Fine-Tuning Task Details

Core Training for Microsoft Project 2002

Adjusting Task Relationships

1	To select a task and show the corresponding Gantt bar in the chart, click the Task Name field for task 9 and click the Go To Selected Task button on the Standard toolbar.
2	To start entering lag time for a task, double-click Task Name field for task 9
3	In the Task Information dialog box, click the Predecessors tab.
4	Notice that task 9 has one predecessor, task 8, click in the Lag field for task 8, and type -50% to enter a lead time against the predecessor task.
5	To apply the lead time, click OK and notice that task 9 is now scheduled to start when task 8 is 50% complete
6	To start changing the relationship between two tasks, double-click the Task Name field for task 10.
7	In the Task Information dialog box, make sure that the Predecessors tab is active and click in the Type column.
8	To change the type of relationship between task 10 and task 9, click the Type arrow and click Start-to-Start in the list.
9	To apply the change, click OK and notice that tasks 8 and 9 are now scheduled to start at the same time.

Setting Task Constraints

1	To display the Tasks task pane, click the Tasks button on the Project Guide toolbar.
2	In the Tasks pane, click the Set deadlines and constrain tasks link.
3	To select a specific task and display the corresponding Gantt bar, click below the scroll box on the scroll bar on the Gantt Chart and click the Task Name field for task 20.
4	To apply a deadline to a specific task, click the arrow under Constrain a task in the Deadlines and Constraints pane, and then click Start No Earlier Than in the list.
5	To assign a constraint date, click below the scroll box on the scroll bar of the Deadlines and Constraints pane, click and drag from left to right to select the contents of the If needed choose a constraint date box, and then type 5/24/04.
6	To apply the changes, click the Done link at the bottom of the Deadlines and Constraints pane and notice that task 20 is rescheduled to start on May 24 instead of May 20 and that all of the tasks that depend on task 20 are also rescheduled.
7	To quickly display another task, click the Edit menu, and click Go To.
8	In the Go To dialog box, type 11 in the ID box and click OK.
9	To ensure that the pre-production tasks conclude on May 21, 2004, click the Set deadlines and constrain tasks link.
10	Click and drag from left to right to select the contents of the box under Set a deadline in the Deadlines and Constraints pane, type 5/21/04, and then press the TAB key.
11	To enter a deadline for a summary task, click the Task Name field for task 12.
12	To insert a deadline marker for the selected task, click and drag from left to right to select the contents of the box under Set a deadline in the Deadlines and Constraints pane, type 8/13/04, and then press the TAB key.
13	To apply the changes, click below the scroll box on the scroll bar of the Deadlines and Constraints pane and click the Done link at the bottom of the pane.

Viewing a Project's Critical Path

1	To apply a view to the plan that will clearly show the project's critical path, click the View menu and click More Views.
2	In the More Views dialog box, click Detail Gantt in the list and click the Apply button.
3	To locate a particular task, click the Edit menu and click Go To.
4	In the Go To dialog box, type 12 in the ID box and click OK.
5	Click below the scroll box on the scroll bar, notice that tasks subsequent to Scene 3 are critical tasks and that they appear in red, while noncritical tasks appear in blue, click the View menu, point to Table: Delay, and then click Schedule.
6	Notice that slack appears as thin bars to the right of tasks in the chart portion of the view, with slack values adjoining the regular Gantt bars, and press the TAB key five times.
7	Notice that an amount of 1.6 days free slack is allocated to task 18 and is represented by a thin teal line and a number on the chart area, and press the TAB key.
8	Notice that every task under the Production summary task has some amount of slack available to it, which is why none of these tasks are critical, click the View menu, point to Table: Schedule, and then click More Tables.
9	In the More Tables dialog box, click Delay in the Tables box and click the Apply button.

Interrupting Work on a Task

1	To adjust the timescale for the project plan, click the Format menu and click Timescale.
2	In the Timescale dialog box, make sure that the Middle Tier tab is selected, click the Units arrow under Middle tier formatting, and then click Weeks in the list.
3	Click the Bottom Tier tab, click the Units arrow under Bottom tier formatting, and then click Days in the list.
4	To apply the changes to the timescale, click OK.
5	To select a task to split, click the Edit menu and click Go To.
6	In the Go To dialog box, type 4 in the ID box and click OK.
7	To interrupt the selected task for two days starting March 15th, click the Split Task button on the Standard toolbar.
8	Notice that a ScreenTip appears and that the mouse pointer shape changes, and move the mouse pointer over the Gantt bar for task 4.
9	Move, without clicking, the mouse pointer over the task 4 Gantt bar until the start date of Monday 3/15/04 appears in the ScreenTip, click the left mouse button, drag the mouse pointer to the right until the start date of Wednesday 3/17/04 appears in the ScreenTip, and then release the left mouse button.
10	Notice that a dotted line now appears between the two segments of the split task, click the Format menu, and click Layout.
11	To modify the appearance of split tasks and remove the dotted lines, clear the Show bar splits check box in the Layout dialog box and click OK.

Adjusting Working Time for Individual Tasks

1	To start creating a new base calendar, click the Tools menu and click Change Working Time.
2	In the Change Working Time dialog box, click the New button.
3	In the Create New Base Calendar dialog box, type Evening Shoot in the Name box.
4	Make sure that Standard appears in the Make a copy of box and click OK.
5	To specify the working hours for the Evening Shoot calendar, under Select Date(s):, click and hold the column heading for Monday, drag the mouse pointer to the left until all the column headings for Monday through Friday are selected, and then release the mouse button.
6	In the top From box under Set selected date(s) to:, click and drag from left to right to select the contents of the box, type 5:00 PM in the From box, and then press the TAB key.
7	Type 11:00 PM in the top To box, and press the TAB key.
8	To delete the entries in the second From and To boxes, press the DELETE key, press the TAB key, and then press the DELETE key again.
9	To save the Evening Shoot calendar, click OK.
10	To apply the Evening Shoot calendar to the appropriate task, click below the scroll box on the scroll bar, click the Task Name field for task 34, and then click the Task Information button on the Standard toolbar.
11	In the Task Information dialog box, click the Advanced tab, click the Calendar arrow, and click Evening Shoot in the list.
12	To schedule resources for times that would normally be scheduled as nonworking, select the Scheduling ignores resource calendars check box.
13	To apply the settings, click OK.

Changing Task Types

1	To display the Track pane, click the Track button on the Project Guide toolbar.
2	In the Track pane, click the Make changes to the project link.
3	Notice that the Gantt Chart is replaced by the Edit Assignments view, click the Edit menu, and click Go To.
4	In the Go To dialog box, type 2 in the ID box and click OK.
5	To extend the length of the task from 2.5 days to 5 days, click in the Duration field for task 2, type 1w, and then press the ENTER key.
6	Notice that Microsoft Project increased the work per resource to 40 hours each, point to the Duration field, and click the Smart Tag Actions button.
7	To keep the work value the same and decrease assignment units for the task's new duration rather than increase work as the duration increases, select the Resources will work fewer hours per day so the task will take longer option in the Smart Tag Actions list.
8	Notice that the units value of each resource decreases to 50 percent and that the total work remains fixed at 40 hours (20 hours each), click the Edit menu, and click Go To.
9	In the Go To dialog box, type 67 in the ID box and click OK.
10	To change the type of the selected task, click the Task Information button on the Standard toolbar.
11	In the Task Information dialog box, make sure that the Advanced tab is selected, click the Task type arrow, and then click Fixed Duration in the list.
12	To set the units values for the resources currently assigned to this task, click the Resources tab.
13	Click the Units field for the Mark Hassall resource, type 50%, press the DOWN ARROW key, and then type 50%.
14	To apply the new settings, click the OK button.
15	Notice that the work values for Mark Hassall and Scott Cooper have been updated in the Project Guide: Edit Assignments view, click the View menu, and click Gantt Chart.

Entering Fixed Costs

1	To apply a different view to the project plan, click the View menu and click More Views.
2	In the More Views dialog box, click below the scroll box on the scroll bar, click Task Sheet in the Views box, and then click the Apply button.
3	To change the table applied to the Task Sheet, click the View menu, point to Table: Entry, and then click Cost.
4	To assign a fixed cost to an existing task, click the Fixed Cost field for task 8, type 500, and then press the TAB key.
5	To specify the accrual method for the selected cost, click the Fixed Cost Accrual arrow, click Start, and then press the TAB key.
6	Notice that a $500 cost is scheduled to incur at the start of the Apply for filming permits task, and click the Fixed Cost field for task 9.
7	To keep track of the pick-up fee charged for the camera equipment, type 200 and press the TAB key.
8	To specify the accrual method for the selected cost, click the Fixed Cost Accrual arrow, click End, and then press the TAB key.

Setting Up a Recurring Task

1	To apply a different view to the project plan, click the View menu and click Gantt Chart.
2	To start adding a recurring task to the project, click the Task Name field for task 12, click the Insert menu, and click Recurring Task.
3	In the Recurring Task Information dialog box, type Staff planning meeting in the Task Name box.
4	To specify the length of the meeting, press the TAB key and type 2h.
5	To specify that the recurring meeting will take place every Monday, make sure that the Weekly option is selected under Recurrence pattern and then select the Monday check box.
6	To specify the date of the first meeting occurrence, click the Start arrow under Range of recurrence and click 8 in the March 2004 calendar.
7	To specify the number of occurrences, click the End after option, press the TAB key, and then type 12.
8	To add the recurring task to the project plan, click OK.
9	Notice that the recurring task appears nested within the Pre-Production phase and that the recurring task icon appears in the Indicators column, and click the Go To Selected Task button on the Standard toolbar to see the first occurrences of the recurring task.
10	To assign resources to the recurring task, click the Assign Resources button on the Standard toolbar.
11	In the Assign Resources dialog box, click Clair Hector, press and hold down the CTRL key, click twice below the scroll box on the scroll bar, click Johnathan Perrera, click below the scroll box on the scroll bar, click Scott Cooper, and then release the CTRL key.
12	To assign the selected resources to the recurring task, click the Assign button and then click the Close button.
13	Click the plus sign to the left of the Staff planning meeting summary task, and notice that each occurrence of the summary task is sequentially numbered and that the resource assignments appear for the subtasks.