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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More Hints & Tips coming soon

 

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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Microsoft Project Reporting: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) & ‘Outline Number’ planning view

If you are using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) technique, you can use the 'Outline Number’ planning view to report on how your Project Plan is broken down

When planning and scoping a project, if you use the benefits of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) technique to break your project down into logical, smaller and manageable chunks of work, have you ever thought it would be a good idea to view how you are breaking your project down?  If you answer ‘YES’ to this question, then would it not be also beneficial to your Project Sponsor, Customer or Stakeholders to include this information as part of your regular reporting?

The good news is that you can achieve this by using a Microsoft Project planning view switch called ‘Outline Number’ which will display all tasks as a ‘Work Breakdown Structure Code’.  This code clearly identifies where the Phase, Task or Milestone resides within the overall project structure.

How do I switch on the WBS Code to view within my project plan as the project team scopes the project?

That depends upon what Microsoft Project version you are using…

If you are using Microsoft Project 2003/2007 you can access to display the ‘Show Outline Number’ function as follows:

1. Select Options from the Tools menu, and then select the View tab.
2. Within the ‘Outline options’ section of the dialog:

 

If you are using Microsoft Project 2010 you can access to display the ‘Outline Number’ function as follows:

1. On the Format tab, in the Show/Hide group, click the Outline Number check box.

Now view the overall results...

Watch out for more Microsoft Project Hint & Tips coming soon

 

 

Microsoft Project reporting: Create a quick read-only snapshot of your Project Plan

Did you know that for your Microsoft Project reporting requirements, you can take a ‘snapshot’ of your current project plan and then be able to save this as a good quality, crisp .GIF image file? 

The Microsoft Project command to achieve this is ‘Copy Picture’.

The benefit of being able to do this is two-fold: 

Firstly, it is a read-only report - recipients cannot make changes: You can attach the GIF image file to an e-mail message and send to your Project Sponsor, Project Stakeholders and your Project Team, so they are able to view the project data without the ability to change the data.  This way you are able to CONTROL what, how and when you present your project plan to the project community. 

Secondly, it's very accessible: It allows you to report on your project without having to guarantee the report recipient has a licence copy of Microsoft Project at the other end!  The GIF image can be posted to an intranet page or viewed using a web browser.

How do I access Copy Picture? 

That depends upon what Microsoft Project version you are using…
If you are using Microsoft Project 2003/2007 you can access this useful command as follows:

1.    Format the timescale as appropriate and divide the Table/Chart as required.
2.    Click on Copy Picture (   ).  This button is available on the Standard Toolbar:

If you are using Microsoft Project 2010 you can access this useful command as follows:

1.    Format the timescale as appropriate and divide the Table/Chart as required.
2.    On the Task tab, in the Clipboard group, click Copy Picture from the Copy drop down.

How do I use Copy Picture? 

1.    Once the Copy Picture command has been selected, choose the following options:

 

Once the GIF image has been created, it can be opened and viewed using a web browser.

View an example of a snapshot report from Microsoft Project

How do I access Copy Picture? 

 

That depends upon what Microsoft Project version you are using…

If you are using Microsoft Project 2003/2007 you can access this useful command as follows:

Using the F5 Function Key to Navigate around Microsoft Project

Ever wanted to know how to efficiently navigate around your project plan with ease?  Why not use the {F5} Function Key which will give you access to the Go To dialog box to locate a task quickly within the task list using the Task ID field:

Or be able to scroll immediately across the Gantt Chart Timescale using the Date field:

If you wish to use the equivalent menu command, if you are using Microsoft Project 2003 or 2007, you can access the Go To dialog by selecting Edit..Go To or by using the Ctrl+G keyboard short-cut.

However, if you are using Microsoft Project 2010 the menu system no longer exists and has been replaced by the new context sensitive Ribbon user interface.  You cannot access the Go To function via the Ribbon however you can customise Microsoft Project 2010 to add this Go To function to your Quick Access Toolbar.

To do this:

1. Right hand mouse click on the Ribbon area.
2. Select Customise Quick Access Toolbar.
3. From the Choose commands from drop down, select All Commands.
4. Scroll down to locate the Go To command.
5. Select the command within the list, then select on the Add button.
   
   
   This will add the command on to the Quick Access Toolbar.
6. Select the OK button to confirm.

You can now simply click on the Go To button available now on Quick Access Toolbar to initiate the Go To dialog box.

Creating custom Groups in Microsoft Project

This quick question comes from Maurice Iyalla of Intelliglobal Resources based in Houston, TX, USA:

How do you "custom group" on Ms Project?

As Maurice will have probably noticed, the number of pre-defined Groups available within Microsoft Project is pretty limited. Grouping on Critical Tasks, Task Durations or Milestone Y/N is not that exciting. Creating your own Custom Group is a straightforward process, especially as Custom Groups can be saved and reused. If you are using custom fields that contain Lookup Tables, then grouping becomes even more powerful.

This is all you need to do to create a custom group and save it for reuse:

Preparation:

1. First and foremost, know the Field (Task or Resource) that you wish to group upon.

2. Ensure that you are in a Task-based view to group by task field, or a Resource-based view to group by resource field. Note that if you don’t want to see Gantt bars, the Task Sheet is an ideal view to use.

3. If you are looking to subtotal work or cost values by Group, apply the Work or Cost table (customized as appropriate).

To apply the grouping:

1. From the Project menu, select Group, and then select Customize Group By.

2. Within the Customize Group By dialog, select the field you wish to group against, together with an ascending or descending order. Optionally, you can select additional sub-groupings and format the font and cell appearance for each group.

3. Next, click on the SAVE button, giving your new group an appropriate name.

4. Click OK to then group your information.

To revert back to no grouping, just select No Group from the Group By drop down. To re-group, just choose your new group from the list.

Project Plan notes

Download Using_Groups

The attached Microsoft Project data file displays the Task Sheet view. The Work table has been added to this view, with a custom field "Responsibility" added. This field is a simple Lookup Table containing two values "Scott" and "Sue". It could of course contain many values or it could be an Outline Code containing hierarchical values.

As one of the key purposes of grouping is to subtotal work and cost values, or rollup custom field values, Gantt bars can detract from the message. That is why a Task Sheet has been chosen as it just contains words and numbers. If you wanted to group against resource attributes, just use the Resource Sheet view.

Notes for Project Mentor users

See "Reference F1.4 Intelligently using sort criteria" for a comprehensive explanation about this topic.

Posted by: Andy Jessop

Using Filters to select key data

This quick question comes from Guy Rouleau of Canada:

How can I create a report for summary tasks only?

This question has a quick and simple answer.  Within the Formatting Toolbar of Microsoft Project, there is a drop down list of Filters that can be used to select key data.  One of these Filters is entitled “Summary Tasks”.

Guy’s question echoes many we receive in training courses in that Filters within Microsoft Project are not fully used or understood.  When we take time to explain how filters work, together with their benefits, people wonder how they’ve managed without them before.  Some useful default filters to consider are:

• When planning a project: Critical (just selects tasks on the project’s critical path); Milestones (just Milestone tasks); Tasks with Deadlines (only tasks that have deadline dates); Tasks With Fixed Dates (tasks that have constrained dates applied e.g. ‘Start No Earlier Than’).

• When a project is underway: Completed Tasks (equals 100% complete); Cost Overbudget (Cost > Baseline Cost); In Progress Tasks (tasks that have an Actual Start date but no Actual Finish date); Slipping Tasks (Finish > Baseline Finish).
  
  There are many more filters available for both tasks and resources.  Don’t forget that you can also create your own custom filters (for example against custom fields) using AutoFilter.

Notes for Project Mentor users

See "Reference F1.1 Using global filters" and "Reference F1.2 Creative use of AutoFilter" for a comprehensive explanation about this topic.

Posted by: Andy Jessop

How to reschedule tasks with constraints applied to them

This question, together with an associated data file comes from Bruce Tiven of Westerly, Rhode Island, USA:

I have a project scheduled out between mid-September and early April.

The project actually got under way a little more than three weeks late and now I would like to change the dates at the top of the chart without having to completely re-do the entire schedule. I tried changing the "Start Date" in the project information box, but it doesn't change anything.
Is there a way to simply shift the dates at the top of the chart to reflect more accurately the start and the progress of this project?

As Bruce’s sample data file contains tasks that do not possess any dependency links and merely have start constraints associated with them, his problem can be addressed in two different ways:

• As all the tasks have Start No Earlier Than (SNET) constraints applied to them, changing the project’s start date will have no effect because the tasks are individually constrained. The quick fix to this problem is to use the ‘Adjust Dates’wizard. This can be found on the ‘Analysis’ toolbar (View..Toolbars..Analysis). All Bruce has to do is enter in the revised project start date within this dialog box, and all tasks will be offset by the difference between the original start date and the revised start date.
• A more considered approach to Bruce’s problem is to question the need for SNET dates against all the project’s tasks. From my experience, constraints should be used sparingly. A simple rule to apply is to ask why a task should occur when it does. If it has to start or end due to external factors (a client signoff, access restrictions etc.), then these factors are ideal uses for constraints. If the reason is because a preceding task must be finished first (e.g. you can’t proof read a document until it has been written), a constraint alone is not applicable. A much more dynamic way to schedule (and to let Microsoft Project’s calculation engine do its job) is to create dependency links between tasks. By having these precedence links in place, any delay to a predecessor (or the project start date for that matter) will have a direct effect on all successor tasks. What’s more, a project’s Critical Path and any Total Slack or Free Slack against specific tasks is much more visible, and as such a project is much easier to manage.

When applying a constraint, choose which constraint type is most appropriate before applying the constraint. Avoid the temptation to simply enter in dates within the ‘Start’ cell for each task or to drag task bars around the Gantt chart. Either of these actions will create a SNET constraint. The Advanced Tab of the Task Information dialog or the Constraint Dates table are ideal places to add and edit constraints. Remember, if you have constraints against tasks, check their validity on a regular basis and edit constrained dates as necessary.

In conclusion, use links wherever possible and only apply constraints to tasks when there is a valid reason to do so.

Notes for Project Mentor users

See "Reference E2.2 applying task constraints" for a comprehensive explanation about this topic.

Posted by Andy Jessop

Scheduling project-wide resource overheads with Microsoft Project

This 2-part question is from Mark Moeller of Woodinville, WA, USA:

I have two different resource assignment issues to solve:

1) I have a resource who needs to be on a project 25% of their time for the entire project, regardless of when it starts or ends. How do I set that up?

2) I have a fixed pool of days of work that needs to be spread evenly across 'n' resources for the duration of the project. This should then take away some small fraction of availability of those same resources for other tasks (basically allocating specific overhead tasks). How do I do this?

As Mark is looking to schedule resource work over the entire project’s duration, the temptation would be to simply use a project summary task. Unfortunately, a project summary task isn’t really a task at all. It is merely a mechanism that rolls up duration, work and cost from the “real” tasks within the project.

What Mark therefore needs to help him is a “Hammock” task. Hammock tasks (as they are commonly known) span between two parts of a project. In Mark’s case this is between the project’s start and end dates; but hammocks can be used to span between any two points within a project’s schedule. Once created, resources can be assigned to hammocks to represent project overheads. Creating a hammock task is a fairly straightforward thing to do:

1. Create a summary task at level 1 of the project’s outline. If you create this task at the top of the list of tasks or at its base, this will make the summary task easier to identify.

2. Hierarchically beneath this summary task, add two Milestones with no fixed dates against them; i.e. their Constraint Type is ‘ASAP’. Give these milestones recognizable names; such as. “Hammock start” and “Hammock end”.

3. Within the main body of the task list create two milestones entitled “Project start” and “Project end”. Ensure these milestones are linked to the first and last tasks (or summary tasks) within the project respectively. Ideally, these milestones should not be embedded within a summary task.

4. Create an F-S link from your “Project start” milestone to your “Hammock start” milestone. Repeat the process for the “Project start” and “Hammock end” milestones.

You will now have created a hammock task. It will start when the project starts and it will finish when the project finishes. Any change to the start and finish of the project will automatically be reflected in the hammock’s duration and its dates. The next step is to assign some resources:

• To reflect assigning 25% of a person’s time over the project duration, simply assign that person to the hammock task, choosing 25% as the Assigned Units value. You can use the Assign Resources dialog or a Task Form to do this. As the hammock is a summary task, it is Fixed Duration in type. As such, the work for the resource will be calculated as Task Duration x Assigned Units. All this useful information is displayed within the Task Form view

• To assign work for several resources out of the pool, these resources can also be assigned to the hammock. Due to the scheduling rules regarding summary tasks, their non effort-driven status means that all assignments against summary tasks are independent of one another. Thus, Mark will have to apportion the total work for the pool between each pool member. This in turn will calculate the assigned units by the formula: Assigned Work / Task Duration = Assigned work. The remaining availability for each resource can then be seen within the Resource Usage view.

Download scheduling_projectwide_resource_overheads.mpp

Project Plan notes:

1. The start of the hammock task is controlled by the “Project start” milestone as this is the earliest task in the project’s schedule. The end of the hammock could be controlled by either the “Project end” milestone, or the end of “Summary B” (chosen in this case for illustration purposes), as either of these are scheduled at the end of the project.

2. All resources within the resource pool have max units (availability of 100%). The resource Usage view illustrates:

• The resource “Management resource” is assigned to the hammock task at 25% units to represent an overhead against the project. The assignments at 75% for this resource against “Task A1” and “Task B2” show work against real tasks and illustrate how remaining availability can be consumed.

• The resource “Pool Member 1” does not exceed their max units. This is because the sum of the assignments for this resource against parallel tasks “Task A2”, “Task B1” and “Hammock” is less than 100%.

• The resource “Pool member 2” is overallocated. This is due to an assignment at 100% units (the default) against “Task B1” and an 8% unit assignment against “Hammock”. You should therefore be careful not to allocate any resource greater than their remaining availability when resource overheads are being scheduled.

• To display Remaining Availability within the Resource Usage veiw, simply select this option by choosing Details from the Format menu.

• The Gantt Chart view has been customized to highlight the hammock task to differentiate it from normal summary tasks. In this instance, the Bar for “Hammock” has been formatted to a different bar shape and Resource Names have been appended as bar text.

This useful hint and tip came from Project Mentor, our computer based training package for Microsoft Project.

Posted by Andy Jessop