When Is A Task Not Quite Task? Find Out Via Project

The point of any project is to get a job done well so all interested parties are satisfied with the outcome.

This could involve co-ordinating one simple task, but it's more than likely that you'll need to stay in control of lots of different variables if the assignment is connected to your workplace. Several colleagues may be directly impacted by the initiative and they will have their own thoughts and idea on the matter at hand, as well as providing you with advice and tips, whether they are welcomed or not! Just the fact that you'll have to keep a few workers updated means that the simple task you're attempting to tackle already has a series of smaller jobs attached to it.

However, you may be preparing to launch yourself into a massive campaign, and are getting fully prepared for all the mini-projects that make up the larger goal. In both of these cases, Microsoft Project can help you to define and schedule tasks.

Take a critical look at the critical path

Companies need deadlines, they give staff a clear time frame to work towards and can help to predict when you could see results/profits arising from the project concerned. Say for example you are in charge of updating the way a national photography company takes and process images. The project will see digital cameras replacing older analogue types and laptops introduced so customers can view and suggest edits as soon as pictures are taken.

Bosses will want to know when this will occur so they are aware when profits from the new system may start pouring in - which may help to pay off loans and financing. There is likely to be many meetings about how long this will take, with colleagues and stakeholders agreeing an allotted time frame. Following this you can take this information and begin entering data into Microsoft Project files.

Firstly, you need to establish the critical path, this is the length of time it takes you to complete essential jobs, and a simple change to one of these smaller tasks, such as a delay in receiving the digital cameras, will cause repercussions throughout the entire project, making it late.

Dependencies

As you can gather, in a project of this size they'll be many tasks to schedule and fulfil. Project can help you link them together so you're able to see how each assignment affects the others. The software allows you to put these mini-jobs into different categories, then project works its magic to inform you of clashes or timing deficits.

There are four main categories with the first being Finish-to-Start. This is straightforward and it basically means that task B (which could be on-the-job staff training after receiving the cameras) cannot begin until task A (ordering and delivery of the cameras) is complete.

If you have decided that a task falls into the second category, Start-to-Start, Project assumes that assignment B (printing photos) won't be initiated until the first assignment (staff training) has launched, although in this instance A does not have to fully complete for B to begin - as training may take some months and be on-the-job.

The third category is described as Finish-to-Finish and is applied when task A (photography sittings) needs to conclude before task B (photos enter editing process) can start. The final category is Start-to-Finish is similar to the previous one, but in this case task A (photography editing) needs to finish before Task B (edited photos sent to customers) can be concluded rather than merely started.