| The purpose of this article is to go through the main | | | | What is a Critical Task |
| components and terms used in Microsoft Project and | | | | The definition of a critical task is any task that with a |
| make them easier to understand. Project planners | | | | change of duration may positively or negatively affect |
| speak in a short hand that often excludes even | | | | the end date of the project if delayed |
| computer literate individuals. | | | | Tracking the Critical Path |
| Project software and project management is very | | | | The Gantt chart and network diagram two classic |
| jargon laden this article will attempt to simply key | | | | views in MS Project will display critical tasks and links in |
| project jargon for a new user. I for one have seen a | | | | red automatically to make these tasks easier to |
| dozen people sitting around a project plan discussing | | | | observe and report. |
| whether the new WBS might help the variance | | | | Slack Time |
| between the baseline plan and the project actual only | | | | Total slack is the amount of time that lies off the |
| the project planner who was talking really knew what | | | | critical path. In other words changes to the duration of |
| was going on. | | | | these tasks may or may not affect the critical path. |
| What is a Project? | | | | Slack is the amount of time a task can be delayed |
| A project is any discrete set of interconnecting task | | | | and still be on schedule. A 5 day task with a 10 day |
| with a defined start and end date. For example moving | | | | deadline has 5 days of slack. A task with no slack is |
| an office from location A to B would have a defined | | | | automatically critical. Imagine two tasks due to finish at |
| start date and a finish date culminating in a final launch | | | | the same time. Packing computer equipment with one |
| party. | | | | day of duration and packing files with four days |
| What are Tasks? | | | | duration. If they both started at the same time the |
| A task is any piece of work requiring effort. For | | | | pack equipment tasks would have three days of slack. |
| example moving offices might require 4 hours of work | | | | Project Calendar |
| effort. | | | | At its simplest this means remember to put in the bank |
| Durations | | | | holidays. Otherwise at a meeting when someone |
| Work and duration is not always the same thing. | | | | notices a task that may be should have happened on |
| Monday to Friday I may have a five day task in | | | | a Monday slips to the |
| duration writing a report but my intention is too only | | | | Task Constraints |
| spend 50% of my time (work effort) on it. | | | | There are two main types of constraint in project |
| Milestones | | | | called soft constraints and hard constraints. An |
| Some tasks have no duration. Mile stone tasks have | | | | example of a cost constraint would be when moving |
| zero duration. Let's say that during a project moving an | | | | an office from A to B disconnect the computers as |
| office from A to B a decision needs to be made | | | | late as possible so people can still send and receive |
| between two similar sites. This meeting to decide the | | | | emails. No specific date in mind. As an example of a |
| location would be described as a stage or milestone. | | | | hard constraint imagine that when the office has |
| Milestone tasks are displayed by default in MS Project | | | | moved the computers need setting up and you need |
| with a diamond shape. | | | | to book in a network engineer. This would be an |
| Linking Tasks | | | | example of a hard constraint the work must be |
| Everyone understands the concept that one task | | | | executed on that booked day. |
| finishes; let's say distributing boxes and the next one | | | | Splitting Large Tasks |
| begins packing files. This is a linear of the world. The | | | | Some times a task name might be too general to |
| reverse is also true one task cannot finish until another | | | | manage. You might have a task called Selecting the |
| has begun. For example the canary down the coal | | | | site (duration 20 days). However, this could by split |
| mine cannot retire until the new air monitoring system | | | | down into smaller tasks known as subtasks i.e. within |
| is up and running. It is also possible that two tasks could | | | | the larger task Plan the move there might be smaller |
| start at the same time. In the new offices one | | | | task to talk to a solicitor, draw up site layouts for |
| tradesman could be laying carpet tiles in the same | | | | prospective sites, check transport links etc. When |
| room at the same time as a painter tackling the ceiling. | | | | linked din this way the major task is referred to as a |
| Similarly two tasks could have a finish to finish | | | | summary bar. |
| relationship packing the furniture and computer might | | | | Project Resources |
| have a finish to finish relationship with each other in | | | | These are the people, rooms, equipment, Materials that |
| readiness for the next task of moving everything to | | | | will be used or consumed by the project. These |
| the new office. A final possibility might be that two | | | | resources can be prioritized so that if for example a |
| tasks have no logical relationship with each other but | | | | solicitor was over allocated work and expected to |
| just need to be independently completed before the | | | | complete to reports each taking ( 8 hours) on the. |
| project is completed. | | | | It would be possible to use different techniques to level |
| Format Time-scale | | | | out their workloads |
| If a hospital was creating a template for the perfect | | | | Resources also have calendars which can be used to |
| heart bypass operation they would be working in hours | | | | enter their holidays and also any delays in their |
| and minutes but if London Underground were replacing | | | | schedule caused by sickness for example. |
| an escalator they would be working in day, weeks and | | | | Lags leads and Delays |
| months. | | | | When moving an office from A to B half way through |
| Network Diagram | | | | the task of distributing boxes presumably some one |
| It is possible to view your project plan in many ways | | | | has a box therefore packing could begin. Or you could |
| one is a network diagram which is a flow diagram to | | | | say 1 hour into the task distributing boxes the task of |
| show how the tasks relate to each other | | | | packing could begin. |
| Gantt chart | | | | An alternative could be the new office is being painted |
| This few shows the task names on the left hand side | | | | so a lap or gap of 2 days might be left for the paint to |
| of the screen and displays the tasks as bars on the | | | | dry before the new carpets are laid. |
| right hand side underneath a time scale. Gantt charts | | | | A delay is different to a lag. Imagine the painter were |
| were initially named after a planner called Henry | | | | due to start painting on the Monday but didn't arrive on |
| Laurence Gantt who worked as a mechanical | | | | site to scheduling error until Tuesday this would be an |
| engineer famous for his highly visual scheduling and | | | | unforeseen delay |
| monitoring diagram. Gantt Charts are drawn to display | | | | Resource Driven v Fixed Duration |
| planned and actual project progress. A commonly | | | | If it takes 1 day for a driver to get from London to |
| accepted project management instrument these days, | | | | Glasgow how long would it take two driver? Of |
| it was an innovation of world-wide significance in | | | | course the answer is the same maybe longer if they |
| created while ship building during World War 1. Gantt | | | | chat. However, if two people are packing files instead |
| charts were subsequently used to monitor large | | | | of one you would expect the task to be complete |
| construction projects like the Hoover Dam started in | | | | quickly, the first example is fixed duration and the other |
| 1931 and Terminal 5 at Heathrow in London. | | | | is resource driven |
| Critical Path | | | | Tracking & Baseline Plans |
| The shortest route through a series of interrelated | | | | If you imagine your project plan is a boat race |
| tasks. Should a task on the critical path slip then the | | | | between Oxford and Cambridge. Your Boat is Oxford |
| end date of the project would be jeopardized. | | | | (the schedule what you have told your colleagues will |
| Critical Path | | | | happen) tracking allows you to create a second boat |
| Most projects contain a large number of tasks. The | | | | Cambridge which is what actually happened. Every |
| critical path is the order of tasks that must be finished | | | | task in your schedule is a boat with an alter ego boat |
| for the project to be considered complete. This path | | | | to track what actually happened. You can see which |
| dictates the final finish date of your project plan. | | | | tasks started and finished earlier or later than |
| The critical path is not primarily a list of vital tasks. It is a | | | | expected. This is called tracking the variance between |
| specific sequence of tasks, each task depending on | | | | the base line plan (the schedule you have set or |
| the last. | | | | announced and the actual outcome |
| As the project progresses, different sequences might | | | | Project Costings |
| be named as critical. Consider a project with two vital | | | | It is also possible add cost information to both tasks |
| task sequences which we'll call selecting the new | | | | and resources. It could be that distributing boxes as a |
| office site and Moving in to new offices. At the onset, | | | | task has a fixed cost of £1000 but the |
| the first task is projected to take 9 months and the | | | | WBS |
| second is projected to take 6 months. Since the first | | | | Work breakdown structure is just a notation eg 1.1, 1.2 |
| task will take longer and is deemed as being on the | | | | a number sequence next to the tasks to make it |
| critical path. | | | | easier to understand |
| After three months work, should the first task perform | | | | These are just a few samples of the jargon |
| ahead of schedule with a new estimate of 5 additional | | | | surrounding Ms Project. Possibly you might want to |
| months more while the second has been delayed by | | | | consider training to improve your productivity and join |
| three moths the latter task would now be on the | | | | growing MS Project community. |
| critical path? | | | | |