project scheduling with microsoft project -...

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Project Scheduling With

Microsoft ProjectJim Donovan, PMP

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I have been building and managing project

schedules for manufacturing, construction

and information technology projects since

1983.

The tools I have used are MS Project,

Primavera P3 and C.A.T.

I am PMP Certified

Specialties: Project Scheduling, PMP

Jim Donovan, PMP

Master Scheduler at Dewpoint. I Help develop

schedule solutions for IT projects.

Agenda

• Getting Started

• The Quick Access Bar

• Special Characters in the Task Name a No No

• Units/Work/Duration Task Types

• Dependency Types

• Critical Path

• Baseline your schedule Twice each time you baseline

• Using Custom Fields/Flags/Filters/Views

• Why use a Status Date

• What not to do when statusing tasks

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Agenda

• Appendix A - Additional Information on MS Project Options

• Appendix B – Common Filters I use

• Appendix C – References I use

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Getting Started• This is decision time

• Do I use an existing schedule to start with or create a new one?

• Do I use one schedule for the entire project or multiple schedules?

• Are there more than one project managers on the project?

• Will they build and control their own schedule(s)?

• Will there be a Master Schedule?

• Will the project use Project Server or MS Project Professional?

• Will the schedules be stored on a project SharePoint site?

• What holidays will the project observe?

• What work day time frame is the project using?

• Will there be cross schedule interdependencies

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MS Project Quick Access Bar

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• Quick Access Bar

• Is a bar below the Ribbon, that contains function

Icons you select.

• The functions can be from any of the tabs

• The functions are what you use the most

• You can add to or remove functions at any time

• It is very easy to use

MS Project Quick Access Bar cont.

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• Go to File-Options

• Select Quick Access Toolbar

• Check the Show Quick Access Toolbar

below the Ribbon, below the left list

• Change Choose commands from: to All

Commands


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• Choose the commands you want on the

Left side

• Click on Add

• Use Arrow on the right to change the order

of your list

• Note: you can also select the

items from the main ribbon,

by right clicking on it and

select Add to Quick Access

Bar.


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• Select when this Quick Access Bar will be

available

• Either for all Projects or

• This project only

MS Project Special Characters

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• Project does not like special characters used in the Name (Task Name)

field

• You can put them in and for a while you are ok, but there will come a

time that something will happen like:

• Your baseline can change

• Dates change

• You can’t open your schedule

• What are special characters:

• ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) + = “ ; ’ : ? / > < [ { } ] \ | ` . , - _

• Can any special characters be used, Yes!

• The following can be used:

• - and _ (Dash and Underscore)

MS Project Task Types

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• Default Task Type

Determines what

you want to control

between three

types:

• Fixed Units

• Fixed Duration

• Fixed Work

MS Project Task Types cont.

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• There is a relationship between the Duration of the task, the Work

(hours to complete the task) and Units (per period, the rate of doing the

work or number of people working on the task). The relationship is:

Duration x Units = Work


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• Fixed Duration: The Duration remains constant if you change Work or Units. If

you change Duration, then Work changes.

• Fixed Units: The Units stays constant if either Duration or Work changes. If you

change Units, then Duration changes.

• Fixed Work: The Work stays constant if either Duration or Units per Time

Period changes. If you change Work, Duration changes.


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• Fixed Duration: The Duration remains constant if you change Work

or Units. If you change Work, then neither Duration or Units

change.

Original

Increased Work


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• Fixed Duration cont.: The Duration remains constant if you

change Work or Units. If you change Units, then Work changes.

Original

Changed Units


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• Fixed Duration cont.: The Duration remains constant if you change

Work or Units. If you change Duration, then Work changes.

Original

Changed Duration


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• Fixed Units: The Units stays constant if either Duration or Work

changes. If you change Units, then Duration changes.

Original

Changed Units


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• Fixed Units cont.: The Units stays constant if either Duration or Work

changes. If you change Duration, then Work changes.

Original

Changed Duration


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• Fixed Units cont.: The Units stays constant if either Duration or

Work changes. If you change Work, then Duration changes.

Original

Changed Work


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• Fixed Work: The Work stays constant if either Duration or Units per

Time Period changes. If you change Units, Duration changes.

Original

Changed Units


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• Fixed Work cont.: The Work stays constant if either Duration or

Units per Time Period changes. If you change Duration, neither

Units or Work changes.

Original

Changed Duration


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• Fixed Work cont.: The Work stays constant if either Duration or

Units per Time Period changes. If you change Work, Duration

changes.Original

Changed Work

MS Project Dependencies

• Dependencies

• Most Common

• Finish to Start or FS

• Start to Start or SS

• Finish to Finish or FF

• Fourth Dependency, Not used much

• Start to Finish or SF

• Not a recommended Dependency to use

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MS Project Dependencies cont.

• All dependencies can use a Lag or Lead

• Leads use negative durations

• Usually used with a Finish to Start dependency type

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Task A – 10Days

Task B – 10 Days

FS -5D


• Lags use a positive duration

• Are used with any of the dependency types

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Task B – 5 DaysTask A – 5DaysFS +5D

1 5 11 16

Task E –

10Days

Task F – 10 Days

FF +5D

1 10

6 15

Task C – 10Days

Task D – 10 DaysSS +5D

1 10

6 15


• When using a Start to Start dependency, you must also make sure

you use a Finish to Finish or Finish to Start as well.

• You must always have a successor off the finish of the task.

• You need to do this to maintain a complete chain for Critical Path.

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Task A

Task BSS +5D

Task C

FS

FS

MS Project Critical Tasks

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• Critical should be within a chain of other tasks completely through to the

end of the project or at least to the Go Live milestone.

• This will happen if every task as at least one predecessor and one

finishing successor.

• Finishing Successor means, the dependency is coming off the finish of

the task, with either a Finish to Start or Finish to Finish.

• MS Project looks at a task with no successor or finish controlled

successor as the end of the chain/project, causing a fictitious Critical

Path.

• Summary Tasks should not have predecessors or successors and

therefore are not part of the critical path.


28Critical Activities, but why?


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You need to fix the

dependency to the

successor.

MS Project Baselines

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• Baselining your schedule is the only way to keep track of your original plan.

• You baseline your plan after you have obtained approval of your plan.

• You have 11 baselines to work with.

• You shouldn’t have to use all 11

• Baseline (working baseline)

• Baseline 1-10 (saved baselines)

• The difference between the two types of baselines is:

• Working baseline is used for formulas and is the current baseline

• Saved baseline is simply that. An untouched baseline

• When you save a baseline, you always save it twice.

• Baseline, Baseline 1



MS Project Custom

Fields/Flags/Filters/Views

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• Thinking Ahead Using Custom Fields/Flags

• What are Custom Fields?

– Text Fields: 1-30

– Flags: 1-10

– Numbers: 1-20

– Duration: 1-10

– Date: 1-10

– Start: 1-10

– Finish: 1-10

– Outline Code: 1-10

MS Project Custom

Fields/Flags/Filters/Views cont.

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• How are Custom Fields used?

– Creating Custom Views

– Filtering Custom Information

– For additional information about the task

– Renamed to suit your specific requirement

– Can contain a list a values

– Assigned a specific formula for calculating data

– For grouping specific tasks

MS Project Custom


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• Examples:

– Text Field for who the PM/Owner of the task

– Text Field for the Phase the task is in

– Number Field for Tasks pertaining to a Change Request

– Number Field to calculate status of a task compared to baseline

– Flag to specify a task for a timeline

– Flag a task for a specific vendor or customer

• The larger the schedule the more you will use Custom Fields,

but even small schedules have their uses.

MS Project Custom


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• Here is a simple Filter I call Jim’s Adhoc Filter

• I use it to find tasks with the same words in the Task Name Field

• You ask why I don’t just use Ctrl F to find it?

– Because it finds one instance at a time and you have to hit next to go to

the next instance

• Jim’s Adhoc Filter finds all instances at once

MS Project Custom


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• Here is the syntax for Jim’s Adhoc Filter

MS Project Custom


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• Custom Views need three items, before you create the view

– Custom Table

– Custom Group (“No Group” can be selected)

– Custom Filter (“All Tasks” can also be selected)

• All three items including the Custom View should be named the

same

MS Project Custom


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• The following Custom view shows me the

Deliverables for the project

Group SyntaxFilter Syntax

MS Project Custom


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View Syntax

• When you create your custom view,

you need to select the Screen

format.• Task Sheet gives you just the columns

of data.

• Gantt Bar gives you Columns of data

plus the Gantt Bar.

MS Project Custom


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MS Project Custom


• The next view is for a High Level Timeline

• A Timeline is created by selecting certain tasks from anywhere in

your schedule and dragging them to the Timeline area or Right

Clicking on the Task and select Add to Timeline.

• You can now show progress on the Timeline Bar.

• You can’t show Baseline Bars.

• You also don’t have much flexibility with the text in the bar other

than how many lines and what you want to show, but if the bar is

short, it truncates the text

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MS Project Custom


41Time Line View

MS Project Custom


42Various Metrics from a single View

16831677166516221622

1529

1396

1078

933

783

660599

477

349

224

9433 33 13 6 0

16831677166516221622

1529

1396

1078

933

783

660 638 638 638 638 638 638 638 638 638 638

15471541152914861486

1393

1260

942

798

666

550 512

412

295

194

9433 33 13 6 0

Overall Task Burn Down

Task Count Actual Baseline

57%

100%

25%

47%

71%62%

67%

SubProject %Complete

MS Project Custom



6 152 2

1527

460

9

61

6

50

482

8260

323

2 7 1 1

24

0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 00

100

200

300

400

500

600

Development Data Conversion Infrastructure-Security DEFG-WXYZ Business Operations

Sub-Project Task Status

Sum of Late Task CountSum of Future Task CountSum of Completed Task CountSum of Task On Schedule CountSum of Future Actual Start Count

MS Project Custom



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304

42

156

0

21

3 3 00

54

19 156

0 0 0 0 0

44

308

42

126

0

164 5 02

55

18 166

0 0 0 0 00

134

0 2 00

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Business Operations Data Conversion DEFG-WXYZ Development Infrastructure-Security

NM

BE

R O

F T

AS

KS

SUBPROJECT

Task Baseline Status

Sum of Start <=BaselineStartSum of Start <=BaselineStart +10dSum of Start >BaselineStart +10dSum of Task Start Lateand On CPSum of Finish <=BaselineFinishSum of Finish <=BaselineFinish +10dSum of Finish >BaselineFinish +10dSum of Task Finish Lateand on CPSum of Non-BaselinedTask Count

MS Project Status Date

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• Is the Status As of Date or Status Date

• Does not always match the Current Date

• The Status Date is used to let people know when the schedule

was last updated

• Is used in calculations for filters and when you progress tasks.

• Unfinished work is moved after the Status Date

• You change it on the Project Tab, Status section, or add it to your

Quick Access Tool bar.

• You add it to your Gantt Charts by:

• Right clicking in the Gantt area, Select Gridlines, scroll down

the list to Status Date and click on it. Add a line type ( I

prefer Dashed), Color ( I like Red), and Interval equals None.

• Disable the Current Date line by selecting blank for type.

MS Project Statusing Task No-No’s

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What Not To Do when Statusing Tasks

• Do not just type in a % Complete, including 100%The current dates may not match the Actual Dates

Always type in the Actual Start, unless it matches the current date

Always type in the Actual Finish, this will automatically fill in the percentage

at 100%

• Do not have Actual Dates where the Actual Start or Finish is in the

futureSet up a filter to look for Future Actuals as a Quality check.

• Do not leave tasks behind that should have started or finishedYou need to progress tasks forward beyond the Status Date

MS Project Statusing Task No-No’s

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•What Not To Do when Statusing Tasks cont.

• Do not leave incorrect dependencies

– Update dependencies to show reality

• Do not just use the Update Project to globally status your project

– Do this with individual tasks to progress the start or finish, but only do

this, if your dates are accurate

• Do not just use the Mark on Track option, unless you look at the

dates and they are ok.

Questions

Thank you

for your time

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