microsoft project ??????????
 

i was wondering if anyone uses this program at work , as i am now officially an engineering planner at work ( well apprentice anyway :D :D :D ) , i will have to use this program at some point , i was wondering if it is easy to use or a right **** :disturbd: :disturbd: :D :D :D :D

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

Easy though it can soon get very complex as your gantt charts expand.

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

:disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd:


never even heard of them :Yikes:

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

Micro Project is very simular to Excell apart from the bars but it runs and feels the same and is fairly easy to get used to.
Wait till you start on primavera and sure track now thats a different kettle of fish

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

hey you said 'officially' - good on you Paul :tu:

- 'project' looks ok, I've only seen printouts of critical paths for new products, rather than planned maintenance, for example, though :dozey:

- the help files are usually good if you have a few hours :D

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

I have got it installed on my system but I do not know what it does. Can some one please explain?

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

cheers my mate , yup -------- officially :tu: , i was given the unofficial nod yesterday so today confirmed it , now the fun starts :disturbd: , mind you i reckon it aint going to be a bad thing to get into , i hope :erm: :D :D :D

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

PERT charts is another term, and no it does not refer to Page 3 or FHM etc

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

wouldn't those be "PERKY" charts?

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

does anyone fancy reassuring me that i am getting into something good here :disturbd: :D :D :D :D

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

No.

Run like hell from it ..... :disturbd:

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

Project can get quite complicated - awful lot of features to it. I'm not that big on using project planning tools like Project - you tend to get bogged down in making the plans look nice and fiddling with your figures. It's not hard to learn though - you can be creating plans and resourcing them in no time :)

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

Exactly - I know too many project planners that, once hiccups occur, they keep changing the plan but never the resource needed.

Too many true stories of along the lines of
Planner : "How much time will it take you to do xxxxxxxxx "
Engineer : "I'll need at least 2 weeks, once the test gear is available"
Planner : "You've got 2 days, says so in my plan"
Engineer : "2 days !!!!!! We're doomed......."

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

:D

All about them is chaos and yet the planners keep tweaking the plan and thinking it's all under control :no: If you have to keep altering the plan, bin it and start again - a plan should be altered infrequently.

Key things - be realistic with your planning (know how long things will take), build in plenty of milestones, and monitor the plan - the sooner you know things are going tits up, the sooner you can allocate more resources, scream at contractors... Keep activities as atomic as possible, and run as many activities simultaneously as you can.

I'm not big on planning to be honest - IME too much time goes into planning and not enough into the doing. I once attended a meeting to decide the date for the meeting at which we'd decide what we're going to do! :disturbd:

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

Project is a good, useful too, but it can get complicated.

Like someone said, the best bet is to use the very good Help or Tutorials.

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

I'll second that...It's a beast of a package...Just try changing the length of a working day from the standard 7.5 hours to 7 hours when you have 1000 tasks in a plan!!!

I use Project 2000 which at one point was connected to project server so multiple people all updating the same plan at the same time (veerrrryyyy ssssllllloooooooowwwww). There are so many features in the product that I don't know what half of them do but I quite happily create gnatt charts and assign resources to the tasks sometimes I even link tasks to create dependendancies - Been known to add the odd milestone everynow and then!!!

Woah - Sound like a project manager!!! (runs and hides!)

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

that sounds like where i work :disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd:


thanks for the posts guys :tu: :)

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

6703 posts and you have time to WORK :Yikes: ahhh project manager ;)

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

oi git :mad: :mad: :mad: , all the posts were made in my own time thank you , it was funny at work the other week , the bloke in charge of i.t. is an american in america , he reckoned that everyone at work should be allowed internet access :erm: , now knowing some of the ppl at our site the local i.t. manager had a :fit: and it lasted 3 days before it was removed :D :D :D :D

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

I have been a project planner for 10 years, using MS Project now for the past 5 years.

Can I recommend strongly that you speak to your boss and get on a basis training course. There are tons of places that do them. This must last about 3-5 days. This will teach you good habits so you can avoid the problems other people are coming up with. The you need to practise, practise, practise. Sorry MS Project is easy to use but hard to master. Or rather Project Management is hard to master.
A top tip is to regularly speak to the doers, who ever they are, and get them to own the plan.

Enjoy

George

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

they have already mentioned training , but not said whether it will be in house or not , i will have to wait and see , thanks for the advice :)

Re: microsoft project ??????????
 

When i started using project200 i bought a Microsoft book complete with a CD. the book is great for reference and the CD has the program itself and step by step tutorials that go with the book to plan out a whole project from timeline to resources and all items associated with these things.
As someone has already said its pretty easy to learn but can be a devil to master.