Introduction to Microsoft Project 2010
Brief Description :
In May 2010, Microsoft officially announced a new version of one of its major products - Microsoft Office. In part this decision is, including the familiar to many product Microsoft Project. As with all other applications office, this product contains many important changes and improvements, some of which had been offered and partners of Microsoft. A detailed review of the new features will still hold by the leading experts in Microsoft Project, here it is highlighted the main innovations of the product.
Re: Introduction to Microsoft Project 2010
Tape :
In this version of the program interface received a dramatic change. The familiar menu has been replaced by tape. 350 teams in order of logical groups of tabs - "Objective", "Resource", "project", "type", "Format". Another tab - "File" - is designed to work with files and settings. Community Project Professional 2010 can use this tab to manage connections to the server Project Server, as well as to retrieve and publish projects. On the tab "problem" placed all that is required for adding and formatting tasks, including the ability to install per cent performance, linking them together, the transformation of the designated tasks manually generated automatically. From the name of "resource" is already clear that there are gathered the team management of resources - personnel, material. You can add and assign them tasks, align to download and run the scheduler of the group.
Project management in general is on the tab "Project", but not limited to management, including the possibility of adding sub and receive reports, including in the form of diagrams, graphs. This tab provides an opportunity to compare different versions of the project. As a result of comparison now includes segments Gantt charts, other graphics to help see more clearly opposed to one version of the project from another. Tab format gives an opportunity to change the submission of the project or move from one representation to another. Here you can choose as basic concepts Gantt chart, the use of tasks and scheduling work groups, with each of the representations has additional options. Through this same tab, you can choose to display the time scale, which can be added to any task from the project. Showing this scale under the tape.
Planner of the group - is also a new Microsoft Project. With it you can see what tasks are members of the group, transfer the problem from one member to another, assign unallocated working performers. The time scale can be used for compact representation of the entire schedule of the project or to highlight the most important phases of work. Once the task will be added to the timeline, you can easily place them at different ranks on the scale (by dragging them inside a gray bar, indicating the project) or as callouts (pulling them out of the gray bar). The time scale can copy and paste it into other Office applications, for example, PowerPoint or Outlook. To do this, click Copy Timeline Format tab and choose your preferred image size. Depending on the selected element representation (Gantt chart, time scale, form tasks, calendar and so on) varies filling another tab - "Format". This content is changed automatically when changing views. Buttons on this tab let you customize the text, columns, colors and other elements for the representation of all types. To zoom in periodical parts of submissions are invited to use the "zoom slider", placed in the status bar. The slider scale can be used in the Gantt chart, network diagram and in the Calendar, as well as all representations of graphs.
Re: Introduction to Microsoft Project 2010
The new interface (Ribbon) is more intuitive and clear than the old "Menu". Many functions that were previously hidden in the depths of the menu, are now in plain sight - easy to include the total problem, customize the Gantt, etc. It should be noted and further innovation interface - Automatic selection of the height of rows for long name problems. Immediately after entering the name of the string is aligned, just working and double-click on the border lines to equalize their height.
But the tape is not always easy because of the large set of commands placed in it. For quick access to frequently used commands can use the context menu of any element of the project.
Planning and management tasks :
Project Version 2010 adds new powerful tool for planning. In addition to automatic, added the possibility of manual planning as all and individual tasks. What does this mean? The fact that instead of the planning system, embodied in the program, you will independently assign start and end points of tasks. In any recalculations and revisions to the project, due dates will not be recalculated. Clearly, in this case problems may arise related tasks. By default, all new challenges - conventional, total or marker - it is formed in manual mode. So if you want to detect potential conflicts in objectives, planned manually, you can add the field "Warning" (it has two meanings - "Yes" or "No") on any page of the problem. Such problems with potential problems can be sorted, grouped, or filtered, which facilitates the systematic solution of problems. To determine the cause of the conflict, we just have to click the task, right-click and choose "Edit in the Inspector tasks." In the window that contains a description of the problem and options for its resolution. Another novelty - the inclusion of the tasks for which no data is necessary for planning, but it is necessary to understand the integrity of the work. When you enter manually without specifying the effective date of the beginning or end and duration of Microsoft Project marks this as a "filler". The field corresponding to this label, you can turn in a sheet of tasks, such as representation "Gantt chart". It can be used for screening, filtering, sorting tasks.
If a filler task contains only information about the duration, then the Gantt chart lighter shade is highlighted segment that goes from the commencement date of the total problem, the nearest to this problem. If two of the three fields are shown the actual data, the Project takes the task from the regime of "filler" in Mode "challenge, scheduled manually. Tasks included in the draft, you can convert to inactive. This opportunity is suitable for use in different situations, for example, to check the planning of the project when changing the set included in the project work. Inactive task can be used in the case where it would add to the project, but not currently planned, or to cancel the previously scheduled tasks without removing it from the project. Simply has to work with the overall objective. No need to first create the necessary work, and then reduce them to the group. Simply select Paste summary task, and only then you can add it private. This is a fundamental difference between the new version of the previous ones, since this seems to be a minor update hidden radical change - in addition to designing "bottom-up" the ability to create project "down". Under "Resources" new feature "Scheduled command. In the window corresponding to this function displays the tasks of each team member. For each participant tasks are displayed in a separate line, which allows you to quickly understand who, what and when.
Resource planning has become somewhat easier, especially in the transfer of tasks from the Executive to the Executive. Also, it's easier to manually carry out load balancing of resources. There were also new features:
- unassigned and unplanned areas;
- automatic alignment;
- Update on status of tasks;
- the colors, fonts, sections, filters and grouping.
Re: Introduction to Microsoft Project 2010
Integration:
Community Project 2010 can export the project files in the list of SharePoint. This allows project managers to quickly and easily publish status of the project or to create reports that will be available for the entire organization. To synchronize with a SharePoint list is not required Project Web App.
Integrating MS Project 2010 with Exchange Server allows project team members to view, update, delete, and report on the status of tasks published in Outlook, Outlook Web Access (OWA) and other applications that have the ability to sync tasks with Exchange Server. New integration with Exchange Server does not allow to fill the schedule, but gives a number of other features that are not in a plugin for MS Project 2007 Outlook:
- opportunity to report on the tasks MS Project 2010 Server via Outlook Web Access.
- ability to report without installation on client computers additional component.
- closer integration with the objectives of Outlook, without having to manually carry out the import targets.
- opportunity to report on the tasks MS Project 2010 from the mobile phone (with a customized synchronization with MS Exchange).
Version :
Tabletop version of Microsoft Project 2010 is available in two versions: Microsoft Project Standard 2010 and Microsoft Project Professional 2010. The main differences between these versions can be summarized in the table.
Findings :
Microsoft Project 2010 - is not just a new version, it is an essential step in the development of the product. Such dramatic changes in the product was already ten years. The new graphical user interface with customization, new methods of planning, adding inactive projects objectives and tasks that do not have the exact dates of commencement or completion of works, management of resource groups, and much more. For users it will be interesting to know is that the development of Microsoft Project 2010 and takes into account the wishes of the partners with Microsoft, that allow to the Project if possible, on demand in our market.
