Virtual Summary Tasks in Microsoft Project

How to roll your Microsoft Project schedule into a summary-level timeline that is easy to understand.

Making professional presentations from large Microsoft Project plans is often difficult. OnePager Pro can simplify project presentations by allowing you to collapse your Microsoft Project schedule into summary tasks.

If you don’t already have OnePager Pro, you can download a 15-day free trial to see how it works.

To begin, open your Microsoft Project plan:

1. To limit the number of tasks included in your OnePager Pro chart, use a flag column such as "Flag 20" to select the tasks or milestones you would like to present:
   
   
   
   
2. Now, click on the OnePager Pro button on the Microsoft Project toolbar or add-ins tab and use the wizard to create your Gantt chart:
   
   
   
   
3. When you click the Create new project view button, your Gantt chart will initially look like this:
   
   
   
   This Gantt chart is too busy for a good schedule conversation. The project needs to be condensed into a higher-level summary. This is where OnePager Pro's virtual summary task is helpful.
   
   
4. To collapse multiple MS Project tasks into a single summary, drag your mouse around a group of tasks and right-click on the selection. Choose Make into virtual summary task from the context menu:
   
   
   
   OnePager will create a virtual summary task of the tasks selected.
   
   
5. Continue with this process until you have reduced your schedule to a smaller collection of virtual summary tasks. You can then remove any excess space by going to Edit->Autocrop rows, which will simplify your schedule into something like this:
   
   
   
   Note that in the final product, the project’s timeline is complete, the virtual summary tasks are large and clear, and the titles are recognizable. You can made other edits as necessary.

OnePager Pro provides you with complete flexibility to tailor a complex set of tasks and milestones into a summary form suitable for senior management presentations, discussions within the project team, or presentations to customers.

This article shows you how to create and present summary Gantt charts of large, complex projects. You can easily customize the look and feel of your presentation:

• Group, sort and color-code tasks by any field in Microsoft Project (resources phase, etc.)
• Generate a project legend that makes it easy for your audience to understand your schedule.
• Reposition tasks or milestones anywhere on the page with a drag and drop interface.
• Present important project data like percent complete, baselines, and critical path.
• Change task labels without corrupting your original Microsoft Project file.
• Customize the time axis to show all or part of a project, and to show any time unit (quarters, fiscal years, etc.)
• Refresh your presentation with updated dates and task completion percentages any time your Microsoft Project plan changes.

OnePager Pro helps project and program managers conduct schedule conversations throughout a project’s lifecycle. Using OnePager Pro will allow you to create dynamic, informative project presentations with the click of a button, and it eliminates the need to rebuild your presentation by hand every time your project schedule changes.

Get started today by downloading a free trial or attending one of our demonstration webinars.