Tracking, Change & Delay Management MS Project for Beginners File Organization Lesson #11

In this video I go over updating, revising, adding changes and how to best organize your project history files so that you can easily go to any update, recovery, or change order and find the information you need regarding the history of your project. This offers great help for delay management.
MS Project Beginners Series
Lesson 1 Activities • MS Project for Beginne...
Lesson 2 WBS CPM Linking • MS Project For Beginne...
Lesson 3 Calendars • How to setup a calenda...
Lesson 4 Resources • How to Create and Appl...
Lesson 5 Resources Resource Usage • MS Project for Beginne...
Lesson 6 Tracking • Learn to Update, Track...
Lesson 7 Tracking Part 2 • Learn to Update, Track...
Lesson 8 Updating Work Usage • Use MS Project to Upda...
Lesson 9 Direct Method • Updating & Recovery of...
Lesson10 Changes • Inserting Changes into...
Tom Stephenson is a national award-winning professor (George Brown College, University of Toronto) and best-selling author whose background in education spans nearly three decades. His diverse teaching disciplines include construction project management, business management, human resource management, architecture, carpentry, and brick and stone masonry. As a dual-professional, Tom is called upon by industry leaders to translate knowledge, reinvigorate corporate culture, and inspire innovation in emerging and established companies across Canada. Before breaking into the academic realm, Tom acquired more than a decade of practical project-management experience, operating a mid-sized Toronto-based general contracting firm. He is also the author of the newly released Planning, Scheduling, and Control of Construction Projects with American Technical Publishers and the four best-selling editions of Understanding Construction Drawings for Housing and Small Buildings with Nelson Publishing Canada. Tom most recently received the Toronto Construction Association’s 2020 Chancellor’s Award for “helping his peers become more ethical, knowledgeable and professional.” A champion of change management, Tom takes pride in helping students and businesses navigate uncharted territories, take calculated risks and rise above the status quo. Some of the companies he’s worked with include Mattamy Homes, EllisDon, BIRD Construction, MCA, Maple Reinders, and Tucker HiRise, University of Toronto Project Managers.

[@EhsanTeymouri-kc7ml]

I am learning more and more on a daily basis by watching Prof. Stephenson's valuable videos on the MS project. I can't say how clear and helpful these videos are, and you can learn about project management, especially in construction, by following these videos. Thank you Prof. Stephenson

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thanks for the kind words Ehsan, very appreciated

[@andrewcook5842]

Just found your channel while searching for help... I'll be starting back at the beginning of your lessons. thank you

[@TomStephensontraining]

Great, yes check the playlists. Thanks Andrew

[@warrenandreanagonou1714]

Hello Sir, again thank you for this lifesavings explanations on tracking and file organization protocol. I'm a professional scheduler and your channel has always been a great source of inspiration for me. Could you please share with us an sample of the narrative? It would be appreciatied. Thank you for everything.

[@TomStephensontraining]

Check my MS Project the course playlist under updates and recovery I should have a link in the description for the narrative if not let me know and I’ll do a video with a link. Thanks for watching Warren.

[@Mostafa20268]

Thank you so much Sir Mr. Tom . Rich info indeed .

[@TomStephensontraining]

I’m glad the videos are helping you!!!

[@muhammadadeel6992]

Thanks from Pakistan. Your efforts mean a lot for beginners like me.

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thanks Muhammad I appreciate the kind words

[@femidunmoye4637]

Your videos are amazing, so informative, and easy to understand. Thank you

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thanks so much, I’m happy they help you!

[@AhmedMIbrahim]

Very Simple to follow and understand, thanks a lot

[@TomStephensontraining]

I’m happy my videos help you Ahmed

[@77MISTERSHARK]

tks a lot from Brazil.

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thank you Mauro, nice, hi from Toronto

[@phemmy2008]

I just stumbled on your channel today, in fact you are doing great, please keep it up

[@TomStephensontraining]

Welcome aboard! Very appreciated your kind words

[@victor-mihailpopescu1027]

great video. I like your explanations and examples. Thank you!

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thanks Victor

[@user-if6rf6dr7p]

This video was very helpful. Thanks

[@TomStephensontraining]

Great! Glad they helped

[@shaunnel2044]

Very informative!

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thanks Shaun

[@InsideMyWall]

Really enjoy all your videos. Very informative. Can you kindly make a series on how to properly file an EOT claim by considering all the delays resulting out of frequent drawing changes, considering RFIs, late approvals etc etc.

[@TomStephensontraining]

Great suggestion!

[@phemmy2008]

@@TomStephensontraining I will love to see that - EOT Claims

[@blacky12441]

Thanks for this very thorough series of how to get going in MS Project. Really useful tips and tricks and very well explained. One question is still remaining and I hope you can help answer it. When tracking changes or as in your video change orders, they are not linked to the master schedule baseline. Once those changes are scheduled in, we save it under update and/or recovery, how should we include them into let's say next month's update? Because they are missing out from the master schedule baseline. Do we create a secondary baseline on the given task only or do we simply leave them out? I reckon variance and cost tracking for those changes will not be possible without any baselining. Thanks very much upfront for your answer!

[@TomStephensontraining]

Hi Tim, you can baseline just those activities in the change by usung seleected tasks under the baseline menu. Try it on a practice file. I will try to shoot a video on it in the next couple of weeks

[@blacky12441]

@@TomStephensontraining Thanks for the prompt answer! I actually found that feature in one of your videos along the playlist. Keep up the great work!

[@Mostafa20268]

Good question.

[@ahmadrezanajafi2701]

​@@blacky12441Please share the video you found, if it is not a bother for you.

[@trevorstrain7674]

A great video, I like the process shown. If the planned start and end date changes on a task in the future would that be changed in the start and finish columns?

[@TomStephensontraining]

Yes anything to the right of status date that changes as a result of updates of prior activities will have its start and finish dates change unless it is not linked or has a constraint on it. Everything should be linked and try to avoid constraints

[@danboudreau1]

Excellent content! I am curious of your thoughts on MS project for the web? VS project online? Thank you

[@TomStephensontraining]

Sorry for the delay, i use a combination of project 2016 desktop and Microsoft Project online desktop client comes with plan 3. While I am not a fan of cloud-based systems that are reliant on your Internet. I do I do like Microsoft project online desktop Client I like that it is constantly updated and you can start with a low monthly fee. I say low when you compare to things like Primavera. As far as the install, I think they could be a lot clearer in how that works. I found it really tricky in the beginning, but it is fine now. I hope that helps.

[@inhinyerosibiltv2172]

Great Video! Learned alot! I just want to ask what's the difference of UPDATE and RECOVERY in the file names that you're making?

[@TomStephensontraining]

I have a video that goes through file naming protocols and you can download the files if you check the description of my MS project the course playlist. Really the only difference in the name is I substitute update with recovery, dates and other information is the same as the update file that I’m performing the recovery on.

[@northof6041]

Hi Tom, as and example, when you add a new activity in Microsoft Project after the baseline was set, like a month ago, then when comparing baseline vs. actual, you get NA in the baseline column. So then, what are we comparing variance with? I get into this situation a lot and want to know if there is another way of handling this.

[@TomStephensontraining]

Yes the is, highlight the new tasks and go to set baseline, select selected tasks click set baseline. It will give you a warning but it will only change the selected tasks coping your start and finish into the na na. Please try it in a practice file to ensure you get it right. You don’t want to rebasline everything only the selected/new tasks. Hope that helps. I think i probably demo that in my Ms Project the course playlist under change orders.