Chapter 28: Standardizing ProjectsUsing Templates

Overview

With each project you manage, you learn more and more. You practice effective project management methods and see what works and what doesn't. You gain more knowledge about project management in your specific discipline or industry. Likewise, as you continue to manage projects with Microsoft Office Project 2003, you increase your proficiency with it as a productivity tool for planning, tracking, and communicating your project information.

You can record some of the knowledge you gained from hard-won project management experience by using Project 2003 templates . As you enter the closing processes of a project, saving the project file as a template for future use can be one of your most valuable project closing activities. Templates are special project files in which various types of project information can be stored for use with future projects, either by you or by other project managers.

You can also use templates to save yourself from reinventing that old wheel. Obtain project templates already developed by industry experts and adapt them for your own project requirements, thereby saving time and giving yourself a leg up on planning your next project.

Whether a template is based on your own project experiences or someone else's, it can contain the following types of information:

• Tasks

• Durations

• Sequences and tasks

• Resources dependencies

Templates are also a great means of setting standards. If your organization follows a specific methodology in each project, if certain review processes are required at certain stages, or if a specific format is mandated for progress reports , those requirements can all be reflected in the template. Similarly, any custom features that reflect organization standards or that you've designed to make your project work more effectively can also become a part of your template.