So you are using Project and you need the analysis toolbar, however it’s not showing up with the rest of the toolbars. There are a few reasons why this could be happening such as any problems which occurred during the installation of the Component Object Module add-ins. However, despite the number of problems which could be causing the toolbar to not show up, there is just one resolution to all of them.

Step 1:

To install the Analysis toolbar, you have to manually turn off the COM add-ins used by the toolbar, and then turn them back on.

To start, open Project and go to the ‘View’ tab at the top of the page, go to ‘Toolbars before selecting ‘Customize’.

Select the Commands tab and in the Categories box, click All Commands.

In the Commands box, select the ComAddInsDialog command and hold down the left mouse button to drag it to one of the toolbars currently displayed in the Project window.

A line will then appear on the toolbar, indicating where the button for the command will be placed. Release the mouse button to add the ComAddInsDialog command to the toolbar.

Click Close on the Customize dialog box.

Click COM Add-Ins on the toolbar where it was added.

Clear each of the check boxes for the Adjust Dates, Copy Picture to Office, and PERT Analysis add-ins, and then click OK.

Click COM Add-Ins again.

Select the check boxes for the Adjust Dates, Copy Picture to Office, and PERT Analysis add-ins, and then click OK.

On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Analysis to display the Analysis toolbar

Sometimes you may want to mark major event in a project, for example indicate the beginning and end of the project or display the end of a major phase. You can use milestones to do that. To create a milestone follow the steps:

1. In Gantt Chart View, in the Task Name column, type the name of a milestone
2. In the Duration column type 0 and press ENTER

In the Gantt Chart the task will be displayed as a black diamond symbol ¿.

Want more tips? Click on Microsoft Project Tips and Tricks

In Why to Use Microsoft Office Diagnostics we discussed the benefits and diagnostics options available. Here we are going to discuss how to use the diagnostics.

Before you start the diagnostics:

• Run the diagnostics when you do not need to use your computer
• Make sure you are connected to the Internet
• Close other programmes
• Make sure you have Microsoft Office installation disk in case there are problems and your program will need an access to the disk to repair

If Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Access are still working then to start the Microsoft Office Diagnostics follow the steps:

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options (or Excel Options or PowerPoint Options or Access Options)
2. Click Resources
3. Click the Diagnose button
4. Click Continue, and then click Run Diagnostics.

If InfoPath, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Project, SharePoint Designer, or Visio are still working then to start the Microsoft Office Diagnostics follow the steps

1. On the Help menu, click Office Diagnostics.
2. Click Continue, and then click Start Diagnostics.

If any of the above programmes has crashed so badly that they not start, you can run Office Diagnostics from the Start menu.

1. In Windows, click the Start button
2. Point to All Programs, then to Microsoft Office and then to Microsoft Office Tools
3. Select Microsoft Office Diagnostics

To check which tests are available read Tips and Tricks: Microsoft Office 2007 – Why Use Microsoft Office Diagnostics?

Want more tips? Click on Microsoft Tips & Tricks

So, you almost finished adding your tasks to your project plan and you are willing to display a project summary task. Here is a tip on how to do that.

1. From the Menu commands, select Tools and then Options
2. Click on the View tab and in the Oultine options for ‘Project x’ select Show project summary task check box to show the project summary task

The project summary task will appear before the task list in the Task Name column. If you want to change the name of the project summary task, select it and type the desired text.

Want more tips? Click on Microsoft Project Tips & Tricks

You’ve done a great job by creating a project plan in MS Project. You’ve sent the file to your client or colleagues via email and ops – they do not have a Microsoft Office Project installed on their computer and therefore cannot read the attached file. What should you do?

It would be so much easier if Microsoft Project 2007 had an option of saving a file in a PDF format as in the case with Word or Excel. But unfortunately it does not. So what are the alternatives on how to save and view the project files in a graphical manner?

You can save MS Project 2007 files as images. It will take a snapshot of a project plan in the form of a non-editable picture.

1. Open the Project file you want to take a picture of
2. From the Standard toolbar, click the Copy Picture button, or from the Report select Copy Picture
3. In Render Image decide on either For Screen (for the image to be used on screen), For Printer (for the image to be used on printed materials), or For GIF Image File (if you will be using a file on a web page)
4. In Copy choose either the selected rows or all the rows on screen to be included in the picture
5. In Timescale indicate the time frame within which you want the project to be copied.
6. Click on OK
7. Start the application where you want to insert the picture. Just some applications to use are Paint, Word, Visio, PowerPoint, an email, or even Excel
8. Insert the picture in the desired location

Now enjoy the sharing of the project schedule.

Want more tips? Click on Microsoft Project Tips & Tricks

Suppose you have a big project plan with lots of tasks. You would only like to display incomplete tasks in a Gantt view. What should you do?

‘Filter’ is the answer to this question. Filter specifies which task or resource information should be displayed or highlighted in a view.

Select one of the following:

• Select Incomplete Tasks from the drop down menu in Filter on the Formatting Toolbar  

• Or, from the Menu, select Project\Filtered For: All Tasks\Incomplete Tasks

Only Incomplete Tasks will be displayed. If Incomplete Tasks are still displayed then follow these steps:

1. Navigate to View\More Views.
2. From the dialog box, select Gantt Chart and click Edit.
3. Uncheck the Highlight filter and click OK.

This will ensure that only Incomplete Tasks are displayed.

Timing, teams and resources – a project is a complex mix of these aspects in any setting. That’s why it takes the right tools to manage projects effectively. Microsoft Office Project Standard 2007 is a powerful resource for more successful projects. It puts you in control of the workload, the finances and the people. And it’s designed to work seamlessly with other Microsoft programmes. Now it’s been updated, Microsoft Office Project is even more equipped for getting projects done – from the first task to the final outcome.

Advantages for your projects include:

See the impact of change

Now you can see every potential consequence of change – before you make it. Change Highlights automatically points out all the items that move as a result of the most recent change you make.

Add eyecatching highlights 

Make your information stand out even more by changing the background colour of a cell or row with Background Cell Highlighting.

Get right to the source of the issue

Now it takes less time to work out what’s affecting your task dates. Whether it’s schedule date or holiday time, Task Drivers help you understand what’s behind the start date of a task. Any delays and you can track back and work out exactly what’s holding things up!

Look ahead for your project

Ever wished you could see into the future? Well, you almost can with Multiple Level Undo. It allows you to view the implication of every possible change to your project. Just by undoing and redoing changes to views, data, and options.

Stay in control of your money

We all want more control over our finances right now. With the budget field, you can easily assign budgets to projects and programmes. The new “Cost” resource type gives you a strong grip on your cost estimation and tracking. Other advantages include more predefined fields that map to financial fields in project accounting systems!

Create customised charts and diagrams

Get your point across with impact. With the Visual Reports feature you can create customised PivotTable views, charts, graphs, and diagrams based on Project information. This smart feature uses Microsoft Office Excel and Microsoft Office Visio Professional to produce powerful visual information. You can also create your own customised report templates and share these with other Project users.

That’s a lot of advantages for better business or personal project management! And now you know the difference Microsoft Office Project Standard 2007 can make, why not boost the power of your projects with a short Microsoft Project 2007 training course?

Unlike Microsoft Excel, Project doesn’t have an unhide feature. When you hide a column in Microsoft Office Project, the column is only removed from view, not deleted from your plan. Also, hiding a column doesn’t remove any information from your plan.

To bring the column back again, you need to insert the column like you would with any new column. Any custom formatting that you applied to a previously hidden column will need to be re-applied to the inserted column.

1. In a sheet view, select the column to the right of where you want to show the column.
2. On the Insert menu, click Column.
3. Select the Field name you would like to display.

We all know success in business can depend on completing projects on time and on budget. But how can you power up your projects using just one IT resource?

As a seriously powerful piece of software, Microsoft Project can be a little daunting for the first time user. But don’t let that put you off. A short Microsoft Project course  will give you the knowledge you need to manage all kinds of projects much more effectively.

It can be tempting to get launched into a new project without taking a good look at all the individual jobs it involves. It can also be far too easy to set down unrealistic timescales. So, before you begin – pause, take a deep breath and start planning.

Let’s go back to basics and talk about defining your tasks. Every project, from developing a new publication to moving offices, breaks down into individual tasks assigned to individual people. Do this clearly and you’ll ensure Microsoft Project works well for the lifetime of your project. Avoid the issue and you’ll find it difficult to stay in control.

Your new best friend – Work Breakdown Structure

If you’re new to project management, the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) might look like just a handy project outline. But it’s actually a great deal more than that.

Wikipedia defines the WBS as “a tree-like structure that permits summing of subordinate costs for tasks, materials, etc., into their successively higher level “parent” tasks, materials, etc. For each element of the work breakdown structure, a description of the task to be performed is generated.”

WBS actually helps you to break down your project into manageable chunks. So you can think in hours – not weeks.

A common mistake for new project planners is set tasks that are much too broad, like “Write content – 3 months”. A vague and oversized goal like that is not likely to get done on time. Plus, with no thought given to the individual steps behind the task, it’s very likely that several steps will be forgotten. This is where WBS makes all the difference.

Large, generalised tasks are difficult to track. When the write content task runs late, the manager will likely have no idea what the problem is, what can be done to speed things up, or when the real finish date is going to be.

The alternative? With WBS you can break down each task into small steps measured in hours – no more than 16 hours or two business days each. This will get you thinking about what’s really involved in that particular project. Then you’ll create a much more realistic estimate of how long the project will really take.

For project managers, WBS is a vital tool for making sure that the project plan contains all the tasks that need to be done and ONLY the tasks that need to be done. Think of your WBS as your map and chapter-by-chapter guidebook to getting your project done on target and on budget!

The skills to stay ahead

You’ll see by now that MS Project is an invaluable resource for business and one worth getting to know and understand over time.

A great start to learning how it can help you is by taking a short course. With the right techniques and knowledge, you’ll power up all your projects!

You can find out more about  Microsoft Project courses here.

If you want to hide the name of a built-in table from the Table submenu in Microsoft Project without actually removing it from the project file, follow these steps:

1. On the View menu, click Table.
2. Under Table, in Table submenu, select More Tables and select the table you want to hide.
3. Click Edit and clear the Show in Menu option.