Basic Time Tracking for Software Dev. Projects

[Anthropocentric]

Microsoft Project is driving me crazy - please help.

I would like to setup MS Project for tracking time for our Software
Development Projects. This is what I want:
- I want to assign tasks to developers
- I want them to know which tasks are assigned to them.
- I want to estimate the time for each task and set this estimate in
stone.
- I want the developers to track their time on each task on a daily
basis.
For example, on monday, they worked on TaskA, 4 hours. Task B, 4
hours.
- I want them to tell me when they are done with a particular task.
- I want to see that they worked MORE or LESS than the original
estimate.
- I want to print a report at the end of each week that shows:
All of our active projects
Who worked on these projects
How many hours they worked on these projects on SUN MON TUE WED THUR
FRI SAT


THAT'S IT!!!
How do I do this!?

Here is what I tried:

We have a Project Server, Sharepoint, etc.

I open up the MS Project Fat Client and I follow the very nice wizard.
I create a project, tasks, assign resources from the server, etc. I
have time tracking set to: "Hours of work done per day or per week"

The tasks I create are effort driven. I set the duration for "4
days". I assign myself as the resources for the tasks.

I create a baseline.

I publish everything to Project Server.

I go to Project Web Access. I click on "Tasks" to see the Timesheet
view. I see that I can edit the "Remaining Work" field and the
"Actual work" for each day.

Everything is very, very confusing from here. Project Web Access
automatically "checks off" the task as complete when the developer
exceeds the time estimate. Sometimes Project automatically adjusts
the "Work" field. All of a suddent the Fat Client pops up and shows
some information that makes no sense...

I want to make this as simple as possible. I want to remove
unecessary, confusing fields and features.



BOTTOM LINE:
What are the settings I need?

On the fat client:
- What columns should I show on the "Gant Chart" View?
- What columns should I show on the "Task usage" View?
- What columns should I show on the "Tracking Gantt" View?

On Project Web Access:
- What columns should I show on the "Timesheet" View?
- What columns should I show on the "Gantt Chart" View?
- What columns should I show on the "Updates" View?
- What columns should I show on the "Project Center"


Is there a set of Views I can just download and install? This
application is crazy. We are a standard software development shop.
Why is this so difficult?

 

[Steve House]

It sounds like you are trying to use Project as a glorified time-on-task
tracker rather than a project scheduling application. You think the
application is crazy because you are using it in a manner at least
somewhat contrary to the formal CPM project scheduling methodology that
it was designed for, or at least it appears so from your post. And what
is this thing you're calling the "Fat Client?" I use and teach Project
Standard, Project Professional, and a bit of Project Server but I've
never heard of anything called "Project Fat Client."

Tasks are normally marked complete when a resource posts time equal or
above the original work estimate because, well, that is the definition
of "complete." When I am scheduled to work 40 man-hours on a task that
is expected to require 40 man-hours to accomplish and I actually work 40
hours on it, the task is done unless I revise the total work expected by
entering a non-zero value for Remaining Work. Or if I enter less, I
either have some more work to do or it's been completed early - in that
case for example, for my 40 hour task, I can either enter 32 hours and
let the estimated 8 hours remaining stand as calcualted by Project,
revise the remaining hours if it looks like it will take something other
than 8 whether greater or less, or I'm done and so I change remaining
hours to 0 to indicate it is complete.

The estimated hours to complete are "set in stone" by saving a baseline
that preserves your original estimates for comparison purposes. The
scheduled work you are looking at for the tasks has to be dynamic in
order for the schedule to adjust to changing conditions. For example,
if a resource is expected to work on task B starting Monday but can't
because its predecessor task A is running late and some required module
for B won't be available, you want the schedule to change to reflect
fact that when you've updated A so you'll know to tell him to stand down
or find something else to work on and not show up just to sit around
waiting on the part from A while consuming cost and doing nothing. You
compare the work as reported and showing in the schedule to the work as
saved in your baseline to generate the reports you need.

 

[Anthropocentric]

Steve,

Thanks for your reply.

I meant "Project Professional" when I referred to the "fat client."

Thank you for your clear explanation RE: Remaining Work.

After spending many hours with MS Project, I am just not sure what I
should be doing:
- When I enter a task, should I be entering "Work" or "Duration" for
my estimate (before I create the Baseline)?
- Should I be using effort-driven or not?
- Should I be using Fixed Units/Work/Duration ?

As I said, we are a standard Software Development shop - I am
surprised that I cannot find a step-by-step explanation on configuring
Project + Project Server for my application.

Thanks

 

[Steve House]

I think of the setting of effort driven and non-effort driven and the
task types of fixed work, duration, or effort as being switches that the
PM uses when he edits the plan to insure MSP does its calculations as an
accurate model of reality. There is no single set of "standard" or
"preferred" settings either for tasks or projects - it depends on the
edit you're making and why you're doing it.

I have a painter assigned to paint a room. I'm adding a second body to
the task. If he's another painter, the duration should change and the
task should be set to effort driven. If he's the painter's assistant
whom I forgot to include in my original assignment, the original
duration is based on the assumption that BOTH guys are working and when
I add him to correct my error the duration should not change. Task is
set to non-effort driven.

Same logic for the task type. I have the painter assigned to paint the
room 100% with a 5 day duration estimate. The work is 40 man-hours.
I'm changing the painter's effort to 50%. I have to ask myself, why am
I doiug this? Perhaps it's really a 20 man-hour task but we don't need
it done any sooner than the original 5 days. So I make the task fixed
duration, change the work, and Project recalculates the effort and frees
the painter up 4 hours a day in case I need him. Or I'd like to save
some money since the painter costs me a minimum day rate and if I can
let him go at 2.5 days I'll save money over having him working only 4
hours a day for 5 days, so I mark the task fixed effort, keeping him at
100%, change the work and let Project recalculate the duration to 2.5
days. Or maybe I'm changing it because although the task really is a 40
man-hour task, I also need to use the painter somewhere else for 4 hours
a day and I'll live with the fact it will take him longer to do the
painting. So I make the task fixed work and make the assignment change.
Duration goes to 10 days but the painter is freed up 4 hours a day to do
whatever else it was I needed him for.

You should enter either work or duration depending on which estimate you
believe is the most accurate. Typically that would be duration since
when you look back at historical data it's usually easier to determine
"this similar task last year began on 15th February and finished on 05
March" than it is to dig out "last year this similar task took 600
man-hours of work." In IT projects "Last year it took us 3 weeks to
upgrade 10 seats in the accounting department so in this new project it
will probably take us 30 weeks to upgrade 100 seats in the sales
department." It is more important to always remain clear of the
difference between what "work" and "duration" measures and never, ever,
to confuse the two. Project's "normal" way of working is to estimate
duration, assign the resources, and let Project calculate the Work but
that is far from engraved in granite. If you prefer to use a work
estimate as the starting point, enter the task and leave the duration
estimate at the default 1 day. Split the screen and assign the
resource(s) using the bottom window. Select the resource from the pull
down, enter the desired effort percentage and man-hours of work he will
do, and hit the OK button to complete the assignment. Project will
calculate the duration that requires.

Repeat this mantra 5 times every evening before bed: "MS Project does
not replace my management skills or give me any I don't already possess,
it is only a tool that makes the calculations easier." <<grin>>