Now look here.
I’m in this damn Microsoft Project application, and I’m viewing my schedule using a Gantt
Chart view, whooah.
And I like this view.
I got this… this… project schedule here in the Gantt chart… and clearly… clearly
there’s some structure to it, right.
That’s the way l like it.
Organized.
I have a nicely structured Work Breakdown Structure, or WBS as its often called.
And I can visually follow the flow of my tasks.
Okay.
There’s a lot of information there, right?
I can simplify it…
So.
I can click on the View tab, and if I want to, I can click on the Outline button and
select Level 1.
That shows me just the high level stuff I might wanna see, right.
And if I want to see stuff at the next level down, bring some more stuff
into focus, I go back to the Outline button… and I select Level 2.
And now I got more detail, right, and I like that.
And I’m still organized.
My tasks, the activities making up my WBS, … they make sense.
Visually.
But… whenever I switch to a Resource Usage view to see the time-phased work or time-phased
cost stuff associated with my resources and their tasks…
like this… (give me a 2 second pause) …and the data is presented to me (tension
rising) with a total lack of organization from a WBS standpoint…
I almost lose my mind!
So.
I had to figure this out, right.
I’ve got schedules to manage.
I’ve got people to manage.
But I can’t do it… in a state… of disorganization on this damn Resource
Usage view!
I mean…
I can see my people… and what tasks they’re assigned to.
And I can see how much work they have and when it’s planned for them… but I’m
fucking lost without the reference to the Summary Tasks I’ve used
to build out and organize my WBS in the first place!
I FEEL LIKE AM IN THE DARK HERE!
You probably are saying this stupid fucking thing doesn’t work, I know I am!
But wait……there’s more to this than you know.
Stay with me on this, ahhight, do this… while still in the View tab, in the Data section
of this tab… click the down indicator in the Group By selection box.
Let’s select the Assignments Keeping Outline Structure option.
And I’ll be damn!
Just like that (finger-snap, quick pause) my WBS is back, giving me the visual structure
I need to make sense of my schedule.
And it’s there for each one of my resources, too.
Clearly, I might add, allowing me to quickly and easily
understand where in the Work Breakdown Structure each of my resources’ work falls, and when.
How you like that huh?
You like that?
And, just like in the Gantt Chart view a few moments ago, you can use the Outline button
and its different level choices to simplify how you view the data
while in the Resource Usage view with this setting.
Like this.
Or even this.
Now, how do you like that?
Not bad, right, not bad.
That’s right, OK, so you owe me six thousand dollars.
SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS, that’s right.
What you going to do about it?
You don’t have my money?
Well, then I am out, I’ve got more important things to do WITH MY TIME, so please excuse
me.
But do be sure to check with the guys and gals at EPMA for more
helpful tips and tricks for using Microsoft Project.
You’ll be glad you did, whooha.