Get tasks back on schedule   One way to get the schedule back on track is by changing specific settings on tasks that affect their length and their relationships to other tasks. For example, changing a task that starts after another task to starting at the same time can help bring in the finish date. Also, changing how resources are assigned to critical tasks (critical task: A task that must be completed on schedule for the project to finish on time. If a critical task is delayed, the project completion date might also be delayed. A series of critical tasks makes up a project's critical path.) can have a similar effect.

• Modify a task schedule

  Click all of the following that apply:

  • Change a task duration to get your project back on track. If it's possible, the simplest way to fix your schedule is to shorten a task duration, especially for those tasks that are on the critical path (critical path: The series of tasks that must be completed on schedule for a project to finish on schedule. Each task on the critical path is a critical task.).
  • Review and change task dependencies to ensure that all tasks are logically related to each other. For example, if two tasks in your project can start at the same time but are linked so that one follows the other, changing the link could help shorten the project.
  • Set overlap or delay for tasks to help keep your schedule on track. For example, you can overlap tasks that occur on the critical path or delay a noncritical task so that a resource can work on another, more critical task.
  • Review and change a task constraint to remove an unwanted time limitation on the task. An inflexible constraint (inflexible constraint: A constraint that is inflexible because it ties a task to a date. The inflexible constraints are Must Finish On and Must Start On.) placed on a task, especially if the task falls on the critical path, can limit Project's ability to reschedule tasks. If a task doesn't need to start or end on a specific date, change the constraint to As Soon As Possible.
  • Modify the project calendar to change when and how long resources work on tasks and potentially shorten the overall duration of the project.
  • Modify the resource calendar to change when and how long resources work and potentially shorten the overall duration of the tasks the resources work on.
  • Create a calendar for a task to manage the duration of a task. A task calendar applied to a task may lengthen a duration if schedule times conflict with the calendar applied to the assigned resource.

• Modify resource assignments

  Click all of the following that apply:

  • Assign a resource to the team. Assigning more resources to tasks on the critical path can help decrease the durations of tasks and shorten the length of the project. A resource can be a single person, such as Joe Smith, or it can be a group, such as Architects. It can be a piece of equipment such as a crane or a computer. Or it can be material consumed in the course of accomplishing the task.
  • Replace a resource assignment if it will help tasks to finish earlier. You might want to replace a resource to resolve overallocations (overallocation: The result of assigning more tasks to a resource than the resource can accomplish in the working time available.), reduce costs, increase efficiency, or increase quality.
  • Adjust the time a work resource spends on a task to decrease the duration of that task. This is because by default Project uses effort-driven scheduling (effort-driven scheduling: The default method of scheduling in Project; the duration of a task shortens or lengthens as resources are added or removed from a task, while the amount of effort necessary to complete a task remains unchanged.), which means that as work hours are added to a task, the duration of that task decreases.
  • Improve resource performance by providing resources with training, better tools to do their jobs, by applying management skills to resource issues, and so on. This is sometimes the only solution if additional people are not available to help.

    More . . .

    An often overlooked means of keeping your schedule (schedule: The timing and sequence of tasks within a project. A schedule consists mainly of tasks, task dependencies, durations, constraints, and time-oriented project information.) on track is to improve resource (resources: The people, equipment, and material that are used to complete tasks in a project.) performance. Working with resources to improve performance is a complex topic, but you may be able to improve resource performance as part of project management by using the following suggestions:

    • Increase technical skills  Increasing technical skills includes additional training for current tasks (task: An activity that has a beginning and an end. Project plans are made up of tasks.) and for other tasks the resource may be doing in the near future, such as training for new technologies as they become available.
    • Give resources better tools to do their jobs  Resources sometimes perform below their abilities because they don't have the best tools for their jobs. These tools could be anything from better, more efficient lathes for metal working to faster Internet (Internet: A worldwide network of thousands of smaller computer networks and millions of commercial, educational, government, and personal computers. Also known as the World Wide Web [WWW].) connections for searching the World Wide Web (WWW: A subset of the Internet that uses a graphical user interface as opposed to a text-based user interface. The pages or Web sites that display are formatted using by HTML. Web browsers make it possible for users to view Web sites.).
    • Improve employee relationship skills  This strategy includes improving an employee's sense of teamwork or helping the employee understand how his or her efforts fit into the big picture. You can improve employees' communication skills by making sure they are trained in the efficient use of the company's communication technologies.
    • Improve the manager's management skills  Managers who have had training or coaching in management skills can maximize a project team's efforts. Well-trained managers ensure that everyone is appropriately challenged and motivated, that resources have the tools they need to do their jobs, and that they have access to expertise and reference materials that might help them.
• Save an interim plan so you can compare it with your schedule as the project progresses. Specifically, you can save up to 10 interim plans so that you can view a set of start and finish dates saved at various stages of your project.

 Evaluate impact on other projects  After you make changes to your plan, make sure you haven't affected the scheduling of other projects with dependencies in your project.

Click all of the following that apply:

• Check impact on other projects to make sure you haven't affected other projects by changing tasks that are linked to external tasks.
• Compare two versions of a project and compare differences by producing a detailed report to help you identify problems.
• Save a version of a project using Project Server for comparison, modeling, and archiving purposes.
• Analyze or model project data in Project in chart and table formats and check the effects of changes to the schedule within a project or across projects.

 Communicate assignment changes to resources  After you make changes to your project, you may need to communicate these changes to others, such as stakeholders and team members.

• Communicate assignment changes to team members