HELP - Organize Plan by Function

[Dawn]

I'm looking for an example of a project plan that crossed mulitple
administrative departments and is organized by function. Can someone
recommend any web sites or books that I might find such an example?

Your help is GREATLY appreciated - I'm desperate.

P.S. I have my plan layed out tasks by Department (over 33 Pages) now I've
been asked to organize it by function. And I'm not realy sure which way to go
with it ???

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Dawn --

Here's how I would handle your situation if it were me:

1. I would organize the list of tasks in sequential order, regardless of
who does the work (the department) or the type of work done (the function).
Put the list of tasks in the order they will be done. The goal would be to
produce one of more series of "waterfalls" of Gantt bars in the Gantt chart,
which our company considers a best practice in task planning. Using this
approach makes it easier to see and analyze the Critical path and to manage
your project by the Critical path.

2. I would also organize the list of tasks into meaningful sections using
summary tasks to represent Phases and Deliverables in the project. This
helps you to understand the end goal of each section of your project. Your
goal should be to answer the question, "What is being produced by the tasks
in this section?"

3. I would create two custom Task fields called Department and Function.
Each field should include a Value List (Project 2000-2003) or a Lookup Table
(Project 2007) containing values appropriate to the field. The Department
field should include a list of your company's departments that do project
work, which the Function field should include a list of functional areas of
your resources.

4. I would create a custom task Table that is a copy of the Entry table
called "Department and Function." In this Table, I would add the Department
and Function fields. I would then apply Table and use it to specify a
Department value and a Function value for every task in your project.

5. I would create two custom task Groups called "Tasks By Department" and
"Tasks By Function." Each Group should group on the appropriate custom
field.

6. I would create a custom task View called "Departmental Work" that is a
copy of the Gantt view, but which includes the "Department and Function"
table, and the "Tasks by Department" group. I would create a second custom
task View called "Functional Work" that is a copy of the Gantt Chart view,
but which includes the "Department and Function" table, and the "Tasks By
Function" group.

7. I would use the regular Gantt Chart view and the Tracking Gantt view to
actually manage my project. I would display the "Departmental Work" view to
those who want to see the project organized by department, and I would
display the "Functional Work" view to those who want to see the project
organized by function.

Keep in mind that the point of #1 above is to help you create a project you
can actually MANAGE. The requests you are getting are about reporting, but
should NOT determine how you create and manage your project. Hope this
helps.

 

[Dawn]

Dale,

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to help me. The level of detail
and examples you provided were exactly what I needed to get my arms around
the project. Organizing it the way you suggested makes perfect sense. I will
be able to clearly identify the crital path for a project that covers many
areas.
I think having the ability to deliver a custom view will also be very
helpful.

Thank you VERY much !!!
Dawn

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Dawn --

You are more than kind in your comments! And you are more than welcome
for the help.