Schedule Setup and Maintenance
Detailed Resources against Tasks
Audience: Project Managers
Process Overview
Set up your Schedule
- Produce a Deliverable Breakdown Structure.
- Create the Schedule.
- Enter Task Durations.
- Add Task Dependencies.
- Assign Work Resources to Tasks.
- Assign Cost Resources to Tasks.
- Add Cost Resource Values.
- Add your Project Budget.
- Set the Baseline for the project.
- Publish and Check-in your project.
Maintain your Schedule
- Replace Generic Resources with Named Resources.
- Set % complete of each task.
- Reschedule the project.
- Publish and check-in your project.
- Maintain Costs.
- Close the Project.
Tips:
- Task Mode is set to “Auto-scheduled”.
- Task Type is “Fixed Duration”, unless you are scheduling with “Fixed Work”.
- Resources are NOT assigned to Summary Tasks.
- Select Publish before closing your schedule.
- Don’t forget Project Management time on the schedules.
1. Deliverable Breakdown Structure
Example below of a Deliverable (or Product) Breakdown Structure. Deliverables should focus on the WHAT rather than the HOW, think of them as an end-product that could (theoretically) exist on their own.
2. Create the Schedule
Transfer the Deliverable Breakdown Structure to the MS Project Desktop schedule.
- To open your schedule in MS Project Desktop at any time, navigate to the Project Centre and select the Gantt chart icon beside the project and open project:
- Transfer your Deliverable Breakdown Structure to your schedule:
- Use the indent functionality to make sub-tasks:
- Select the tasks to indent
- Select the Indent or Outdent Icon:
- Set the estimated start date of your project:
- Project > Project Information > Start Date.
3. Enter Task Durations
Set all Tasks to be “Fixed Duration”
- Select all tasks (excluding the Project Summary Task)
- On the Task Ribbon Select Information
Select the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog box and set the Task Type to Fixed Duration > Ok
Enter the Task Duration
- In the Duration field enter the estimation duration for the task. Some short codes for duration are as follows:
- hr = hour
- d = day
- wk = week
- mon = Month
4. Add Task Dependencies
Identify and enter any predecessors (dependencies) between the tasks in your schedule. These will assist with scheduling your project.
Task Starts after another task has finished.
- Select a task that cannot start until another task is finished.
- From the drop-down in the predecessor column select the task the must be completed before. In this case the lumber cannot be purchased until the quantity estimates are complete.
Task Starts at the same time as another task.
- Select the Task that could start at the same time as another task.
- Enter the number of the other task followed by #SS. In this case the Tools Purchased Task (number 7) can start at the same time as Lumber Purchased so I enter “6SS”:
5. Assign Work Resources
Assign resources to tasks with estimate of work required.
- Build your team for the project by selecting Resources in Resource Tab > Add Resources > Build Team from Enterprise.
- Select the named and/or generic resources
to add to your project > ok. - In Gantt view switch on the Task Form in the
details pane by selecting View > Task Form.
- Click the task to add resources to (NOT the summary task) and select the resource(s) in the Task Form. Ensure your task is set to “Fixed Duration” (or Work).
- Either add the estimated work or the estimated % of time required for the resource during the duration of the task:
6. Assign Cost Resources to Tasks
- Open the project in MS Project.
- Add Cost Resources to your project by either:
- Build Team from Enterprise (use Enterprise Resources)
- Add Local Resources (View > Resource Sheet):
- In the Resource Sheet identify the Accrual Method. By default the accrual method is set to “Prorated”,
these can be set to have cost realisation at the Start or End of the Task. - Assign the cost resources to the appropriate Task(s) in Gantt View:
7. Add Cost Resource Values
Prerequisites: Cost resources have been assigned to Tasks.
- Open the project in MS Project.
- Navigate to the Resource Usage View.
- Change the Table data visible to Cost. Select View > Table > Cost:
- Enter the Forecast in “Cost”, Actuals in “Actual Cost”. Note that Baseline Cost will be set when you set the baseline:
8. Add your project Budget (Optional)
NB: If you manage tracking your Budget in Project Online in a Project Detail Page – please ignore this section.
Often utilising project Baseline will suffice for tracking your Budget. You may use Budget to track, for example, your allocated budget.
Prerequisites: Budget resources should be setup in the Enterprise Resource Pool as Work Type = Cost and have “Budget” checked.
- Open the project in MS Project.
- Ensure the Project Summary Task is visible in Gannt View (Format Project Summary Task).
- Assign the Budget resource to the summary task:
- To enter the Budget for the project navigate to the Resource Usage View (View Resource Usage View).
- Ensure the Budget Cost column is visible in your view:
- Enter the Budget against the Project Summary Task:
9. Set the Baseline for your project
Setting a Baseline (or snapshot of resources, timelines and costs) allows for richer reporting and tracking of your project.
To set your baseline:
- Select the Project tab > Set Baseline > Ok
10. Publish and Check-in your project
Publishing is an often missed but important step. You must publish your project for your changes to appear in Project Online.
- Select File > Publish.
- Close your project.
- Check-in = Yes.
Maintaining Your Schedule
1. Replace Generic Resource with Named Resources
Method 1: Bulk replace
- Select Resource > Add Resources > Build Team from Enterprise
- Select the Generic resource you want to replace from the right pane and select Match. All matching resources with that role will be filtered in the left pane.
- Select the Named resource you wish to replace the generic resource in the left pane and select Replace.
Method 2: Manual Replace
- Ensure you have added the Named resources to your team with “Build Team from Enterprise”
- With the Task Form visible individually select the Named resource to replace each Generic Resource for each task:
2. Set the % Complete for each task
Either update the % Complete column by entering a number
- If not visible add the column to your Gantt view
OR utilise the quick Icons under the Task Tab:
3. Reschedule the Project
Rescheduling the project will move tasks out that have not yet started to start after the current date:
- Select from the Project tab > Update Project
- Set the “Reschedule uncompleted work to start after”: [Date]
- All Tasks that haven’t started will be rescheduled:
- 4. If you notice the % complete change that is due to an extension of the duration, the % of work complete will remain the same.
4. Publish and Check-in your project
Publishing is an often missed but important step. You must publish your project for your changes to appear in Project Online.
- Select File > Publish.
- Close your project.
- Check-in = Yes.
5. Closing off Projects – important for timesheet users
Closure happens via the project workflow, however it is good practise to lock the project for update – so that it removes the project from resources’ timesheets / stops them from entering time against the project.
- Go the the ‘Project Centre’ via the left hand menu bar.
- Open up the closed project by clicking the schedule icon, to open in the
MS Project desktop app.
- Insert a new column (anywhere) and start typing ‘locked’.
Proceed to mark all tasks in this column ‘yes’.
- Finally, ensure there are no hours remaining against resources. Click on
‘Details’ in the ‘Task’ header bar. This brings up task details in the bottom
half of the screen.
- For each task, ensure that any resources have no work
remaining – e.g. Zero hours. To do this, right-click in the
details page and select ‘work’.
- Check through each task, and if there is any remaining work, ‘zero’ this.
Warning: Do not change the actual work, as this comes from timesheets.
