Most Earned Value Management (EVM) environments (particularly for ANSI-748 compliance) use scheduling software like Microsoft Project as the input. But you can Microsoft Project EVM to perform some rudimentary earned value management. You probably wouldn’t want to try for a DCMA (Defense Contract Management Agency) EVM certification with just a scheduling tool, but it has […]
Microsoft Project % Complete and % Work Complete
The Microsoft Project % complete considers task completed duration while % work complete considers how much work was actually performed during this duration. In many situations the Microsoft Project % complete equals % work complete. However, when the task’s assigned resource has a non-uniform work effort the % work complete provides a more accurate picture […]
Microsoft Project Leveling Projects within Total Float
It is preferable to level project schedules within total float. When you do this and get Microsoft Project to level resources, the leveling process does not extend the project duration. Most projects are time constrained. It makes sense, therefore, that you would want to level resources in a way that does not delay the project […]
Microsoft Project and Graphical Indicators
Is there a way to use graphical indicators when activities are missing their baseline work hours? Yes, there is. Schedulers want a quick way to analyze the schedule and to focus in on those activities that are in trouble. It is possible to define a custom field in Microsoft Project with graphical indicators to help […]
Monitoring Schedule Slippage in Microsoft Project
Project progress does not always go according to plan. When a schedule slips you will want a fast way to monitor this schedule slippage in Microsoft Project. The baseline is used as a measure of schedule progress. Microsoft Project has a few features to support monitoring schedule progress against the baseline. The slippage feature, in […]
Microsoft Project and Shading Gantt Chart Time Periods
Have you used the shading calendar feature in Microsoft Project? It is possible in Microsoft Project to shade a time period on the Gantt chart as nonworking time, and not necessarily require Microsoft Project to reschedule tasks around this time period. Sometimes schedulers want to shade nonworking time on the Gantt chart, and still maintain […]
Microsoft Project and Finish No Later Than Constraints
Unfortunately most projects come with deadlines, a fact that is a challenge when building schedule to meet them. Finish No Later Than constraint (FNLT) are helpful in Microsoft Project to stress the importance of meeting a deadline date. Constraints express the importance of a particular date in the life of the project. So when network […]
WBS Schedule Pro Software and WBS Charts
It is possible to print a nice hierarchical Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) chart of your Microsoft Project schedule by using Critical Tools, Inc. WBS Schedule Pro software. The WBS is an important project management tool. The WBS is a hierarchical breakdown of all project deliverables. The WBS also displays the entire scope of the project. […]
Modeling Cure Time in Microsoft Project
It is possible to model cure time in Microsoft Project using an elapsed time lag. But to better document the reason for the delay model the cure time as a task with a unique cure time calendar. There is more than one way to model cure time in Microsoft Project. As mentioned, you could model […]
Microsoft Project and Task Calendars
Microsoft Project schedules tasks based on the project calendar, but it is possible to define a unique task calendar specific to a situation. These are called task calendars. Typically, most work on a project is performed using the same schedule. Perhaps, an 8-hour per day five day week schedule or a 10-hour per day four […]