Last Updated: November 8, 2023

Activity 4 - Adopt PM/Software Standards

Activity Page Outline

Application 1 - Adopt PM/Software Standards Workflow (25 minutes)

Learn the Adopt PM/Software Standards Workflow (10 minutes)

Update Journal on Adopt PM/Software Standards Workflow (15 minutes) jump to

Application 2 - Start a Master Project and Save a Project Template (1 hour 15 minutes) jump to

Exercise 1: Finalize Set Up for Master Project (30 minutes) jump to

Exercise 2: Save a Project as a Template *.mpt (30 minutes) jump to

Update Journal on Adding Career Value (15 minutes) jump to

Application 3 - Finalize Project Set Up (2 hours 15 minutes) jump to

Exercise 3: Work with Base Calendars (30 minutes) jump to

Exercise 4: Schedule with Base Calendars (30 minutes) jump to

Exercise 5: Make Final Selections for the Scheduling Engine (15 minutes) jump to

Exercise 6: Manage Global.MPT with Organizer (35 minutes) jump to

Exercise 7: Customize the Ribbon (10 minutes) jump to

Update Journal on Skills and Customization (15 minutes) jump to

There are two applications on the page. Complete each when directed in the MS Project Master Class Book.

This entire page should take 4 hours and 48 minutes to complete.

Adopt PM/Software Standards Workflow (25 minutes)

A workflow is a set of sequential or parallel processes or steps performed to complete a specific Activity in a project life cycle. It typically involves a series of interdependent tasks that must be completed in a particular sequence, often with specific criteria or conditions that must be met before moving on to the next step.

The workflow for each Activity in this MS Project Master Class is the Activity (chapter) outline.

Starting with this Activity, the MS Project Master Class covers a sequence of Activities about using Microsoft Project.

Learn Adopt PM/Software Standards Workflow (10 minutes)

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Start a Master Project and Save a Project Template (1 hour 15 minutes)

In this section, you will do two things.

First, in Exercise 1, you will download a Microsoft Project template file and start a new Master Project.mpp. (If you started this MS Project Master Class with the first chapter, you do not need to complete this exercise.+

Second, in Exercise 2, you will download a finished project, save the project as a template, and notice what happens to the file.

There are various ways to start a new project in Microsoft Project. The most common ways are to begin a new blank project or to open a template. Templates are a type of project in Microsoft Project with the extension *.mpt, which stands for Microsoft Project Template. Opening a template file in Microsoft Project is like opening a *.dot template in Word. It contains pre-formatted document settings, such as headers, footers, margins, font sizes, and other common page styles.

A template in Microsoft Project can contain custom Elements such as view and report, local selections related to the scheduling engine in Options, and Project Information, and it can contain a full-blown project plan with WBS, initial estimates, dependencies, and resource assignment.

Exercise 1: Finalize Set Up for Your Master Project (30 minutes)

In this MS Project Master Class, the student will create a Master Project in Microsoft Project. The objective is for the student to have an expertly planned project by the time they have completed this class.

In addition, if the student is working with a Coach or planning to obtain one or more completion certificates, they must provide this Master Project for review. This project will be evaluated and analyzed by a Certified Master Coach or Master Class Reviewer and analyzed by one or more analytical tools that evaluate Microsoft Project plans.

Spend a few minutes and select a project to work on during this MS Project Master Class. Ideally, this project is work-related. The value of choosing a work-related project is that you get work done during the class, and learning is more relevant since you are applying what you learn immediately to the type of project you manage.

An alternative to a work-related project is a personal project. An individual project could include an event like a wedding, a kitchen remodel, planning out an executive MBA program, an investment program, buying or selling your home, obtaining your PMP certification, or a significant landscape project.

There are several ways to start a new project. Most people Click the New icon and then double-click Blank Project. Then save the project, File, Save As, and name the project.

Another way to start a new project is from an existing template file.

After you download template file, open it in Microsoft Project. Remember, you have to search for Project Templates (*.mpt).

Once the template file has been opened, notice these things:

A - The title bar does not give you the template title; the assumption is you are starting a new project. If you want to change a template file, open the template, select File / Save As, and then Project Template (*.mpt).

B - All of the tasks are Auto Scheduled.

C - The beginning of a work breakdown structure. The first level is for the project phases, and the two milestones of any project, Project Started and Project Completed, are entered.

D - The Project Summary Task (sometimes called row zero or the project title is displayed.

E - Local selections in Project Options have been made. To ensure that the student’s Master Project calculates and displays the same as the illustrations and exercises, these local selections in Project Options are recommended. In addition, when completing exercises, your results could be slightly different. This usually consists of global and local selections in Project Options, your version or build, and the order in which you might do something in Microsoft Project. Click the button below to review setting up Microsoft Project for this MS Project Master Class.

Save this template file as your Master Project. You can call this project whatever you want, but it will be referenced as such in this MS Project Master Class.

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Exercise 2: Saving a Template *.mpt (30 minutes)

In this next exercise, you will review and save a project as a Microsoft Project template file.

Suppose this is an in-progress project that is going well. The project plan was your best yet, and you want to turn the project into a project template so that software development project managers in your group can use it to plan a new development project. This will become your expert plan for most new software projects, and you will refine it over time.

Let’s review a few things about this project.

The current project has resources assigned. Those resources should be turned into generic resources for a template file. No tool in Microsoft Project (except if you are using Project Server) can accomplish this task, so you must replace the current team members by renaming each to represent a skill. The idea is that a project manager using this template would rename these generic resources with the actual team members assigned to the project.

To do this, click the Resource Sheet icon on the status bar. In this case, each resource is assigned to a Group. Use the group names to rename the resources as generic resources. For instance, in the Project Management group, Scott Smith would become the Project Manager.

Rename all of the resources. When finished, click the Gantt Chart icon on the status bar to return to that view.

Now that we are back in the Gantt Chart view, let’s look at some things. First, notice that all of the assignments are now skill assignments.

Next, notice that task ID #8 has a $1,000 fixed cost. When you save this project as a template, you may want to keep resource rates (the rates in the previous figure) because they haven’t changed, but consider removing costs specific to a task like this $1,000 fixed cost since it is unique to the project.

The cost numbers in the Cost column in the figure below are calculated based on those resource rates.

Also, notice that some tasks have check marks. This means those tasks are completed, or they are 100% complete. Completed information in Microsoft Project is referred to as Actuals.

Last, notice a Baseline Cost column, meaning this project's baseline has been set.

When we save this project as a template, we will want to wipe clean any Actual information, such as percent complete and all Baseline information. We likely want to delete Fixed Cost entries and may or may not like to delete Resource Standard Rates.

But before we save a project as a template, there are other things we should edit or clean up first.

Before saving a project as a template, we should also check the project, resource, and task calendars. Again, in this MS Project Master Class, we will be working with these calendars a lot, so we won’t spend much time on them here, but let’s check out the project Calendar and make a change.

In your project file, click the Chang Working Time command to open the dialog box for viewing or editing calendars. By default, the Project Calendar is shown in the first drop-down. The project calendar has been defined, and expectations, in this case, holidays, have been defined.

In the figure below, the exceptions represent the standard eleven U.S. Federal holidays. Click the Details button to open the dialog box to set the exception or holiday rules. Thanksgiving, for instance, is a Nonworking day that occurs Yearly on the Fourth Thursday of November. This exception in the Company Calendar starts on 1/1/24 and ends on 11/22/29.

Let’s say one holiday is missing: the day after Thanksgiving. Define that holiday by:

• Clicking on a blank row in the Exceptions tab

• In the blank row, enter the Day after Thanksgiving

• Clicking the Details button

• Selecting the Noneworking radio button

• Select the Yearly radion button

• Select Fourth, Friday, and November

• Enter the Start field as 1/1/24

• Enter the End by field as 1/1/30

• To save, click OK and then Save the project to save this calendar exception

The next step in preparing a project is to review local selections in Project Options. In Project Options, all selections are either local, for the active project, or global, meaning the selection is for any project you open. An example of a global setting is that you can decide on a default location for your template files. If you have a place in mind, enter that location in Options.

Carefully considering the local settings is a good idea for a template file. The concept of a template file is to start a project manager off on the right foot by using the template.

Before we open Options, I want to point out some things on the status bar.

• The status bar being displayed is a global selection in Options.

• A - Ready means you can edit the project. If you have Options open, that message will turn to Busy; you won’t be able to edit tasks, resources, or assignments.

• B—Calculation Off or Calculation On is a global setting. Right now, neither the project nor any other open project is calculating.

• C - The No Maco Recording icon is displayed.

• D - New Tasks: Auto Scheduled is a local setting in Options. This should be the default selection for new projects in Microsoft Project; it is not, as I will explain later, but you can make it the default setting for your project.

• E - Selections for standard views.

• F - Selection for the Report Design page.

• G—Zoom slider. This slider zooms the timescale. However, unlike in other Office projects, there is no way to zoom the view.

Let’s review these messages and selections in Options and make two selections. To open Project Options or Options, select File and then Options at the bottom of the Backstage View.

Notice that the Ready message on the status bar has changed to Busy. You can make selections in Options, but you can not edit the data in the project, so the project is busy.

Let’s make two changes in Options. First, select the Schedule page. At the bottom of the page, you will notice radio buttons for turning calculations on or off. Select the On button. When you click OK in Options, all open projects will be calculated. Calculation is a global selection that is applied to all open projects.

Then, notice the Scheduling options for this project. Everything in this section is a local selection, meaning selections are applied only to this project. For this project, all new tasks created are Auto Scheduled.

Auto Scheduled is what we want for this template file we are creating, and as mentioned, it is not the default setting for new projects in Microsoft Project; it is just out of the box. But, as a user, you can change it here to make it a default selection for new projects. In the drop-down box, select All New Projects. As shown in the figure below. Then, in the drop-down box for New tasks created, select Auto Scheduled. When you save these selections in Options by clicking the OK button and start a new blank project, Auto Scheduled tasks will be the default selection.

Save selections in Options by clicking OK, then Save the project to save local selections. Notice Calculation Off is no longer displayed.

Another area to clean up before saving a project as a template is elements like views and tables used in the current project and perhaps edited by the manager. Still, you don’t want to be included in the template file. Let’s spend a minute cleaning up any elements in the Organizer that might have been used in this project but that we do not think are needed for the template. Before doing this, it is essential to know you cannot delete an active view, so if you want to delete an active view, apply a view you wish to as part of the template and delete the view.

We will work with the Organizer and custom elements later in this Activity Page, so for now, let’s use the Organizer to clean up (delete) views and tables we don’t want.

To open the Organizer, click File, Info, and then \click the Organizer button.

Delete the views associated with this project. The Gantt Chart view is currently applied or active, so it can not be deleted. With the Organizer, select all of the views associated with the project, except the Gantt Chart, and then click the Delete button. When done, click the Close button and then Save the project.

Finally, you are ready to save this project as a template. Save it as a template (File / Save As - pick a location / and then select Project Template (*.mpt) in the Save as type field. 

First, in the File name field, give the template Template Exercise. Then, save the template. When you open the Save as Template dialog box, check off the items you want to remove from the template. In this case, remove everything except Resource Rates.

Notice the following:

• The title bar shows the name of the template. Further changes will be saved with this template.

• Baseline information has been removed.

• Actuals have been removed.

• Any fixed Costs have been removed.

• If you apply the Resource Sheet view, Resource Rates have not been removed.

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Finalize Project Set Up (2 hours 15 minutes)

In this essential section of the MS Project Master Class, you will complete the set up of your Master Project. Having already initiated a Master Project and explored preliminary options, we are poised to take the next crucial steps. This section guides you through the finer aspects of setting up your project, ensuring you are well-equipped to input tasks, resources, and assignments efficiently.

Base Calendars: Understanding and customizing base calendars is fundamental to effective project management. In this section, you will engage in two practical exercises that will enhance your understanding of base calendars and enable you to create and customize them specifically for your Master Project. This hands-on experience is vital for mastering how schedules are influenced by working times, nonworking time, and holidays.

Scheduling Engine: Microsoft Project's scheduling engine is its heart. Here, you will make critical decisions and final selections, shaping how your project schedule is computed beyond task entries. This involves tweaking settings and preferences that dictate how your Master Project responds to various scheduling scenarios, an essential skill for any project manager seeking precision and adaptability in their project planning.

Custom Elements: Microsoft Project's true power is in its customization capabilities. In this section, you will learn to use the Organizer to integrate over 90 different elements, such as views, tables, reports, calendars, and fields, into your Global.MPT file. This enrichment not only enhances your current Master Project but also sets a standard for any future projects, ensuring a consistent and robust project management experience.

Customize the Ribbon: This course will guide you through importing and using a custom toolbar to streamline your workflow and enhance efficiency. This customization of the Microsoft Project interface aligns the tool more closely with the specific needs of this Master Class and your project management style, allowing for quicker access to frequently used commands and features.

By the end of this section, you will have a fully prepared environment in Microsoft Project, tailored to support the dynamic needs of any project. Let's embark on this journey to transform your project management skills and leverage Microsoft Project to its fullest potential.

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Exercise 3: Work with Base Calendars (30 minutes)

As we progress through the MS Project Master Class, we've reached a pivotal stage where you'll define the base calendars for your Master Project. Understanding the role of these calendars in the overall scheduling framework is crucial before delving into their configuration. We'll engage in a practical exercise using a dedicated practice file to facilitate this. This hands-on exercise is designed to illustrate the five fundamental calendar rules, providing you with a clear understanding of how these calendars influence project scheduling.

This interactive approach will deepen your comprehension of calendar settings and demonstrate their impact on project timelines and resource availability. By the end of this exercise, you'll have a more intuitive grasp of how to tailor the base calendars to fit the unique needs of your Master Project, ensuring that your scheduling is both efficient and aligned with project goals. Let's dive in and explore the intricate relationship between base calendars and project success in Microsoft Project.

First, look at how calendars are used in this simple project.

• Notice the project dates; this project is scheduled for 2021.

• Click on the Change Working Time command under the Project tab.

• The For calendar drop-down menu lists available base calendars and any Work type resource calendars. In this example, there is only one resource (Ted), so we only see his calendar. His base calendar is the Standard calendar. Also, notice that when you open Change Working Time, the calendar displayed is based on the system clock or current date.

• The calendar for the project schedule is identified as the (Project Calendar). Note how the work week and work days are defined by reviewing the work week under the Work Weeks tab. Click on the Details button under the Work Week tab.

• Click on the Options button and note that the calendar options in Options are congruent with how the Project (Standard) Calendar is defined. Read the description in this section on the Schedule page in Project Options. This is a polite way of saying:

  “The reason it is possible to have different settings in Project Options that are incongruent with the Project Calendar is to support highly irregular calendar requirements. Unless you want to spend a lot of time figuring out why tasks are scheduled the way they are, make these settings congruent with your Project Calendar.”

  This is the first place I check when I notice scheduling irregularities in a customer’s schedule.

• Observe the U.S. Federal Holidays as exceptions to the defined work weeks. (Two U.S. Federal Holidays are not listed, Juneteenth National Independence Day and Columbus Day.) Take a few minutes and click the Details button to observe the rules for each exception. These nine holidays follow two different sets of rules.

  • 1) Nonwork on the same day annually,

  • 2) Nonwork on the same schedule annually.

• View the 7-Day Calendar and note that it has a seven-day workweek, 8 AM to 5 PM. No exceptions are defined.

• The calendar for Ted is based on the Standard Calendar. However, when a resource is created in Microsoft Project, a base calendar is selected for the resource; you can choose a different base calendar if you need to. Exceptions in the base calendar are carried over to the resources calendar and the defined work weeks. However, the exceptions are not listed in the Exceptions tab; they are still there because they are in the base calendar. The Exceptions list for a resource is for making exceptions against that base calendar. For instance, you could create an exception for Ted to work on a non-working exception in his base calendar. The base calendar could have a holiday exception on the 14th; in Ted’s calendar, his exception could be that he is working that day.

• Ted’s calendar has a nonworking exception: his birthday is on the 14th.

Next, review Chart 2 - Calendar Rules.pdf. Calendars interact with other features and scheduling rules like Task Type, which is not mentioned in this chart. In addition, as a project plan grows in terms of the number of tasks, resources, and dependencies, things get more complicated. In other words, the more you ask the software to do, the more the “rules” tend to bend. This makes completely understanding the scheduling engine, under all conditions, a complex undertaking.

However, knowing the concepts and basic rules in the chart below, you can quickly figure out most scheduling dilemmas. In other words, you don’t need to understand the hundreds of possibilities and the many formulas often presented in training classes. There are too many conditions, and the formulas do not always hold.

Just learn these five basic rules to understand and predict most scheduling easily.

1. All tasks are scheduled against the project calendar selected in Project Information.

2. A calendar assigned to a task trumps the project calendar.

3. The calendar of a resource assigned to a task trumps either the project or task calendar.

4. Unless you select, Scheduling ignores resource calendars.

5. Elapsed time trumps all calendars.

Last, note that some tasks are Auto Scheduled and Manually Scheduled. We will explain the difference between Auto Scheduled and Manually Scheduled tasks during Activity 7, but for now, assume that you will likely only use Auto Scheduled tasks in Microsoft Project. You most certainly will use them after the early stages of planning. In general, Auto Scheduled tasks are scheduled by following the Microsoft Project scheduling engine rules, while Manually Scheduled tasks, with few exceptions, do not.

Do the following:

Tasks 1 and 2 are both 10 days in duration. Those are working days defined by the project calendar. Friday, January 1st, is a nonworking exception in the project calendar, so Tasks 1 and 2 are not scheduled to start until the 4th, right after the weekend. Observe the planned start date in Project Information.

Assign the 7 Day Calendar to Task 1 by double-clicking on the task to open Task Information, going to the Advanced tab, and selecting that calendar. Do the same for Task 3, a Manually Scheduled task. Note any differences. You should be able to explain what is happening from a scheduling perspective.

Next, assign Ted to Task 1 and Task 2 by selecting Ted in the Resource Name column. What happened to the tasks? If you need to, use the Undo and Redo buttons on the Quick Access Toolbar to see the changes when Rule 3 is applied. The calendar of a resource assigned to a task trumps either the project or task calendar.

Then, apply rule number 4 to Task 1 and tell the task to ignore the resource’s calendar. Splitting your window is helpful to see what is going on. Split the window by going to View on the ribbon and then checking the Details command. In the drop-down menu, select the Resource Usage view.

Viewing Ted’s assignments on these two different Auto Scheduled tasks will help explain or illustrate how the software applies the first three calendar rules. Notice that Ted is not scheduled on Thursday the 14th for Task 2 in the bottom view. Why?

Next, notice that Tasks 5 and 6 both use elapsed time. Change Task 5 to 80 ehrs. Elapsed time is 24/7, so the task is scheduled over the weekend, on holidays, and into Monday. Ten elapsed days would be 240 hours.

Let’s suppose for Task 7, you would like to schedule the task on Saturday, January 2nd. Change the start date to the 2nd for Task 7 in the Start field. The software will not allow that schedule because it is a nonworking day as defined by the project calendar, but the software does remember that you did try to schedule it on the 2nd. There are three ways to address this scheduling conflict:

• You could make the 2nd a work day by making an exception in the project calendar, but that might schedule other tasks that you do not want to be scheduled on that day.

• You could assign the 7 Day Calendar to the task.

• Or, you could assign the task elapsed time. Remember that elapsed time is 24/7; enter a duration of 8 ehr for Task 7. Project remembered you wanted to schedule the task on the 2nd. The elapsed time trumps all calendars, so the task is now scheduled for the 2nd.

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Exercise 4: Schedule with Base Calendars (30 minutes)

Upon successfully creating the base calendars tailored to your project, the next step is to select a specific project calendar within the Project Options. Utilizing a carefully designed practice file, this upcoming exercise delves into the additional scheduling features intimately linked with these calendars.

This exercise aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to scheduling within Microsoft Project. Regardless of your prior experience with the software, by the conclusion of this session, you will possess the essential knowledge and confidence to craft base calendars ideally suited for your Master Project. This is a pivotal step in mastering the art of project scheduling and is fundamental to successfully managing your project timelines. Let's embark on this journey to further your skills and enhance your proficiency in Microsoft Project.

This is a Microsoft Project template file. It has an extension of *.mpt rather than the extension of *.mpp for a project file. In this Activity, we will review creating and working with template files. Generally, the best practice is to start a new project from a template file. To do this, open a template file and click Save. Microsoft Project will save it as a .mpp file. Any *.mpp file can be saved as a template file.

Save this template as Schedule.mpp.

Review the following in this new project based on the template:

Open the calendars used in this project by selecting the Project tab on the ribbon and then selecting the Change Working Time command in the Properties group. This is where you can create and edit calendars used for the project, tasks, and resources.

Notice this list of calendars in the drop-down list at the top. There are four base calendars,

• 24 Hours

• Night Shift

• Standard (this calendar is being used as the project calendar)

• 7 Day Calendar

If you select a resource calendar, the base calendar is identified. All three resources use the Standard base calendar.

Review each base calendar. The Standard calendar has an exception, 12/25/22 - 1/4/23, defined as Nonworking.

Exit the dialog box and open Project Information (Project / Properties group / Project Information command.

A - This project's start date is 1/1/23, and it is formatted as a blue vertical line in the timescale area of this view.

B - Because this project is scheduled from the Project Start Date, also a selection in Project Information, the finish date is calculated. This is formatted as a black vertical line in this view's timescale or taskbar area.

C - The calendar selected for this project is the Standard calendar, and if you remember, 12/25/22 - 1/4/23 is defined as Nonworking. In Microsoft Project, all tasks are initially scheduled against the project calendar, so in this instance, the first task does not start until 1/5/23. Take a moment to make sure you understand that scheduling functionality.

These vertical start and finish datelines are formatted in Gridlines (Format tab on the ribbon / Format group / Gridlines command).

Last, open Project Options (File / Options at the bottom of backstage. Project Options is used more in Microsoft Project than other Office products for a simple reason: to plan and execute a project effectively in Microsoft Project, you must use most of the features. Expect to learn most of the selections in Project Options.

These three dialog boxes will be opened continuously while using Microsoft Project, memorizing the locations of their commands.

Change Working Time (Project / Properties / Change Working Time).

Project Information (Project / Properties / Project Information).

Project Options (File / Options).

Let’s make some changes. Remember, the project starts on the 1st, but the holiday in the project calendar ends on the 4th. The start date is entered in Project Information, the project calendar is selected in Project Information, and the calendars are defined in Change Working Time.

For this project, remove the holiday from the project calendar. Open the calendar, select the exception row, and click the Delete button.

What happened?

Next, hover over the icons in the indicator column for Task 2 to read the indicators. The first indicator tells you that the 7 Day Calendar is assigned to that task. Often, an Indicator reads what is there. For instance, go to the Organizer, select this calendar, and rename this calendar to 7 Day Calendar (8-5). You will work with custom elements like calendars and use the Organizer to manage these elements in a later application. 

There are several ways to get to the Organizer. If you know where you want to go but don’t remember how to get there, you can always try to opwn the Organizer by typing in the Tell me what you want to do field at the top of the ribbon. Begin typing Organizer and then select it. In the Organizer, select the Calendar tab, select the 7-Day Calendar, and then the Rename button. Click OK when done. Then, hover again over the indicators.

Indicators report on specific aspects of a task. A standard list of indicators is provided in the following figure. 

Let’s trigger these indicators on a new task. After the Finish task, enter a new task named Indicators. Make sure the task is Auto Scheduled. Then do the following for this task: 

Select the task and then open the Task Information dialog box. Task / Information on the ribbon. Click the Advanced tab, and then in the Constraints type field, select Start No Earlier Than. Also, why you are in Task Information, enter 1/3/23 in the Deadline field. Click Ok. The timing constraint Start No Earlier Than indicator shows.

Then, enter a start date 1/5/23 in the Start field for this task. This task goes past its deadline on 1/3/23 indicator appears. Zoom the Entire Project. View / Entire Project command.

Next, open Information again, and in the Notes field, Type in your favorite beer. If you don’t drink beer, type in your favorite drink. You can also paste graphic files in the Notes field. Copy a picture of your favorite drink from the internet and paste it into Notes. Click OK.

The Notes indicator has been added. The first line is Notes, which is also displayed when hovering.

Add a hyperlink. Select the task, right-click, and at the bottom, select Hyperlink. In the address field, enter www.msprojecttraining.online. Click OK, and the Hyperlink indicator will appear.

Open Task Information, and add the Night Shift calendar in the Advanced tab. The Calendar indicator shows.

Open Information and assign the Engineer to the task under the Resource tab. The Engineer uses the Standard Calendar. When you click OK, two indicators will show: one tells you a resource is overallocated, and the other tells you there is not enough common working time.

Most of these indicators messages are related to schedule, and schedule is a function of the calendars used.

Save the project. 

Before finishing this exercise, this is an excellent time to look at one more feature related to the scheduling engine. There are two ways to build a project: from the Start Date or the Finish Date. Starting from the Start Date is called ASAP planning. Most tasks have ASAP timing constraints, pushing them against the project start date. When scheduling is finished, we have a calculated finish date for the project.

A few project managers do not know when to start a project, but they do know when it should be finished. So, they do what is called ALAP planning. When they finish scheduling, the software tells them when they should finish. At that point, they revert to scheduling from the start date so that the software can calculate critical path, etc.

Let's take a look at this. Do these things:

Delete the Indicators task.

Then open Project Information, and select Project Finish Date in the Schedule from field. In the Finish date field, enter 3/29/23 and click OK.

The project is now scheduled against a finish date. Open Project Information again, and the Start Date is calculated. Schedule from the start date again, and the project starts on 2/28/23.

Save the project.

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Exercise 5: Make Final Selections for Scheduling Engine (15 minutes)

In this crucial exercise, you'll make the definitive choices that will shape the Scheduling Engine of your Master Project. This is a significant step, as these selections are central to how your project's timeline and tasks will be orchestrated and managed.

We will focus on a comprehensive list of settings for the Scheduling Engine. You will notice that certain items are highlighted in bold. These are the elements you should have already configured in earlier steps. Our task now is to review and finalize the remaining selections, ensuring that every aspect of the Scheduling Engine is tailored to support the unique dynamics and requirements of your Master Project. This is more than just a technical procedure; it sets the stage for efficient and effective project management. Let's fine-tune your project's Scheduling Engine with precision and foresight.

These are most of the components of the scheduling engine; you have addressed the ones in bold:

All Base Calendars Created

Project Information

Start Date.

Scheduling from Start Date.

Project Calendar Selected.

Project Options

Calendar Options: Settings that affect how the calendar is used in scheduling.

Split in-progress tasks.

Update Manually Scheduled tasks when editing links.

Tasks will always honor their constraint dates.

Calculation On

Schedule Page Calculation Options: Settings for how the software calculates and re-calculates the project schedule.

Earned Value Options: Earned value method and earned value calculation.

Advanced Page Calculation Options: Movement of updated tasks against the Status Date and critical path calculations. 

Task Level

Task Mode: Automatic or manual task scheduling.

Duration: The duration of a task.

Work: The work associated with a task.

Cost: The cost associated with a task.

Timing Constraints: Restrictions on the start or finish dates of tasks.

Links: Dependencies between tasks (e.g., finish-to-start, start-to-start).

Effort-Driven Scheduling: Determines if the task duration changes based on the number of resources assigned.

Task Type: Fixed duration, fixed work, or fixed units, impacting how tasks respond to changes in resources or duration.

Resource Leveling

Resources Leveled: Resources may have been leveled one time.

Resource Leveling Manual: Adjusts the schedule to resolve resource overallocation on demand.

Resource Leveling Automatic: Resources are leveled automatically.

We won’t be dealing with scheduling engine selections at the task level or resource leveling now, so let’s review a few more selections in Project Options.

For your Master Project, open Project Options and select the Schedule page.

A - As mentioned before, in most cases, these calendar selections should match your project calendar's settings.

B—All of your tasks should be Auto-Scheduled, so this selection will ensure all new tasks are Auto-Scheduled. However, you can manually schedule a task if needed.

C - Tasks should always honor their constraint date. The reason for unchecking this would be that you have a project finish constraint creating negative slack, and you want to temporarily turn off that date constraint to see a project end date.

D - Split in-progress tasks should be selected in most cases. This means that some of the update commands will be available to use. For example, this allows a task to start before the status date but not be completed and have those uncompleted parts moved (the task splits) after the status date.

E - For now, check these selections. However, you might decide to update the task and resource status separately during the update. Or, when making resource assignments, you might like to enter costs rather than have the software calculate those costs.

Next, in the Advanced page:

F - Select % Complete for now. We will review two earned value approaches. I have only had one customer in 30 years who didn’t use % Complete. Microsoft Project has eleven different baselines. For earned value calculations, you select the baseline you want to use.

G -These selections are for how you want Microsoft Project to handle updated task data in relation to the status date. There is no right or wrong selection, but you should be deliberate in your selections. You can leave them all unchecked for now.

H - This selection allows you to redefine the meaning of critical path. The industry is zero float, or what Microsoft Project calls Slack.

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Exercise 6: Manage the Global.MPT with the Organizer (35 minutes)

In this exercise, you will master the art of customization within Microsoft Project by utilizing the Organizer tool. This powerful feature lets you meticulously manage various custom elements such as views, tables, filters, calendars, reports, maps, and groups. Your task involves organizing these components and applying basic formatting to one of the more commonly used views.

This exercise is designed to provide you with practical experience in enhancing and personalizing your project workspace. By the end of this session, you will have the skills to create and format these elements and seamlessly integrate them into your Master Project. This process is crucial for ensuring that your project management environment is efficient and tailored to your needs. Let's dive in and explore the full customization potential of Microsoft Project.

Open the Chart 1 - Organizer Rules.pdf file. Review this chart on the Organizer and pay special attention to the five basic rules:

1. Suppose you create or customize an element in a project and copy it to the Global.MPT will make the element available for all projects. Elements can easily be shared with other users.

2. If an element is associated with both the Global.MPT and a project (on both sides of the Organizer), the element associated with a project is used when the element is applied in that project. 

3. Elements can be deleted, copied, and renamed. This is the only place to rename or delete some elements like Calendars and Maps.

4. Do not rename those elements because of a Reset to Default feature for the views and tables.

5. Expect the Organizer Rules to change slightly with a new Project version.

To start this exercise, open the Global Simulation.mpp file.

There are five custom elements in the active view:

1. A custom view titled Exercise View is active. This Exercise View is a double view with a view on top and a view on the bottom.

2. The top view is Exercise View A. This view shows tasks and the resources assigned to them. The Work on each task and the Work for each resource are timephased.

3. The bottom view is titled Exercise View B. This is a Task Form view.

4. The Table applied to the top view is titled Exercise Table.

5. The Exercise Filter applied to the view is also a custom element. This filters out all tasks that do not have a resource assigned. This would include all summary tasks and milestones.

Custom elements in the figure below:

1 - The Exercise View. This is a split window with a view on top and a view on the bottom.

2 - The Task Usage view is titled Exercise View A.

3 - The Task Form view is titled Exercise View B.

4 - A table titled Exercise Table.

5 - A filter titled Exercise Filter shows tasks with resource assignments.

In this exercise, you will make all five custom elements (three views, a table, and a filter) available for your Master Project.

But before we work with the Organizer to share these elements, let’s do further customization or formatting.

The context-sensitive Format tab is one of the best things about the Ribbon in Microsoft Project. For instance, if you click the top view, then the Format tab. The formatting options differ for the Resource Usage view on top and the Task Form view on the bottom.

Remove the split view (View / uncheck Details) and then apply the Gantt Chart view (View / Gantt Chart command) and then select Format.

Under the Gantt Chart Format tab on the ribbon, do the following:

Zoom the project (View / Entire Project) to fit all of the task bars in the available timescale space.

Click Text Styles, select the Milestones Tasks item, and make the background light green.

Change the Status Date in Project Information to 2/2/2021.

Click the Gridlines command and change:

• Sheet Rows to light blue.

• Start Date to solid blue.

• Status Date to solid red.

• Project Finish to solid black.

Click the Layout command to show the middle type of link lines and change the Bar height to 14.

Check the Critical Tasks check box on the Format tab.

Add the Work column to the active table.

Last, click the Format command and then Bar Styles. Select the Text tab and remove Resource Names for the Task and Critical rows.

Save the project.

Remember this: you applied the Gantt Chart view and made all these format changes.

Then, reapply the Exercise View element (Task / Gantt Chart / Exercise View). Then Zoom in on the entire project (View / Entire Project) and open your Master Project.

During the rest of this exercise, we will first explore the Organizer's functionality by sharing these custom elements with your Master Project. Then, we will open another file that contains 90 plus custom views, tables, fields, and reports. We will make them available to all of your projects.

Open and review the Chart 1- Organizer Rules.pdf file if you closed the file.

To review again, these are the five primary Organizer Rules;

1. Suppose you create or customize an element in a project and copy the element over to Global.MPT file will make the element available for all projects. Elements can easily be shared with other users.

2. Suppose an element is associated with both the Global MPT and a project (on both sides of the Organizer). The element related to a project is used when the element is applied to that project. 

3. Elements can be deleted, copied, and renamed. This is the only place to rename or delete some elements like Calendars and Maps.

4. Do not rename those elements because of a Reset to Default feature for the views and tables.

5. Expect the Organizer Rules to change slightly with a new Project version.

First, let’s share the five custom elements reviewed above with your Master Project by using the Organizer. Those five elements are:

• Exercise View

• Exercise View A

• Exercise View B

• Exercise Table

• Exercise Filter

With both files (Master Project and the Global Simulation) open, follow these steps:

Open the Organizer. File / Info / Organizer.

Select the left side for your Master Project and the Global Simulation file for the right.

In the View tab, Copy the Exercise View, Exercise View A, and Exercise View B to your Master Project.

Then, do the same with the other two elements, the Exercise Table and Exercise Filter.

When finished, to test, all you have to do is select your Master Project and apply the Exercise View. Repeat the steps above if notified that you have a missing element.

Earlier, we formatted the Gantt Chart view in the Global Simulation file. Suppose you want to share that Gantt Chart in the Global Simulation File with your Master Project with a Gantt Chart view using the same naming convention. The Gantt Chart view comes with Microsoft Project, and per one of the five Organizer rules, we should not rename one of these standard views. But we can overwrite or replace them from one file to the next.

Using the steps above, Copy the Gantt Chart view and the Entry table from the Global Simulation File to your Master Project.

Suppose you have ten projects and want to use this customized Gantt Chart view with all your projects. Would you have to do what we just did with all ten projects?

The answer is yes, but if you want this view to be available to all new projects, it would be best to copy the view and table to the Global.mpt file and then remove them from each of the ten projects.

Any Global.mpt file element is available to any open project.

The last thing we will do in this exercise is open a project with over 90 custom views, tables, reports, and fields and copy them to your Global.MPT file makes them all available for the projects you might open during this MS Project Master Class. After the class, you can delete them from your Global.MPT or continue using them.

Open the Element.mpp file and then open the Organizer.

All of the custom elements except the custom fields and the calendar have the word Bridge in the name, making them easily recognizable. To complete this exercise, do the following:

Copy all of the Bridge views to the Global.MPT file.

Copy both the Bridge Task and Resource Tables to the Global.MPT file.

Copy the Bridge Reports to the Global MPT file.

Copy the custom fields to the Global.MPT file is shown in the figure below. Do not copy the Flag Status, Health, and Project Departments (enterprise fields) to the Global.MPT.

This is optional. The Standard calendar in the Calendars tab in the Elements.mpp file includes all U.S. Federal Holidays as exceptions. If you want, you can replace the Standard calendar in the Global.MPT file.

Changes to the Global.MPT is saved when you exit Microsoft Project. Exit the software, reopen Microsoft Project, Open a blank project and then the Organizer, and confirm all custom elements are in the Global.MPT.

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Exercise 7: Customize the Ribbon (10 minutes)

In this final exercise of this Activity Page, you'll see how to streamline your user experience in Microsoft Project by customizing the Ribbon, including the Quick Access Toolbar. We'll begin with a concise yet informative review, setting the following stage.

After this initial overview, we will guide you through importing a specially designed ribbon. This imported Ribbon is an addition and a complete replacement of the existing Ribbon setup. This step is pivotal as it tailors the interface to enhance efficiency and accessibility, aligning the toolset with the specific requirements of your workflow. By the end of this exercise, you will have a Microsoft Project environment that is more functional and aligned with your project management needs. Let's get started and revolutionize the way you interact with Microsoft Project.

The Ribbon is highly customizable, so you can set it up to be most productive when using Microsoft Project. To edit the Ribbon, go to Project Options.

These are the customizable components:

A - The Ribbon has two components: the Tabs, with Groups and Commands under each Tab, and the Quick Access Toolbar that only contains Commands.

B - The main functionality is moving Commands to Groups or the toolbar or removing them.

C - Commands are located in several places.

D - A new Tab can be created, or new Groups can be added to existing Microsoft Project Tabs.

E - The out-of-the-box Ribbon can be reset at any time.

F - A ribbon can be exported for backup or shared with other Microsoft Project users who import a shared ribbon.

We will import a customized ribbon for this Master Class. If you have already customized your Ribbon, Export it so you can Import it at any time. Select the Import/Export button and Export all customizations.

To import the Ribbon, first unzip the Bridge Toolbar.zip. The file we will import and replace the existing Ribbon is titled Bridge Toolbar.exportedUI.

In Microsoft Project, as well as other Microsoft Office applications, an *.exportedUI file is a file that contains the customization settings for the Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar. This file type saves and loads customizations you've made to the user interface. Here's a bit more detail:

1. Customization of UI: The Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar in Microsoft Project can be customized to better suit your workflow. You can add, remove, or rearrange tabs, groups, and commands according to your preferences.

2. Exporting Customizations: Once you have customized the Ribbon or Quick Access Toolbar, you can export these settings to an *.exportedUI file. This is done by going to the Ribbon customization menu (usually by right-clicking the Ribbon and selecting "Customize the Ribbon") and then choosing the "Export all customizations" option.

3. File Usage: The *.exportedUI file helps share customizations with colleagues or transfer them between computers. Instead of manually configuring the Ribbon and Toolbar on each installation of Microsoft Project, you can import the *.exportedUI file to apply the same customizations.

4. Importing Customizations: To import the customizations from an *.exportedUI file, use the Ribbon customization menu again, select the "Import customization file" option, and then navigate to and select your *.exportedUI file.

This functionality helps maintain a consistent working environment across multiple installations or for multiple users, ensuring that everyone has the same customized interface that best suits the needs of the team or project.

Import the Bridge Toolbar.exportedUI file. Select the Import/Export button and Import customization file.

Select the Bridge Toolbar.exportedUI file, click the Open button and then the Yes button when asked if you want to Replace all existing Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar customizations for this program.

Before leaving Project Options, select the Quick Access Toolbar. Notice the commands on the right side.

In the lower-left corner:

• Check Show Quick Access Toolbar.

• Position the toolbar Below Ribbon.

• Uncheck Always show command labels.

• Click Ok.

None of Microsoft’s ribbon parts were replaced or modified, except for the Reports tab. As you can see in the figure below, the commands related to screen capture and view printing were added.

As you can see, the Quick Access Toolbar has been changed completely.

The ribbon improved the toolbar command system in earlier versions of Microsoft Project. However, we lost the logical standard toolbar we relied on for many routine single clicks. It is tiresome to click two or three times, right-click, click hold and drag, etc., hundreds of times. The remedy is a one-click toolbar for the most frequently used commands.

This Bridge Toolbar is reminiscent of the Standard Toolbar from earlier versions.

Review the command on the toolbar. From this point forward, instructions will be short, i.e., Open Options, Zoom the Project, Insert the work column, open Notes, etc.

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Review Microsoft Project Features Covered on Adopt PM/Software Standards (15 minutes)

Scheduling Engine

The Scheduling Engine in Microsoft Project is a core software component that automatically calculates and updates task dates, durations, and dependencies based on various inputs and constraints. It takes into account factors such as task relationships (like predecessors and successors), resource availability (as defined in resource calendars), task constraints (like start and finish dates), and the project calendar. When any of these elements change, the scheduling engine recalculates to reflect the impact on the project timeline. 

Here is a breakdown of the critical components of the Scheduling Engine.

Base Calendars

For the Project, Tasks, and Resources. 

Project Information

Start Date and Finish Date.

Scheduling from the Start or Finish.

Selecting project calendar.

Project Options

Calendar Options: Adjustments affecting calendar scheduling use.

Split in-progress tasks: Management of ongoing task segments.

Update Manually Scheduled tasks when editing links

Tasks will always honor their constraint dates

Calculation On/Off

Schedule Page Calculation Options: Configurations for schedule calculation and recalculation.

Earned Value Options: Settings for the method and calculation of earned value.

Advanced Page Calculation Options: Management of updated task positioning against the Status Date and critical path calculations.

Task Level

Task Mode: Selection between automatic or manual task scheduling.

Duration: Period allocated for task completion.

Work: Effort required for task accomplishment.

Cost: Financial implications tied to a task.

Timing Constraints: Limitations on task start or finish times.

Links: Dependencies linking tasks (e.g., finish-to-start, start-to-start).

Effort-Driven Scheduling: Adjusts task duration based on resource allocation.

Task Type: Choices between fixed duration, fixed work, or fixed units, influencing task adjustments with resource or duration changes.

Resource Leveling

Resources Leveled: Resources that have undergone leveling.

Resource Leveling Manual: Manual adjustments for resource allocation conflicts.

Resource Leveling Automatic: Auto-adjustments for resource allocation.

Creating a New Base Calendar

All Microsoft Project calendars are Base Calendars. By default or out of the box, three Base Calendars are provided:

Standard business calendar

24/7 calendar

Night Shift calendar

When a new Base Calendar is created, that calendar can be used for Projects, Tasks, and Resources.

The calendar for a Work type of Resource works slightly differently than a calendar for a project or a task. When you create a Work type of Resource, you select a Base Calendar. Then, you can edit that calendar precisely for that Resource. For instance, all your resources may be using the same Base Calendar, but each Resource could have its unique vacation days reflected in its calendar.

If you use Microsoft Project with Project Server, you cannot likely create and use your calendars. You will select from an available list of calendars. If you use resources from the Project Server Resource Pool, those resources have been assigned a calendar, and you cannot likely make any changes.

This structured approach ensures consistency across the project management environment, especially in larger or more complex projects involving multiple resources and teams.

Resource Calendar

Each 'Work' type Resource in Microsoft Project is associated with a base calendar that can be individually tailored to accurately reflect their unique work schedule and availability. This flexibility is crucial in accommodating various work patterns. For instance, some resources might work different shifts, such as night shift or rotating shifts. Others might follow a condensed workweek, working four days a week, or have recurring days off, like every other Thursday.

Additionally, the availability of individual resources can vary significantly. Some may be part-time contributors, dedicating only a portion of their time to the project. In contrast, others might have periods when they are completely unavailable due to other commitments or scheduled leaves.

A Resource Calendar is an essential tool in Microsoft Project for setting up these specific nuances of availability and non-availability. By customizing a resource's calendar, you can more accurately schedule and allocate resources, considering their unique time constraints and commitments. This level of customization ensures that project planning is realistic, efficient, and closely aligned with the actual availability of each team member.

Task Calendar

In Microsoft Project, you can create a specialized base calendar for an individual or even a group of tasks. This feature allows for precise scheduling adjustments that cater to the unique requirements of different project activities.

By default, any task you create in Microsoft Project will adhere to the Project Calendar for its scheduling. However, you can assign a specific calendar to a particular task. This capability is handy when a task requires a schedule that deviates from the general project timeline, such as tasks that must be conducted outside of standard business hours or on different days. Utilizing this feature ensures that your project schedule reflects each task's varied and specific timing needs, enhancing overall project management efficiency.

Defining Calendar Working Days

In Microsoft Project, the foundation of scheduling revolves around the concept of defined working time, with only a few exceptions. This working time is established through calendars tailored for the project, individual tasks, and resources.

Calendars in Microsoft Project are dynamic tools that can be adjusted as your project progresses. This flexibility allows you to define the workweek in various ways to accommodate different periods of the year. For example, you might adjust work hours during holiday seasons or align work schedules with specific project phases requiring different working hours.

This approach ensures that your project scheduling is realistic and adaptable, accounting for the varying time constraints and availability of resources throughout the project life cycle. By meticulously defining and updating the working days in your calendars, you maintain an accurate and effective schedule, which is crucial for the success of your project.

Vacation (Resource Unavailable) Time

In Microsoft Project, when you set up a 'Work' type Resource, their availability for the project is governed by the specific calendar assigned to them. This process involves two key steps:

Selecting the Base Calendar: Choose an appropriate base calendar for the resource. This calendar acts as the default schedule for the resource and includes any predefined exceptions, such as public holidays. These exceptions are crucial as they automatically account for periods when the resource is unavailable to work on the project. You can customize this calendar by adding exceptions specific to the resource. These could include personal holidays, time off for family commitments, periods of training, or attendance at conferences.

Adjusting Availability: You can modify the resource's availability once the base calendar is set. For instance, if the base calendar indicates a standard 40-hour workweek, you can adjust this to reflect that the resource is only available for 20 hours a week during a specific period, like the third quarter. This feature helps accommodate part-time schedules, extended leaves, or other scenarios where a resource's availability deviates from standard working hours.

By effectively managing vacation time and availability adjustments in Microsoft Project, you ensure that your project schedule accurately reflects the real-world availability of your team, thus aiding in more efficient and realistic project planning.

Incorporating Holidays and Non-Working Time into Calendars

An integral aspect of defining calendars in Microsoft Project involves accounting for holidays and other periods of non-working time. This process ensures that your project timeline realistically reflects days when work will not be conducted.

Moreover, Microsoft Project offers the flexibility to invert this concept by converting traditionally non-working days into active working periods. For example, you might encounter situations where you need to schedule work during weekends, which are typically set as non-working days. In such cases, you can adjust the calendar to redefine these weekends as available for work. This adaptability is particularly valuable in scenarios where deadlines are tight or unexpected changes in the project timeline require additional working days.

Effectively managing these calendar adjustments for holidays and non-working time is crucial for maintaining an accurate and efficient project schedule, accommodating the ebb and flow of work availability throughout the project's duration.

Scheduling From A Finish Date

Microsoft Project offers the flexibility of scheduling your project based on a Start or Finish Date. This feature is handy in scenarios where the end goal or deadline of the project is known, but the initiation date still needs to be determined.

When you schedule from a Finish Date, you work backward from a known completion target. This approach can be invaluable during planning, especially in projects with fixed or non-negotiable deadlines, such as events or product launches with set dates. By inputting the finish date, Microsoft Project helps you determine the latest possible start date and critical milestones, ensuring all project activities align with the final deadline.

This method of reverse scheduling provides a clear roadmap for project managers, allowing them to plan and allocate resources efficiently while ensuring that the project is completed on time.

Organizer

Understanding the functionality of the Organizer in Microsoft Project is not just a skill; it's a significant time-saver, potentially saving hundreds of hours throughout your project management career.

The Organizer is your centralized tool for managing an extensive array of customizations, including:

• Views: Tailoring how project information is displayed.

• Reports: Customizing how project data is reported.

• Modules: Organizing code modules for project customization.

• Tables: Defining how data is tabulated and presented.

• Filters: Setting up criteria to view specific data subsets.

• Calendars: Customizing working days, hours, and exceptions.

• Maps: Managing how project data maps to other formats.

• Fields: Tailoring data fields specific to your project needs.

• Groups: Organizing tasks or resources into categories.

Customization is a regular activity for a seasoned Microsoft Project user. The Organizer empowers you to efficiently manage and transfer these custom settings between different projects, various versions of Microsoft Project, and other users. This saves you considerable time setting up new projects and significantly enhances your experience and efficiency in using the software. By mastering the Organizer, you unlock the full potential of Microsoft Project, making your project management process more streamlined and effective.

Utilizing Templates in Microsoft Project

Templates in Microsoft Project, denoted by the *.mpt file extension (Microsoft Project Template), are a powerful tool for streamlining project setup and management.

Just as opening a *.dot template in Microsoft Word provides you with a pre-formatted document complete with headers, footers, margins, font sizes, and other common styles, opening a template in Microsoft Project offers a similar convenience. It sets a predefined structure for your project, ensuring consistency and saving time.

A Microsoft Project template can be rich in custom content. It can include specialized elements such as tailored views and reports, local selections for the scheduling engine found in Options and Project Information, and even a comprehensive project plan. This plan might encompass a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), initial task estimates, dependencies, and resource assignments.

Effectively employing templates allows you to leverage previous work, applying established project structures and settings to new projects. This not only enhances efficiency but also ensures a level of standardization and quality control across all your projects. With templates, you can hit the ground running, focusing more on the project's unique aspects rather than setting up basic parameters each time.

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