Table of Contents
| Preface | |
| Acknowledgments | |
| Pt. I | Project Management Basics | 1 |
| Ch. 1 | The Nature of Projects | 3 |
| Ch. 2 | Exploring the Microsoft Project Environment | 19 |
| Pt. II | Getting Your Project Going | 35 |
| Ch. 3 | Creating a New Project | 37 |
| Ch. 4 | Building Tasks | 73 |
| Ch. 5 | Creating Resources and Assigning Costs | 109 |
| Pt. III | Refining Your Project | 131 |
| Ch. 6 | Understanding the Basics of Views | 133 |
| Ch. 7 | Using Views to Gain Perspective | 179 |
| Ch. 8 | Modifying the Appearance of Your Project | 215 |
| Ch. 9 | Resolving Scheduling Problems | 253 |
| Ch. 10 | Resolving Resource Problems | 271 |
| Pt. IV | Tracking Your Progress | 293 |
| Ch. 11 | Understanding Tracking | 295 |
| Ch. 12 | Recording Actuals | 311 |
| Ch. 13 | Reporting on Progress | 335 |
| Ch. 14 | Analyzing Financial Progress | 361 |
| Pt. V | Working in Groups | 381 |
| Ch. 15 | Using Project in an E-mail Workgroup | 383 |
| Ch. 16 | Project Management and the Web | 401 |
| Ch. 17 | Coordinating Multiple Projects | 457 |
| Pt. VI | Advanced Microsoft Project | 481 |
| Ch. 18 | Customizing Microsoft Project | 483 |
| Ch. 19 | Using Macros to Speed Your Work | 511 |
| Ch. 20 | Importing and Exporting Project Information | 527 |
| App. A | Project Management Resources | 559 |
| App. B | Project Management Worksheet | 573 |
| App. C | Available Fields and Functions for Custom Field Formulas | 595 |
| App. D: What's on the CD-ROM | 603 |
| Project Management Glossary | 619 |
| Index | 627 |
| End-User License Agreement | 664 |
| CD-ROM Installation Instructions | 670 |
Forewords & Introductions
Managing projects can be as exciting as scheduling the next space shuttle or as mundane as planning routine production-line maintenance. A project can be as rewarding as striking oil or as disastrous as the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Projects can have budgets of $5 or $5 million. One thing all projects have in common, however, is their potential for success or failure-the promise that if you do it right, you'll accomplish your goal.
Why You Need This Book
Microsoft Project is a tool for implementing project management principles and practices that can help you succeed. That's why this book provides not only the information about which buttons to press and where to type project dates, but also the conceptual framework to make computerized project management work for you.
How it's designed
This book strives to offer real-world examples of projects from many industries and disciplines. You'll see yourself and your own projects somewhere in this book. A wealth of tips and advice show you how to address, control, and overcome realworld constraints.
- As a tutorial. You can use the Microsoft Project 2000 Bible as a linear tool to learn Project-from the ground up.
- As a reference. You can put it on the shelf and use it as your Project reference book, to be pulled down as needed-for advice, information, and step-by-step procedures.
Either way, this book is designed to enrich your Microsoft Project experience and make you a better project manager.
Who it's for
Unlike word processing or spreadsheet software, many of you may have come to project management software never having used anything quite like it before. You
Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1: The Nature of Projects
Everybody does projects. Building a tree house is a project; so is putting a man on the moon. From the simplest home improvement to the most complex business or scientific venture, projects are a part of most of our lives. But exactly what is a project, and what can you do to manage all of its facets?
Some projects are defined by their randomness. Missed deadlines, unpleasant surprises, and unexpected problems seem to be as unavoidable as the weekly staff meeting. Other projects have few problems. Nevertheless, the project that goes smoothly from beginning to end is rare. Good planning and communication can go a long way toward avoiding disaster. And although no amount of planning can prevent all possible problems, good project management enables you to deal with those inevitable twists and turns in the most efficient manner possible.
In this chapter you begin exploring tools and acquiring skills that can help you become a more efficient and productive project manager. The goal here is to provide a survey of what a project is, what project management is, and how Microsoft Project 2000 fits into the picture.
Understanding Projects
When you look up the word "project" in the dictionary, you see definitions such as "plan" and "concerted effort." A project in the truest sense, then, isn't a simple one-person effort to perform a task. By this definition, getting yourself dressed, difficult though that task may seem on a Monday morning, isn't a project.
A project is a series of steps, often performed by more than one person. In addition:
- A project has a specific and measurable goal. You know you have finished the project when you have successfully met your project goal.
- Projects have a specific time frame. The success of a project is often measured by how successfully the project has been completed within the amount of time allotted to it.
- Projects use resources. Resources aren't just people; resources can include money, machinery, materials, and more. How well these resources are allocated and orchestrated is another key measure of a project's success or failure.
- All projects consist of interdependent, yet individual, steps called tasks. No piece of a project exists in a vacuum. If one task runs late or overbudget, it typically affects other tasks, the overall schedule, and the total cost.
By their nature, projects are dynamic. They can last for months or even years. In addition, projects tend to grow, change, and behave in ways that you can't always predict. Consequently, you, as a project manager, have to remain alert to the progress and vagaries of your projects, or you will never reach your goals. Documentation and communication are your two key tools for staying on top of a project throughout its life.
Exploring project management
Project management is a discipline that looks at the nature of projects and offers ways to control their progress. Project management attempts to organize and systematize the procedures in a project to minimize the number of surprises you encounter.
Project management and project managers concern themselves with certain key areas:
- Scheduling
- Budgeting
- Managing resources
- Tracking and reporting progress
To manage these aspects of projects, certain tools have evolved over the years. Some of these are conceptual, such as the critical path; others involve specific formats for charting progress, such as a Gantt chart. The following sections introduce some key project management concepts and tools...
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