When a project is similar to one you’ve managed in the past, using an existing Microsoft Project file is a good start. But that old file could have people who don’t work for you anymore, lower labor rates and costs, or other obsolete details. Clearing the detritus of a previous project could take as long as creating the new project from scratch.

The best way to create a Project file without baggage is by saving the existing Project file as a template. You can tell Project to deep-six the information you don’t want and -- voila! -- you have a new Project file with only the information that’s still useful.

Note: When you choose File | New, the New Project task pane tempts you with the From Existing Project link. But this link is just Save As by another name. It doesn’t clean up your existing file in any way.

Here’s how you create a new project from an existing one:

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