Chapter 12. Tracking Projects and Schedules

Even though we can only live one day at a time, we can plan so much that it feels as though we are living tomorrow also. Scheduling is a crucial aspect of the modern business world, especially the project management process. Coordinating multiple tasks and resources over a period of time is overwhelming enough without the struggle many complicated project scheduling tools put you through. Microsoft Office Visio 2007 can help you plan and document tasks with simple-to-use shapes. Yes, there are projects that demand highly sophisticated scheduling tools, but for everyday use, Office Visio 2007 provides enough power to track tasks, dates, and dependencies. The resulting diagrams are well-suited for display on a Web site or presentation slide.

This chapter tells you how to use Visio 2007 to create timelines, calendars, Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) charts, and Gantt charts. It also covers how to import information from Microsoft Office Outlook.