Lecture 05 - Microsoft Project - Defining Tasks - Lab 2
Lecture 05 - Microsoft Project - Defining Tasks - Lab 2
l Mid-market leader
l Has approx. 50% overall market share
l 70-80% MS Project users never used automated project
tracking prior
l Not a mid/high-end tool for EPM (Enterprise Project Mgmt.)
Project Pros
l Illusion of control
l No estimation features
l Remember:
– Being a MS Project expert does not make you an expert project
manager!
– No more so than knowing MS Word makes you a good writer
Steps for Using MS Project
l Adding tasks
– Make sure that you are working in the Gantt chart
– Type the name of the task in the “Task Name” field
– Enter the duration information
– Do not enter both start or finish date (Microsoft Project
automatically calculates these fields based on the duration)
Entering Tasks
l Enter a milestone
– In the duration field
– Set the value to zero
– Notice that a symbol added to the Gantt chart
l Inserting a task
– Select a task which the new task will be immediately above
it
– Click “Insert”, “New Task”
l Delete a task
– Select a row, right click, “Delete Task”
– You can undo the delete (Ctrl + Z)
l Move a task
– Select a row, move it up or down by
– You can undo the move (Ctrl + Z)
Linking Tasks
l Define a lag
– Lag time follows a task, i.e. paint walls and add a lag time
for drying
– Open the task information dialog box
– Select the Predecessors tab
– Enter value in the Lag field
Example # 1 – Echelon Project
Immediate Duration
Task Description Predecessor(s) (work days)
A Finalize product feature specification - 2
B Feature 1 Engine Development A 8
C Feature 1 Component Development B 13
D Feature 1 Web/Interface Development C 10
E Feature 2 Engine Development A 15
F Feature 2 Component Development E 7
G Feature 2 Web/Interface Development F 4
H Integrate code D,G 4
I Test and Fix H 21
J Prepare Marketing Message A 5
K Train PSO and Pre-Sales J, H 2
L Educate Sales Force J 2
M Prepare Marketing Material J 10
N Announce Release I,K,L,M 1
Entering Tasks
l Select the part of the Gantt chart that you want to get
a picture
l Click Task, Copy, Copy Picture
l Copy picture dialog box appears
l Select “For Screen” in the Render Image part
l Click OK
l Open a Word file
l Click Paste
Outline Tasks