Project Knowledge

How to Enter Notes Against the Project, Summary Tasks, Tasks, Resources and Milestones

Find out how to enter detailed notes against Tasks, Resources and Milestones, which can then be printed out or be used to refer back to within your Project Plan.

When building your Microsoft Project plan you can enter detailed notes against the Project, Summary Tasks, Tasks, Resources and Milestones.  Notes can be used for many different planning and reporting reasons and can be printed out to take to a project or team review meeting, if required.

If you are using Microsoft Project 2003/2007 you can access Notes as follows:

1. Click on the required task and then click on the Task Notes button ( ) on the Standard Toolbar.
2. Click in the notes area (to position the cursor) and enter the note’s text, followed by OK.

If you are using Microsoft Project 2010 you can access Notes as follows:

1. Click on the required task.
2. On the Task tab, in the Properties group, click
3. Click in the notes area (to position the cursor) and enter the note text, followed by OK.

 

Printing Task Notes

When task notes have been entered you can then print out notes as part of your general reporting.

If you are using Microsoft Project 2003/2007:

1. From the File menu, select Page Setup.
2. On the View tab, select the Print Notes checkbox as appropriate, followed by OK.

If you are using Microsoft Project 2010:

1. Click the File tab to display the Backstage view.
2. On the Print tab, clicking the Page Setup hyperlink will display all available page setup options.
3. Display the Page Setup dialog, and then click on the View tab.
4. Set as below, followed by OK.

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1.        Set as below, followed by OK.

Re-label Resources in the Gantt Chart View

When resourcing a Microsoft Project plan, have you ever wanted to replace the default resource names label displayed against Critical and Non Critical Tasks within the Gantt Chart view with resource initials instead? 

Yes, you can do this if you know how to...
If you are using Microsoft Project 2003/2007 you can access Bar Styles as follows:

1.    Format…Bar Styles.
2.    Select ‘Task’ row which represents the display of Non-critical tasks within the Gantt Chart view.
3.    Click on the ‘Text’ tab to amend the label within the Gantt Chart view:

4.    Replace the default ‘Resource Names’ field with the ‘Resource Initials’ field.
5.    Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the ‘Critical’ row which represents the display of Critical Tasks.
6.    Select OK button to confirm changes.

If you are using Microsoft Project 2010 you can access Bar Styles as follows:

1.    On the Format tab, in the Bar Styles group, click Bar Styles from the Format drop down.

2.    Repeat steps 2 to 6 within Microsoft Project 2010 as detailed above.
3.    Now that Bar Styles has been amended, the text you decide to enter in the ‘Initials’ column within the ‘Resource Sheet’ view will be displayed to the right of the task bars within the Gantt Chart:

Now view the results...

 

More Hints & Tips coming soon

 

 

 

 

How to simplify your Gantt Chart Report legend

Reduce the clutter displayed within your Gantt Chart Report legend

Ever wondered how to cut down the clutter displayed within your Gantt Chart Report legend so these items are not displayed within a report?  Well you can!

When using the default Gantt Chart View you have a number of default items offered to you within Bar…Styles (even more so with Microsoft Project 2010) which controls the information displayed within this view.  If you are currently displaying ALL items within the legend which can take up additional valuable space on a printed report such as displayed below:

Hiding your Bar Styles Items

That depends upon what Microsoft Project version you are using…

If you are using Microsoft Project 2003/2007 you can access Bar Styles as follows:

1.    Format…Bar Styles
2.    Scroll and select the row of the listed item you wish to ‘hide’ from your Gantt Chart legend
3.    Place an asterix * as a prefix to the item you wish to hide:

4.    Repeat Step 3 for every item you wish to ‘hide’ from your Gantt Chart legend.
5.    Select OK button to confirm changes.

If you are using Microsoft Project 2010 you can access Bar Styles as follows:

1.    On the Format tab, in the Bar Styles group, click Bar Styles from the Format drop down.

3.    Place an asterix * as a prefix to the item you wish to hide:

4.    Repeat Step 3 for every item you wish to ‘hide’ from your Gantt Chart legend.
5.    Select OK button to confirm changes.  Now your legend will be less cluttered:

 

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