Celeris Systems Microsoft Project Association March 7, 2007

Celeris Systems About Me Jim Aksel, PMP Director of Project Management Celeris Systems, Inc Telephone:

Celeris Systems You get Credit! You may claim 1 hour of CE (or PDUs) PMI References:

Celeris Systems Backward Compatibility to 2003

Celeris Systems Task Types Resource Issues & Leveling Custom Sorting Conclusion EVMS in Project

Celeris Systems Sorting Custom Sorts EVMS Tasks Leveling Resources

Celeris Systems Fixed Units Effort Driven Fixed Duration Effort Driven Fixed Duration Not Effort Driven Fixed Units Not Effort Driven Fixed Work Title TASKS

Celeris Systems Task Type Definitions Fixed Units –The allocations of resource units is held constant Fixed Work –Total of all work hours assigned to a task is held constant Fixed Duration –Task Duration is held constant

Celeris Systems Effort Driven Total task work remains at its current value, regardless of how many resources are assigned to the task. When new resources are assigned, remaining work is distributed amongst all assigned resources, proportionately.

Celeris Systems Basic Task

Celeris Systems Basic Task Work Hours Spread

Celeris Systems Added Resources Additional resources just increase total work with no change to duration

Celeris Systems Adding Resources After %Complete Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

Celeris Systems Progress Shown Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

Celeris Systems New Resources Create Remaining Work Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

Celeris Systems Adding Effort Driven Labor Adding Resources reduces duration while keeping total work and units constant No Work Change Added to Basic Task, after making it Effort Driven

Celeris Systems Effort Driven Labor Added after %Complete Adding Effort Driven Labor keeps finish date and work constant, creates split Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

Celeris Systems Adding Effort Driven Labor creates splits Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

Celeris Systems Effort Driven Add Resources Total Work Constant Duration Changes Add Work Changes Duration New resources Add work after Status Date Not Effort Driven Duration fixed Adding Resources adds remaining work Increasing Work increases Duration New resources add work after Status Date Fixed Units Tasks

Celeris Systems Fixed Duration Tasks Not Effort Driven behaves as before Adding resources divides remaining work among all resources

Celeris Systems Fixed Duration w/%Complete Additional Resources share the remaining work Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

Celeris Systems Fixed Work Task Always effort driven Additional Work alters duration while respecting finish date

Celeris Systems You Change UnitsUnits EDDurationDuration EDWork Units Duration Work Duration Work Duration Units Duration Work Units Task Type Fixed: What Project Recalculates ED: Effort Driven

Celeris Systems Sorting Custom Sorts EVMS Tasks Leveling Resources

Celeris Systems Resources Individual names Skill set grouping

Celeris Systems Named Person Unique Calendars Retains Grouping Skill Specific Skill Set List Department Wide Easier to Assign Interchangeable Resource Types

Celeris Systems Named Person Wage/Privacy Harder to swap Skill Specific Skill Set List Department Wide Homogeneous Calendaring Exact Costs TBD Resource Types

Celeris Systems Sorting Custom Sorts EVMS Tasks Leveling Resources

Celeris Systems

Leveling Order Standard Project looks at predecessor, slack (a task with more total slack time is delayed first), dates (a task with a later start date is delayed first), priorities, and constraints Priority, Standard Project looks first at priorities and then at predecessors, slack, dates, and constraints to determine whether and how tasks should be leveled

Celeris Systems Leveling Parameters: Day by Day Level resources when there is at least one day more work scheduled for a resource than can be completed within the resource's normal availability for that day. Week by Week Level resources when there is at least one week more work scheduled for a resource than can be completed within the resource's normal availability for that week. Month by Month Level resources when there is at least one month more work scheduled for a resource than can be completed within the resource's normal availability for that month. This is the default setting.

Celeris Systems Leveling Example: Ringo assigned to two 8 hour tasks in 1 day. Leveling: –Day By Day: Problem –Week By Week: No Problem, work <40 –Month By Month: No Problem, work<160

Celeris Systems Other Leveling Settings Level only within available slack –Finish Dates are respected. Leveling can adjust individual assignments on a task –Adjusts when a resource works on a task independent of the other resources working on the same task. Leveling can create splits in remaining work –Any remaining work can be split for leveling. Unchecked will not delay a task with an Actual Start Date.

Celeris Systems General Guidance IMHO –Project does a pretty good job of leveling since it takes a methodical approach –However, it does level in resource order

Celeris Systems Sorting Custom Sorts EVMS Tasks Leveling Resources

Celeris Systems Standard Sorting Obvious Just Like Excel

Celeris Systems Sorting Custom Sorts EVMS Tasks Leveling Resources

Celeris Systems Custom Grouping (Sorting)

Celeris Systems Custom Grouping Dialog

Celeris Systems Custom Grouping

Celeris Systems More Powerful Options

Celeris Systems Some Grouping Ideas Place custom text field in Resource Usage View –Group by CLIN, Job Number, other accounting information –Assign Control Account Managers –Supplier ID’s WBS Field –Sort by defined code (such as first three levels)

Celeris Systems Sorting Custom Sorts EVMS Tasks Leveling Resources EVMS is my personal opinion

Celeris Systems EVMS in MS Project Cost BCWS = Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled Cost BCWP = Budgeted Cost of Work Performed Cost ACWP = Actual Cost of Work Performed

Celeris Systems EVMS Comments BCWS & BCWP only register in the Baseline Date Period If you start/finish on different dates you must enter an Actual Date in the [Actual Start] or [Actual Finish] columns

Celeris Systems MS Project uses %Complete Method Think about it – Milestones, Incremental, 80/20, Formula, Apportionment are all subsets of %Complete The trick is accurate definition of %Complete

Celeris Systems Example: Concert 6 Roadies take 2 days to setup Fab Four sing some songs for 1 day 3 Roadies tear down for 1 day

Celeris Systems Resources Singers make $500/hr Roadies make $25/hr Let’s assume everyone is paid cash at the end of each phase (setup, sing, teardown)

Celeris Systems Baseline Schedule and Costs We have a $19K EAC and 4 Days

Celeris Systems %Complete Example After Setup is complete, we claim 50% EV = $9,500 We pay the roadies $2400

Celeris Systems End of Day 3 We claim 75% Complete 0.75 x $19,000 = $14,250

Celeris Systems % Complete Earned Value Parameters ItemMonTuesWedThur BCWS $ 1, $ 16, $ ACWP $ - $ 2, $ 16, $ cBCWS $ 1, $ 2, $ 18, $ 19, cBCWP $ - $ 9, $ 14, $ 19, cACWP $ - $ 2, $ 18, $ 19,000.00

Celeris Systems %Complete EV This is a duration weighted method %Complete =

Celeris Systems %Work Complete This is an Effort weighted method

Celeris Systems %Work Complete At the end of the 2 nd day, 63% of the labor is complete EV= 0.63 x $19,000 = $ 12,000

Celeris Systems %Work Complete End of Day 3 we are 84% Labor Complete 0.84 x $19,000 = $16,000

Celeris Systems Physical%Complete Allows you more flexibility –EV Method Physical%Complete –Each Task Physical%Complete

Celeris Systems Physical % Complete EV for Tasks

Celeris Systems Physical % Complete EV

Celeris Systems Physcial%Complete Day 2 At the end of Setup we are 13% Complete 0.13 x $19,000 = $2400 Note: Project displays only 2 significant digits

Celeris Systems Physical % Complete Day 3 At end of “Hey Jude…” we are 97% Complete 0.97 x $19,000 = $18,400

Celeris Systems Which one does your boss expect?

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