USING MS PROJECT 2010
M. J. Liberatore VSB 3008
• Project management software programs such as
Microsoft Project 2010 can be used for developing the
project schedule and budget, and tracking actual vs.
planned progress
• We demonstrate the use of MS Project 2010 for a
sample project
• Complete model found in construction.mpp on
class web page
• Begin by launching MS Project 2010
MS Project 2010 Setup
• Select File, Options, click on “Schedule” tab
• For Calendar options for this project: “Select “All
New Projects”
• For Scheduling options for this project: select “All
New Projects”
• For New Tasks Created: select “Auto Scheduled”
• For Duration is entered in: select “weeks”
• For default task type: select “fixed duration”
• make sure New tasks are effort driven is NOT
checked
• Click OK when finished
MS Project 2010 Setup
Creating a Project
• Click on Project, Project Information, select
10/3/11 as the Start date, click OK
• Click on Save as, type in project name such as
Demo, click OK
• Your project is saved as Demo.mpp
Creating a Project
Example Project
Task, Duration, and Immediate Predecessor Information for Construction Project
IMMEDIATE
DURATION
TASK
DESCRIPTION
PREDECESSORS
(WEEKS)
1
START
-0
2
Excavate and Pour Footers
1
3
3
Pour Concrete Foundation
2
1
4
Erect Rough Wall & Roof
3
4
5
Install Siding
4
6
6
Install Plumbing
4
3
7
Install Electrical
4
4
8
Install Wallboard
6,7
5
9
Lay Flooring
8
6
10
Do Interior Painting
8
3
11
Install Interior Fixtures
9,10
3
12
Install Gutters & Downspouts 5
2
13
Do Grading & Landscaping
12
3
14
FINISH
11,13
0
Entering Task Information
• Default view, Entry table on left, Gantt Chart on
right
• You can delete the two left-most columns, “i” and
“task mode” by highlighting these columns and
pressing the “delete” key (not needed by us)
• Task numbers now in left-most column
• Enter task name and duration in their field
• The default is weeks or “w”
• “d” for days and “h” for hours can be used
• Enter predecessor task number(s) in the
“Predecessors” field
• MS Project automatically gives start and finish
dates based on critical path analysis
Entering Task Information
Task Information
Double-clicking on a task name opens the Task Information” screen
Project Charts
• The Gantt Chart view shows task linkages
• Since START and FINISH are dummy activities
with 0 duration, they are milestones in MS Project
(black diamonds)
Right-click on dates in the chart and then “zoom” as
desired
• Change view to Network Diagram by clicking on
“View” in the menu and then select “Network
Diagram” (zoom as desired)
Gantt Chart
Network Diagram
Critical Path Analysis
• MS Project 2010 automatically computes the critical
path and the earliest and latest start and finish times and
slack
• Project, Project Information, Statistics shows the
critical path is 26 weeks in our project
Project Critical Path Length
Critical Path Analysis
• Use the “Detail Gantt” to best display the critical
path
• Select “View”, “Other Views”, “More Views”,
“Detail Gantt” then “Apply”
• Use the “Schedule Table” to display all of the
early and late start and finish information, along
with total and free slack
• Again from “View”, select “Table”, and then
“Schedule”
Schedule Table & Detail Gantt
Critical Path Analysis
• Critical path tasks can be identified as those have zero total
slack (TS) or float
• TS = LF – EF = LS – ES
• The TS of only 1 task can be used if we want to be certain
about not delaying the project
• Free slack (FS) of a task is the difference between the
smallest of the ES’s of the task’s immediate successors and
the task’s EF.
• Using FS does not affect the start times of a task’s
successors
• FS <= TS
• FS of multiple tasks can be used without delaying the
project
• FS is shown on the Detail Gantt
Critical Path Analysis
• Notice that tasks 12 and 13 both have 7 weeks of
total slack
• However, if task 12 uses this slack, it is not
available to task 13, so its slack is not free
• Tasks 12 and 13 are linked, so delaying the start of
12 delays the start of 13 by the same amount
Summary Tasks
• Summary tasks can be used to better organize a
project (see constructionS.mpp)
• We add three summary tasks: Structure, Interior, and
Exterior
• Structure includes current tasks 2 – 4, Interior
includes 6 – 11, Exterior includes 5, 12, 13
• Example: highlight “Excavate and Pour Footers,”
click on “Tasks”, click on” Summary,” enter
“Structure”
• Indent first three tasks under “Structure” by
highlighting them and selecting “indent” (thick green
arrow going to the right)
Creating a Summary Task