3 settings that will increase your efficiency in Microsoft Project

 Jul 07, 2014

In my last blog post (Automatically reach your deadlines with scheduled tasks in Microsoft Project), I explained that there are a number of global settings in Microsoft Project 2010 and 2013 that need to be changed to increase efficiency, and looked into the 'schedule task' feature. In today's post, I'll elaborate on another 3 other settings that I personally believe should be changed when using Project - the entry bar, undo levels, and linked tasks.

The entry bar

The entry bar is used for editing the contents in tables and is not displayed by default. To display the entry bar, you must go to 'Project Options' dialog box and enable the entry bar. To do this, follow the steps below:

  1. In Microsoft Project, click the 'File' tab and go to 'Options.' The Project Options dialog box will appear.
  2. In the navigation pane on left hand side, click the 'Display' tab.
  3. Under the 'Show these elements' heading, tick the 'Entry bar' option.
  4. Click 'OK' and the entry bar will now appear above the Timeline.

Undo multiple levels

In the past, users could not undo more than one action. This meant that the user had to make sure they didn't make any mistakes or had to backup the Project file before levelling, otherwise other actions could impact negatively on the project plan.

Microsoft Project 2010 and 2013 now offers multiple levels of undo rather than a single level. The default undo levels are set to 20, but you can increase that number up to 99. This means that you can now undo a maximum of 99 actions.

To change this setting, follow the below steps:

  1. In Microsoft Project, click the 'File' tab and go to 'Options.' The Project Options dialog box will appear.
  2. In the navigation pane on left hand side, click the 'Advanced' tab.
  3. Under the 'General' heading, change the 'Undo level' option from 20 to any number up to 99 or any other number.
  4. Click OK and now, you'll be able to undo multiple times.

Linked tasks

When you link all tasks after you created a Work Breakdown Structure, Microsoft Project does not add a 'predecessor' to the first task in project phases. A 'predecessor' is a task whose start or finish date determines the start or finish date of its successor task. The lack of a predecessor misleads most users into thinking that those tasks are not related to any other task in the schedule (image below).

In order to link all tasks and have predecessors added to every task, there are a number of steps to follow. I've broken this into 2 parts.

Part 1:

  1. Click the 'Gantt Chart Tools Format' contextual tab and go to the 'Show/Hide' group.
  2. Un-tick the 'Summary Tasks' option and this will now hide the summary tasks.
  3. Select all tasks and once done, click the 'Task' tab and go to 'Schedule' group.
  4. Click the 'Link Tasks' button and now all tasks will be linked.
  5. Click back to the 'Gantt Chart Tools Format' contextual tab and go to the 'Show/Hide' group.
  6. Tick the 'Summary Tasks' option to show all the tasks.

Part 2:

Once you've completed the first part, you'll have to link the Summary tasks by completing the following:

  1. Click the 'View' tab and go to 'Data' group.
  2. Click the 'Outline' option and click 'Outline Level 1.'
  3. Select all tasks, click the 'Task' tab and go to the 'Schedule' group.
  4. Click the 'Link Tasks' button and now all the summary tasks will be linked.
  5. Show all tasks again repeat this for other outlines, if needed.

All tasks will be linked, including the first tasks in every project phase. This method will save the user a lot of time and headache.

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About the Author:

Magdalena Todor  

With over 20 years experience as a facilitator and university lecturer, Magda is one of our most senior and experienced trainers. With previous practical on the job experience as a project manager she embodies a brilliant balance of training experience and business knowledge. With every event she delivers, Magda takes a wholehearted approach to ensure every course is impactful, relevant and a genuinely positive learning experience for all.

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