Creating a report using Task and Resource Data

I would like to have a report that would show the task name, the
resources assigned with their skills, department and email addresses. How can I create this
report?

Pl. refer http://www.lehnertcs.com/pdfs/201004_ezine.pdf for detailed solution

Top Tips for Project

Moving around in projects
Do you want to quickly edit text in the Gantt chart or any sheet view? Press F2 to activate the entry bar to edit text in the selected cell.
Can't see the Gantt bars for your selected tasks? Click the Go To Selected Task button.
If you want to move the timescale portion of the view in small increments, press CTRL+LEFT or CTRL+RIGHT.
If you want to see a form view along with another view for quick entry of task or resource details, hold down SHIFT while clicking the view on the View Bar.
Viewing project information
If you have applied a filter to your view to show only specific tasks, you can quickly see all your tasks again by pressing F3.
Do you want a quick way to select all the rows and columns in the Gantt chart or any sheet view? Press CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR.
Don't know how a column or field is used? Point at the header of the column, and click the Help link.
To quickly view details about tasks or resources, double-click the item you want to change.
To quickly create a Gantt Chart that looks the way you want, click Gantt Chart Wizard on the Standard toolbar.
To show or hide a toolbar, right-click one of the currently displayed toolbars, and then click the toolbar you want to show or hide.
Refer following URL for more details: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/top-tips-for-project-HA001096334.aspx

MS Project Tips from Critical Tools site

25 Microsoft Project Tips and Tricks

1. In the Gantt Chart, doubleclick on the right edge of a column header to "best fit" the column.
2. To quickly change the name of a column, doubleclick in the column header and enter a new name for the field in the Title field. For example, you may want to abbreviate the Duration field name to Dur to allow the field to be narrower.

Refer Critical tools site for more...

MS Project Tips Link

Customize Project with these Tricks
http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/29808.aspx
http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/29817.aspx
http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/29839.aspx

Create Deadline dates over constraints

Deadline dates are handy way to alert you to problems in your schedule, but they are often overlooked. Project managers will often try to create a deadline for a task by setting a task's start date or finish date. But entering the start and finish date sets a date constraint (or restriction) on the task, which limits the flexibility of your schedule and prevents Project from automatically handling the scheduling of your project.
If you want a task to start or finish on a certain date but want to retain the flexibility of the schedule, you can enter a deadline date. Double-click on a task, and on the Advanced tab, enter a date in the Deadline box. A green arrow will appear on your Gantt chart that marks the deadline date. And if the task doesn't finish by the deadline date, a nasty icon will appear in the Indicators column to warn you.

Extracted from blogs.msdn.com

thinking 'critical task' vs real 'critical task' in MPP

Q: I have a very important task that my boss thinks is critical to the project outcome, and it is not showing up as red. How can I make it critical?
The fact that your boss believes the task is critical does not mean that it is a Critical task in the schedule, based on Total Slack (TS). A "Program-Critical" task is different from a "CPM-Critical" task. If your workflow logic is correct, then that program-critical task may have slack, and therefore not found on the critical path.
If the boss believes the task to be a program-critical task, find out what the risks are that may cause it to be Program-Critical. Assess a duration relative to that level of risk and add a "Risk Contingency" task, within that logic-flow, that may prove to be greater than or equal to the difference between the task TS and Critical Path (CP) TS. In other words, if the program-critical task has a TS of 5d and the CP TS is 0d then add a risk-contingency task of five or more days. This will cause that logic-path to become red.
-- Angelo Arcoleo, PMPMaster Scheduler, ITT Space Systems Division
Extracted from MPug Site

MS Project Tip of the Day

"If you consolidate projects that contain resources with the same name, and you want to eliminate duplicate resource names, clear the Link to Project check box. The first instance of a resource name and its resource information, such as pay rates and resource calendars, will overwrite the second and subsequent instances. Because the subprojects are not linked to their source files, you cannot update the original project file with any changes made to the subproject in the master project.

-Microsoft

"provided by MPUG community members

Resources assignment rampup Week on Week - report

What about the Reports > Reports > Workload > Resource Usage report?Does that get you what you need, or is your issue that you don't want hours,but instead want to report on FTEs? If the latter, you'd be best off exportingas a PivotTable to Excel and doing the math there - or using a Visual Report(if you're in 2007).- Andrew LavinskyBlog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm>
Activity or (No. of resources)>
Task Name, Week -1, Week-2
A 22 41
B 3 5
C
D 7 21
E 9
etc......
Excerpted from thecodecage site: http://www.thecodecage.com/forumz/project-formatting/202174-resources-assignment-rampup-week-week-report.html

Use '?' for an estimated tasks

Use the symbol '?' after a duration (4d?) to denote the forecasted task duration is an estimate.

MS Project Tip of the Day

"Lots of managers think the PM can make the schedule happen, but in reality, your team owns the schedule and the PM only maintains it.
-- Sally Eberhard, The University of Auckland" provided by MPUG community members

MS Project Tip of the Day

"To add multiple resources, click on the icon with two heads."
- Julius Theisz, MPUG Member- provided by MPUG community members

MS Project Tip of the Day

"Drag the column rather than hiding it and then add it back it in a different location on the Gantt view.
-- Jim Schafers, Schafers Project Consulting" provided by MPUG community members

MS Project - Tip of the Day from MPUG community

"I always wondered why the dates would automatically change when I altered tasks in the WBS. Now I know to checkmark the ""Fixed Durations"" before I start creating a WBS for my projects.
-- Kevin Prachachalerm, University of Arizona" provided by MPUG community

Microsoft Project Tip of the Day

"In Project 2010, you can inactivate a task, which will keep the costs and time consumed to date for that task but won't include that activity in future computations of the schedule or plan. The original schedule will be maintained."
-Sam Hassen, SISG"provided by MPUG community members

MSP 2010 environment should be different to MSP2007

"Don’t run Microsoft Project 2010 in the same environment as Microsoft Project 2007!
-Angela Sims-Ceja, City of Aurora" provided by MPUG community members

Microsoft Project Tip of the Day

"Use the ? after a duration (3d?) to provide an estimate when forecasting task duration."
- Mark Barry, Barry Capital Projects
provided by MPUG community members

Microsoft Project Tip of the Day

"Create a new (separate) project file just for resource information. This will make it easier for you to manage resource information and task assignments between the sharer files and the resource pool.
-Microsoft"provided by MPUG community members