Using Microsoft Project’s Gantt charts have a way of quickly becoming cluttered with numerous tasks and joining relationships. In these situations you may want a way to inspect a respective task path through the network. In analyzing a schedule it is common to inspect all tasks coming before a particular task, the predecessors, and all […]
Task Bar Labels Using Multiple Fields In Microsoft Project
In Microsoft Project, you can display task bar labels on your Gantt chart. You can set the position labels left, right, top, bottom, or inside a task bar. Each task label position is set to display one label. However, when we apply a little ingenuity we can display multiple fields in each label. Microsoft Project […]
Resources With Multiple Pay Rates In Microsoft Project
In Microsoft Project you can have a single resource with multiple pay rates. You could use Microsoft Project to simulate a resource that wears multiple hats, i.e. a resource that has more than one role. Each role can have a different pay rate. Or, you may have a situation where a single resource has differing […]
Using a Microsoft Project Temporary Master Schedule for External Dependencies
One efficient way in Microsoft Project to insert external dependencies is through a temporary master schedule. Let’s say you have two individual projects you want to link with an external dependency. Previously we explained a way to connect two projects together using an external dependency, and not a temporary master schedule. Refer to the blog […]
Using Contract Completion Dates In Microsoft Project
Projects come with deadlines. They may be Contract Completion Dates (CCD) or deadlines imposed by your project sponsor. There is more than one way to monitor Using Contract Completion Dates in Microsoft Project. Microsoft Project has a deadlines feature that may impose a deadline date on a respective milestone. This deadline appears as a static […]
Slow Microsoft Project XML Integration with Deltek Cobra
Sadly, a common issue we are encountering is abysmally slow integration of Microsoft Project XML files with Deltek Cobra. Customers attempting to perform integration are waiting quite literally hours for the process to complete: and then only to have it fail on some occasions. As you would expect, this is both frustrating and basically a show […]
Creating a Risk Register in Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project does not have a risk event register feature, but with a little effort you can create a risk register in Microsoft Project. Projects are a risky proposition. And it’s the unique nature of projects that make them particularly risky ventures. Project Managers have one go or opportunity to get everything right on a […]
Microsoft Project and Adverse Weather Day Reserve
Harsh weather can be a huge risk on projects. And it is best to mitigate the effects of adverse weather by including a bad weather day reserve in your Microsoft Project schedule. Adverse weather is both impactful and common on projects. The temperature simply dropping below 32°F can halt concrete installations. And rain or snow […]
Modeling Concrete Cure in Microsoft Project While Maintaining a Continuous Critical Path
There are two well-known ways to model concrete cure time in Microsoft Project. But both ways may generate critical path discontinuities is certain situations. The first way to model the concrete cure time in Microsoft Project is as an elapsed time lag. This works well to model the continuous nature of concrete curing through the […]
Microsoft Project and External Dependencies
n certain situations, you may want to connect two projects together. This requires using external dependencies. You may have two projects that affect one another. Instead of creating one master schedule you may want to keep the two projects separate and unique. But how do you model the interdependency between the two projects? This is […]