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Remember This!
.devry.edu/”>Connect to the iLab here.
iLab 1 of 7: Basics of Project Scheduling
Note!
Submit your assignment to the Dropbox located on the silver tab at the top of this page.
(See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due dates.)
iLAB OVERVIEW
General Comments about the Microsoft Project Exercises
A project plan and schedule are extremely important for managing
projects. Applications are available as tools to assist defining,
managing, controlling, and reporting on project plans and to evaluate
how the project is progressing. Microsoft Project is one application
that is commonly used for this purpose and will be the application used
in this course. It will help you put together a plan of action, define
and organize details, track progress, analyze costs and schedule, assess
the quality of your project, and report numerous details to interested
parties.
Guidelines
iLab Lesson 1A Requirements:
Complete Lesson 1A.
Print Project Summary Report.
Print Unstarted Tasks Report.
iLab Lesson 1B Requirements:
Complete Lesson 1B.
Print Entry Table and Gantt Chart (show only columns up to and
including the Duration Column.) Printout should be no more than two
pages wide.
Print Project Summary Report.
Print Unstarted Tasks Report (fit to one page).
Deliverables
All of the following deliverables are required (in a zip file) in order to receive full credit:
Completed MyLab1B_XXX.mpp
Completed Review Questions
Printouts/Screenshots contained in Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx
When submitting required printouts, if you are not bringing them to
class, from the Print Preview Page, take a screen shot (in Windows
an MS Word document. Make sure to crop the screen to show only the
report. After cropping, resize the image appropriately. If the printout
is on more than one page, paste each page individually.
Save the Word document containing printouts as Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx
and submit this file to the Week 1 iLab Dropbox in a zip file, along
with the MyLab1B_XXX.mpp file and the completed Review Questions at the
end of Lesson 1B. Remember to replace “XXX” in the file names with your
initials, and ensure that all of your files are all clearly labeled and
include your initials in the file name.
Grading Rubric
Each week, you will be using Microsoft Project to build and manage a
project plan similar to what you would use or see outside of the
classroom, in your workplace. As noted in the Syllabus, these MS Project
files are worth 40 points each week. Remember that from the file you submit each week, points will be deducted for incorrect answers.
Criteria
Points
%
All required components are accurately completed. MS Project file is
accurate, Review Questions are correct, and printouts are acceptable for
management communication (all columns are wide enough to be read,
headers are correct to the requirements stated in Week 7 iLab).
40
100%
The assignment file contains all of the required components. The work is
mostly accurate and the printouts are completed. Printouts are
readable, but the formatting is not acceptable for management
communication.
30-39
75-97%
The assignment file contains most of the required components. The work is completed with a fair degree of accuracy.
20-29
50-72%
The assignment file contains some of the work. Accuracy is lacking.
1-20
1-50%
No iLab work is submitted.
0
0%
iLAB STEPS
STEP 1: Download iLab Instructions
.equella.ecollege.com/file/65c810e3-3b90-4284-88a5-b0ab3ca61174/1/MGMT404_W1_iLab.html#top”>
Back to Top
Click the links below to access this week’s iLab instructions.
.equella.ecollege.com/file/65c810e3-3b90-4284-88a5-b0ab3ca61174/1/documents–MS_Project_Lesson1A.docx”>MS Project Lesson1A.docx (There are no Review Questions for Lesson 1A.)
.equella.ecollege.com/file/65c810e3-3b90-4284-88a5-b0ab3ca61174/1/documents–MS_Project_Lesson1B.docx”>MS Project Lesson1B.docx (Review Questions to be completed and submitted for Lesson 1B are located at the end of this document.)
STEP 2: Complete the iLab Assignment
.equella.ecollege.com/file/65c810e3-3b90-4284-88a5-b0ab3ca61174/1/MGMT404_W1_iLab.html#top”>
Back to Top
Complete the iLab assignment for Week 1 based on the Guidelines section and Lesson documents above.
STEP 3: Submit iLab Deliverables
.equella.ecollege.com/file/65c810e3-3b90-4284-88a5-b0ab3ca61174/1/MGMT404_W1_iLab.html#top”>
Back to Top
Create a folder called MGMT404_YourLastName_Lab1.
Place copies of each required deliverable into this folder.
Right-click on the folder and select Send To ? Compressed (zipped) Folder. You can also use other tools to compress the files into a single zip folder, (for example, 7-zip).
Upload the zip file to the weekly iLab Dropbox in eCollege.
For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these .next.ecollege.com/default/launch.ed?ssoType=DVUHubSSO2&node=node/184″>step-by-step instructions or watch this .next.ecollege.com/default/launch.ed?ssoType=DVUHubSSO2&node=node/232″>Dropbox Tutorial.
See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.
Objectives – MS
Project 2010 q Understanding
Project Schedulingq Introduction
to Microsoft Projectq Working
with Project Tasksq Basic
views, time scales and reportsWhether you are a project manager or not,
project management techniques are extremely helpful in meeting goals and
objects. Project management techniques
define a path to a specified goal and then supervise the implementation. MS Project can help you establish your
initial plan as well as monitor progress.
MS Project can quickly produce reports and other information that will
help keep management, customers, and your project team informed. To get the most from MS Project, not only do
you need to understand project management terminology, you also need to be
familiar with the software itself.
Therefore, do not attempt to quickly finish the lab, but take your time
and read all instructions carefully.Understanding
Project Scheduling A typical project is composed of tasks and resources. After tasks are
identified, you organize the tasks in a logical hierarchy, also called a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Eventually, this sequence will show the
interdependencies of each task. Then each task is given a duration. In MS Project,
this can be in weeks, days, hours or minutes.
You can also specify a milestone,
which will represent an event that marks the completion of a group of related
tasks. To accomplish any task, you need resources. Resources can include people, equipment,
material or special facilities necessary to complete a task. Resource availability
and scheduling are important
constraints to completing a task. Once you establish a plan, complete with
tasks and resources, you will often need to refine the plan before saving it as
a baseline. The baseline is your guideline to help manage
the project.
MS Project Basics
When you first start MS Project, a blank
project file is displayed in Gantt Chart
View. (If you need to open an existing MS Project file, the file extension
is .mpp.) Let’s take a look at the
main window:.gif”>.jpg”>The above image
is the default screen for MS Project 2010. The right side of the screen consists
of the area for the Gantt Chart. The left side of the screen is the Entry table
where tasks, durations, and other task information is entered. The Entry Table
and Gantt Chart are separated by a moveable DividerPay particular attention to this layout. The Entry table is where we enter our
tasks and durations. The Gantt
chart will eventually show our tasks and durations in a graphical bar
chart. The other part of significance is
the divider. This allows you to show
more or less of the Entry table/Gantt chart.
In Project 2010 the menu bar is set up into
Ribbons. To access the various ribbons,
Tabs are selected across the top of the menu bar. Within the ribbon the various sections are
divided into groups:.gif”>.gif”> TABS.jpg”>
.gif”>
.gif”>
GROUPSThe above image
displays the Microsoft Ribbon in the top of the window. The ribbon is navigated
via Tabs. Within each tab are Groups and within each of the Groups are
individual commands.
The first step in creating a project is
establishing the project information.1.
.jpg”>
Select Project
Information from the Project taband
the Properties group
.gif”>
.gif”>
.jpg”>The Project Information is used for
information that is critical to the scheduling of tasks and resources. It contains the start date and finish date of
the overall project, the current date (taken from the computer), and which
calendar you will be using. You must
always enter this information when creating a new project.2.
Enter the starting date of this
project as October 9, 2013. (Note: you can only enter the start date or
the finish date, but not both!). 3.
Leave the other information as
is and Press OK.4.
Next we are going to define
other project information. Select File
on the Project Tab. Next select,
Info. On the right hand side of the
screen select Project Information and then Advanced Properties.
.jpg”>
5.
The Project Properties screen
appears and the Summary tab should be selected..jpg”>6.
In the Title box, type Maynard Furniture Company Project.7.
In the Subject box, type
New System.8.
In the Author’s and the Manager’s
box, type in your name. This information will be displayed on
reports. In the Company box,
enter MGMT404followed by your
professors name. Click OK.9.
Save the project as MyLab1a_XXX.mpp (where XXX are your
initials). Basic Setup1.
Before we start entering data
there are a few setup tasks we need to do.2.
The first is to change how MS
Project calculates the schedule. (We will explain this in week 5)3.
Go File, then Options. The Project Options window opens.4.
Select Schedule. The Project
Options window now should be visible.
.jpg”>
5.
Under Scheduling options for this project check the box labeled
“New tasks are effort driven”.jpg”>.gif”>
6.
Click OK to close the window.7.
.jpg”>Next,
select the Gantt Chart Tools Formattab
from the ribbon. Click the check box to
show the tasks that will be on the Critical Path. 8.
Select the Task tab. With these
settings we are ready to start entering dataEntering tasks 1.
Click in the first field in the
Task Name column. Type Inventory
current equipment.2.
Press the tab key. The information is entered and the selection
moves to the Duration column for task 1. (You may need to slide the divider to the
right to see the column). Also notice
the task is represented on the Gantt chart. 3.
Change the duration to 3 days by typing 3 and press enter. Notice the duration “days” or the
letter “d” is automatically assumed.
If different, you would enter m for minutes, h for hours, d
for days or w for weeks after the number, such as 3w would be three
weeks).4.
By default, MS Project 2010
enters tasks as Manually Scheduled. This
allows the user to schedule individual dates for the tasks. We however, want MS Project to schedule the
tasks for us.5.
For task 1, In the Task Mode
column, select Auto Schedule. This will enable MS Project to automatically
assign the start and end dates for each task.6.
To change this as the default
mode, at the bottom left of the screen there is a button where you can change
this default setting. Click on this and
change the setting so all new tasks are set to be Auto Scheduled. You can also
do this from the Task tab, Tasks group and selecting the Mode button, or from
the Options screen we looked at earlier..jpg”>7.
Enter the following tasks and
durations for this project:Assess current
department needs 2 daysDesign and
diagram new system 5 daysProposal to
accounting 3 daysResearch products
and services 7 daysIssue RFPs 7
daysEvaluate bids 5 daysAward contract 1 day Meet with
vendor 1
dayPurchase
equipment 4 daysInstall wiring 3 daysInstall
hardware 2
daysInstall
software 2
days (Note: it is very important that you
make any changes to these durations prior
to assigning resources. If you need to
change duration after assigning resources, you should unassign all resources,
change the duration and then re-assign the resources!)8.
When you enter tasks, note that
1 Day? is the automatic default for duration.
(You may need to slide the divider to the right to see the column). Also notice the task is represented on the
Gantt chart. For durations that are
only 1 day, make sure to manually type 1 and then the
remove the ?.9.
Next make sure each task is
“Auto Scheduled” when you
are finished.10.
Notice as you enter each task
and the duration, how the tasks are presented on the Gantt chart.(Tip: By default
MS Project 2010 automatically wraps the text on the task names. Some readers
may find this not very clear. To see
the entire task name on one line, position your cursor on the vertical line
between the Task Name column header and the Duration column header. When the cursor turns to a double arrow, either
drag the line to the right to increase the column width or double-click. Another method is to double click on the Task Name column header and select Best Fit. To see the Duration column, move the divider between the tasks and the Gantt
chart. When you are done, then also
adjust row height). .gif”>.jpg”>11.
.jpg”>The
text wrap can be toggled on and off from the
Gantt Chart Tools Format tab, in the Columns
group and the Wrap Text icon. Please
turn this off now.12.
Change the duration of the task Award contract to 0
days. Notice the symbol on the Gantt
chart. This is a milestone task, which has no duration but is used to mark progress
in a project.13.
What if you need to insert
a task later? Easy.
For example, select task #13 Install
software and Right click and select click Insert Task. A new task row
will now be inserted above the
current task. 14.
Type Test system as your new task and duration of 1 day. (Remember next
to select “Auto Scheduled”.15.
Since Test system actually
should be our last task, we need to move
it. Therefore click(but do not hold down the mouse button) the task ID for task #13 – Test system. The entire row should be selected..gif”>.jpg”>
16.
With the pointer still
positioned on the task ID, drag down
until a horizontal gray bar is displayed after task #14. Then release.
Test system should now be your last task..jpg”>17.
What if you want to delete a
task? Click anywhere in the row for the
task Meet with vendor. Right click and select click Delete Task.Another type of task you may want to enter
is a recurring task, such as a team meeting, etc. Generally recurring tasks are not
included on a project, but it helps in resource scheduling.18.
Below the last task (task #13:
Test System), click in the Task Name Column, but do not type anything.19.
.jpg”>From
the Task tab in the Insert group, click Select the arrow under Task
and choose Recurring Task.20.
The Recurring Task Information Box appears..jpg”>21.
In the Name box, type Project Meeting.22.
Press the tab key and enter 2h
for duration of 2 hours. Select Weekly for “Recurrence
pattern” and check the box for Friday. Leave “Recur every” as is. We have scheduled a weekly 2-hour meeting
every Friday for the duration of the project. Click OK. (Notice the circular
arrows in the indicator column next to the task name).19. Save the project before continuing. Displaying
Project Information in Views Before closing out this project, we need to
spend a little time with views. A view is a format in which you can enter
and/or display information in MS Project.
Your default view is known as the Gantt view: it is made up of the Entry
table on the left, used to enter
task information, and the Gantt chart on the right, which graphically represents
the task information on a timescale. Task and resource views in MS Project fall
into three categories: sheet views, chart and graph views, and form views. Each view displays
combinations of project information in different ways. Understanding what is your current view and
changing views is critical in mastering MS Project.Sheet views display task or resource
information in a row and column format (similar to MS Excel). Chart and graph views provide a graphical
representation of task or resource information.
Form views display task or resource information in a format that
displays a single task or single resource at a time. You use a form view when you want to focus on
detailed information about a specific task or resource.MS Project comes with 27 (MS Project 2010) predefined
views.1.
From the Task tab and the View
group, click Calendar. What do you see?2.
Now click on Task Usage. How is this different?3.
Finally, click on Network
Diagram. Graphical view of tasks4.
Return to the Gantt Chart view.5.
Another item to explore is the
timescale for the Gantt chart..jpg”>On longer projects, you may not be
able to see all the tasks on the Gantt chart.
You can use the scroll bars to the right and on the bottom of the Gantt
chart or you can adjust the timescale of the chart (shown above). The top line of the timescale is referred to
as the Major timescale (Oct 6, 13,
etc.) and the bottom line as the Minor timescale (SMTWTFS). To adjust the timescale, you can use the Zoom
In and Zoom Out buttons on the View toolbar under Zoom:.jpg”>6.
Click the Zoom In button (the
one with the + sign). Notice the Major
timescale changes to a day and the Minor timescale changes to 6-hour
increments. 7.
Now click on the Zoom Out
button (the one with the – sign). The
Major timescale returns to a week and the Minor timescale changes to day
increments.8.
Click on the Zoom Out button
again. Notice the Major timescale
changes to a month and the Minor timescale changes to 3-day increments.9.
Click the Zoom In button again
to return to the default of a week and one-day increments.You can also specify your own timescale by
selecting the Timescale dialog box on the View tab, Zoom group and the down
arrow under “Timescale:” or by right clicking on the time scale on
the Gantt chart.Printing Project
Schedules and ReportsTo manage a project effectively, you will
need to communicate project information to a variety of people, therefore it is
important the reports printed are understandable by the readers.You can print views and reports that meet
the needs of a specific person or group.
MS Project comes with 27 predefined views and 22 Visual reports and 29 standard
reports. Before you print a view or
report, it should be previewed to determine the number of pages that will be
printed and if any additional information needs to be added.Using the Page Setup dialog box,
you can select page orientation, adjust scaling, change margins, and add or
change the headers and footers. You can
also add page breaks to control the flow of information. You can also create a legend at the bottom of the Gantt chart to explain the symbols used
in the chart. (With the exception of the Project Summary report, you must do this for each report/printout; it is NOT a universal page setup!)1.
On the File tab, Print, then
Page Setup.
.gif”>
The Page Setup
dialog box appears:
.jpg”>
.jpg”>2.
Click the Header tag. The top box is the Preview box and the bottom box is the Text box.3.
Select the Left tab next to Alignment. In the Text box, type Lesson #1A on the first line. (The left corner will always be
the lab number, so make sure you change it in future labs!)4.
Select the Center
tab. Next to the General box displaying the text, “Page
Number”, click the down arrow and select Project Title. Click Add. Note: the project title is
displayed in the Preview box (based upon the information you entered in the
Project Information earlier). The text
box shows the & sign or the “place marker” for this
information. The nice thing here is that
if you ever change the Project Information, the changes will automatically
appear on any reports that contain this information in the header.5.
Press Enter. (The cursor should now be on the second line
for your center header information). From the same drop-down tab, add Manager Name. Press Enter and add File name as your third line and add Report Name as your fourth and final line.6.
Select the Right
tab. Notice the seven icons below the
text box. Select the middle (or fourth
icon) to insert the current date
in this section of your header.7.
On your own, make sure Page Number
is in your footer and it is center aligned and then press OK.
Review the Print Preview to view
the changes. What is missing? Notice that there is nothing displayed in the
fourth line of the header for report name?
Why??? This is a view and not a
defined report so there is nothing to display in this field. In order to see the view name, the parameter
in the fourth line of the header would have to be changed to View Name we
will NOT do this at this time. The
fourth line will display as a blank line when we are in a view format and not a
report format. 8.
Click the File tab to return to the Gantt chart
view.
Previewing and Printing Views and Reports .jpg”> When submitting required printouts, if you are not bringing them to
class, from the Print Preview Page, take a screen shot (in Windows
Word Document. Make sure to crop the screen to show only the report. After
cropping, resize the image appropriately.
If the printout is on more than 1 page, paste each page individually. Save
the Word document containing printouts as Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx. Remember to replace “XXX” in the
file names with your initials and ensure that all of your files are all clearly
labeled and include your initials in the file name. In the second part of this
lesson, there will be more printouts to add to the Week_1_Printout_XXX.docx
file. 9.
On the File tab, click the
Print button. Place the mouse pointer
over the preview page. The pointer
changes to a magnifying glass.10.
Click the lower-left corner of
the preview page. The view is zoomed in
so you can see the legend to the
Gantt chart. If you ever want to change
the contents of this legend, you can go to the same Page Setup in our previous
steps and select Legend. 11.
Click on the magnifying glass
again to return to normal view. Make sure the task names column and the
duration column can be seen in their entirety and the Gantt chart also appears
in your window.12.
Click Print and print this view. We have just printed
the Gantt chart view.13.
To view and print reports: From
the Project tab, click Reports in
the Reports group..jpg”>14.
The Reports box opens. Each icon represents a category of
reports. The first five (Overview,
Current Activities, Costs, Assignments and Workload) represent 22 predefined
reports. The last category, Custom,
allows you to create your own report.15.
Select Overview and then select Project
Summary. The Project Summary report
now opens in Print Preview. 16.
Select Page Setup for this report. Notice something interesting? The header and footer (and legend and view)
tabs are grayed out. For some reason,
only known to Microsoft, this is the only report that you cannot change the header and footer. To that end, it is imperative that you enter
all appropriate project information and project properties as discussed in the
lab!17.
Print the Project Summary. This is a very important report. It lists all relevant summary information as
to project progress and achievement of your project objective.18.
On your own, find the report, Unstarted Tasks. Before you print this report, make sure your
header and footer contain the appropriate information! Print
the report when all is well.19.
Save your file and exit MS
Project..jpg”> When submitting required printouts, if you
are not bringing them to class, from the Print Preview Page, take a screen shot
(in Windows
to a MS Word Document. Make sure to crop the screen to show only the report.
After cropping, resize the image appropriately.
If the printout is on more than 1 page, paste each page individually. Save the Word document containing
printouts as Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx and submit this file to the Week 1 iLab
Dropbox, along with the MyLab1B_XXX.mpp file and the completed Review Questions
at the end of Lesson 1B. Remember to replace “XXX” in the file names
with your initials and ensure that all of your files are all clearly labeled
and include your initials in the file name.In part 2 of this lesson we will continue
working with task information by outline and linking these tasks and discussing
interdependencies and constraints.1.
On the Project tab, click Project Information. In the Project Information dialog box, click Statistics. The following screen should appear. Use this to check your progress.jpg”>
.devry.edu/”>Connect to the iLab here.
Submit your assignment to the Dropbox located on the silver tab at the top of this page.
(See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due dates.)
A project plan and schedule are extremely important for managing
projects. Applications are available as tools to assist defining,
managing, controlling, and reporting on project plans and to evaluate
how the project is progressing. Microsoft Project is one application
that is commonly used for this purpose and will be the application used
in this course. It will help you put together a plan of action, define
and organize details, track progress, analyze costs and schedule, assess
the quality of your project, and report numerous details to interested
parties.
iLab Lesson 1A Requirements:
iLab Lesson 1B Requirements:
All of the following deliverables are required (in a zip file) in order to receive full credit:
Save the Word document containing printouts as Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx
and submit this file to the Week 1 iLab Dropbox in a zip file, along
with the MyLab1B_XXX.mpp file and the completed Review Questions at the
end of Lesson 1B. Remember to replace “XXX” in the file names with your
initials, and ensure that all of your files are all clearly labeled and
include your initials in the file name.
Each week, you will be using Microsoft Project to build and manage a
project plan similar to what you would use or see outside of the
classroom, in your workplace. As noted in the Syllabus, these MS Project
files are worth 40 points each week. Remember that from the file you submit each week, points will be deducted for incorrect answers.
Click the links below to access this week’s iLab instructions.
Complete the iLab assignment for Week 1 based on the Guidelines section and Lesson documents above.
For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these .next.ecollege.com/default/launch.ed?ssoType=DVUHubSSO2&node=node/184″>step-by-step instructions or watch this .next.ecollege.com/default/launch.ed?ssoType=DVUHubSSO2&node=node/232″>Dropbox Tutorial.
See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.
q Understanding
Project Schedulingq Introduction
to Microsoft Projectq Working
with Project Tasksq Basic
views, time scales and reportsWhether you are a project manager or not,
project management techniques are extremely helpful in meeting goals and
objects. Project management techniques
define a path to a specified goal and then supervise the implementation. MS Project can help you establish your
initial plan as well as monitor progress.
MS Project can quickly produce reports and other information that will
help keep management, customers, and your project team informed. To get the most from MS Project, not only do
you need to understand project management terminology, you also need to be
familiar with the software itself.
Therefore, do not attempt to quickly finish the lab, but take your time
and read all instructions carefully.A typical project is composed of tasks and resources. After tasks are
identified, you organize the tasks in a logical hierarchy, also called a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Eventually, this sequence will show the
interdependencies of each task. Then each task is given a duration. In MS Project,
this can be in weeks, days, hours or minutes.
You can also specify a milestone,
which will represent an event that marks the completion of a group of related
tasks. To accomplish any task, you need resources. Resources can include people, equipment,
material or special facilities necessary to complete a task. Resource availability
and scheduling are important
constraints to completing a task. Once you establish a plan, complete with
tasks and resources, you will often need to refine the plan before saving it as
a baseline. The baseline is your guideline to help manage
the project.
When you first start MS Project, a blank
project file is displayed in Gantt Chart
View. (If you need to open an existing MS Project file, the file extension
is .mpp.) Let’s take a look at the
main window:.gif”>.jpg”>The above image
is the default screen for MS Project 2010. The right side of the screen consists
of the area for the Gantt Chart. The left side of the screen is the Entry table
where tasks, durations, and other task information is entered. The Entry Table
and Gantt Chart are separated by a moveable DividerPay particular attention to this layout. The Entry table is where we enter our
tasks and durations. The Gantt
chart will eventually show our tasks and durations in a graphical bar
chart. The other part of significance is
the divider. This allows you to show
more or less of the Entry table/Gantt chart.
In Project 2010 the menu bar is set up into
Ribbons. To access the various ribbons,
Tabs are selected across the top of the menu bar. Within the ribbon the various sections are
divided into groups:.gif”>.gif”> TABS.jpg”>
GROUPSThe above image
displays the Microsoft Ribbon in the top of the window. The ribbon is navigated
via Tabs. Within each tab are Groups and within each of the Groups are
individual commands.
The first step in creating a project is
establishing the project information.1.
Select Project
Information from the Project taband
the Properties group
.jpg”>The Project Information is used for
information that is critical to the scheduling of tasks and resources. It contains the start date and finish date of
the overall project, the current date (taken from the computer), and which
calendar you will be using. You must
always enter this information when creating a new project.2.
Enter the starting date of this
project as October 9, 2013. (Note: you can only enter the start date or
the finish date, but not both!). 3.
Leave the other information as
is and Press OK.4.
Next we are going to define
other project information. Select File
on the Project Tab. Next select,
Info. On the right hand side of the
screen select Project Information and then Advanced Properties.
.jpg”>
5.
The Project Properties screen
appears and the Summary tab should be selected..jpg”>6.
In the Title box, type Maynard Furniture Company Project.7.
In the Subject box, type
New System.8.
In the Author’s and the Manager’s
box, type in your name. This information will be displayed on
reports. In the Company box,
enter MGMT404followed by your
professors name. Click OK.9.
Save the project as MyLab1a_XXX.mpp (where XXX are your
initials).1.
Before we start entering data
there are a few setup tasks we need to do.2.
The first is to change how MS
Project calculates the schedule. (We will explain this in week 5)3.
Go File, then Options. The Project Options window opens.4.
Select Schedule. The Project
Options window now should be visible.
5.
Under Scheduling options for this project check the box labeled
“New tasks are effort driven”.gif”>
6.
Click OK to close the window.7.
.jpg”>Next,
select the Gantt Chart Tools Formattab
from the ribbon. Click the check box to
show the tasks that will be on the Critical Path. 8.
Select the Task tab. With these
settings we are ready to start entering data1.
Click in the first field in the
Task Name column. Type Inventory
current equipment.2.
Press the tab key. The information is entered and the selection
moves to the Duration column for task 1. (You may need to slide the divider to the
right to see the column). Also notice
the task is represented on the Gantt chart. 3.
Change the duration to 3 days by typing 3 and press enter. Notice the duration “days” or the
letter “d” is automatically assumed.
If different, you would enter m for minutes, h for hours, d
for days or w for weeks after the number, such as 3w would be three
weeks).4.
By default, MS Project 2010
enters tasks as Manually Scheduled. This
allows the user to schedule individual dates for the tasks. We however, want MS Project to schedule the
tasks for us.5.
For task 1, In the Task Mode
column, select Auto Schedule. This will enable MS Project to automatically
assign the start and end dates for each task.6.
To change this as the default
mode, at the bottom left of the screen there is a button where you can change
this default setting. Click on this and
change the setting so all new tasks are set to be Auto Scheduled. You can also
do this from the Task tab, Tasks group and selecting the Mode button, or from
the Options screen we looked at earlier..jpg”>7.
Enter the following tasks and
durations for this project:Assess current
department needs 2 daysDesign and
diagram new system 5 daysProposal to
accounting 3 daysResearch products
and services 7 daysIssue RFPs 7
daysEvaluate bids 5 daysAward contract 1 day Meet with
vendor 1
dayPurchase
equipment 4 daysInstall wiring 3 daysInstall
hardware 2
daysInstall
software 2
days (Note: it is very important that you
make any changes to these durations prior
to assigning resources. If you need to
change duration after assigning resources, you should unassign all resources,
change the duration and then re-assign the resources!)8.
When you enter tasks, note that
1 Day? is the automatic default for duration.
(You may need to slide the divider to the right to see the column). Also notice the task is represented on the
Gantt chart. For durations that are
only 1 day, make sure to manually type 1 and then the
remove the ?.9.
Next make sure each task is
“Auto Scheduled” when you
are finished.10.
Notice as you enter each task
and the duration, how the tasks are presented on the Gantt chart.(Tip: By default
MS Project 2010 automatically wraps the text on the task names. Some readers
may find this not very clear. To see
the entire task name on one line, position your cursor on the vertical line
between the Task Name column header and the Duration column header. When the cursor turns to a double arrow, either
drag the line to the right to increase the column width or double-click. Another method is to double click on the Task Name column header and select Best Fit. To see the Duration column, move the divider between the tasks and the Gantt
chart. When you are done, then also
adjust row height). .gif”>.jpg”>11.
.jpg”>The
text wrap can be toggled on and off from the
Gantt Chart Tools Format tab, in the Columns
group and the Wrap Text icon. Please
turn this off now.12.
Change the duration of the task Award contract to 0
days. Notice the symbol on the Gantt
chart. This is a milestone task, which has no duration but is used to mark progress
in a project.13.
What if you need to insert
a task later? Easy.
For example, select task #13 Install
software and Right click and select click Insert Task. A new task row
will now be inserted above the
current task. 14.
Type Test system as your new task and duration of 1 day. (Remember next
to select “Auto Scheduled”.15.
Since Test system actually
should be our last task, we need to move
it. Therefore click(but do not hold down the mouse button) the task ID for task #13 – Test system. The entire row should be selected..gif”>.jpg”>
16.
With the pointer still
positioned on the task ID, drag down
until a horizontal gray bar is displayed after task #14. Then release.
Test system should now be your last task..jpg”>17.
What if you want to delete a
task? Click anywhere in the row for the
task Meet with vendor. Right click and select click Delete Task.Another type of task you may want to enter
is a recurring task, such as a team meeting, etc. Generally recurring tasks are not
included on a project, but it helps in resource scheduling.18.
Below the last task (task #13:
Test System), click in the Task Name Column, but do not type anything.19.
.jpg”>From
the Task tab in the Insert group, click Select the arrow under Task
and choose Recurring Task.20.
The Recurring Task Information Box appears..jpg”>21.
In the Name box, type Project Meeting.22.
Press the tab key and enter 2h
for duration of 2 hours. Select Weekly for “Recurrence
pattern” and check the box for Friday. Leave “Recur every” as is. We have scheduled a weekly 2-hour meeting
every Friday for the duration of the project. Click OK. (Notice the circular
arrows in the indicator column next to the task name).19. Save the project before continuing. Before closing out this project, we need to
spend a little time with views. A view is a format in which you can enter
and/or display information in MS Project.
Your default view is known as the Gantt view: it is made up of the Entry
table on the left, used to enter
task information, and the Gantt chart on the right, which graphically represents
the task information on a timescale. Task and resource views in MS Project fall
into three categories: sheet views, chart and graph views, and form views. Each view displays
combinations of project information in different ways. Understanding what is your current view and
changing views is critical in mastering MS Project.Sheet views display task or resource
information in a row and column format (similar to MS Excel). Chart and graph views provide a graphical
representation of task or resource information.
Form views display task or resource information in a format that
displays a single task or single resource at a time. You use a form view when you want to focus on
detailed information about a specific task or resource.MS Project comes with 27 (MS Project 2010) predefined
views.1.
From the Task tab and the View
group, click Calendar. What do you see?2.
Now click on Task Usage. How is this different?3.
Finally, click on Network
Diagram. Graphical view of tasks4.
Return to the Gantt Chart view.5.
Another item to explore is the
timescale for the Gantt chart..jpg”>On longer projects, you may not be
able to see all the tasks on the Gantt chart.
You can use the scroll bars to the right and on the bottom of the Gantt
chart or you can adjust the timescale of the chart (shown above). The top line of the timescale is referred to
as the Major timescale (Oct 6, 13,
etc.) and the bottom line as the Minor timescale (SMTWTFS). To adjust the timescale, you can use the Zoom
In and Zoom Out buttons on the View toolbar under Zoom:.jpg”>6.
Click the Zoom In button (the
one with the + sign). Notice the Major
timescale changes to a day and the Minor timescale changes to 6-hour
increments. 7.
Now click on the Zoom Out
button (the one with the – sign). The
Major timescale returns to a week and the Minor timescale changes to day
increments.8.
Click on the Zoom Out button
again. Notice the Major timescale
changes to a month and the Minor timescale changes to 3-day increments.9.
Click the Zoom In button again
to return to the default of a week and one-day increments.You can also specify your own timescale by
selecting the Timescale dialog box on the View tab, Zoom group and the down
arrow under “Timescale:” or by right clicking on the time scale on
the Gantt chart.To manage a project effectively, you will
need to communicate project information to a variety of people, therefore it is
important the reports printed are understandable by the readers.You can print views and reports that meet
the needs of a specific person or group.
MS Project comes with 27 predefined views and 22 Visual reports and 29 standard
reports. Before you print a view or
report, it should be previewed to determine the number of pages that will be
printed and if any additional information needs to be added.Using the Page Setup dialog box,
you can select page orientation, adjust scaling, change margins, and add or
change the headers and footers. You can
also add page breaks to control the flow of information. You can also create a legend at the bottom of the Gantt chart to explain the symbols used
in the chart. (With the exception of the Project Summary report, you must do this for each report/printout; it is NOT a universal page setup!)1.
On the File tab, Print, then
Page Setup.
The Page Setup
dialog box appears:
.jpg”>2.
Click the Header tag. The top box is the Preview box and the bottom box is the Text box.3.
Select the Left tab next to Alignment. In the Text box, type Lesson #1A on the first line. (The left corner will always be
the lab number, so make sure you change it in future labs!)4.
Select the Center
tab. Next to the General box displaying the text, “Page
Number”, click the down arrow and select Project Title. Click Add. Note: the project title is
displayed in the Preview box (based upon the information you entered in the
Project Information earlier). The text
box shows the & sign or the “place marker” for this
information. The nice thing here is that
if you ever change the Project Information, the changes will automatically
appear on any reports that contain this information in the header.5.
Press Enter. (The cursor should now be on the second line
for your center header information). From the same drop-down tab, add Manager Name. Press Enter and add File name as your third line and add Report Name as your fourth and final line.6.
Select the Right
tab. Notice the seven icons below the
text box. Select the middle (or fourth
icon) to insert the current date
in this section of your header.7.
On your own, make sure Page Number
is in your footer and it is center aligned and then press OK.
Review the Print Preview to view
the changes. What is missing? Notice that there is nothing displayed in the
fourth line of the header for report name?
Why??? This is a view and not a
defined report so there is nothing to display in this field. In order to see the view name, the parameter
in the fourth line of the header would have to be changed to View Name we
will NOT do this at this time. The
fourth line will display as a blank line when we are in a view format and not a
report format. 8.
Click the File tab to return to the Gantt chart
view.
Previewing and Printing Views and Reports .jpg”> When submitting required printouts, if you are not bringing them to
class, from the Print Preview Page, take a screen shot (in Windows
Word Document. Make sure to crop the screen to show only the report. After
cropping, resize the image appropriately.
If the printout is on more than 1 page, paste each page individually. Save
the Word document containing printouts as Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx. Remember to replace “XXX” in the
file names with your initials and ensure that all of your files are all clearly
labeled and include your initials in the file name. In the second part of this
lesson, there will be more printouts to add to the Week_1_Printout_XXX.docx
file. 9.
On the File tab, click the
Print button. Place the mouse pointer
over the preview page. The pointer
changes to a magnifying glass.10.
Click the lower-left corner of
the preview page. The view is zoomed in
so you can see the legend to the
Gantt chart. If you ever want to change
the contents of this legend, you can go to the same Page Setup in our previous
steps and select Legend. 11.
Click on the magnifying glass
again to return to normal view. Make sure the task names column and the
duration column can be seen in their entirety and the Gantt chart also appears
in your window.12.
Click Print and print this view. We have just printed
the Gantt chart view.13.
To view and print reports: From
the Project tab, click Reports in
the Reports group..jpg”>14.
The Reports box opens. Each icon represents a category of
reports. The first five (Overview,
Current Activities, Costs, Assignments and Workload) represent 22 predefined
reports. The last category, Custom,
allows you to create your own report.15.
Select Overview and then select Project
Summary. The Project Summary report
now opens in Print Preview. 16.
Select Page Setup for this report. Notice something interesting? The header and footer (and legend and view)
tabs are grayed out. For some reason,
only known to Microsoft, this is the only report that you cannot change the header and footer. To that end, it is imperative that you enter
all appropriate project information and project properties as discussed in the
lab!17.
Print the Project Summary. This is a very important report. It lists all relevant summary information as
to project progress and achievement of your project objective.18.
On your own, find the report, Unstarted Tasks. Before you print this report, make sure your
header and footer contain the appropriate information! Print
the report when all is well.19.
Save your file and exit MS
Project..jpg”> When submitting required printouts, if you
are not bringing them to class, from the Print Preview Page, take a screen shot
(in Windows
to a MS Word Document. Make sure to crop the screen to show only the report.
After cropping, resize the image appropriately.
If the printout is on more than 1 page, paste each page individually. Save the Word document containing
printouts as Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx and submit this file to the Week 1 iLab
Dropbox, along with the MyLab1B_XXX.mpp file and the completed Review Questions
at the end of Lesson 1B. Remember to replace “XXX” in the file names
with your initials and ensure that all of your files are all clearly labeled
and include your initials in the file name.In part 2 of this lesson we will continue
working with task information by outline and linking these tasks and discussing
interdependencies and constraints.1.
On the Project tab, click Project Information. In the Project Information dialog box, click Statistics. The following screen should appear. Use this to check your progress.jpg”>
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