Microsoft Project

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Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project
Developer:	Microsoft
Latest release:	MS Project 2007 / 2006
OS:	Microsoft Windows
Use:	Project management software
License:	EULA
Website:	Microsoft Project home page

Microsoft Project (or MSP) is a project management software program developed and sold by Microsoft which is designed to assist project managers in developing plans, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing budgets and analyzing workloads. The first version, Microsoft Project for Windows v1.0, was started in 1987 on contract to a small external company. In 1988 the company was acquired by Microsoft, bringing the development project in-house where it was finished and released in 1990 as part of the company's applications offerings for Microsoft Windows 3.0. Microsoft Project was the company's third Windows-based application, and within a couple of years of its introduction WinProj was the dominant PC-based project management software. A Macintosh version was released in July 1991. Further Windows and Macintosh versions were released in 1992 (v3), 1993 (v4), 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007.[1] There was no Version 2 on either platform; the original design spec was augmented with the addition of macro capabilities and the extra work required to support a macro language pushed the development schedule out to early 1992 (Version 3).

The application creates critical path schedules, although critical chain third-party add-ons are available from Advanced-Projects, ProChain and Spherical Angle. Schedules can be resource leveled, and chains are visualized in a Gantt chart. Additionally, Project can recognize different classes of users. These different classes of users can have differing access levels to projects, views, and other data. Custom objects such as calendars, views, tables, filters and fields are stored in an enterprise global which is shared by all users.

Microsoft Project and Project Server are the cornerstones of the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution

MS Project 2007 showing a simple Gantt chart

1 Resource rates
2 Enhancements
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Resource rates

Version 4 of Project ran on Windows 95.

Project creates budgets based on assignment work and resource rates. As resources are assigned to tasks and assignment work estimated, the program calculates the cost equals the work times the rate, which rolls up to the task level and then to any summary tasks and finally to the project level. Resource definitions (people, equipment and materials) can be shared between projects using a shared resource pool. Each resource can have its own calendar, which defines what days and shifts a resource is available. Resource rates are used to calculate resource assignment costs which are rolled up and summarized at the resource level. Each resource can be assigned to multiple tasks in multiple plans and each task can be assigned multiple resources, and the application schedules task work based on the resource availability as defined in the resource calendars. All resources can be defined in an enterprise-wide resource pool.

MS Project presumes additional physical raw materials are always available without limit. Therefore it cannot determine how many finished products (x) can be produced with a given amount (y) of raw materials. This makes MS Project unsuitable for solving problems of available materials constrained production. Presumably, MS Project was originally intended to manage the production of software products which can be duplicated digitally without a relevant raw materials limitation. Additional software is necessary to manage a complex facility that produces physical goods.

[edit] Enhancements

Microsoft Project 2003 box

In later versions of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project's capabilities were extended with the introduction of Microsoft Office Project Server and Microsoft Project Web Access. Project Server stores Project data in a central SQL-based database, allowing users to display and update this data over the Internet. Web Access allows authorized users to access a Project Server database across the Internet, and includes timesheets, graphical analysis of resource workloads, and administrative tools.

Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 is tightly integrated with Windows Sharepoint Services, for each project is created in Project Workspace where the team members can share information related to Project.

As the software operates as part of the Microsoft Office suite, the later versions also provide for cross-functionality with products like PowerPoint and Visio.