Tips and Tools

Step 2 in the B.A.S.I.C.S. scheduling process is Adjust the Settings. This is a very important step. Selecting the right settings helps ensure Project behaves the way you need it to behave for your project!

To be sure you've selected the right settings, you can use the Add New Column field to add the respective fields to the Entry table (see Fig. A below). 

Confirm Task Type Setting

• Add the Type field to show the Task Type for each task.
• Add the Effort Driven field to show if the Effort-Driven Scheduling feature is enabled for each task.

To learn more about adjusting the settings in Project, check out Chapter 5 and Chapter 7 in the Microsoft Project B.A.S.I.C.S. book or video course. 

In Chapter 8 you learn how to add resources to your schedule. In a Simple schedule, you can assign resources to tasks by simply typing their names directly into the Resource Names field of the Entry table.

DID YOU KNOW… once you initially enter resource names into the Resource Names field, Project automatically creates a picklist of the names, so you can quickly assign them to tasks (as shown in Fig. B below).  

Want more real estate in your current view?

By default, when you open a new project plan, an empty Timeline view panel will be displayed beneath the ribbon. In Chapter 17 you learned how to use and customize this panel to summarize your project and create dynamic status reports.

When you’re not using the Timeline view, you may want it out of your way, to see more of the current view (see Fig. C below).

Here’s how to do it:

1. Selecting the View.
2. In the Split View group, uncheck the Timeline checkbox.

That's it!

In Chapter 13 we discuss ways to level over-allocated resources. One way to resolve over-allocations is by splitting tasks.

If you need to interrupt work on a task, you can split the task so that part of the work starts later in the schedule. Tasks can be split in the Gantt chart view using the Split Task command and simply dragging the task bar to split the work. While this method is quick and easy, some users find it tricky to perform.

Another way to split a task is by adjusting the work hours in the Resource Usage or Task Usage views. In either view, to split a task, zero out the work hours (enter 0h) on the days that you don’t want any work to occur.

Here are some additional tips for splitting tasks:

Change the Duration of a Split Task

You can change the duration of the entire split task (including all its sections) by typing the new duration in the Duration field. You can also change adjust the duration of each section of a split task?

Here’s how to do it:

1. Hover over the right end of any part of the split task until the cursor changes to an expansion arrow.
2. Drag to the left to shorten the duration of the part or drag to the right to lengthen the duration.

Customize a Split Task

Want your split task to stand out? DID YOU KNOW you can modify the Gantt bar style for split tasks? By default, split tasks are represented in the Gantt Chart view with dotted lines connecting each split portion. You can change the appearance of the split task by modifying the split bar style (see Fig. D below). 

Here's How:

1. Go the Gantt Chart view.
2. Select the Format In the Bar Styles group, select the Format Bar Styles from the Format command picklist to open the Bar Styles dialogue box.
3. In the Name field, select Split from the list.
4. In the Appearance field, select the style you want to represent split tasks.
5. On the Bars tab, in the Middle column, select the options you want for the split task bar in the Shape, Pattern, and Color fields.

In Chapter 17 we explained how to use Project's reporting features to create dynamic project status reports. 

DID YOU KNOW you can add a report to a split combination view? This allows you to see the report update in real time as you work on project data.

Here's how to do it!

First, create and customize the report you want (see Ch. 17 for details).

Next, split the view:

1. Select the View tab. In the Split view group, select the Details check box.

Next, add a report to the split view:

1. Click anywhere in the top pane to select the top part of the view. 
2. Select the Report tab. In the View Reports group, select the report you want from the report options. The report will be added to the top pane of the view.  

Last, add the view you want to the  bottom pane of the view. E.g., the Gantt Chart view (see Fig. E below).

1. Click anywhere in the bottom pane to select the bottom half of the view.
2. Select the View tab. In the Task Views or Resource Views group, select the view for the bottom pane of the view.

Do you have unwanted constraints in your schedule?

When you’re in the Automatic scheduling mode it’s generally a bad idea to manually enter task start or finish dates. Doing so will cause Project to create constraints, which will limit your schedule’s flexibility. For example, entering a start date will cause Project to create a Start No Earlier Than constraint, which will prevent the task from starting earlier, if possible.

By default, Project starts each task as soon as possible, and automatically calculates start and finish dates based on task relationships and other things like calendars.

It’s best to avoid entering start and finish dates and let Project automatically determine them using its scheduling engine.

To Remove a Constraint:

1. Double-click the task to open the Task Information dialogue box (see Fig. F below).
2. Select the Advanced
3. In the Constraint type field, select the default As Soon As Possible constraint type.
4. Select OK to close the Task Information dialogue box. 

Learn more about constraints in Chapter 12 .