Microsoft Project

Introduction to Microsoft Project

Objective

➢ Demonstrates the competency in creating new project schedule using Microsoft Office Project
2019

➢ Demonstrates the ability in creating resources using Microsoft Office Project 2019

Learning Outcome

1. Create a project

➢ Change working time by creating new calendar

2. Create a task list/Insert new activities

➢ Activity duration

➢ Milestone

3. Creating Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

4. Relationships of the activities/link

5. Documenting Tasks

6. Create work resources lists

➢ Assign resources to respective activity

➢ Adjusting working calendar

7. Formatting and Printing project report

Microsoft Office Project 2019 is able to:

➢ Track all the information you gather about the work, duration, costs and resource
requirements for your project

➢ Visualized and present your project plan in standard and well defined format

➢ Schedule tasks and resources consistently and effectively

Sample

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Open MP – file-new-office template

▪ menu bar (1st tier), toolbar (2nd tier), project plan window

1. Creating a Project

Steps to create a project

1. In a menu bar, click File – click new – blank

2. To set project’s start date, in a menu bar, click Project, select project information. Enter the
relevant information such as Project Start Date and Calendar used for the project.
Or put the cursor at Start column in Gantt chart, and then enter the start date.

Working Time

➢ The default working time starts from 8.00am to 5.00pm and the default calendar is a five-day
workweek calendar.

➢ However, the working time can be changed according to the user preference.

Creating New Calendar

Steps

1. In menu bar, select Project and click at Change Working Time

2. Click at Create new calendar and select create new base calendar, enter the name of the new
Calendar

3. Example to set nonworking days/public holiday on 22ndNov 2017. Click at 22ndNov 2017, click
exception and enter Holiday, click OK.

Assigning Calendar to a Project

➢ The project created in Microsoft Project will based on the standard (default) calendar.

If the project is to be carried out based on user defined calendar, it needs to be assigned to the
project through the Project Information dialogue box

Steps

1. In menu bar, select Project

2. Click at Project Information

3. Select the respective calendar at the Calendar dropdown list, click OK to apply the selected
calendar

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2. Creating New Activities/task lists

➢ Activities or tasks are the most basic building blocks of any project.

➢ Tasks describe project work in terms of sequence, duration and resource requirements.

➢ Tasks represent the work to be done to accomplish the goals of the project.

Creating New Activities/task lists

There are two methods available in entering new activity Task Name into a project

➢ Method 1-Entering the task name using Task Information dialogue box

Steps

1. In the menu bar, select Task

2. Select Task Information

3. Enter the descriptive Task Name at General tab for that particular activity. Click OK after
completed.

➢ Method 2 - Entering the task name directly at the Entry bar or Entry Table

Follow sample

Activity Duration

A task’s duration is the amount of time you expect it will take to complete the task

Consideration when estimating task durations:

➢ Historical information from previous or similar projects

➢ Estimates from the people who will complete the tasks

➢ The expert judgment of people who have managed similar projects

➢ The standards of professional or industry organizations that carry out projects similar to yours

Similar to the process of entering activity name, activity duration can also be entered using Task
Information dialogue box or directly enter it in the entry table.

Method 1

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 Steps

1. In the menu bar, select Task

2. Select Information and enter the activity duration at Duration field

3. Click OK after entering the duration

Method 2

Entering the activity duration directly at the Entry Table

Create a milestone to track an important event

Steps task menu-milestone (diamond)

1. Put the cursor at required activity

3. Creating Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

➢ It is helpful to organize groups of closely related tasks into phases.

➢ Seeing phases of tasks helps you and anyone else reviewing a project plan to think in terms of
major work items and detailed work items.

➢ WBS enables you to divide a project into meaningful and logical pieces for the purpose of
planning and control.

➢ Elements within the WBS have a “child-parent” relationship which means that it can be rolled up
and summarized from the lower levels.

➢ The phases of work can be created by indenting and out denting the tasks. In the menu bar,
select Task

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 4. Creating Relationship

➢ Projects require tasks to be done in a specific order or sequence

➢ In projects, the first task is called the predecessor, the second task is called successor

➢ E.g CLIENT BRIEF MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE TASK OF CONSULTANT MEETING. So, the
first task (client brief, called as predecessor) and 2nd task ( consultant meeting as successor).
Task relationship Means In Gantt Chart
Finish to start (FS) The finish date of the
predecessor task
determines the start
date of successor task.
Start to start (SS) The start date of the
predecessor task
determines the start
date of successor task
Finish to finish (FF) The finish date of the
predecessor task
determines the finish
date of successor task
Start to finish (SF) The start date of the
predecessor task
determines the finish
date of successor task

Method 1

Steps

1. In the menu bar, select Task

2. Select Information and go to Predecessors tab

3. Select the predecessor activity at the Task Name dropdown list, Type and enter lag if there is
any at the Lag column.

4. Click OK after selecting the predecessor

Method 2

➢ Create the relationship between the activities by clicking the link task in toolbars menu

Steps

1. Highlight the predecessor and successor

2. In the menu bar, select task

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3. Click link task (chain symbol), default is Finish – Start relationship.

4. If the relationship contains lag or different type of relationship, double click at the arrow and
enter the lag or type in the Task Dependency dialogue box

5. Click OK after entering the information.

Exercise no.1 – highlight task 5 & 6, click task link at toolbars menu. Default as FS
Exercise no.2 – highlight task 6 & 7, click task link. Default as FS, at link line-double click at
choose Start to Start with delay 6 days.

5. Documenting Tasks

➢ Additional information about a task can be recorded as note

Method 1

Steps

1. Highlight the respective task and select Task in the menu bar

2. Select Information and enter the task notes at Notes tab

3. Click OK to close

Method 2 – right click the mouse at required task, select notes

6. Resources

➢ Resources are the people, equipment, material and cost needed to complete the tasks in a
project.

➢ Microsoft Office Project works with 3 types of resources: work resources, material
resources and cost resources.

➢ Work resources are the people and equipment that do the work of the project.

➢ Individual people identified by name

➢ Material resources are consumables that you use up as the project proceeds.

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➢ On a construction project, material resources might include nails, tiles, steel bars and concrete.

➢ Cost resources are the cost to represent a financial cost associated with a task in a project

Creating Resources

Steps

1. In the menu bar, go to View menu, then select Resource Sheet

2. Enter the relevant resources in the Resource Sheet appear

3. Max. Units column represents the number of resources available every workday

4. Type column represents whether the resource is Work Resource or Material Resource

5. Std. rate default hourly rate or fixed costs per use.

Assigning Resources to Activity

Method 1

Steps

1. Highlight that particular activity.

2. In the menu bar, select Task

3. Select Information and go to Resources tab

4. At the Resource Name column, select the relevant resources for that activity

5. Click OK after you have completed

Method 2

➢ The resources of an activity can be assign by clicking right click button and select assign
resources

Adjusting working time for individual resources

A resource calendar controls the working and nonworking times of a resource. Resource calendar
apply only for work resources (people and equipment) and not to material or cost resources.
Exercise – insert Susanto as worker in resources sheet.

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Exercise- adjusting Susanto’s working day to nonworking day. Click Project at menu bar, select
change working time, and select Susanto at For Calendar Diagram. Click exception, type in Susanto
passport renewal, and then select the exception date.

7. Formatting and Printing project information

Steps
1. Format button at menu for formatting
2. Print at file menu
3. Printing a report – project, select report
4. Visual report in excel – project, report, visual report

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