The Good And Bad In Ms Project Information Technology Essay

Microsoft Project is Own by Microsoft. The Software designed and develop for specially project managers this software for developing Planning, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing and maintaining the budgets and costing analyzing workloads. The first version of Microsoft Project was released for Microsoft Disk operating systems in 1984 by a company working for Microsoft. Microsoft bought all rights to the software in 1985 and released version 2. Version 3 for DOS was released in 1986. Version 4 for DOS was the final DOS version, released in 1986. The first Windows version was released in 1990, and was labeled version 1 for Windows. The first version for DOS introduced the concept of link lines (dependency lines) between tasks in the Gantt chart. In 1991 a Macintosh version was released. Development continued until Microsoft Project 4.0 for Mac in 1993. In 1994, Microsoft stopped development of most of its Mac applications and did not offer a new version of Office until 1998, after the creation of the new Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit the year prior. Further versions were released in 1992 (v3), 1993 (v4), 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007. There was no Version 2 on either platform; the original design spec was augmented with the addition of macro capabilities and the extra work required to support a macro language pushed the development schedule out to early 1992 Version 3.

The application creates critical path schedules, although critical chain and event chain methodology third-party add-ons are available. Schedules can be resource leveled, and chains are visualized in a Gantt chart. Additionally, Project can recognize different classes of users. These different classes of users can have differing access levels to projects, views, and other data. Custom objects such as calendars, views, tables, filters and fields are stored in an enterprise global which is shared by all users.

Features

In the Microsoft Project we can creates budgets based on the project work and resource rates. As resources are project to tasks and assignment work estimated, the program calculates the cost equals the work times the rate, which rolls up to the task level and then to any summary tasks and finally to the project level. Resource definitions (people, equipment and materials) can be shared between projects using a shared resource pool. Each resource can have its own calendar, which defines what days and shifts a resource is available. Resource rates are used to calculate resource assignment costs which are rolled up and summarized at the resource level. Each resource can be assigned to multiple tasks in multiple plans and each task can be assigned multiple resources, and the application schedules task work based on the resource availability as defined in the resource calendars. All resources can be defined in an enterprise-wide resource pool.

Advantages and Disadvantages in Microsoft Project

The Ms Project we can set clearly start date and finish date of the requirement of the particular project time, budget, cost and quality. Can plan and properly initiate, execute control and close the project. it’s supporting to communicating the reports. 3D charts there and multiple undo and redo options there. We can see the in the view menu resource usage, Gantt chat, calendar, network diagram, Tracking Gantt, resource sheet, task usage, resource graph etc. we can define the working times and organised the tasks into phases. Users can identify the risk of the project. We can publish to the information in the web. The features of Microsoft Project 2007 is manage the recourses and effective communication and collaborating with all staff involve on the project. We can access the information very quickly and fast it’s very reliable and it is integrated with office application form. If I want to copy the Gantt chart into word or power point there is the option is copy picture to office wizard and then we have to follow the steps then will be copy automatically to new document or new file. In the project involving peoples are stakeholders.

Tasks of the Microsoft Project Management

In the Ms Project is one of the most important is Scheduling. The purposes is to schedule a series of events or tasks and the complexity of the schedule can vary considerably depending on how the tool is used. Some common challenges include:

Events which depend on one another in different ways or dependencies

Scheduling people to work on, and resources required by, the various tasks commonly termed resource scheduling

Dealing with uncertainties in the estimates of the duration of each task

(Reference : “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management_software”)

The project management software can use for web application system. In the web application advantages and disadvantages

We can access from any type of computer without installing the Ms project software on user’s computer

Ease of access-control

Naturally multi-user

Only one software version and installation to maintain

Centralized data repository

Typically slower to respond than desktop applications

Project information not available when the user (or server) is offline

Some solutions allow the user to go offline with a copy of the data

Easy to Manage and Schedule the tasks

Effectively

Can create the charts and diagrams

Productivity

Project manager can control the whole project budget and costing

Can easy to schedule the staff

Resolve the problems

In the project team member has a copy of Ms Project installing on their computers but they can’t able to share the information or exchange even file. They can change only when the project manger sends the file through his main version then only they can allow to changes via email. Then Project manger collecting the update from his team members and he will make the changes of the master file. But the users can change the database objects. Other disadvantage is expensive each team member have to install the updated version on their computer.

The project manger responsible to train the staff to use the Ms project this is also additional cost for the company. Its error when the manually changes. Its taking time to updates and Difficult to understand we are working in updated version of the file we do not get the whole picture of the project.

Conclusion

I have done my course work according to our college rules and regulations. This project I researched the Microsoft project and the advantages and disadvantages. Its very interesting subject and also its very challenge for me. Through this research I learned the Microsoft project advantages and disadvantages and also I know that I need to learn more for using Microsoft project. I have the good experience while I am doing in this project. In future its more helpful my career.