UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI

THE POLYTECHNIC

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

LECTURE NOTES ON

MS PROJECT

Prepared by: Eng. A. Kanyoza

April 2009

1
2
MS PROJECT BRIEF NOTES

These were written for teaching MS Project 2000 but can be applied to any newer
version of MS Project!!

SECTION 1

1. Start a New Project File

To start a new project file

1. Click New .
2. Enter a start or finish date.
o To enter a start date, type the date on which you want to start your
project in the Start date box.
o To enter a finish date, click Project Finish Date in the Schedule from
box, and then type a finish date from which to schedule your project in
the Finish date box.

An empty project file appears. By default, the Gantt Chart view is displayed.

To change a project start or finish date

1. On the Project menu, click Project Information.

2. Enter a start or finish date.
o To enter a start date, type the date on which you want to start your
project in the Start date box.
o To enter a finish date, click Project Finish Date in the Schedule from
box, and then type a finish date from which to schedule your project in
the Finish date box.

1. Save Your Project

After you make important additions or changes to your project plan, it’s a good idea
to save the plan.

To save your project

1. Click Save .
2. If this is the first time you’ve saved the project, type the project name in the
File name box.

The first time you save your project, the PlanningWizard dialog box appears. The
Planning Wizard continuously monitors your actions as you work. It helps you
complete tasks and makes suggestions on any shortcuts you want to use. By default
the PlanningWizard is turned on. You can turn it off, or if you’re not sure whether it’s
on, you can check its status.

3
To turn the Planning Wizard on or off

1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab.
2. To turn on the Planning Wizard, select the Advice from Planning Wizard
check box.
To turn off the Planning Wizard, clear the Advice from Planning Wizard
check box.

To enter a task in the Gantt Chart view

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, type a task name.
Use a verb and a noun to name tasks (for example, Pour concrete).
3. Click or press ENTER.

3. Delete Tasks

With Microsoft Project, you can delete unneeded tasks easily. You can, for instance,
delete a summary task (and all of its subtasks) or any individual task itself. After you
delete a task, Microsoft Project automatically renumbers the remaining tasks.

To delete a task

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, select the task you want to delete.
3. On the Edit menu, click Delete Task.

4. Enter or Change Task Durations

When you enter a task, Microsoft Project gives each task a duration of 1 day by
default. You can assign durations to tasks using minutes, hours, days, or weeks. By
entering just a duration for each task and letting Microsoft Project calculate the start
and finish dates for you, you’ll create the most efficient schedule.

To change a task duration

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Duration field for the task duration you want to change, type the
duration you want.
To specify elapsed duration, precede the time unit with the letter "e" (for
example, edays for elapsed days).
3. Click or press ENTER.

To move a task

4. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

5. Click the ID number of the task you want to move.

4
 3. Click Cut Task .
4. Select the row above which you want to insert the task.
5. Click Paste .

After grouping your tasks, you create a task outline by indenting tasks and outdenting
tasks. When you indent a task to a level lower than the task above it, the task above
becomes a summary task. Typically, a summary task represents a phase or a subphase
of your project.

It is by creating summary tasks that you harness the real power of outlining.

5. Summing Up Summary Tasks

To indent or outdent a task

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, select the task you want to indent or outdent.
3. Click Indent to indent the task or click Outdent to outdent the
task.

To collapse or expand an outline

6. On the View Bar, click Gantt chart .

7. In the Task Name field, select the summary task containing the subtasks you
want to show or hide, or select the no summary tasks you want to hide.
8. Click Show Subtasks to show the subtasks or click Hide
Subtasks to hide the subtasks.

5
SECTION 2

1. Getting Tasks Done in the Right Order, at the Right Time

2. The Power of Linking

To enable Microsoft Project to start each task at its proper time, you need to link the
tasks to each other, based on their start and finish dependencies.

The power of linking tasks is twofold:

 You can let Microsoft Project calculate all dates for you: task start and finish
dates, as well as the project finish date.
 You can see instantly how changes in the start, finish, and duration of a task
affect related tasks and the schedule as a whole.

When necessary, you can exercise even finer control by specifying overlaps and time
gaps between tasks. The amount of overlap between two tasks is called lead time. The
time gap, or delay, between tasks is called lag time. With Microsoft Project, you can
add lead or lag time between any two linked tasks.

2.2 Determine the Best Sequence for Your Tasks

A task that must start or finish before another task can begin is called a predecessor
task. A task that depends on the start or finish of a preceding task is called a successor
task. Hanging the clocks is the successor task to painting the walls.

6
2.3 Which Task Link Should You Use?

A task starts after its Finish-to-start (FS)

predecessor finishes

A task starts when its Start-to-start (SS)

predecessor starts

A task finishes when its Finish-to-finish

predecessor finishes (FF)

A task finishes after its Start-to-finish (SF)

predecessor starts

The types of links you choose will affect your project length. Applying FS links
between all tasks would probably drag out your project longer than necessary,
because most projects involve some tasks that can overlap. One way to shorten your
schedule is to look for where you can replace FS links with either SS or FF links.

4. Create a Task Link

The most commonly used task link in a typical project schedule is FS. Because you’ll
be applying this link often, Microsoft Project enables you to link tasks in an FS
dependency quickly.

To link tasks in an FS dependency

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, select two or more tasks you want to link.
3. Click Link Tasks .
A link line appears on the Gantt Chart, connecting the two tasks.

Avoid Entering Start and Finish Dates - Link Your Tasks

When you enter start and finish dates for tasks, you force those tasks to begin and end
no earlier than the dates you have entered. Changes elsewhere in the schedule might
not affect the start and finish dates of these tasks. As a result, your schedule can’t
accurately reflect the real-life fluidity of your project and its tasks.

7
5. Change or Remove a Task Link

If the link between tasks doesn’t accurately reflect the dependency between those
tasks, you can easily change the type of link that connects them. If you later decide
that you don’t want a link between particular tasks, you can remove that link.

To change a task link

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. Double-click the link line of the tasks you want to change.
3. In the Type box, click the task link you want.

To remove a task link

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, select the tasks you want to unlink.
3. Click Unlink Tasks .
The task will be rescheduled based on any other dependencies.

6. Overlap or Delay Tasks

Sometimes task links alone might not show accurately when tasks will actually start.
You can fine-tune task links by using lag time you can specify a waiting period, or
delay, between the finish of a predecessor task and the start of a successor task. With
lead time, you can overlap two tasks so that a successor task starts before the
predecessor task finishes.

To add lead or lag time

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, select the successor task you want, and then click
Task Information .
3. Select the Predecessors tab.
4. In the Lag field, type the lead time or lag time you want, as a duration or as a
percentage of the predecessor task’s duration.
Type lead time as a negative number or as a negative completion percentage.
Type lag time as a positive number or as a positive completion percentage.
Use minute, hour, day, or week for the lead or lag time units. To specify
elapsed duration, precede the time unit with the letter "e" (for example, edays
for elapsed days). Elapsed days include weekends and other nonworking days.

8
SECTION 3

3.1 Constraints

Eight types of constraints are available in Microsoft Project. By default, all tasks are
assigned the As Soon As Possible constraint. You can, however, choose the constraint
that best meets a task’s start or finish requirements.

The following table lists the eight types of constraints, describes each type, and states
when each type should be used.

Constraint Description Use for

As Soon As Starts the task as soon as
Possible possible based on links to
(ASAP) other tasks. Allows schedule
changes to start tasks earlier
or later.
As Late As Starts the task as late as
Possible possible based on links to
(ALAP) other tasks. Allows schedule
changes to start tasks earlier
or later.
Finish No Finishes the task on or after
Earlier Than the date you enter. Allows
(FNET) schedule changes to finish
tasks later.
Start No Starts the task on or after the
Earlier Than date you enter. Allows
(SNET) schedule changes to start tasks
later.
Finish No Finishes the task on or before
Later Than the date you enter. Allows
(FNLT) schedule changes to move the
finish date up to, but not
beyond, the specified finish
date.
Start No Starts the task on or before the Tasks that must start by a specific
Later Than date you enter. Allows
(SNLT) schedule changes to move the
start date up to, but not later
than, the specified start date.
Must Finish Finishes the task on a specific
On date. Schedule changes don’t
(MFO) affect the finish date.
Starting a task as soon as its links with
predecessor tasks, if any, allow. Do
not enter a date with this constraint.
Starting a task as late as possible
without delaying the project end date
or the finish date of a successor task.
Do not enter a date with this
constraint.
Tasks that perhaps can but shouldn’t
finish before a specific date, such as
the aging process for cheese.
Microsoft Project automatically
assigns this constraint when you enter
a task finish date.
Tasks that must start on or after a
specific date. Microsoft Project
automatically assigns this constraint
when you enter a task start date.
Tasks that must finish by a specific
date.
date.
Tasks that must finish on a specific
date.

9
Must Start Starts the task on a specific Tasks that must start on a specific
On date. Schedule changes don’t date.
(MSO) affect the start date.

2. Constrain a Task to Start or Finish On or Near a Specific Date

If a task must start or finish on or near a specific date, just linking tasks and adding
lead or lag time might not do the trick. This may be the time to set a constraint. The
type of constraint you set for a task depends on the task’s scheduling requirements.

To set a constraint

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, select the task you want, and then click Task
Information .
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. In the Type box, click a constraint type.
5. If you selected a constraint other than As Late As Possible or As Soon As
Possible, click a constraint date in the Date box. (Otherwise, Microsoft
Project uses the task’s current start or finish date.)
Microsoft Project adds the constraint and recalculates the schedule.

It’s also a good idea to check the necessity of your constraints occasionally.

To check a constraint

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. On the View menu, point to Table, and then click More Tables.
3. In the Tables list, click Constraint Dates.
4. Click Apply.

Microsoft Project replaces the fields in the Gantt Chart view, listing the task
constraints. If necessary, scroll to see the fields.

3.3 Resolve a Task Constraint Conflict

A task with an inflexible constraint can cause a number of problems. Predecessor

tasks might not finish before a constrained task starts. Resources might become
overloaded with work. You can be informed of these conflicts by using the Microsoft
Project Planning Wizard.

If the Planning Wizard is not on, you will not see the Planning Wizard but you may
see an alert message.

10
 To turn on the Planning Wizard

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

2. Click the General tab.
3. Under Planning Wizard, select the Advice about errors check box.

SECTION 4

1. Assembling Your Resources and Specifying Working Times

You can use Microsoft Project to create a resource list, which contains the names of
the resources that are available to your project. Your resource list should include
resources sufficient in number and skills to accomplish your project goals. While
resources usually are the people who will accomplish the tasks, resources can also be
equipment, a group of people with similar skills (such as a department), or even an
empty conference room.

To establish the working and nonworking days and hours of all resources, you specify
a project calendar, which shows the working days and hours for your entire plan. A
project calendar is just one type of working times calendar. You can also specify a
base calendar for each group of resources, say, for various shift workers, as well as a
resource calendar for each individual resource. Microsoft Project uses working times
calendars to schedule tasks.

2. Determine Your Resource Needs

Before you create your resource list, you should consider how many resources you
need and what skills they require. The number of resources you use affects both the
duration and the cost of your project.

To determine your resource needs accurately, consider the following factors:

 What is the project scope? Assess whether your project goals are ambitious or
small, many or few.
 What kinds of tasks need to be done?
 How many tasks need to be done?
 What set of skills is required for each task?
 How many resources do you need to complete each task on time?
 Can one resource work on more than one task?

You have two ways to estimate your resource needs accurately. You can have
those who will actually perform the work estimate the project’s resource needs.
Or, you can check the resource requirements of similar tasks from past projects,
adjusting for differences between the tasks and the skills of the available
resources. Breaking your tasks into smaller tasks also improves your ability to
predict the number of resources and the amount of work needed for each task.

11
2. Create a Resource List for Your Project

Using Microsoft Project, you have two methods for adding resources. If you have
fewer than 10 or so resources, you can add them one at a time as you assign resources
to tasks. If your project includes more than 10 resources, you’re better off creating a
resource list before you assign resources to tasks.

A resource list includes:

 The name of the resource, which can be a person, a piece of equipment, or a
group of interchangeable resources, such as pilots.
 The maximum amount of time per day a resource is available to work.

Grouping resources makes reporting easier in some cases. For example, if you enter
cost information into your plan, you can pull together reports on the costs or schedules
for each resource set.

3. When Is a Set of Resources Not a Resource Group?

Typically, a resource set is any collection of resources that share the same skills or
attributes and that you might assign to the same tasks. A resource group, on the other
hand, can consist of any combination of individual resources and resource sets and is
typically used to categorize resources so that they can be tracked and reported on.

To create a resource list

1. On the View Bar, click Resource Sheet .
2. On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Entry.
3. In the Resource Name field, type a resource name in a blank field.
4. If you want to designate a resource group, type a name for the group in the
Group field.
To add several resources to the same group, type the same group name in the
Group field for each resource.
5. If necessary, type the number of resource units available for this resource in
the Max. Units field.
6. Change the default information in the remaining fields as appropriate.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for each resource.

4.4 What You Should Know About Units

Units indicate the percentage of time a resource will spend working on a task. For
example, if you assign a person to work full-time on a task, you’d assign that person
at 100 percent units. If you want that person to spend only a quarter of his or her
available time on the task, you’d assign that person at 25 percent units. When you
assign a set of resources to a task, 100 percent units means you’ve assigned one
resource from that set to work on the task full-time, 200 percent means you’ve
assigned two resources from the set, and so on.

12
4.5 Modify the Project Calendar

When you create a project plan, Microsoft Project automatically attaches the default
project calendar "Standard" to your plan. The Standard calendar shows all weekdays
as workdays and all weekends as nonworking days. The default working hours for
each workday are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a break from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. If
you want a different set of working and nonworking days and hours, you need to
modify your project calendar.

Changes you make to a base calendar are reflected in the resource calendars that
depend on it. Thus, if a national holiday will be taken by all your resources on a
project, you should modify all the base calendars.

6. Create a Working Times Calendar for a Group of Resources

Whenever several resources share basic schedule information, you can create a
different base calendar for them. For example, you can have a base calendar for the
day-shift workers and one for the night-shift workers.

To modify a project calendar or create a working times calendar for a group of

resources

1. On the Tools menu, click Change Working Time.

2. Click New.
3. In the Name box, type a name for the calendar, and then click OK.
A copy of the Standard calendar appears, with the name you specified.
4. On the calendar, select the dates you want to modify.
5. Click Use default, Nonworking time, or Working time to modify the
selected dates.
6. If you clicked Working time in step 5, type the times you want work to start
in the From boxes and the times you want work to end in the To boxes.

7. Assign a Group of Resources to a Working Times Calendar

After you create a base calendar, you need to assign the calendar to each resource that
will be using it.

To assign resources to a working times calendar

1. On the View Bar, click Resource Sheet .

2. In the Base Calendar field of each resource you want to assign to a calendar,
select the same base calendar.

4.8 Modify a Working Times Calendar for an Individual Resource

A resource calendar stores the schedule for one resource. It contains exceptions to the
base calendar. Adjust the resource calendar to accommodate individual vacations or

13
part-time hours. When you assign a resource to a task, Microsoft Project uses the
resource calendar to determine the resource’s work schedule. For example, if a week
of vacation is specified on the lead designer’s resource calendar, Microsoft Project
does not schedule work during that week.

To modify a working times calendar for an individual resource

1. On the View Bar, click Resource Sheet .
2. In the Resource Name field, select a resource, and then click Resource
Information .
3. Click the Working Time tab.
4. In the Base calendar box, click the base calendar you want to modify for the
resource.
5. On the calendar, select the dates you want to change.
6. Click Use default, Nonworking time, or Working time to modify the
selected dates.
7. If you clicked Working time in step 6, type the times you want work to start
in the From boxes and the times you want work to end in the To boxes.

4.9 When a Resource’s Work Shift Begins on One Day and Ends on the
Following Day

If you have resources working night shifts that span 2 days, such as 11:00 P.M. to
7:00 a.m., select the first day of the work week and type 11:00 pm to 12:00 am, and
then select the next day and type 12:00 am to 7:00 am. Repeat this process for each
work day. Notice that the first day of the work week has evening hours only and the
last day has morning hours only.

14
SECTION 5

1. Assigning Resources to Tasks

When you assign resources to a task, Microsoft Project calculates the task’s schedule
by using the work, duration, and resources associated with the task. Typically, you
enter values for two of these, and Microsoft Project calculates the third.

Work is the amount of effort, measured in time units (like hours or days), put into a
task by a resource.

Duration is the amount of time between the start and finish of a task.

Resources are the people, equipment, office space; and so on those do or facilitate the
work on a task.

2. How Microsoft Project Schedules a Task

Microsoft Project schedules a task based on information that you enter into your
project plan (such as the task duration), the type of link you assign to the task,
resource assignments, and constraints. When you vary any one of these factors, you
can affect the task’s schedule. To have Microsoft Project schedule a task exactly the
way you want it, you need to know how these factors do that.

The following factors are used to calculate a task’s schedule.

2. The Link Between the Task and Its Predecessor

The start date that Microsoft Project calculates for a task depends on the type of link
you have assigned it. For example, if it’s a finish-to-start (FS) link, the task begins as
soon as its predecessor finishes. With a start-to- start (SS) link, the task begins when
its predecessor begins.

3. The Duration You Enter for the Task

Microsoft Project uses the task’s duration to calculate the start date or finish date. A
good rule of thumb is to have a specific number of resources in mind when you enter
duration. For example, if you know that a task usually takes three people 8 hours to
complete, enter the duration as 8 hours. When you assign resources to the task,
remember to assign three of them all at once, or else change the duration accordingly.

4. The Resource’s Working and Nonworking Time

Defined in a resource calendar, a resource’s working and nonworking days and hours
let Microsoft Project know which days and how many hours per day a resource is
available to work.

15
5.5 The Resource Units You Assign to a Task

When you assign a resource to a task, you can specify the percentage of the resource’s
total daily working hours that the resource will work on the task. That percentage is
known as resource units. If you don’t specify resource units, Microsoft Project
assumes you want the resource to work full-time (100 percent) on the task (unless it’s
a part-time resource).

With effort-driven scheduling, the more resources you assign to a task, the shorter the
duration becomes. In the Gantt Chart view, the Gantt bars decrease in length.

5.6 Assign One or More Resources to a Task

When you assign a resource to a task, you create an assignment. You can assign any
resource to any task and change assignments at any time.

16
You can assign more than one resource to a task and specify whether a resource works
full-time or part-time on the task by using resource units. Resource units indicate the
percentage of the resource’s time allocated to the task. By default, Microsoft Project
assigns 100 percent units to each resource.

To assign a resource to a task

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, select the task to which you want to assign a resource.
3. Click Assign Resources .
4. In the Name field, select the resource you want to assign to the task.
If necessary, type the name of a new resource in a blank Name field.
5. Click Assign.
A check mark to the left of the Name field indicates that the resource is
assigned to the selected task.

7. Control When a Resource Starts Working on a Task

With Microsoft Project, you can specify exactly when a resource begins working on a
task. For example, you can stagger the times that multiple resources begin working on
the same task by delaying the starting time of one or more of the resources.

To control when a resource works on a task

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. On the Window menu, click Split.
3. In the Task Name field, select the task for which you want the resource’s
work to be delayed.
4. Click the Task Form view in the bottom pane.
5. On the Format menu, point to Details, and then click Resource
Schedule.
6. If there is no work for the resource in the Work field, enter the work in the
field, and then press ENTER.
7. In the Delay field for the resource, enter the duration by which you want to
delay the start of the resource’s work.
For example, type 2h for a delay of 2 hours; type 2d for a delay of 2 days.
8. Click OK.
9. On the Window menu, click Remove Split.

8. Remove a Resource from a Task

If one of your resources falls ill or becomes too busy to work on a task, you might
need to remove that resource. Whenever necessary, it’s easy to remove the assigned
resource.

To remove a resource from a task

1. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

2. In the Task Name field, select a task from which you want to remove a
resource.
17
 3. Click Assign Resources .
4. In the Name field, select the resource you want to remove, and then click
Remove.

5.9 Replace a Resource in One Step

You can replace a resource with someone on your resource list in one step.

To replace a resource with another resource

5. On the View Bar, click Gantt Chart .

6. In the Task Name field, select a task with a resource you want to replace.
7. Click Assign Resources .
8. In the Name field, select the resource you want to replace, and then click
Replace.
5. In the Name field, select one or more resources to assign to the task, and then
click OK.

SECTION 6

6.0 Project

The lecturer is to decide on the type of project that the students should carry out.

18
19