Dreaming up and executing any project — like building a house, starting a small business, or creating a new Web site — is a multiple-step process. It involves brainstorming, planning, scheduling, budgeting, communicating, and organizing. Whether you're a building contractor or a project manager, you need the tools to help you achieve your goals.

From creating spreadsheets and customer databases to developing floor plans and business models, Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Project 2000 can help lay a solid foundation for whatever your project might be.

Below are three project management scenarios that take advantage of the various programs.

 Note    For detailed instructions about how to take these ideas and make them work for you, see Help in the specific program.

• Scenario 1: Building a house
• Scenario 2: Creating a Web site
• Scenario 3: Starting up and running a small business

Scenario 1: Building a house

So you want to build your dream house. You have an idea of what you want, but you need to make your ideas — currently scribbles on a dinner napkin — more concrete for your architect and contractor. Once you've explained your vision, your architect will probably enlist the help of the contractor or builder. Together, everyone will figure out how the house will be built, who will do the individual jobs (plumbing, electrical work, framing, etc.), and what timeframe and budget to follow.

Here are some ideas about how to use the various programs below to make your dream home more than just a dream.

Program	Ideas
Microsoft Access 2002	Supplier database   Keep track of suppliers, electricians, plumbers, and all the other contracting contacts you'll need with a database.
Microsoft Excel 2002	Lists   Keep track of supplies, materials, part numbers, catalog lists, and colors and finishes. Budget   Know what you're spending: create a realistic budget and update it whenever you need to.
Microsoft FrontPage® 2002	Online photo gallery   Publish an online photo album so that your friends and family can watch the progress of your new home. With the new Photo Gallery feature, you can use already-scanned photos or you can upload photos directly from your digital camera. Choose from four layouts.
Microsoft Outlook® 2002	Calendar   Use the calendar to keep you and your contractor on track. E-mail lists   Communication is key when many people are involved, and features like e-mail, contact lists, and distribution lists will help you make sure everyone is kept in the loop.
Microsoft PowerPoint® 2002	Presentation of ideas   Present your ideas to the contractor and the architect with a well thought out presentation, complete with a photo album of ideas and possible design specifications.
Microsoft Project 2000	Project schedule   Schedule and track all activities so you can stay on top of their progress. Resource management   Know who’s doing what and account for equipment and material needs. Budget   Know what you're spending: calculate all costs involved and keep track of expenditures. Collaboration   Exchange project information, such as assignments and project status, with the people involved.
Microsoft Visio® 2002	Architectural plans and diagrams   Bring your ideas to life with Visio templates designed to make your projects easier to manage: Floor Plan   Give your architect an idea of what you want with a space plan that illustrates the layout and design of your new home. Plumbing and Piping Plan    Create diagrams of waste water disposal systems, hot and cold water supply systems, water lines, and plumbing layouts. Basic Electrical Diagram   Create schematic, one-line, and wiring diagrams and blueprints.
Microsoft Word 2002	Contracts   Draw up contracts using one of our pre-made templates, or come up with your own.

Templates to use when building a house

These templates and more are available from Templates on Microsoft Office Online.

 Note   Although FrontPage, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Publisher, and Visio templates are not part of Templates on Microsoft Office Online, there are templates available within each of these programs. For more information, see Help in each program.

Access

• Product orders database
• Accounts ledger database

Excel

• Price quotation
• To do list
• Kitchen remodeling costs worksheet
• Bathroom remodeling costs

Word

• Construction along common boundary agreement

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Scenario 2: Creating a Web site

Planning, creating, and publishing a Web site takes a variety of skills. Your team may include designers, writers, editors, managers, Webmasters, and even sales representatives. Or perhaps you're a one-person show and you plan on doing it all on your own. Whether your site is for personal use or an adventure into the foray of e-commerce, these programs can help get you started and keep your site running smoothly.

Program	Ideas
FrontPage	Site management   From real-time site and user statistics to hyperlink checking, FrontPage can handle the job for sites of any size. And you don't have to know HTML. e-Commerce   The Microsoft bCentral™ Commerce Manager Add-in for FrontPage allows you to create product department pages, product lists, and product detail pages easily for your e-commerce Web site. Customers visiting your site can purchase your products, making your Web site truly e-commerce enabled.  Note   You must join Microsoft bCentral to take advantage of this add-in.
Publisher	Instant site creation   Publisher has several templates that make even the novice Web site creator look like a pro.
Visio	Visio templates   Whether your Web site is a simple gathering of internal documents or a huge architectural challenge that encompasses everything your business is about, Visio probably has a template that you can put to good use: Web Site and Site Map Diagrams   Design conceptual diagrams and high-level architectures of home pages, Web sites, and documents. Network Diagrams   Visio offers six different types of network diagramming options. Plan and document simple networks by dragging shapes that resemble common network topology and devices right onto your drawing page. Your options include: Active Directory Basic Network LDAP Directory Logical Network Diagram Novell Directory Services Network Equipment Sampler
Word	Online files   You can create, copy, save, and manage folders and files that reside on network, Web, or FTP servers. Once you create shortcuts to these folders, you can work with the files in them just as though they were on your local computer.

Templates for creating Web sites

Various Word templates are available on Templates on Microsoft Office Online.

 Note   Although FrontPage, Microsoft Project, Publisher, and Visio templates are not part of Templates on Microsoft Office Online, there are templates available within each of these programs. For more information, see Help in each program.

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Scenario 3: Starting up and running a small business

Communication, budgeting, and planning are just three of the key things to think about when you're trying to get a small business off the ground. From creating a business plan that'll knock the socks off your investors to making sure your budget is on track, you'll have a smart and savvy business partner in any of the following programs.

Program	Ideas
Access	Contacts database   Keep an updated database of suppliers, contractors, vendors, and anyone or anything else that you need to keep your business running. Asset database   Keep track of your company's assets with an asset tracking database. Reports   Keep track of sales with a sales report PivotTable
Excel	Budgets and projections   Stay on track financially with precise budget and projection spreadsheets. Using Excel is a great way to manage critical business data, and now you can share your work by saving it as a Web page. Use the AutoRepublish option to update that page automatically every time you save your file. Time cards   Create and manage employee time cards.
FrontPage	e-Commerce   The Microsoft bCentral Commerce Manager Add-in for FrontPage allows you to create product department pages, product lists, and product detail pages easily for your e-commerce Web site. Customers visiting your site can purchase your products, making your Web site truly e-commerce enabled.  Note   You must join Microsoft bCentral to take advantage of this add-in.
Outlook	Simple e-mail communication Manage all your accounts in one place. Create e-mail with the power of Word: now it's your e-mail text editor. Calendar   Get all reminders in a single reminder window. Coordinate busy schedules: find free and busy times for each team member. Give your employees the power to suggest alternative meeting times with just a couple of mouse clicks. Planning   Streamline group planning. Make key appointments stand out by applying a color to individual or recurring appointments. Communication   Get in touch instantly with integrated MSN® Messenger Service.
PowerPoint	Business plan as presentation   Pitch your business plan to prospective investors with a slick online presentation. Broadcast meetings   When you want to present something at a team meeting but participants are at different sites or some members cannot attend, consider broadcasting the presentation. You can include live video and audio as you broadcast the presentation, so it's really like you are presenting in each office.
Microsoft Project	Risk management   Plan for, identify, and resolve risks at various times during the planning of your small business to help you keep your schedule and budget on track. Quality management   Make the necessary scope, resource, and schedule adjustments to meet your small business requirements while achieving quality standards you want to comply with.
Publisher	Marketing materials   Create brochures, flyers, ads, newsletters, catalogs, signs, business cards, and more with customizable Publisher templates.
Visio	Enlist the aid of Visio templates to keep your small business's goals on track: Forms   Create inventories, invoices, order forms, business records, personnel reports, and transaction sheets. Marketing Charts and Diagrams   Use these for sales pyramids, activity-based costing, task management, and benchmarking. Organization Charts   Create diagrams for human resources management, staff organization, office administration, and management structures. Gantt Chart   Create Gantt charts for project and task management, schedules, timetables, agendas, project lifecycles, and goal setting. Timeline   Create linear timelines with milestones and interval markers.
Word	Business plan   Create a professional-looking business plan destined to get your investors interested and on board. Simple mass mailings   Use the Mail Merge Wizard to create form letters, mailing labels, envelopes, directories, and mass e-mail and fax distributions.

Templates for small business owners

These templates and more are available from Templates on Microsoft Office Online.

 Note   Although FrontPage, Microsoft Project, Publisher, and Visio templates are not part of Templates on Microsoft Office Online, there are templates available within each of these programs. For more information, see Help in each program.

Access

• Asset tracking database
• Time and billing database
• Expense reports database

Excel

• Startup expenses spreadsheet
• Employee timecard: daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly
• Four year profit projection

PowerPoint

• Project status report
• Presenting a business plan
• Selling your ideas

Word

• Business plan for a startup business
• Employee confidentiality agreement
• Bank loan request for a small business

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