Taking the Blinders off MS Project & The Case for 3rd Party Scheduling Services

1. Taking the Blinders off MS Project by Ed Mahler [email_address] President, Project Administration Institute Taking the Blinders off MS Project and The case for 3rd Party Scheduling Services Taking the Blinders off MS Project

4. Why so much interest in the schedule? + SME’s = Sponsor Schedule ’ s vision Project Manager Project Contents Cost Time Scope Team/sponsor communication + Contract negotiation =

6. The Schedule Contents Must be visible so the parties understand what they are agreeing to

7. Task Building block of the schedule Contents

8. Task/Resources FS Its attributes Contents Successors Duration Predecessors

9. Task/Resources Predecessors FF Its relationships Contents Successors

10. Task/Resources Predecessors SS Its relationships Contents Successors

11. Task/Resources Predecessors Lag Its relationships Contents Successors

12. Task/Resources Predecessors Overlap Its relationships Contents Successors

13. Task/Resources Predecessors SF Its relationships Contents Successors

14. Task/Resources Its relationships Contents Successors External Dependency

15. Task/Resources Its relationships Contents Duration Predecessors Deliverables

18. MSP out of the box Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view Contents

19. Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view MSP out of the box Contents The Entry Table The View menu

20. The entry table Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view Contents all FS except this one is FF+ Task name Task duration Task start Task finish Predecessors Resources

21. The entry table Contents Indicator

22. Contents The entry table Indicator

23. Contents The entry table Indicator

24. Summary tasks Contents Summary tasks Overall duration Earliest start Latest finish Summary tasks

25. Adding a project summary Contents Tools Options

26. Adding a project summary Contents View tab Select Project Summary Task OK

27. The project summary is task 0 Contents Project Duration Project Start Project Finish

28. Changing summaries from days to weeks Contents Tools Options

29. Changing summaries from days to weeks Contents Schedule tab Change “Duration entered in” from days to weeks OK

30. All summary durations now in weeks Changing summaries from days to weeks Contents

32. Adding the Successors column Right click the column heading and Insert Column Contents

33. Select Successors from the pull down Adding the Successors column Contents

34. Added Successors column What can’t happen until this task is done? Contents To find missing successors click the filter pull down and Use a No Successors Filter to identify missing successors

35. What can’t happen until this task is done? Only lines with blank Successor cells appear but without the rest of the schedule can’t see where to connect them Contents

36. Changing the filter to highlight tasks By editing the view Contents and turning on the Highlight filter

37. Highlighted missing successors No Successors Filter Contents One can see the missing Successors in the context of the whole schedule

38. Add the missing Successors Adding missing successors Contents This missing successor is a project deliverable

39. Use the No Predecessors Filter to identify missing predecessors What about missing predecessors Contents Missing Predecessors

40. Inserting constraint type and date columns Contents

41. And running the “Tasks w constraints” filter Use the Tasks w Constraints Filter to identify date constraints Contents with date constraints confirms they are external dependencies Missing Predecessors

43. Inserting a column for notes Contents Indicator Add the Notes field

44. Use tools/options to reduce column width req’ts Reduce duration and date formats Contents

45. Now reduce column widths Then reduce column widths Contents

46. Reduced column widths and eliminate unneeded columns Contents and eliminate unneeded column

47. The team now has what they need to understand the schedule except..... What should be under way or done by 11/18? Contents

48. What should be under way or complete by 11/18? Adding columns to indicate what should be under way or done by a status date Contents

49. Defining customized fields Right click on the column heading Select Contents

50. The logic behind the field Select Contents Rename the field Create a formula for the field Select the graphic to display for each value of the formula

51. What should be under way or complete by now? Contents As of Sunday 11/18 status date

52. 1 task should be executing, starting 11/1, finishing 12/12 What should be under way or complete by now? This project is under way Contents Total to do count

53. Making the Gantt more informative Project start date line Contents Status date line Slack or float

54. Saving the baseline plan Gray bars are the baseline plan Contents

55. Customizing the toolbar – menu shortcuts Views Contents Tables Filters Project Information Baselining and un Baselining the plan Baselining and un Baselining a task Task on schedule button

56. Customizing the toolbar – macro buttons Contents Open, link, and unlink the common resource DB Highlight the predecessor chain to a task Prefix the external dependencies and deliverables

58. Execution Contents Contractual parties must have visibility into what’s happening so they can agree to the changes

60. Initial Plan table Contents Status update for 12/2 1 To Do as of 11/18

61. Contents The Status Report table Status Report table To do & to do count columns Reschedule & reschedule count columns Baseline finish Finish variance

62. Contents Changing the Status date Project information button Change the Status Date from 11/18

63. Contents to 2 weeks later to 12/2 OK

64. 3 to do’s are flagged Red balls indicate the tasks are on the critical path Contents 12/2 to do’s

66. the to do flag disappears Contents MS Project is told that task 2 is on schedule MSP calculates the task is 92% complete as of 12/2

67. Task 5 now 6 weeks, is going to 9 weeks Contents MS Project is told that task 5 needs 3 more wks

69. Arrows indicate which tasks moved from baseline Contents Stretching task 5 to 9 weeks and the ripple effect Finish Variance indicates how much each task moved Task 17 moved into the future and is no longer a to do 21 tasks have changed their finish dates Vertical arrows are on the critical path Gantt bars illustrate changes from baseline

70. Contents MSP is told task 5 is on schedule for new date The to do ball disappears MSP calculates task 5 is 51% complete The Gantt bar shows progress to the status date Project finish date slipped from 3/6 to 3/27, 3 weeks to do’s goes to 0

71. Switch to the Planning table Contents Recovering from slippage – step 1 Changes to critical path (blue) tasks will affect the project end date Turn on the Critical Path filter Objective: Deliverable finish variance back to 0 Reduce task 23 from 2 wks to 1 wk

72. Reduce task 23 from 2 wks to 1 wk Contents Recovering from slippage – step 2 Deliverable finish variance goes from 3 wks to 2 wks

73. Contents Rerun the Critical Path filter after each change Recovering from slippage – step 3 TC production, task 6, can be reduced to 1 week duration

74. Reducing task 6 to 1 week took it off the critical path Contents Recovering from slippage – step 4 but didn’t change the deliverable finish variance

75. Another candidate for reduction is Procurement, task 21 Contents Recovering from slippage – step 5 PM reduces it from 5 weeks to 3

76. Procurement is now off the critical path Contents Recovering from slippage – step 6 Reduce Samples from 4 weeks to 3 but Samples, task 7, is back on the critical path and deliverable finish variance is down to 1 week

77. Samples is now off the critical path Contents Recovering from slippage – step 7 but project finish variance is still 1 week The PM reduces Issue beverage docs, task 15, from 5 weeks to 4

78. Note that almost everything is now back on the critical path. Contents Recovering from slippage – step 8 Original schedule is restored Reducing, task 15 from 5 weeks to 4 Deliverable finish variance is back to 0

79. Switch to the Status table Status summary – what changed? Contents Duration change filter Changes from baseline 6 duration changes (blue highlights) Project duration change

80. Status summary – what changed? Remaining project to do’s Contents 16 finish variences (blue arrows) Project 15% complete Status summary notes Project finish variance

82. Status summary to team – what changed? Contents Finish variance & duration change filter Status as of date

83. Basic report for marketing Contents Duration Who Start Finish

84. For marketing people that don’t like Gantt charts Contents

85. More detail for project team Contents Predecessors Successors Constraint

86. For project teams that don’t like Gantt charts Contents

87. Milestone Gantt Contents For those who only like pictures

88. Portfolio management DB Contents Project name contact date status update notes risks PM PM’s Mgr deliverable target date status code

89. Contents Portfolio management DB next status update % complete Wks to next update Mtg date for next update Wk of this status update

90. Contents Portfolio management DB Number of tasks in the schedule Number of days deliverable moved To do’s for next update Number of rescheduled tasks

92. The case for 3rd Party Scheduling Services by Ed Mahler [email_address] President, Project Administration Institute Contents

97. Contents

98. Wikipedia Contents In many industries, such as engineering and construction; the development and maintenance of the project schedule is the responsibility of a full time scheduler or team of schedulers, depending on the size of the project.

99. The project management bible

100. Kerzner on scheduling Contents

102. Taking the Blinders off MS Project by Ed Mahler [email_address] President, Project Administration Institute Taking the Blinders off MS Project and The case for 3rd Party Scheduling Services