Resource over-allocation is a common problem on projects. Do you know how to investigate resource over-allocations in Microsoft Project? You may have a highly optimized schedule that has fined tuned logic to complete the schedule in the least amount of time. Additionally, you may have accurate duration estimates provided the availability of critical resources. But […]
Microsoft Project Calendar Detailed Work Hours
If your Microsoft Project calendar project start date timestamp does not fall in line with the regularly scheduled work day, then your task finish times may not make sense. Let’s explore this further. The ‘Change Working Time’ dialogue provides the opportunity to specify detailed workday start and finish times. However, if your project start date […]
Who Needs Scheduling Best Practice Training?
“I’ve been using my scheduling tool for years. I know critical path method inside out, and I’ve built and managed numerous major schedules. So why would I need to attend a scheduling best practice training course?” Good scheduling professionals may have the above mindset – and rightly so. They have learned by experience to operate very […]
Microsoft Project and the Must Start On Hard Constraint
When using Microsoft Project, there may be times when want to consider a Must Start On (MSO) constraint for tasks that must commence on a very specific date. There are, however, issues associated with MSO constraints. An example scenario is that you have a very tight window of opportunity to perform the quality assurance (QA) […]
Scheduling Non-Contractual Important Project Task Dates
Here we look at how to implement a specified non-contractual task start date without the insertion of a task constraint. Some schedule guidelines specify that all constraints must be contractually defined, e.g. a contract completion date. This significantly limits the application of constraints in a schedule. But what does a scheduler do when the project […]
Microsoft Project and Displaying Task Table Ordinal Day Columns
Microsoft Project’s timescale feature has the functionality to display ordinal dates on the Gantt chart. Although a little involved, it’s possible to display ordinal day columns in the task table. Let’s explore. The impetus behind wanting to display ordinal dates is that your project at its early stage of development does not yet have an […]
Microsoft Project and Deadlines
Need to know how to insert Microsoft Project deadlines into your schedule? Let’s say that your customer has told you what date your project deliverables are due. The good news is that your schedule is on target to complete before this date. However, you still want to highlight the requested completion date on your schedule. […]
Microsoft Project and Ordinal Gantt Chart Dates
If you are asked to develop a schedule in the early stages of the project life cycle it’s likely the project may not even yet have a specified start date and deadline. Displaying calendar dates on the Microsoft Project Gantt chart in these situations may cause confusion. Let’s explore an alternative Gantt chart labeling approach
Displaying Two Gantt Chart Baselines in Microsoft Project
Many folks want to be able to display two baselines on their Microsoft Project Gantt chart. This is so they can have one baseline that maintains the integrity of the project since inception and another to capture
Microsoft Project and Start No Later Than Constraints
Ideally in forward scheduling you specify As Soon As Possible (ASAP) constraints to commence your tasks at the earliest possible dates. So is it therefore redundant to specify a Start No Later Than (SNLT) constraint on a particular task? Let’s examine this question. This article explores how and when to use a Start No Later […]