MS Project: Using Master Projects and Comparing Projects

Name: MS Project: Using Master Projects and Comparing Projects
Author: Elissa Smith

How to use MS Project's advanced features to work with sub-projects.

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Course: On-Demand

Hello, in this lesson of our advanced project course, we want to explore how to create a master project file with sub projects inserted into it. Now, master projects can be very helpful, especially if you work with projects where different phases or portions of the project are managed by other people. The idea behind a master project, especially with long projects, is it allows you to bring in the different portions that are managed by others into one master view where you can see all the different projects pieces in one. Now, for example say you're working with a large construction organization and you're managing a large construction project. You might be able to bring in the other portions of that project as sub projects. So for example, the plumbing section, the electrical section, and the carpentry work might all be managed by other people, but you could view them all in one as a master project, with each of those portions, plumbing, electrical, and carpentry inserted as sub projects. Now, if you look right now I have a small project that started but a few of the portions of this project need to come in as sub projects. One of the first steps I'm going to take is I'm going to go ahead and collapse all the sub tasks, so that when I bring in my sub projects, they'll be on the same level as the other summary tasks. Now that I've collapsed those tasks up, I'm going to go ahead and click on the row where I want the first sub project to be inserted. Then I'm gonna come to the project ribbon tab, tab and come over to sub project. It's the very first button on the left-hand side of the ribbon. I'm going to click and again navigate to where my sub projects are located, and select my first sub project. Now when you see these sub project files, they are exactly the same as a normal project file. And also notice right here that this link to project box is checked. This means that when I make changes in the sub project, they will actually be reflected in the sub project file. So it allows us to have both files update at the same time, even when they're inserted into each other. Then I'm gonna go ahead and click on the insert button. And voila, it's done, Now what makes the sub project different than a normal task? Because some people might see this new inserted sub project and think it's just another task in the project. First of all, when you look at the task indicator column, you're going to see an actual indicator that looks like a project file logo, and when you hover on it, it's going to tell you where that project was inserted from, and that it's read-write, which means that you can make edits in the sub project file and they will be reflected in the sub project file itself. Now if I expand the sub project file out, you'll see all the tasks associated with it. Also, if I double click on the sub projects again, summary task, when we come into the task information box this is also different. Instead of saying task information, it says inserted project information. To let us that this is not just a normal task, it is a sub project. Let's go ahead and do one more, I'm gonna come in again, and I'm gonna collapse all the sub tasks of the sub project, and come down to the next row and repeat those steps. I'm gonna go up to the project ribbon tab, go to sub project, come in and select my next sub project, and click on it. And again, we'll see this same process. One more thing I want you to see when you go to the project information box for a sub project, is that down in the bottom, you'll see that it will show you the start and finish dates for that entire sub project, which is a unique aspect of an inserted sub project. Stay tuned, in the next lesson we're going to look at how you can insert a sub project that is read only so it can't update.

Advanced Provider : Elissa Smith 6 Lessons · 18m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Projects often involve managing sub-projects within the master project. MS Project’s many advanced features make this process easier. In this course, you’ll learn to insert sub-projects, how to link and unlink them, and make them “read only”. You’ll find out how to create and compare project reports and how to use the “compare” view and analysis features. Finally, you’ll be able to create a copy of the comparison report and save it as a separate project file.

What You'll Learn

Insert sub-projects into a master project
Make sub-projects "read only"
Link and unlink sub-projects within the master project
Create a comparison project report
Use the "compare" view and analysis features
Save a copy of the comparison report as a separate project file

Key Takeaways

MS Project includes advanced features that make managing sub-projects within a master project easier.
Sub-projects can be inserted into a master project, linked, unlinked, and made "read only".
MS Project lets you create and compare project reports using the "compare" view and analysis features.
A copy of the comparison report can be saved as a separate project file.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this MS Project course cover?

It covers inserting sub-projects into a master project, linking and unlinking them, making them "read only", creating and comparing project reports, using the "compare" view and analysis features, and saving a copy of the comparison report as a separate project file.

Who is this course for?

It is for those who manage sub-projects within a master project in MS Project and want to use its advanced features for this process.

What skills will I gain from this course?

The course builds skills in Microsoft Project, Microsoft Enterprise Project Management, Microsoft Office Project (MOPS), project management, and project method, and relates to Microsoft Project Certification.

Can I save the comparison results separately?

Yes, the course shows you how to create a copy of the comparison report and save it as a separate project file.