Building a Project Plan—Exercises
Basic Data Setup
Person Identity
Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how
to create a person identity. For example, create a person connected to your system
user ID.
Windows:
Persons
- Create a new record.
- Enter a person identity and a name.
- Enter the user ID to be associated with this person, or select it from the
List of Values.
- Save your changes.
Activity Classes
Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how
to register activity classes.
Windows:
Project Basic/Activity Class
- Create activity classes that you can assign to your activities.
- Save your changes.
General exercise for
Registering Activity
Classes
Progress Templates
Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how
to create progress templates.
Windows:
Project Basic/Progress Template
- Create progress templates that you can assign to your activities.
- Save your changes.
General exercise for
Entering Progress Templates
Required Data
Creating Project
Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to familiarize
you with the data that must be in place before you can do the exercises below.
- Create a project ID.
- Save your changes.
General exercise for Creating
Projects
Main Exercise
Purpose: The purpose of these exercises is to show you how
to build a project plan by manually creating a project structure consisting of subprojects
and activities. You will register information about the activities. Also, this lesson
will show you how to revise your project structure.
Windows:
Project Navigator/Activity
Project Navigator/Sub Project
Project Navigator/Activity List
Project Navigator/Activity
- Open the Project Navigator
window, and click the
Sub Project tab.
- Select the desired subproject or project node in the project Navigator,
and create a new record.
Note: You must select the Project icon in the Navigator
if you want to create a new subproject directly under the project. If a subproject
is selected, the new subproject will be created under the selected subproject. You
cannot select an activity.
- Enter a subproject ID.
- Enter a subproject description.
- The project manager appears as the default value for subproject manager.
Optionally, enter another person identity with a user ID in the subproject manager
field, or select it from the List of Values.
- Optionally, enter the department responsible for the subproject.
- Optionally, select a delivery address from the addresses defined for the
specific project, to be used as the default for the sub project.
- Save your changes.
- Repeat steps 2–7 to create more subprojects.
- Optionally, if project roles and project role assignments are used, run
the Generate Role Assignments option in the Project Role Assignments
tab to reflect the changes in the project structure to the project role assignments.
- In the project Navigator, select one of the subprojects created in the above
exercise.
- Click the Activity List
tab, and create a new record.
- Enter an activity number.
- Enter an activity description.
- Enter the early start date for the activity.
- Specify whether to enter the early finish date so that the value for total
workdays is calculated automatically, or enter total workdays so that the early
finish date is calculated. (If there is no calendar associated with the project,
you can enter a value only for early finish date, and the field for total workdays
is left empty.)
- Optionally, select a delivery address from the addresses defined for the
specific project, to be used as the default for the activity.
- To continue adding activities to the selected subproject, create a new record,
and repeat steps 3–6.
- Save your changes.
- In the project Navigator, select one of your new activities, and click the
Activity tab. Note
that your new activity has the Planned status.
- Click the Details tab. Note that a
unique activity sequence number and short name have been generated.
- Select each of your subprojects in the project Navigator, and repeat steps
2–8 so that you create at least one activity under each subproject.
- Optionally, if project roles and project role assignments are used, run
the Generate Role Assignments option in the Project Role Assignments
tab to reflect the changes in the project structure to the project role assignments.
- Select one of your activities in the project Navigator, and click the
Activity tab.
- View the information that you previously entered, and note that other fields
have default values.
- Note that the subproject manager has been assigned as activity responsible
by default. Optionally, enter another person identity in the Responsible
ID field, or select it from the List of Values.
- Enter an appropriate activity class, or select it from the List of Values.
- If the activity is an activity milestone, select the Activity Milestone
check box. Note that the activity's work days will be set to 0 (zero).
- Click the
Estimate
tab and enter estimated values for the activity.
- Note the default value for the activity planned cost driver. In the Planned
Cost Driver list, select a relevant activity-planned cost driver.
- Note the default value for the activity progress method. In the Progress
Method list, select a relevant activity progress method.
- Click the Details tab.
- Note the default value for the activity short name that has been automatically
generated. Optionally, enter another short name for the activity. If you
leave the field empty, it will automatically be regenerated with the default
value when you save your changes.
- If you want to use the template progress method for this activity, enter
an appropriate progress template, or select it from the List of Values.
- In the Progress Template Step field, use the List of Values to view
the available steps that are associated with the selected progress template.
Because we have not yet started to execute the activity, leave this field blank.
- Optionally, enter a note about the activity.
- Save your changes.
- Repeat the above steps to add information to other activities.
- Move an activity from one subproject to another. To do so, select the desired
activity in the project Navigator and drag it to its new subproject. Note that
you must release the activity when your cursor is over the new subproject node.
- Note that all activity information is unchanged, including the activity
number, sequence number, and short name.
- Move a subproject to another node in the project structure. To do so, select
the desired subproject in the project Navigator, and drag it to its new location
in the project structure. Note that you must release the subproject when your
cursor is over the new subproject node or the project node.
- Note that the moved subproject has retained its activities with information.
- To copy an existing activity, click the
Activity tab. In the
project Navigator, select the activity that you want to copy.
- Right-click anywhere in the tab, and then click Copy Activity.
- Select the subproject to which your new activity should belong using the
List of Values.
- Enter an activity number for your new activity.
- Click OK. A message appears indicating that your new activity has
been successfully copied.
- Click OK. If the activity you copied has any connected resources
or tasks, or valid report codes, these will also be copied to your new activity.
- To delete an existing activity, click the
Activity tab. In the
project Navigator, select the activity that you want to delete.
- Right-click anywhere in the tab, and then click Delete Activity.
- Click Yes. Note that the activity with connected objects is deleted.
- To delete an entire subproject structure, select the desired subproject
in the project Navigator, right-click, and then click Delete Sub Project
Structure.
- Click Yes. Note that the subproject, its underlying subprojects,
and activity with connected objects are deleted.
- Optionally, if project roles and project role assignments are used, run
the Generate Role Assignments option in the Project Role Assignments
tab to reflect the changes in the project structure to the project role assignments.