Microsoft® Office Project 2007 All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies®

Table of contents

1. Copyright
   1. Dedication
2. About the Authors
3. Authors’ Acknowledgments
4. Introduction
   1. About This Book
   2. How This Book Is Organized
      1. Book I: Project Management
      2. Book II: Project Basics
      3. Book III: Getting Your Plan in Order
      4. Book IV: Establishing Task Timing
      5. Book V: Working with Resources and Costs
      6. Book VI: Communicating Project Information
      7. Book VII: Resolving Problems in Your Plan
      8. Book VIII: Tracking
      9. Book IX: Advanced Project Topics
      10. Book X: The Basics of Project Server
      11. Glossary
   3. Conventions Used in This Book
   4. Foolish Assumptions
   5. Icons Used in This Book
   6. Where to Go from Here
5. I. Project Management
   1. 1. A Project Management Overview
      1. The Life of a Project
         1. So, just what is a project?
         2. Taking a closer look at the project life cycle
      2. Everybody Plays a Role
         1. Stakeholders of all types
      3. Getting a Few Project Management Concepts under Your Belt
         1. The dreaded triple constraint
         2. Keeping on track: Critical path and slack
         3. Using tried-and-true methodologies
      4. Resource Management Basics
         1. How Project sees resources
         2. What it takes to manage people
   2. 2. The Ins and Outs of Using Project
      1. The Basics of Computerized Project Management
         1. Making the leap to Project
         2. Connecting with your team online
      2. What You Have to Put Into Project
         1. Tasks and their timing
            1. Mastering tasks
            2. It’s all in the timing
            3. How tasks depend on each other
         2. Lining up resources
      3. Keeping a Project on Track
      4. Keeping Others in the Loop
   3. 3. Just What Tasks Should You Include?
      1. First Things First: Define the Business Need
      2. Target Practice: Project Goal Setting
         1. Getting your goal straight
         2. Writing a goal statement
      3. Taking a Look at Your Project’s Scope
         1. A scope is not a goal
         2. Writing a scope statement
      4. Breaking Your Project into Phases
         1. Thinking things through
         2. It’s just a phase
         3. Choosing how granular to make your tasks
   4. 4. Exploring the Project Environment
      1. Exploring Menus and Toolbars in Project
         1. Menu basics
         2. Displaying and using toolbars
      2. Navigating Project
         1. Getting to a view
         2. Scrolling to get a better view
         3. Jumping to a particular point in time
      3. Finding Another View
         1. A popular view: Gantt Chart
         2. Following the (work)flow: Network Diagram view
         3. Controlling time with Calendar view
      4. Changing Views
         1. Modifying view panes
            1. Resizing a pane
            2. Changing the timescale
            3. Choosing to display different columns
         2. Changing tables
         3. Displaying task panes
      5. Displaying and Hiding Project Guide
   5. 5. What’s New in Project 2007
      1. Exploring the Many Versions of Project
      2. Getting out of Hot Water with Multiple Undo
      3. Spotting Changes with Change Highlighting
      4. Knowing What’s Driving Your Tasks
      5. Making Reports More Visual
      6. A New Resource: Cost
      7. Working with Budgets
6. II. Project Basics
   1. 1. Building a Project Plan
      1. Creating That First Project
         1. Starting from scratch
         2. Getting a head start with templates
      2. Making Global Project Settings
         1. Entering settings
         2. Using start and finish dates
      3. Save That Project!
         1. Saving a project
         2. Saving in other formats
   2. 2. Creating That First Task
      1. Tackling Task Basics
         1. Identifying what makes up a task
         2. What task settings control
      2. The Many Different Ways to Create a Task
         1. Creating a task in Gantt Chart view
         2. Going the Task Information dialog box route
         3. Importing tasks from Outlook
         4. Getting your tasks from Excel
         5. Creating a task that represents another project
   3. 3. Exploring Task Views
      1. A View for Every Need
      2. Finding Just the Right View for You
      3. Discovering Various Task Views
      4. What Resource Views Tell You
      5. The Best Views for Tracking Progress on Your Project
      6. Displaying Combination Views
   4. 4. Working with Calendars
      1. The Big 4: Base, Project, Resource, and Task Calendars
         1. How calendars work
         2. How does one calendar relate to another?
      2. Understanding Calendar Options and Working Times
         1. Setting calendar options
         2. Making exceptions
      3. Getting the Project Calendar Set Up
      4. Letting Project Guide Make Calendar Settings For You
      5. Making Changes to Task Calendars
      6. Setting Up Resource Calendars
         1. Calendars for different types of resources
         2. Making changes to Resource calendars
      7. Creating Your Own Custom Calendar Template
      8. Sharing Calendars with Other Projects
   5. 5. Getting Help
      1. Entering the Universe of Project Help
      2. Exploring Microsoft Office Project Help
         1. Browsing topics
         2. Using the Table of Contents
         3. Searching for Help
      3. Going Online to Find the Answer
      4. Running Diagnostics
      5. Putting Project Guide to Work
         1. Where Project Guide can lead you
         2. Getting to work with Project Guide
7. III. Getting Your Plan in Order
   1. 1. Organizing the Structure of a Project Plan
      1. A To-Do List . . . or a Project Schedule?
         1. Building an outline
         2. “I’ve got a little list . . .”
         3. A typical project outline
         4. Summary tasks are special
         5. The most special task of them all — the project summary task
      2. Creating Structure in the Schedule
         1. Selecting tasks
         2. Promoting and demoting tasks
         3. Expanding and collapsing the outline
      3. So, What Happens When You Reorganize the Outline?
         1. Adding tasks
         2. Deleting tasks
         3. “Doing it over and over again . . .”
         4. Moving tasks
            1. Moving by dragging
            2. Moving by cutting
         5. Copying tasks
   2. 2. Assigning Outline Codes to Tasks
      1. Understanding Outline Numbers
      2. Letting Project Assign Outline Numbers
      3. Understanding Outline Codes
      4. Designing Your Own Outline Numbers
         1. Selecting an outline code to define
         2. Defining the code mask
         3. Defining values for the lookup table
         4. Entering outline codes
      5. Outline Numbers and Codes and Renumbering
   3. 3. Using WBS Coding
      1. What’s a WBS Code?
      2. Creating WBS Codes
      3. Creating a WBS Chart
      4. Customizing WBS Codes
      5. WBS Codes and Renumbering
   4. 4. Linking and Consolidating Projects
      1. Connecting Projects with Hyperlinks
         1. Creating a hyperlink
         2. What happened? My hyperlinks don’t work
         3. Editing hyperlinks
         4. Moving or copying hyperlinks
      2. Consolidating Projects
         1. What is consolidation?
         2. Do I need to use consolidation?
         3. Creating subprojects
         4. Creating a consolidated project
         5. Inserted projects and the outline
         6. Moving subprojects within a consolidated project
      3. Dependencies in Consolidated Projects
         1. Creating dependencies across projects
         2. Changing cross-project dependencies
         3. Saving a consolidated project
      4. The Critical Path in a Consolidated Project
      5. Sharing Resources Using a Resource Pool
         1. Creating a resource pool
         2. Sharing resources
         3. Opening a project
         4. Updating the resource pool
         5. Viewing resource assignments when you share resources
         6. Stop sharing resources
8. IV. Establishing Task Timing
   1. 1. Looking at Timing
      1. Understanding What Drives Timing
         1. Timing factors
         2. Your first look at your project’s timing
      2. Scheduling Backwards or Forwards
         1. How scheduling works
         2. A word of warning about backward scheduling
      3. Surviving Schedule Shock
   2. 2. Defining What Drives Task Timing
      1. Finding Just the Right Task Type
         1. The big three: Task types
         2. Specifying task type
         3. Task types in practice
      2. Setting Task Duration
         1. Determining the right duration
         2. Entering duration
         3. Working with tasks with no duration: Milestones
         4. They keep showing up: Recurring tasks
      3. Starting and Pausing Tasks
         1. Entering the task start date
         2. Taking a break: Splitting tasks
      4. Understanding Effort-Driven Tasks
         1. How effort-driven tasks work
         2. When effort rules timing
   3. 3. Adding Dependencies
      1. Why Dependencies Are Needed
      2. Understanding Dependencies
         1. Identifying the players in a dependency relationship
         2. When to set a dependency and when to leave well enough alone
         3. All types of dependencies
         4. More complex dependencies: Lag and lead time
      3. Setting Dependencies
         1. Setting up dependency links
         2. Connecting to other projects with external dependencies
         3. Things change: Deleting dependencies
      4. Visualizing Task Dependencies
   4. 4. Working with Constraints and Deadlines
      1. Beginning with the Start and Finish Dates
      2. Understanding How Constraints Work
         1. Default constraints
         2. Constraint types
         3. Flexible versus inflexible constraints
         4. Constraints and dependencies
      3. Establishing Constraints
      4. Setting a Deadline
9. V. Working with Resources and Costs
   1. 1. Creating Resources
      1. What Exactly Is a Resource?
      2. All Kinds of Resources
         1. Understanding resources
         2. Resource types: Work, Material, and Cost
         3. Estimating your resource requirements
         4. Committed versus proposed resources
      3. Creating Resources
         1. Creating one resource at a time
         2. Identifying resources you don’t know
         3. Resources that work in groups
   2. 2. Understanding Costs
      1. Accruing Costs All Over the Place
         1. Tallying costs
         2. The sound of costs hitting the bottom line
      2. Assigning Costs to Resources
         1. Fixed costs you can count on
         2. Paying per hour
         3. Setting alternative rates
         4. The cost-per-use scenario
         5. Oops . . . you’re into overtime!
   3. 3. Assigning Resources to Tasks
      1. Locating the Right Resource for the Job
         1. Finding resources
         2. Creating custom fields
         3. Acquiring the right resources
         4. Keeping resource workload balanced
      2. Your Assignment Is . . .
         1. How resources affect task timing
         2. Determining Work, Material, and Cost resource assignment units
         3. Making assignments
            1. Choosing resources in the Resource column
            2. Using the Assign Resources dialog box
            3. Adding assignments in the Task Information dialog box
         4. Contours set the level of work
      3. Making Sure of Availability
         1. Setting availability
         2. When resources appear and disappear
      4. Sharing Resources
      5. When Do My Resources Work?
      6. E-mailing an Assignment to Your Team
   4. 4. Tallying Costs
      1. How Your Settings Affect Your Budget
      2. How Project Calculates Costs
         1. Letting Project calculate or doing it yourself?
         2. Earned-value options
      3. Examining Cost Data
         1. Viewing cost information
         2. Customizing cost fields
      4. The Value of a Project Summary Task
10. VI. Communicating Project Information
    1. 1. Working with Views
       1. What’s a View?
       2. Selecting the Startup View
       3. Making a View Handy to Display
       4. Sorting Tasks in a View
       5. Filtering a View
          1. Applying a filter to a view
          2. Creating custom filters
          3. Using AutoFilters
       6. Grouping Information
          1. Using a predefined group
          2. Grouping and usage views
          3. Do-it-yourself groups
       7. Using Combination Views
       8. Customizing a View
       9. Creating a New Combination View
       10. Printing Your Project
    2. 2. Working with Tables
       1. Understanding Tables
       2. Understanding Indicators
       3. Making Changes to a Table
          1. Inserting and hiding table fields
          2. Changing column width
          3. Changing row height
       4. Customizing Tables
       5. Working with the Details of Usage Views
          1. Adding new fields to the Details section
          2. Hiding fields in the Details section
    3. 3. Preparing Traditional Reports
       1. Preparing and Printing Reports
       2. Preparing Big Picture Reports
       3. Reporting on Task Status
       4. Reporting on Costs
       5. Reporting on Assignments
       6. Preparing Workload Reports
       7. Viewing Custom Reports
       8. Adapting Reports to Suit Your Needs
    4. 4. Creating Visual Reports
       1. Preparing a Visual Report
          1. Working with an Excel visual report
          2. Working with a Visio visual report
       2. Visually Reporting on Task Usage
       3. Visually Reporting on Resource Usage
       4. Visually Reporting on Assignment Usage
       5. Preparing Visual Task Summary Reports
       6. Preparing Visual Resource Summary Reports
       7. Preparing Visual Assignment Summary Reports
       8. Customizing Visual Reports
11. VII. Resolving Problems in Your Plan
    1. 1. Working with Filters
       1. Filtering to Spot Resource and Schedule Problems
          1. How filters work
          2. Applying filters
          3. Letting AutoFilters do the work
          4. Creating your own filters
       2. Filtering in Action
          1. Discovering some very useful filters
          2. Identifying the critical path
       3. Working with Groups
          1. Applying predefined groups
          2. Coming up with your own groups
    2. 2. Solving Resource Conflicts
       1. Keeping Resources in Line
          1. Checking resource availability
          2. Picking a method to resolve the conflict
          3. Finding someone to help
          4. Using task drivers to resolve problems
          5. Change Highlighting
          6. Undoing again and again
          7. Leveling to fix resource problems
       2. Combining Solutions
    3. 3. Reviewing Timing and Costs
       1. Timing is Everything
       2. Doing It All in Less Time
          1. Check your dependencies
          2. Rethinking your resource needs
          3. Modifying task constraints
          4. Delete the tasks you don’t need
       3. Getting It for Less
       4. Making Your Project Timing Realistic
          1. Reviewing the critical path
          2. How many critical paths are enough?
          3. Giving yourself some slack
    4. 4. Putting Final Changes into Place
       1. Getting to a Final Project Plan
          1. Redefining the scope of your project
          2. Product scope versus project scope
             1. Cutting corners: The quality factor
             2. Breaking off a piece of your project
       2. Selling Changes to Shareholders
          1. Using Project’s tools to close the “sale”
          2. Creating a compression table
12. VIII. Tracking
    1. 1. Working with Baselines and Interim Plans
       1. Understanding Baselines and Interim Plans
       2. Setting a Baseline
       3. Saving an Interim Plan
       4. Changing a Baseline or Interim Plan
       5. Clearing Baselines and Interim Plans
       6. Viewing the Critical Path
    2. 2. Entering Actuals
       1. What’s Involved in Tracking?
       2. Collecting Tracking Information
       3. Setting Up to Track
          1. Checking calculation options
             1. Updating resource status using task status
             2. Adjusting task start dates
             3. Spreading changes to Total Task % Complete
             4. Setting cost calculation options
          2. Setting the status date
          3. Selecting a tracking view
       4. Ways to Record Actuals
          1. Estimating the Percent Complete
          2. Using start or finish dates
          3. Recording actual and remaining durations
          4. Recording Actual Work
          5. Speeding up recording actuals
          6. Tracking materials usage
       5. Viewing Progress
          1. Using progress lines
          2. Using Tracking Gantt view
          3. Using tables to review progress
             1. The Variance table
             2. The Cost table
             3. The Work table
    3. 3. Reviewing Your Budget
       1. The Basics of Earned Value Fields
       2. Examining Cost Variance
       3. Physical % Complete Versus % Complete
          1. Calculating BCWP using Physical % Complete
          2. Using Physical % Complete selectively
          3. Entering Physical % Complete values
13. IX. Advanced Project Topics
    1. 1. Working Your Own Way
       1. Controlling the Project Guide’s Behavior
       2. How Many Times Can You Undo?
       3. Switching Between Open Projects
       4. Customizing the Way You Open
       5. Customizing the Way You Save
       6. Customizing the Toolbars
          1. One line or two?
          2. Creating your own toolbar
          3. Modifying a toolbar
          4. Messing with button images
       7. Customizing the Menus
          1. Personalizing menu behavior
          2. Creating your own menu
          3. Naming a new menu you created
          4. Adding commands to a menu
          5. Deleting commands and menus
       8. Using the Organizer to Share Project Elements
    2. 2. Changing the Look of a Project
       1. Changing Fonts
          1. Changing fonts for selected tasks
          2. Changing fonts for a task category
       2. Applying Special Formatting to Gantt Chart View
          1. Using the Gantt Chart Wizard
          2. Changing individual taskbars
          3. Changing taskbar styles for categories of tasks
          4. Changing the Gantt chart layout
          5. Changing Gantt chart gridlines
       3. Working with the Network Diagram
          1. Controlling the layout of Network Diagram view
          2. Controlling the appearance of Network Diagram boxes
          3. Controlling the content in Network Diagram boxes
       4. Modifying Calendar View
          1. Changing the time period displayed in Calendar view
          2. Changing Calendar view layout
          3. Formatting Calendar view entries
    3. 3. Using Macros
       1. Understanding Macros
       2. Creating a Macro
          1. Knowing your macro’s steps
          2. Recording the macro
       3. Using a Macro
          1. Running a macro from the Macros dialog box
          2. Using a keyboard shortcut to run a macro
          3. Using a menu command to run a macro
          4. Using a toolbar button to run a macro
    4. 4. Importing Information into Project
       1. Using Graphic Objects in Project
       2. Getting Tasks from Outlook
       3. Importing Excel and Access Information into Project
          1. Changing Project’s security settings
          2. Using an import map
          3. Creating a Task List in Excel using a Project-related template
          4. Importing the Excel Task List into Project
       4. Importing Project Exchange Files into Project
       5. Importing Text or Comma-Separated Files into Project
    5. 5. Exporting Project Information
       1. Copying Pictures into Office Programs
       2. Saving Visual Reporting Information
       3. Exporting Project Data to Excel
       4. Exporting Project Data to Text Files
14. X. The Basics of Project Server
    1. 1. Understanding Project Server
       1. What Is Project Server?
       2. Do You Need Project Server?
       3. Planning the Implementation of Project Server
          1. Defining requirements
          2. Designing the system
          3. Developing an implementation strategy
          4. Reviewing software needs
          5. Reviewing hardware needs
          6. Considering software and hardware configurations
    2. 2. The Project Server Administrator
       1. Understanding the Structure of the Project Server Database
       2. Reviewing Defaults
       3. Working with Users
       4. Working with Views
       5. Working with the Enterprise Global Template
       6. Creating Enterprise Custom Fields
       7. Establishing Enterprise Calendars
       8. Working with Enterprise Resources
       9. Loading Projects into the Project Server Database
       10. Managing Timesheet and Task Settings
       11. Customizing Project Web Access
       12. Checking in Enterprise Projects and Resources
       13. Managing Information in the Project Server Database
       14. Backing Up and Restoring
       15. Managing the Queue
    3. 3. Project Server and the Project Manager
       1. Logging onto Project Server
       2. Working with Web-based Projects
          1. Opening and closing a project
          2. Managing the local cache
          3. Adding Enterprise resources to a project
          4. Replacing generic resources with real resources
          5. Using the Resource Substitution Wizard
          6. Assigning resources using Project Web Access
       3. Creating Status Report Layouts
       4. Receiving Task Updates from Team Members
    4. 4. Project Server and the Team Member
       1. Understanding the Project Web Access Home Page
       2. Customizing the Home Page
       3. Working with Your Tasks
          1. Recording time
          2. Adding a task
       4. Working with Your Timesheet
       5. Integrating the Outlook Calendar with Project Web Access
          1. Enabling integration
          2. Sending Project Web Access assignments to Outlook
          3. Sending Outlook information to Project Web Access
       6. Reporting Status
15. Glossary
16. Microsoft® Project 2007 All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies®
    1. Checklist for Creating a Project Plan
    2. Checklist for Resolving Problems
    3. Project Management Web Sites
    4. Checklist for Setting Up to Use Project Server