FastWorksProject Best Practices for Microsoft Project 2007 Professional

FastWorksProject Templates & Tips for Microsoft Project 2007 ProfessionalMicrosoft Project 2007 Professional remains in use in many organizations that maintain legacy systems or have long-established project-management processes. FastWorksProject is a conceptual approach and toolkit focused on accelerating project setup, standardizing templates, and applying practical tips so teams can start delivering value sooner. This article walks through creating, customizing, and using FastWorksProject templates in Microsoft Project 2007 Professional, plus actionable tips to improve efficiency, consistency, and stakeholder communication.

Why use FastWorksProject templates?

• Consistency: Templates ensure every project starts with the same structure for phases, milestones, tasks, and reporting elements.
• Speed: Pre-built templates reduce setup time and let teams focus on planning detail and execution rather than administrative setup.
• Best practices baked in: Standard fields, views, calendars, and resource pools reflect organizational standards, reducing rework and errors.
• Easier governance: Consistent templates make audits, portfolio reviews, and cross-project reporting simpler.

Planning your FastWorksProject template strategy

Before building templates, decide on a template strategy aligned with your organization:

• Identify common project types (e.g., software development, infrastructure, process improvement).
• Define mandatory governance elements (required fields, approval milestones).
• Standardize calendars, working times, and nonworking days for your organization or business units.
• Decide whether to maintain a single master template or a library of role-specific templates (program, project, small quick-win).

Example template types:

• Enterprise Master Template — for large, cross-functional projects with formal governance.
• Agile-ish Quick Project — lighter template for short iterative delivery with frequent demos.
• IT Infrastructure Template — includes procurement, testing, and deployment phases.
• Small Project Template — for small internal initiatives with compressed timelines.

Building a FastWorksProject template in Microsoft Project 2007 Professional

1. Create the base project
   • Open Microsoft Project 2007 Professional and create a new blank project. Set the project start date to a neutral placeholder (e.g., 1/1/2010) so relative durations and dependencies can be reused.
2. Define the project calendar
   • Tools → Change Working Time. Create or import the organization’s standard calendar and any site-specific calendars. Set nonworking days and known company holidays.
3. Establish phases and milestone structure
   • Add top-level summary tasks for standard phases (Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring, Closure). Insert milestone tasks for key governance checkpoints (Project Charter Approved, Baseline Approved, Go-live).
4. Standard tasks and durations
   • Populate frequently used tasks (requirements, design review, test cycles, deployment) and set sensible default durations. Use 0-day tasks for milestones.
5. Create custom fields and enterprise fields
   • Tools → Customize → Fields. Add fields such as Project Type, Risk Level, Sponsor, Business Value, or any organization-specific codes. If you use Project Server/Enterprise, map to enterprise fields.
6. Build resource pool placeholders
   • Add common resource roles (PM, BA, Dev, Test, Ops) with generic rates and calendar assignments. If you use a central enterprise resource pool, plan to link rather than embed resources.
7. Set up views and filters
   • Create views for common stakeholder needs: Executive Timeline, Team Task List, Risk & Issues. Build filters (Critical Tasks, Overallocated Resources, Upcoming Milestones).
8. Create standard reports
   • Use built-in and custom reports (Tools → Reports). Add Project Overview, Resource Usage Snapshot, Baseline vs Actuals.
9. Add macros and templates for recurring processes
   • If there are repeatable actions (e.g., adding a phase with a standard subtask set), create macros to automate. Store frequently used macros in the template.
10. Save as a template
    • File → Save As → Save as type: Project Template (*.mpt). Include project calendar, views, and custom fields.

Template customization tips

• Keep templates modular: use subprojects for large programs so teams can work on parts independently and roll up to a master.
• Use relative dates: base tasks on project-start-relative scheduling rather than fixed calendar dates to reuse templates across projects.
• Limit complexity: templates should speed setup — avoid overly detailed task lists that require excessive cleanup.
• Version your templates: add a version number and change log to the template’s notes so teams know when standards change.
• Localize where needed: maintain regional calendars or versions for teams in different countries with different holidays.
• Use enterprise features if available: Project Server or Project Portfolio Server lets you centrally manage enterprise fields, resources, and published templates.

Practical tips to speed project setup and maintain templates

• Start with a checklist: include steps for linking enterprise resources, updating start date, entering sponsor and priority, and saving project baseline.
• Use the Organizer to copy custom views, tables, filters, and macros between projects and templates (Tools → Organizer).
• Keep a sample “seed” project that demonstrates a filled-out project using the template so new PMs can see a completed example.
• Protect key template data: set read-only attributes or document which fields must be updated to avoid accidental overwrites.
• Train the team: short walkthroughs (15–30 minutes) on how to use the template reduce misuse and improve data quality.
• Automate common edits with macros: e.g., prompt to update project start date, clear actuals, and reset baseline placeholders.
• Maintain an approvals checklist within the template (as tasks or custom fields) so every project records governance steps consistently.

Resource & workload management tips

• Use a central enterprise resource pool if multiple projects share resources; otherwise, keep a consistent naming convention for roles across templates to ease consolidation.
• Regularly run Resource Usage and Resource Graph views to spot overallocation. Create a saved view pair (before/after leveling) to compare.
• Use contours or peak allocations with sensible limits; document acceptable overtime thresholds per role.
• When leveling, prefer leveling within a priority order (task priorities) rather than across the whole project if some tasks are time-sensitive.

Baselines, tracking, and change control

• Require a baseline snapshot before major execution phases; store at least Baseline and Baseline1 for major re-plans.
• Keep a change-log task or custom field to capture scope changes, approvals, and impact on schedule/cost.
• Use the Tracking Toolbar to update percent complete and actual work easily. Encourage frequent status updates (weekly or at sprint end).
• Report variance using Baseline vs. Actual work/duration to communicate schedule drift clearly to stakeholders.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Overloading templates with too much detail — keep them as accelerators, not rigid scripts.
• Not updating calendars or holidays — causes unrealistic schedules. Keep calendars maintained annually.
• Ignoring resource naming conventions — leads to duplicate resources and allocation errors. Standardize naming and roles.
• Failing to version-control templates — teams may unknowingly use outdated templates. Use a shared repository and naming convention (e.g., FastWorksProject_IT_v2.1.mpt).
• Forgetting to remove placeholder data — include a pre-flight checklist that prompts removal of sample tasks, resources, and notes.

Example: Quick “FastWorksProject” setup checklist

• Update Project Start Date
• Link to Enterprise Resource Pool (if used)
• Set Project Manager, Sponsor, Priority fields
• Update Calendar/Region settings
• Run Organizer to import latest views/reports (if needed)
• Save project baseline after final plan approval
• Assign tasks to resources and check for overallocation
• Publish or share project file following company policy

Closing notes

FastWorksProject templates for Microsoft Project 2007 Professional accelerate project initiation while preserving governance and consistency. Focus on modular, maintainable templates, keep them lightweight, and pair them with short training and a simple checklist to ensure correct usage. Even with older tools like Project 2007, disciplined templates and pragmatic process design can significantly reduce setup time and improve cross-project reporting.