Creating a project that has uncertaintities

[djc225]

Hi Everyone I'm very new to project management and pm software so I don't know the term for what I'm trying to do and then, more importantly, how to do it in MS project 2010. I guess it could best be described as putting in a decision tree with nodes where the project can go down different paths based on project results or other external and not predictable factors. How do i model this?

Here's one specific and simplified example

1 create PPC test campaign
1.1 create ppc test budget and ads
1.2 run PPC test campaign

2. Measure PPC campaign effectiveness

3. PPC is profitable
3.1 expand ppc camaign

4 PPC is not profitable
4.1 redesign and launch ppc-2

5. Measure PPC-2 effectiveness

6. ppc-2 is profitable
7. pcc-2 is not profitable

so steps 4 - 4.1 could not happen at all, or if they do happen, would require a repeat of steps 1, 1.1, 1.2, 2, ect. Also this could end up going through 10 iterations before steps 3 and 3.1 happen (the desired result for continuation of the project). what's the best way to handle this?

thanks in advance

[JulieS]

One option is to create a project will all possible choices in it and then use the "Inactive" task feature in Project 2010.

All projects are uncertain, so as much as we'd like to have the perfect plan out of the gate -- you won't ever get there. Remember you can copy/paste tasks in Project. If you copy a summary task -- all of it's children will be copied as well.

Copy summary and subtasks for further iterations -- just make sure you have the authorization to continue at every decision point.

I hope this helps.

Julie