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How to use Master Projects with Microsoft Project Online
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A Well-Built Project Schedule
Before we get into the specifics of using master projects and sub projects, lets spend a few minutes talking about the project schedule.
There are many aspects to a schedule. And you may find each project manager has his or her own opinion of what makes up a well-built schedule. Although there are many different opinions of what a well-built schedule is, it's most important that the schedule is realistic and executable.
The way in which a schedule is created should always require some type of structured approach. Although proper schedule development is not the topic of this post, lets talk about the work breakdown structure (WBS) and it's benefits to the project team.
The Work Breakdown Structure
The most important aspect of a project schedule is the WBS. Without a WBS the project schedule is destined for failure. The work to be accomplished will be unorganized and riddled with gaps. This is why it is very important to develop a proper WBS. After all, a WBS of the overall project schedule. A proper WBS will lend itself well to accurately determining resource allocation.
Developing the WBS
Defined, the WBS is a hierarchical list of all the work in a project. The work of the project will create deliverables when it is executed. The project online desktop client and Power BI provide the scheduling and reporting tools necessary to communicate status of the WBS to stakeholders.
A typical approach to develop the WBS is to start at the highest levels of the project. For instance, if working on a product development project the highest levels would consists of an organizations phased approach to product development. Once the highest level phases are in place the process of breaking down the work may commence. This process is typically referred to as decomposition.
Each project manager will have a different requirement for the level of detail. Many times the detail is driven by reporting requirements from stakeholders.
Managing Complex Projects
It's no secret that projects can get out of hand quickly. What was once a small project has turned into a complex endeavor. Thousands of tasks, dozens of team members and several project managers. Sometimes these large, complex projects are better divided into smaller projects in order to have more control over them. By linking them together in a single project file you can show how they fit in a master project.
Master Projects
In short, a master project is simply a collection of related projects. The projects that are inserted into the master project are referred to as subprojects.
In terms of Microsoft Project, when you insert a subproject into a master project, a Project icon will appear in the indicators column. Clearly indicating this is a subproject.
Subprojects appear as summary tasks in a master project
Upon clicking the summary task of a subproject all the tasks will appear upon expanding the project.
Typically each subproject will represent a different phase or functional group of the master project
If the need is to simply combine projects for reporting purposes, a temporary master project may be used.
Creating a master project allows smaller chunks of work to be delegated the appropriate teams. This helps project managers gain access and control over theirt parts of the schedule without the need to share a single project file.
Below are some reasons why you may consider breaking a larger project into subprojects
-Project is very large and complex. Projects that contain hundreds of tasks are easier to manager when broken into subprojects and linked via intra-project dependencies. Project work containing more detail may be best broken into a smaller project. The separate project files will act as one when task dependencies are created between the subprojects using Microsoft Project Professional.
A single project task from each project will be part of the dependencies and constraints created in the project management software. The types of dependencies are really not important. Just that the schedules are linked, formulating predecessor tasks and successor tasks. Each project manager will executed the tasks of the project in order to complete the project.
Dependencies in project management are the cornerstone of building the project timeline and critical path. And with the assistance of Project Web App, the team will have the visibility necessary into their own work.
This way most users only see the rollup and those that need to will see the entire detail.
Related Videos
Before we get into the specifics of using master projects and sub projects, lets spend a few minutes talking about the project schedule.
There are many aspects to a schedule. And you may find each project manager has his or her own opinion of what makes up a well-built schedule. Although there are many different opinions of what a well-built schedule is, it's most important that the schedule is realistic and executable.
The way in which a schedule is created should always require some type of structured approach. Although proper schedule development is not the topic of this post, lets talk about the work breakdown structure (WBS) and it's benefits to the project team.
The Work Breakdown Structure
The most important aspect of a project schedule is the WBS. Without a WBS the project schedule is destined for failure. The work to be accomplished will be unorganized and riddled with gaps. This is why it is very important to develop a proper WBS. After all, a WBS of the overall project schedule. A proper WBS will lend itself well to accurately determining resource allocation.
Developing the WBS
Defined, the WBS is a hierarchical list of all the work in a project. The work of the project will create deliverables when it is executed. The project online desktop client and Power BI provide the scheduling and reporting tools necessary to communicate status of the WBS to stakeholders.
A typical approach to develop the WBS is to start at the highest levels of the project. For instance, if working on a product development project the highest levels would consists of an organizations phased approach to product development. Once the highest level phases are in place the process of breaking down the work may commence. This process is typically referred to as decomposition.
Each project manager will have a different requirement for the level of detail. Many times the detail is driven by reporting requirements from stakeholders.
Managing Complex Projects
It's no secret that projects can get out of hand quickly. What was once a small project has turned into a complex endeavor. Thousands of tasks, dozens of team members and several project managers. Sometimes these large, complex projects are better divided into smaller projects in order to have more control over them. By linking them together in a single project file you can show how they fit in a master project.
Master Projects
In short, a master project is simply a collection of related projects. The projects that are inserted into the master project are referred to as subprojects.
In terms of Microsoft Project, when you insert a subproject into a master project, a Project icon will appear in the indicators column. Clearly indicating this is a subproject.
Subprojects appear as summary tasks in a master project
Upon clicking the summary task of a subproject all the tasks will appear upon expanding the project.
Typically each subproject will represent a different phase or functional group of the master project
If the need is to simply combine projects for reporting purposes, a temporary master project may be used.
Creating a master project allows smaller chunks of work to be delegated the appropriate teams. This helps project managers gain access and control over theirt parts of the schedule without the need to share a single project file.
Below are some reasons why you may consider breaking a larger project into subprojects
-Project is very large and complex. Projects that contain hundreds of tasks are easier to manager when broken into subprojects and linked via intra-project dependencies. Project work containing more detail may be best broken into a smaller project. The separate project files will act as one when task dependencies are created between the subprojects using Microsoft Project Professional.
A single project task from each project will be part of the dependencies and constraints created in the project management software. The types of dependencies are really not important. Just that the schedules are linked, formulating predecessor tasks and successor tasks. Each project manager will executed the tasks of the project in order to complete the project.
Dependencies in project management are the cornerstone of building the project timeline and critical path. And with the assistance of Project Web App, the team will have the visibility necessary into their own work.
This way most users only see the rollup and those that need to will see the entire detail.
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