Comments for Alex S. Brown, PMP IPMA-C http://www.alexsbrown.com The online home of Alex Brown, project management expert Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:15:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on The Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) Program by Shirly Demeris http://www.alexsbrown.com/csdpprog.html/comment-page-1#comment-8531 Shirly Demeris Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:15:23 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/csdpprog.html#comment-8531 I really believe, people today (meaning most IT experts) don't seem to know where the careers of tomorrow are going to come from. We've left the Information Age and entered the Information Overload Age. The next wave of careers will probably be focused on repairing this problem by converting the information into knowledge - otherwise, the data is worthless. Think about this, we are generating such an abundance of data right now that human beings lost the capacity to keep up with it some time back. Systems (can you say "AI"?) will need to make this happen for us. If you intend to ride the next IT wave, I'd pay attention to artificial intelligence. Opinions anyone? I really believe, people today (meaning most IT experts) don’t seem to know where the careers of tomorrow are going to come from. We’ve left the Information Age and entered the Information Overload Age. The next wave of careers will probably be focused on repairing this problem by converting the information into knowledge – otherwise, the data is worthless. Think about this, we are generating such an abundance of data right now that human beings lost the capacity to keep up with it some time back. Systems (can you say “AI”?) will need to make this happen for us. If you intend to ride the next IT wave, I’d pay attention to artificial intelligence. Opinions anyone?

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Dependencies and Leveling by Alex Brown http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-level.html/comment-page-1#comment-8525 Alex Brown Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:12:38 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-level.html#comment-8525 The default variances are set in calendar days. You can get variances in working days by creating a custom field that calculates the number of working days between the actual and baseline dates, but it is not a built-in field in MS Project. When creating your custom, calculated field, think hard about which calendar you want to use to calculate the number of working days. It might be more useful to calculate using the task and resource calendars. Many calculations in MS Project use the project calendar. Be sure to review the custom field documentation closely to see which calendar your variance calculation is using. The default variances are set in calendar days. You can get variances in working days by creating a custom field that calculates the number of working days between the actual and baseline dates, but it is not a built-in field in MS Project.

When creating your custom, calculated field, think hard about which calendar you want to use to calculate the number of working days. It might be more useful to calculate using the task and resource calendars. Many calculations in MS Project use the project calendar. Be sure to review the custom field documentation closely to see which calendar your variance calculation is using.

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Dependencies and Leveling by Doug Rose http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-level.html/comment-page-1#comment-8522 Doug Rose Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:45:35 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-level.html#comment-8522 Hi, Is there an easy way of setting start and finish variances so that they only count working days? Thanks Hi,
Is there an easy way of setting start and finish variances so that they only count working days?
Thanks

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Calendars by Alex Brown http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html/comment-page-1#comment-8513 Alex Brown Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:05:31 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html#comment-8513 Yes, Amy. There are a few ways to have a company calendar shared among multiple projects. The simplest method is to create a template MPP file. Enter the company calendar into that template, and direct all your project managers to use that template when starting a new project. This method is the one I prefer. I set up default settings for units, views, and other features along with the corporate calendar. If there are all in the template, then everyone automatically shares them. It is also possible to create a company calendar in a sample MPP file, and have each project manager use the "Organizer" to copy the calendar into their own projects. This method requires a little more skill on the part of each project manager. You can search the help for more information about the Organizer and how to copy a calendar between projects. Finally, you can create a "resource pool" MPP file, and direct all your project managers to import their resources from the resource pool. If the resources use a common corporate calendar in the resource pool, then all projects linked to the resource pool will share the corporate calendar. This method requires some discipline and set-up, but is the most resilient of the methods I have listed. If your corporate calendar changes in the future, you can update the "resource pool" MPP file and every project manager gets the update the next time they open their project file. Of course, a Project Server installation will also solve this problem, but I am assuming that you are using a desktop version of MS Project. Yes, Amy. There are a few ways to have a company calendar shared among multiple projects.

The simplest method is to create a template MPP file. Enter the company calendar into that template, and direct all your project managers to use that template when starting a new project. This method is the one I prefer. I set up default settings for units, views, and other features along with the corporate calendar. If there are all in the template, then everyone automatically shares them.

It is also possible to create a company calendar in a sample MPP file, and have each project manager use the “Organizer” to copy the calendar into their own projects. This method requires a little more skill on the part of each project manager. You can search the help for more information about the Organizer and how to copy a calendar between projects.

Finally, you can create a “resource pool” MPP file, and direct all your project managers to import their resources from the resource pool. If the resources use a common corporate calendar in the resource pool, then all projects linked to the resource pool will share the corporate calendar. This method requires some discipline and set-up, but is the most resilient of the methods I have listed. If your corporate calendar changes in the future, you can update the “resource pool” MPP file and every project manager gets the update the next time they open their project file.

Of course, a Project Server installation will also solve this problem, but I am assuming that you are using a desktop version of MS Project.

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Calendars by Alex Brown http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html/comment-page-1#comment-8512 Alex Brown Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:58:32 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html#comment-8512 I have heard of many people asking for this feature, and I do not know of any software that provides that feature. It should be possible to do via scripts, since MS Project is an automation client. Writing a script like that would require some programming skill. I would recommend talking to an MS Office programmer if you are serious about getting that feature at your work place. --Al Brown I have heard of many people asking for this feature, and I do not know of any software that provides that feature. It should be possible to do via scripts, since MS Project is an automation client. Writing a script like that would require some programming skill. I would recommend talking to an MS Office programmer if you are serious about getting that feature at your work place.

–Al Brown

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Calendars by Yah Lian http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html/comment-page-1#comment-8491 Yah Lian Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:36:59 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html#comment-8491 Alex, You tips on solving real life calendar issues are very helpful. To account for non-project time such as meetings and vacations of a resource, I wonder if you know any tools that can automatically extract the non-project time out of a personal calendar to be input into Microsoft Project. Thank you, Yah Alex,
You tips on solving real life calendar issues are very helpful. To account for non-project time such as meetings and vacations of a resource, I wonder if you know any tools that can automatically extract the non-project time out of a personal calendar to be input into Microsoft Project.
Thank you,
Yah

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Calendars by Amy http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html/comment-page-1#comment-8485 Amy Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:08:05 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html#comment-8485 My organization is using Project 2007. We'd like to have a default company calendar we all can use. Is there a way to do that without having to type in all the dates for each new project? My organization is using Project 2007. We’d like to have a default company calendar we all can use. Is there a way to do that without having to type in all the dates for each new project?

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Calendars by Alex Brown http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html/comment-page-1#comment-8481 Alex Brown Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:42:04 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html#comment-8481 I am sorry that the solution did not work. You may want to simply ignore the two-shift aspect to the schedule. It should work to define one shift as 6:00 to 18:00, then another working calendar (shift 2) as 18:00 to 23:59 and 00:00 to 6:00. If that does not work for you, I am not sure what to recommend. Primavera definitely has some advantages over MS Project. Personally I am using Risky Project for most of my scheduling now, and have given up on MS Project. I no longer teach MS Project actively, and have no plans to upgrade to MS Project 2010 because of my many frustrations with the tool. I hope these articles are still helpful to people, and I do my best to help people as I can, but I cannot address all the problems with the latest version since I do not own it myself. Good luck! I am sorry that the solution did not work. You may want to simply ignore the two-shift aspect to the schedule. It should work to define one shift as 6:00 to 18:00, then another working calendar (shift 2) as 18:00 to 23:59 and 00:00 to 6:00. If that does not work for you, I am not sure what to recommend.

Primavera definitely has some advantages over MS Project. Personally I am using Risky Project for most of my scheduling now, and have given up on MS Project. I no longer teach MS Project actively, and have no plans to upgrade to MS Project 2010 because of my many frustrations with the tool. I hope these articles are still helpful to people, and I do my best to help people as I can, but I cannot address all the problems with the latest version since I do not own it myself.

Good luck!

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Calendars by Irba http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html/comment-page-1#comment-8475 Irba Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:10:36 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html#comment-8475 I have tried your suggestion (33) but still not working. I never had this problem with Primavera. I have tried your suggestion (33) but still not working. I never had this problem with Primavera.

]]> Comment on Real-Life MS Project: Calendars by Irba http://www.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html/comment-page-1#comment-8474 Irba Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:05:48 +0000 http://wp.alexsbrown.com/msproj-calendar.html#comment-8474 Hi, 2 shift s per day problem in MS Project 2010, please help. I have a project with 2 shifts per day. First shift start at 06:00 ends 18:00. Second shift Start at 18:00 ends at 06:00. How can I set this up, I have tried but project just change my hours automatically. Any help would be appreciated. Hi,

2 shift s per day problem in MS Project 2010, please help.

I have a project with 2 shifts per day.
First shift start at 06:00 ends 18:00.
Second shift Start at 18:00 ends at 06:00.
How can I set this up, I have tried but project just change my hours automatically.

Any help would be appreciated.

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