Using Microsoft Project as the Integrated Schedule

Using Microsoft Project as the integrated schedule in Estimate provides you with a powerful and flexible project management tool that you can use to control simple or complex projects. It helps you schedule and track all your cost items, so you can stay on top of their progress.

Define Microsoft Project as the Integrated Schedule

Step by Step — Set Microsoft Project as the Integrated Schedule

  1. From the Setup tab under the Initialize sub-section, select Job Properties.

  2. Select the Schedule tab.

  3. Select the Integrated Schedule drop down arrow and choose Microsoft Project.

  4. If preferred, check the box for Always want to use Plug Days when updating Estimate from the schedule.

  5. Click OK to close the Job Properties form.

To make Microsoft Project the default integrated schedule for all projects, in Estimate go to File > Library > Setup > Job Properties. Then, select Microsoft Project in the Integrated Schedule field on the Schedule tab. Complete the additional associated fields. Every time you create a new project in Estimate, Microsoft Project will automatically be defined as the integrated schedule.

Defining Cost Item Roll Up Rules

Your Estimate project may contain more cost items than you want to schedule. You may want to create a schedule for the project at a high level, rather than scheduling all the job's cost items. You determine that this can be accomplished by rolling up the cost breakdown structure to a certain level. For example, level 3.

When you do this, you can only see the cost items from the Cost Breakdown Structure in the schedule at the rolled up level. For example, level 3. You can then proceed to schedule these items using the tools in Microsoft Project.

Once all the rolled up level cost items have been scheduled and you update Estimate, the scheduled start and finish dates from Microsoft Project will be brought back into the Cost Breakdown Structure. As a result, all cost items lower than the rolled up level, for example level 3, in the CBS now inherit the start and finish dates of their superiors at the rolled up level.

If you decide that a specific section in the Cost Breakdown Structure needs to be scheduled with more detail, you have the ability to schedule specifically at a level lower that the rolled up level previously defined. This can be done by navigating to that cost item in that section and activating the Schedule check box.

Step by Step — Set Cost Item Roll Up Rules

  1. From the Setup tab, select Job Properties.

    Superior cost items are always scheduled using Plug Days.

  2. Select the Schedule tab. Then, select the Cost Item Roll Up tab.

  3. On the Cost Item Roll Up tab, Select the Automatically calculate Plug Days when rolling up cost items for scheduling purposes check box.

  4. If you want the superior level cost item to use the longest number of scheduled days from the subordinates as the duration, select the radio button Longest scheduled days among all rolled up cost items.

  5. If you want the superior level cost item to use the total scheduled days of all subordinates as the duration, select the radio button Total scheduled days for all rolled up cost items.

    When rolling up cost items for scheduling purposes, the Plug Days of the superior cost item will be recalculated when a change is made to the scheduled days of a subordinate.

  6. To force an immediate recalculation of Plug Days for superior cost items, click the Recalculate Plug Days button.