MS Project for Construction: Step-by-Step Guide & Transcript

[00:07] Microsoft project course. Now managing a project especially in the construction industry is not just about creating a schedule and tracking dates. It is about coordinating resources, controlling cost, handling dependency and ensuring

[00:20] that everything moves according to the plan. But here's a common challenge many project professional face. Have you ever managed a construction schedule using spreadsheets? With multiple rows of activity, changing dates, manual

[00:32] updates, and constant revision every time something changes on site. Now, a small delay in one activity can quickly impact the entire project timeline. unavailable, cost may increase and suddenly the original plan no longer

[00:45] reflects reality. This is exactly where Microsoft Project becomes so powerful solution. Microsoft Project is not just a tool for creating Gant chart. It is a complete project shoulduling and management platform that helps you plan,

[00:58] organize, track and control project effectively. With Microsoft project, when one activity changes, the impact on the entire project can be analyzed. Task dependency, resources, timelines and cost remains connected, helping project

[01:11] managers make better decision faster. In this course, you will learn Microsoft project from a practical construction project perspective. You will not just apply them in real project scenarios. You will start by understanding the MS

[01:24] project interface and learn how to create a project schedule from scratch. structure using summary task, milestones and WBS codes. You will learn how to create project calendars based on real site condition, manage different type of

[01:37] resources including work material and cost resources and understand how resource allocation impact project performance. Moving further, you will project cost, resolve resource overallocation, establish project

[01:50] actual data. Whether you're completely strengthen your existing project management skill, this course will practical experience needed to manage project more effectively. So let us

[02:04] Microsoft Project can transform the way you plan, schedule and deliver successful project. Now before we move on, let me share something exciting with you guys. If you are serious about building a strong career in project

[02:16] training in collaboration with simply This course is designed to help you understand project management in a practical structured and exam focused way. You will learn important concepts

[02:29] like project planning, work breakdown structures, resource allocation, Gant chart, risk and issue management, stakeholder communication, cost and budget planning, schedule management, agile and hybrid delivery, leadership,

[02:41] governance and value based project delivery. What makes this course even more useful is that it also covers modern project management skills like genai in project management, sustainability, business value and real

[02:53] world decision making. So whether you are a project manager, team lead, software developer, project executive, engineer or someone who wants to move into project management, this course can help you build the confidence, structure

[03:05] and skills needed to manage project better and grow in your career. So without wasting any further time, let's get started. [music] project management with Microsoft project course built especially for

[03:19] you something. Have you ever managed a construction schedule in a spreadsheet? Rows of task, column of dates and whole a lot of manual updating every time something moves on a site. Most of us have and most of us know exactly what

[03:32] happens the next. One activity shift and the knock-on effect and suddenly nobody precisely the problem Microsoft project was engineered to solve. It is not just a digital GAN chart. It is a live intellectual engine. When one task shift

[03:48] the entire project recalculates resources, cost independence all stay connected automatically. In construction where delays cascade and budget compress fast, that intelligence is not a luxury, it is a necessity. In this course, we'll

[04:02] actually used in the field with real construction scenarios and real resource constraint and real budget tracking. And you will build a complete project level resources, track progress against the baseline and produce a report that

[04:16] your project manager and clients will actually use and trust them. We have five lessons. Each lesson is built on one before it. Whether you are completely new to MS project or you have opened it a few times or left overwhelm,

[04:29] this is exactly the right place to start. Let us get into it. able to navigate the MS project interface confidently and set up a new

[04:42] construction project from scratch. Build a work breakdown structure that is WBS using the summary task, milestone and WBS codes. We'll create an assigned project calendar that reflects real site working condition. And then we'll add

[04:55] and configure work, material, and cost resources, the three resource type used in construction. And then we'll assign resource to task and track the cost automatically and resolve overallocation. And then we'll set a

[05:07] project baseline and update progress using actual data from site. And then we'll apply earned value management that is EVM to measure schedule and cost performance objectivity. And then we'll create professional report GAN chart

[05:19] printout and export data from Excel PDF and other formats. The course is number one that is getting started with Microsoft Project. We open a software interface and build our first construction project from scratch adding

[05:35] task creating a work breakdown structure assigning WBS code and linking activities with predecessor relationships. In lesson number two resources and we'll make the schedule reflect reality. Setting a project

[05:48] calendar with a real site working condition and applying constraint only where you are actually genuinely needed and building out the full resource list and work resources, material resources and cost resources. In lesson number

[06:01] cost management. We'll connect resource to the task and we'll watch the project budget build automatically. Then deal with the overallocation that every construction schedule produces using manual resolution, resource leveling and

[06:14] time phase availability setting. And in lesson four, we'll talk about baseline tracking and earned value. We will shift from planning to control setting the baseline updating progresses in realight data and applying earned value

[06:27] measurement to get an objective qualified picture of whether a project lesson five, we'll be talking about reporting, view, and data exchange. We will close the communication using the right view and filter the right audience

[06:40] generating professional reports and GAN chart printouts and moving data in and out of MSXL project using Excel, PDF, XML and PowerPoint. And now with the full picture in front of you, it's time to get into the work. The lesson one is

[06:54] where everything begins. This is a tool in itself. We're going to open a MS at, and start building a real construction scheduled from the ground up. No theory without application, no

[07:06] will take in the software will connect back to the construction project and actually planned and managed in the field. So let us go.

[07:19] Microsoft project. Before we open Microsoft project, let me be clear with completing this module. You will understand the MS project interface where everything lives in and why it is laid out the way it is. You will learn

[07:33] scheduleled and manually scheduled task and you will also understand how to use them. You'll be able to create a work breakdown structure that is WBS using summary task and milestones. You will understand how to create a WBS code that

[07:46] construction cost management and you will know how to link task using predecessor and successor relationship including the four relationship type These are the foundational skills and get these right and everything that

[08:00] follows become logical and straightforward. So let's get into it. straightforward. So let's get into it. [music] idea. The screen will be split into two halves and the left half will be having

[08:13] a task table. This is where you enter your data, your task name, duration, predecessor relationships, assignments, everything. On the right you have the GAN chart, a visual timeline that reflects everything in the table in the

[08:25] duration on the left half, the bar appears in the right half. That visual feedback is how you know theuling is working. There is also a ribbon across the top. The four main tabs you'll be using constantly. The task tab is for

[08:38] resources tab is for managing the people, equipment, and material. The project tab is for the overall project setting, start date, calendar, baseline, everything. And the view tab here is how you switch between the different ways of

[08:52] understand from the start, MS project has two scheduuling modes. Autochululing means software drives the data based on the duration, calendar and logic. While manualuling means you will type the date

[09:05] rechedule. For a real construction program, you almost always want to use autochule because that is where the intelligence live. Manual schedule is mainly used for rough planning before your logic is even built. The work break

[09:18] down structure or WBS is a way to organize your task in a logical hierarchy. Think of it like a chapters and subchapters of a book. At a top level, you have the major phrases like civil work, structural frame, finishes.

[09:31] Inside each phases, you have the individual activities. This structure makes a schedule readable for everyone from the site format to the product director and it is the foundation of the cost tracking later in the course.

[09:45] With that in the picture, let us open the software and see in the action. So here we are inside the Microsoft project and we can see everything here that is task, relationship, report, project, view, help, GAN, chart, everything is

[09:59] called as ribbon. And in this area, if you go inside the task, we'll do the task. We'll talk about this later in the course. But this is how it looks like. Now let's say you want to use some resources in the resource tag. Now you

[10:12] come here and you can see in the team planner all type of different sheets and tabs you will be getting here. Now resource planning people and everything you will be getting in the resource tab. Now when we go in the report section

[10:25] you'll be getting different type of report on your data. So whatever data that you have insert here we'll be getting report over that. So let's say I let's say I want to see the cash flow. I'll click on the cash flow and this is

[10:38] the cash flow. You can see here the actual cache that we have the baseline we have currently. So basically whenever you will go to the report section you report according to your data. Now in the project section you can see we have

[10:52] different type of things to build the project. Now in the view section we have the resource allocation resource sheet. There are multiple ways to go to different type of sheets. We will talk about it later. But here we can see the

[11:05] every tab have its own specific use case. Now here we can see this is the GAN chart. Every time you are going to change any date or any functionality is change any date or any functionality is here in the date. This chart will change

[11:18] here the dates are written 31st March, 7th June, 14th June. All of these are the dates and these are the dates based on the calendar from the starting date to finishing date. So whenever you will change starting or finishing the scan

[11:32] chart bars will be changing. Now we can see here there are red bars. We'll talk about the red bars. Now you can see here a few red bars which is there. Now these red bars are basically the critical path. We'll talk about the critical path

[11:46] later. But this is how it looks like. Now here we have the option to check the timelines also. So if you'll go to the view tab and if you'll click on timeline here. From this to this the task is assigned

[12:00] assigned. So basically this is telling you right now what is today's date and this is the weekly task assigned to it. Now here we can see the timeline. Now wherever your bar is tick currently you can just move ahead and you can see the

[12:15] starting date to finishing date. Everything is available here. Everything is available here. Now I have made this sample data to show making it from the scratch later on. For now I do not want to have the GAN chart

[12:30] section and I'll click on timeline again and timeline will be gone. Now we can see here we have manually schedule and auto schedule task. Right now my task is auto schedule. That means whatever date is given currently it will automatically

[12:44] take that much of days and it will finish the task. We do not have to manually update the days here. It will automatically update it. Now you can see here in each section there are subp parts given. Now this is how the WBS

[12:58] works. Now in each part for example right now in the substructure we have right now in the substructure we have excavation PCC and brick work and DPC Now let's say I want to add something else here. I'll go here and we can

[13:14] clearly see that the substructure has four subp parts and the superructure has nine subp parts. Now we can see this is how the WBS works. Now in every substructure we can see it's numbered well. Now 1.1 1.2 1.3. Now I'm going to

[13:29] add here one other task. And let's edit this as a foundation.

[13:42] because it's coming after 1.3. And this is how the WBS works. Now here I'm going to give how many days it takes. So let's say it will take 5 days. So now we have finish this task. So I'll be giving 4 days in the predecessor. Now if I click

[13:57] on enter it will automatically take how many days it will actually take as a date from Saturday to witness date we'll be working on this specific work. Now we can see here every time you want to give a duration to a task you can just write

[14:09] the duration in the predecessor relationship and now every task has a date. Now every date will be having a starting date and a finishing date. So that will be automatically decided and you can also edit that but later on as

[14:21] also be finished. So right now let's say I'm on the brick work. So it will be taking 3 days for me to finish this task. So dates are already assigned you can change the dates from here only. So here we can see the timeline and I do

[14:35] not need timeline. So I'll go in the view section and in the view section we that and timeline will be gone from here. And now we'll be putting our data in the left side and we'll be getting our GAN chart in the right hand side.

[14:49] Now moving ahead let's put our data here. Now task mode. Now you can decide task mode. What exactly is that? Currently I'm going to give here what is my task name. So right now let's say I'm going to build a construction project.

[15:03] So I'm going to write here construction you want to make it uh it looks good. It differentiates your uh title with all

[15:18] the other data that you are going to put inside that. Now we have given here the this. Now we can see this is already coming as pin. Now this will become my heading. I'll show you how. Now I'll give here the estimated days which we

[15:33] need to complete this entire project. So let's say I'm going to give 41 days I need to uh complete this entire project. In this 41 days that we are giving in the duration, we'll be also setting the starting date and the finishing date. So

[15:46] date. So you'll go in the starting date section and you can see here the bar is coming. Now I click on the date you want to start your project from. So let's say I'm going to start my project from July 1st. Now it's going to end on 26th of

[15:58] 1st. Now it's going to end on 26th of August and let's say we need the entire project to be completed in whatever days we need to have. So 41 days and move ahead. Now we have given our starting and finishing date of the project. Now

[16:12] let's say we are inside this project construction project. Now we'll give all the task subtask that we have and how they are divided into the starting date, and all the relationship will be also given here. Now let's move ahead. So I'm

[16:27] preparation. So this is a typical project that we create for the Microsoft project. Now let's say here I'm going to give my first task that we have here is a site

[16:49] let's say site preparation will be taking almost you can give your dates also how many dates it will take. So let's say it will be taking 10 days. Now here I can decide uh 10 days from when so in July let's

[17:05] say the 10 days start from the 1st July and till the 14th July it is taking the the approximate date. So right now let's say I'm going to give 10 days as approximate date. Now here I'm going to

[17:18] give the starting date. So let's say my starting date is any date you can give here whatever feels right. Now let's say I'm going to give from the 11th of June 24th June as a finishing date. Now here we can see in the right hand side that

[17:33] we have a GAN chart. A bar is there for the GAN chart. Okay. two task has been scheduled and for both the tasks we have the specific GAN chart. Now now here we

[17:45] can see in the GAN chart we have made one mistake that is very common. Now you can see here. So let's say my project will entirely take 10 days to make. And here my starting date you can give whatever you want to. Uh let's say

[17:58] currently I'm going to give the starting date as 2nd of June to 15th of June because uh inside the site preparation I'll be having other tasks to achieve.

[18:11] So let's do that. So let's add our uh other things that we are going to do start with the side preparation and inside side preparation we'll be doing inside side preparation we'll be doing side clearing.

[18:27] days it will take. Let's say it will take 2 days. Now in the predecessor many days it will be taking to cover this task. So let's say I'm having the this task. So let's say I'm having the next task as a land leveling.

[18:40] next task as a land leveling. Now I also need to do the temporary

[19:04] setup. So this is also I will give here. Now I'll move on and I will give here Now I'll move on and I will give here side

[19:17] marketing. So site survey and marketing we have So site survey and marketing we have here. Now making it very sure that this first part this entire section is not exactly the task. It's a heading of the

[19:29] task. So I'll now make sure the side preparation also have some different uh color because here inside the side preparation we have all of these task. So here I'm going to color this as anything you want to color. Now let's

[19:42] anything you want to color. Now let's say I'm going to color this as now. So let's say inside the site preparation we have the site cleaning leveling temporary utility setup and everything else. Now I'll click here and

[19:57] I'll select and I'll make it inside this. So first of all all of this part is coming under the construction project. So we'll make sure that this is happening. Now all of these parts are coming inside the side preparation. So

[20:11] I'll go to the taskbar. In taskbar you can see here intent task. You click on the intent task. Now you can see here that inside the side preparation all of these tasks are included. Now let's say we can see here clearly that the site

[20:25] preparation has subp parts are site clearing uh land delivering and temporary utilities and setup all of these but we want to actually see these also now we are here and right now I want to make sure that the site

[20:37] preparation is a heading of all the these activities now here I'll go and I'll click on site preparation and I'll make sure these are selected 3 4 5 6 and

[20:49] I'll make it as a intent now you have to go inside the task taskbar and you will click on the intent task. You can see here clearly it's written also. Now after doing the intent task you can see here site preparation has these as a

[21:01] subp part. Now I'll make sure this also is numbered because numbers also look pretty much cleaner. Now I'll go to the GAN chart here and I'll click on the outline number. Now you can see construction is entirely one project.

[21:15] Inside construction we have a sub project side preparation and inside preparation we have all of these projects. Now all of them can have their and predecessor relationships also. We'll talk about the predecessor

[21:29] have clearly understood how you are going to give the names of the task and going to give the names of the task and how the WBS will be given here.

[21:42] project and why Microsoft manager use it. Microsoft project is a professional management tool for construction project manager. It solves three problems that a spreadsheet based projects cannot do. In that first is automatic recalculation

[21:57] when anything changes, resource tracking across multiple activities and integrated cost monitoring. When you create a task in MS project, it is not just a row of tables. It is a live object connected with resources, task,

[22:10] cost, dependencies and a calendar. And that is what makes it powerful. The GAN chart is the core view. The left table holds your task data. The right bar chart is a visual timeline. Everything you enter on the left will reflect on

[22:24] the right in the real time. The single view give site manager, product director and the client a shared picture of where the project is and where we are going.

[22:38] need two things to make the schedule real. A proper WBS code structure and a predecessor relationship. So let us look at both and starting with why this matter and how to build them in the software. So let us talk about WBS code

[22:51] first. In construction, your work breakdown structure is not just a organizational tool. It is a link between your schedule and your task plan. Every time your program needs a map back to the cost code so that when

[23:03] you run the cost report, the number rolls up clearly by phase, by discipline or by building level. MS project lets you define the WBS code structure and apply it automatically to every task in your project. A typical construction

[23:18] code might have a three different level. A number of a main phases, a letter of a sub phases and a number of individual activity. Once you define the structure, the software assigns the code as the building hierarchy. This is what

[23:31] connects your program to the quality survey cost plan and your finance team reporting system. Now let us talk about the predecessor relationship. This is of task and starts being a real construction logic network. Without

[23:46] relationship, MS project has no way of knowing what that structural frame cannot start until the foundation is completed. Every task sits independently and if the foundation slips by 10 days, the frame just sits there. It does not

[24:00] move. It is useless for the site manager. With relationship you can connect the task so that the schedule behaves the way the site actually works. MS project uses these four relationship types that is start to finish. One of

[24:12] the most common one that is one task must finish before the next task can start. The next one is start to start means two task begin together like concrete placement and vibration. And then we have finish to finish that means

[24:25] two task complete together. And then we have the rarest one that is start to finish. That is the rarest one but it's available. You can also apply a lag to the relationship. For example, roofing might take 2 days after the actual frame

[24:39] finishes. To allow the time for the handover inspection, you enter this type of lag in the relationship and MS project factors it into a date all the logic is something called

[24:52] critical path. the longest chain of a dependent activities from the projects from starting to finish. Any delays in the critical path delays the whole project. MS project highlights it in the red by default. It makes it immediately

[25:05] visible. This is the single most important place of information any construction program. Now here we are. Now we have already given how the WBS work. Now let's say we want to add few more plans which we need here. So, I'm

[25:18] more plans which we need here. So, I'm going to add a foundation here. And I also want to add structural Well,

[26:03] this is coming inside the site preparation. So it will be having 1.1.1.1. Now we can see all of this is having 1.1.1.1.2 1.1.3. All of this is a structure of WBS. Now we can see here that all of

[26:18] these parts are coming as 1.1.1 because site preparation was 1.1 and it's a subtopic of that. Now now moving ahead with that we can also give here the duration. So I'll be giving the duration as 2 days 3 days for all the individual

[26:33] tasks. In some task this can be happening that they can overlap they can be happening together. For that we will be also building a relationship. We'll talk about that later. Let's talk about this here. Now here I'm going to give 3

[26:46] this here. Now here I'm going to give 3 days to give here again 3 days and then I want to give 2 days and then I want to give 5 days randomly you can give here days I'm giving days as per the task how

[27:02] days I'm giving days as per the task how much dates uh task need now I'm going to much dates uh task need now I'm going to give 6 days 5 days 4 days 2 days okay so this much time I have allocated here. Now I uh the starting date and finishing

[27:18] date is also given here. But if I'll go to the predecessor. So uh here we have starting date and finishing date. I do not want to manually give starting date predecessor here. It will automatically recalculates the date. So let's say I'm

[27:31] it will take 3 days for the land leveling. So I'll write here three and I'll click on enter. So it will automatically take if the two dates it's assigned for the site clearing these to this this will be the starting days and

[27:43] this will be the finishing date and then the land leveling will be having three days then three days will be from here to here now moving ahead like this you can give the dates here one by one one by one so it will automatically take the

[27:57] starting date and finishing date so I'm going to give here 4 days 5 days going to give here 4 days 5 days 6 days 7 days. Now here uh I'm going to

[28:09] give more days in the predecessor because sometimes the task overlaps and whenever it's overlapping with the other task it may take more time. Now here we are on the roofing. Now we'll make sure that the roofing that we have here is

[28:23] that the roofing that we have here is having here I'll be writing 8 fs means finish to start because we have to finish the eighth uh structure first which is structural frame. Once the structural frame will be finished then

[28:36] we'll be having a lag a lag of two days I'm going to add before starting the roofing. So this will be I I'm going to write like 8 FS that is 8 after the eight structure that is structural frame plus 2D that means 2 days of lag and

[28:51] after that I'll click on enter and it will automatically take the dates. Now moving ahead with this I'll be giving eight here and then I'll be giving 10 here and automatically it will take the dates here. So this one now we can see

[29:06] here the task is being assigned and for each task we have given a predecessor specific date the starting date and the finishing date. These are although a estimated days and this will change according to your needs and requirements

[29:21] and here let's say we'll talk about one by one all of them. So if you're talking by one all of them. So if you're talking about land leveling this is a type of finish to start basically first before this whatever is coming we have to

[29:33] finish that part and then we will be starting the next part. In the same way temporary and utility setup is also finished to start and then uh we have side surveys and marketing that is also finished to start. Most of these tasks

[29:45] are finished to start and this will also happen in the real life. Most of the first of all you have to finish what you have started before that and there can be some days where you have to give a lead of some days for example after the

[29:59] structural frame we need 2 days of lag before starting the roofing otherwise it will not be concrete. So like that we have to think about logically how the things are working out and now after thinking like that we have given here

[30:11] the frame. Now finish to start means first of all the previous task should be finished and then we'll be starting the next task. Now we can see here we have the electrical work. The electrical work we have given here. This can be a start

[30:23] to start because when we are working on the electrical work, roofing can also be working at the same time. Now this is a start to start work. And now after that we have plumbing. Now plumbing right now is a finish to finish because whenever

[30:35] also complete the electrical work. There is no constraint. So we can do both of them at the same time and we can end on the same time also. So here we are using the finish to finish relationship. So after plumbing we have final inspection.

[30:48] Now this completely makes sense that the final inspection cannot happen if the plumbing is currently going on. So we'll make sure that the final inspection will be having a relationship of start to finish. So whenever the plumbing is

[31:00] completely done and after doing all the other task above that it will be completely over and then only the final inspection can happen. So that will be holding a start to finish relationship. Now we have understood here the

[31:13] relationship how the relationship is defined how the predecessor is defining the dates and these are the estimated dates. This can also switch as per your requirement and you can make sure if there any task is done you can mark it

[31:26] there any task is done you can mark it done. let's look at the right side. So here we have the GAN chart. Now if you go close to this GAN chart you can see here this red line here. We can see it's a

[31:41] critical path. Critical path is the longest chain of connected task that decide how long a whole project will take. So for every task we can see here the critical path is selected. For example, here we can see the task is

[31:54] overlapping but the critical path is ending exactly at the end of the task. Now we can see here some task are overlapping some task are starting when the previous task is already finished. So this is the part where the critical

[32:07] path takes place because all the task is dependent on the previous task. So according to the dependencies the critical path is decided. So even if one of these task is delayed the entire project will get delayed. So that is how

[32:19] the critical path actually works in right now we have zero float. What exactly the zero float means? Means each task has a defined deadline. Now we have to complete that task in the given time. The task is not be able to complete in

[32:31] the given time. it will be delayed and there is no extra time given to that specific task that means zero float. If there is any extra time given to a specific task and even the task delays the entire system doesn't change that

[32:45] means it has some fraction of float which is actually giving a buffer time to achieve that specific goal. But currently we have zero float that means we do not have any buffer time here to achieve a specific task in the given

[32:57] achieve a specific task in the given time. So let's begin. So ultimately we can say the task become critical when the float becomes zero because here if there is no buffer time given to any specific task it has to be completed in

[33:09] the given time and if it is delaying the entire project the entire workflow will question comes on how project manager uses WBS and relationships in the field. WBS is not just a organizational tool. It is a construction. It links between

[33:25] your schedule and your cost plan. WVs code that matches your cost code allows you to roll up cost by the work package discipline or floor level. This is how MS project becomes a part of the cost control system and not just a program.

[33:39] Predecessor relationship are what transform a flat list of activities into a real construction logic network. Without them, your schedule has no intelligence. If foundation slips by three days and everything that follows

[33:52] that frame does automatically move with them a single update on the side ripples through the entire program in second. That is the difference between the schedule you trust and the one you have manually recognized even the week. So

[34:04] after completing this module we have understood MS project is built around a connected living schedule where task duration resources and relationships are all linked. The WBS gives your project a logical structure that mirrors how

[34:17] construction is planned and costed. And the predecessor relationship gives your grand chart a real schedule, not just a list of task with dates. The most common mistake people make at this stage is skipping the WBS and entering the flat

[34:31] list of activities. The structure you build here determines how useful your schedule is for the rest of the project. In the next model, we'll go deeper into the calendar and constraints because the software is only as accurate as working

[34:44] time when you'll tell it about everything. So, let us continue. built a skeleton of our project that is task structure and relationships. But

[34:58] there is a critical gap we need to close before any of those dates are meaningful. And the gap is what are the actual working days and hours of the project. And here's the problem. MS project by default assume a 5day working

[35:11] week, 8 hours a day and no public holidays, no site shutdown and no monsoon breaks. None of the real world constraints are applicable there. And if you do not correct that, your schedule is built on friction. Dates that look

[35:24] this model we are going to talk about that calendars and constraint the tools that make MS project reflect reality. After this module, you'll be able to create and modify a project calendar, including setting non-working days like

[35:39] public holidays, site shutdown or anything else. And you will also know how to create a custom work week configuration for a six working days. You will understand how to assign a different calendar to different task

[35:51] critical when subconstructors have different hours of working. And you will know how to use your task constraint correctly and crucially when not to use them. Because over constraining a schedule is one of the most common

[36:04] schedule is one of the most common planning mistake in the industry. about the schedule that becomes the resource plan. And this is where the most people start to feel the real depth of what MS project can do because once

[36:19] you add the resource you no longer just track time you are tracking people, track time you are tracking people, equipment, results, material and money all connected to the activities they support. In construction resources comes

[36:31] in the three types and the MS project handle all three. Work resources are your people and plant. They have daily and hourly rate and they can consume time. Material resources are the typical inputs concrete rebar form work price

[36:45] per unit. And the cost resources are the fixed free items do not depend on the duration subconsent lumpsum consulting fees and permit costs. There is one module that is task type. Because the way MS project responds when you change

[36:59] a duration or you add a resource depend entirely on which type of task you are set. Get this wrong and the software start doing the thing that seems unpredictable but are actually perfectly logical just not the logic you wanted.

[37:13] create a work material and cost resources in your resource sheet. You they control. You will know the three cost accural types that is prorated, start and end and when you use each one

[37:26] of them and you will understand the three task type fixed duration, fixed unit and fixed work and be able to predict how the MS project behave when you change a duration or add a resource in each type. Now let's start our next

[37:38] topic and that is the resource type and the resource sheet. Resource sheet in the MS project sentence the register for everything that cost money or consume time for your project. Think of it like HR or procurement master file built

[37:51] directly in your schedule. Work resources are your people and plan. A site engineer, a massoon, a carpenter, a tar. These are all work resources. They are defined by the standard rate which is typically daily or hourly. And by max

[38:06] unit which tells MS project how much the people resource is available. If you have a side engineer max unit is 100%. If you have three massoon available for work simultaneously, max rate will be 300%. This number is critical because

[38:19] decide when the project is overallocated. That is when you have scheduled more work to the resources that can actually physically possible for them to do. Material resources are the physical input. Concrete, steel,

[38:33] formwork, aggregates, these are the price per unit for quality. Cubic meters, tone, square meter. When you assign a material resource to a task, you will enter how much it is needed and the MS project calculates the most of

[38:47] the cost automatically. Cost resources are for the fixed per item that do not depend on duration or quality. A subconstructor lumpsum, a permit free, a professional admittity insurance premium. You enter the cost at the point

[39:02] of assessment, not at the rate in the resource sheet. There's also a cost accurate setting for each resources and this matters more than the people realize. Prorated means the cost is separated evenly across the duration of

[39:15] task. Correct for daily labors. Start means full cost will be registered on the same day. Correct for mobilation fees paid up front. End means the cost completed. Cost for milestone based payment for subconstructors.

[39:31] Getting this right is what makes a cash flow accurate. get it wrong and a financial projection will misled everyone who will read them. And in this demo we are going to build a full resource sheet for your project. All

[39:43] three types and with correct rate, max unit and accurate results. Now let's see how the project manager use the resource sheet. The resource sheet is your single resource of truth for every person, machine, material involved in the entire

[39:57] project. Building it carefully at the start with the accurate rates and realistic max units and the correct accural types means that every cost figures MS project generates is reliable and this is how the schedule and the

[40:10] cost plan becomes a document. The cost accural is particularly important for cash flow. Prorated spending means the resources cost and the distribution evenly across the task duration corrected for daily rate labor. Start

[40:24] day. Correct for sub construction mobilation fees and higher charges paid upfront and accurate means the cost raises on track completion correct for the milestone based on the payment or

[40:38] subconstructor's retention releases. Send this correctly and you will see the cost overtime reports will match your actual payment schedule. Now look at the task types because once you start assigning resources the task type

[40:50] determines exactly how the MS project behaves when you change a duration or add a new resources. This is a very small thing that makes a big difference. So now let's see task types that is fixed duration, fixed unit and fixed

[41:03] relationship between the three variables that is duration, units that is a resource availability and the work that is total effort. The MS project keep these three connected through the simple formula that is work equals to duration

[41:17] multiplied by unit. When you change one of these three and which one will be recalculated depends on the task type you have set. Fixed duration means the duration is locked. If you change the resources assigned to the fixed duration

[41:30] task the work quality changes but the task still finishes on the same time. This is the correct type of time dependent construction activity like contract pruning, inspection, approval, testing period, everything. These

[41:42] activities take a fixed amount of time regardless of how many people you assigned to do them. Adding more engineers to the curing period does not make the concrete cure faster. Then we have fixed unit means the resources

[41:55] level is locked. If you change the duration, MS project will recalculate the entire total working hour. If you want more duration, more work get done. production activity where you are adding more resources actually shorten the

[42:09] duration. Excavation is a good example. If you add a second excavator, the duration halves. And the next one we have is a fixed work means the total work quality is locked. If you add a second resource, the duration halves

[42:23] because it's the same total work is now shared between two people. This is the correct type of review task, design task or any knowledge work activity where the total effort agreed up front regardless of timeline. There is also a effort

[42:37] driven checkbox that works alongside the task type. When it is on, adding a resource automatically shares the work. Shorten the duration and when it is off, each new resources add to a total work rather than a sharing it. The

[42:50] combination of task type and effort-driven setting gives you a precise control over how the schedule responses to your resource decisions. The reason this matter on the live project, if you have a fixed work task

[43:02] and you are trying to shorten it by adding a extra person, MS project will quietly reduce the unit percentage on the original resource instead of just shortening the duration because it is protecting the work quality. That is the

[43:15] opposite of what you wanted. Know your task type and the software always does what you want. After doing all of this, let's see why task type matter on a life schedule. Task type controls how MS project recalculate when you change

[43:28] anything. If you have excavation set to fix work and to try to shorten duration by adding new excavator, MS project will quietly reduce the resources unit instead because it is protecting the work quality. That is the opposite of

[43:42] what you wanted. Understanding which type of task go on each activity means you can confidently adjust your schedule and trust that the software is doing what you want instead. The rule of thumb for the construction use fixed duration

[43:57] for time dependent activities like curing, testing, approval, inspection. Use fixed units for standard production activities like excavation, foamwork, reinforcement where the adding resources generally shorten the duration. And then

[44:11] we have reserve fixed activity for knowledge work or review task where the total effort is fixed regardless of timeline. Resources in the MS project are not just a name attached to task. They are the financial and human engine

[44:25] resources type gives you the full coverage of every construction cost category and cast type determine how MS project responds to your change. So know which type you are working with before you start adjusting duration and unit.

[44:40] In lesson three, we'll assign all these resources to the task. You will see the cost build automatically and then you deal with each one of them and also the overallocation because in the real construction the same person or machine

[44:54] is always needed in two places at time. So MS project will be answering all of So MS project will be answering all of those things. So let's keep going. where the project plan becomes the financial model. Up to this point we

[45:09] have task duration logic calendar resources all set in the system. Now we will connect all of these and when we do MS project automatically calculates the cost for each task every resources and

[45:22] real time for construction project manager. This is genuinely powerful. It means your schedule and your cost plan are on the same document. When schedule change the cost plan updates when resource rate change the budget

[45:36] recalculates. You're not maintaining two separate projects and manually reconsing this lesson, we will assign the resources, look at how cost accumulates, conflict that always happens in the

[45:50] assigning resources and tracking cost. After this module, you'll be able to assign work, cost, material, resources to task using the assign resource dialogue. You'll be able to read the cost breakdown that MS Project generates

[46:03] by task, by resources, by phases. And you will also understand the three cost accural types and know which to apply in which resources. And you'll be able to view the resource utilization across the project timeline using the resource user

[46:17] view. So now let's see how resource assessment build your project budget when you assign a resource to the task in the MS project. So when you assign a resource to the task in MS project, something important happens. The

[46:29] software takes a resources rate from the resource sheet, multiplies it by the duration of the task and calculates the cost. It then applies the cost to the task and roll up to the summary task above it and add it to the overall

[46:42] moment you make the assignment. This is fundamentally different from maintaining spreadsheet, if you schedule changes, you will update the program in one place and then you manually go and update the cost plan in the another and the error

[46:57] creeps in and the two documents drift apart. In the MS project, they are the through the foundation task automatically increases the machine and the cran cost for the task and the project total updates automatically. You

[47:10] assign multiple resources to the single task. A foundation activity might have a task. A foundation activity might have a site engineer at 100% and two must 200% combined, a quality of concrete in cubic meters and a crane at 100%. Each one

[47:24] contributes to the cost to the task total. The MS project shows you all of this broken down by resource in the task usage view which is extremely useful view for detailed cost review and for the conversational with your quality

[47:37] surveys. Now let's talk about the connected cost model. What this means for construction? For example, when you assign a massoon at rupees 200 a day and you have 10 days of activity, MS project calculates the rupees as 20,000 for a

[47:51] calculates the rupees as 20,000 for a task. Assign tower crane at 25,000 a day for the same task and the cost become two lakhs 70,000. Now multiply that across each task 500 activity construction program. You will have a

[48:05] budget. Build your own schedule. Update every time the schedule changes. This is what makes MS project a cost management tool, not just auling tool. And the resource usage view shows you when each resources is needed and at what cost

[48:21] intensity giving you the time phased budget that has your QS you validate and a finance team can use the cash flow projection. This is the single most important reason to use MS project over a spreadsheet based on the program. Now

[48:35] let us see cost acural more closely because how and when cost registers in your project has a direct impact on the cash flow projection and this is the detail that most people skip over. Cost accural and why it affects your cash

[48:48] flow. Every resources in the MS project has a accural setting that controls when the cost is recorded in the project financial timeline. This is not just a technical detail. It is a direct and significant impact on the accuracy of

[49:01] cash flow report. Pro-rated accural spreads the cost evenly across a task duration. If a massoon works on a 10 days task, the cost appears as equal daily amount spread over the 10 days. This is correct for labor and plant when

[49:15] you pay on the time basis of daily rate, weekly invoices and monthly salary runs. And then we have start acural reports and that is the full cost of 1 day of a task. This is correct for the items when you pay upfront. the sub construction

[49:30] mobilation fee, a plant delivery charges, a higher train that bills on arrival. If this cost is set for prorated instead of start, your cash flow report shows you spending smoothly over 6 weeks when you actually spend the

[49:44] whole amount on one day. And then we have end accural. This is where you report the full cost on the last day of the task. This is the correct five for subconstructor whose invoice is

[49:56] a retention payment released at a practical completion. Again, if it is wrong, your cash flow curve is wrong. The cash flow curve in the MS project the available in the cost report. This one is the most useful output for the

[50:10] construction project managers. It shows the finance team when money goes out of the door which mines the project funding requirements. Getting the accurate settings right is that make that curve accurate. Now let's see why this matters

[50:23] for the cash flow. Cash flow in the construction is critical and often the difference between the profitable object and the problem one. If your MS project how you actually pay your supplies and subconstructors, your cash flow will

[50:37] report it wrong. Set all the resources proacted by default and your report shows smooth and even spending when it looks clean but completely inaccurate. If you have large upfront mobilation payment or endto- stage milestone

[50:51] releases. So the correct approach will be review every resource type asset the acrual that matches the payment terms. Labors means always flated. Planned mobilation fees means always at the start. Milestone payment means always at

[51:04] project setup checklist and your cost report will be accurate from the day one. The schedule has now budget attached to it. Every task has a cost. Every phase has a subtotal. The whole project has a total cost figure updated

[51:19] automatically by the time the project or the resource will assign changes. This is the financial model that the project directors call the surveyors and the clients are used to manage construction cost and you build it from the schedule.

[51:32] appears on the real construction schedule. The first time resource and the fully assigned overallocation. So, let us look at what it is and how it let us look at what it is and how it causes and how we can fix this.

[51:48] the most common and most frustrating problem in construction shoulduling. The same resource is being needed at two place at the same time. In MS project, this is what called as overallocation and it is not a sign that you made a

[52:01] like before you managed it. It is a software being honest about a real constraints. The question is what do we do about it? MS Project gives you a several tool. You can manually reassign your resources. You can use automatic

[52:16] resource leveling or you can adjust resources at different availability implementation for your project duration, cost and logic. You are going to work through all of them. Now the most important question comes in the

[52:30] picture is what overallocation is and how to resolve the overallocation. Overallocation happen when a resource is scheduled to work at more than its maximum available capacity during a given time period. If your site engineer

[52:42] given time period. If your site engineer has max unit set at 100% meaning one person and you need to assign them the three tasks that run all at the same time MS project calculates that they are needed at 300% during that time period

[52:55] which means they are overallocated. MS project shows this in the red in the resource sheet and flag it throughout the relevant views. It is not an error message telling you that the schedule is broken. It is a software telling you

[53:07] your current resource plan cannot be executed as drawn. Something has to give. Either the task need to be stabbed in the time or the scope of the overlapping task need to be changed. There are three main ways to resolve

[53:19] this. The first is manual reassignment. You look at the overallocated period, identify which task is least critical and either replace the resource on that task with something else or delay the task to the time when the resource is

[53:33] free and it is a right starting point for your most important resources. The second approach is splitting the task. If a task can be interrupted, paused and resumed, you can split it so that the first part runs before the overloaded

[53:47] period and the second part resumes after. Not all construction activities can be split, but many can and this is often a practical solution. The third approach is automatic resource leveling. MS project has a leveling engine that

[54:00] looks at all overallocations and delay task to remove the conflict. It is because it can delay the task the way it can extend the entire project duration or while it side sequences logic that software does not know about. The rule

[54:15] is always to review what leveling did before you accept it. The safest workflow is to level non-critical path activities first where you have the float to absorb and to handle the critical path resources manually. In

[54:27] that way you can control what affects your data and your last working day. On any real construction project, overall location is guaranteed to appear the first time you assign the resources to fully network schedule. The site

[54:39] engineer who is responsible for the quality inspection also has to attend a subconstructor coordination meeting. I'll supervise the concrete part all on the same day. The MS project shows that this conflict is red. It is not telling

[54:52] wrong way. It is telling you that your resource plan cannot be matched right now. The practical approach will be start with the manual resolution for your most critical resources. Leveling those manually gives you full control

[55:06] over what takes more and by how much. Use automatic level all only after you have managed the critical path manually. And always review what leveling did before you apply it. Automatic leveling can shift task in a way that looks

[55:20] logical but can actually violate the sequence logic that software does not know about. Now let us look at the feature that makes your resource plan much more realistic. Time phase availability. Because a real resource

[55:32] throughout the whole project. Time phase availability. In any real construction project, resource does not stay constant from the starting to finish. A tower crane is on hire for first 6 month and then demolished. A second structural

[55:46] engineer joins at the month three when the frame is underway. A specialist waterproofing crew is available only one specific window and then they move to the next project and operators take two weeks of manual leave in a mid project.

[56:00] MS project can capture all of this in the time phase resource availability dialogue, you can define when your resource is available and at what capability and when that changes. You create rows in your availability table

[56:15] available from this date to this date and at this percentage of max unit. When the availability ends, you need to add a new row showing zero percentage. The effect is significant. Once you define what tower crane is only available until

[56:29] automatically flag any task that tries to use the crane after that date. The resource will appear as a overallocated in those weeks. Not because you have oversh because it is physically not available there. That early warning is

[56:43] to make the procurement decision because the problem becomes the crisis on site. You can also modify an individual resources working calendar. If an operator is on leave for a specific week, you can mark those days as a

[56:57] non-working day in their personal calendar. MS Project then reschedule any task assigned to them to someone else. No manual adjustment needed. Now let us talk about the time phase availability reflecting a real site condition. This

[57:10] feature separates a professional grade construction schedule from a immature one. On site resources come and go. The tower crane is on hire from month one to month six. The second structural engineer join from the month three. The

[57:23] specialist waterproofing crew is available from the month one. All of resources availability setting. And once you captured the software will flag any task that tries to use the resources outside the available window. As a

[57:37] reflects the actual contractual and procurement position of your project. slips in the creating a demand of resources that has no longer been the side that availability early automatic and accurate is what MS project is

[57:53] actually there to offer. Resource allocation is not the problem. It is the diagnostic. It tells you exactly where your resource plan has a conflict. The you the three revolutionary strategies. Reassessment, leveling, and adjusting

[58:07] availability. In practical, you'll be using the combination of all of three. Start with the manual adjustment for your most critical resources and use automatic leveling to always check what it did what it did to your critical

[58:19] path. Now in the module four we'll move from planning to control. We are going to set the baseline update the process track how the project is performing against the original plan. This is where the MS project becomes the most powerful

[58:32] site management tool. See you there. [music] we are going to talk about how MS project is separated from scheduleuler

[58:44] to project controller. Everything you have built so far was a planning. What we are about to do is a control and the difference matters enormously on the construction side. Planning is deciding what you intended to do. Control is

[58:57] measuring what you are actually doing and compare it with the intention and then making the decision based on the gap. The tool that makes the comparison possible is MS project in the baseline. a frozen screenshot from your approved

[59:10] plan. From that point forward, every update you make is automatically compared against it. This gives you the answer of three most important questions in the construction project management. Are we on schedule? Are we on budget?

[59:23] Are we on schedule? Are we on budget? And if we are off, by how much and why? single action you will take in the MS project. And it takes 5 seconds to set.

[59:35] So let's see. So here we'll go in the project tab. Click here and in this we'll set the baseline. In the baseline here you'll come down set the baseline and here I'm going to set the baseline as whatever you want to set here. The

[59:50] last set I have done here and on Tuesday 26. So I'll click on this. 26. So I'll click on this. I'll click on okay because it is already set here. So we'll move forward with this one. So why does it matter so much?

[1:00:05] So when you set a baseline, MS project takes a snapshot of every task in your schedule at the exact moment. The planned start date, the planned finish date, the planned duration, and the planned cost. These values are then

[1:00:17] stored as a baseline feed separate from a live schedule feed. From this point forward, every time you update the schedule, MS Project compares the current state with the frozen baseline and calculate the various automatically.

[1:00:30] Without a baseline, you cannot do this comparison. You cannot tell whether a task is finishing today on time, early or late because you have no record when it is supposed to finish. The baseline is the yard stick. Everything in the

[1:00:42] progress tracking depends on it. The professional rule is to set a baseline at project authorization when a contract is signed and the program is approved and to protect it. Do not need to reset it because the things are running late.

[1:00:55] The baseline that moves to match the actual program is not a baseline at all. It is a description of what has already happened which is useless for management decisions. Now if you'll come here in the set baseline

[1:01:08] and you will click on set baseline. You can see here there are 11 baselines. MS project allows you to store up to 11 baselines. This is useful when there is a genuine scope of change or a contract variation fundamentally or contract

[1:01:23] approved program. In that case you set the second baseline to capture the revised plan. So you can track the performance against the new approvals but the original baseline stays in the place preventing the record of where the

[1:01:37] you'll come here and you can see the GAN chart here in the tracking gant view which we'll be getting here when we'll go in the view section and then we'll go in the GAN chart and then we'll come in the tracking GAN. Now here which you'll

[1:01:50] be using for after setting the baseline you will see two bar for every task. The gray bar at the bottom in the baseline, the blue and the red bar above the current schedule. The moment these two bars does not align, you have a

[1:02:03] variation. The variation is the information. Now after seeing this, you the baseline is the moment your schedule transitions from planning document to control tools. Without baseline, you have no reference point. You cannot tell

[1:02:16] whether a task finishing on 15th March on time or 2 days later because you do not have a approved plan to compare it against. With baseline set correctly before work starts reflecting the approved contract program, every future

[1:02:30] update generates a meaningful various data automatically. The one practical a one baseline at a project authorization and protect it. only set a

[1:02:42] second baseline when the approved scope changes or contract variation program. Everything else is a process tracking not baseline variation. Project managers who keep resetting their baseline to hide delays are not managing

[1:02:56] their project. They are hiding it. When the baseline set we can now start updating the schedule with what is actually happening on site. MS project against the approved plan. Progress tracking is what transforms your

[1:03:09] schedule from a plan to a management tool. But the accuracy of tracking depends on the accuracy of everything that comes out of it. Your schedule variance, your cost variance and ultimately you earn value calculations

[1:03:21] in the next module. MS projects gives you three ways to update progress and each one of them suits a different purpose. The first method is percentage complete. You simply enter the percentage of the task finished 25% 60%

[1:03:35] percentage of the task finished 25% 60% 100%. MS project uses this to calculate how much work has been done and how much is remaining. This is a quick way and it works well for simple and linear activities where your process is roughly

[1:03:47] proportional to the time elapsed. It can be misleading for complex activities. It can be misleading for the complex activities. If you say the task is like 50% because the half of the time has passed. Let's see how in the screen. So

[1:03:59] let's say how we can make the task 50% completed. Now let's say we are here on the project information. You will choose here the starting date, the current date and the status date. Here my status date

[1:04:16] and the status date. Here my status date is given currently. Okay. Let's say my status date I'm going to change as 27th.

[1:04:31] that these are 100% the task is completed and here also and here also and here 0% task is completed and here 100% task is completed and all the other task it's not even completed and not even started. So it's 0 0 0 and zero

[1:04:46] with that we can understand here the amount of task is already done. You can give the percentage sign here. So if you say the task is 50% completed because half of the time has passed that is not the same as 50% of the physical work

[1:04:59] being done. The second method is actual dates. So if you'll go here in the task section so when you'll go in the task section and you will double click here. So here you can see mark the task. So let's say for foundation I'm clicking

[1:05:12] here. For the reinforcement I'm clicking here and I'm saying that the task is on track. So you can read here what is written mark on track set the selected task. So let's say I want to give here the brick work the amount of task has

[1:05:27] been done. So let's say I'm going to give here 25%. So when I'm giving 25% to the brick work you can see here in the GAN chart it has 25 in front of the task which means 25% of the task is already done. So you can choose from here also

[1:05:43] in the view section. Now what exactly this does when you enter the exact starting date of the task and the day it physically begins on the site and either the actual finish date if it is completed or the remaining duration if

[1:05:57] it is still in the process. This method is more reliable than percentage completed because it is tied to a real event rather than a estimated process. Now the third method is actual work. In task usage view, you can enter the

[1:06:10] actual hours worked by each resources for each day. This is the most genuine and most accurate method. It gives the MS project a real productivity data to work on. It is also the most time consuming to maintain. So it is

[1:06:24] typically used for the critical and most complex activities rather than every task in the program. The key discipline is to state date. Before you update anything, you will set the status date in the project information. This is the

[1:06:36] reporting date. The moment the time that is your progress has referred to. MS predict uses is to calculate whether a task that has been scheduled started or have started or whether a task that should be finished has finished or not.

[1:06:50] any updated cycle. Here we have understood so many ways to track. Now we need to understood why process tracking is important. Setting the baseline was the one-time action. Updating process is

[1:07:02] a weekly discipline and the quality of your update determines the quality of every management decision. A schedule that has updated the real side data, actual dates and actual completion percentage based on the physical process

[1:07:15] actual resource hours is a management tool. A schedule that is updated estimated or assumed percentage in a fiction is a friction rest as a plan. The three method that serve different situation. Percentage completion is

[1:07:28] where linear progress is fair assumption. Actual dates are essential for activities with a clearer measurable start and finish dates. Actual work is the most accurate method for complex resource incentive activities where

[1:07:43] daily productivity varies. Use the method that matches your site reporting capabilities and be consistent with it. [music]

[1:07:55] value management that is EVM. This is the most sophisticated construction infrastructure projects, government contracts, international programs. If you're going to operate at this level, you need to understand EVM and the MS

[1:08:10] project calculates it from the automatically also baseline and the progress state are done. And here's the core idea. Traditional schedule tracking tells you whether a task is started or finished. Traditional cost tracking

[1:08:22] tells you how much you have spent, but neither of them tells you whether the work that you have done is worth what you have paid for or not. Earned value does exactly that. It brings the schedule, cost, and scope together in a

[1:08:35] single integrated platform measurement. Three numbers are the heart of EVM. Three numbers are the heart of EVM. Planned value, how the work was scheduled to be done by today. Earned value, how much work has actually been

[1:08:48] finished expressed in the budget terms. and the actual cost how much we have relationship between these three numbers The three core matrix let us work through the EVM logic carefully before

[1:09:01] you see in the software because once you understand what each number represents straightforward. Repeat. So let's see here on the screen that we need to go to the report tab and then inside the report tab we'll go to the dashboards

[1:09:17] and then inside dashboard we will go to the cost overview. Now here we can see the planned values called BCWS in the MS project which stands for the budgeted cost of work scheduled is the answer to this question. According to the approved

[1:09:32] done by today and what did you budget for it? If your project has four weeks and the plan said you could complete the foundation in the four weeks at the budget cost of rupees 20 lakhs then your planned value is 20 lakhs. Now let us

[1:09:46] talk about the earned value that is called as DCWP or budgeted cost of work performed. This is the answer to this question. How much of the work was actually being completed valued at the budgeted rate? If you have 60% done with

[1:10:00] the foundation, your earned value is 60% of 20 lakhs which is 12 lakhs not what you actually spent what the completed work was budgeted to cost. The actual cost that is called as ACWP or actual cost of work performed is simply what

[1:10:16] you have actually spent to achieve the work that has been achieved. Now if you have spent 14 lakhs to get the 60% of the foundation completed your actual cost is 14 lakhs. Now the relationship between these three numbers becomes very

[1:10:30] powerful. Schedule variance is earned value minus planned value. In our example that is 12 lakhs minus 20 lakhs negative 8 lakhs you have behind schedule. Cost variance is earned value minus actual value that is 12 lakhs

[1:10:44] minus 14 lakhs. Negative of two lakhs you are over budget. This indicates convert into ratios. The schedule performance index is earned value divided by planned value. An SPI of 0.85

[1:10:58] means you are delivering 85% of what was planned and you are behind. The cost performance index is earned value divided by actual cost. The CPI of 0.90 means every rupee you spend is delivering 90 pesa of budgeted work.

[1:11:12] Again you overbudgeted. The estimate of the completion that is EAC is the total approved budget divided by the CPI. If the budget is 10 crores, your CPI is the budget is 10 crores, your CPI is 0.90. The ESC is 11.1 K. That is what

[1:11:26] performance continues. That is the actionable information and MS project calculates it all automatically. Now if the earned value report. You can come here in the report design. You can come

[1:11:39] here on the report and then you can go on the cost and then you can click on earned value report and then you can see the report of the entire data that we have written here. The data that we have written is a demo data. So over that we

[1:11:51] can see the small numbers but we can understand here this calculations we calculated. Now here you can see if you want to change anything you can change here. Moving ahead you can see all the values here. All of these graphs are

[1:12:04] somewhere showing all the indicators that we have. Now from this graph we can see here the project earned value based on the status date. If the actual date is higher than the earned value then the project is over budget. If planned value

[1:12:17] project is behind the schedule. Now we can see here whatever is going on with our data with our numbers. Now we can read here about the variance over time also and then we can move on and we can read about the other graphs that it has

[1:12:30] to offer. Now the biggest question comes is what each of the matrices tell us right now. The schedule performance index tells us you have efficiently used index tells us you have efficiently used your time. An SPI of 0.85 85 means you

[1:12:42] have delivering 85% of scheduled work for every dollar of planned schedule. You are behind the cost performance index tells you how effectively you are using your money. A CPI of 0.90 means every rupees you spend is delivering 90

[1:12:56] pesa of results. You are over budget. These two numbers read together and tell you more about the project health than the amount of verbal reporting. It estimates the completion in perhaps of most important AVM outcome. It tells you

[1:13:09] on the basis of your current performance trend what the project will cost if nothing changes. If your approved budget is 10 crores and your CPI is 0.90 your is 10 crores and your CPI is 0.90 your EC is 11.1 K. That is the actionable

[1:13:23] information. It tells the project director that the the current trajectory ends in the 10%age cost overrun. They have the data to make the decision about it now not after the damage is done. There is one more important detail about

[1:13:36] how EVM calculate progress is getting the right separate a good EVM report from an accurate one. This is the detail that the most scheduulers overlook. So now let us understand the physical percentage completion and notice the

[1:13:48] percentage completion. This is the detail that most scheduleuler overlook but it has a significant impact on the accuracy of your earned value figure. So let us understand it clearly. By default, MS project calculates earned

[1:14:01] value during duration percentage completion. This means if 60% of the task planned duration has elapsed, MS budget assumes 60% of the work has been finished and the credit 60% of the task budget has earned value. On a simple

[1:14:17] linear activity like painting a wall where you move on a linear way, the assumption is broadly correct. But on the construction side, many activities do not progress as the constant rate. A concrete slab pour might take 60%

[1:14:29] through its planned duration but only 40% poured because there was a p stopage of 3 days due to a rain or a simple supply issue. If you use a duration percentage your EVM report shows 60% completion but the actual physical

[1:14:43] progress of 40% you are overstarting your earned value by 20%. Over a large program that is different because significant it makes the project looks like a healthier than it is. Now the physical percentage complete solve this.

[1:14:56] Instead of letting the percentage decide how much it has earned, you will actually enter the actual physical progress based on the measurement. How much concrete was poured, how many square meters were waterproofed and how

[1:15:09] m of pipe was installed. This is the figure that reflects what actually been built or what the schedule says should have been built. Professional EVM framework and the most major construction contracts that requires EVM

[1:15:22] completion as a measurement basis. MS project supports it. MS project supports both of them. The individual task level and the global setting. Now for example here the brick work can take 3 days but

[1:15:35] if you'll go to the slab casting it does require more time rather than all the gives you the objective quantified picture of project health not opinions numbers. Your SPI tells you how effectively you are using the time. Your

[1:15:49] CPI tells you how effectively you are using your money. Your ES tells you where you're going to end up if you do not change anything. These are the metrices that project boards, clients, and financial controller understand and

[1:16:01] trust. The baseline is the anchor. Without it, EVM is impossible. If there module 4, that is set your baseline before any work starts. protected and only updated if there is a approved scope of change. Everything else is a

[1:16:16] variance and variance is information use it. On our last module, we are going to understand the information out of the MS project through view report and data exchange because a great schedule that nobody else can read is a schedule

[1:16:30] nobody else can read is a schedule nobody else can trust. [music] built a plan, assisted a resource, tracked the process and measured the communicate it to your clients, to your project director and to your

[1:16:45] subcontractors, to your site team. Each of those audience need a different different level of detail with a different focus. MS project has a powerful reporting and view system that lets you extract exactly the right

[1:16:59] audience. And at the end of the session, we are going to talk about how your MS project data moves in and out with the Excel, PDF and other formats because in the real world, you are never going in the isolation. You should need to talk

[1:17:13] the isolation. You should need to talk to every other tool. all the major views in the MS project like GAN chart, tracking chart, resource like GAN chart, tracking chart, resource usage, task usage and network diagram

[1:17:27] and calendar view and more. And you will know how to apply filter grouping and highlighting the exact specific date set for a large schedule. You'll be able to create and customize report for different audience progress report, cost

[1:17:40] report, resource report and milestone summarizes. And you will know how to Still one of the most common deliverables in the construction project management. A view in MS project is not just a different way of looking at the

[1:17:53] same screen. Each view is designed to answer a specific set of questions. And choosing the right view is as important as having the right data in your schedule. So let's go in the view tab. Now for that we'll go in the view

[1:18:05] section and then we'll click on task views. And here we'll be having all different types of view. A GAN chart is a default view and the one you use for the daily planning work. It gives you the task line on the left. It gives the

[1:18:17] task line on the left and the timeline on the right. This is a working view. And after that we have a tracking GAN chart. adds a baseline bar below the current bar giving you a immediate visual comparison between what has been

[1:18:29] planned and what is happening. This is your weekly progress meeting view. It tells the story of variance without requiring any explanation. Now if you we'll come here in the GAN chart. You'll click here and you will go to the more

[1:18:43] views and here you will search for the network diagram. So here we have the network diagram. Click on this and hit apply. need to understand that the network diagram shows you task as boxes

[1:18:59] connected by rows. It is a pure logic view. Use this when you need to review the dependency chain. Identify the logical error and explain the critical path to someone who is not familiar with the GAN charts. Then if you want to talk

[1:19:11] about the calendar view, we can come here again and we can click on more view and we will search for the calendar view. Now we got the calendar view here and I'll click on apply and this is our calendar view. Now

[1:19:27] monthly calendar layout. This is your side formats view. Straightforward date based easy to print and post on the side. Nontechnical stakeholder find this much easier to read than the GAN chart. And then we have task usage and resource

[1:19:42] usage view which gives you the time paste breakdown of working hours and cost. So if we click here on the task usage, we'll be coming here. Now the thing that we need to understand here is you will

[1:19:55] see here the resource usage shows the total demand on each resource across the management and resource planning view. The resource graph is a histogram. It shows you the utilization level of resource over time as a bar chart with a

[1:20:10] line making maximum capacity overallocation period appears immediately. This is the view you reach for when the resource manager asks you, Each view shows the same underlining data through a different lenses. Your

[1:20:23] skill as a product manager includes knowing each lens to use for the each different audience and for their questions. Now the most important thing is to understand what is the meaning of the right view for the right audience.

[1:20:35] One of the most common mistake in the construction project management is showing the wrong view to the wrong audience. Showing a GAN chart with 500 task through a sub constructor who only need to see their only two weeks

[1:20:47] activity is completely unusful. MS project views show the system design to solve this. Each view is a different lens on the same data. The tracking gant is your weekly progress meeting view. The baseline bar and the current bar

[1:21:00] side by side tells the story instantly. The resource graph is your resource [clears throat] overload without requiring any interpretation. The calendar view is a site formance view. simple, timebased and easy to print.

[1:21:12] Learn which view serves which audience and you will spend a less time explaining your schedule and more time using it in the decision. [music]

[1:21:24] schedule to show exactly the right task to the right audience using filter, grouping and highlighting. A 500 activity construction program is not readable in full and it should not be. Different people need different slices

[1:21:37] of it. filter, grouping, highlighting are the tools that lets you extract the right information without creating multiple separate slices. Now if you talk about filters so first of all let's go to the filter here. So we'll go to

[1:21:49] view section you will go in the data. Now in data you will choose the filter. Right now we have no filter. So I'll click on filter and here you'll be seeing multiple type of filters. So one by one we'll talk about all of them and

[1:22:02] then we'll move ahead. Filter removes row from the view. When you apply the critical filter, only task on the critical path remains visible. When you apply a milestone filter, only milestone task are shown. The schedule date has

[1:22:16] rows. Those are not relevant to your particular view. This is powerful for your weekly critical path review, a milestone status report, and for generating subconstructor specific look ahead program. Custom filters go

[1:22:29] further. You can define your own filter criteria. For example, show only task assigned to the specific resources that have the duration longer than 10 days and not yet completed. Save that filter and you can apply it in every week for

[1:22:43] every single task. The data updates automatically as the schedule is maintained. Now let's talk about grouping. Grouping reorganizes the rows without hiding any of them. Group by resource group and all tasks are sorted

[1:22:56] and subtotaled by each crew or subconstructor is responsible. group by WBS and the task are organized by the work package. This is how you generate a subconstructor pack from a master schedule filter to their task group by

[1:23:09] WBS and then print and then we have the highlighting option. Now if you'll go here in the view section and I will click on data and in data you will see here we don't have any highlights. Now here click on this and now we can see

[1:23:22] Now let's understand what is the use of highlight. Highlight is a middle option. All tasks remain visible but the only one meeting your criteria is shown in the presentation when you want to show the full program context but draw our

[1:23:37] attention to a specific activity like the critical path, the upcoming milestone or the task assigned for the particular trade. So the biggest question comes in the picture is how to filter and grouping. Now the biggest

[1:23:49] filter and grouping change how you communicate. A construction project schedule. It is to communicate it efficiently to multiple audiences. Subconstructors do not need to see the

[1:24:02] entire program. They need to see their activity, the activities of the trades before them and the milestone they have met. Filter by resources, group by WBS and then print. That's it. That's their look ahead program. Generate your master

[1:24:16] schedule under in 2 minutes. Custom filter is where the real efficiency gains. Once you create a filter that shows all critical activities for a specific subconstructor due to start in the next four weeks, you can save it and

[1:24:29] apply it in every week. The data updates automatically as a schedule maintain. This is schedule communication that scales without adding a manual effect. Now let us look at the report and how to create a GANshot output that is

[1:24:42] ready. A report and professional GAN project reporting, we need to go at we'll be having all the different type of reporting here. Now we need to

[1:24:55] understand that the MS project reporting system has evolved significantly in the recent versions. The reports are no longer static table. They are live visible dashboard that pull directly from the project data and update

[1:25:07] automatically every time the schedule is changed. The report tab organizes everything in categories. Like for example in the dashboard given to you here. Now this dashboard gives you the overview level summarizes overall

[1:25:20] project status, cost performance and milestone tracking. And the next turn is resource category shows you the utilization and allocation across the teams. And then we have the cost category. Now we talk about the cost

[1:25:33] category. The cost category includes the cash flow category includes the cash flow charts and budget summarizes. And then we have in process category. In in process category, it focuses on what the current activity is going on. Critical

[1:25:45] task, late task, task due in the next two weeks. All of this will be covered here. You can also create a custom report, the new report function that lets you define exactly what field you want to show, what filter you want to

[1:25:57] apply, and how it should be formatted. Once created, the report is saved in your project file, and it can be opened or printed in any second in future dates. The data always reflect the current state of the schedule. The Gant

[1:26:10] and it is still a standard deliverable Clients, employees and regular authorities expect the printed GR chart. MS project can provide you the submission quality output but it

[1:26:23] requires some setup. You need to control the date range being shown whether each column represents a day, a week, a month and the page header and footer. Set this up once, save the view and every subsequent print will be consistent. The

[1:26:36] goal is always the same. The right information formulated for the right trust. A well formatted grand chart submission communicate competence before anyone has even read it once. Now we need to understand the report that comes

[1:26:49] out of the MS project are only as useful as the data that goes into it. If you schedule up to the data and your resources are assigned correctly. The cost overview report will give you a live financial dashboard. The critical

[1:27:02] task report gives you the focus program for your weekly management meeting. A cash flow report gives the QS a time phased budget view all form the same source of file in seconds. The Gant chart print done properly. It is still a

[1:27:15] standard deliverable for the construction program submissions. authorities expect a printed GR chart. MS project can provide a submission quality output if you control the time scale, the data usage and the header and

[1:27:29] the footer and the page setup. Take the time, set this up correctly at the start of your project and then save it in the view and every subsequent print will be consistent and professional. And that is it for the course. Let me take a moment

[1:27:42] to bring everything together because you have covered a significant amount of ground. It is worth pausing to reflect what you know now and how to do. You started by understanding what MS project actually is. Not just a GAN chart tool,

[1:27:55] but a connected schedule and resource management engine. You build a work breakdown structure that mirrors how construction projects are actually organized and costed. You created a calendar that reflects a real working

[1:28:07] constraints only where they were genuinely warranted and use deadlines to protect your program without overriding its logic. You built a resource plan with work resources, material resources, cost resources. You understood task type

[1:28:21] deeply enough to predict what MS product will do when you change a duration or add resources. You assigned everything, watched the cost build up automatically and resolved overallocation using the combination of manual adjustment and

[1:28:35] leveling. You set a baseline and used it to track progress, updating actual against the frozen plan and seeing variables show up in a real time. You applied earned value management to get a objective quantified picture of whether

[1:28:48] communicate that information through the right view filter and report to the important thing I want to leave you with. MS project is a professional tool. It takes time to get fluent with it. The scheduleuler and the project controller

[1:29:02] construction industry are not the one who know the most feature. They are the one who build credible logicdriven resource loaded schedule and update them automatically. An honest schedule that shows a problem early is a worthund

[1:29:16] project to tell the truth about the project and that is what it is for. And now you know how. And thank you for being part of this course. Go build being part of this course. Go build something.