Advice for the Project Management Professional (PMP)

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and task dependencies, you can view the network diagram and critical path information.
This section describes how to use each of these time management features.
Entering Task Durations
When you enter a task, Project 2007 automatically assigns to it a default duration of one
day, followed by a question mark. To change the default duration, type a task’s estimated
duration in the Duration column. If you are unsure of an estimate and want to review it
again later, enter a question mark after it. For example, you could enter 5d? for a task with
an estimated duration of five days that you want to review later. You can then use the Tasks
With Estimated Durations filter to see quickly the tasks for which you need to review
duration estimates.
To indicate the length of a task’s duration, you must type both a number and an appropriate
duration symbol. If you type only a number, Project 2007 automatically enters days
as the duration unit. Duration unit symbols include:
● d = days (default)
● w = weeks
● m = minutes
● h = hours
● mo or mon = months
● ed = elapsed days
● ew = elapsed weeks
For example, to enter one week for a task duration, type 1w in the Duration column.
(You can also type wk, wks, week, or weeks, instead of just w.) To enter two days for a task
duration, type 2d in the Duration column. The default unit is days, so if you enter 2 for the
duration, it will be entered as 2 days. You can also enter elapsed times in the Duration
column. For example, 2ed means two elapsed days, and 2ew means two elapsed weeks. You
would use an elapsed duration for a task like “Allow paint to dry.” The paint will dry in
exactly the same amount of time regardless of whether it is a workday, a weekend, or a
holiday.
TIP
If the Duration column is not visible, drag the split bar to the right until the Duration column is in view.
Entering time estimates or durations might seem like a straightforward process. However,
you must follow a few important procedures:
● As you saw in the previous section, when you enter a task in the Task Name column,
1 day? appears in the Duration column. The question mark means that
you are unsure of the duration or want to go back to it. Be sure to enter the
durations you want to appear.
● Do not enter durations for summary tasks. Summary task durations are calculated
automatically based on the subtasks. If you enter a duration for a task and
then make it a summary task, its duration will automatically change to match
the durations of its subtasks. Project 2007 will not allow you to enter or change the
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Guide to Using Microsoft Project 2007