01_036516 ffirs.qxp 11/20/06 1:37 PM Page i Microsoft® Office Project 2007 FOR DUMmIES‰ by Nancy Muir 01_036516 ffirs.qxp 11/20/06 1:37 PM Page ii Microsoft® Project 2007 For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006934842 ISBN-10: 0-470-03651-6 ISBN-13: 978-0-470-03651-8 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/RS/RS/QW/IN 01_036516 ffirs.qxp 11/20/06 1:37 PM Page iii About the Author Nancy Muir has written dozens of books on topics ranging from desktop applications, project management, and distance learning, to an award- winning book on character education for middle-schoolers. Prior to her freelance writing career, Nancy taught workshops in project management to Fortune 500 companies and was a manager in both the computer and publishing industries. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Earl, with whom she has collaborated on three books, including Electronics Projects For Dummies. 01_036516 ffirs.qxp 11/20/06 1:37 PM Page iv 01_036516 ffirs.qxp 11/20/06 1:37 PM Page v Dedication To Earl for putting up with my hectic book schedule in our first year of mar- riage. You’re the best! That long-promised cutting back on work time is almost here, my love. Author’s Acknowledgments First, many thanks to my friend Elaine Marmel, author of the Microsoft Project Bible from Wiley. Her advice and insight into the workings of Project always help me see the forest for the trees. Did the chocolate arrive okay, Elaine? Second I thank the folks at Wiley, including Kyle Looper, my able acquisitions editor, and Blair Pottenger, the book’s project editor who was incredibly supportive and patient and helped me hold all the pieces together. Thanks also to development editor Linda Morris, copy editors Teresa Artman and Becky Whitney, and technical editor Jennifer Pendleton for keeping the prose accurate and intelligible. 01_036516 ffirs.qxp 11/20/06 1:37 PM Page vi Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services Media Development Project Coordinator: Ryan Steffen Project Editor: Blair J. Pottenger Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Denny Hager, Development Editor: Linda Morris Stephanie D. Jumper, Barry Offringa, Acquisitions Editor: Kyle Looper Lynsey Osborn, Alicia South Senior Copy Editor: Teresa Artman Proofreaders: Jessica Kramer, Techbooks Copy Editor: Becky Whitney Indexer: Techbooks Technical Editor: Jennifer Pendleton Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner Special Help Media Development Specialist: Steven Kudirka Jodi Jensen Media Project Supervisor: Laura Moss Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth Senior Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director Publishing for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 02_036516 fftoc.qxp 11/20/06 1:37 PM Page vii Contents at a Glance Introduction .................................................................1 Part I: Setting the Stage for Project ...............................7 Chapter 1: Project Management: What Is It, and Why Should You Care?....................9 Chapter 2: The Best-Laid Plans.......................................................................................35 Chapter 3: Mark It on Your Calendar .............................................................................51 Chapter 4: A Tisket, a Task Kit........................................................................................69 Chapter 5: Getting Your Outline in Line.........................................................................93 Chapter 6: Timing Is Everything...................................................................................113 Part II: People Who Need People ...............................127 Chapter 7: Using Your Natural Resources...................................................................129 Chapter 8: What’s All This Gonna Cost?......................................................................147 Chapter 9: Assigning Resources to Get Things Done ................................................161 Part III: Well, It Looks Good on Paper........................177 Chapter 10: Fine-Tuning Your Plan...............................................................................179 Chapter 11: Making Your Project Look Good..............................................................203 Part IV: Avoiding Disaster: Staying On Track..............215 Chapter 12: It All Begins with a Baseline.....................................................................217 Chapter 13: On the Right Track ....................................................................................227 Chapter 14: A Project with a View: Observing Progress ...........................................249 Chapter 15: You’re Behind: Now What?.......................................................................263 Chapter 16: Spreading the News: Reporting ...............................................................279 Chapter 17: Getting Better All the Time ......................................................................303 Part V: Working with Enterprise Projects....................317 Chapter 18: Project Web Access for the Project Manager ........................................319 Chapter 19: Project Web Access for the End User .....................................................335 Part VI: The Part of Tens ...........................................345 Chapter 20: Ten Golden Rules of Project Management .............................................347 Chapter 21: Ten Project Management Software Products to Explore......................357 02_036516