Project Assignment- Microsoft Project

You have just completed the project charter and scope statement. Now that you know what needs to be done, as the Project Manager, you are now ready to begin planning your project schedule.

You will have two deliverables to complete the assignment.

• Using MS Project, create a project schedule and align resources-35 points

Provide one deliverable (MS Project file).

To help guide you through this assignment, please follow the three-step process below.

Step 1: Create MS Project Schedule

The following steps should be followed when setting up your Course Project with Microsoft Project 2013 or 2016.

1. Set the basic project information

o Open MS Project.
o Click on File (top left), select Save as and enter the file name as (your name) cp1. For example, SmithJanecp1.mpp.
o Click on the Project area and select Project Information. In the Project Information dialogue box, set the start date of your project.
o Leave other dates as is. Click on OK.

2. Set basic Gantt chart format (use also for tracking Gantt chart view).

o Right click on the mouse in the gray area of the Gantt chart on the right side of the screen where the dates in month and days are for the menu and select Timescale.

o In the Timescale dialogue box:

- Select the Middle Tier tab set Units to Quarters.
- Select the Bottom Tier tab set Units to Months.

o Click on OK.

3. Setup the default task units to weeks

o Click File, and then click Options.
o In the Project Options dialog box, click Schedule.
o Under Scheduling options in this project, set the following.

- New tasks created select Auto Scheduled
- Duration is entered in select Weeks
- Default task type select Fixed Duration

o Click OK to close the dialog box.

4. Set up the Resource Sheet.

Once you have set the defaults, we are ready to move on. If you have not done so already, you need to create the project's work packages and activities from the Project's WBS. Once this is done, insert your project name, deliverables, work packages, and activities in the column Task Name in MS Project.

o Enter the task durations in the Duration Column.

o Enter the predecessor(s) for each task in the predecessors column. If there is no duration or predecessor listed, leave the column blank.

Note: If you do not see the Predecessors Column, move the vertical line between the Entry Form and the Gantt chart to the right to reveal the column. Click on the line and drag to move it. Columns can be expanded or contracted individually to accommodate information the same way column width is adjusted in MS Excel.

Analyze your Schedule and Network Diagram

To see the network diagram, click on View, then select Network Diagram. Activities on the Critical Path are outlined in red, while noncritical path activities are outlined in blue.

Step 2: Allocate Resources in the MS Project Schedule

Once you have the WBS created in MS Projects, you need to assign resources to each activity. Remember only assign resources to activities, not other items on the WBS. Before you can do this, you need to create a resources sheet in MS Projects. To create a Resource sheet, click on View, Resource Sheet. Enter the Resource name, whether it is a human resource, a cost, or a material. Once this is finished, one can tie these resources to individual activities. Don't worry about costs, as that is next week's work.

To assign your resources to the aligned tasks in MS Project, follow the steps below.

Assign hourly resources and costs to the tasks that you have already entered.

• Choose View-Gantt Chart. Place active window on the first task.

• Click on the Double Headed icon on the upper tool bar (Assign Resources), or click Alt-F10.

• In the resource assignment window, select the appropriate resource for each activity.

• Repeat for all resources and activities according to the Resource List above.

Analyze Your Resource Allocation and Assignments

There are several methods to check for over-allocated resources.

1. Click on View, Resource Sheet-Resource(s) in red color are over-allocated.

2. Click on View, Resource Usage-Resource(s) in red color are over-allocated resource(s) by date.

3. Click on Project, Reports. A dialog box appears, click on Assignments then Select. Then click the report for Overallocated Resources, and then Select to print or view.

4. Remember with resources you need to assign how much time (by a percentage) each resource will be allocated to each activity. Simply lowering a given percentage may clear an over-allocation, but in real life this is not possible. One must come up with a better method do clear resource over-allocations.