Project Management Quick Reference Guide for Project 2007
Before beginning a new project, an organization must determine whether the project fits its strategic goals. Executives should classify proposed projects that focus on mission-critical activities as high-priority and projects that are peripheral to organization goals as lower priority. Before work begins, an executive sponsor should be identified. The organization should complete a high-level evaluation of the project’s business case, its limitations, and its technical and financial requirements. Finally, a project manager should be identified, who can then set up a project plan in Microsoft Office Project 2007. Need a more detailed guide to project management with Project 2007? Use the Project Roadmap, available on Office Online.
Create a new project file	To create a new blank project in Project 2007, click New on the File menu. On the New Project task pane, click Blank Project. To create a new project from a template in Project 2007, click New on the File menu. On the New Project task pane, click On computer and then click the Project Templates tab. Click the template that you want. If your organization stores templates on the Web, click the Enterprise Templates tab.
Set the project start date	On the Project menu, click Project Information. In the Start date box, enter your project start date.
Define the project calendar	On the Tools menu, click Change Working Time. Identify working and non-working days and times for your project.
Save the project file	On the File menu, click Save. In the File name box, type the project name. If you are publishing the project to Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, type the name of the project and include any values for custom fields that are required by your organization.
In the planning stage, you devise a workable scheme to accomplish the project’s goals. To do this, you identify the project’s milestones, deliverables, and tasks. This plan can be your work breakdown structure (WBS). You develop and refine the schedule, and identify the resources required to implement the project.
Enter tasks	On the View menu, click Gantt Chart. In the Task Name field, enter tasks. Tasks can also include summary tasks, milestones, and WBS items.
Outline tasks	Create your task hierarchy, including tasks and milestones under summary tasks, which can represent phases or other work divisions. Click a task (or several tasks), and then click the Indent or Outdent button on the toolbar.
Enter durations	Click the Duration field for a task and enter a duration; for example, type 4d to indicate 4 days. To specify a milestone without a duration, type 0d. To indicate that a duration is an estimate, add a question mark; for example, type 6d?. Note Avoid entering start and finish dates for tasks. Instead, enter a duration and let Project 2007 automatically set these dates, which might change anyway as resources are assigned to tasks.
Link tasks to show relationships	Select the tasks that you want to link, and then click the Link Tasks button on the toolbar. To change the default finish-to-start dependency type, double-click the line between the tasks that you want to change, and then select a task link from the Type list.
Create deliverables	After your project is underway, you might learn that other projects depend on your project as a deliverable. On the Collaborate menu, click Manage Deliverables. This requires Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007.
Assignments are the associations between specific tasks and the resources needed to complete them. You can assign more than one resource to a task. In addition to work resources (people), you can assign material resources (such as cement) and cost resources (such as travel) to tasks.
Define the resource pool	On the View menu, click Resource Sheet. In the Resource Name field, type the names of the resources you will use for this project. If you are using Project Professional, click Build Team from Enterprise on the Tools menu to add resources from the enterprise resource pool.
Assign resources to tasks	On the View menu, click Gantt Chart. Select a task to which you want to assign a resource. Click the Assign Resources button . In the Assign Resources dialog box, click the resource names, and then click Assign. You can also assign resources to tasks using the Task Form. While in the Gantt Chart view, click Split on the Windows menu.
Enter the amount of work resources spend on tasks	When scheduling tasks, project managers sometimes prefer to enter the amount of work (or the amount of labor) needed to complete a task, rather than the duration for the task. Entering work reflects real-world scheduling. To enter work hours for resources assigned to tasks, add the Work column to the Gantt Chart view. On the Insert menu, click Column.
Know your task type	As soon as you assign resources, Project 2007 determines how to schedule the task based on the task type. You might actually see durations change as resources are assigned to tasks. How task types work Work, duration, and units (% allocation) are determined by the formula: Work = Duration * Units. In a . . . If you revise work . . . If you revise duration . . . If you revise units . . . Fixed units task Duration changes Work changes Duration changes Fixed work task Duration changes Units change Duration changes Fixed duration task Units change Work changes Work changes To set a default task type for the entire project, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the Schedule tab. In the Default task type box, select Fixed Units (the default), Fixed Duration, or Fixed Work. To change the task type for an individual task, select the task, and then click the Task Information button . Click the Advanced tab, and then in the Task type box, click the task type that you want to create.
Identify factors affecting task schedules	You can use Project 2007 to help you understand how changes to one task can affect the rest of the project and to track schedule changes. On the View menu, click Show Change Highlighting. You can view more detailed task scheduling and change information using task drivers. Select a task and then click Task Drivers .
Create a baseline or an interim plan so that later you can compare your up-to-date schedule to your baseline. Saving a baseline plan enables you to identify and solve discrepancies and plan more accurately for similar future projects.
Save the baseline plan	After your project plan is solidly in place for the finish date, budget, and scope, you can submit the plan for approval. Once it has been approved, save the baseline plan. On the Tools menu, point to Tracking and then click Set Baseline.
View baseline data in a Gantt Chart view	On the View menu, click Tracking Gantt. In the chart area, the baseline information is shown as the lower of the two Gantt bars for each task.
View baseline data in a table	On the View menu, point to Table, and then select Variance. This table includes fields for baseline and variance start and finish.
Updating the progress of your project is the only way to make sure it stays on track as work is performed. The focus at this point is on managing changes, updating the schedule, tracking progress, and communicating project information. Note Project 2007 tracks three sets of dates: current, baseline, and actual. When you first set the baseline, current = baseline. When a task is 100% complete, current = actual. Baseline, current, and actual values exist for the start date, finish date, duration, cost, and work.
Manage changes	Managing changes involves modifying durations, dates, dependencies, resource assignments, or tasks based on requested changes or new information. Keep the current fields up to date and compare them to the baseline.
Track actual dates and durations	It’s best to decide on a single method for tracking progress. You can enter percentage complete, actual start and finish dates, actual and remaining durations, or actual and remaining work. Select the task for which you want to enter actual progress. On the Tools menu, point to Tracking, and then click Update Tasks. In the Update Tasks dialog box, enter progress data in the fields that match your tracking method.
Track actual hours and costs	If you want to enter actual and remaining work hours or costs, use the tracking table. On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Tracking. Enter progress data in the Act. Work or Act. Cost fields for the task. You can also use the tracking table to enter percent complete, actual start and finish dates, and actual and remaining duration.
Keep stakeholders and team members up-to-date on project progress by providing them with access to online or printed views and reports. Project 2007 provides many ways to print and distribute both detailed and overview information project information quickly and efficiently.
Format a view for printing	On the Format menu, click Text Styles or Bar Styles to set up styles that will apply to multiple tasks. Or, on the Format menu, click Font or Bar to format individual elements for a specific task. Click Timescale, Gridlines, or Layout on the Format menu to change those aspects of the current view.
Print a view as a report	Set up the current view the way that you want it to look when printed. On the File menu, click Print Preview to check the view layout. To print the view, click Print.
Generate a report	On the Report menu, click Visual Reports to see your project’s data in PivotTable reports in Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and PivotDiagram views in Microsoft Office Visio Professional 2007. You can also view basic reports that don’t require Excel or Visio. On the Report menu, click Reports. Double-click a report category, and then double-click the predefined report. Enter any requested information. A preview of the report appears. To print the report, click Print.
Add a field (column) to a table	Click anywhere in a column to the left of where you want to insert a new column. On the Insert menu, click Column. In the Field name box, click the name of the field that you want to add as a new column.
Customize views	On the View menu, click More Views. Click New or Edit. In the View Definition dialog box, specify the table, group, and filter that you want to use to define the view.
Customize tables	On the View menu, point to Table, and then click More Tables. Click New or Edit. In the Table Definition dialog box, specify the information that you want to include in the table.
Customize groups	On the Project menu, point to Group by, and then click More Groups. Click New or Edit. In the Group Definition dialog box, specify how you want to group project information.
Customize filters	On the Project menu, point to Filtered for and then click More Filters. Click New or Edit. In the Filter Definition dialog box, specify how you want to filter project information.
Just because your project is almost finished doesn’t mean that your work is done. You still need to resolve any final project details and obtain customer acceptance of final deliverables. Conduct a “lessons learned” session, recording information about areas for improvement and best practices. Make any final updates to the project plan. Finally, archive the project plan according to your organization’s guidelines.
Create a final report	On the Report menu, click Visual Reports to see your project’s data in PivotTable reports in Excel 2007 and PivotDiagram views in Visio Professional 2007. You can also view basic reports that don’t require Excel or Visio. On the Report menu, click Reports. Double-click a report category, and then double-click the predefined report. Enter any requested information. A preview of the report appears. To print the report, click Print.
Save a project as a template	After completing a project, you should leverage what you’ve learned in the project by making it a template for future projects. On the File menu, click Save As, and then in the Save As Type box, click Template.