Experience learning made easy—and quickly teach yourself how to manage your projects with Project 2007. With Step By Step, you set the pace—building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them!
Build a project plan and fine-tune the details
Schedule tasks, assign resources, and manage dependencies
Monitor progress and costs—and keep your project on track
Format Gantt charts and other views to communicate project data
Begin exploring enterprise project management systems
Your all-in-one learning experience includes:
Files for building skills and practicing the book’s lessons
Fully searchable eBook
Bonus guide to the Ribbon, the new Microsoft Office interface
Quick course on project management in the Appendix
Windows Vista® Product Guide eReference—plus other resources on CD
A Note Regarding the CD or DVD
The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via OReilly Medias Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit OReillys web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com.
Managing a Simple Project
Chapter 1 Getting Started with Project
Managing Your Projects with Project
Starting Project Standard
Starting Project Professional
Exploring Views
Exploring Reports
Creating a New Project Plan
Setting Nonworking Days
Entering Project Properties
Key Points
Chapter 2 Creating a Task List
Entering Tasks
Estimating Durations
Entering a Milestone
Organizing Tasks into Phases
Linking Tasks
Documenting Tasks
Checking the Plan’s Duration
Key Points
Chapter 3 Setting Up Resources
Setting Up People Resources
Setting Up Equipment Resources
Setting Up Material Resources
Setting Up Cost Resources
Entering Resource Pay Rates
Adjusting Working Time for Individual Resources
Documenting Resources
Key Points
Chapter 4 Assigning Resources to Tasks
Assigning Work Resources to Tasks
Assigning Additional Resources to a Task
Assigning Material Resources to Tasks
Assigning Cost Resources to Tasks
Key Points
Chapter 5 Formatting and Printing Your Plan
Creating a Custom Gantt Chart View
Drawing on a Gantt Chart
Formatting Text in a View
Formatting and Printing Reports
Key Points
Chapter 6 Tracking Progress on Tasks
Saving a Project Baseline
Tracking a Project as Scheduled
Entering a Task’s Completion Percentage
Entering Actual Values for Tasks
Key Points
Advanced Project Scheduling
Chapter 7 Fine-Tuning Task Details
Adjusting Task Relationships
Setting Task Constraints
Viewing the Project’s Critical Path
Interrupting Work on a Task
Adjusting Working Time for Individual Tasks
Changing Task Types
Entering Deadline Dates
Entering Fixed Costs
Setting Up a Recurring Task
Key Points
Chapter 8 Fine-Tuning Resource and Assignment Details
Entering Multiple Pay Rates for a Resource
Setting Up Pay Rates to Apply at Different Times
Setting Up Resource Availability to Apply at Different Times
Delaying the Start of Assignments
Applying Contours to Assignments
Applying Different Cost Rates to Assignments
Entering Material Resource Consumption Rates
Key Points
Chapter 9 Fine-Tuning the Project Plan
Examining Resource Allocations over Time
Manually Resolving Resource Overallocations
Leveling Overallocated Resources
Examining Project Costs
Checking the Project’s Finish Date
Key Points
Chapter 10 Organizing and Formatting Project Details
Sorting Project Details
Grouping Project Details
Filtering Project Details
Customizing Tables
Customizing Views
Key Points
Chapter 11 Printing Project Information
Printing Your Project Plan
Printing Views
Printing Reports
Key Points
Chapter 12 Sharing Project Information with Other Programs
Copying and Pasting with Project
Opening Other File Formats in Project
Saving to Other File Formats from Project
Generating a Project Summary Report for Word, PowerPoint, or Visio
Generating Visual Reports with Excel and Visio
Key Points
Chapter 13 Tracking Progress on Tasks and Assignments
Updating a Baseline
Tracking Actual and Remaining Values for Tasks and Assignments
Tracking Timephased Actual Work for Tasks and Assignments
Rescheduling Incomplete Work
Key Points
Chapter 14 Viewing and Reporting Project Status
Identifying Tasks that Have Slipped
Examining Task Costs
Examining Resource Costs
Reporting Project Cost Variance with a Stoplight View
Key Points
Chapter 15 Getting Your Project Back on Track
Troubleshooting Time and Schedule Problems
Troubleshooting Cost and Resource Problems
Troubleshooting Scope-of-Work Problems
Key Points
Special Projects
Chapter 16 Applying Advanced Formatting
Formatting a Gantt Chart View
Formatting the Network Diagram View
Formatting the Calendar View
Key Points
Chapter 17 Customizing Project
Sharing Custom Views and Other Elements Between Project Plans
Recording Macros
Editing Macros
Customizing a Toolbar
Key Points
Chapter 18 Measuring Performance with Earned Value Analysis
Viewing Earned Value Schedule Indicators
Viewing Earned Value Cost Indicators
Generating an Earned Value Visual Report
Key Points
Chapter 19 Consolidating Projects and Resources
Creating a Resource Pool
Viewing Assignment Details in a Resource Pool
Updating Assignments in a Sharer Plan
Updating a Resource’s Information in a Resource Pool
Updating All Plans’ Working Times in a Resource Pool
Linking New Project Plans to a Resource Pool
Opening a Sharer Plan and Updating a Resource Pool
Consolidating Project Plans
Creating Dependencies Between Projects
Key Points
Introducing Project Server
Chapter 20 Planning Work with Project Server
Understanding the Key Pieces of Enterprise Project Management
Building a New Plan from an Enterprise Template
Staffing an Enterprise Project with Resources
Publishing a Plan to Project Server
Key Points
Chapter 21 Tracking Work with Project Server
Reporting Actual Work Through Project Web Access
Reporting Actual Work Through Outlook
Handling Actuals from Resources
Keeping Stakeholders Informed
Key Points
Chapter 22 Managing Risks, Issues, and Documents with Project Server
Managing Risks
Managing Issues
Managing Documents
Key Points
Appendices
Appendix A A Short Course in Project Management
Understanding What Defines a Project
The Project Triangle: Viewing Projects in Terms of Time, Cost, and Scope
Time, Cost, and Scope: Managing Project Constraints
Carl Chatfield is the co-author of Microsoft Project 2000 Step by Step and Microsoft Project Version 2002 Step by Step, both from Microsoft Press. Carl is the User Assistance Manager for Office Project at Microsoft Corporation. He is a certified Project Management Professional with extensive knowledge of Office Project as well as specific usability issues.
Timothy is a technical editor with the Office Project User Assistance group, and he previously worked as an Office Project support professional for six years. He possesses in-depth technical knowledge about the software.
