Microsoft Project Help

Icey370

Hi all, hope you can help me with something.

I don't have too much experience with MS project, but have a basic understanding of how to use it (done basic charts on it before - if ever it got too much I just switched to Excel)

Anyways, I need to use MS Project to create a Gantt chart for upcoming tasks. Iv made the chart which includes the estimated time each task will take and when each will start and finish.

However, another part is to show what the actual time, start and finish dates are for each task then compare them on the Gantt chart (to show timeliness and project management skills)

When I enter in the actual time it took, start date and end date, these replace the estimated dates and times Iv made; they also change the Gantt chart to match the actual dates and times

I'd rather not use two different rows for each (estimated and actual dates), but have a single row displaying the estimated and actual dates (distinguished by different style bars)

Is there a way to do this? Does anyone know how to do this?

I would be most grateful for any help/tips

Thanks

InsideInsurance

Project is meant mainly as a planning tool and some element of a tracking tool. It isnt meant as an audit tool.

You can enter your planned dates as Baseline Start, Baseline Finish and then enter the actuals under Actual Start and Actual Finish. If you change the Gantt chart type to Baseline it will then show the two sets of lines for each task.

Im_just_careful

What you want is a called a tracking Gantt chart. You save the plan as a baseline and enter an actual. You can then get the display you want.

Microsoft Project is a bit tricky to use. However if it wasn't they wouldn't have to pay project managers so well !

InsideInsurance

Im_just_careful wrote: »

Microsoft Project is a bit tricky to use. However if it wasn't they wouldn't have to pay project managers so well !

I'd argue I do more to justify my pay than simply operate MSP. If I use it once every 6 months I'd say its unusual.

Im_just_careful

InsideInsurance wrote: »

I'd argue I do more to justify my pay than simply operate MSP. If I use it once every 6 months I'd say its unusual.

It wasn't an entirely serious comment !

bod1467

I use MSP to schedule my own work tasks. (I get pulled onto various different projects so I need something to help me keep on track and know what I'm supposed to be doing when).

Icey370

Thanks a lot guys, sounds like what I want, il give it a try