Project 2016 For Dummies

Project manager, meet your new assistant! Once you discover Project 2016 you'll be amazed at how efficient and effective the project management process can be. Written by an expert author who knows project management processes backward and forward, this friendly, hands-on guide shows you how to get started, enter tasks and estimate durations, work with resources and costs, fine-tune your schedule, set baselines, collect data, analyze progress, and keep your projects on track.

How many times have you heard people in the office mutter under their breath, 'These projects never run on time?' Well, now they can! Project 2016 For Dummies shows you how to use the latest version of Microsoft Project to create realistic project timelines, make the most of available resources, keep on top of all those pesky details, and, finally, complete your project on time and on budget. Easy!

• Fully updated to reflect the latest software changes in Microsoft Project 2016
• All-new case studies and examples highlight the relevance of key features of Microsoft Project 2016
• Exposes the correlation between what project managers do and how Microsoft Project 2016 supports their work
• Covers working with calendars, using and sharing resources, budgeting, gathering and tracking data, and more

If you're a time-pressured project manager looking to make your life—and your projects—easier, Project 2016 For Dummies shows you how to get things done!

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started with Project 2016 5

Chapter 1: Project Management, Project 2016, and You 7

Chapter 2: Starting the Project 19

Chapter 3: Becoming a Task Master 39

Chapter 4: The Codependent Nature of Tasks 53

Chapter 5: Estimating Task Time 65

Chapter 6: Check Out This View! 81

Part II: Managing Resources 101

Chapter 7: Creating Resources 103

Chapter 8: Working with Calendars 119

Chapter 9: Assigning Resources 133

Chapter 10: Determining a Project’s Cost 145

Part III: Before You Baseline 155

Chapter 11: Fine‐Tuning Your Plan 157

Chapter 12: Negotiating Project Constraints 171

Chapter 13: Making the Project Look Good 185

Chapter 14: It All Begins with a Baseline 201

Part IV: Staying on Track 211

Chapter 15: On the Right Track 213

Chapter 16: Project Views: Observing Progress 237

Chapter 17: You’re Behind — Now What? 251

Chapter 18: Spreading the News: Reporting 267

Chapter 19: Getting Better All the Time 289

Part V: The Part of Tens 299

Chapter 20: Ten Golden Rules of Project Management 301

Chapter 21: Ten Cool Shortcuts in Project 2016 309

Appendix: Glossary 315

Index 325

Cynthia Snyder is a well-known speaker, consultant, and trainer on project management, as well as the project manager of the team that updated PMI's Project Management Body of Knowledge, Sixth Edition. Her other books include PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies and A User's Manual to the PMBOK.

Learn to:

• Manage costs and resources as you build a schedule from the ground up
• Set up your schedule to meet deadlines and stay on budget
• Keep all the members of the project team updated and informed
• Apply the project management tricks the professionals live by

Take control of your projects with the project manager's top assistant, Microsoft Project 2016

Whether you're managing your first project or juggling several large and complex projects, Project 2016 is like an assistant that works 24/7. This guide walks you through the basic functions of the software, helping you use it to create realistic timelines, maximize resources, budget, collect and track data, and successfully complete your project.

• See how it works — tour the software interface, see how Project 2016 supports your efforts, and build a project schedule
• Manage your resources — create and assign work resources, material resources, and fixed costs to tasks, and see how resources affect long-term costs
• Explore your toolbox — discover tools to help you modify resource assignments and task timing to trim costs and meet deadlines
• Stay the course — discover ways to track actual activity against your plan and pull things back on track when the unforeseen happens

Open the book and find:

• Useful examples on how to make projects work better
• How to determine different task types
• Help assigning resources to tasks
• Things to consider when factoring in contingency reserve
• When, why, and how to save a baseline
• What to do when the project falls behind
• Ten cool shortcuts in Project 2016