As a project management professional, it is important for you to be able to review numbers and report on what they are saying. It is also important for you to be able to use software that helps you keep timelines and projects running on time and smoothly. This assignment will continue to help prepare you for your responsibilities.

As the project manager, you have been asked to create an initial project schedule for a project known as the "Technology Refresh Project." The prior project manager assembled the project information and put it onto a spreadsheet. Based on this information, you are to create an initial project schedule using Microsoft Project.

Open the attached document Topic 2 Project Durations TEMPLATE (a Microsoft Excel file). You will notice a series of project tasks; optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic durations for each lowest-level task; and predecessor information. Do not alter this information.

In the "PERT Expected Duration (days)" column, calculate the PERT Expected Duration for each lowest-level task. Round the duration entries to the nearest integer.

Open the attached document Topic 2 Initial Project Schedule TEMPLATE (a Microsoft Project file).

Enter the tasks shown in Topic 2 Project Durations TEMPLATE (a Microsoft Excel file) into Topic 2, Initial Project Schedule TEMPLATE (a Microsoft Project file).

Based on the task hierarchy in Topic 2 Project Durations TEMPLATE (a Microsoft Excel file), demote the appropriate tasks using the green indent and outdent arrows in the TASK Ribbon, SCHEDULE group. Notice how the WBS field is automatically updated as tasks are indented and outdented. Be sure that your Microsoft Project task hierarchy exactly matches the task hierarchy in "Topic 2 Project Durations TEMPLATE" (a Microsoft Excel file).

Based on your computed PERT Expected Durations from above, enter these durations in the "Duration" field in the Microsoft Project file. Note the following:

1. Be sure that you do not directly enter durations into Microsoft Project summary tasks (i.e., the bold tasks). Note that the Microsoft Project summary task durations and dates are automatically updated as durations are entered into the lowest-level tasks.
2. Be sure that lowest-level task durations are entered as whole numbers.

Based on the predecessor information in Topic 2, Project Durations TEMPLATE Microsoft Excel file, update the "Predecessor" column in Topic 2 Initial Project Schedule TEMPLATE (a Microsoft Project file). Note the following:

1. The "Successor" column updates automatically, as predecessors are entered. Thus there is no need to enter any information in the Successor column.
2. Be sure that the summary tasks (i.e., the bold tasks) do not contain predecessors or successors. Predecessors and successors are only entered at the lowest-level task level.
3. Ensure that lowest-level tasks have at least one predecessor (except the first task) and at least one successor (except the last task).

Display the critical path. Go to the FORMAT ribbon and check the "Critical Tasks" box in the BAR STYLES group. Note that the critical path task bars will turn red. Also, take note that the Total Slack column contains 0 days for the critical path tasks.