Using Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project does have the ability to create a network project diagram. Your best approach, however, is still to create the network diagram as described in this chapter. Then, once the initial creation is complete, transfer the plan to Microsoft Project. As you make adjustments to your network diagram on the whiteboard, you can update the changes in Project to see their impact.

When you enter a task into Microsoft Project, you will assign constraints to the task to signify when its completion should occur. The nature of your project, your units of work, and the urgency of the task will determine the type of constraint you assign. Constraints in Microsoft Project are flexible, semiflexible, or inflexible:

Flexible constraints These constraints do not have dates assigned to their activities and are only bound by their duration, and predecessor and successor activities. Use flexible constraints as much as possible.
Semiflexible constraints These constraints do have date values associated with them but also require that the tasks begin or end by the specified date. Use these constraints sparingly.
Inflexible constraints These constraints also have date values associated with them but are very rigid. Constraints that are inflexible require that activities happen on a specific date. Use these constraints very sparingly.

Here are the eight types of constraints you’ll encounter:

As Soon As Possible (ASAP) When you specify a task constraint of ASAP, Microsoft Project will schedule the associated task to occur as soon as it can. This is the default for all new tasks when assigning tasks from the start date. This constraint is flexible.

As Late As Possible (ALAP) When you have a task with this flexible constraint, Microsoft Project will schedule the task to occur as late as possible without delaying dependent tasks. This is the default for all new tasks when scheduling tasks from the end date.

Start No Earlier Than (SNET) A task assigned the SNET constraint will start on or after a specific date. This constraint is semiflexible.

Start No Later Than (SNLT) This semiflexible constraint requires that a task begin by a specific date at the latest.

Finish No Earlier Than (FNET) This constraint requires that a task be completed on or after a specified date. This constraint is semiflexible.

Finish No Later Than (FNLT) This semiflexible constraint requires that a task be completed on or before this date.

Must Start On (MSO) A task with this constraint must begin on a specific date. This constraint is inflexible.

Must Finish On (MFO) This inflexible constraint indicates a deadline- orientated task. The task must be completed by a specific date.

Interview with Niral Modi

Name: Niral Modi
Title: Senior Project Manager, MBA
Company: Computer Discoveries Inc.
Years as an IT project manager: 5

Niral Modi is a Senior Project Manager for CDI, a software consulting company. He has worked on various consulting assignments with Fortune 1000 companies, like Motorola, Johnson Wax Professional, Sybase, and also small and medium-size companies, like First International Digital and 1internet, and helped them evaluate their IT strategy and manage various projects.

Q: When you are about to create a project schedule, what is the first thing you do?

A: The first thing a project manager should do is understand the functional requirements of the project, the reasons this project is being implemented, and what are the key things that would be a show stopper if not achieved. Prior to requirements validation, it is important to ensure that the project management infrastructure is in place and that all team members understand their roles and responsibilities. It is important that all team members have an understanding of the business case, scope, strategy, estimates, staffing requirements, and schedule in order to successfully complete the project. Activities for this phase include

Set up project infrastructure Establish methods for tracking issues, questions, and assumptions. Document the roles and responsibilities for each of the team members.

Develop communication plan Define communication types, frequency, and responsibilities for all project stakeholders.

Conduct kickoff meeting Communicate the business case, scope, strategy, estimates, staffing requirements, and schedule to the project team. Project roles and responsibilities are also defined at this time.

Assess risk Assess project risk and develop contingency plans to mitigate the identified risks.

Q: When creating a project schedule, how much room for variance in the schedule do you allow?

A: The amount of variance I allow in the project plan depends upon the kind of project being done. If the project ends before deadline, there will be certain functionalities you can add that will always make the client or your colleagues love the product. If there are only a few unknowns, then you want to include between 12 to 15 percent of variance for unknowns.

Q: How can a project manager know if the schedule she has created is realistic?

A: or experienced project managers, it comes out of their experience to evaluate a project and find out if it is achievable. For new project managers, talk to a few team members and see if the schedule of development is possible. From my experience, the more projects you manage, the easier it is to manage complex projects and develop a realistic project plan. Always use past experience to estimate what is possible for your team to do in the allocated time.

Q: What is the most difficult part of creating the project schedule?

A: The most difficult part of creating a project schedule is to assess the time required to finish each part of the project, and assign the resources to make sure that there is no lead time, and resources are not overallocated on certain days and don't have anything to do on other days. As such, a project schedule needs very close attention. People have historically neglected to spend the necessary time to perform this phase adequately. Regardless of whether you beg, borrow, buy, or build the final system, this is critical.

Q: When creating the project schedule, what method can a project manager use to determine project dependencies?

A: The method for project dependencies changes based on every project deliverable and requirement. I usually break the project into small pieces and write them all on a sheet of paper. I then print the calendar for the next few months. Each part of the project is then entered into the calendar based on the resource and the scheduled delivery. It is of utmost importance that you don't overallocate a resource.

Q: How much input should the project team have during the creation of the project schedule?

A: Once all the requirements are known, the project manager should have a meeting with the project team explaining the project and what is required from the project. The team members should be asked for their input while developing the schedule. I have seen projects fail because the project managers are aggressive when quoting time and then can't deliver.

Q: Do you use project manager software?

A: I usually use Microsoft Project for most of my project management. Every project manager can select different software based on their needs. But out of my own experience, although Project has a few things I don't like, it is by far the easiest tool. Also, many of my clients and colleagues use Project, so it is much easier to share files and export files to Excel for people who don't have Microsoft Project on their computers.

Q: What methods can a project manager use to inspire a team to perform under a tight project deadline?

A: I feel this is the most important skill that a project manager has to learn. You have to learn to inspire the team members to give their best and most to a project. There are different things I have tried and that have worked for me, such as Friday lunches with the team or a big party to celebrate the end of the project. Everyone has personal reasons to need time away from the technology—it may be they are sick of the project, need to go on a vacation, or just have to have some downtime. The trick is to work with the team members and give them the days off, but get them to work a few extra hours every day or work on a weekend to recoup the lost time. This way you improve the morale of the team members and they feel their needs are being understood.

Q: Are there any advantages to allowing teams to determine the tasks that must be completed in a certain order rather than a detailed plan from the project manager?

A: You should take the feedback from your team members on the order of the project tasks, but you have to make sure that you have the final say in the matter. It is key that your team members don't take you for a ride and adjust the project plan to meet their needs. So taking feedback is important, but it will only make sense when it is used in the right way. When you take feedback from your team, they feel good about the whole project, do an excellent job, and enhance the quality of the deliverables.

Q: What is the most difficult part of planning a long-term project?

A: There are a few things you need to be aware of when the project is long term: Make sure the team members are planning to be in the team until the project is over. In case a member has to leave, have at least a few days for knowledge transfer. Even if you are running on a tight schedule, make sure the new member is up to speed with the needs of the project. You should always have leeway for a few surprises to happen. Project managers should also have periodic updates for the client or department the deliverables are designed for. Without the periodic updates, the project may be going the wrong way from what the client envisions and when you realize the error, it may be too late to recover when it comes to time or the budget.

Q: What are the challenges of planning a short-term project?

A: In a short-term project, the project manager has to understand the needs of the client and be a functional as well as a technical resource. I have seen short-term projects go haywire because the project manager thought that the project was a piece of cake and didn't spend enough time to understand the needs of the client.

Q: What are some pitfalls a project manager should be aware of when assigning tasks to the project team members?

A: When assigning tasks for the team members, always make sure that they are familiar with what is required from them and they understand the functional requirements. Also make sure that they accept the time allocated to the finish of those tasks. In addition, ask team members about their schedules to make sure that there are no vacations or other time commitments that can take them away from the project.

Q: How flexible should a project plan be?

A: Project plans should be as flexible as possible. Unexpected things happen, and if you haven't accounted for them, chances are that you will not finish the project on time. Also be flexible to team members' needs, and understand their problems and work with them to resolve them. If you have accounted for the unexpected and have Plan B in place, chances of the project failing go much lower.

Q: Can you share an experience you had with a difficult project plan and the steps you took to overcome the difficulties?

A: I was working on a project with a client where more than 50 percent of the project deliverables were unknowns, and it was a fixed-fee-and-time project. The project was to develop a mini ERP system in a time span of four months. In case of a lot of unknowns, always try and get a quick-and-dirty prototype done. I worked with the clients to find out if this is what they were looking for. Before I started the project, I let the team members know that this would be a high-pressure project and the schedule would be extremely tight, so they should only join this team if they were ready for a lot of hard work.

Despite the project's tight timeline, I was flexible to the needs of the team. I worked with team members to resolve all the problems. One of them had an unexpected personal problem and had to leave work for four days. I worked with him and empathized with his trouble, but I also had to ask him to work longer hours and even weekends to recover the lost time, as every team member was essential to the project's success. Fortunately, everything worked out fine.

On this project, we also made a project web site for the client to come in and look at the development. We participated in a conference call every day to make sure that the development was going in the right direction. In addition, I met with the client team twice a week to brief them about the developments and the changes. There were certain requirements that changed in the last three weeks of the project completion, so we made a log of all the changes that would be required in the next phase of development. We also kept on testing the product, as each function was ready. This helped us make sure that each function that was developed was ready for delivery. Because of this, we didn't need a long testing period when the final product was ready.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring project managers?

A: Always understand the needs of the client. Make sure you are flexible in the project plan. Keep on assessing the developments and compare with the plan to make sure everything is in order. Communicate to the team members and the clients about the problems and solutions. Always encourage your team about the developments. Always share the glory and be ready to take the pain. The project manager is the one who is responsible if the project fails.