Pete Kolevas, PMP

If you are like most people who use MS Project in order to manage a project, you likely only use some of the “out of the box” views and tables that come with the product.  You may also perform some of the same modifications to those fields, views, groups, tables, etc. over and over again on each project in order to get the Gantt chart just the way you like it.

There is a better and more efficient way to customize data rather than starting from scratch each time you create a project plan (assuming you do not use MS Project Server).  In an earlier posting, “Simple Techniques for Managing Project Finances”, I explain how to setup custom fields and groupings, and then add them to the Gantt chart.  I did not however, address how you can save these customizations so that on your next project you do not have to perform the same setup again.

You can use the Organizer in order to store these customizations in what is called the Global.mpt.  The global template in MS Project is used when you start a project plan from a blank slate.  The organizer is accessed by clicking on the Tools>>Organizer menu selection.

Once the organizer is open, you can simply navigate through the tabs and move the custom data from the right side of the organizer to the left side.  Make sure to select the template you wish to save data to from the drop down at the bottom of the screen.  Once the data element is in the template area, you are finished.  Now anytime you open a new project file, it will use the global.mpt and already contain all the customizations.

This trick has saved me countless hours of project planning startup time!

So, you want to build your own contingency but you’re not quite sure where to start.  First ask for it.  Most reasonable managers understand the need for contingency, but they usually hold their cards tight unless or until absolutely pushed for it.  So let’s assume you need to build the case for your own contingency.  MS project can help you with this simple technique.

Most people open up a scheduling tool and start scheduling.  MS project comes out of the box assuming there is a 40 hour work week.  We want to manipulate the tool in order to build in some schedule contingency, so let’s say we want to work under the assumption that a work week is actually 35 hours and not 40. This allows us 5 hours of contingency on our tasks which will build in some schedule buffer.

1. Go to the Tools>>Change Working Time option off the menu.
2. Highlight the headings M through F
3. On the lower right side Change the from and the to options to match the screen capture



4. Click the options button on the bottom of this window
5. Sync up the Default start time and Default end time with those from the prior screen
6. Change the hours per day to 7
7. Change the hours per week to 35
8. Click OK and exit out of the calendaring options

What you have done now is told MS Project you are now working in a 35 hour a week environment.  Now you might say this is how we should always schedule, and it is not really contingency, and you are right, however for now you get the idea and can manipulate the hours how you see fit.

The beauty of building a schedule in this manner is that you can simulate the finish date of the project by manipulating these options.  You may start with a 35 hour week for the initial schedule, but choose to go with the 37 hour week once you have negotiated with management on the true contingency.  Prior to starting to track against the plan you can change these dates and the schedule will adjust accordingly.

Just be careful not to look foolish when you get caught manipulating the schedule in the event you do not reveal your methods to management…