Introduction to MS Project functionality

Microsoft Project provides an extensive range of features to aid project managers in planning, resource allocation, progress tracking, budget management, and workload analysis. However, this versatility comes with the tool’s inherent complexity.

Unlike with some more user-friendly MS Project alternatives, you can’t simply dive in and start working immediately. Completing an MS Project course, studying Microsoft documentation, and investing time in familiarizing yourself with the interface are essential.

Having navigated this process myself, I believe a broad overview of the tool’s capabilities is immensely beneficial. Thus, here’s an introduction to the key functionalities and how to navigate them.

Interface

Let’s start by exploring the interface. MS Project adopts a ribbon-based interface akin to other Microsoft Office applications like Word or Excel, making it instantly recognizable if you’ve used these before.

The ribbon is structured into tabs (File, Task, Resource, Report, etc.), each housing groups of related features and commands. On the left side, the Project View presents various views such as Gantt Chart, Task Sheet, or Resource Sheet.

Now, let’s navigate through the entire workflow from A to Z.

Key Functionalities

Creating a new project

If you’re here to dive into MS Project, chances are you’re eager to create and manage a project. It’s your initial step in the program. How to begin? Simply navigate to the “File” tab and select “New”. From there, you have the option to start from scratch, utilize a template, or import data from an existing file.

MS Project offers a range of predefined templates tailored to common project types. These templates include pre-set tasks, resources, and settings. It can streamline the project structuring process and save valuable time.

Next, move on to project information. Enter your project’s start date and other pertinent details in the “Project information” dialog box located in the “Project” tab. While there, indicate whether your project is scheduled from a start date or backward from a finish date, as this choice impacts task scheduling.

Configure the project calendar (Standard, 24 Hours, or Night Shift, or customize your own) to establish working and non-working days and times, essential for precise task scheduling. Though not mandatory, you can also input details like Project Title, Manager, and Company Name in the dialog area for reporting and documentation purposes.

Adding tasks

Task types

Since every project is made up of tasks, let’s see how to work with them in MS Project. First of all, you should know that you have different types of tasks. There are regular tasks form the core of your project, while summary tasks serve to group and represent related tasks, not consuming resources or time on their own.

Subtasks are the individual tasks nested under a summary task. Milestones mark zero-duration points in a project. Lastly, recurring tasks are those that happen regularly.

Task details

In the “Task” view, you can list down all the tasks required to complete your project. Tasks can be entered manually in the grid part of the view. Here, you define each task’s detail, such as:

• Duration (the time estimated to complete a task in hours, days, weeks).
• Start and finish dates (can be set manually or calculated based on the project start date, task dependencies, and calendar settings).
• Links (you can establish different types of dependencies in MS Project).
• Constraints (can be applied to tasks to control their start or finish dates).
• Resources assigned to the task.
• Work (the amount of effort, usually measured in hours or days, required to complete a task).

Using MS Project’s WBS, you can arrange tasks into a hierarchy with summary tasks and subtasks. This structure aids in visualizing the project’s organization and enhances the efficient management of related activities.

Note that you can split a task so that part of it is delayed to a later time in cases of dealing with interruptions or resource conflicts. Adding notes to tasks will provide extra information, clarifications, or reminders for yourself or team members.

Assigning and managing resources

Effective resource allocation and management in MS Project can significantly enhance your project’s performance if you understand how to utilize the relevant features. The “Resource sheet” in MS Project is where you define and manage resources that will be used in a project. Here, you can input detailed information, including the resource name, type, availability, and cost information. Plus, you can create a shared resource pool in case you need to manage a project portfolio in MS Project.

Once resources are defined, you can assign them to specific tasks via the “Task form” or “Task information” dialog. MS Project allows for the assignment of multiple resources to a single task as needed.

Every work resource in MS Project has a calendar that defines their working days and hours, holidays, and other non-working periods. These calendars ensure that resources are only scheduled for tasks during their available times.

Check out the “Resource leveling” feature that helps resolve overallocation by automatically adjusting task assignments and the “Resource usage” view for detailed information about how resources are allocated over time.

Setting up a timeline

A timeline is a tool that will help you to manage the Gantt Chart in MS Project. This view shows tasks, their durations, dependencies, and the critical path.

Click on the “View” tab and select “Timeline” to display the timeline view. You can also adjust the format and appearance of the timeline by right-clicking on it and selecting “Format Timeline”.

To modify how tasks are displayed on the timeline, you can also click on a task within the timeline and choose options to format it, change its shape, color, or add callouts for additional details.

Tracking progress

Monitoring progress in MS Project is vital for effective project management. It entails comparing the actual task progress with the planned schedule. In MS Project, you have various tools and features to facilitate this process.

Baselines

Before tracking progress, it’s essential to set a baseline for your project. A baseline is a snapshot of your project plan at a specific point in time, which you can compare against current progress. You can create a baseline in MS Project in the ‘Project’ tab, selecting ‘Set Baseline’ from the options within the ‘Schedule’ group.

MS Project calculates variances between baseline and actual data, such as start and finish dates, duration, work, and costs. Analyzing these variances can help identify tasks or areas where the project is not proceeding as planned.

Updating task status

MS Project allows you to mark tasks as complete, enter actual start and finish dates, and update the percentage of work completed. You can do it by clicking on tasks or “Task information”.

Built-in reports

MS Project provides a range of pre-built reports specifically designed for tracking progress, such as “Current Activities,” “Costs,” “Workload,” and more. You can find them in the “Report” tab in the ribbon at the top of the window. Click on the drop-down menu in the “Reports” group, and you will see all available report categories.

Managing the budget

The first step in budget management is to define the costs associated with your resources. This includes both work resources (people) and material resources (supplies or equipment). You can specify standard rates, overtime rates, and per-use costs for each resource in the “Resource sheet”.

For expenses that don’t fall neatly into work or material categories, such as travel expenses or training fees, you can use cost resources. These allow you to allocate fixed costs to specific tasks or phases of your project.

MS Project allows you to create budget resources, which are specifically designed for tracking the overall project budget. These are not assigned to individual tasks like other resources but are used to set and monitor the budget at the project level.

Generating reports

You will find various pre-built and customizable reports (Project Overview, Resource Status, Upcoming Tasks, etc.) in the “Report” tab.

Conclusion

This is not the full features set that you will find in MS Project. Later on you can explore time tracking in MS Project, project evaluation tools like PERT charts, advanced resource management, and others.

By understanding its core functionality you can efficiently plan, execute, and monitor your projects. As with any software, the key to mastery is consistent use and exploration of its capabilities.