PROJECT MANAGEMENT

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Managing Multiple Projects

Lesson 15

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Microsoft Project 2013

Objectives

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Software Orientation

The Gantt Chart view of a consolidated project allows you to see multiple projects collected in one project schedule so you can filter, sort, and group the data as well as see task relation- ships between projects.

In the Gantt Chart view of a consolidated project, the inserted projects appear as summary tasks with gray Gantt bars and an inserted project icon appears in the Indicators column.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Software Orientation

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Managing Consolidated Projects

In Microsoft Project 2013, a consolidated project enables a project manager to link and manage multiple projects within one master project file.

This method allows the project manager to see the effects of one project on another single project or many other projects in the same file.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

GET READY. Before you begin these steps, launch Microsoft Project.

1. OPEN the Don Funk Music Video 15M and Adventure Works Promo 15M project schedules.

2. SAVE the files, respectively, as Don Funk Music Video 15 and Adventure Works Promo 15. Make sure the Don Funk Music Video 15 project schedule is in the active window.

3. On the ribbon, click the View tab, and then click New Window. The New Window dialog box appears.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

4. In the Projects list, select the names of both open projects either by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking or clicking and dragging to select both names. After you have selected both project schedules, click the OK button. Microsoft Project opens both files in a new window with the Timeline view at the top.

5. On the ribbon, click Entire Project in the Zoom group. Microsoft Project adjusts the timescale in the Gantt Chart so that the full duration of both projects is visible. Make sure that the Name, Duration, Start, and Finish columns are visible on your screen. If necessary, double-click the right edge of any columns that display pound signs (###). Your screen should look similar to the figure on the next slide.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: When you point to the Inserted Project icon in the Indicators column, Microsoft Project displays the full path to the inserted project file.

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

6. Right-click the Task Mode column and select Hide Column.

7. SAVE the consolidated project schedule as Consolidated Project 15. When you are prompted to save changes to the inserted projects, click the Yes to All button.

8. On the ribbon, click the Format tab. In the Show/Hide group, click the check box to activate the Project Summary Task. Microsoft Project displays the Consolidated Project 15 summary task at the top of your Task Name column as task 0 (zero). Your screen should look similar to the figure on the next slide.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

The values of the consolidated project summary task, such as duration and work, represent the rolled-up (or combined) values of both inserted projects. As Southridge Video acquires contracts for more projects, inserting them into the consolidated project schedule in this way provides a single location in which to view all the activities of the company.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Take Note: If you want to add more project schedules to a consolidated project, click the Project tab and then select Subproject from the Insert command group.

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

9. SAVE the consolidated project schedule as well as the individual project schedules.

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

In real life, it is rare that a project manager would manage only a single, small project from beginning to end. Usually, there are several complex projects that involve several people working on different tasks at different times and locations and often for different supervisors.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

Microsoft Project enables you to combine two (or more) projects to form a consolidated project. A consolidated project is a Microsoft Project file that contains more than one Microsoft Project file, called inserted projects. An inserted project is the Microsoft Project file that is inserted into another Microsoft Project file.

Consolidated projects are also known as master projects, and inserted projects are also known as subprojects.

The inserted projects do not really reside within the consolidated project. They are linked to it in such a way that they can be viewed and edited from the consolidated project.

If an inserted project is edited outside the consolidated project, the updated information appears in the consolidated project the next time it is opened. When you save a consolidated project, changes you have made to inserted projects are alos saved in the source file.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

Using a consolidated project gives you the capability to do such things as:

see all of your organization’s project schedules in a single view.

“roll up” project information to higher management levels. For example, one group’s project may be an inserted project for the department’s consolidated project, which then may be an inserted project for the company’s consolidated project.

divide your project schedule into separate project schedules to match the nature of your project. For example, you could divide your project schedule into separate schedules by phase, component, or location. You can then group the information back together in a consolidated project schedule for a view of the complete project.

see all of the information for your projects in one location, so you can filter, sort, and group the data as needed.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Create a Consolidated Project Schedule

Consolidated projects use the standard Microsoft Project outlining features.

For a consolidated project, the Gantt bar for an inserted project is gray and an inserted project icon appears in the Indicators column.

Also, when you save a consolidated project, any changes you have made to inserted projects are saved in the source file as well.

Theoretically, it is possible to add an unlimited number of project schedules to a consolidated project file.

However, as a practical matter, and depending on the size of the files, you will notice performance issues such as slow calculation times as you add more inserted projects.

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Creating Task Relationships Between Projects

Sometimes, tasks in one project may need to be linked to tasks in other projects.

Microsoft Project allows you to show these task relationships by linking tasks between projects.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

USE the project schedules you created in the previous exercise.

1. On the ribbon, click the View tab. In the Window group, click the Switch Windows button. Click Adventure Works Promo 15. The Adventure Works Promo 15 project schedule is now visible in the active window.

2. In the Task Name column, click the name of Task 7, Split tracks.

3. [Press Ctrl1Shift1F5]. To the right of the task’s Gantt bar, note that one of the resources assigned to this task is Video Editing Studio. You want to use this sound editing studio for work on the Don Funk Music Video 15 project after this task is completed, so you need to link Task 7 to a task in the Don Funk Music Video 15.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

4. On the ribbon, click the Switch Windows button, and then click Don Funk Music Video 15.

5. [Press the F5 key.] In the ID box, type 69, and then click OK. Notice the Sound Editing Studio is a resource on this task.

6. On the ribbon, click the Switch Windows button, and then click Consolidated Project 15.

7. In the task name column, in the Adventure Works Promo 15 project, click the name of Task 7, Split tracks.

8. Scroll down in the task name column to the Don Funk Music Video 15 project and locate Task 69, Fine audio edit. Hold down the Ctrl key and select Task 69.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

9. On the ribbon, click the Task tab. In the Schedule group, click the Link the Selected Tasks button.

10. On the ribbon, click the View tab. In the Window group, click the Switch Windows button. Click Adventure Works Promo 15. The Adventure Works Promo 15 project schedule is now visible in the active window.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Another Way: When viewing a consolidated project, you can quickly create cross-project links by pressing the F2 key.

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

Microsoft Project inserted a ghost task named Fine audio edit into the project. The ghost task represents task 69 from the Don Funk Music Video 15 project. Because task 9 is a successor task with no other links to this project, it has no effect on other tasks here. Your screen should look similar to the figure below.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

Now you will switch views to look at the ghost task in the Don Funk Music Video 15 project schedule.

11. On the ribbon, click the Switch Windows button, and then click Don Funk Music Video 15. You can see that the ghost Task 69, Split tracks, is a predecessor for Task 70, Fine audio edit. The link between these two project schedules will remain until you break it. If this task is delayed it could affect Task 70. When you delete a task in the source schedule or the ghost task in the destination schedule, Microsoft Project also deletes the corresponding task or ghost task in the other schedule.

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Take Note: If you point to the Gantt bar for the ghost task, Microsoft Project will display a Screen-Tip that contains details about the ghost task, including the full path to the external project where the ghost task (the external predecessor) resides.

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

12. On the ribbon, click the Switch Windows button, and then click Consolidated Project 15. You can see the link between the task Review new master (Task 7) in the first inserted project and the task Fine audio edit (Task 70) in the second inserted project. The cross-project link does not appear as a ghost task because you are looking at the consolidated project file. Your screen should look similar to the figures on the next two slides (note that you may need to scroll your screen to see the entire link).

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Another Way: You can also view the links between projects by selecting the Links Between Projects button, located on the Project Ribbon. This will only display links when you have the source file in the active window.

Take Note: If you do not want to see cross-project links, click the File tab, and then click Options. Under the Advanced options, in the Cross project linking options section, clear the Show external successors or Show external predecessors check box.

Take Note: Whenever you open a project schedule with cross-project links, Microsoft Project will prompt you to update these cross-project links. You can suppress this prompt if you prefer not to be reminded. You can also tell Microsoft Project to automatically accept updated data from the linked project file. To do this, click the File tab, and then click Options. Under the Advanced options, in the Cross project linking options section, select the options you want.

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

13. SAVE the all of the project schedules, and then CLOSE all files.

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

In this exercise, you linked a task in one project to a task in another project to show a relationship between the two tasks and projects.

Most projects are like this–they do not exist in a vacuum. There are various reasons you might need to create links between projects. Some of the more common reasons are:

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

The completion of a task in one project might have an effect on a task in another project. For example, one project manager may need to complete a geological study before a second project manager can begin to construct a building.

These two tasks may be managed in separate project files (perhaps because they are being completed by different departments of the same company, or even two different companies), but they still have a logical relationship on each other.

A person or piece of equipment may be assigned to a task in one project, and you need to delay the start of a task in another project until that resource completes the first task.

The only commonality between the two tasks is that the same resource is required for both.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Step by Step: Link Tasks From Two Different Project Schedules

Task relationships between project files are similar to the task links (relationships) between tasks within a project file, except that external predecessor and successor tasks have gray task names and Gantt bars.

By definition, these are called external tasks and are sometimes referred to as ghost tasks because they are not linked to tasks within the project file, only to tasks in other project files.

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013

Skill Summary

Microsoft Official Academic Course, Microsoft Project 2013