Dale Howard

Background Are you displaying the Project Summary Task in every one of your projects in Microsoft Project? If not, I strongly recommend that you do this. What is the Project […]

Background A number of organizations in the United States, including agencies of the US federal government, use a compressed work schedule to manage projects. A common type of compressed work […]

Background In my previous article on Understanding the Nonworking Time Calendar, I showed you how to apply an alternate base calendar as the Project Calendar and the Nonworking Time Calendar […]

Background There was an interesting question recently in the Tech Community Project user forum. A user asked how to change the default working calendar to allow Saturday as a working […]

Background Information I answered a question recently in the Tech Community Project user forum about how to edit an existing enterprise template in Project Online. That user’s question, and the […]

Overview Have you ever tried to use the default task Status field in Microsoft Project? This field uses the Status date that you set in your project (or the Current […]

Background Information Last month there was a fascinating “brain teaser” question posted in the Project and Planner User Group on LinkedIn. The user wanted to know if there was a […]

Background There was a really interesting scheduling question posted recently in the Tech Community user forum on Microsoft Project. Although I was not the one who answered the question, I […]

Background Information In my third and previous article in this series, I demonstrated how the use of Deadline dates can negatively impact the Total Slack calculations for tasks in your […]

Background Information The other day I had an interesting conversation with a colleague about the impact of Deadline dates on Critical Path calculations. He told me that several of his […]

Background Information In my first MPUG post about the Deadline dates feature in Microsoft Project, I documented how to set a Deadline date on a task to specify the “target” […]

Background Information Many years ago, I was working with a client located in downtown Denver, Colorado. I was teaching the project managers in the client’s PMO how to use the […]

Background Information A couple of weeks ago, there was an interesting question in the Project user forum on the Internet. My answer to that question revealed why and how to […]

Background Information A recent post in Microsoft’s Project Group user forum prompted me to write the below article. A user posted a question, stating that he has been working with […]

Manually Checking for Un-baselined Tasks How do you know whether a task has been baselined in a Microsoft Project schedule? The direct way to determine if a task has been […]

Overview Ever since the introduction of Project for the web in late 2019, Microsoft has slowly and steadily rolled out new features for this software application. In this article, I […]

Background Information If you are a user of the Microsoft Project desktop application, there is no built-in method for tracking change request activity in your project schedule. However, you can […]

Default Formatting As you are probably already aware, the default formatting of the Gantt Chart pane, which is shown on the right side of the Gantt Chart view, is as […]

Background Over the years, I have found a common need for many project managers is to create a task in their Microsoft Project schedule that spans the entire timeframe of […]

Background By default, the security permissions in Project Online and Microsoft Project Server only allow project managers to open and edit their own projects, and do not allow project managers […]

The Resource Usage view is a powerful view in Microsoft Project. The Usage table on the left side of the view displays each resource in your project team, along with […]

Background Information In the realm of little-used features in Microsoft Project, there are a couple of Project Options settings worth noting. These are the calculation options found on the Advanced […]

What is Elapsed Duration? Microsoft Project offers an unusual scheduling option known as Elapsed Duration. In the Duration column for any task, you can enter a Duration value two different […]

Project for the Web was first released in 2019. Since then, Microsoft has continued to add new content to this lightweight project management application on a regular basis. In fact, […]

Background Information A few weeks ago, I created a Tips and Tricks video on creating and using personal templates in Microsoft Project. The step that is required for using personal […]

Many years ago, in Microsoft Project for DOS, the only way to set task dependencies was to manually type task ID numbers into either the Predecessors or Successors column for […]

Background Information While you perform resource planning in your projects by adding resources to your project team in the Resource Sheet view, you may need to enter basic and custom […]

Background I was recently reading the latest posts in the Project Standard and Professional user forum, when I found a recent reply to a question that was originally posted in […]

For the past couple of weeks, I have been busy creating training content for the new Project for the Web application. Beyond the usual keyboard shortcuts like Control + C […]

Figure 5: More Options menu

Background Information During the Planning stage of a project, it is appropriate to delete unneeded tasks from the project. After you have saved a baseline for your project, however, it […]

A Problem and a Solution Several months ago, there was an interesting question in the Project Standard and Professional user forum on the Internet. The user who posted the question […]

Background Information In Microsoft Project, you can completely override the schedule of any task by assigning a Task calendar to the task. Common needs for using a Task calendar might […]

Dragging and Dropping Tasks Many Microsoft Project users probably know that you can move tasks in any task view, such as the Gantt Chart view, by “dragging and dropping” the […]

Background One minor issue I have with Microsoft Project is that it places the split bar to the right of the Resource Names column by default every time I launch […]

Background There was an interesting question recently in the Microsoft Project user forum. The question was so interesting, as was my answer to the question, that I wanted to share […]

Background I answered in question recently in the Project Online General Questions and Answers user forum. The user asked a question was about the leveling options found in the Resource […]

Master scheduling and increase productivity with Microsoft Project. Learn how to configure, create, and set working schedules for calendars with Dale Howard’s expert insights. Earn 1 PMI® PDU and take control of project timelines. Register for our webinar today.

  Microsoft Project is a powerful scheduling tool, but how exactly does the software schedule?  The answer is found in a single word: calendars.  In fact, the schedule of every project […]

Introduction Microsoft Project offers three types of options in the Project Options dialog. These option types include: Application Options – These options control how the software looks and works, and […]

Suppose that several days ago, you customized the Gantt Chart view by making a number of changes to the view. These changes include customizing the appearance of the Gantt Chart […]

Background Information One of the challenges for project managers is understanding “what changed” after they approve pending task updates in the Approval Center page in Project Web App. In the […]

Background Every few years I like to reprise some favorite topics during my career with the Microsoft project management tools. Today I want to reprise the topic of how to […]

Overview If you are a project manager who manages desktop-only projects with Microsoft Project, you need to know how to manually enter task progress in your project schedules. And if […]

This one-hour webinar by Dale Howard is perfect for project managers who want to enhance their knowledge of the cost model in Microsoft Project. Discover how to create Work, Material, and Cost resources to prepare for modeling project costs, understand how the Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, and Cost Per Use fields contribute to task costs, and explore other aspects of the cost model such as Fixed Cost, Cost Accrual, and more. Earn 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical category of the Talent Triangle. Presented by Dale Howard, Director of Education for PROJILITY and one of only 28 Microsoft Project MVPs in the world. Please note, this webinar does not cover content on Earned Value Analysis (EVA).

How does Microsoft Project calculate project costs? Most people assume that the calculation of project cost is the result of the formula, Standard Rate x Work. Close, but no cigar! This simple […]

I had an interesting discussion with a colleague recently about how Project Online calculates the Capacity values for resources shown on the Capacity Planning page in Project Web App. As […]

In a recent blog post article, I discussed how to apply and use the Task Entry view. This view, by the way, is a combination view or “split” view that […]

The 2010 version of Microsoft Project introduced some new functionality whose behavior has confused and confounded users with all degrees of experience, from absolute beginners to power users. Microsoft introduced […]

In my humble opinion, I believe the Task Entry view is one of the most powerful views available in Microsoft Project. Using this view, you can take complete control over […]

Problem Description I answered an interesting question recently in the Microsoft Answers user forum for Microsoft Project users. The user who asked the question stated that she was new to […]

A question in the Project Standard and Professional user forum caught my eye recently. I answered the user’s question in the forum and then decided to blog about it. The […]

An interesting question about resource calendars in the Project Standard and Professional user forum prompted me to write this blog post article. After using Microsoft Project for over 21 years, […]

Background Information Before you can analyze variance in a Microsoft Project schedule, you must save a baseline in the project. When you save a baseline, the software captures the current […]

Microsoft Project includes a number of built-in groups for both tasks and resources. You can use groups to organize tasks or resources into groups with similar attributes or characteristics. To […]

Background Some time ago in the Project Server user forum, a user asked how to remove the Timeline view at the top of the Project Center page in Project Web […]

The Problem Two of my Sensei colleagues recently shared a blog post article that provided a nice overview of the capabilities of Microsoft’s new Roadmap application, as well as how […]

Background Information A user in the Microsoft Project user forum recently asked a question about problems he was experiencing with using Expense Cost resources in his project. The user stated […]

Background Does your organization need to specify a unique method of tracking progress for each type of Enterprise project in Project Online? Many years ago I worked with an electrical […]

Background Information Several months back, a user posted an interesting question in my company’s Microsoft Project user forum. The user was managing a project in which there were tasks that […]

Every once in a while, I will see a question like this in one of the Microsoft Project user forums: “Why can’t I see all of the tasks in my […]

In this brief article, I would like to show you the easy way to display the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in the Resource Usage view. This view is a really […]

Background Information Each of the applications in Microsoft Office includes a Quick Access Toolbar, displayed by default in the upper left corner of the application window. In Figure 1, you […]

Scenario Connie Campaign is a fellow project manager who will be taking paid time off for three weeks beginning next week. During the time she is out, you will take […]

When working within a new project, have you ever noticed those question marks in the Duration column for every task that has the default duration of 1 day? If memory […]

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs):This Webinar is eligible for 1.5 PMI® PDUs in the Technical category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: In Microsoft Project, a baseline […]

In Microsoft Project, a baseline is like a “snapshot” of your project before you begin entering actual progress. Following best practices for baselining is essential to the success of any […]

Many years ago, I was teaching a Project Server class to a group of project managers in New Orleans. The class was held in the fall during the football season, […]

One of the useful new features introduced in Microsoft Project 2013, and continued in the 2016 version of the software, is the Dashboard Reports feature. This feature replaces the old […]

Background Information Many years ago, it was my privilege to work for seven months with a group of schedulers at a large company in New Orleans. At the time, the […]

Introduction Serving as a Project Online Application Administrator for your organization can be an overwhelming experience. There are many features to set up in the system, and the right way […]

Problem One of the challenges facing project managers who use the Microsoft PPM solution (Project Online or Project Server) is how to prevent team members from entering additional time on […]

Some time ago, one of our clients experienced an unusual situation with an enterprise project in Project Online. The client is using the Timesheet feature in Project Online to capture […]

A user posed an interesting question recently in the Microsoft Project Standard and Professional TechCenter forum on the Internet. He asked how to assign resources to a task to generate […]

Oh, the misery! If you’ve ever used Fixed Duration tasks in your enterprise projects running in Microsoft Project Online or Project Server and your organization uses the Timesheet page in […]

In September, I celebrate my 20th anniversary of using Microsoft Project for the first time, beginning with version 4.0 for Windows 95. Twenty years later, I’m still amazed at how […]

I received an interesting question from one of our new clients recently, and I thought you might be interested in the answer. The client wanted to know how to prevent […]

I recently learned something new about Microsoft Project. This new knowledge is an extension of how Project calculates the Cost value for each task. As most of us already know, […]

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: Task Types and Effort […]

A question asked occasionally in the Microsoft Project and Project Online user forums is this: “How can I link a task in one project with a task in another project?” […]

One of the questions that comes up occasionally in the Microsoft Answers user forum for Microsoft Project is, “How can I insert a manual page break for printing in a […]

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: Project reporting is an important step […]

Three years ago, Microsoft introduced a new feature in the 2013 version of Microsoft Project called Lync integration (now known as Skype integration), which displays a “presence” indicator for each […]

The “email alerts and reminders” feature has been available in Project Server 2010 and 2013 on-premise. Now, I’m happy to report, it has also been added to all Project Online […]

Microsoft introduced a new feature in Microsoft Project 2010 known as the Add New Column virtual column and continued this feature in the 2013 version of the software. You can […]

  Early in my career, I was teaching an “Intro to Microsoft Project” class for a large corporate client in St. Paul, Minnesota. I had been there to teach classes […]

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Project Management talent triangle category. If you are claiming this session, […]

Since its initial release over two years ago, users of Microsoft Project 2013 have probably been using several powerful new features in the software, including the new Dashboard Reports feature […]

MPUG has partnered with Microsoft Project MVP Dale Howard to provide you with quick and helpful Microsoft Project tips. We’ve gathered all of these tips and put them in one place […]

By default, Microsoft Project displays a Current date gridline in the Gantt Chart view. You can see a green Current date gridline displayed on 02-18-15 in the Gantt Chart view […]

Last month I wrote an article about my old friend, the right-mouse button. In that article, I discussed the many locations in the Microsoft Project user interface where you can right-click and use a […]

I recently taught a Microsoft Project 2013 Advanced class to a wonderful group of students. During the class, I suddenly realized how many times I had asked my students to […]

Background A user in the Project Online user forum recently asked if there is a visual method in Microsoft Project that he could use to highlight important tasks in the project. […]

Many project managers like to manage their projects by focusing on the Critical Path. Remember that the Critical Path consists of all tasks with a Total Slack value of 0 […]

A short clip from MPUG’s webinar with Microsoft Project MVP Dale Howard. Dale explains constraints and demonstrates how to use them. Join MPUG to watch the remainder of this session […]

A short clip from MPUG’s webinar with Microsoft Project MVP Dale Howard. Dale explains task types, their purpose and demonstrates how to set task type values. Join MPUG to watch […]

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle. Presentation Description The Task Type option […]

In Microsoft Project 2010 and 2013, the Data section of the View ribbon includes a button that many people overlook: the Outline pick list button shown in Figure 1. Using […]

  Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle.   Event Description: In the […]

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description In the second of […]