Microsoft Project 98 frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What are the new features in Microsoft Project 98?

For information about the new features, click  [image].

How can I save a project file so that someone using Microsoft Project 4.0 or Microsoft Project 95 can open it?

You need to save it as an MPX 4.0 file. For more information about saving files for use in earlier versions of Microsoft Project, click  [image].

What fields have been renamed or changed? What are the new fields?

For information about renamed or changed fields, click  [image]. For information about new fields, click  [image].

How do I add or remove buttons from the View Bar? How do I turn off the View Bar?

For information about adding buttons to or removing buttons from the View Bar, click  [image]. For information about showing and hiding the View Bar, click  [image].

In Microsoft Project 4.0 and Microsoft Project 95, I used subprojects. Where is this feature in Microsoft Project 98? Also, consolidated projects seems to have disappeared.

The way you work with multiple projects—subprojects and consolidation—has changed in Microsoft Project 98. To learn more about consolidating projects, click  [image]. When you insert projects (by clicking Project on the Insert menu), you can insert them at any outline level, creating subprojects. For information about working with multiple projects, click  [image].

How do I modify menu bars?

For information about modifying menu bars and working with menus and commands, click  [image]. The Customize Menu options in Microsoft Project 95 have been changed slightly. You can now access this functionality by pointing to Customize on the Tools menu, clicking Toolbars, and then clicking the Commands tab.

I chose the prorated method for cost accrual, but my per-use costs aren't prorating. What kinds of costs can I prorate?

Microsoft Project 98 does not prorate per-use costs. Per-use costs always accrue at the start of a task. By default, Microsoft Project prorates other costs so that cost accrual is based on the completion percentage of a task and distributed over its duration. For more information about working with costs, click  [image].

How do I specify a working directory for Microsoft Project 98? The Start In property for the shortcut I use to start Microsoft Project 98 doesn't have any effect.

By default, the working directory for Microsoft Project 98 is My Documents. You can't specify another directory, however, you can rename this one. For information about specifying a working directory or folder, click  [image].

Why does the timephased work in some periods change when I enter timephased actual work in other periods?

If you enter timephased actual work values that exactly match the scheduled work, then other timephased work values don't change. But if you enter a timephased actual that is greater than what was scheduled for that period, then Microsoft Project will use more of the remaining work and thus the remaining work will be moved in.

For example, suppose you have 5 hours of work scheduled for day 1, 2 hours for day 2, 5 hours for day 3, and 5 hours for day 4. You then enter an actual for day 1 of 7 hours. Microsoft Project will change the scheduled work, combining days 1 and 2, and thus reduce the scheduled work from 4 days to 3 days. The scheduled work would now look like this:

Day 1 with 7 hours, day 2 with 5 hours, and day 3 with 5 hours.

If, however, you entered a timephased actual that was smaller than what was scheduled for that period, then Microsoft Project adds the remaining difference to the end of the scheduled work.

How is timephased overtime work distributed? Can I edit this distribution?

When an assignment is first made, the Overtime Work field is blank. When you enter scheduled Overtime Work in the sheet portion of the Task Usage or Resource Usage view for the assignment, Microsoft Project calculates and distributes the scheduled Overtime Work across the appropriate period of time, and then enters the numbers in the timephased fields. You can edit overtime work only in the total Overtime Work assignment field; that is, the sheet portion of the Task Usage or Resource Usage view. You cannot edit its distribution over time. For information about the timephased Overtime Work field, click  [image].

What's the relationship between timephased % Complete and timephased Actual Work fields? Actual work doesn't necessarily appear in the time period where I entered the completion percentage.

As you enter completion percentage information for tasks or assignments, Microsoft Project calculates the timephased actual work values. For example, you can enter a completion percentage that is completely outside the dates of the task, yet the actual work is calculated based on the task's dates. For information about working with the Actual Work field, click  [image].

I get the message "Cannot save to GLOBAL.MPT.." What should I do?

This error message occurs when the Global.mpt file that Microsoft Project is using is read-only and you attempt to change the default settings, formatting options, or macros. If you have changed default settings, formatting options, or macros, save Global.mpt to a folder where you have read-write permissions. If you do not want to save any changes, click Cancel in the dialog box. This does not cause loss of data.

How can I customize workgroup messages?

For information about customizing workgroup messages, click  [image].

How can I create a new calendar?

For information about creating a new base calendar, click  [image].