Module 7

Project Management Software

Stevens Institute of Technology

Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering
System Development and Operational Effectiveness
Systems Engineering and Engineering Management
Castle Point on Hudson
Hoboken, NJ 07030

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Project Management Software:

Lesson Objectives

• Overview of various planning tools

• Explain tool selection criteria
• Describe the uses of a Gantt Chart

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Project Management Software:
Planning Tool Selection Criteria

• Complexity and size of project

• Requirements from Customer/management
• Experience (What worked in the past)
• Budget and staff restrictions
• Schedule integration requirements (customer
and/or other team members)
• Hardware/Software constraints
• Others?

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MS Project and Other Software:

Some available software tools

• Artemis
• Open Plan
• Primavera
• MS Project
• Scitor PS8
• Micro Planner
• Mac Project
• Harvard Manager

Which have you used, and with what success?

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Fain’s Third Law of Planning

“Projects don’t fail because they used the

wrong software…

Projects fail because they failed to plan.”

But, projects don’t succeed because they

planned.

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Gantt Charts:
Introduction to Gantt Charts

• Gantt Chart is one of the oldest planning tools

in existence
• In its simplest form it shows the start/stop
dates of a program’s individual activities
• Good tool for communicating to higher
management when information must be
presented quickly and efficiently.
• There is no “standard” set of Gantt chart
symbols

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Gantt Charts:
Some History

• Gantt was a Stevens grad (Class of 1884)

• Worked as a consultant starting in 1890 with Taylor
• Active lecturer at Stevens
• Gantt chart was developed for American Locomotive
Company in 1903
• Used extensively during WWI to coordinate
production in the US Arsenals
• Died in 1919 – Wallace Clark published a book in
1922 titled “The Gantt Chart”

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Gantt Charts

• A Gantt Chart is a graphical presentation that

displays activities and monitor their progress.
• Time is measured on the horizontal axis.
• Each activity is listed on the vertical axis.
• A horizontal bar is drawn proportionately to its
expected completion time.
• The bars begin at the earliest moment the activity can
be started.
• The end of the bar represents the earliest completion
time for the activity.

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 Gantt Charts:
MS Project Gantt Chart

ember January February March

ID Task Name 12/14 12/28 1/11 1/25 2/8 2/22 3/8 3/22
1 Start Project 1/1
2 Review RFP Legal & PM
3 Analysis of Waste Stream Enviro Dept
4 Design of Collection Routes Engr Dept
5 Investigate Regulations Legal
6 Rough Design of WTF Engr Dept
7 Integrate Designs PM
8 Review By Legal, etc. All
9 Final Report 3/

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Gantt Charts:
Primavera Gantt Chart

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Gantt Charts:
Primavera Gantt Chart

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Gantt Charts:
Uses of Gantt Charts

• Monitoring Project Progress

– Gantt chart can be used as a visual aid for
tracking the progress of project activities.
– Appropriate percentage of a bar is shaded to
document the completed work.
– The manager can easily see if the project is
progressing on schedule (with respect to the
earliest possible completion times of activities).

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Gantt Charts:
Example Gantt Chart Symbols

Symbol Meaning
Planned activity schedule

Status of activity

Forecasted completion behind schedule

Forecasted completion ahead of schedule

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Gantt Charts:
More Example Gantt Chart Symbols

Schedule Completion

Actual Completion

Previous Scheduled Completion –

Still In Future

Previous Scheduled Completion –

Date Passed

Adopted by the US Air Force

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Gantt Charts:
Gantt Chart Advantages

• Simple to prepare and update

• Information portrayed in easily understood format
• Relatively inexpensive to prepare using software
tools
• Relates activities and calendar dates,
• Easy to roll up information into summary form
• Useful first step for preparation of more complex type
schedules,
• Reliable estimates can be developed when the work
is repetitive and when the product is easy to measure
quantitatively.
Taken from Scheduling Guide for Program Managers, Defense Management Staff College, January 2000

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Gantt Charts:
Gantt Chart Disadvantages

• Do not represent dependencies among activities as

well as other scheduling methods
• Difficult to use for detailed schedule analysis
• Do not show the effects of late or early activity starts
• Do not reflect the uncertainty in the planned activity
duration or event date
• Only as reliable as the estimates on which they are
based;
– looking at the chart doesn’t indicate which estimates are the
most reliable
• Do not allow quick or easy exploration of the
consequences of alternative actions.
Taken from Scheduling Guide for Program Managers, Defense Management Staff College, January 2000

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MS Project 2003
Tutorial Dec 28, '97 Jan 11, '98 Jan 25, '98 Feb 8, '98 Feb
ID Task Name T S W S T M F T S W S T M F T
1 Survey and Layout Common Laborers[200%]
2 Clear Site Common Laborers[200%]
3 Rough Grade Common Laborers[200%]
4 Drill Well Common Laborers[400%]
5 Excavate for Elect Man Holes Common Laborers[200%]
6 Excavate for Sewer Common Laborers[400%]
7 Excavate for Tank Found Common Laborers[200%]
8 Ovehead Pole Line Common Laborers[400%]
9 Install Manholes Common Laborers[400%]
10 Install Water Tank Common Laborers[400%]
11 Install Tank Valves Common Laborers[200%]
12 Install Elect Duct Bank Common Laborers[400%]
13 Install Sewer Common Laborers[400
14 Pull In Power Feeder Electrician[50%]
15 Install Well Pump Common Laborers[200%]
16 Install Underground Water Pipe Common Laborers[4
17 Finish Up 2/12

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Lesson Objectives

• Learn how to use the basic functions of MS

Project 2003

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Introduction to MS Project

Two types of Project

Standard
Professional (Supports Project Server
which is a tool to manage projects on the
web
Project 2003 has a goal based user interface
Student version exists for around $60

Load and Launch Project

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Computers Have Changed PM

Two People –
• Number who must One Line of Communication
communicate can
drastically affect quality Three People –
Three Lines of Communication
• Most projects involve
shared responsibility for
accomplishing the tasks Four People –
• Conveying information, Six Lines of Communication

monitoring, and
controlling a project are
keys to success
Five People
10 Lines of Communication
.
.
N People
N(N-1)/2 Lines of Communication
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Class Problem

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Class Problem (assume Gantt chart)

Immediate Duration
Activity Description Predecessor (cal
days)
1 Software Development - 60
2 PCB Design and Manufacturing - 60
3 Develop Performance and Validation Plan - 45
4 Sub System Testing 1,2,3 15
5 System Testing 4 15
6 Product Documentation 3 45
7 Validate System Performance 6 15
8 Conduct Reliability Testing 5 30
9 New Product Announcement - 0
10 Marketing Campaign 9 135
11 Delivery of Voice System 5 8,10 0

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Tutorial – Open Project

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Introduction to Gantt Charts

Project Information

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 Introduction to MS Project 2003

Tools
Options
Calendar
31 Days/Month

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Introduction to Gantt Charts

ID Task Name
December January February March April May June July
B M E B M E B M E B M E B M E B M E B M E B M
1 Software Development
2 PCB Design and Manufacturing
3 Develop Perform and Val Plan
4 Sub Sytem Testing
5 System Testing
6 Product Documentation
7 Validate System Performance
8 Conduct Reliability Testing
9 New Product Announcement 1/1
10 Marketing Campaign
11 Delivery of Voice System 5 7/8

1. Insert tasks starting from 1 to 11

2. Start the process of linking the predecessors

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 Introduction to MS Project 2003

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Entering Tasks

• Summary Tasks –
contain subtasks and
their related
properties
• Subtasks – Smaller
part of a summary
task
• Reoccurring Tasks -
Summary of subtasks
that reoccur
• Milestones – Tasks
with a duration of 0
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 Tasks Can Be Linked in 4 Ways

Finish to Start

Start to Finish

Finish to Finish

Start to Start

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Shortcut for Linking

Link Buttons

Default to Finish to Start

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View Projects In Different Forms

Network Diagram

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Example Problem 1

Task Time (weeks) Duration (weeks)

A 0 0 5 25
B 6 30 3 15
C 7 35 4 20
D 7 35 9 45
E 8 40 2 10
F 9 45 8 40
G 12 60 7 35

Convert to days and input into MS Project

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 Example Problem 1

June July August

ID Task Name 5/13 5/27 6/10 6/24 7/8 7/22 8/5 8/19
1 A

2 B

3 C
4 D

5 E

6 F

7 G

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Example Problem 1

June July August September

ID Task Name 5/13 5/27 6/10 6/24 7/8 7/22 8/5 8/19 9/2 9/16
1 A
2 B

3 C

4 D
5 E

6 F

7 G

With some activities that are preceded by others.

For example, C and D cannot start until B is completed.

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 Example Problem 2
Operational
Deficiency/Need

System
System Acceptance
Design Tests

System
System Requirements
Requirements Review/
Review/System
Design
System ReviewReview
Design
Sub-System
Sub-System Integration
Design/ And Product
Requirements Tests
Allocation
Sub-System Requirements
Review/Preliminary Design Review
Development
HW-SW Tests: Unit Level
Design - Functional
Specifications - Performance

Preliminary Design Review/

Critical Design Review Conceptual Design

Hardware/Software Preliminary Design

Hardware/Software
Product Development
Product Development

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Example Problem 2

ID Task Name
Dec 7, '03 Jan 11, '04 Feb 15, '04 Mar 21, '04 Apr 25, '04 May 30, '04 Jul 4, '04 Aug 8, '04 Sep 12, '04 Oct 17, '04 Nov 21, '04
T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 Opertional Needs 1/27
2 Conceptional Design
3 System Deisgn
4 Design Review
5 Prelim Design
6 Sub System Desing
7 Prelim Design Review
8 HW-SW Design Specs
9 Critical Design Review
10 Prepare Bid Documents
11 RFP 6/21
12 Bidding Period
13 Review Bids
14 Award Contract 8/16
15 Contracting Period
16 Delivery of Product

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Assigning Resources

1. Go to “View” and select “Resource Sheet”

- Input resource names and data desired
2. Go to Gantt Chart
- Click on resource icon (two heads)
- Click on task on Gantt chart then assign
resources from Resource Assignment box
3. Go to “View” and select “Resource Graph” to
review resource allocations for problem areas

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Summary of MS Project

• Powerful project management tool

• The occasional user can use project and
obtain a lot of benefit
• We have only scratched the surface
• Many industry specific PM software packages
exist

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