Project 2010 Bible

Chapter 3. Creating a New Project

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Gathering information

• Opening a Project file

• Looking at Project calendars

• Working with tasks

• Saving Project files

• Getting help

Now that you have some project management concepts under your belt and you've taken a stroll around Project's environment, you're ready to create your first schedule. Before you type any information into a Project schedule, however, you should first assemble the relevant information about your project. Then you can open a new Project file and begin to build your project tasks by using a simple outline structure.

In this chapter, you begin to build your first Project schedule and find out how to save your project. At the end of the chapter, you read about how to take advantage of Project's Help system.

Gathering Information

As you read in Chapter 1, several elements must be in place before you can begin to build a project schedule. In addition to determining whether the project should be undertaken, identifying the project's stake holders, and gaining stakeholder support, you and your team must understand the overall goal and scope of the project so that you can clearly lay out the steps that lie between you and that goal. You'll find delineating the major steps of the project a good place to start. Don't worry about the order of the tasks at this point — just brainstorm all the major areas of activity. Suppose that you've been given the project of organizing an annual meeting for your company. You may take the following ...