Avoiding the Commonest Mistake in MS Project

Microsoft Project is actually used widely by project managers all over the Globe, but a majority don't realize the traps they're falling in to whilst teaching them selves.

The most widespread of these is the common practice of entering start and also dates for tasks. You can actually understand why PMs fall into this particular trap as one glance at the 'Task Sheet' seems to suggest that this is precisely what ought to be done. There happens to be column for both start and finish times and the assumption is the fact that seeing that tasks ought to be scheduled, these are required to be manually added. The truth is, entering dates straight into these fields results in what MS Project refers to as a 'constraint'. A constraint blocks an activity from automatically rescheduling when it's affected by another task and whilst in some cases this is undoubtedly desirable, it takes away the majority of the applications usefulness.

The correct way to calculate start and finish times is by building 'dependencies' between tasks. Dependencies allow us to schedule tasks determined by the particular relationships w between them within the project. For instance, in the event that we have got a task which will be to lay down foundations for a building and the another which is to build the walls, the walls has to be constructed when the foundations have been finished. The connection between both of these tasks is what MS Project describes as 'Finish to Start'. Put simply, the second task is not able to begin until such time as the 1st task has finished. Organizing tasks in this specific way ensures that the plan stays adaptable and is free to move should we come across a deviation from our original project.

You can use four dependency options: Finish to Start, Start to Start, Finish to Finish & Start to Finish. Implementing these linkages in combination in the project you are able to schedule tasks to start and finish exactly promptly leaving us with the opportunity to reschedule if the need arise. To create task dependencies, double click on a task name to open up the information window. Select the 'Predecessors' tab and next enter the ID of the task you intend to link back to (be aware that we always link backwards to an previous task). The dependency type may now be selected by simply clicking in the 'Type' field and selecting from the menu.

Microsoft Project is a brilliantly adaptable management program if it is applied appropriately. By taking care to link your tasks with the proper selection of dependency, you're going to make sure you get the most from what the software provides.

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