MS Project Svcs Productivity

Taking the Blinders off MS Project by Ed Mahler [email_address] President, Project Administration Institute Taking the Blinders off MS Project and The case for 3rd Party Scheduling Services Taking the Blinders off MS Project

Contents Purpose The Schedule Basic building block of the schedule Enhancing MSP out of the box Customized fields Customizing the toolbar Execution Slippage, the ripple effect, and recovery Status summary, what changed Reporting via pdf Lessons learned The case for 3 rd party scheduling service References Benefits of 3 rd party scheduling service

Purpose Planning - being able to see why the timing is what it is. Execution - being able to see the effects of change and what can be done to stay on schedule. This is not an MS Project class. To illustrate how the MS Project schedule can be made more visible for Contents

Why so much interest in the schedule? + SME’s = Sponsor Schedule ’ s vision Project Manager Project Contents Cost Time Scope Team/sponsor communication + Contract negotiation =

Why do we need a schedule/contract? Sponsor Stakeholders Will assume a schedule you may not like Contents Project team Project team’s managers Project office So everyone agrees to what must be done by whom and when

The Schedule Contents Must be visible so the parties understand what they are agreeing to

Task Building block of the schedule Contents

Task/Resources FS Its attributes Contents Successors Duration Predecessors

Task/Resources Predecessors FF Its relationships Contents Successors

Task/Resources Predecessors SS Its relationships Contents Successors

Task/Resources Predecessors Lag Its relationships Contents Successors

Task/Resources Predecessors Overlap Its relationships Contents Successors

Task/Resources Predecessors SF Its relationships Contents Successors

Task/Resources Its relationships Contents Successors External Dependency

Task/Resources Its relationships Contents Duration Predecessors Deliverables

Understanding the schedule Description (task name) How long it will take (duration)? Who will do it (resources)? What has to happen before this task can be done (predecessors)? What can’t happen until this task is done (successors)? External date constraints (constraint type and date)? – Must have at least one! What are the project’s external deliverables (no successors)? – Must have at least one! A picture of the schedule (Gantt diagram) – Nice to have If you want to be able to quantify and balance work load you need to estimate how much of each resource’s time will be spent on the task? Contents For each task in the schedule what do you need to see?

Where the schedule originates An template created for the type of project being constructed A prior plan for a similar project A list of tasks in text format that can be copied into MS Project SME interviews An MS Project schedule for a project that is already under way Contents A schedule is constructed from any combination of the following

MSP out of the box Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view Contents

Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view MSP out of the box Contents The Entry Table The View menu

The entry table Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view Contents all FS except this one is FF+ Task name Task duration Task start Task finish Predecessors Resources

The entry table Contents Indicator

Contents The entry table Indicator

Summary tasks Contents Summary tasks Overall duration Earliest start Latest finish Summary tasks

Adding a project summary Contents Tools Options

Adding a project summary Contents View tab Select Project Summary Task OK

The project summary is task 0 Contents Project Duration Project Start Project Finish

Changing summaries from days to weeks Contents Tools Options

Changing summaries from days to weeks Contents Schedule tab Change “Duration entered in” from days to weeks OK

All summary durations now in weeks Changing summaries from days to weeks Contents

Description (task name) How long it will take (duration)? Who will do it (resources)? What has to happen before this task can be done (predecessors)? A picture of the schedule (Gantt diagram) – Nice to have What can’t happen until this task is done (successors)? External date constraints (constraint type and date)? – Must have at least one! What are the project’s external deliverables (no successors)? – Must have at least one! MSP out of the box Contents For each task in the schedule what do you need to see?

Adding the Successors column Right click the column heading and Insert Column Contents

Select Successors from the pull down Adding the Successors column Contents

Added Successors column What can’t happen until this task is done? Contents To find missing successors click the filter pull down and Use a No Successors Filter to identify missing successors

What can’t happen until this task is done? Only lines with blank Successor cells appear but without the rest of the schedule can’t see where to connect them Contents

Changing the filter to highlight tasks By editing the view Contents and turning on the Highlight filter

Highlighted missing successors No Successors Filter Contents One can see the missing Successors in the context of the whole schedule

Add the missing Successors Adding missing successors Contents This missing successor is a project deliverable

Use the No Predecessors Filter to identify missing predecessors What about missing predecessors Contents Missing Predecessors

Inserting constraint type and date columns Contents

And running the “Tasks w constraints” filter Use the Tasks w Constraints Filter to identify date constraints Contents with date constraints confirms they are external dependencies Missing Predecessors

Description (task name) How long it will take (duration)? Who will do it (resources)? What has to happen before this task can be done (predecessors)? A picture of the schedule (Gantt diagram) – Nice to have MSP out of the box plus Contents For each task in the schedule what do you need to see? What can’t happen until this task is done (successors)? External date constraints (constraint type and date)? – Must have at least one! What are the project’s external deliverables (no successors)? – Must have at least one!

Inserting a column for notes Contents Indicator Add the Notes field

Use tools/options to reduce column width req’ts Reduce duration and date formats Contents

Now reduce column widths Then reduce column widths Contents

Reduced column widths and eliminate unneeded columns Contents and eliminate unneeded column

The team now has what they need to understand the schedule except..... What should be under way or done by 11/18? Contents

What should be under way or complete by 11/18? Adding columns to indicate what should be under way or done by a status date Contents

Defining customized fields Right click on the column heading Select Contents

The logic behind the field Select Contents Rename the field Create a formula for the field Select the graphic to display for each value of the formula

What should be under way or complete by now? Contents As of Sunday 11/18 status date

1 task should be executing, starting 11/1, finishing 12/12 What should be under way or complete by now? This project is under way Contents Total to do count

Making the Gantt more informative Project start date line Contents Status date line Slack or float

Saving the baseline plan Gray bars are the baseline plan Contents

Customizing the toolbar – menu shortcuts Views Contents Tables Filters Project Information Baselining and un Baselining the plan Baselining and un Baselining a task Task on schedule button

Customizing the toolbar – macro buttons Contents Open, link, and unlink the common resource DB Highlight the predecessor chain to a task Prefix the external dependencies and deliverables

The team reviews the initial schedule and to do’s and determines changes if any The PM and PA revise the schedule The team reviews the revised schedule and determines changes if any When no further changes are required the project is executing and tracking begins For a large project tracking may begin for near term activities while the later activities are still under construction. Planning iterations Contents

Execution Contents Contractual parties must have visibility into what’s happening so they can agree to the changes

Execution visibility The next status date is in 2 weeks, Sunday, 12/2 A view of the to do’s for 12/2 is provided for team to focus on over the next 2 wks The PM and PA meet for the 12/2 status update Contents In the following example the initial plan for status date 11/18 is approved by the team and tracking begins

Initial Plan table Contents Status update for 12/2 1 To Do as of 11/18

Contents The Status Report table Status Report table To do & to do count columns Reschedule & reschedule count columns Baseline finish Finish variance

Contents Changing the Status date Project information button Change the Status Date from 11/18

Contents to 2 weeks later to 12/2 OK

3 to do’s are flagged Red balls indicate the tasks are on the critical path Contents 12/2 to do’s

Status reporting recommendation PM’s are better at estimating when a task will finish than what % complete it is Contents If a “to do” is on schedule for the planned completion date Tell MS Project its on schedule, MS Project calculates the % complete for it to be on schedule for this status date, and The to do flag disappears

the to do flag disappears Contents MS Project is told that task 2 is on schedule MSP calculates the task is 92% complete as of 12/2

Task 5 now 6 weeks, is going to 9 weeks Contents MS Project is told that task 5 needs 3 more wks

Slippage and the ripple effect If the task is not on schedule The PM supplies the new duration or completion date Arrows appear in the Reschedule column indicating the direction finish dates moved The Finish Variance column shows how much the finish dates moved from Last Finish We accept the new schedule by telling MS Project the task is on schedule for the new finish date MS Project calculates the % complete for it to be on schedule for the new date and the to do flag disappears Contents PM’s are better at estimating when a task will finish than what % complete it is

Arrows indicate which tasks moved from baseline Contents Stretching task 5 to 9 weeks and the ripple effect Finish Variance indicates how much each task moved Task 17 moved into the future and is no longer a to do 21 tasks have changed their finish dates Vertical arrows are on the critical path Gantt bars illustrate changes from baseline

Contents MSP is told task 5 is on schedule for new date The to do ball disappears MSP calculates task 5 is 51% complete The Gantt bar shows progress to the status date Project finish date slipped from 3/6 to 3/27, 3 weeks to do’s goes to 0

Switch to the Planning table Contents Recovering from slippage – step 1 Changes to critical path (blue) tasks will affect the project end date Turn on the Critical Path filter Objective: Deliverable finish variance back to 0 Reduce task 23 from 2 wks to 1 wk

Reduce task 23 from 2 wks to 1 wk Contents Recovering from slippage – step 2 Deliverable finish variance goes from 3 wks to 2 wks

Contents Rerun the Critical Path filter after each change Recovering from slippage – step 3 TC production, task 6, can be reduced to 1 week duration

Reducing task 6 to 1 week took it off the critical path Contents Recovering from slippage – step 4 but didn’t change the deliverable finish variance

Another candidate for reduction is Procurement, task 21 Contents Recovering from slippage – step 5 PM reduces it from 5 weeks to 3

Procurement is now off the critical path Contents Recovering from slippage – step 6 Reduce Samples from 4 weeks to 3 but Samples, task 7, is back on the critical path and deliverable finish variance is down to 1 week

Samples is now off the critical path Contents Recovering from slippage – step 7 but project finish variance is still 1 week The PM reduces Issue beverage docs, task 15, from 5 weeks to 4

Note that almost everything is now back on the critical path. Contents Recovering from slippage – step 8 Original schedule is restored Reducing, task 15 from 5 weeks to 4 Deliverable finish variance is back to 0

Switch to the Status table Status summary – what changed? Contents Duration change filter Changes from baseline 6 duration changes (blue highlights) Project duration change

Status summary – what changed? Remaining project to do’s Contents 16 finish variences (blue arrows) Project 15% complete Status summary notes Project finish variance

Reporting via pdf Project Reports Status summary for the team For marketing with Gantt diagram For marketing without Gantt diagram For project team with Gantt diagram For project team without Gantt diagram For those who only like pictures Portfolio management summary Contents

Status summary to team – what changed? Contents Finish variance & duration change filter Status as of date

Basic report for marketing Contents Duration Who Start Finish

For marketing people that don’t like Gantt charts Contents

More detail for project team Contents Predecessors Successors Constraint

For project teams that don’t like Gantt charts Contents

Milestone Gantt Contents For those who only like pictures

Portfolio management DB Contents Project name contact date status update notes risks PM PM’s Mgr deliverable target date status code

Contents Portfolio management DB next status update % complete Wks to next update Mtg date for next update Wk of this status update

Contents Portfolio management DB Number of tasks in the schedule Number of days deliverable moved To do’s for next update Number of rescheduled tasks

Lessons Learned Managing the critical path Increasing the duration of a single task on the critical path will delay the project finish date It may be necessary to reduce the duration of multiple tasks to improve the project finish date Every change to the schedule may produce a new critical path. Its possible to take the blinders off MS Project so that everyone can understand the project schedule Contents Even a small project can contain complex relationships

The case for 3rd Party Scheduling Services by Ed Mahler [email_address] President, Project Administration Institute Contents

Two kinds of companies Contents Companies that do projects as their primary source of revenue , i.e. construction, engineering, defense, architecture Companies that sell products and services as their primary source of revenue and only do projects for themselves If they don’t do project management efficiently they are out of business Use a scheduling service. PM’s rarely touch the project management tool If they don’t do project management efficiently they still survive on their products and services Managers rarely recognize the skills and effort required to build and maintain project schedules Managers believe they are saving money by not using a scheduling service Why don’t companies that do projects as their primary source of revenue save money by not using a scheduling service

What is a scheduling service? Translates the activities that must be done into a schedule/contract Maintains schedule currency as the project proceeds Provides reports needed for coordination Contents

Can service all projects or only major initiatives Can be in house, usually in a PO, or external contractor What is a scheduling service? Contents Performed by a specialist who works with the tool full time and gets really good at it

Project manager and Project Administrator skills complement each other. Aptitudes Compulsive Doer Leader Motivator Political Communicator Good w tools Multitasking Organizer Administrator Planner Obsessive Contents Project Manager Scheduler

Wikipedia Contents In many industries, such as engineering and construction; the development and maintenance of the project schedule is the responsibility of a full time scheduler or team of schedulers, depending on the size of the project.

Kerzner on scheduling Contents

Benefits of a scheduling service over PM’s doing their own Daily backups prevent project data loss Contents 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) Money saved on Microsoft Project tool training and product licenses New PM’s are productive sooner Planning, tracking, and reporting are consistent in format, terminology, and quality across the organization’s projects. PM standards training and policing is eliminated Administers formal tracking process to ensure plan currency, helps the PM manage change Maintains a common resource DB ensuring consistent resource naming across projects and enables cross project resource loading analysis Provides portfolio rollup reporting for management Provides one stop reporting source for interested parties Maintains the organization’s project history Reduces the ability of the PM to hide slippage until its too late 10)

Taking the Blinders off MS Project by Ed Mahler [email_address] President, Project Administration Institute Taking the Blinders off MS Project and The case for 3rd Party Scheduling Services

MS Project Svcs Productivity

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