Microsoft Project Tips and Tricks #2

Back in April, we published the first installment in a series of high-impact Microsoft Project tips and tricks that we delivered in conjunction with Microsoft NZ.  Since then, we've delivered these tips in other Microsoft venues in NZ.  We've received really positive feedback as it appears that we cover many pain points that users experience in their day-to-day use of the tool.

As promised, we're now posting the second installment.  Whereas the first set of tips focused on getting started with planning, these tips focus on making the project map to the real world by adding resources, constraints and reporting the project to its various stakeholders. 

In these tips and tricks, we'll cover the following topics:

• Reviewing the schedule (continued from part 1)

• Don’t just rely on the default Gantt chart view

• Assigning people and costs

• Get to grips with Effort-Driven tasks

• Use Task Types to accurately schedule work

• Managing external influences

• Choosing and using constraints

• Constraining resource supply

• Viewing, analysing and reporting

• Creating lookup tables for data analysis

• Creatively using filters and groups

Part 3 will be published in the next blog post.  Just click on this link to download the part 2 handout in PDF format.

Notes for Project Mentor users

Within the handout, you'll see links to various Lessons and References.  Just lookup a lesson or reference for step-by-step instructions or detailed explanations about each of the tips and tricks listed.

Posted by: Andy Jessop