Last time I introduced the concept of the “leveling hierarchy” and examined the first three hierarchy levels: Priority 1000, Manual and Started Tasks. In this article, we review the remainder of the leveling hierarchy. As a reminder, all of the examples I present look for overallocations on a “Day by Day” level with the scheduling…

Last time we examined resource leveling mechanics for Microsoft Project. This time, we look at the leveling hierarchy. And because it’s a BIG topic that can easily overwhelm, I’m breaking it into two “bite-sized” articles. Overallocation Types As a refresher, an overallocation is a situation where a project resource is scheduled to work more than…

  Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: Task Types and Effort Driven are two of the most confusing features of Microsoft Project, both to novice users and experienced users alike.  For example, have you ever…

What are Microsoft Project workdays? What can you change, what should you change and where do you change it? This article covers what you can expect with certain changes in the workdays settings, as well as some advice on what to do and what to leave alone. Granted, some advice might not apply to your…

A question asked occasionally in the Microsoft Project and Project Online user forums is this: “How can I link a task in one project with a task in another project?” The heart of this question is that the project manager needs to know how to create cross-project dependencies. This question is relevant to almost all…

My background in construction and construction project management includes building houses, remodeling and commercial construction. Just as a good carpenter wouldn’t have a single tool in his or her tool belt to undertake a project, neither should an agile project manager or team member rely on a single tool to provide the best possible outcome…

Have you ever had a situation where a tested, tried and true formula was producing an “incorrect” result? Recently one of my client schedulers wanted to know, “How can a formula produce correct results for 500 other tasks, but produce an obviously incorrect result for only one task?” In her schedule she was using this…

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: In the first webinar of this multi-part series, Microsoft Project expert Ira Brown will present techniques for initiating a new project that is consistent with established organizational standards. This presentation…

  All too often schedule risk analysis is perceived as an advanced and time consuming technique performed in a cursory manner only to satisfy contract bid requirements. This article shows how even simple generic analysis can highlight areas for estimate refinement and then how tools like historical analysis and estimate confidence assessments can dramatically improve…

Task Analyzer is produced by Sensei Project Solutions.   Product Summary: The Task Analyzer helps users evaluate each task for potential concerns.         Capabilities: One platform that compiles many tools used for identifying and addressing concerns Instant feedback – issues are presented for selected task until they’re resolved Checks and exceptions can be adjusted…