Microsoft Project Guide Define a Project
Define a project: Objectives: Clear project objectives are crucial because project success will be determined by how closely you meet them. A clear project objective is both specific and measurable. Avoid vague objectives such as “Create a state of the art learning environment”. Objectives may include: Deliverables Milestones Specific due dates Quality criteria Cost limits For objectives to be effective, it is important that all Stakeholders officially agree to them.

Assumptions: During the planning stage there will be many unanswered questions, such as “When will key resources be available and how much time a new process will take?” To begin you make educated guesses and then use those estimates to create your schedule. Areas where assumptions arise: 1. Handoffs from other departments. If your project depends on the work of others do they understand your dependency and agree to handoff dates you expect? 2. Resource availability and usage. If you do not manage some of the people who does and have they approved your use of their resource. 3. Task durations. Are your estimates based on solid information or guesses? 4. Project costs. How important is cost to your project? 5. Available time. Can you realistically complete tasks on time with acceptable quality? 6. Deliverables. Does your deliverable match what you stakeholder expects. Get agreement. Constraints: Constraints on a project are factors that are likely to limit the project manager’s options. The three major constraints are:

Microsoft Project Guide
Schedule: fixed dates, deadlines and milestones. Resources: People, materials, facilities and Equipment. Scope: The project requirements change. Scope: A combination of all project goals and tasks, and the work required to accomplish them. Scope management is a procedure for handling changes to your project. A plan