PMConnection

Dumbing Down Microsoft Project

Creating a Checklist or To-Do List in Microsoft Project

Ok…so you’ve got a VERY small project, or simply a collection of tasks that you need to complete. Call it a checklist or a To-Do list if you will. You know MS Project is a powerful tool and can be used to manage very complex projects. But you don’t really need a full blown dynamic schedule, so you are thinking of creating your list in Excel…WAIT!!!

This article will show you how to “dumb down” Microsoft Project for the purposes of creating a simple To-Do list. You’ll learn some easy, yet powerful features that will make creating and maintaining a To-Do list easier in Microsoft Project than Excel.

Building the List
1.    Open Microsoft Project and save your file with a meaningful name
2.    Modify the Gantt Chart View
       a.    Hide the Indicator column
       b.    Hide the Duration column
       c.    Hide the Start column
       d.    Hide the Predecessor column
       e.    Insert % Work Complete
       f.    Insert Notes column
      g.    Slide the vertical divider for the Gantt Chart all the way to the right

3.    Add Data
      a.    Input task within Name column
      b.    Input targeted finish date within Finish column
      c.    Input the name of the person or people responsible for the task in the Resource Names column

4. Save a Baseline
Click on >Tools, >Tracking, >Save Baseline

Managing the List
5.    Input Updates
       a.    Modify Finish date as necessary
       b.    Update % Work Complete
       c.    Add Notes to tasks as needed

Reporting from the List
6.    Print the list in its entirety
7.    Filter the list
       Click on >Project, >Filter and you can quickly filter for:
       a.    Incomplete tasks

Result:

b. Complete tasks

Result:

c. By Resource

Result shows any task assigned to Sam:

d. By Date Range

Result:

8. Autofilter
You can enable the Autofilter for all columns.

You can now click on the auto filter dropdown for any column and leverage it to filter the list. A good example is you could click on the dropdown for Name, use the custom option and filter for only the tasks that contain the name “furniture”.

Result:

9. Compare to Baseline
By inserting the Baseline Finish and the Finish Variance columns, we can see our original targeted finish dates and how far tasks have slipped.

10. Insert Project Summary task to get overall % Work Complete
Click on >Tools, >Options, >View tab and check “Show project summary task”

Result:

11. View as Calendar
Click on >View, >Calendar

Question: Now…can you do all that in Excel?
Answer: Yes, but not near as easily!!!

CAUTION: Using this approach removes the dynamic scheduling capabilities of Microsoft Project. In other words, if the tasks on your To-Do list must be done sequentially, and you experience a delay in one of the “upstream” tasks, you will need to manually change the dates of all the downstream tasks. This is not the best approach when working with Microsoft Project. However, as the article started, if you currently create and maintain To-Do lists in Excel, you may find using this approach in Microsoft Project to be more beneficial.

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Microsoft Project Templates Added To Research Center

PMConnection recently acquired a website (www.projecttemplates.4t.com) that provided free Microsoft Project schedule templates. PMConnection then added more free templates to this list! There are currently over 80 free templates in all.

These templates can be sorted by Title, Popularity or Date added. New templates will be added in the near future. These templates can be found within the Research Center , or found directly by clicking this link.

So if you are getting ready to start a new project, why not start with a pre-populated Microsoft Project schedule? Remember, saving time saves money!

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Microsoft Project Certifications Insight

At the time of this article, Microsoft has moved three of the four proposed certifications that align with their project management tools to a "production" state. Finding one page on Microsoft's site or any website that pulls the details of these certifications together is virtually impossible. Thus the reason for this article!

Exam Name	Microsoft Office Project 2007, Managing Projects	Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Managing Projects	Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Configuring	Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Managing Projects and Programs	Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server 2007, Managing Portfolios*
Exam Number	70-632	70-633	70-639	70-634	70-635*
Tool Focus	Microsoft Project 2007	Microsoft Project Professional and Project Server 2007	Microsoft Project Server 2007	Microsoft Project Server 2007	Microsoft Portfolio Server 2007
Credential	Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)	Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)	Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)	Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP)	TBD*
Prerequisite	N/A	N/A	N/A	Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)	TBD*
Date Available	July 2007	October 2007	January 2008	January 2008	4th Quarter 2008
Preparation Guides	How to Prepare for the Microsoft Project 2007 Certification Exam	Preparation Guide for Exam 70-633	Preparation Guide for Exam 70-639	Preparation Guide for Exam 70-634	TBD*
Exam Prep Questions	Free Microsoft Project Certification Exam Prep Questions
Exam Prep Books	Managing Projects with Microsoft® Office Project 2007	Managing Projects with Microsoft® Office Project Server 2007
Self Paced Training Products	Other Microsoft Project Books	Other Project Server Books	Other Project Server Books	Other Project Server Books
Exam Prep Courses	Course 5927	Course 5928	Technical Implementation and configuration of Project Server 2007	Course 5929
Process Focus	Project Management	Project Management	Server and Network Administration	Project and Program Management	Portfolio Management
Additional References	Microsoft Project	Microsoft Project Server	Microsoft Project Server	Microsoft Project Server	Microsoft Portfolio Server

Additional information on these certifications.

The tests are NOT taken using the software. They all consist of multiple choice questions. You get 2.5 hours to complete the exams.

Get a second chance to pass your Microsoft Certification exam—free offer!

Learn where the MCTS & MCITP certifications fit within Microsoft's certification framework - Here

Interesting Article "The Value of Certification"

*Exact details not yet available.

This site will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Are you ready for Earned Value Management?

Andy Makar, a frequent PMConnection.com contributor, is seeking your help in validating an assessment tool to determine when an organization is ready for earned value management.

Earned value management is a project management technique with well over 100 years of history. Despite the benefits found in implementing earned value management, the technique still lacks successful implementation in both private and public sectors.

The research projects purpose is to develop an assessment tool and validate it within the project management community. The research project?s proposition is EVM organizational readiness can be determined by building an assessment tool based on an EVM implementation model.

Your time and input into improving the assessment tool is greatly appreciated. As a project management community of practice, it is critical to incorporate real world feedback into the tool to effectively help other organizations assess their earned value
management implementation readiness.

To take the EVM survey, please visit:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=f9k37hX_2fGr3mKoJ79Hz9sg_3d_3d

To learn more about study, please read visit http://www.amakar.com for more information.

PgMP Certification Insights

Cost
$1,500

Process Flowchart and Timeline

PMI’s PgMP Application Online:
https://www.pmi.org/certapp/default.aspx

MULTI-RATER ASSESSMENT (MRA)
Need 12 People:
• One (1) supervisor
• Four (4) peers
• Four (4) direct reports
• Three (3) professional references of the candidate’s choice

Each person must complete a 70 statement questionnaire, rating your performance on a scale of 0 to 5.

Already PMP? Sharing PDU’s
If you hold the PMP, you can maintain both credentials by accruing and reporting 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) within the three year cycle. Select one of the following options if you hold the PMP.

Option A:
PMP credential and PgMP credential will share PDUs going forward. Any PDUs earned for the PMP prior to obtaining the PgMP will be forfeited. The PMP renewal date will be set equal to the newly-acquired PgMP renewal date.

Option B:
PMP credential and PgMP credential will share PDUs including those earned for the PMP before obtaining the PgMP and any PDUs earned after receiving the PgMP. The PgMP renewal date will be set equal to the existing PMP renewal date. Therefore, renewal of the PgMP credential will need to occur with the renewal of the PMP credential.

Additonal Information on the PgMP can be found HERE.

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The Faces of Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project Through the Years

Thought you might like to take a stroll down memory lane! Where were you when these pictures were taken?

Microsoft Project 94
Microsoft Project 95
Microsoft Project 98
Microsoft Project 2000
Microsoft Project 2002 Standard
Microsoft Project 2002 Professional
Microsoft Project 2003 Standard
Microsoft Project 2003 Professional
Microsoft Project 2007 Standard
Microsoft Project 2007 Professional

For help with Microsoft Project, try this link.

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Top 5 of 2007

Below are the top 5 most visited articles from each category within our Research Center for 2007.

If you missed any previous newsletters, this is a great way to catch up!!

Project Management
1. A Burn-Rate Based Estimation Tool / Template
2. Implementing Modern Project Management
3. The Project Pyramid
4. Project Management for Construction - Free eBook
5. A Small-Project Playbook

Microsoft Project
1. 15 Free MS Project Exam Prep Questions~
2. How scheduling works in MS Project
3. MS Project Training Tip #1~
4. 6 factors that affect how MS Project calculates time
5. 10 Signs You Don't Really Know Microsoft Project~

PMP
1. Earning PDU's the Economical Way~
2. Brainstorming the PMBOK Guide
3. Free online course for PDU's
4. Essential PMP Formulas
5. Budgeting Time for Certification Study

Program Management and PMO
1. PgMP: PMI's new Program Manager Certification
2. 6 Reasons to Join a PMO
3. PgMP: PMI's Program Manager Certification Handbook
4. Project vs Program Management
5. Creating the Project Office - Part One

Microsoft Project Server
1. Managing Cross Project Dependencies with Deliverables
2. MS Project Server 2002 vs 2003 vs 2007
3. Downloadable books for Office Project Server 2007
4. MS Project Server 2007 pays off
5. Resource Utilization in Project Server 2007

Portfolio Management
1. Defining IT portfolio management
2. A Microsoft Portfolio For Project
3. Project Portfolio Management: It Only Works If It's Used
4. 10 Critical Steps for Successful Project Portfolio Management
5. A Guide to Portfolio Management

Other
1. 10 Time Management Tips from a Successful CEO
2. An introduction to the Microsoft Office 2007 ribbon interface
3. Microsoft Releases Scrum Tool
4. PM Humor
5. How to Succeed in 2007

Here is the top 5 of 2006

See our current Newsletter here.

Sign up for future Newsletters delivered via email here.

Creating a Dynamic Project Buffer in Microsoft Project

This article is Part 2 of a series of articles that describes a process used to develop a project schedule.

Using the PERT feature of MS Project and collecting three duration estimates allowed us to develop a schedule that lacked most of the “padding” that was generally incorporated into previous task duration estimates. See previous article on how we did this.

The output of running the PERT feature in MS Project translated into the project being 344 days in duration and finishing on 4/26/05.

But within the same schedule I could also see the “Worst Case” scenario. To do this, I simply clicked on the Pessimistic Gantt Option within the PERT Analysis toolbar

When choosing this option, I could see the Pessimistic Duration and Pessimistic Finish. The Pessimistic Duration was 381 days and the Pessimistic Finish was 6/16/05.

You will also notice that within this view, the current Finish and the Pessimistic Finish are side by side. I kept looking at those two finish dates. The more I looked at them, the more uncomfortable I became.

First off, there was nearly a two month difference between current Finish (generated from PERT calculations) and the Pessimistic Finish. This seemed like a long time. But then I got to thinking; this project is going to take nearly a year. This two month delay would only happen if all of the things went wrong that everyone had anticipated. And, given the track record of projects within this company, a two month delay in a year long project would actually be below the average! That made me feel a bit better, but remember, this project had to be better.

The second thing that bothered me was this two month difference was based upon known possible delays. I got to thinking a bit more, and realized that these known delays could actually be called “Risks” to my project schedule. Unfortunately, given the project management maturity level of our organization, we did not perform any formal Risk Analysis, nor was there a process for incorporating those risks into our schedules.

As I packed up my stuff to leave the office for the evening I thought: “I wish there was some way I could incorporate these risks into my schedule.” I knew the stakeholder review meeting was just a few days away and at that time the milestone and project finish dates that we show would be as good as cast in stone!

That evening found me at a local MPA (Microsoft Project Associate) meeting. The event is always a good time. I got to see a few of my peers and swap war stories. But the best part for me was the presenter. She gave an overview of “How to build a Dynamic Project Buffer into Your Microsoft Project Schedule”.

She started off her presentation by defining buffers. Buffers, also called Contingency Reserves, or Time Reserves can be incorporated into the project schedule as a recognition of schedule risk. I just about fell out of my chair! This is exactly what I needed to know. She went on to say that buffers are additional time that is added to the schedule. It can be derived by:

a) a percentage of the estimated activity duration,

b) a fixed number of work periods, or

c) developed by quantitative schedule risk analysis.

She said this information could be found in PMBOK (3^rd Edition)on page 142.

Before diving into the actual “how to” using Microsoft Project, she talked a bit about something called “Critical Chain”. She said this was a scheduling concept unearthed in a book called “The Goal” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. She also stated some information could be found on this concept in the newest version of PMBOK on page 147. She made it clear that what she was about to show was “How to Build a Dynamic Project Buffer into Your Microsoft Project Schedule” and not true Critical Chain project management.

She then opened up the following schedule:

She explained that a Project Buffer gets added at the end of the critical path of a project. She then inserted the Project Buffer. She used 3 days for the Project Buffer Duration:

She changed the logic of the schedule to include the Project Buffer:

She then copied the Finish date for task 10, placed the curser on the Start date for the Project Buffer and Pasted Special, then chose Paste Link:

Then she clicked on OK. She also made it a point to show us the little indicator in the bottom right corner of Start for Project Buffer. This indicates the cell is linked.

She then copied the Start date for Project Complete, moved her cursor to the Finish date for Project Buffer and again chose Paste Special, Paste Link:

After clicking OK, she removed the predecessor for the Project Buffer:

Next, she demonstrated how the dynamic Project Buffer works. This sample project had a Project Completion date of 2/18/04 and a 3 day Project Buffer. She changed the duration of Task 2 from 5 days to 6 days and the duration of the Project Buffer automatically reduced from 3 days to 2 days:

“Let’s have another task slip” she said, and changed the duration of Task 3 to 7 days. Again, the Project Buffer reduced:

With this second delay, we have used up all the Project Buffer. The Duration is now 0 days. So what happens if we have another slip? She then changed Task 1 in Phase B to 6 days:

Now the over-all Project Completion date slipped to 2/19/04.

“This is awesome”, I thought. Using this approach will resolve my concerns. I will create a Project Buffer for my project with a duration of two months (the difference between the Pessimistic Finish and the current Finish). I can even call this our Project Risk Buffer. This will work!! I headed home for the evening.

Be sure to read next months article about what happened when I took this concept to management.

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PMConnection Launches The Project Management Search Engine

Why search the entire internet when you are looking for information related to Project Management? Why not search across only the top project management websites? “The Project Management Search Engine” does just that!!!

Try “The Project Management Search Engine”

Details:

Leverages Google technology
Can be added to your Google Home Page
Currently searches across nearly 80 top project management websites, including PMI, Microsoft Project Website, Gantthead, PM Forum and many more!!
Searches across only the list of “Great Websites” listed at PMConnection
See the full list of websites here
Add your site to the list here

At PMConnection, our mission is to advance the Project Management profession.(period) Our vision is to be recognized throughout the world as a leading provider of valuable project management related information. Our first goal was to develop a central repository that pulls together information on the leading project management processes and tools. (See About Us)

Since our inception, we have stuck to this mission, and we believe “The Project Management Search Engine” aligns to that mission as well as our first goal.

Also since the beginning, we have hosted the “Research Center”. Currently this database contains a list of over 2,300 articles. If you are looking for help with Project Management, Microsoft Project, or the PMP, this is the place to start!! And even though the Research Center has been the most visited feature of PMConnection to date, we wanted to give you more. So if you can not find the information that you are looking for within our Research Center, try “The Project Management Search Engine”.

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PMBOK Errata - Errors in the PMBOK Guide and their corrections

Believe it or not, but there are errors in the PMBOK Guide 3rd Edition. That is why the PMI has made available 2 PDF documents with errata information. They used to have these on their website, but ever since the new website came online, these files are no longer available. I have received them from the PMI and because the PMI isn't acting fast enough, I am making them available through my website http://www.pmprepcast.com - here they are:

http://www.pmprepcast.com/documents/errata_chp_7_EVM_changes_BW.pdf
http://www.pmprepcast.com/documents/Errata_Sheet_v2.pdf

Please check the version of your PMBOK Guide, before you use these errata sheets. Here is what the PMI writes:

*Quote:* Since the PMBOK(R) Guide—Third Edition was published in October 2004, there have been two errata sheets. The first pertained to the first printing of the book (or CD-ROM). The second errata sheet pertains to all printings up to the current (fifth) printing.

In order to determine the print run of your book, refer to the bottom of the copyright page (which precedes the Notice page and Table of Contents). You will see a descending numerical string of numbers beginning with 10. The first printing of the PMBOK(R) Guide—Third Edition will show the numerals 10 through 1. With each subsequent print run, the lowest numeral is removed from the string. Therefore, if your copy of the PMBOK(R) Guide—Third Edition has all 10 numerals, you have the first printing and you will need both errata sheets.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (needs first errata sheet and second errata sheet)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 (needs second errata sheet)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 (needs second errata sheet)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 (needs second errata sheet)

10 9 8 7 6 5 (needs second errata sheet)

And please check out our PMP Podcast at http://www.pmprepcast.com - It's definitely the easiest way to prepare for the PMP Exam: Just put on your headphones, listen and learn.
_________________
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
Host of The Project Management PrepCast™
http://www.pmprepcast.com
The First True PMP(R) Podcast.
Get 35 Contact Hours for just $39.99

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