Microsoft Project, Project Management & Planning

Create a project in Microsoft Project by setting the start date, calendar, and finish-by date, then choose automatic scheduling so tasks are calculated automatically based on durations.

Create a WBS and tasks in MS Project by importing from Excel, assigning WBS codes and predecessors, and organizing design, structure, roof, and envelope as summary and working tasks.

Learn to add and adjust task durations, switch between automatic and manual calculations, and see how durations affect the chart view and the summary task.

Link tasks by assigning predecessors and applying finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish relationships, then manage milestones and see how dependencies affect durations and the critical path.

Explore different types of task dependencies in project management, including finish-to-start, finish-to-finish, start-to-finish, and start-to-start, with lag, lead, and fast-tracking concepts.

Rename task codes in Microsoft Project by configuring the WBS code format and previewing changes, and manage task relationships by adding multiple predecessors with defined start and finish conditions.

Identify the critical path as the longest linked sequence of tasks, shown by red bars, with zero total float, while non-critical tasks do not affect the end date.

Compute the project critical path by manually scheduling activities from their durations and predecessors, using a template to derive earliest start and early finish, then identify the longest path.

Learn to compute total float, or total slack, by backward updating late finish and late start, and see that the critical path has zero float.

Learn how total slack (total float) shows how many days you can delay a task without changing the project end date, and how zero slack marks critical tasks.

Organize tasks in the project table by copying, pasting, and dragging to reorder, indenting or outdenting to adjust levels while preserving dependencies, and delete tasks carefully when needed.

Learn to apply task constraints in Microsoft Project, including must finish on and must start on, plus soft constraints like finish no later than, and how hard constraints affect scheduling.

Learn how to create and manage recurring tasks in a project, including weekly meetings, setting duration, start dates, end dates, and visual indicators in Microsoft Project.

learn how to split a single task into two parts to respect a resource's availability, using drag-and-drop in Microsoft Project, which updates dates, creates planning constraints, and reveals planning results.

Learn to inactivate a task in Microsoft Project using the inactivate button, test schedule impact with a placeholder for change awaiting approval, then reactivate and adjust predecessor and successor relationships.

Create and manage summary tasks in Microsoft Project, inserting a top-level summary to control the duration of following tasks, add contingency by extending the summary, and view the project duration.

Create and manage resources in Microsoft Project, including work, material, and cost types, set rates and calendars, and assign to tasks to analyze schedule and cost.

Learn to assign resources created earlier, using three methods, including table cell updates, task details, and team planner; calculate costs from rates and hours, and manage units and baseline costs.

Discover how to assign cost to a task in Microsoft Project by adding a resource cost in the detail and resource windows, and update actual costs as the project progresses.

Learn to view resource usage, identify over allocation, analyze hours per resource across tasks, and switch between resource usage and resource graph views.

Identify and fix resource over-allocation using resource usage and graphs, then level resources by extending task durations or reassigning hours, ensuring project end dates stay achievable.

This lecture explains effort driven scheduling, showing how adding resources reduces task duration while keeping work hours constant, and contrasts fixed duration, fixed unit, and fixed work tasks, including crashing.

Create and assign a baseline in Microsoft Project to capture the project's status as a snapshot of start, duration, and cost, then compare progress against the baseline to assess performance.

Learn to update project status in Microsoft Project by tracking tasks, setting baselines, and inputting actual and remaining work, hours, and percent complete to monitor deviation and on-track progress.

update cost resources manually when updating task status, adjusting actual costs from planned 100 dollar day to 70 dollars to reflect real spend, noting location-based variance.

Learn how to reschedule uncompleted tasks in Microsoft Project after updating percent complete and resource costs, shifting start dates to accommodate holidays and observe impacts on the critical path.

Apply earned value management to evaluate project performance on day 30 by comparing bcws, bcwp, and acwp to determine cv, cpi, sv, spi, and estimate the completion cost.

Explore s-curve analyses to compare baseline budgets with actual costs and assess schedule and cost variances using CPI and SPI. See how delays affect end-value curves and inform corrective actions.

View project status across schedule and cost by exploring task views, tables, and dashboards; compare baseline, actual, and variance to track budget, duration, and completion.

Explore Microsoft Project reports to visualize project status with burn down charts, costs, and resource allocations. Create and customize dashboards, cost overviews, and resource overviews to communicate progress to stakeholders.

Learn to print your gantt chart in Microsoft Project by selecting the desired columns and dates, and export to PDF with page size and orientation.

Export your project to pdf, excel, or text using file, export, or save as. Choose the appropriate format, including Microsoft Project 2007 options and templates for website publishing.

Master schedule compression techniques like fast tracking and crashing, and manage constraints, deadlines, and resource allocation to avoid over allocation and ensure timely delivery.

Use a buffer task as a duration-only placeholder between tasks to absorb potential delays. Recognize that this approach is not common and may be hard to justify to upper management.

Customize the project calendar by changing working time, adding exemptions for holidays, and applying per-resource calendars to reflect availability and scheduling.

Create a new resource calendar by copying the standard base calendar for a project manager, then assign it in the resource sheet to drive project hours from that calendar.

Learn how to set a project currency in the options, choose euro or another currency, adjust decimals, and place the symbol left or right based on your project location.

Apply Excel-like filters to project tables to refine tasks by duration, dates, and percent complete; save custom filters for reuse and use and/or logic, then clear filters.

Explore how to group and sort tasks in Microsoft Project by criteria such as critical path, milestones, and resources, and customize grouping with intervals and ascending or descending order.

Create and customize a user-defined field in a project, assign it to the task, configure graphical indicators and colors, and display it as a column in the project table.

Explore the indicators in the project table view, learn how to use F1 for help, and interpret indicators such as completed tasks and allocated resources to track project status.

Move the project start date using the move project option, adjust actual start dates, and optionally move deadlines to shift the plan and baseline.

Explore the format drawing tools to annotate your chart, adding arrows, text, rectangles, and polygons, adjust timelines, and prepare management-ready reports.

Learn to use the timeline window to view and manage project schedules alongside your chart, including dragging tasks, adjusting durations, adding milestones, and sharing timelines.