Before you start adding tasks in Microsoft Project, it’s important to decide whether your project will be scheduled from the start date or the finish date. Choose a start date when you know when to begin and plan the tasks in order. If there’s a fixed deadline, such as for an event, start from the finish date and plan backward. This initial step is crucial for organizing your project effectively. Next, we’ll see how this works with two examples: setting up an office from a known start date and planning a product launch with a specific finish date in mind.

Example 1 – scheduling from a start date

For the project of setting up a new office, scheduled to begin on April 1st, you use Microsoft Project to set this as the start date. You then list and schedule tasks such as ordering furniture, hiring staff, and setting up IT infrastructure. These tasks are arranged and linked based on their dependencies, starting from April 1st. As you assign employees and resources to each task, the project’s Gantt chart helps visualize the sequence of activities, which are all aligned to kick off from the set start date.

Figure 1.1: Scheduling a project from a start date

Example 2 – scheduling from a finish date

For planning a product launch event that must occur by December 15th, you would set this date as the project’s finish date in Microsoft Project. Tasks such as developing marketing materials, coordinating venue setup, and sending invitations are put in and linked. Critical tasks are given specific deadlines to ensure alignment with the final event date. The Gantt chart in this case displays the tasks scheduled backward from December 15th, ensuring that all preparations finish on the event day.

Figure 1.2: Scheduling a project from a finish date

Begin planning your project by establishing a start date or finish date:

1. Select Project | Project Information.
2. Select your preference for using the start or finish date to schedule your project from.

Figure 1.3: The Project Information dialog box

3. Now enter your chosen date in either the Start Date: or the Finish Date: field. Once a date is entered, the scheduling engine in Microsoft Project will take note of this date and auto-populate some fields in your project as necessary. This will eliminate the need for you to do manual data entry into some fields in your file unless you specifically have a need to do so.
4. On the Gantt chart, the start date will be represented by the appropriate date with a vertical dashed line as shown.

Figure 1.4: The start date shown on a Gantt chart for March 1, 2024

Setting up the start or finish date is the first step you should complete when setting up your project file. The start date indicates an automatic task constraint of As Soon As Possible (ASAP) and a finish date indicates As Late As Possible (ALAP), which we will discuss later in Chapter 3, Managing and Defining Tasks.

Scheduling from a start or finish date aids the Gantt chart in being a dynamic tool in Microsoft Project that visually aids in understanding task dependencies, durations, and overlaps.

Users of Microsoft Project are usually very confused about how tasks are scheduled within Microsoft Project. You have probably noticed that when you make changes to a task or even set up tasks the first time, Project automatically enters task information or moves tasks’ scheduled dates to be different than what was originally set up. What you’re seeing could seem unpredictable and confusing.

Before entering any tasks, take a moment to look at the schedule and identify and make changes to the default schedule that is being used.

To view the default schedule inside of Project, follow these steps:

1. Select File | Options | Schedule.

Figure 1.5: Project’s scheduling options

2. Calendar options for this project shows the defaults before making any changes to the project schedule other than the start date described earlier in this chapter. This is the default schedule used when the scheduling engine is doing calculations, that is, scheduling resources for a task.
3. Scheduling options for this project shows all calendar settings that the scheduling engine will follow when the scheduling engine is doing any calculations, that is, following auto-scheduling or manual scheduling, as will be discussed next.

Unless you make changes to this dialog box, Project will follow these settings. Adjusting these is recommended before you even enter any tasks or assign any resources to a task to set up the defaults for your specific project. Keep in mind, however, that some of these settings can be adjusted at the task or resource level as well, which, if done, will take precedence over these defaults shown.

An easy example of this is that if your entire staff works 10-hour days, you can change this in this options dialogue box. If only one person works a 10-hour day, adjust that on their individual calendar for that resource.

Now let’s look at manual and auto-scheduling and how these apply to your project.

Manual and auto-scheduling in Microsoft Project each have separate advantages and disadvantages, making them suitable for different scenarios. Here are some examples of the pros and cons of each:

Table 1.1: Pros and cons for manual and automatic scheduling

1. You can view the mode that your chosen tasks have by doing the following:
   1. View Manually Scheduled mode, shown with a push pin in the Task Mode field, a question mark will show next to the duration and the Gantt chart bar will be a lighter green color as shown as 1 in the following figure.
   2. View Auto Schedule mode, shown with an icon task bar in the Task Mode field, no question mark by the duration since it auto calculates, and the Gantt Bar will show a blue color as shown as 2 in the following figure.

Figure 1.6: Manual (1) versus auto (2) mode

2. Use the ribbon on the task tab to switch or change between Manually Schedule and Auto Schedule.
3. Select Task | Auto or Manual on the ribbon (when selecting a task, you will be able to tell which mode it is in by checking the highlighted button).

Figure 1.7: Viewing the task type on ribbon

4. View the New Tasks setting. Right-click on the status bar at the bottom of the task sheet. This will indicate the mode that will be created when creating a new task.

Figure 1.8: New task mode

I would suggest that you change this setting from Manual to Auto in all your projects, which can be done by following these steps:

1. Select File | Options | Schedule.
2. Select All New Projects from the drop-down menu by Scheduling options for this project:.

Figure 1.9: Changing the default setting to auto-scheduled

By making this change, you will not have to change your project to automatic every time you start a new project and/or you won’t have to change individual tasks to use automatic scheduling each time you enter a new task.

In short, use manual scheduling for more control and flexibility, especially in the early stages or for fixed-date tasks. Switch to auto-scheduling for efficiency and accuracy in more complex and well-defined projects.

Ultimately, the choice between manual and auto scheduling depends on the specific needs and stage of the project. Microsoft Project allows you to use both types within the same project, offering flexibility to switch between them as needed.

If you have been using Microsoft Project with no formal training, you may have never noticed the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). I always think that the phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know” applies to this toolbar. It is located in the top-left corner of this application. This is named the QAT and is a customizable toolbar used to display your most frequently used tools. By default, this is what you will see on the Quick Access Menu:

• A save button
• An undo button
• A redo button
• A drop-down arrow for more commands.

Here is how it will look to you:

Figure 1.10: The QUAT

Note

Use the drop-down arrow in the QAT to add additional suggested buttons or an option to go to More Commands, which opens a dialog box to allow customizations. This also gives the option to show the toolbar above or below the ribbon. The default is to show it above the ribbon.

We can customize the QAT as per our needs. The following are the steps to customize it:

1. Click the drop-down arrow at the right of the QAT or click File | Options | Quick Access Toolbar.

Figure 1.11: The Project Options dialog box with Quick Access Toolbar selected

2. In the Choose commands from dropdown, select All Commands. You will now have access to all buttons possible for the toolbar.
3. Click Add, which will copy the item over to the Customize Quick Access Toolbar field on the right side.

Figure 1.12: Customizing the QAT

4. Select the command that you want to add to the QAT. My recommendations are as follows:
   1. Close All
   2. Update Tasks
   3. Entire Project
   4. Copy Picture
   5. Scroll to Task
   6. Gantt Chart

Figure 1.13: A customized QAT

5. Select the item and either double-click on it or click the Add button that is in the center between the Choose commands from box and the Customize Quick Access Toolbar box. You can also double-click on the command that you want to send from one box to the other.
6. Rearrange the commands in the order you would like them to appear by selecting a command in the Customize Quick Access Toolbar box and using the arrow up or arrow down buttons to move it to the desired location.
7. Click OK and the buttons will now be on the toolbar:

Figure 1.14: Customized QAT

The QAT can be a real time-saver for helping you get around quickly and efficiently within Microsoft Project. Time is the one thing we all need more of and, if used correctly, this technique will help free up your time.

To reinforce the concepts taught in this chapter, please refer to Chapter 14, Practice Exercises, for a practice exercise written specific for this chapter. This exercise will help solidify your understanding and provide hands-on experience with the material covered. Appendix C, Discussion Points and Assessment Questions, will enhance your learning experience or those of your students and teams by promoting continuous learning assessment and discussion topics for each chapter.

• Start your project planning by setting a start or finish date. This technique provides more flexibility in scheduling, allowing for adjustments as needed.
• Use the QAT for frequently used buttons from the ribbon or buttons whose location you can’t remember by right-clicking on any of the buttons on the ribbon (any ribbon) to see a drop-down menu that will have the option (if available) to Add this button to the Quick Access Toolbar. This is a quick way to add the buttons to the QAT.
• Avoid beginning your project planning with a finish date if possible. This restricts your scheduling flexibility, as it requires tasks to be assigned at the latest possible times, leaving little room for changes to be made that could adjust your critical path.
• Don’t leave buttons on the QAT that you no longer use. Delete them if you find that you are not accessing that command from the QAT. This will clear up space on the QAT for other commands that you frequently use.

In this chapter, we looked at the steps of scheduling in Microsoft Project. We went through the crucial choice of whether to schedule from the start or finish date, a decision that affects the whole project’s direction and that should be made from the start of the project. Imagine a team facing a strict deadline, deciding to plan backward from the finish date to focus on their most critical tasks, showing the versatility of Microsoft Project. We also examined the pros and cons of manual versus automatic scheduling and showed the benefits of the QAT. You not only learned more about how Microsoft Project can help you with your project planning but also gained practical skills that you can apply to your projects, regardless of the approach.

The next chapter will explain how to adjust the calendar feature in Microsoft Project. You’ll learn how to adjust work hours and incorporate specific holidays, tailoring the calendar to your project’s unique requirements.