schedule, remember to baseline them as track any schedule variances!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

]]> http://www.microsoftprojecttrainingblog.com/2010/04/creating-milestones-in-microsoft-project-2007/feed/ 0