Working with Task Calendars
by Teresa S. Stover, Bonnie Biafore, and Andreea Marinescu
Microsoft® Project 2010 Inside Out
- Microsoft® Project 2010 Inside Out
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- A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
- Introduction
- I. Project Fundamentals
- 1. Introducing Microsoft Project 2010
- 2. Understanding Projects and Project Management
- II. Developing the Project Plan
- 3. Starting a New Project
- Getting from Idea to Proposal to Project
- Focusing the Project Vision
- Creating a New Project Plan
- Entering Tasks
- Sequencing and Organizing Tasks
- Organizing Tasks into an Outline
- Setting Up Your Work Breakdown Structure
- Adding Supplementary Information to Tasks
- 4. Viewing Project Information
- Understanding Project Information Categories
- Accessing Your Project Information
- Switching Between Views
- Using Views
- Scheduling with Gantt Charts
- Highlighting Tasks with the Timeline
- Flowcharting with Network Diagrams
- Visualizing the Project with the Calendar
- Reviewing Assignments with the Team Planner
- Charting Team Availability with the Resource Graph
- Tabling with Sheet Views
- Timesheeting with Usage Views
- Seeing Details with Forms
- Cross-Referencing with Combination Views
- Using Tables
- Using Fields
- Arranging Your Project 2010 Window
- Navigating to a Specific Location in a View
- Rearranging Your Project Information
- 5. Scheduling Tasks Manually or Automatically
- 6. Building Your Schedule
- 7. Setting Up Resources in the Project
- Understanding the Impact of Resources in the Plan
- Adding Resources to the Project
- Removing a Resource from the Project
- Identifying Tentative, Generic, or Budget Resources
- Setting When Resources Are Available for Work
- Adding Detailed Resource Information
- 8. Assigning Resources to Tasks
- Assigning Work Resources to Tasks
- Assigning Material Resources to Tasks
- Assigning Cost Resources to Tasks
- Reviewing Assignment Information
- Changing Resource Assignments
- Contouring Resource Assignments
- 9. Planning Resource and Task Costs
- 10. Checking and Adjusting the Project Plan
- Working with the Critical Path and Critical Tasks
- Controlling Schedule Changes with Task Types
- Bringing in the Project Finish Date
- Reducing Project Costs
- Balancing Resource Workloads
- Changing Project Scope
- Reviewing the Impact of Changes
- Obtaining Buyoff on the Project Plan
- 3. Starting a New Project
- III. Tracking Progress
- 11. Setting a Baseline and Updating Progress
- Saving Original Plan Information Using a Baseline
- Updating Task Progress
- Updating Actual Costs
- 12. Responding to Changes in Your Project
- 11. Setting a Baseline and Updating Progress
- IV. Reporting and Analyzing Project Information
- 13. Reporting Project Information
- Establishing Your Communications Plan
- Using Views to Report Project Information
- Generating Text and Visual Reports
- Generating the Right Reports
- Summarizing with Overview Reports
- Focusing on Tasks with Schedule Progress Reports
- Using the Unstarted Tasks Report
- Using the Tasks Starting Soon Report
- Using the Tasks In Progress Report
- Using the Completed Tasks Report
- Using the Should Have Started Tasks Report
- Using the Slipping Tasks Report
- Using the Baseline Report in Visio
- Using the Baseline Work Report in Excel
- Using the Task Status Report in Visio
- Using the Budget Work Report in Excel
- Analyzing Budget Status with Cost Reports
- Using the Cash Flow Report
- Using the Cash Flow Report in Excel
- Using the Cash Flow Report in Visio
- Using the Baseline Cost Report in Excel
- Using the Budget Report
- Using the Budget Cost Report in Excel
- Using the Resource Cost Summary Report in Excel
- Using the Overbudget Tasks Report
- Using the Overbudget Resources Report
- Using the Earned Value Report
- Using the Earned Value Over Time Report in Excel
- Evaluating Resource Allocation with Assignment Reports
- Using the Who Does What Report
- Using the Who Does What When Report
- Using the To-Do List
- Using the Overallocated Resources Report
- Using the Resource Availability Report in Visio
- Using the Resource Work Availability Report in Excel
- Using the Task Usage Report
- Using the Resource Usage Report
- Using the Resource Work Summary Report in Excel
- Using the Resource Remaining Work Report in Excel
- Using the Resource Status Report in Visio
- Revising a Built-In Report
- Building a Custom Report
- Saving Project Data Fields
- Sharing Project Reports Electronically
- 14. Analyzing Progress Using Earned Value
- 13. Reporting Project Information
- V. Managing Multiple Projects
- 15. Managing Master Projects and Resource Pools
- Structuring Master Projects with Subprojects
- Consolidating Project Information
- Opening Multiple Project Files as a Set
- Sharing Resources by Using a Resource Pool
- 16. Exchanging Information Between Project Plans
- 15. Managing Master Projects and Resource Pools
- VI. Integrating Project 2010 with Other Programs
- 17. Exchanging Information with Other Applications
- 18. Integrating Project 2010 with Excel
- 19. Integrating Project 2010 with Visio
- 20. Integrating Project 2010 with Outlook
- 21. Collaborating as a Team by Using SharePoint
- Creating a Project Tasks List on a SharePoint Site
- Exchanging Project Information with SharePoint
- Synchronizing Changes Between Project and SharePoint
- Opening and Viewing Connected Project Information
- Collaborating with Team Members on Task Updates
- Assigning Tasks to Team Members
- Updating Task Progress
- Updating Task Progress in SharePoint
- Updating Task Progress in Project
- VII. Managing Projects Across Your Enterprise
- 22. Understanding Enterprise Project Management
- 23. Administering Your Enterprise Project Management Solution
- Signing In and Out
- Configuring Project Server Security
- Administering the Enterprise Resource Pool
- Establishing the Enterprise Portfolio
- Setting Up Project Workflows
- Standardizing Enterprise Project Elements
- Setting Up Team Member Work Pages
- Managing Pages, Views, and Reports
- 24. Managing Enterprise Projects and Resources
- Connecting to Your Project Server
- Working with Enterprise Projects
- Following a Project Workflow
- Building Your Enterprise Project Team
- Finding Resources to Meet Your Needs
- Building Your Project Team in Project Professional
- Building Your Project Team in Project Web App
- Identifying Resource Attributes by Using Custom Enterprise Fields
- Using Generic Resources as Placeholders
- Adding a Team Assignment Pool to Your Project Resource List
- Finding Enterprise Resources That Meet Specific Criteria
- Review Resource Assignments and Availability
- Replacing an Existing Project Resource with an Enterprise Resource
- Matching an Existing Project Resource
- Matching and Replacing Generic Resources
- Proposing Tentative Resources
- Assigning Tasks to Enterprise Resources
- Finding Resources to Meet Your Needs
- Collaborating with Your Project Team
- 25. Participating on a Team Using Project Web App
- Getting Started with Project Web App
- Working with Your Assignments
- Submitting Text-Based Status Reports
- Logging Time by Using Timesheets
- Working with Issues and Risks
- Setting Up E-Mail Reminders and Outlook Tasks
- Managing Resources in Project Web App
- 26. Making Executive Decisions Using Project Web App
- 27. Managing and Analyzing Project Portfolios
- VIII. Customizing and Managing Project Files
- 28. Customizing Your View of Project Information
- Customizing Views
- Changing the Content of a View
- Creating a New View
- Saving a View
- Changing Text Formatting in Views
- Formatting a Gantt Chart View
- Modifying the Timescale
- Modifying a Network Diagram
- Modifying the Timeline
- Modifying the Team Planner
- Modifying the Resource Graph
- Modifying the Calendar
- Modifying a Sheet View
- Modifying a Usage View
- Customizing Tables
- Customizing Fields
- Working with Outline Codes
- Customizing Groups
- Customizing Filters
- Sharing Customized Elements Among Projects
- Customizing Views
- 29. Customizing the Project 2010 Interface
- 30. Automating Your Work with Macros
- 31. Standardizing Projects by Using Templates
- 32. Managing Project Files
- Saving Project Files
- Opening Project Files
- Saving and Opening with Different File Formats
- Comparing Project Plans Side by Side
- Safeguarding Your Project Files
- 28. Customizing Your View of Project Information
- IX. Appendixes
- D. Index to Troubleshooting Topics
- E. About the Authors
- Index
- About the Authors
- SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
The scheduling of your tasks is driven by task duration, task dependencies, and constraints. It’s also driven by the project calendar. If your project calendar dictates that work is done Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M., initially that’s when your tasks are scheduled.
Note
For more information about calendars, see Setting Your Project Calendar.
However, if a task is assigned to a resource who works Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 A.M. until 9:00 P.M., the task is scheduled for those times instead. That is, the task is scheduled according to the assigned resource’s working times calendar rather than the project calendar.
Sometimes, you have a task that needs to be scheduled differently from the working times reflected in the project calendar or the assigned resource calendars. For example, you might have a task that specifies preventive maintenance on equipment at specified intervals. Or you might have a task being completed by a machine running 24 hours a day. In any case, the task has its own working time, and you want to schedule it according to that working time rather than the project or resource working time so that you can accurately reflect what’s really happening with this task.
Keep in mind that there’s an order of precedence when it comes to calendars that govern the scheduling of tasks throughout the project. All tasks start out being scheduled by the project calendar. When resources are assigned, the calendars of the assigned resources take precedence in the scheduling of the tasks. If a task calendar is assigned to a task, its scheduling information is combined with that of any assigned resource calendars to determine when the task should be scheduled.
Note
Unlike project or resource calendars, which are essential to the accuracy of your schedule, task calendars are more of an optional scheduling feature. Create and apply task calendars only in those special situations when a task has its own unique schedule that tends to be independent of the project or assigned resource calendar.
To schedule a task according to its own working times, you must first set up the calendar. You can use or adapt a built-in base calendar. Think of the base calendar as a kind of calendar template that can be applied to the project as a whole, to resources, or to tasks. If the task’s working times are quite different from anything available in the existing base calendars, you can create your own.
Note
For specific procedures on modifying an existing base calendar, see Modifying a Base Calendar. To create a new base calendar, see Creating a New Base Calendar.
Inside Out: Take care modifying a built-in base calendar
When you have the need for a task calendar, it’s usually because the task has a schedule that’s quite different from the project working times calendar or the assigned resource working times calendar.
Be careful when modifying an existing base calendar to use as a task calendar. If that base calendar is used for a particular resource, for example, the scheduling of that resource will change to reflect what you are intending just for the task calendar.
If you’re certain that the base calendar in question will not be used for anything except as the task calendar, then modify away. Otherwise, create a new base calendar. You can always create a new base calendar from an existing one. You can also name it in such a way as to make your intentions for this calendar crystal clear.
But suppose that you inadvertently modify a base calendar being used to schedule resource working time, or even the entire project’s working time. How do you return it to its default settings? Follow these steps:
On the Project tab, in the Properties group, click Change Working Time.
Click the Work Weeks tab, and then click the Details button.
In the Select Day(s) box, in which Sunday is already selected, hold down the Shift key and click Saturday so that all seven days are selected.
Click the Use Project Default Times For These Days option, and then click OK.
If you have a set of tasks that are carried out entirely by equipment on the equipment’s own schedule, an alternative to creating a task calendar is to set up the equipment as a work resource. You can then apply a working times calendar to the equipment resource and assign the equipment resource to the appropriate tasks.
Note
For more information about creating work resources, see Adding Work Resources to the Project.
Note
When you create a base calendar to use as a task calendar, give the new base calendar a specific name that indicates its role as a task calendar. This clarifies the differences among the base calendars (for you and possibly other project managers) to prevent confusion and the application of the wrong calendars for the wrong purposes.
To assign a base calendar to a task, follow these steps:
Double-click the task to which you want to assign a base calendar.
In the Task Information dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
In the Calendar box, click the name of the calendar you want to assign to this task. All base calendars are listed, including any that you have created yourself.
Click OK.
A task calendar icon appears in the Indicators column. If you rest your mouse pointer over the indicator, a ScreenTip displays the name of the assigned calendar. (See Figure 6-20.) Follow this same procedure to switch to a different task calendar or to remove the task calendar.
Don’t make the mistake of confusing the task calendar with the Calendar view. A task calendar reflects working days and times for one or more selected tasks. The Calendar view is a graphical representation of tasks and durations in a monthly calendar format.
Note
For more information about the Calendar view, see Visualizing the Project with the Calendar.
Troubleshooting: You assigned a task calendar, but it’s not scheduling tasks in all the times it should
The task probably also has a resource assigned, and the resource calendar is conflicting with what you want the task calendar to accomplish.
When you assign a task calendar, it takes the place of the project calendar. However, suppose resources are assigned to the task, as well. Resources are all associated with their own resource calendars. Although a resource’s calendar might be the same as the project calendar, it can be customized for the resource’s specific working times.
When resources are assigned, the task is scheduled not just for the working times indicated in the task calendar. By default, Project 2010 schedules the task according to the common working times between the task calendar and the resource calendar.
For example, suppose that the 24-hour base calendar is assigned to a task that’s also assigned to a resource who works Friday through Sunday, 9:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M. The only times the two calendars have in common are Friday through Sunday, 9:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M., so by default, those are the only times when work will be scheduled for this task.
If you apply a task calendar to a task with a resource assigned, and there are few to no common working times between the task calendar and the resource calendar, an error message appears, as shown in Figure 6-21.
Figure 6-21. The Not Enough Common Working Time error message offers two suggestions for making sure your task is scheduled the way you want.
You can change the working times in the resource calendar to ensure enough common time, or you can change the working times in the task calendar. You might also remove the resource if that’s possible for the task.
If you want the resource calendar to be ignored on a task, open the Task Information dialog box for the task and click the Advanced tab. Select the check box labeled Scheduling Ignores Resource Calendars.
Note
For more information about resource calendars, see Setting Working Times and Days Off for Work Resources. For information about resource assignments, see Assigning Work Resources to Tasks.
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