Core Training for Microsoft Project 2002

Tracking Project Progress

Updating a Baseline

1 To begin comparing the project plan as currently scheduled with the project baseline, you'll need to switch from Gantt Chart view to Tracking Gantt view. To do this, click the View menu and click Tracking Gantt.
2 Notice that the baseline (gray bars) for Tasks 3 and 4 differ from the actual values (blue bars) for these tasks. To save an interim plan to compare with later interim plans as the project progresses, click the Tools menu, point to Tracking, and then click Save Baseline.
3 In the Save Baseline dialog box, click Save interim plan and click OK.
4 To view the Gantt bars for Task 5, click the Edit menu and click Go To.
5 In the Go To dialog box, in the ID box, type 5 and press the ENTER key.
6 Because Task 5 was added to the project plan after the initial baseline was saved, it doesn't have a baseline. To resave the baseline and include this task, click the Tools menu, point to Tracking, and then click Save Baseline.
7 In the Save Baseline dialog box, notice that Save baseline and Entire project are already selected and click OK.
8 In the dialog box asking whether you want to overwrite the previously saved baseline values, click Yes.
9 Notice that the baseline values now match the scheduled values of all tasks. To save your changes to the project plan, on the Standard toolbar, click the Save button.

Tracking Actual and Remaining Values

1 To begin recording task-level and assignment-level actuals, you'll need to switch to Task Usage view, so click the View button and then click Task Usage.
2 In the Task Name column, click the name of Task 3, Develop script breakdown and schedule.
3 To display the first scheduled work for this task, on the Standard toolbar, click the Go To Selected Task button.
4 To switch from a Usage table to a Work table, click the View menu, point to Table: Usage, and then click Work.
5 To change the level of detail in the timephased grid on the right side of the view so that it displays both the Work and Actual Work rows, click the Format menu, point to Details, and then click Actual Work.
6 To view more columns in the left pane of the Task Usage view, point to the vertical bar that divides the left and right panes until the mouse pointer turns into a double-headed resize arrow, hold down the left mouse button, drag the vertical divider bar to the center of the F (Friday) column at right, and release the mouse button.
7 To distribute actual values for Task 3 among the assigned resources and have Microsoft Project adjust the values for their remaining work, in the left pane, click in the Actual column for Task 3, type 42h, and then press ENTER.
8 To view actual work values in the timescaled grid at right, point to the vertical divider bar until the mouse pointer turns into a double-headed resize arrow, hold down the left mouse button, drag the bar to the left edge of the Work column, and release the mouse button.
9 To view more columns in the left pane again, point to the vertical bar that divides the left and right panes until the mouse pointer turns into a double-headed resize arrow, hold down the left mouse button, drag the vertical divider bar to the right edge of the S (Saturday) column at the far right, and release the mouse button.
10 To update Clair Hector's actual work values and have Microsoft Project automatically update her remaining work values for Task 3, in the Actual column for this assignment, type 30h and press ENTER.
11 Notice that the Remaining column has been updated so that Clair now has 10 hours of remaining work. To see Clair's updated values for this task in more detail in the timescaled grid at right, point to the vertical divider bar until the mouse pointer turns into a double-headed resize arrow, hold down the left mouse button, drag the bar to the left edge of the Work column, and release the mouse button.

Tracking Timephased Actual Work

1 To collapse the Pre-Production phase of the project plan and focus on the Production phase, in the Task Name column, to the left of Task 1, Pre-Production, click the minus sign (-).
2 To display the first scheduled work values of the Production phase, in the Task Name column, click Task 28, Scene 7 setup, and then on the Standard toolbar, click the Go To Selected Task button.
3 To enter actual work values for Task 28 in the timephased grid, in the Tuesday, May 25 column, in the Scene 7 setup row, click the cell in the Actual Work row.
4 Type 10h, and then press the RIGHT ARROW key on your keyboard.
5 Notice that actual and work values have been filled in for all resources assigned to this task. To enter another actual work value, in the Wednesday, May 26 column, type 5h and press ENTER.
6 To view all the assignments for Task 29 so that you can begin entering actuals for individual resources assigned to this task, click the Scroll Down button on the vertical scroll bar four times.
7 To display a ScreenTip that tells you the full date for any column in the timescaled grid, position the mouse pointer over the W column in the right pane.
8 To enter actual work values for an individual resource assigned to Task 29, in the timescaled grid, in the Wednesday, May 26 column, click the cell in Jan Miksovsky's Actual Work row.
9 Type 3h, and press the RIGHT ARROW key.
10 To enter Jan's hours for Thursday, May 27, type 5h and press the ENTER key.
11 In the timephased grid, in the Wednesday, May 26 column, click the cell in Jo Brown's Actual Work row (under Task 29).
12 Type 3h, and press the RIGHT ARROW key.
13 In the next cell, type 5h and press the ENTER key.

Rescheduling Incomplete Work

1 To switch to Gantt Chart view, click the View menu, and click Gantt Chart.
2 To display the Gantt bar for a delayed task, click the Edit menu and click Go To.
3 In the ID text box of the Go To dialog box, type 40 and click OK.
4 To move Task 40 to the top of the Gantt Chart view, point to the down scroll arrow on the vertical scroll bar, hold down the left mouse button until Task 40 is at the top of the list, and release the mouse button.
5 Notice the black bar inside the blue bar in the row for Scene 1 setup, indicating that one day of the three-day task was completed before the pipe burst. To reschedule the incomplete work to start again on Monday, June 14, click the Tools menu, point to Tracking, and then click Update Project.
6 In the Update Project dialog box, click Reschedule uncompleted work to start after.
7 To schedule this task to resume after Sunday, June 13, type 6/13/04 and then click OK.
8 In the Planning Wizard alert message, click OK.