Advice for the Project Management Professional (PMP)

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TABLE A-2 Project Tracking Database Tasks (continued)
Order Task Name
16 Control changes
17 Closing
18 Prepare final project report
19 Present final project
20 Project completed
TIP
Entering tasks into Project 2007 and editing the information is similar to entering and editing data in an
Excel spreadsheet. Project 2007, like earlier versions, includes a feature called a SmartTag, which
appears, for example, when you delete a row. The SmartTag clarifies whether you want to delete the entire
task or only clear the contents of a cell.
2. Move the split bar to reveal more columns. If necessary, move the split bar
to the right to reveal the entire Task Name and Duration columns.
3. Adjust the Task Name column width as needed. To make all the text display
in the Task Name column, move the mouse over the right-column gridline in
the Task Name column heading until you see the resize pointer , and then
click the left mouse button and drag the line to the right to make the column
wider, or double-click to adjust the column width automatically.
This WBS separates tasks according to the project management process groups of initiating,
planning, executing, controlling, and closing. These tasks will be the level 1 items
in the WBS for this project. It is a good idea to include all of these process groups because
there are important tasks that must be done under each of them. Recall that the WBS
should include all of the work required for the project. In the Project Tracking Database
WBS, the tasks will be purposefully left at a high WBS level (level 2). You will create these
levels, or the WBS hierarchy, next when you create summary tasks. For a real project, you
would usually break the WBS into even more levels to provide more details to describe all
the work involved in the project. For example, analysis tasks for a database project might
be broken down further to include preparing entity relationship diagrams for the database
and developing guidelines for the user interface. Design tasks might be broken down to
include preparing prototypes, incorporating user feedback, entering data, and testing the
database. Implementation tasks might include more levels, such as installing new hardware
or software, training the users, fully documenting the system, and so on.
Creating Summary Tasks
After entering the WBS tasks listed in Table A-2 into the Entry table, the next step is to show
the WBS levels by creating summary tasks. The summary tasks in this example are Tasks
1 (initiating), 5 (planning), 9 (executing), 14 (controlling), and 17 (closing). You create
summary tasks by highlighting and indenting their respective subtasks.
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Guide to Using Microsoft Project 2007