1. Click Open .
2. Locate and open the folder that contains the project, and then click the project.
3. Click Open.
4. If the file is password-protected, type the password in the Password box to open the file.
5. On the Project menu, click Project Information.
6. To schedule a project from the start date (start date: The date when a task is scheduled to begin. This date is based on the duration, calendars, and constraints of predecessor and successor tasks. A task's start date is also based on its own calendars and constraints.), type or select the date you want your project to start in the Start date box.

   To schedule a project from the finish date (finish date: The date that a task is scheduled to be completed. This date is based on the task's start date, duration, calendars, predecessor dates, task dependencies, and constraints.), click Project Finish Date in the Schedule from box, and then type or select the date you want your project to finish in the Finish date box.

   Note   If you choose to schedule from the finish date and determine how late you can start a project and still finish by a particular date, it's often preferable to switch back to scheduling from the start date when work begins on the project.

7. Click OK.
8. On the File menu, click Save As.
9. Type a name for the new project in the File name box, and then click Save.

Notes

• After you click New on the File menu, you can also use the task pane (task pane: A window within Project that provides commonly used commands. Located on the left, it allows you to use these commands while still working in your project plan.) that appears to quickly open an existing project to base a new project on. In the task pane under New, click From Existing Project. In the New from Existing Project dialog box, click Create New.
• When you base a new project on an existing schedule that has tasks with actual work or duration, the project won't reschedule. You must first remove the progress from those tasks.
• If the existing schedule has constraints (constraint: A restriction set on the start or finish date of a task. You can specify that a task must start on or finish no later than a particular date. Constraints can be flexible [not tied to a specific date] or inflexible [tied to a specific date].), you can click Adjust Dates on the Analysis toolbar to reschedule the new project. To display this toolbar, point to Toolbars on the View menu, and then click Analysis.
• To use an existing file as the basis for more than one new project, you can save time by saving this file as a template (template: A Project file format [*.mpt] that lets you reuse existing schedules as the starting point for creating new schedules. Task and resource information, formatting, macros, and project-specific settings can all become part of a template.), which, if you choose to do so, deletes all actual work (actual work: The amount of work that has been performed on a task or assignment. When you enter actual work on a task, the remaining work is calculated using this formula: Remaining Work = Work - Actual Work. Actual work is often referred to as "actuals."), actual durations (actual duration: The amount of time a task has been in progress. When you enter the actual duration of a task, Project uses this value to calculate the remaining duration according to the formula Remaining Duration = Duration - Actual Duration.), actual costs (actual cost: The cost that has actually been incurred to date for a task, resource, or assignment. For example, if the only resource assigned to a task gets paid $20 per hour and has worked for two hours, the actual cost to date for the task is $40.), fixed costs (fixed cost: A set cost for a task that remains constant regardless of the task duration or the work performed by a resource.), baseline (baseline plan: The original project plans [up to 11 per project] used to track progress on a project. The baseline plan is a snapshot of your schedule at the time that you save the baseline and includes information about tasks, resources, and assignments.) values, resource rates, and published resource information from the original file, leaving only planned tasks and resources in the project.
• To base your new project on a file from a version of Microsoft Project earlier than Microsoft Project 98, you must first save the file in MPX file format (MPX file format: The Microsoft Project Exchange [MPX] file format is a record-based ASCII text format that is used to import data into Project.) in that version of Microsoft Project.

1. Click Open .
2. In the Files of type box, click Project Databases.
3. Locate and open the folder that contains the database, and then click the file you want to use.
4. Click Open.
5. In the Open From Database dialog box, click the project that you want to base your new project on, and then click Open.
6. On the Project menu, click Project Information.
7. To schedule a project from the start date (start date: The date when a task is scheduled to begin. This date is based on the duration, calendars, and constraints of predecessor and successor tasks. A task's start date is also based on its own calendars and constraints.), type or select the date you want your project to start in the Start date box.

   To schedule a project from the finish date (finish date: The date that a task is scheduled to be completed. This date is based on the task's start date, duration, calendars, predecessor dates, task dependencies, and constraints.), click Project Finish Date in the Schedule from box, and then type or select the date you want your project to finish in the Finish date box.

   Note   If you choose to schedule from the finish date and determine how late you can start a project and still finish by a particular date, it's often preferable to switch back to scheduling from the start date when work begins on the project.

8. Click OK.
9. On the File menu, click Save As.
10. Type a name for the new project in the File name box, and then click Save.

Notes

• When you base a new project on an existing schedule that has tasks with actual work or duration, the project won't reschedule. You must first remove the progress from those tasks.
• If the existing schedule has constraints (constraint: A restriction set on the start or finish date of a task. You can specify that a task must start on or finish no later than a particular date. Constraints can be flexible [not tied to a specific date] or inflexible [tied to a specific date].), you can click Adjust Dates on the Analysis toolbar to reschedule the new project. To display this toolbar, point to Toolbars on the View menu, and then click Analysis.

1. To open a template from Microsoft Office Project 2003, on the File menu, click New.
2. In the New Project side pane (side pane: A pane displayed on the left side of the Project and Project Web Access interfaces. In Project, the side pane contains Project Guide information; in Project Web Access, the side pane contains links.), under Templates, click On my computer.
3. In the Templates dialog box, click the tabs to see the templates available.
4. Click the template you want to open, and then click OK.
5. On the Project menu, click Project Information.
6. To schedule a project from the start date (start date: The date when a task is scheduled to begin. This date is based on the duration, calendars, and constraints of predecessor and successor tasks. A task's start date is also based on its own calendars and constraints.), type or select the date you want your project to start in the Start date box.

   To schedule a project from the finish date (finish date: The date that a task is scheduled to be completed. This date is based on the task's start date, duration, calendars, predecessor dates, task dependencies, and constraints.), click Project Finish Date in the Schedule from box, and then type or select the date you want your project to finish in the Finish date box.

   Note   If you choose to schedule from the finish date and determine how late you can start a project and still finish by a particular date, it's often preferable to switch back to scheduling from the start date when work begins on the project.

7. On the File menu, click Save As.
8. Type a name for the new project in the File name box, and then click Save.

Tips

Note  Project provides two templates that you can use in Microsoft Office Excel 2003 to start a new project, create a task list and include resources, and then import this information into Project. These templates automatically map fields and information directly into Project. The Microsoft Project Task List Import template allows you to build a basic task list. The Microsoft Project Plan Import Export template enables you to create the task list, add resources, and make assignments. This template can be imported into Project and exported back to Excel for revising.

These templates are automatically installed in the main Microsoft Office templates folder. To work with them, open Microsoft Excel 2002 or later, click New on the File menu, and then in the New Workbook task pane, click General Templates. Learn which templates are available for Project.