Can I create a timeline of 'key dates' in Project?

[Quinney]

Hi,
I have recently started using Project 2007 and find I am somewhat bending it
to my needs... I work in a large theatre, and have been asked to use Project
to show the allocation of working hours for people in our production
workshops (Construction, Paint, Props etc). It would be really useful if,
alongside the Gantt bars for each production, I could have a timeline for
that show with key dates showing, eg 'Design finish', 'Fit up', 'Press Night'
etc. The only way I can find so far to do this is using milestones - but I
can only list each milestone as a separate task and therefore it occupies a
separate line. I will eventually have around 12-15 key dates for each
production, so using milestones is currently taking up too much space. Is
there any other way I could do this, either by using a timeline or somehow
putting a marker on a series of particular days in the calendar?

Grateful for all suggestions! Thanks, Rachel

 

[Jim Aksel]

Here are two suggestions, perhaps in the order I would consider them.

There is a third party piece of software out there called Kidasa Milestones
Professional 2008 (www.kidasa.com). They have a trial download.

This software will allow you to create one Gantt Row for each of your
productions and then place several milestones on each row that relate to each
production. These milestones may each be tagged and tied to your Microsoft
Project plan(s) and updated automatically with a few mouse clicks.

You should take a look at it, it makes very nice "eye candy" presentation
charts with nice color schemes, shading and the like. Present price is
about $269. We use it all the time (and no, I don't sell it so nothing in it
for me).

************
As for an MS Project solution, try using the roll up features. Double click
on the milestone tasks in question to open the Task Information Dialog Box.
On the General tab, select "Roll up Gantt Bar to summary." Do this for each
milestone.

Then, go to your summary task and double click it to get to the Task
Information Dialog. On the General Tab, select both "Hide task bar" and
"Show rolled up Gantt bars." Now all your milestones show on the summary
Gantt Bar.

You can add additional information to the milestones. Select Format/Bar
Styles...
Scroll until you see the *Rolled Up Milestones and select it. In the bottom
of that form, pull the Text tab and specify information you would like
displayed from the drop downs. For example, the task Name, date, etc.

You may need to spread your timescale to get it to look acceptable.

*************
When Project 2010 comes out, it will have some new features that will allow
you to do something very similar and paste it quite easily into PowerPoint,
etc. So you have that to look forward to as well. Actually, MS did a good
job on it.

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If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim Aksel, MVP

Check out my blog for more information:
http://www.msprojectblog.com

 

[Steve House]

MS Visio does a very nice job representing timelines.