When you launch Microsoft Project 2013 and higher, by default, the Start Screen is displayed. The Start Screen displays a list of the recent projects you have opened, and also gives you access to Open Other Projects or access a Template.
Microsoft Project has a standard ribbon structure along the top of the screen with commands available under each ribbon. The commands are grouped together in sections under each ribbon, for example, the Task ribbon includes the sections View, Clipboard, Font, Schedule, Tasks, Insert, and Properties.
Directly above the ribbons is the Quick Access toolbar. This displays some commonly used buttons that you may access directly instead of having to select the buttons on the ribbon. You may add or remove buttons by using the pull-down to toggle on or off the buttons.
The Entry Bar is located above the task list and is used to edit data.
The default view in Microsoft Project is the Gantt Chart with Timeline view. To remove the Timeline view, select the View ribbon, and under the Split View section, uncheck the checkbox next to Timeline.
The upper Timeline pane is removed…
On the left side of the view is the table area, consisting of rows and columns of information. Each row represents a Summary Task, a Detailed Task or a milestone in our schedule. Each column represents a field of data in our schedule. Each column has a header.
There are scrollbars available to allow you to scroll through the rows and columns.
The column on the far left is the ID, sometimes referred to as task ID. This ID number will change for a task based on its location in the task list as rows are added, deleted, and moved in the project.
Next to the ID, is the Indicator column. This column holds various icons flagging information about a task, for example, Task complete, Task Calendar, Constraint assigned, and Resource overallocation. We will discuss these later in the course.
Working with Field Columns
Microsoft Project has more than 100 fields of data available for each task row. Some of these fields are user entered, some are calculated by Microsoft Project, and some are either – meaning you may enter information in the field, but if you don’t, Microsoft Project may enter information into it.
Each Microsoft Project table displays a specific subset of these fields in columns.
Column widths may be increased or decreased by clicking and dragging on the far right of the column heading.
You may insert additional columns into a table by right-clicking on the header of the column you want to insert the new column to the left of, selecting Insert Column, and selecting the field you want to insert. As you begin to type the first letters of the field you wish to insert, Microsoft Project will filter the list.
You may remove columns from the table by right-clicking on the header of the column you wish to delete, and selecting Hide Column.
The Gantt Chart Area
To the right of the table, is the Gantt Chart area. Bars are visible that represent each task defined in your project. Milestones are represented by a diamond in the Gantt Chart area.
There is a Calendar Line at the top of the Gantt Chart area. At the bottom right of the screen, there is a Zoom Slider Bar that allows you to zoom in and zoom out on the calendar line timescale.
There is a scrollbar at the bottom of the Gantt Chart area that may be used to scroll through the calendar line.
There are a number of options available on the View ribbon in the Zoom section that you may use to control the timescale of the Calendar Line. The most commonly used options include:
Timescale pulldown: Select a specific timescale, for example, Days, Weeks, or Months. You may also select the bottom Timescale… option to specifically define the granularity of the Calendar Line, and the format for the dates.
Zoom pulldown: Use to select Zoom In or Zoom Out.
Entire Project: Formats your timescale so that the entire span of your project is visible in the current width available for the Gantt Chart area.
Selected Tasks: Formats your timescale so that the bars for all tasks currently selected are visible in the current width available for the Gantt Chart area. This will adjust the timescale and scroll the Calendar Line to display the selected tasks.
There is also an option on the Task ribbon, in the Editing section, called Scroll to Task. When this option is selected, the Gantt Chart area Calendar Line will scroll so that the bar is visible for the currently selected task.
Working with Tables, Filters, Groups, and Views
The information displayed on the screen is controlled by tables, filters, groups, and views.
Tables hold the columns of field information that you see. A table definition specifies which columns are shown, and width and alignment information for each. Microsoft Project contains a number of default tables.
To see a list of tables, right-click above the ID column. A subset of the total list is displayed, with the table that is currently applied to your project with a checkmark next to it.
You may select another table from the list, or select More Tables to see the full list of available tables. If you select More Tables you may scroll through the full list, click on the table you want to use, and click Apply.
Tables have been created to focus on various types of information, and to support various stages in your project lifecycle such as entering and updating tasks. Additionally, a number of tables have been created to support reporting and analysis.
Filters allow you to limit the rows that are being displayed. Microsoft Project contains a number of default filters.
To access a filter, on the View ribbon in the Data section, click on the Filter: pulldown. A subset of the total list is displayed, with the filter that is currently applied to your project highlighted.
You may select another filter from the list, or select More Filters to see the full list of available tables. If you select More Filters you may scroll through the full list, click on the filter you want to use, and click Apply. The selected filter will be applied to your project. The task rows that meet the criteria defined by the filter will be displayed, and any task rows that don’t meet the criteria will be hidden from view.
When the predefined filters are applied, by default, the rows that meet the criteria are displayed, and so are all of the summary tasks above the selected rows even if the summary rows don’t meet the criteria. There is a toggle at the bottom of the Filter pulldown called Show Related Summary Rows that may be toggled off, so that the only summary rows displayed are those that also meet the criteria.
Toggled on:
Toggled off:
Highlight may be used as an alternative to filtering. The Highlight: pulldown is directly above the Filter: pulldown.
Under Highlight:, the choices available are the same as under Filter:. However, when Highlight: is applied, instead of displaying only the task rows that meet the criteria specified, all task rows are displayed, and the task rows that meet the criteria are highlighted in yellow. Highlighting allows you to see your selected tasks in the context of the entire project.
A Display AutoFilter toggle is available under the Filter: pulldown. If you toggle this option on, each column in the table will have an autofilter pulldown available. You have several options available under the autofilter pulldown:
- You may sort the table based on the field that you are autofiltering in ascending or descending order.
- You may Group the information in various ways depending on the field type for the field that you are autofiltering.
- Each field also has some related predefined filters, and there are special filters for certain field types.
- At the bottom of the autofilter pulldown is a list of all of the values that appear in that field for all tasks currently visible in your project. You may select and deselect values as needed.
Groups in Microsoft Project allow you to sort and section your detailed tasks. By default, summary tasks are not shown when a group is applied. There are some default groups in available Microsoft Project.
On the View ribbon in the Data section, click on the pulldown for Groups. A subset of the total list is displayed, with the group that is currently applied to your project highlighted.
You may select another group from the list, or select More Groups to access the full list of available groups just as we did with Tables and Filters. Click on the filter you want to use, and click Apply. The selected group will be applied to your project. The task rows will be sorted based on the field defined in the group and for each unique value of that field, a summary row will be inserted and highlighted in yellow. Fields such as Duration, Start, and Finish will be rolled up to each group’s inserted yellow summary row.
A view is a combination of a table, a group, a filter, and a screen type. There are many default views in Microsoft Project.
The name of the current view that is applied to your project is displayed to the far left of the table area. To access a different view, right-click on the far left of the table – near the current view name. The current view applied to your project will have a checkmark next to it. Select any other view listed by clicking on it, or select More Views to access the full list of available views. As previously, the initial list you see on the pulldown is a subset of the total list. If you select More Views you can select and apply a view from the full list just as we did with Tables, Filters, and Groups. The selected View will be applied to your project.
Information in your schedule may be viewed in a single view or a combination view. A combination view displays two single views together, one in the top pane and one in the bottom pane.
The default view in Microsoft Project is the combination view called Gantt with Timeline that was shown above. It includes the Timeline view in the top pane, and the Gantt Chart view in the bottom pane.
You may split your screen and combine any two views that exist into a combination view. To split the screen, on the View ribbon in the Split View section, click the checkbox next to Details. By default, the Gantt Chart view is shown in the top pane and the Task Form view is shown in the bottom pane. This is the combination view called Task Entry. You may change the top and bottom views displayed by following the steps we just covered to change views.
Whenever you are working in a combination view, the information displayed in the bottom pane is based on what is selected in the top pane.
Default Task Mode Selector
At the bottom left of your screen, the current default Task Mode for new tasks is displayed. If the Project Options are set up as described in the next section, you should always see New Tasks: Auto Scheduled. However, there may be times when you see New Tasks: Manually Scheduled, for example when you open a schedule that was created prior to setting the options. If you ever see New Tasks: Manually Scheduled, you may click on the the option displayed and select New Tasks: Auto Scheduled.
Another way you may notice that tasks are being added as Manually Scheduled, is if you see the icon shown below in the Task Mode column. If a task is set to Manually Scheduled, you may click on the Task Mode cell and change it to Auto Scheduled.
Opening, Saving, and Closing Projects
Open
You may open a project from the Start Screen by selecting the project from the Recent list or selecting Open Other Projects. If you are not in the Start Screen you may select Open from the File ribbon.
From the Open dialog, select the Browse button to locate the project you wish to open. Select it and click Open.
Save
To save a new project, select Save As from the File ribbon, and click the Browse button to specify the location that you want to save to.
To perform an interim save of the project you may use your CTRL + S keys, select the Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar, or you may select Save from the File ribbon. Your project will be saved. Once you have saved the project you are no longer able to Undo any changes you have made.
Close
To close your project, you have three options:
- Close on the File ribbon, will close the current project and leave Microsoft Project open.
- Clicking the Close Window button which is the lower X at the top right of the screen, will also close the current project and leave Microsoft Project open.
- Clicking the Close button which is the upper X at the top right of your screen will close any projects that are open, and close Microsoft Project.
If you have made changes since the last time you saved your project, a dialog box appears asking if you want to save your changes.
If you have made additional changes that you want to keep since your last save, select YES. If you do not want to save the changes, click No. The Cancel option will return you to your open schedule.
