Microsoft Project Tips

Calendar

Night and Swing Shift Calendars

You can create a night-shift or swing-shift base calendar and assign it to a group of resources or set the working hours for each resource individually.

If you have resources working night shifts that span two days (such as 11:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M.), you need to enter the hours before midnight on one day and the hours after midnight on the next day. For example, for the hours before midnight, you would type 11pm to 12am; for the hours after midnight, you would type 12am to 7am on the next day. The first day of the work week has the evening hours only; the last day has the morning hours only.

Set the Project Calendar for a 24-Hour Work Day

You can set the project calendar to use a 24-hour work day. This will allow you to schedule tasks without interruption if you have resources available around the clock, such as machinery. When you set the project calendar for a 24-hour work day, you will eliminate all nonworking time.

1. On the Project menu, click Project Information.
2. In the Calendar box, click 24 Hours.

Set Working Hours and Days Off for a Resource

By default, the Standard project calendar is used for all resources in a project. The working hours and days off defined on the Standard calendar are the default working hours and days off for each resource. If this is the only calendar you're using, you don't need to modify the calendar for each resource.

1. On the Tools menu, click Change Working Time.
2. In the For box, click the resource whose calendar you want to change.
3. On the calendar, select the days you want to change. To change a day of the week for the entire calendar, select the day at the top of the calendar.
4. Choose Use default, Nonworking time, or Working time.
5. If you clicked Working time in step 4, type the times you want work to start in the From boxes and the times you want work to end in the To boxes.

For more information about setting working hours and days off, ask the Office Assistant. For information about creating night and swing shift calendars, see the Night and Swing Shift Calendars tip.

Customization

Copy Specific Customized Elements from Earlier Installations to Microsoft Project 98

Click Open in the Microsoft Project 98 File menu, and select your renamed global file. This opens the Organizer in Update mode which allows you to select elements from any Microsoft Project global file and move them to your Microsoft Project 98 global file.

Customize Workgroup Messages

You may find that the default fields available in the workgroup messages don't quite cover all the project elements you want to communicate about in workgroup messages. Or, you may want to have your resources track any overtime they put in on their tasks. To accommodate these and other workgroup message needs, you can customize workgroup messages to send the kind of information you want.

1. On the Tools menu, point to Customize, and then click Workgroup.
2. Modify the settings for workgroup messages.
   • To add additional fields to future workgroup messages, click Add, and then select the field you want and give it a title, which will appear as the column heading in the workgroup message. As applicable, select or clear the Include in TeamStatus messages check box and the Let resource change field check box.
   • To rearrange the order in which fields appear in future workgroup messages, click the field you want to move in the Fields box, and then click Move Up or Move Down until the field is where you want it.
   • To remove a field from future workgroup messages, click the field in the Fields box, and then click Remove.
   • To set the unit of time by which the resources track their work, click the unit of time in the Ask for completed work box. The choices include as a total for the entire period, broken down by day, and broken down by week.
   • To track overtime work in future task assignments, check the Track overtime work check box. This causes TeamStatus messages to include an OVT(overtime) field following each standard work time field. Resources can then use the OVT fields to report their overtime to the workgroup manager.
   • To disallow resources from declining future tasks that you assign to them, clear the Team members can decline tasks check box. Clearing this check box will not keep resources from declining tasks you have already assigned.
   • To restore the Microsoft Project default settings for workgroup messages, click Return to Default Settings.

Microsoft Project 98 Automatically Transfers Customizations from Previous Versions

When you install Microsoft Project 98 over a previous version of Microsoft Project, it renames your existing global file so you don't lose any customized settings it might contain. The new file name will include the version number of your previous version of Microsoft Project. For example, a Microsoft Project 95 global would be renamed to GLOBAL40.MPT.

Filters

Use AutoFilters to Display Specific Information in Any Sheet View

In any sheet view, click Filtered For on the Project menu, then click AutoFilter. Click the arrow in the column containing the information you want to display, then click the criteria you want to use to filter information. The arrow and column title for that column will turn blue. To filter based on an additional value, repeat the above process in the column containing that value.

Formatting

Change When the Fiscal Year Starts

If your company's fiscal year doesn't start in January, but say, in June, you can make that adjustment in Microsoft Project 98.

1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calendar tab.
2. In the Fiscal year starts in box, click the month you want the fiscal year to start.

Don't worry if you see dates that appear to be a year ahead: It's simply because you've altered the fiscal year so it no longer matches the calendar year. You can choose to display dates with the FY beginning or FY ending year. Select the Use starting year for FY numbering box on the Calendar tab to display the FY beginning year. Clear the check box to display the FY ending year.

Change Your Default View

The default view in Microsoft Project is the Gantt Chart view. If you'd like to have another view as the default, first pull down the Tools menu and select the Options command. In the Options dialog box, display the View tab, select the view you want as your default from the Default View drop-down list, and click OK.

This tip is provided by Inside Microsoft Project, a Cobb Group publication.

Create a New Menu Bar

You can create new (custom) menu bars, which are saved as toolbars:

1. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Customize.
2. Click the Toolbars tab.
3. Click New.
4. In the Toolbar name box, type the name of the new menu bar.

Note Because menu bars are saved as toolbars, you may want to include the Words menu, bar or menu bar in the name to distinguish them from your toolbars.

Drag to Join or Move the Different Parts of Your Split Tasks

You can move any portion of a split task independently by dragging. If you want to move the entire bar while maintaining the relative split distance, just hold down the SHIFT key while dragging either of the split portions. If you want to join two parts of a split task, just drag one split section into the other.

Indicator Icons Display Additional Task, Resource, and Assignment Information

Microsoft® Project 98 adds a new field to the right of the ID field in most of its views. The indicator field displays any number of icons representing one of the different types of messages that may be associated with a task, resource, or assignment. When you point to one of the icons with the cursor, the information associated with it pops up. Indicator icons represent a range of information: personal notes, task constraints, over-allocation warnings, resource contouring, hyperlink information, and more.

Rename Custom Fields

To accurately label and easily access specialized data you're storing in Microsoft Project, you can rename custom fields. Choose Customize from the Tools menu, then click Field Names and enter your custom name. The new field name will be used throughout Microsoft Project in views, reports, and dialog drop-downs.

Show or Hide a Menu Bar

You cannot hide the built-in Microsoft Project menu bar; however, you can show or hide custom menu bars. Custom menu bars are saved as toolbars. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click the name of the menu bar you want to show or hide.

Toggle an Assignment Unit Value Between Percentages and Decimals

To switch between displaying a resource assignment value as a percentage and as a decimal value, click Options from the Tools menu, then on the Schedule tab, click the Show assignment units as a: drop-down control and make your choice.

Hyperlinks

Add Multiple Hyperlinks to Custom Text Fields

To associate supporting documents or Web sites with a single project task, you can embed multiple hyperlinks for a single task by entering additional URLs in the custom text fields (text1, text2, text3). This is in addition to the individual hyperlink field Microsoft Project 98 supports.

Integration

Link a Microsoft Excel File to a Microsoft Project File

You can link an entire Microsoft® Excel file to your project file. An entire document linked to a project file is interpreted by Microsoft Project as graphics information and can therefore be placed in any of the graphics areas, such as a Gantt Chart or a task, resource, or assignment note.

To move and size a document in a graphics area:

1. Open a Microsoft Project file and select the graphics area into which you want to insert the Excel file.
2. In the Gantt Chart view, click Object on the Insert menu.
   In a note, click the Insert button.
3. Click Create from File.
4. In the File box, type the path and file name of the document you want to insert, or click Browse to locate and select the file.
5. Select the Link check box.
6. To display the object as an icon, select the Display As Icon check box.
   The default option is to display the contents of the file you insert.

Link Information from Microsoft Excel to Microsoft Project

Microsoft® Excel is an especially effective tool for performing complex calculations on numerical data stored in a project file and generating reports, graphs, and charts about that data. To obtain more cost information than is currently calculated by Microsoft Project, you can store and calculate project costs in a Microsoft Excel workbook and then transfer that data to Microsoft Project.

To make sure that the information in your project file always mirrors the latest calculations done in Excel, you can link the information from Excel to your project file. When you link information, the original information remains stored in the source file - in this case, an Excel workbook. The destination file, a project file in Microsoft Project, displays a representation of the linked information, but stores only the location of the original data. The linked information is updated automatically when you change the original data in the source file. For example, when you select a range of cells in an Excel workbook and then paste the cells as linked data in a project file, the information is simultaneously updated in Microsoft Project as you change the information in the Excel workbook.

You can link fields, cells, records, or rows to any Microsoft Project sheet view, such as the Gantt Chart view or the Task Sheet view.

To link information from Microsoft Excel to Microsoft Project:

1. In Microsoft Excel, select the information you want to link, and then click Copy.
2. In the Views list, click the view into which you want to copy the data, and then click Apply.
3. Select the location for the data.
4. On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
5. Select the Link check box, and then click Text Data.

Use Excel to Help Analyze Microsoft Project Data

To perform in-depth analysis on your project, you can group and sort your project data using Microsoft® Excel Pivot Tables if you select Save As... from the File menu. From the Save as type drop-down box, choose Microsoft Excel Pivot Table.

Internet

Share Project Status with non-Microsoft Project Users

To easily communicate project status to non-Microsoft Project users, you can publish .gif images of your Gantt charts to the Web by using the Copy Picture command and selecting the .gif file option in the dialog box.

Multi-project Management

Change the Dependency Between Tasks in Different Projects

When you link a task in one project to a task in another project in Microsoft® Project, you create a finish-to-start dependency by default. However, a finish-to-start dependency may not work in every situation. To realistically model the relationship between tasks, you can change their dependency.

To change dependency between tasks in different projects,

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart.
2. Double-click the link line whose task dependency you want to change.
3. In the Type box, click the task dependency you want.

Edit a Task from Another Project

After you link a task in one project to a task in another project, Microsoft® Project 98 displays the external task, or "ghost" task, in each project. In the Gantt Chart view, the name and Gantt bar of an external task appear shaded, so that you can easily distinguish a task in another project from a task in the current project. For example, if an external task were the predecessor to a task in the current project, the link would appear like this:

The shading not only distinguishes an external task, it also indicates that it's inactive within the current project. In short, you can't edit it in the project to which it's linked. From within the current project, you can hide an external task, add a note, and change the dependency between the external task and its linked task. But to change its duration, start date, assignments, percentage complete, and other important properties, you must be working from within the external task's "home" project file.

To edit a task from another project:

1. Double-click the external (shaded) task.
   Microsoft Project 98 opens or displays the external task's "home" project file.
2. Edit the task.

PM Techniques

Resources

Books

Look for these reference books at your local computer store, bookseller, or online bookstore.

• Microsoft Project 98 Bible
  By Nancy Stevenson and Elaine Marmel

  Published by IDG Books Worldwide
  List Price: US$34.99
  Publication date: December 1997
  526 Pages
  Reader level: Beginner-Advanced

  Whether you're a seasoned project manager or an armchair planner, Microsoft Project 98 Bible is the essential resource for project scheduling, budgeting, tracking, and troubleshooting. Microsoft Project 98 Bible covers it all, from project management basics and cost assignments to advanced techniques such as Internet applications and custom graphics features.

• Microsoft Project 98 Step by Step
  By Catapult

  Published by Microsoft Press
  List Price: US$29.99
  Publication Date: October 1997
  336 Pages
  Disk: 1 CD
  Reader level: Beginning/Intermediate

  Master Microsoft Project 98 the fast, easy way! Microsoft Project 98 Step by Step provides quick, easy, book-and-disk self-training on Microsoft Project 98 to help you easily learn this powerful project management program.

• Managing Projects With Microsoft Project 98: For Windows
  By Gwen Lowery and Rob Ferrara

  Published by Van Nostrand Reinhold
  List Price: US$34.95
  Publication Date: October 1997
  384 Pages

  Written by Microsoft insiders, this concise guide leads you step by step through key project management stages, explores multiple ways to tailor Microsoft Project 98 to your specific use, and explains how to manage multiple projects effectively.

• Microsoft Project 98 for Dummies
  By Martin Doucette

  Published by IDG Books Worldwide
  List Price: US$24.99
  Publication Date: February 1998
  384 Pages
  Disk: 1 CD

  This authoritative reference takes users through the ins and outs of Microsoft Project 98. The CD-ROM includes sample project files and graphics.

• Special Edition Using Microsoft Project 98
  By Tim Pyron

  Published by Que Education & Training
  List Price: US$39.99
  Publication Date: October 1997
  989 Pages

  Special Edition Using Microsoft Project 98 teaches the fundamentals of Microsoft Project and features an extensive index that helps readers find information quickly. Guides readers through difficult tasks with tips, notes, cautions, troubleshooting, and Web reference icons.

Printing

Preview a Project before Printing

Before printing a view or report, it's often useful to see what the information will actually look like when printed, and you can preview any Microsoft® Project view or report. When you create a Microsoft Project report, a print preview of the report is automatically displayed in the Print Preview window. However, to preview a project view, you need to click Print Preview. In the Print Preview window, you can:

• Zoom in and out to examine details in a view or report.
• Display multiple pages or a single page.
• Adjust the page orientation.
• Scale views and reports.
• Edit headers, footers, and legends in views.
• Edit headers and footers in reports.
• Set print options, such as page range and number of copies.
• Print the view or report.

Note You cannot edit the view or report in the Print Preview window.

Project Scheduling

Set Reminders for Tasks

If you're managing the project file and using the Microsoft® Outlook® messaging and collaboration client, you can set reminders for the tasks. A reminder lets you know when a task is about to start or finish, depending on how you set up the reminder. When you set up a reminder, the task that you want to be reminded of is listed in the task list of Microsoft Outlook.

1. In your project file, select the tasks for which you would like reminders.
2. On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click Set Reminder.
3. Set the reminder criteria you want. You can specify that you want to be reminded either minutes, hours, days, or weeks ahead. You can also specify whether you want to be reminded prior to the task's start date or finish date.

You Can Use Abbreviations When Entering Task Durations

To streamline data entry, you can use many different abbreviations when entering task durations. For example, you can enter w, wks, wk, weeks, or week for a duration in weeks-Microsoft Project 98 will interpret all as weeks.

Resource Management

Remove a Resource from a Workgroup

Occasionally, a resource may move away, take a job somewhere else, or for one reason or another be removed from a project. You can remove such a resource from your workgroup in the WebInbox.

When you remove a resource, the tasks that the resource was working on remain in the schedule, but the resource's assignments are removed from the Web-based workgroup tracking files that reside on the web server.

1. Open the Microsoft Project file that is tracking the resource's contribution.
2. On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click WebInbox.
3. Click Remove Resource.
4. In the Remove Resource dialog box, select the resource that you would like to remove from your workgroup, then click Remove.
5. Confirm that you wish to remove the resource from the workgroup by clicking Yes.

For more tips on workgroups, click Help in Microsoft Project 98.

Specify that a Sharer Project Takes Precedence over the Resource Pool

A sharer project can contain different resource information from that contained in its resource pool. For example, for the same resource, a sharer project and a resource pool might contain different pay rate and calendar information. By default, Microsoft® Project resolves resource information conflicts in favor of the resource pool. You can, however, specify that a sharer project takes precedence over the resource pool should resource information conflicts arise.

To specify that a sharer project takes precedence over the resource pool:

1. Open the sharer project file.
2. On the Tools menu, click Resources, and then click Share Resources.
3. Click Sharer takes precedence.

View Resource and Assignment Information in a Resource Pool

When you manage several projects simultaneously, checking the resource and assignment information in each can be time-consuming. With Microsoft® Project, putting resources shared among projects into one resource pool enables you to check resource information in one place.

In a resource pool, the most helpful views for checking resource and assignment information are:

• The Resource Sheet view

Use this view to review, add, or edit resource data and to copy or paste information from one resource to another. You can display information such as work hours assigned and baseline (planned) and actual cost for each resource.

• The Resource Usage view

Use this view to work with resource and task information side by side. You can see the amount of work for each resource, track a resource's work or cost allocation, see how costs change over time, and create timesheets.

• The Resource Graph view

Use this view to determine resource capacity, whether resources are overallocated, and how much they cost. This view displays, in an easy-to-interpret timescale graph, information about your project resources, based on a category you select.

Information that appears in a resource pool will also appear in any sharer projects that are open on your computer.

To switch between views:

1. Open the resource pool.
2. On the View Bar, click the resource view you want.

Note To edit resource information, such as cost rates, open the resource pool as read-write, make the changes you want, and then save the resource pool. These changes will be transmitted to all sharer projects the next time they connect to the pool.

Use Microsoft® Project to select the best view in which to check and work with the resource and assignment information residing in a resource pool. Learn how and when to choose the Resource Sheet, Resource Usage, and Resource Graph views.

Viewing

Use Intellimouse for Easy Scrolling

To get different perspectives on your plan, you can scroll in and out on the timescale in Microsoft Project 98 by pressing CTRL and scrolling with the wheel on the IntelliMouse®.

View and Forward a Routed Project File

With Microsoft Project, you can receive a project file through MAPI-compliant e-mail, review the schedule, make changes, add comments, and then return it to the project manager or forward it to another person on the routing slip. Routing project files through e-mail improves project communication among members of your team and increases the speed of schedule reviews.

1. In your e-mail program, open the routed message.
2. To open the project, double-click the Microsoft Project icon in the e-mail message.
3. Review and modify the project, and then click Save.
4. To send the project file to the next name on the routing list, on the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Next Routing Recipient.
5. Confirm the recipient is correct by clicking OK.