Overview The multiple projects module introduces how to manage multiple projects with MS Project 2000. Objectives The participant will: Preparation Review the contents of this module and do each of the exercises at least once to familiarize yourself with the logic and outcome. | Resource pool | This is the total of all resources in a project. To use the concept of a resource pool we firstly create a new project and define all resources in this. We normally do not define any tasks in the project. We then create our projects as normal but tell MS Project 2000 to take the resource definitions from the resource project. | Presentation The activities in this module cite the aims of each exercise. The level is suitable for basic users. ACTIVITY 18.1 How to set up a resource pool for use with more than one project. EXERCISE 18.1 ¢ LEVEL: BASIC ¢ USING A RESOURCE POOL -
Pick File menu. Choose New. -
Pick View menu. Choose Resource Sheet. -
Enter Joe, Fred, Mary, Anne. -
Pick File menu. Choose Save As, Filename = Resource. -
Pick File menu. Choose New. -
Create task1, task2, task3. -
Pick Tools menu. Choose Resources. Select Share Resources. -
Use Resources from Resources project. Click OK button. -
Assign Joe to task1. Assign Mary to task2. Assign Fred to task3. -
Pick File menu. Choose New. -
Create taskA, taskB, taskC. -
Pick Tools menu. Choose Resources. Select Share Resources. -
Use Resources from Resources project. Click OK button. -
Assign Fred to taskA. Assign Mary to taskB. Assign Anne to taskC. -
Pick Window menu. Choose Resources project. -
Pick View menu. Choose Resource Sheet. -
Note the overallocated resources in red. -
Pick Window menu. Choose Split. -
Choose overallocated resource. -
Resource form is displayed on bottom. Dialog Explain that if you have a limited number of resources and a number of projects that they are working on, you can set up a central pool from which to draw those resources. The command, Share Resources, allows you to pull resources from another MS Project file. This is one method to track how your resources are overallocated due to them working on a number of projects at the same time. This method also allows you to resolve those overallocations. | ACTIVITY 18.2 How to place more than one project on a new MS Project file. EXERCISE 18.2 ¢ LEVEL: BASIC ¢ REPORTING SEPARATE PROJECTS TOGETHER Dialog Explain that there times when you may want to consolidate a number of projects in one MS Project file. This exercise explains how this is done. Note that any changes made to this file will be reflected in the original file. | View separate projects | We can view together any projects we wish without having to create a link between them. Open each project separately and use the New Window command to merge the views. We can use this to print reports from more than one project at a time. | | ACTIVITY 18.3 How to add sub-projects to an MS Project file. EXERCISE 18.3 ¢ LEVEL: BASIC ¢ REMOVE PHASE I INTO A SUB-PROJECT -
Open Golf2A. -
Select the detailed tasks in Phase 1 (4 “7). -
Click on cut icon to remove complete tasks. -
Click on New file icon. -
Click on Paste icon. -
Pick File menu. Choose Save, Filename = Phase 1. -
Pick Window menu. Choose Golf2A. -
Delete row three and choose the insert project command. -
Select Phase 1 and insert. -
Change duration of task in project Phase 1 and see task Phase 1 duration change. Dialog Explain that there may be some instances when a user wishes to insert a project or part of a project into an MS Project file. This exercise explains how this is done. Note, however, that the cut and paste functions did not retain the start dates originally established in the Golf2A file. This method can be used when setting up project templates, for example, in the localization industry. | Link sub-projects | The concept behind this is almost identical to that of outlining. Instead of a task in a project being a summary task, as in outlining, a task is an external separate project. The start and end dates of this sub-project task are set by the external project. This gives you the ability to have many sub-projects and to summarize them in one or more parent projects. | | | You can design your projects in this format from the beginning or, more commonly, you may find that your project is getting too big to manage and you need to divide it during execution. | | | Use this method to set up project templates. | | |
