Book Image

Learning Microsoft Project 2019

By : Srikanth Shirodkar
Book Image

Learning Microsoft Project 2019

By: Srikanth Shirodkar

Overview of this book

Microsoft Project is one of the most popular project management tools for enterprises of all sizes thanks to its wide variety of features such as project scheduling, project budgeting, built-in templates, and reporting tools. Learning Microsoft Project 2019 will get you started with the basics and gradually guide you through the complete project life cycle. Starting with an overview of Microsoft Project 2019 and a brief introduction to project management concepts, this book will take you through the different phases of project management – initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure. You will then learn how to identify and handle problems related to scheduling, costing, resourcing, and work allocation. Understand how to use dynamic reports to create powerful, automated reports and dashboards at the click of a button. This Microsoft Project book highlights the pitfalls of overallocation and demonstrates how to avoid and resolve these issues using a wide spectrum of tools, techniques, and best practices. Finally, you will focus on executing Agile projects efficiently and get to grips with using Kanban and Scrum features. By the end of this book, you will be well-versed with Microsoft Project and have the skills you need to use it effectively in every stage of project management.
Table of Contents (32 chapters)
1
Section 1: The Iron Triangle – a Quick Primer for Project Management
3
Section 2: Project Initiation with Microsoft Project
8
Section 3: Project Planning Like a Pro!
13
Section 4: Project Execution – the Real Deal
15
Chapter 11: Overallocation – the Bane of Project Managers
18
Section 5: Monitoring and Control with Microsoft Project
23
Section 6: Project Closure with Microsoft Project
Appendix A: Using This Book as a Textbook
Appendix C: Keyboard Shortcuts
Appendix D: Glossary

Formatting bar styles

We often take how much information is packed tightly into a Gantt chart for granted. Over the next few sections, we will explore the visual design of both single taskbars and the entire Gantt chart in greater detail.

Formatting a single, specific taskbar (local-level formatting)

Any single taskbar can be customized by selecting it and then clicking on the Bar link from the Format dropdown. Refer to the following screenshot:

Figure 9.13 – Customizing a single taskbar element

Clicking on this link opens the Format Bar dialog box, as shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 9.14 – Format Bar dialog box

Take a moment to observe this intuitive dialog box in detail. There are two tabs: one for the visual effects, called Bar Shape, and another for textual information, called Bar Text. The taskbar is visually composed of three parts – Start, Middle, and End. Furthermore, each of these parts...