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Discussion/Discussion case study.docx

Read the case study "The Invisible Sponsor" on page 658 and then pick one (1) of the following sets of three (3) questions to answer on page 660:

Set 1 - questions 1-3

Set 2 - question 4-6

DISCUSSIONS

Discussions will consist of 2 parts: Your initial posting on the subject, and responses to two or more students postings.

Post your primary response by each Wednesday midnight. Respond to at least two (2) other postings by Sunday Midnight.

The primary post should be at least 300 words in length. Your second postings can either answer another student's question

to your own post or be a comment to his or her original post. Secondary posts must be at least 150 words in length.

•All initial postings must have at least one citation or reference and it must be in APA format. Failure to have a reference or not having it in APA format will deduct 5 points.

•Word counts must be met. Each 10 words short will deduct 1 point from your total discussion score.

•If any part of your postings is copied and pasted you will receive no credit for the assignment, and no resubmission is possible.

MS Project Assignment/Don Funk Music Video 5-6.mpp

MS Project Assignment/Don Funk Music Video 6-6.mpp

MS Project Assignment/MS Project Assignment.docx

Reading Assignment

Read chapters 12 and 13 of your textbook.

Interactive Z table –See the link

http://www.mathsisfun.com/data/standard-normal-distribution-table.html

Microsoft Project Tutorial

Work through the tasks described in Lessons 5 and 6 of your workbook

Microsoft Project Assignment 3

Complete Project 5-6: Removing, Adding, and Changing Deadlines (pg.116 of your workbook). Save your Don Funk Revised Deadlines project file as YourLastNameYourFirstNameProject5-6 and submit it when done.

Complete Project 6-6: Don Funk Music Video - Costs per Use (pg.141 of your workbook). Save your Don Funk Cost Per Use project file as YourLastNameYourFirstNameProject6-6 and submit it when done.

MICROSOFT PROJECT ASSIGNMENTS

Each module the student will use Microsoft (MS) Project software to complete an assignment.

The use of MS Project is fundamental to helping students both understand the intricacies of

project planning and management, as well as give them practice in using a common project management software

. The student will be responsible for downloading and installing the software package from now the link available on the course home page.

MS project Tutorial/Interactive Z Table.docx

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Standard Normal Distribution Table

Top of Form

0 to Z Up to Z Z onwards

Bottom of Form

0 to 3.56: 49.98%

Note: Click to Freeze/Unfreeze Left/right to adjust

This is the "bell-shaped" curve of the Standard Normal Distribution. It is a Normal Distribution with mean 0 and standard deviation 1.

It shows you the percent of population:

· between 0 and Z (option "0 to Z")

· less than Z (option "Up to Z")

· greater than Z (option "Z onwards")

It only display values to 0.01%

The Table

You can also use the table below. The table shows the area from 0 to Z.

Instead of one LONG table, we have put the " 0.1"s running down, then the " 0.01"s running along. (Example of how to use is below)

Z	0.00	0.01	0.02	0.03	0.04	0.05	0.06	0.07	0.08	0.09
0.0	0.0000	0.0040	0.0080	0.0120	0.0160	0.0199	0.0239	0.0279	0.0319	0.0359
0.1	0.0398	0.0438	0.0478	0.0517	0.0557	0.0596	0.0636	0.0675	0.0714	0.0753
0.2	0.0793	0.0832	0.0871	0.0910	0.0948	0.0987	0.1026	0.1064	0.1103	0.1141
0.3	0.1179	0.1217	0.1255	0.1293	0.1331	0.1368	0.1406	0.1443	0.1480	0.1517
0.4	0.1554	0.1591	0.1628	0.1664	0.1700	0.1736	0.1772	0.1808	0.1844	0.1879
0.5	0.1915	0.1950	0.1985	0.2019	0.2054	0.2088	0.2123	0.2157	0.2190	0.2224
0.6	0.2257	0.2291	0.2324	0.2357	0.2389	0.2422	0.2454	0.2486	0.2517	0.2549
0.7	0.2580	0.2611	0.2642	0.2673	0.2704	0.2734	0.2764	0.2794	0.2823	0.2852
0.8	0.2881	0.2910	0.2939	0.2967	0.2995	0.3023	0.3051	0.3078	0.3106	0.3133
0.9	0.3159	0.3186	0.3212	0.3238	0.3264	0.3289	0.3315	0.3340	0.3365	0.3389
1.0	0.3413	0.3438	0.3461	0.3485	0.3508	0.3531	0.3554	0.3577	0.3599	0.3621
1.1	0.3643	0.3665	0.3686	0.3708	0.3729	0.3749	0.3770	0.3790	0.3810	0.3830
1.2	0.3849	0.3869	0.3888	0.3907	0.3925	0.3944	0.3962	0.3980	0.3997	0.4015
1.3	0.4032	0.4049	0.4066	0.4082	0.4099	0.4115	0.4131	0.4147	0.4162	0.4177
1.4	0.4192	0.4207	0.4222	0.4236	0.4251	0.4265	0.4279	0.4292	0.4306	0.4319
1.5	0.4332	0.4345	0.4357	0.4370	0.4382	0.4394	0.4406	0.4418	0.4429	0.4441
1.6	0.4452	0.4463	0.4474	0.4484	0.4495	0.4505	0.4515	0.4525	0.4535	0.4545
1.7	0.4554	0.4564	0.4573	0.4582	0.4591	0.4599	0.4608	0.4616	0.4625	0.4633
1.8	0.4641	0.4649	0.4656	0.4664	0.4671	0.4678	0.4686	0.4693	0.4699	0.4706
1.9	0.4713	0.4719	0.4726	0.4732	0.4738	0.4744	0.4750	0.4756	0.4761	0.4767
2.0	0.4772	0.4778	0.4783	0.4788	0.4793	0.4798	0.4803	0.4808	0.4812	0.4817
2.1	0.4821	0.4826	0.4830	0.4834	0.4838	0.4842	0.4846	0.4850	0.4854	0.4857
2.2	0.4861	0.4864	0.4868	0.4871	0.4875	0.4878	0.4881	0.4884	0.4887	0.4890
2.3	0.4893	0.4896	0.4898	0.4901	0.4904	0.4906	0.4909	0.4911	0.4913	0.4916
2.4	0.4918	0.4920	0.4922	0.4925	0.4927	0.4929	0.4931	0.4932	0.4934	0.4936
2.5	0.4938	0.4940	0.4941	0.4943	0.4945	0.4946	0.4948	0.4949	0.4951	0.4952
2.6	0.4953	0.4955	0.4956	0.4957	0.4959	0.4960	0.4961	0.4962	0.4963	0.4964
2.7	0.4965	0.4966	0.4967	0.4968	0.4969	0.4970	0.4971	0.4972	0.4973	0.4974
2.8	0.4974	0.4975	0.4976	0.4977	0.4977	0.4978	0.4979	0.4979	0.4980	0.4981
2.9	0.4981	0.4982	0.4982	0.4983	0.4984	0.4984	0.4985	0.4985	0.4986	0.4986
3.0	0.4987	0.4987	0.4987	0.4988	0.4988	0.4989	0.4989	0.4989	0.4990	0.4990

Example: Percent of Population Between 0 and 0.45

standard normal distribution 0.45 = 0.1736

Start at the row for 0.4, and read along until 0.45: there is the value 0.1736

And 0.1736 is 17.36%

So 17.36% of the population are between 0 and 0.45 Standard Deviations from the Mean.

Because the curve is symmetrical, the same table can be used for values going either direction, so a negative 0.45 also has an area of 0.1736

Example: Percent of Population Z Between -1 and 2

standard normal distribution -1 to +2

From −1 to 0 is the same as from 0 to +1:

At the row for 1.0, first column 1.00, there is the value 0.3413

From 0 to +2 is:

At the row for 2.0, first column 2.00, there is the value 0.4772

Add the two to get the total between -1 and 2:

0.3413 + 0.4772 = 0.8185

And 0.8185 is 81.85%

So 81.85% of the population are between -1 and +2 Standard Deviations from the Mean.

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10

Normal Distribution Standard Deviation Quincunx Probability and Statistics Menu

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MS project Tutorial/project management review.pptx

Critical path analysis – all possible paths method

ABD = 2 + 3 + 5 = 10

ACD = 2 + 8 + 5 = 15

The critical path is ACD

The project completion time is 15

B (3)

C (8)

D (5)

A (2)

Critical path analysis – forward pass method

ES(A) = 0; EF(A) = 0+2 = 2

ES(B) = EF(A) = 2; EF(B) = 2+3 = 5

ES(C) = EF(A) = 2; EF(C) = 2+8 = 10

ES(D) = max(EF(B), EF(C)) = max(5, 10) = 10

EF(D) = 10+5 = 15

B (3)

C (8)

D (5)

A (2)

Critical path analysis – backward pass method

LF(D) = EF(D) = 15; LS(D) = 15-5 = 10

LF(C) = LS(D) = 10; LS(D) = 10-8 = 2

LF(B) = LS(D) = 10; LS(B) = 10-3 = 7

LF(A) = min(LS(B), LS(C)) = min(7, 2) = 2

LS(A) = 2-2 = 0

B (3)

C (8)

D (5)

A (2)

Critical path analysis – forward & backward passes method

B (3)

C (8)

D (5)

A (2)

ES=0, EF=2

LS=0, LF=2

ES=2, EF=10

LS=2, LF=10

ES=10, EF=15

LS=10, LF=15

ES=2, EF=5

LS=7, LF=10

Slack (A) = LS – ES = 0

Slack (B) = 5

Slack (C) = 0

Slack (D) = 0

Critical path is ACD

Project completion time is 15

Reducing project completion time e.g., C is reduced from 8 to 2 days

ABD = 2 + 3 + 5 = 10

ACD = 2 + 2 + 5 = 9

The critical path is ABD

The project completion time is 10

B (3)

C (2)

D (5)

A (2)

Probability of completion time - formula

3 time estimates of activity time: optimistic (o) , most likely (m), and pessimistic time (p)

Expected time for each activity =

Variance for each activity =

Z value of probability of completion =

Critical path standard deviation example

There are four activities on the critical path, and they have standard deviations of 1, 2, 4, and 2. What is the critical path standard deviation?

Critical path variance = 1 + 22 + 42 + 22 = 1 + 4 + 16 + 4 = 25

Critical path standard deviation = = 5

Probability of completion time – example 1

The expected completion time for the critical path is 120 days. The sum of all activity variances is 64, while the sum of variances along the critical path is 36. What is the probability that the project can be completed between days 108 and 130?

Probability of completion time – normal distribution/z-table

Interactive z-table

Probability of completion time – example 1 (cont’d)

Z value of probability of completion =

Specified time 1 = 108; Specified time 2 = 130

Expected time = 120

Critical path standard deviation = = 6

Z(108) = = -2

Z(130) = = 1.67

Probability of completion time – example 1 (cont’d)

Probability of completion time (between 108 and 130)

= Probability of z (0 to -2) + Probability of z (0 to 1.67)

= 47.7% + 45.3% = 93%

Probability of completion time – example 2

Probability of completion time (within 108)

= Probability of z (less than -2)

= 50% - 47.7 %

= 2.3%

Probability of completion time – example 3

Probability of completion time (within 130)

= Probability of z (less than 1.67)

= 50% + 45.3 %

= 95.3%

Probability of completion time – example 4

The expected completion time for the critical path is 120 days. The sum of all activity variances is 64, while the sum of variances along the critical path is 36. What is the project completion time with a 90% certainty?

Probability of Z value = 90% - 50% = 40%

Z value = 1.28

1.28 =

Specified time = 128 days

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MS project Tutorial/Project2013_Lesson05.pptx

Fine-Tuning Tasks

Lesson 5

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Microsoft Project 2013

Objectives

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Software Orientation

The General tab of the Task Information dialog box provides general information about the selected task and allows you to make changes and updates to the task.

On the General tab, you can edit the task name, update the duration and the percent complete, change the priority, and modify the start and finish dates (see the figure on the next slide).

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Software Orientation

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Managing Task Constraints and Relationships

As you are building a project schedule, you will usually use both task relationships and constraints within the schedule.

You can control how Microsoft Project schedules these elements.

Recall that Microsoft Project alerts you to conflicts between relationships and constraints so that you can maintain control over the rules that Microsoft Project follows.

It is important to make sure that you understand the effects of the constraints you apply on the overall project schedule–not just on the task to which you have applied the constraint.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Exploring Effects of Constraints and Relationships

In this exercise, you review two of the basic elements of scheduling, constraints and task relationships, and learn how you can control the actions of Microsoft Project when there is a conflict between a constraint and a task relationship.

Microsoft Project always honors constraint dates over task relationships by default, even if this causes negative float (slack).

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Explore the Effects of Constraints and Relationships on Task Scheduling

GET READY. OPEN the Don Funk Music Video 5M project schedule. SAVE the file as Don Funk Music Video 5.

1. In the Gantt Chart view, review the finish-to-start relationship between tasks 3 and 4. Your screen should look similar to the figure below. Assume you have just been told that task 4, Develop scene blocking and schedule, must begin no later than Wednesday, January 20, 2016.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Explore the Effects of Constraints and Relationships on Task Scheduling

2. In the Task Name column, select the name of task 4, Develop scene blocking and schedule.

3. On the Task ribbon, in the Properties group, click the Information button. The Task Information dialog box appears.

4. Click the Advanced tab.

5. In the Constraint Type box, select Start No Later Than. In the Constraint Date box, type or select 1/20/16.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Explore the Effects of Constraints and Relationships on Task Scheduling

6. Click OK to close the dialog box. The Planning Wizard appears, notifying you of a scheduling conflict between the constraint you just applied to task 4, and the existing task relationship between tasks 3 and 4. Your screen should look similar to the figure above.

7. In the You Can selection list, click Continue. A Start No Later Than constraint will be set.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Explore the Effects of Constraints and Relationships on Task Scheduling

8. Click OK.

9. A second alert appears. Click Continue. Allow the scheduling conflict, and then click OK. Microsoft Project applies the SNLT constraint to task 4 and reschedules it to start on Wednesday, as shown in the figure below. Microsoft Project would reschedule task 4 to avoid the negative slack between tasks 3 and 4, but this SNLT constraint prevents Microsoft Project from doing so.

Take Note: Notice also that the red human icon appears in the indicators column, notifying you that this action also causes and resource over allocation on both tasks.

Step by Step: Explore the Effects of Constraints and Relationships on Task Scheduling

10. Click the File tab and then click Options.

11. Select the Schedule options then navigate to the Scheduling options for this project: section. Your screen should look similar to the figure at right.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Explore the Effects of Constraints and Relationships on Task Scheduling

12. Clear the Tasks will always honor their constraint dates check box, and then click OK. A calendar alert icon appears in the indicators column for task 4.

13. Rest the mouse pointer on the calendar alert icon in the indicators column. A Screen-Tip appears. Now Microsoft Project honors the task relationship over the constraint. Microsoft Project preserves the constraint information, but does not honor the constraint. If the scheduling conflict is removed (by a change in task duration, for example), Microsoft Project would then honor the constraint. Your screen should look similar to the figure on the next slide.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Explore the Effects of Constraints and Relationships on Task Scheduling

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Explore the Effects of Constraints and Relationships on Task Scheduling

14. Click the File tab again and then click Options. Select the Schedule options then navigate to the Scheduling options for this project: section.

15. Click the Tasks will always honor their constraint dates check box on the Schedule tab, and then click OK. This restores the default behavior to Microsoft Project, and task 4 is rescheduled to honor its constraint date.

16. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

It is a good idea to develop a consistent strategy for using constraints and relationships in your projects. Using the default behavior of honoring constraint dates is recommended.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Cross Ref: For a review of task constraints and negative slack, refer back to Lesson 4. The best way to prevent negative float is through the use of leads and lags, which will be discussed in detail in Lesson 13, Project Schedule Optimization.

Setting Deadline Dates

A deadline is a date value you enter for a task that indicates the latest date by which you want the task to be completed.

The deadline date itself does not constrain the task. When you enter a deadline date, Microsoft Project displays a deadline marker on the Gantt Chart and alerts you if the task’s finish date moves beyond the deadline.

Assigning a deadline date to a task, rather than a semi-flexible or inflexible constraint, allows the most flexibility in scheduling tasks with commitments.

Rather than using semi-flexible or inflexible constraints, a better approach to scheduling is to use the default As Soon As Possible (ASAP) constraint and then enter a deadline for the task.

In this exercise, you enter a deadline date for a task rather than entering a constraint.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Set a Deadline Date for a Task

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise.

1. Press the F5 key; the Go To dialog box appears.

2. In the ID box, type 27 and then click OK. Microsoft Project displays task 27. You want to make sure that the pre-production tasks conclude by May 11, 2016, so you will enter a deadline date for this milestone.

3. Double-click the task name of task 27, Pre-Production Complete. The Task Information dialog box appears.

4. Click the Advanced tab if it is not already selected.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Set a Deadline Date for a Task

5. In the date box next to Deadline, type or select 5/11/16, then click OK. Microsoft Project inserts a deadline marker in the chart portion of the Gantt Chart view. Your screen should look similar to the figure below. To remove a deadline from a task, clear the Deadline field on the Advanced tab of the Task Information dialog box.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: If the scheduled completion of a task moves past the deadline date, Microsoft Project displays a missed deadline indicator in the Indicators column.

Step by Step: Set a Deadline Date for a Task

6. Double-click the name of task 28, Production. The Task Information dialog box appears. Click the Advanced tab if it is not already selected.

7. In the dropdown date box next to Deadline, type or select 6/28/16, then click OK. Microsoft Project inserts a deadline date marker for the summary task. Scroll the chart portion of the Gantt Chart view to the right to view the marker.

8. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Establishing Task Priorities

Task priority is a numeric ranking between 0 and 1000 of a task’s importance (with 1000 being most important).

Microsoft Project uses task priorities to determine which tasks can be delayed in order to resolve periods of resource over allocation.

The default task priority Microsoft Project assigns is 500.

Task priorities only affect the schedule during resource leveling and have no meaning regarding the urgency or importance of a task beyond resource leveling.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Establish Task Priorities

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise.

1. In the Task Name column, select the name of task 6, Identify and reserve locations.

2. On the Task ribbon, click the Information button, located in the Properties group. The Task Information dialog box appears.

3. Click the General tab if it is not already selected.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Establish Task Priorities

4. In the Priority box, type or select 1000. Your screen should look similar to the figure below. A message at the bottom of the Task Information dialog box states the task will not be moved through either Resource Leveling or the Prevent Over allocations mode.

Step by Step: Establish Task Priorities

5. Click OK to close the dialog box. Microsoft Project adjusts the task’s priority. Note that there is no visual indicator for the adjusted priority, and the effect of the new task’s priority is only apparent after resource leveling.

6. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

In this exercise, you set the priority for a task, giving it the highest priority possible in Microsoft Project (1000). A task with a priority of 1000 is never delayed by leveling.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Another Way: To simultaneously adjust the priority of multiple tasks, select the desired tasks by clicking and holding the Ctrl key. Click the Task Information button, click the General tab, and enter the desired priority in the priority box. Note that because you have selected multiple tasks, this dialog box is now labeled “Multiple Task Information.”

Step by Step: Establish Task Priorities

Resource leveling is the process of delaying a resource’s work on a task to resolve an over allocation.

Depending on the options you choose, resource leveling might delay the start date of an assignment or an entire task, or split up the work on a task.

Resource leveling evaluates several factors to determine how to resolve resource over allocation.

One of the factors evaluated during resource leveling is task priorities.

Task priority is a numeric ranking between 0 and 1000 of a task’s importance and appropriateness for leveling.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Establish Task Priorities

When you level resources, Microsoft Project will delay a task with a lower priority before delaying a task with a higher priority in order to resolve a resource over allocation:

Tasks with priority 0 are leveled first, so they are likely to be delayed by leveling.

Tasks with priority 1000 are never delayed by leveling. Assign this task priority carefully, as it limits Microsoft Project’s capabilities to resolve resource over allocations.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Cross Ref: You can find more information about resource leveling in Lesson 6.

Establish Manually Scheduled Tasks

Some tasks require the project manager to schedule manually, without regard to predecessors or other project constraints.

You will use the new feature, Manual Scheduling, for this action.

In this exercise, you practice establishing a manually scheduled task.

For the purpose of this exercise, note that you have just been informed that your audio team and video team have met and they are unsure about the outcome of the fine editing tasks.

The task of dubbing the audio to the video is dependent on one but not both of these tasks. After meeting with the team, you decide to change the scheduling mode of task 70 to manual scheduling.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Establish a Manually Scheduled Task

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise.

1. Press the F5 key to produce the Go To dialog box. In the ID box, type 70 and click OK.

2. On the Task ribbon, in the Tasks group, click the Manually Schedule button. Note that the Gantt bar has changed to the default formatting of a manually scheduled task. Your screen should look similar to the figure below

Step by Step: Establish a Manually Scheduled Task

3. Click in the duration cell of task 68, Rough audio edit. You have just been informed that this task will now take 2 weeks instead of one. Type 2w and press Enter. Notice that task 70 did not move from its original start date. Your screen should look like the figure below.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Establish a Manually Scheduled Task

4. Position the mouse pointer over the Gantt bar of the manually scheduled task. Notice that it displays a warning at the top of the ScreenTip. Right-click the Gantt bar of the manually scheduled task and select Fix in Task Inspector. Your screen should look like the figure below.

Another Way: You can also activate the task inspector by selecting the Inspect button on the Task ribbon.

Step by Step: Establish a Manually Scheduled Task

5. Review the various options and information in the Task Inspector pane. After reviewing this information, you have decided that manually scheduling this task is not the best option. In the Task Inspector pane, under the ACTIONS: section, click the Auto Schedule button. Microsoft Project returns the task to the auto-scheduled mode. Your screen should look like the figure below.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: You can change the mode of how new tasks are entered by selecting the Task tab then the Mode button and then Auto Schedule.

Step by Step: Establish a Manually Scheduled Task

6. Single-click the duration cell for task 68, Rough audio edit. Type 1w and press Enter.

7. SAVE the project schedule, and then close the file.

PAUSE. If you are continuing to the next lesson, keep Project open. If you are not continuing to additional lessons, CLOSE Project.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Establish a Manually Scheduled Task

Manually scheduled tasks are tasks that must be manually scheduled, calculated, and set by the operator.

These require much more attention by the project manager and may be needed at certain points of your project. They can allow you more scheduling flexibility, but they should be used sparingly.

Microsoft Project treats manually scheduled tasks much differently than auto scheduled tasks.

In fact, certain features available with auto scheduled tasks are not available with manually scheduled tasks.

For example, Overtime, Actual Overtime, & Remaining Overtime cannot be tracked with manually scheduled tasks. You also cannot use task constraints or work contouring.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Establish a Manually Scheduled Task

When using manually scheduled tasks, Microsoft Project treats non-working times differently.

If you use a manually scheduled task during normal working hours, on normal working days, you would not even know the difference. However, start a manually scheduled task on a non-work day, outside of normal, non-work hours, and then you notice the difference.

In essence, the system creates an exception on the calendar to close the gap between the manually scheduled task’s start and the next working time.

You should fully understand all of the pros and cons of using manually scheduled tasks before using them in your schedules.

The table on the next slide summarizes the difference between auto and manual scheduling.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Establish a Manually Scheduled Task

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Skill Summary

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

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MS project Tutorial/Project2013_Lesson06.pptx

Fine-Tuning Resources

Lesson 6

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Microsoft Project 2013

Objectives

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Entering Material Resource Consumption Rates

To accurately calculate the cost of a material resource, you also need to know its consumption rate, or how quickly it is used up.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Variable Consumption Rate for a Material Resource

GET READY. OPEN the Don Funk Music Video 6M project. SAVE the file as Don Funk Music Video 6.

1. Press the F5 key. The Go To dialog box appears. Type 35 in the ID box, and then click OK. Microsoft Project displays task 35, Scene 1 video shoot. This is the first of several scenes that requires DVDs to be recorded. You have deter- mined that the initial estimates for DVD consumption were incorrect. Because for each hour of work you will only be recording for 30 minutes, you have determined that the correct consumption rate for the DVD resource is 0.25 DVD/hour (the DVDs record 2 hours of filming).

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Variable Consumption Rate for a Material Resource

2. Click the Resource tab and then click the Assign Resources button. The Assign Resources dialog box appears.

3. In the Assign Resources dialog box, click the Units field for DVD. Type 0.25/h and then press Enter. Microsoft Project changes the consumption rate of DVDs for this task to 0.25 per hour.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Variable Consumption Rate for a Material Resource

4. Double-click the column divider between the Units and Cost columns to expand the Units column. The Assign Resources dialog box should look similar to the figure at right.

5. Click the Close button in the Assign Resources dialog box. You will now verify the cost and work values of the DVD assignment to task 35.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Variable Consumption Rate for a Material Resource

6. On the ribbon, click the down-arrow under the Team Planner button. Click Task Usage.

7. Double-click the DVD resource assignment under task 35, Scene 1 video shoot. The Assignment Information dialog box appears.

8. Select the General tab, if it is not already selected. Note the Work, Units, and Cost fields. The Assignment Information box should look similar to the figure at right.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Variable Consumption Rate for a Material Resource

9. Click OK to close the Assignment Information dialog box.

10. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

In this exercise, you have just assigned a variable consumption rate to a material resource. As you have seen in Microsoft Project, you can assign two types of consumption rates:

A fixed consumption rate means that an absolute quantity of the resources will be used, no matter the duration of the task to which the material is assigned. For example, filling a swimming pool requires a fixed amount of water to be used.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Variable Consumption Rate for a Material Resource

A variable consumption rate means that the amount of the material resource consumed is dependent upon the duration of the task. When shooting DVDs, as in this exercise, you will use more DVDs in six hours than in four.

After you enter a variable consumption rate for a material resource’s assignment, Microsoft Project calculated the total quantity and cost of the material resource consumed, based on the task’s duration.

An advantage of using a variable rate of consumption is that as the duration of the task changes, so do the calculated amount and cost of the material resource, since the rate is tied to the task’s duration.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Entering Costs Per Use for Resources

In addition to its pay or consumption rate, a resource can also have a cost associated with each use.

In this exercise, you enter a per-use cost for a material resource. Any resource can have a cost per use, in place of or in addition to the costs derived from their pay rates (work resources) or consumption rates (material resources).

You can also specify whether the per-use cost should accrue at the beginning or end of the task to which it is assigned.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Cost Per Use for a Resource

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise.

1. On the Resource ribbon, click the down-arrow under Team Planner button, then select the Resource Sheet.

2. On the Resource Sheet, select resource 11, Digital Truck-Mounted Video Camera.

3. On the ribbon, click the Information button, located in the Properties group. The Resource Information dialog box appears.

4. Select the Costs tab.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Cost Per Use for a Resource

5. Under Cost rate tables, select the A (Default) tab if it is not already selected. The Digital Truck-Mounted Video Camera has a $100 maintenance fee for every time you use it.

6. In the first row under the Per Use Cost column, type 100, and then press Enter.

7. Select End from the Cost accrual dropdown box. Your screen should look similar to the figure at right.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Enter a Cost Per Use for a Resource

8. Click OK to close the Resource Information dialog box.

9. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Assigning Multiple Pay Rates for a Resource

Sometimes, the same work resource may perform different tasks with different pay rates.

Microsoft Project enables you to enter multiple pay rates for a single resource.

In this exercise, you enter a second cost rate table for a resource.

A cost rate table is resource pay rates that are stored on the Costs tab of the Resource Information dialog box. For a given resource you can enter up to five cost rate tables.

Each table has 25 possible entry lines (125 lines total in the five tables) so you can assign dates at which the new cost rate takes effect.

After you assign a resource to a task, you can specify which rate table should apply.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Assign Multiple Pay Rates for a Resource

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise. Because Yan Li’s rate differs depending on whether he is working on sound production tasks or administrative tasks, you need to enter a second rate for him.

1. In the Resource Sheet view, click the name of resource 9, Yan Li.

2. On the ribbon, click the Information button. The Resource Information dialog box appears.

3. Click the Costs tab, if it is not already selected. Each tab of the Cost Rate table corresponds to one of the five pay rates a resource can have.

4. Under Cost rate tables, click the B tab.

5. Select the default entry of $0.00/h in the field directly below the Standard Rate column heading, type 15/h, and then press Enter.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Another Way: You can also double-click the Resource Name field to activate the Resource Information dialog box.

Step by Step: Assign Multiple Pay Rates for a Resource

6. In the Overtime Rate field, type 22.50/h, and then press Enter. Your screen should look similar to the figure at right.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: When you enter a pay rate, if you do not key in the currency symbol, Microsoft Project will supply it for you.

Step by Step: Assign Multiple Pay Rates for a Resource

7. Click OK to close the Resource Information dialog box. Note that on the Resource Sheet, Yan Li’s standard pay rate is still $18.50 per hour. This was the value in Rate Table A, which is the default rate table. This value will be used for all of Yan Li’s task assignments unless you specify a different rate table.

8. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Applying Different Cost Rates to Assignments

Microsoft Project enables you to enter as many as five different pay rates for a resource.

These pay rates may be applied to different assignments as necessary.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Apply a Different Cost Rate to an Assignment

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise.

1. On the Resource ribbon, click the down-arrow under the Team Planner button, and then click Task Usage.

2. Press the F5 key. Type 6 in the ID box, and then click OK.

3. Click the View tab. Verify the Cost table is selected by clicking the Tables button, located in the Data group, and then select Cost.

4. Under task 6, click the row heading directly to the left of Yan Li so that Yan Li’s entire assignment is selected.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Apply a Different Cost Rate to an Assignment

5. Move the center divider in the table portion (on the left) of the Task Usage view to the right until the Total Cost column is visible. You can see that the total cost of Yan’s assignment to this task is $2114.29. Your screen should look similar to the figure below.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Apply a Different Cost Rate to an Assignment

6. Double-click Yan Li’s name. The Assignment Information dialog box appears.

7. Click the General tab, if it is not already selected.

8. In the Cost rate table box, type or select B, and then click OK. Microsoft Project applies Yan Li’s Cost Rate Table B to the assignment. The new cost of the assignment, $1,714.29, is reflected in the total cost column. Your screen should look similar to the figure above.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Another Way: If you find that you are changing cost rate tables frequently, it is quicker to display the Cost Rate Table field directly in the Resource Usage or Task Usage view. To add the Cost Rate Table Field, right-click a column heading, then select Insert Column. Select Cost Rate Table from the dropdown list.

Step by Step: Apply a Different Cost Rate to an Assignment

9. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

In this exercise, you applied an alternate rate table for a resource to reflect a different pay rate for different work.

You can set up as many as five pay rates per resource. This enables you to assign different pay rates to different assignments for a resource.

By default, Microsoft Project uses cost rate table A, but you can specify any time another rate table should be used.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Specifying Resource Availability at Different Times

Sometimes, as you are working on a project schedule, you will find that a resource will have varying availability.

To control this availability, Microsoft Project uses Max. Units, or the maximum capacity of a resource, to accomplish tasks.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Specify a Resource’s Availability Over Time

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise.

1. On the ribbon, click the Resource Sheet button.

2. In the Resource Name column, double-click click the name of resource 32, electrician. The Resource Information dialog box appears.

3. Click the General tab, if it is not already selected. You originally planned that there would be three electricians available for the entire video production, but you have just determined that there will only be two electricians available from May 1–May 20, 2016.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Specify a Resource’s Availability Over Time

4. Under Resource Availability, in the first row of the Available From column, leave NA (Microsoft Project’s term for a null field, or a field that is blank).

5. In the Available To cell in the first row, key or select 4/30/16.

6. In the Available From cell in the second row, key or select 5/1/16.

7. In the Available To cell in the second row, key or select 5/20/16.

8. In the Units cell in the second row, key or select 200%.

9. In the Available From cell in the third row, key or select 5/21/16.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Specify a Resource’s Availability Over Time

10. Leave the Available To cell in the third row blank. Microsoft Project will fill this with NA.

11. In the Units cell in the third row, type or select 300%, and then press Enter. Your screen should look similar to the figure at right.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Specify a Resource’s Availability Over Time

12. Click OK to close the Resource Information dialog box.

13. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

In this exercise, you set resource availability over time using the Resource Availability grid on the General tab of the Resource Information dialog box. Recall from Lessons 3 and 4 that a resource’s capacity to work is measured in units.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: Microsoft Project will display 200% in the Max. Units field only when the current date (based on your computer’s system clock) is within the May 1–May 20 range. At other times it will display 300%.

Step by Step: Specify a Resource’s Availability Over Time

The Max. Units value stored in Microsoft Project is the maximum capacity of a resource to accomplish tasks.

A resource’s calendar determines when a resource is available to work.

However, the resource’s capacity to work (measured in units and limited by their Max. Units value) determines how much that resource can work within those hours without becoming over allocated.

You can set different Max. Units values to be applied over different time periods for any resource.

Setting a resource’s availability over time enables you to control exactly what a resource’s Max. Units value is at any time.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Resolving Resource Over Allocations Manually

A resource is over allocated when it is scheduled for work that exceeds its maximum capacity to work.

You can manually resolve this situation within the project schedule.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise.

1. On the View ribbon, click the down-arrow to the right of the Resource Sheet button, click More Views, select Resource Allocation, and then click the Apply button. Microsoft Project switches to the Resource Allocation view. This is a split view that displays the Resource Usage view in the top pane and the Leveling Gantt view in the bottom pane.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

2. On the ribbon, in the Zoom group, click the down-arrow in the Timescale box and select days. Your screen should look similar to the figure below.

3. In the Resource Usage view, scroll vertically through the Resource Name column so that you can see the names. The names you see formatted in red are over allocated resources.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

4. In the Resource Name column, navigate (scroll) to and select the name of resource 26, Greg Guzik.

5. Click the expand button next to Greg Guzik’s name to display his assignments. Scroll down to see the assignments, if necessary.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

6. Press the F5 key. Type 7/15/16 in the Date box, and then click OK. The Leveling Gantt pane shows the task bars for two of Greg Guzik’s assignments. Your screen should look similar to figure at right.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

In the upper pane, you see that Greg is assigned full-time to two tasks that both start on Tuesday, July 12. He is over allocated for most of the duration of both tasks.

In the lower pane, you can see the Gantt bars for the two tasks that have caused Greg to be over allocated during this time. For tasks 69 and 70, Greg is assigned eight hours of work on both Wednesday and Thursday, and six hours of work on Friday.

This results in 16 hours of work on two days, and 12 hours of work on another–beyond Greg’s capacity to work. In addition, Greg is assigned four hours of work on Tuesday, performing two tasks at the same time.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

However, this assignment is NOT shown in red. This is because the default over allocation setting is set to look for over allocations on a “Day-by-Day” basis. Since Greg has 8 hours of availability that day, it does not see this as an over allocation.

7. In the Resource Name column, double-click Greg’s first assignment, Fine video edit. The Assignment Information dialog box appears.

8. Click the General tab, if it is not already selected.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

9. In the Units box, select 50%, and then click OK to close the Assignment Information dialog box.

10. Click the Actions button. Review the options in the list that appears. Your screen should look similar to the figure below.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Note that Greg’s daily work assignments on this task are reduced, but the task duration is increased. You want to reduce the work, but not increase the duration of the task. Also note the Actions button that has been activated next to the name of the assignment.

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

11. Click Change the amount of work but keep the duration the same in the Actions option list. Microsoft Project reduces Greg’s work assignments on the task and restores the task to its original duration. Your screen should look similar to the figure at right. Notice that Greg is still over allocated, so now you will reduce the assignment units on his second task.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

12. In the Resource Name column, double-click Greg’s second assignment, Fine audio edit. The Assignment Information dialog box appears.

13. Click the General tab if it is not already visible.

14. In the Units box, type or select 50%, and then click OK to close the Assignment Information dialog box.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

15. Click the Actions button. Click Change the amount of work but keep the duration the same in the Actions option list. Greg’s assign- ments on Wednesday and Thursday are reduced to eight hours each day. You have manually changed Greg’s assignments to reduce his work and resolve his over allocation. He is now fully allocated on Wednesday through Friday. Your screen should look similar to the figure above.

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

16. SAVE the project schedule.

PAUSE. LEAVE Project open to use in the next exercise.

In this exercise, you have manually resolved a resource over allocation. Recall from Lesson 4 that a resource’s capacity to work is called allocation, and a resource is said to be in one of three states:

Under allocated: The work assigned to the resource is less than the resource’s maximum capacity.

Fully allocated: The total work of a resource’s task assignments is exactly equal to that resource’s work capacity.

Over allocated: A resource is assigned to do more work than can be done within the normal work capacity of the resourceter.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

Manually editing an assignment is one way to resolve a resource over allocation, but there are several other options.

You can replace the over allocated resource with another resource using the Replace button in the Assign Resources dialog box.

You can reduce the value in the Units field in the Assignment Information or Assign Resources dialog box.

If the over allocation is not extreme (for instance, 9 hours of work assigned in a normal 8-hour workday), you can just allow the over allocation to remain in the schedule.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Manually Resolve a Resource Over Allocation

In Microsoft Project 2013, over allocations are also noted when you have assigned a work resource to working times outside their normal working hours.

Recall from Lesson 4 you assigned a Task Calendar for the overnight beach filming. This resulted in an over allocation for the work resources assigned to that task.

They are not truly over allocated by definition. It is simply the software’s way of notifying you that you have resources assigned work which is outside their normal working hours.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Software Orientation

The Resource Leveling dialog box allows you to specify the rules and options that control how Microsoft Project performs resource leveling (see figure).

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Software Orientation

The options in the Resource Leveling Dialog box are as follows:

Leveling calculations. These selections determine whether Microsoft Project levels resources constantly (Automatic) or only when you tell it to do so (Manual). Automatic leveling occurs as soon as a resource becomes over allocated.

Look for over allocations on a . . . ..basis. This determines the timeframe in which Microsoft Project will look for over allocations. If a resource it is over allocated at the level you choose here, its name will be formatted in red. If a resource is not over allocated at the level you choose, there will be no indication of any over allocation.

Clear leveling values before leveling. There are times when you may have to level resources repeatedly to get the results you want. (You might level day by day, and then hour by hour, for example.) If the Clear leveling values before leveling is selected, Microsoft Project removes any existing delays from all tasks before leveling.

Software Orientation

Leveling range for . . . . This selection determines whether you level the entire project or only those assignments that fall within a date range you specify. Leveling within a date range is advantageous when you have started tracking actual work and you want to level only the remaining assignments in a project.

Leveling order. This setting allows you to control the priority Microsoft Project uses to determine which tasks it should delay to resolve a resource conflict. There are three options: ID Only; Standard; and Priority, Standard. The ID Only option delays tasks according to their ID numbers only. Use this option when your project schedule has no task relationships or constraints. The Standard option delays tasks according to their predecessor relationships, start dates, task constraints, slack, priority, and IDs. The Priority, Standard option looks at the task’s priority value before other standard criteria.

Software Orientation

Level only within available slack. Clearing this setting allows Microsoft Project to extend the project’s finish date, if necessary, to resolve resource over allocations. Selecting this setting would prevent Microsoft Project from extending the project’s finish date in order to resolve resource over allocations. Instead, Project would only use the free slack of tasks, which may or may not be adequate to fully resolve resource over allocations.

Leveling can adjust individual assignments to work on a task. This setting allows Microsoft Project to add leveling delay (or, if Leveling can create splits in remaining work is selected, to split work on assignments) independently of any other resources assigned to the same task. This could cause resources to start and finish work on a task at different times.

Leveling can create splits in remaining work. This allows Microsoft Project to split work on a task in order to resolve an over allocation.

Software Orientation

Level resources with the proposed booking type. Use this option only when Microsoft Project 2013 is being used in an enterprise environment, such as Project Server 2013. Using this option allows Microsoft Project to level resources in projects, connected to Project Server 2013, that have a proposed booking type. Deselecting this option will cause the software to ignore all resources that have a proposed booking type.

Level manually schedule tasks. If your project contains manually scheduled tasks which have over allocated resources, selecting this option allows the software to split or delay these tasks. Leave this option selected if you want to maintain control and manually resolve over allocations on the manually scheduled tasks.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Leveling Over allocated Resources

To avoid an over allocation situation, you can cause a resource’s work on a specific task to be delayed through a process known as resource leveling.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

USE the project schedule you created in the previous exercise.

1. On the ribbon, in the Split View group, deselect the Details checkbox.

2. On the ribbon, click Resource Sheet, located in the Resource Views group. The Resource Sheet view appears. Take note of the resource names that appear in red and have the over allocated icon in the Indicators column.

3. Click on the Resource tab. In the Level group, select Leveling Options. The Resource Leveling dialog box appears.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: Depending on previous uses of the Resource Leveling dialog box in Microsoft Project, the options you are selecting in steps 4 through 13 may already be selected for you.

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

4. In the Resource Leveling dialog box, under Leveling calculations, select Manual, if it is not already selected.

5. In the Look for over allocations on a . . . .. basis box, select Day by Day.

6. Select the Clear leveling values before leveling box.

7. Under Leveling range for, select Level entire project.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: All of the settings in the Resource Leveling dialog box apply to all project schedules with which you work in Microsoft Project–NOT just the active project schedule. It might sound easier to use automatic leveling, but it will make frequent adjustments to project schedules whether you want them to occur or not. Because of this, it is recommended that you always have Manual Leveling calculations selected.

Troubleshooting: In most projects, leveling in detail more precise than Day by Day can result in unrealistically precise adjustments to assignments.

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

8. Under Resolving over allocations, in the Leveling order box, select Standard.

9. Clear the Level only within available slack check box.

10. Select the Leveling can adjust individual assignments on a task check box.

11. Select the Leveling can create splits in remaining work check box.

12. Clear the Level resources with the proposed booking type check box.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

13. Clear the Level manually scheduled tasks check box. Your screen should look similar to the figure at right.

14. Click the Level All button.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: If you select OK after setting the options, Microsoft Project will not perform leveling, unless you have selected Automatic leveling.

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

15. Microsoft Project levels over- allocated resources. Notice that resource 6, Brad Sutton and resource 22, Jim Kim no longer are over allocated. Some resources may still be formatted in red, meaning they are still over allocated, probably due to being assigned work during their normal non- working times. Your screen should look similar to the figure at right.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

16. On the ribbon, click the down-arrow under the Team Planner button. Select More Views, select Leveling Gantt, and then click Apply. Microsoft Project displays the Leveling Gantt view.

17. Press the F5 key. Type 60 in the ID box. Your screen should look similar to the figure on the next slide.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

Notice that each task now has two bars. The tan bar on the top represents the pre-leveled task. The light blue bar on the bottom represents the leveled task. For this project, the effect leveling had was to extend the finish date by about three days. You can see all of the pre-leveled start, duration, and finish values for any task by pointing to the desired tan bar. The solid teal line to the right of any light blue bar represents the float (slack) for that task.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

18. SAVE the project schedule, and then CLOSE the file.

PAUSE. If you are continuing to the next lesson, keep Project open. If not continuing to additional lessons, CLOSE Project.

In this exercise, you used resource leveling to resolve over-allocations. Recall that resource leveling is the process of delaying or splitting a resource’s work on a task to resolve an over allocation.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: Even though the effects of resource leveling might sometimes be significant, resource leveling never changes who is assigned to tasks, or the total work or assignment unit values of those assignments.

Step by Step: Use Resource Leveling to Resolve an Over Allocation

The options in the Resource Leveling dialog box enable you to set parameters about how Microsoft Project resolves resource over allocations. Depending on your options, Microsoft Project might try to level resources by delaying the start date of an assignment or task or splitting the work on the task.

Resource leveling can only do a few things: it adds delays to tasks, it splits tasks, and it adjusts resource assignments. It does this by following a complex set of rules and options that you specify. Resource leveling is very useful for fine tuning, but it can’t replace the judgment of a good project manager.

Resource leveling will work with all of this information as it exists in your project schedule, but it still might not be possible to resolve all over allocations within the timeframe you want without changing more basic task and resource information.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Skill Summary

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

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Reading Assignment/Chapter12.ppt

Chapter 12

Network Scheduling
Techniques

Scheduling Techniques

Gantt or bar charts
Milestone charts
Line of balance
Networks

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

Arrow Diagram Method (ADM) [Sometimes called the Critical Path Method (CPM)]

Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT)

Precedence Diagram Method (PDM)

Bar (Gantt) Chart

TASKS

MONTHS AFTER GO-AHEAD

Milestone Chart

ACTIVITY

TESTING

ANALYSIS

REPORT

PRESENTATION

TIME

Standard PERT Nomenclature

COMPLETE TESTING

COMPLETE FINAL REPORT

3 WEEKS

LEGEND

EVENT

ACTIVITY

Dependencies

BURST POINT

SINK

Conversion From Bar To PERT

TIME

BAR CHART

PERT CHART

Simplified PERT Network

LEGEND: (TIME = WEEKS)

EVENT

ACTIVITY

CRITICAL PATH ACTIVITY

Dummy Activities

DUMMY

ACTIVITY

PRECEDING

ACTIVITY

A -

B -

C B

D A,B

Slack Identification

C (8,10)

2 (15,17)

EARLIEST START TIME

EARLIEST FINISH TIME

LATEST FINISH TIME

LATEST START TIME

ACTIVITY

TIME

Types Of Slack

[ 20, 26 ]

[ 24, 30 ]

[ 30, 36 ]

[ 24, 30 ]

POSITIVE SLACK

NEGATIVE SLACK

Negative Slack

FORWARD PASS

BACKWARD PASS

CUSTOMER’S

START DATE

FINISH DATE

Schedule Compression

Elimination of some parts of the project
Addition of more resources
Substitution of less time-consuming components or activities
Parallelization of activities
Shortening critical path activities
Shortening early activities
Shortening longest activities

Schedule Compression (Continued)

Shortening easiest activities
Shortening activities that are least costly to speed up
Shortening activities for which you have more resources
Increasing the number of work hours per day

Resource Leveling

Resource leveling is an attempt to eliminate the manpower peaks and valleys by smoothing out the period-to-period resource requirements. The ideal situation is to do this without changing the end date. However, in reality, the end date moves out and additional costs are incurred.

Resource Allocation

Resource allocation (or resource limited planning) is an attempt to find the shortest possible critical path based upon the available or fixed resources. The problem with this approach is that the employees may not be qualified technically to perform work on more than one activity in a network.

Planning Objectives (Primary)

Best time
Least cost
Least risk

Planning Objectives (Secondary)

Studying alternatives
Optimum schedules
Effective use of resources
Communications
Refinement of the estimating process
Ease of project control
Ease of time or cost revisions

Planning Objectives (Limitations)

Calendar completion
Cash or cash flow restrictions
Limited resources
Management approvals

Program Crashing Costs

110,000

120,000

130,000

140,000

150,000

160,000

PROGRAM COST, $

PROGRAM COMPLETION TIME, WEEKS

CRASH B

CRASH F

CRASH A

CRASH E

NORMAL OPERATIONS

ALL ACTIVITIES CRASHED

MINIMUM COST

TOTAL CRASH

Precedence Network

TASKS

MONTHS AFTER GO-AHEAD

Types Of Precedence Charts

ACTIVITY 1

ACTIVITY 2

FINISH-TO-START

START-TO-START

FINISH

START

Types Of Precedence Charts

ACTIVITY 1

ACTIVITY 2

FINISH-TO-FINISH

PERCENT COMPLETE

FINISH

20 %

50 %

ACTIVITY INFORMATION

EARLY START

01/06/97

TIME DURATION

2 WORK-WEEKS

EARLY FINISH

14/06/97

ACTIVITY 4

TOTAL

SLACK(TS)

$250,000

LATE START

15/06/97

COST/PROFIT

CENTER 2810

LATE FINISH

28/06/97

FREE SLACK

(FS)

Reading Assignment/Chapter13.ppt

Chapter 13

Project Graphics

Project Evaluation

Firsthand observation
Oral and written reports
Review and technical interchange meetings
Graphical displays

Graphical Displays

Cutting project costs and reducing the time scale
Coordinating and expediting planning
Eliminating idle time
Obtaining better scheduling and control of subcontractor activities
Developing better troubleshooting procedures
Cutting time for routine decisions, but allowing more time for decision making