• Tasks
• a. To start a new project file
• b. To record properties
• c. Views 
• d. Entering Tasks and assigning task duration
• e. Outlining tasks 
• Links
• a. To link tasks in F-S dependency
• b. Delayed and Overlapped Links
• Constraints
• a. To apply a constraint 
• b. To remove a constraint and apply an ASAP/ALAP constraint

1. TASKS

a. To start a new project file:

Now, you need to define for Microsoft Project the start or ending date for the project. If you fill in a start date, Project schedules your tasks from that date, based on the order in which tasks need to be completed and the availability of resources assigned to work on each task. But, if you have to finish the project by a deadline date, you can enter the finish date too. All intermediate schedules will then be set by Project.

Once a new Project page is opened, the Project Information dialog box opens.

Enter the start date or select an appropriate date by scrolling down the list. 

Click OK. Project automatically enters a default start time and stores it as part of the dates entered.

Click on Save and type in the name of your file in the dialog box that opens.

b. To record properties:

1. Choose File, Properties from the menu to display the Properties dialog box.
2. Select Summary tab and fill in information in required fields. 

(project title, project manager, company name, project goals)
3. Click OK.

c. Views:

Project Views are categorized into two types: 

• Task Views (5 types)
• Resource Views (3 types)

The Project worksheet is located in the main part of the application window and displays different information depending on the view you choose. The default view is the Gantt Chart View.

Henry Gantt used graphical bars in his industrial management studies to compare and contrast timeframes. In Microsoft Project, graphical bars are paired with a spreadsheet to give the Gantt Chart View.

The next step is to create an outline of the work that has to be done on the project. Goals of any project need to be defined in terms of tasks. 
There are four major types of tasks:

1. Summary tasks - contain subtasks and their related properties
2. Subtasks - are smaller tasks that are a part of a summary task
3. Recurring tasks - are tasks that occur at regular intervals
4. Milestones - are tasks that are set to zero duration and are like interim goals in the project

d. Entering Tasks and assigning task duration:

Click in the first cell and type the task name. Press enter to move to the next row. By default, estimated duration of each task is a day. But, there are very few tasks that can be completed in a day's time. You can enter the task duration as and when you decide upon a suitable estimate.

Double-clicking a task or clicking on the Task Information button on the standard toolbar opens the Task Information box. You can fill in more detailed descriptions of tasks and attach documents related to the task in the options available in this box.

To enter a milestone, enter the name and set its duration to zero. Project represents it as a diamond shape instead of a bar in the Gantt Chart.

To copy tasks and their contents, click on the task ID number at the left of the task and copy and paste as usual.

e. Outlining tasks:

Outlining is already active when you launch a project and its tools are found at the left end of the Formatting bar. To enter a subtask, enter the task in a blank cell in the Task Name column and click the Indent button on the Outlining tool bar. The Show feature in this toolbar is drop down tool that gives you an option of different Outline levels.

A summary task is outdented to the left cell border, is bold and has a Collapse (-) (Hide subtasks) button in front of it and its respective subtasks are indented with respect to it.

Advantages of Outlining:

• It creates multiple levels of subtasks that roll up into a summary task
• Collapse and expand summary tasks when necessary
• Apply a Work Breakdown structure
• Move, copy or delete entire groups of tasks

Any action you perform on a summary task - deleting it, moving or copying it apply to its subtasks too.

You can also create a custom outline code by choosing Tools > Customize > Fields and select the outline code in the Type down list and click Define Outline Code and Help. This will take you to online help for outline code creation.

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2. LINKS

The remaining schedule can be defined in a base calendar to which Project is linked. Project supplies three calendars and any one of them can be used. The Standard calendar, 24 Hours calendar and the Night Shift calendar schedule tasks on different working days and hours. The Standard calendar is usually used as a base calendar.

The duration of any task can be seen in the form of gray bars of varying length on the Gantt Chart in the timeline section.

Sometimes, even after designing a schedule many unforeseen changes can affect the completion of tasks midway. This could lead to a disruption to completion of other related tasks. To solve this problem, Project allows you to link tasks in various ways. By linking tasks Project adjusts the schedule whenever there are changes that affect duration of other tasks.

A task that needs to be completed before (painting the walls of a home before moving the furniture) are called predecessor task and the linked tasks are its successors.

Tasks can be linked in four ways:
 

Links Code Description Gantt Chart View Finish-Start FS Predecessor finishes and the other starts  Start-Finish S-F Task begins at the same time as its predecessor  Finish-Finish F-F Both tasks finish at the same time  Start-Start S-S Start of the predecessor determines when the other starts

a. To link tasks in FS dependency:

1. Select the tasks you want to link. Tasks with a lower ID number are taken as predecessors, but if you want to set the order of tasks yourself, select tasks by holding Control while you click the tasks in order.

 
2. Click Link Tasks button on Standard Tool bar or choose Edit > Link tasks or Control+F2.

Do not attempt to remove a link by deleting a cell in the predecessor's column and pressing delete as this will delete the entire task.

b. Delayed and Overlapped Links:

1. Double-click a task and open the Task Information dialog box.
2. Click the predecessor tab.
3. Select the lag/lead field.
4. Enter a number or a percentage in the cell.
5. Click OK.

The AutoLink feature is enabled by default and keeps linked tasks intact when they are linked in the FS dependency. It can be disabled in the Options dialog box if necessary.

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3. CONSTRAINTS

a. To apply a constraint:

1. Open the Task Information dialog box.
2. Click the Advanced tab and open the Constraint type list by clicking on the drop-down arrow and select it. 
3. Select a date for the Constraint and click OK.

Inflexible constraints can cause conflicts between successive and preceding tasks at times and you may need to remove such a constraint.

b. To remove a constraint and apply an ASAP/ALAP constraint:

1. Select the tasks by holding Control and clicking on them in the order you want.
2. Click Task Information button on the Standard Toolbar and the Multiple task dialog box opens.
3. Click the Advanced tab and click the drop down arrow to open the constraint type list.
4. Choose ASAP if the project has been scheduled from the Start date and ALAP (As late as possible) if it has been scheduled from the Finish date.
5. Click OK.

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