Introduction to MS Project
Software solution for your project planning and managing
MS Project
Project Management

How the lecture will be conducted?
1.The lecture is divided into three blocks, where each block introduces an issue (setting up your
project in MS Project)
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2.Then an example of a project in MS Project is presented. After each block there is a quiz for
feedback on whether you have understood everything.
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3.We use MS Teams, a shared whiteboard for your engagement and reactions.
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4.The class is supplemented with quizzes in vevox, the link is always in the presentation.
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Contents
1.PART (30 min.)
•Demonstrating the importance of software usage in project planning.
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2. PART (30 min.)
•Demonstration of basic project setup in MS Project. Students try their own project setup
(templates, new project) with MS Project.
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3. PART (30 min.)
•Explaining project settings (calendar, schedule), individual tabs and functionalities using a
project example
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Learning objectives
After studying this topic, you should be able to:
•You will understand the logic of the application and the step-by-step creation of the project.
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•Perform basic setup of your project in MS Project.
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•Phase a project into multiple phases, understand the importance of phasing a project and dividing
it into multiple parts.
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•Work through the basic definition and setup of a project in MS project.
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•Understand the importance of software support in project planning.
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Key readings
You can find support in the following sources:
•Book – Chatfield and Johnson (2016). MS Project 2016 Step by Step (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
•https://www.tutorialspoint.com/ms_project/ms_project_create_new_plan.htm
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•https://ppm.express/blog/newbie-guide-how-to-start-using-microsoft-project-in-2023/
MS Project Tutorials – basic setup and calendars:
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYy-iFzz1Eo
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuCrTKMPu_Y
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Learning tutorials
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/ms_project/ms_project_quick_guide.htm
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/basic-tasks-in-project-8fdbf020-a9e1-45e4-bf15-23a8d2b67
97d
https://ppm.express/blog/newbie-guide-how-to-start-using-microsoft-project-in-2023/

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PART 1
Planning with the computer
Everything in our life is a project – small, medium, or large it’s always the same steps, but the
different scopes of work and efforts.
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•When we talk of project management, we refer to the application of skills, processes, methods,
knowledge, and experience to achieve your project goals. It ensures that the final deliverables are
constrained to specific reasonable timelines and budgets.
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•You need the right instruments or tools to successfully manage your PM activity.
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•Various programs exist for this purpose, the key among them being Microsoft Project.
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•A planning program is indispensable if larger projects need to be planned on a regular basis.
Besides planning activities over time, the costs of a project are also monitored with MS Project
software.
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Microsoft Project
•The Microsoft Project is a good option if you’re looking for a powerful project management tool
that enables teams to organize and manage their projects of all sizes.
•Project managers using MS Project Desktop save their information as mpp files, so they can share
it with other team members to use it separately when the project evolves; or they export it to MS
Project Online to use it on cloud-based software.
•MS Project Online targets multiple users where you can assign tasks, track time, and look into
other related project elements. The desktop version targets mainly project managers who get to use
it in defining and tracking tasks.
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Why software solution for project management?
Vevox questions


What does a project look like in MS Project?
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How to create and manage your project schedule
•After you complete the initial thinking about your project’s objectives, it’s time to put together
a schedule.
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•When you start a new schedule, you add tasks and organize them efficiently so that the project end
date occurs as soon as possible. So, the first step will be to create a new project (let’s start
from the beginning).
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•You can start by creating a new project from a template – many of these templates have been
created by industry experts to help you get started.

How to create and manage your project schedule
•The user interface of MS Project is given by tabs, which are designed to be used in relation to
the different phases of the project lifecycle:
•the Project tab for setting up the project,
•the Task and Resource tabs for scheduling and tracking, respectively, and
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•the Report and View tabs are helpers when preparing project status reports or printouts.
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How to create and manage your project schedule
•The File tab then acts as an access point to Backstage. In this interface, we work with the
project file and change the application's behavior settings.
•Specifically, we find here tools for saving the file to different formats, print control, means
for securing with server solutions (SharePoint server, Project Server).
•The options dialog allows you to change the generic properties of MS Project. It is possible to
specify data calculation methods (e.g. conditions for critical path calculation or time unit
conversions), modify data display (date, time), or change standard application settings
(effort-driven function, scheduling mode selection), etc. MS Project UI.

How to create and manage your project schedule
You can assign the lower part of the window to a data entry form in addition to a specific view.
To split the window, check the Details box on the View tab or on the Task and Source tabs in the
Properties group, where you select Split View.
In the application, you can open multiple project files at once, or you can open a single project
in multiple windows with different views. To switch between file windows, that is, to select
different document windows to work with, use the Views tab in the Window group.

Establishing a project MS Project UI
The screen should have the MS Project interface displayed. The major part of this interface are:
•Quick Access Toolbar − A customizable area where you can add the frequently used commands.
•Tabs on the Ribbon, Groups −  the ribbon having multiple tabs, each holding a toolbar bearing
buttons and occasionally other controls. Toolbar controls have heterogeneous sizes and are
classified in visually distinguishable Groups.
•Commands − The specific features you use to perform actions in Project. Each tab contains several
commands. If you point at a command you will see a description in a tooltip.
•View Label − This appears along the left edge of the active view. Project includes lots of views
like Gantt Chart view, Network Diagram view, Task Usage view, etc.
•View Shortcuts − This lets you switch between frequently used views in Project.
•Zoom Slider − Simply zooms the active view in or out.
•Status bar − Displays details like the scheduling mode of new tasks (manual or automatic) and
details of filter applied to the active view.

Establishing a project MS Project - example
Project Wedding
•Files with tasks saved in Interactive Syllabus and IS – materials for study – lectures
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1. Open MS Project – Blank Project
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2.File – save as – save under Project Wedding
With type .mpp
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
Important!
MS Project has similar functions to MS Ecel – you can add/delete/copy  rows and colums
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1.We need to set up the project’s general settings:
Go to:
File – Options – General – Set up Date Format
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2.Set up Display settings:
Go to:
File – Options – Display – Set up currency section for this project and currency
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
We need to set up the project’s schedule settings:
Go to:
File – Options – Schedule
-Calendar options for this project
-Check week “starts on” and “Fiscal year
Starts in”
-Set “Default start/end time
-Set “Hours per day/week and “Days per
Month”
-Scheduling options for this project
-New tasks created – MUST BE AUTO
SCHEDULED
If done, OK
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
We need to set up the project’s options “SAVE”:
Go to:
File – Options – Save
-Save files in this format: *.mpp
-Default file location:
-Auto save every: 5mins or as you wish
If done, OK
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
We need to set up the project’s Information about project:
Go to:
Project – Project information
-Project can be scheduled from either:
-Project start date/
-Project finish date
-Set Start date or Finish date according to choosing previous “Schedule from”
-Our project is going to start from “Project finish date”
-Our finish date will be on the 28/12/2024
If done, OK
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
We need to set up the project’s Calendar:
Go to:
Project – Change Working Time
-We can see window with settings of New Calendar/Exceptions/Work Weeks
-Press Create New Calendar
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-Set your new calendar name: Wedding calendar
-Choose “make a copy of Standard calendar”
In “For calendar” will automatically appear your newly created calendar.
If done, OK
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
We need to set up the your own working hours:
Go to:
We are still in Project – Change Working Time
-Check if in “For calendar” is your own calendar Wedding calendar
-Press “Work Weeks”
-Small window will pop up
-In here you can adjust the working hours for
each day of the week
-As you can see the working hours are as we
set at the beginning in the “Options”.
-We will set the working hours from 9am to 12pm and from 1pm to 3pm from Monday to Friday.
-Highlight the days and then set days to these specific working hours
-Then do the same for the weekend days and set them as nonworking days.
If done, OK
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
We need to set up the your own Exceptions:
Go to:
We are still in Project – Change Working Time
-Press “Exceptions”
-In here you can add exceptions to your calendar
-MS project doesn’t know our bank holidays or other days we will not work.
-Write a name for your exception and choose start and end date, then press Details.
-Small window will pop up.
-Here we can set for the specific day, if it is working or nonworking. If working we put working
times and we can set how often this will occur down in Recurrence pattern and Range of recurrence.
-We will do 5 exceptions:
-17. November – nonworking days
-24. December, 25. December, and 26. December – working days from 9am to 12pm
-Wedding day – working day from 8am to 11pm
-You can see the days with exceptions are of different color.
If done, OK
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
We need to set up your own Wedding calendar for your project:
Go to Tab:
Project – Project Information
-In Calendar change your calendar from Standard to Wedding calendar
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If done, OK
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
•In this step you write down all your tasks of your project
•In column task name you list all your tasks of your project one by one
•If later you find you need to add more, you just enter new row and write in new task
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
•You can see that in previous slide the duration is set to one day.
•The next step is to change the duration of each of your task.
•You can see in the Gantt chart how the blue lines are changing their length according the
duration.
•You need to check that the Task mode is auto scheduled all the time
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
•Next step is to make connections between your tasks
•There are 3 ways how you can make connections
1.Highlight two tasks you need to connect and press “chain icon”.
You can see that connection formed.
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
2. Way is to write in the Predecessors the number ID of the previous task
•ID number of each task is on the very left side of the table.
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
3. Way is to double click on the task you need to connect.
•New window will appear and on the tab Predecessors you click on the Task name and choose the task
that needs to be connected.
•Then, OK
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
Now we need to establish Task dependency between the tasks
•You double click on the arrow between two tasks
•Small window will pop up and you choose the type of dependency. The are four and in the next slide
I will explain them.
•You can also choose this dependency when you double click on the Task name and choose tab
Predecessors and in Type choose the right dependency.
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
Four types of Task dependency between the tasks
1.Finish to Start (FS) – Task 2 will start after Task 1 is finished
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2.Finish to Finish (FF) – Task 1 and Task 2 will finish at the same time, they do not necessarily
need to have same start time
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3.Start to Start (SS) – Task 1 and Task 2 start at the same time, they do not need to finish at the
same time
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4.Start to Finish (SF) – Task 1 will start after Task 2 is finished
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
Now we can set indentation of tasks.
•You can first divide your task into stages or phases by adding rows right above the section you
need to divide.
•It will appear as New task, so you rewrite the name
•Then you put in the block all the tasks that belongs under the first section and your press
following icon
•You can see that the first task is in bold and the rest tasks have moved little to the right.
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
This is how it looks like with dividing into sections with indentation.
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
You can also create numbering of your tasks.
•Right click on the Task name column and choose Insert column
•Then choose name WBS
•The numbering will be created
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
Another way how to number your tasks is to enter it in front of each task
•Go to Gantt Chart Format – click Outline number
•The numbers will be created in front of the name of the task
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Establishing a project MS Project - example
You can watch following videos on how to set up MS Project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uaFyYIwAyU&list=PLzj7TwUeMQ3g_ABHdUU7RoGJJm-YFr4_Y&index=1
There are 18 parts to this topic.
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MS Project
Vevox questions


RECAP
•MS Project allows you to create a new project, use available templates.
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•When setting up a project in MS Project, it is necessary to create a basic project calendar,
define the working time of the project, its start.
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•Each work resource can have its own calendar.
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•In the calendar it is possible to set non-working hours, holidays and other exceptions.
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