In Microsoft Project, slack represents the amount of time available before a task becomes urgent. It serves as a tool for managing your project effectively, ensuring timely completion of tasks. This article will guide you on how to incorporate slack into MS Project.
Step 1: Identify the Tasks with Slack
The first step is to identify the tasks that have slack. To do this, open Microsoft Project and go to the Gantt Chart view. Look for the tasks that are not on the critical path. These tasks will have a green bar next to them, indicating that they have slack.
Step 2: Add Slack to the Tasks
Once you have identified the tasks with slack, you can add more time to them by increasing their duration. To do this, double-click on the task and go to the Duration field. Increase the duration of the task by the amount of slack you want to add.
Step 3: Check for Overallocated Resources
After adding slack to the tasks, it’s important to check if any resources are overallocated. To do this, go to the Resource Sheet view and look for any resources that have a red bar next to them. These resources are overallocated and need to be adjusted.
Step 4: Adjust Overallocated Resources
To adjust overallocated resources, you can either reduce the duration of the task or add more resources to it. To do this, go back to the Gantt Chart view and double-click on the task with an overallocated resource. Increase the duration of the task or add more resources to it until the red bar disappears.
Step 5: Review the Project
After adding slack and adjusting overallocated resources, review the project to ensure that all tasks are on track. Go back to the Gantt Chart view and look for any red bars or critical paths. If everything looks good, your project should be on track.
Conclusion
Adding slack in MS Project can help you manage your project and ensure that tasks are completed on time. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can add slack to your project and adjust overallocated resources as needed.
