Microsoft Project 2010 Step by Step

by Carl Chatfield, Timothy Johnson

Overview

Experience learning made easy-and quickly teach yourself how to manage your projects with Project 2010. With Step By Step, you set the pace-building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Topics include building a project plan and fine-tuning the details; scheduling tasks, assigning resources, and managing dependencies; monitoring progress and costs; keeping projects on track; communicating project data through Gantt charts and other views.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735626959
Publisher:	Microsoft Press
Publication date:	06/16/2010
Series:	Step by Step Series
Pages:	508
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Carl Chatfield and Timothy Johnson are the authors of every version of the popular Microsoft Project Step by Step going back to Project 2000.

Carl is a principal content project manager at Microsoft, where he oversees development of user assistance material, UI text, and web content for a range of products and services.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments; Introducing Microsoft Project 2010; New Features; Let’s Get Started!; Modifying the Display of the Ribbon; Dynamic Ribbon Elements; Changing the Width of the Ribbon; Adapting Exercise Steps; Features and Conventions of This Book; Using the Practice Files; Getting Help; Getting Help with This Book and Its Practice Files; Getting Help with Project 2010; Simple Scheduling; Chapter 1: A Guided Tour of Project; 1.1 Introducing Project; 1.2 The Backstage: Managing Files and Setting Options; 1.3 The Ribbon and Tabs: Finding the Features You Want; 1.4 Views: Working with Schedule Details the Way You Want; 1.5 Key Points; Chapter 2: Creating a Task List; 2.1 Creating a New Project Plan; 2.2 Entering Task Names; 2.3 Entering Durations; 2.4 Entering a Milestone; 2.5 Organizing Tasks into Phases; 2.6 Linking Tasks; 2.7 Switching Task Scheduling from Manual to Automatic; 2.8 Setting Nonworking Days; 2.9 Checking the Plan’s Duration; 2.10 Documenting Tasks and the Project Plan; 2.11 Key Points; Chapter 3: Setting Up Resources; 3.1 Setting Up Work Resources; 3.2 Entering Resource Capacity; 3.3 Entering Resource Pay Rates; 3.4 Adjusting Working Time for Individual Resources; 3.5 Setting Up Cost Resources; 3.6 Documenting Resources; 3.7 Key Points; Chapter 4: Assigning Resources to Tasks; 4.1 Assigning Work Resources to Tasks; 4.2 Controlling Work When Adding or Removing Resource Assignments; 4.3 Assigning Cost Resources to Tasks; 4.4 Key Points; Chapter 5: Formatting and Sharing Your Plan; 5.1 Customizing the Gantt Chart View; 5.2 Customizing the Timeline View; 5.3 Drawing on a Gantt Chart; 5.4 Copying Views; 5.5 Printing Views; 5.6 Customizing and Printing Reports; 5.7 Key Points; Chapter 6: Tracking Progress on Tasks; 6.1 Saving a Project Baseline; 6.2 Tracking a Project as Scheduled; 6.3 Entering a Task’s Completion Percentage; 6.4 Entering Actual Values for Tasks; 6.5 Key Points; Advanced Scheduling; Chapter 7: Fine-Tuning Task Details; 7.1 Adjusting Task Relationships; 7.2 Setting Task Constraints; 7.3 Interrupting Work on a Task; 7.4 Adjusting Working Time for Individual Tasks; 7.5 Changing Task Types; 7.6 Entering Deadline Dates; 7.7 Entering Fixed Costs; 7.8 Setting Up a Recurring Task; 7.9 Viewing the Project’s Critical Path; 7.10 Scheduling Summary Tasks Manually; 7.11 Inactivating Tasks; 7.12 Key Points; Chapter 8: Fine-Tuning Resource Details; 8.1 Setting Up Resource Availability to Apply at Different Times; 8.2 Entering Multiple Pay Rates for a Resource; 8.3 Setting Up Pay Rates to Apply at Different Times; 8.4 Setting Up Material Resources; 8.5 Key Points; Chapter 9: Fine-Tuning Assignment Details; 9.1 Delaying the Start of Assignments; 9.2 Applying Contours to Assignments; 9.3 Applying Different Cost Rates to Assignments; 9.4 Assigning Material Resources to Tasks; 9.5 Viewing Resource Capacity; 9.6 Adjusting Assignments in the Team Planner View; 9.7 Key Points; Chapter 10: Fine-Tuning the Project Plan; 10.1 Examining Resource Allocations over Time; 10.2 Resolving Resource Overallocations Manually; 10.3 Leveling Overallocated Resources; 10.4 Checking the Project’s Cost and Finish Date; 10.5 Key Points; Chapter 11: Organizing Project Details; 11.1 Sorting Project Details; 11.2 Grouping Project Details; 11.3 Filtering Project Details; 11.4 Customizing Tables; 11.5 Customizing Views; 11.6 Key Points; Chapter 12: Tracking Progress on Tasks and Assignments; 12.1 Updating a Baseline; 12.2 Tracking Actual and Remaining Values for Tasks and Assignments; 12.3 Tracking Timephased Actual Work for Tasks and Assignments; 12.4 Rescheduling Incomplete Work; 12.5 Key Points; Chapter 13: Viewing and Reporting Project Status; 13.1 Identifying Tasks that Have Slipped; 13.2 Examining Task Costs; 13.3 Examining Resource Costs; 13.4 Reporting Project Cost Variance with a Stoplight View; 13.5 Key Points; Chapter 14: Getting Your Project Back on Track; 14.1 Troubleshooting Time and Schedule Problems; 14.2 Troubleshooting Cost and Resource Problems; 14.3 Troubleshooting Scope-of-Work Problems; 14.4 Key Points; Special Subjects; Chapter 15: Applying Advanced Formatting and Printing; 15.1 Formatting a Gantt Chart View; 15.2 Formatting a Timeline View; 15.3 Formatting a Network Diagram View; 15.4 Formatting a Calendar View; 15.5 Printing Views: Advanced Options; 15.6 Printing Reports: Advanced Options; 15.7 Key Points; Chapter 16: Customizing Project; 16.1 Sharing Custom Elements Between Project Plans; 16.2 Recording Macros; 16.3 Editing Macros; 16.4 Customizing the Ribbon and Quick Acccccccess Toolbar; 16.5 Key Points; Chapter 17: Sharing Project Information with Other Programs; 17.1 Copying Project Data to Other Programs; 17.2 Opening Other File Formats in Project; 17.3 Saving to Other File Formats from Project; 17.4 Generating Visual Reports with Excel and Visio; 17.5 Guided Tour: Synchronizing Task Lists Between Project and SharePoint (Project Professional only); 17.6 Key Points; Chapter 18: Consolidating Projects and Resources; 18.1 Creating a Resource Pool; 18.2 Viewing Assignment Details in a Resource Pool; 18.3 Updating Assignments in a Sharer Plan; 18.4 Updating a Resource’s Information in a Resource Pool; 18.5 Updating All Plans’ Working Times in a Resource Pool; 18.6 Linking New Project Plans to a Resource Pool; 18.7 Opening a Sharer Plan and Updating a Resource Pool; 18.8 Consolidating Project Plans; 18.9 Creating Dependencies Between Projects; 18.10 Key Points; Appendices; 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; Managing Your Projects with Project; Roadmap for Developing Your Project and Project Management Skills; Joining a Project Learning Community; Joining a Project Management Learning Community; Final Words; Using the Practice Files if Connected to Project Server; Changing Account Settings if Connected to Project Server; Introduction to Enterprise Project Management; Using Microsoft Project 2010 Step by Step in a Classroom: Suggestions for Instructors; Matching Content to Instructional Needs; Teaching Project Management with Project; Glossary; About the Authors;