CREATE AND UPDATE AN UNRESOURCED PROJECT USING ASTA POWERPROJECT

A CREATE AND UPDATE

AN UNRESOURCED PROJECT

USING
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ASTA POWERPROJECT
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BY
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PAUL EASTWOOD HARRIS

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2-day training course

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handout and student workshops

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This publication is only sold as a bound book and no parts may be reproduced by any means, electronic or print.
© Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd i
 CREATE AND UPDATE AN UNRESOURCED PROJECT USING ASTA POWERPROJECT

©Copyright 2017 by Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used
in any form or by any method without the written permission of the author.
Asta Powerproject® is a registered trademark of Elecosoft plc (formerly Asta Development Ltd).
All other company or product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Screen captures were reprinted with authorization from Elecosoft plc.
This publication was created by Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd. This publication is not a product of
Elecosoft plc and Elecosoft plc is not endorsing the content.
DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this book is, to the best of the author’s knowledge, true and correct. The
author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of this publication, but cannot be held responsible for
any loss or damage arising from any information in this book.

AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER

Paul E Harris
Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd
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PO Box 4032
Doncaster Heights 3109
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Victoria
Australia
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harrispe@eh.com.au
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http://www.eh.com.au
Tel: +61 (0)4 1118 7701
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9 March 2017
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ISBN 978-1-925185-48-5 (1-925185-48-6) – Paperback

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ISBN 978-1-925185-49-2 (1-925185-49-4) - Spiralbound

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This publication is only sold as a bound book and no parts may be reproduced by any means, electronic or print.
© Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd ii
 CREATE AND UPDATE AN UNRESOURCED PROJECT USING ASTA POWERPROJECT

1 Workshop 1 - Creating a Project 1

2 Workshop 2 – Navigation and Setting Your Project Options 5
3 Workshop 3 - Maintaining the Calendars 7
4 Workshop 4 - Adding Tasks 11
5 Workshop 5- Adding the Links (Relationships) 15
6 Workshop 6 - Constraints 17
7 Workshop 7 - Entering Summary Tasks 21
8 Workshop 8 – Code Libraries 23
9 Workshop 9 - Formatting the Bar Chart 25
10 Workshop 10 - Updating the Schedule and Baseline Comparison 29
11 Workshop 11 - Filters 33
12 Workshop 12 - Organizing Your Data Using Group and Sort 35
13 Workshop 13 - Reports 37
14 Course Agenda and PowerPoint Slides 39
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This publication is only sold as a bound book and no parts may be reproduced by any means, electronic or print.
© Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd iii
 CREATE AND UPDATE AN UNRESOURCED PROJECT USING ASTA POWERPROJECT

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This publication is only sold as a bound book and no parts may be reproduced by any means, electronic or print.
© Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd iv
 ASTA POWERPROJECT WORKSHOPS

1 Workshop 1 - Creating a Project

Notes on Date Format

The date format in this book are in dd/mm/yy format and not the format commonly used in the US
which is mm/dd/yy.

Background

You are an employee of OzBuild Ltd and are responsible for planning the bid preparation required to
ensure that a response to an RFQ (Request For Quote) from Wilson International is submitted on
time.

Your company has completed the Startup Phase of the project, the Bid Strategy has been developed
and approval to bid for this project has been given.

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the project was created with a planning product called
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ChangeAide and isdisplayed below:

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You have been requested to plan the project Bid Phase, where the Bid will be produced, which
comprises of the following deliverables/products:
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• Technical Specification
• Delivery Plan
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• Bid Document.

You have been advised that the RFQ will not be available until the 07 December 2015

These workshops will take you through the process of creating the Initiating Phase Plan for the
development of the Bid to be submitted in response to the RFQ.

A project template in *.pp format titled “Australian Asta Powerproject construction

i template.pp” has been loaded on the Eastwood Harris web site at www.eh.com.au
Software Downloads page that has a number of the issues with the UK templates
resolved, including the default currency and calendars holidays. You may wish to
download this file, open it and save it as a template and use this file instead of the
Asta supplied templates.

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 ASTA POWERPROJECT WORKSHOPS

Assignment

1. Download Astapowerproject template “Australian Asta Powerproject construction template.pp”

has been loaded on the Eastwood Harris web site at www.eh.com.au Software Downloads
page, or use a template supplied by your training company.
2. Open it and save in the Asta Templates directory or drag this template in the Asta Templates
subdirectory:
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3. Close all projects.

4. Create a new project by selecting File, New and select this template,
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5. Create your project as OzBuild Bid with the same File Name and Title in a location of your
choice, such as the desktop,
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6. Complete the Title, For and By as appropriate,

7. Set the Start date: to Mon 07 Dec 15,
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8. Press the Create button to save the data.

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 ASTA POWERPROJECT WORKSHOPS

9. Check the currency unit of Dollar exists by selecting View, Show, Library Explorer:

10. An additional window and tab is now open, you may close this by clicking on the X:
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 ASTA POWERPROJECT WORKSHOPS

11. Select File, Options, View tab and check that Dollar or Australian Dollar is set as the Default
Currency

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NOTE: Completed workshops and PowerPoint Instructors slide presentations may be downloaded
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from the Eastwood Harris web site at www.eh.com.au.

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 ASTA POWERPROJECT WORKSHOPS

10 Workshop 10 - Updating the Schedule and Baseline Comparison

Background
At the end of the first week you have to update the schedule and report progress and slippage.

Assignment
Open your OzBuild Bid project file and complete the following steps:

1. Save a copy of your project as OzBuild With Resources for use in the resources workshop
and reopen your OzBuild Bid project.
2. Turn off the Display Library.
3. Set the Baseline for all the tasks on your project using the Project, Properties group,
Baseline Manager, New… command and give the Baseline a name of Original Baseline.
4. Accept the default Destination and file name
5. Apply the Progress View by selecting View, Views group, View and select Progress View
from the drop down list.
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6. Select Home, Schedule group, Show to Level, All Levels to display all the activities.
7. Select Format, Format group, Format Bar Chart, select the Baselines tab and check the
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box Check to show for… to display the baseline bars:

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8.
9. You should see the Baseline Bars below the current schedule:
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 ASTA POWERPROJECT WORKSHOPS

10. Open the Project View by clicking on the Project View button on the Quick Access Toolbar:
11. Open the Progress Period Propperties for Project Report Date form and change the
Project Report Dates to 14 December 2015:

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12. Open the Format Bar Chart form, select the Progress tab and ensure the boxes as per
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below are checked:

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13. You should now see a Jagged Report Line and the Planned % Complete has been
calculated::

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 ASTA POWERPROJECT WORKSHOPS

14. Expand the time scale to see the detail.

15. Add the additional columns as per below, you may create a new table first and then add
these columns.

16. Update the following tasks using the table below. Enter the data in the exact order below
against the detail tasks only.
• Actual Start of 8/12/2015 and 100 % against complete Milestones, Task 3.
• Actual Start of 8/12/2015 and Actual Finish of 10/12/2015 against complete tasks, Task 4.
• Actual Start of 10/12/2015 against Task 5. You will see the Actual Duration is calculated
for you,
• Enter a % Complete of 20%.
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17. You will notice there is a Jagged Progress Line with incomplete progress in the past.
18. Press F9 to schedule.
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19. Task 5 has now been split.

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20. At this point in time the Remaining Duration is calculated from the Progress Date.
21. Change the Remaining Duration to 6 days and reschedule.

22. NOTE: there is no change in the end date of the project as there is sufficient Float to absorb
the delay.
23. Save your OzBuild Bid project.

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 ASTA POWERPROJECT WORKSHOPS

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

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Page 1
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Welcome to the
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Create and Update an

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Unresourced Project
using
Asta Powerproject
2 day training course

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Administration
 Evacuation and First Aid
 Facilities, timings and meals
 Mobile phones & emails
 Introductions:
 Your name
 The types of projects you are involved in
 Your experience in scheduling software and
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 What you intend to do with the software after

the course
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 Course attendance sheet.

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Required background to attend

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this course
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To attend this course you are expected to:

 Understand how projects are managed and the
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project management process required to run

projects,
 Understand how to use PCs and the operating
system,
 A basic understanding of Critical Path concepts,
including how the forward and backward pass
calculate early, late dates, the Critical Path and Float,
 Experience in using project planning and scheduling
software such as Microsoft Project, Primavera P6 or
Primavera SureTrak, etc. would be beneficial but not
essential.

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Deleting exceptions
 Ctl + Left click to select date(s),
 Click on Delete Exception button to delete both
Morning and Afternoon Exceptions when applied,
 Click Yes when prompted:
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Default Calendars…
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 The template default is the one with the red tick,

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 The Task Default Calendar is the one most commonly

used when creating new tasks,
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 To change the default

Calendar:
 Open the Project View and
Navigate to your chosen
Calendar,
 Right Click and select Task
Default,
 Note: This will now be the
default calendar for all new
tasks,
 The next window will give you
some options.

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Drawing Links
 To draw a Finish to Start link between 2 tasks:
 Place the mouse at the end and at the top or bottom
corner of the first (predecessor) task to display the end
link cursor,
 Left click & drag to draw the link to the start of the
corresponding (successor) task,
 Release the mouse when the start link cursor is
displayed,
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 A link is made between the 2 tasks.

The link arrow is green,
 This means that the link is selected,
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 Click elsewhere on the barchart to

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deselect the link.

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Editing Links
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 To select a link point to it & left click,

 Links are green when selected & may easily be deleted
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by pressing Delete on the keyboard,

 Links may also be edited by right clicking and changing
the Properties,
 To deselect a link, click on the Bar Chart,
 Links may be dragged from one task to another using
the mouse when incorrectly assigned.

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Tasks Name as Headings only

 A task name may be written and no bar drawn on the
Gantt Chart or duration entered,
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 This text then effectively becomes a sub heading:

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Buffer Tasks
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 Buffer tasks are used to show the contingency

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visually within the project,

 There are two types of buffer tasks:
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 Feeder buffers – which sit within the project

protecting key dates, and
 Project buffers – which are usually the last task in a
project protecting the project end date,
 A buffer contributes to the Critical Path calculation,
but when its start date is affected it will shrink (or
expand) and protect the Critical Path,
 This technique is often referred to as Critical Chain,
 NOTE: This method of planning is supported by the
Society of Construction Laws’ – Delay and Disruption
Protocol – October 2002 (see www.scl.org.uk).

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Applying an Existing Filter

 Filters that are saved may be in the main Filter Menu
or on a sub menu titled a Filter Category:
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Creating a New Filter using the

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Filter Wizard…
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 Select View , Filter, New:

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Creating Progress Periods

To create multiple progress periods:
 Open the Library Explorer,
 Select Progress Period,
 Double click on Project Report Date and rename as
required, say Week 1,
 Add additional weeks below:
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Displaying Progress Periods on

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the Gantt Chart

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To view the progress drop line and shading on the tasks

within the Bar Chart:
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 Open the Format Bar Chart form,

 Select the Progress tab,
 Put a tick in the Lines check box,
 If you check the Progress
entry line only option,
Asta Powerproject will
only show the Report
Date line of the selected
Report Date.

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Displaying progress in the bar

chart
 Check the Report Lines you want displayed,
 Note: Normally only one is displayed,
 Select the colour from Library Explorer,
 The line will start from your report date and be jagged
around the uncompleted tasks:
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Progress Options…
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Before entering progress you must check your

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Progress Options,
 File, Options,
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 Select the Progress

tab:

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Progress Options
 Under Progress Entry Mode decide if you would like:
 Update duration in step, or

 Fill to progress line:

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 Fill to progress line with Do not recomputed remaining

after overall percent complete:
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Progress options
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 Snapping decides if the durations snap to the

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specified unit of time:

 The progress to snap to the nearest duration set in the
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Options form, e.g. Days,

 When not checked the Progress, Actual and Remaining

Durations will Calculate exactly in proportion to the %
Complete,

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Setting the Progress Date

 Before you start entering progress you must set the
Report Date to match the date that progress was
collected on,
 This may be accessed
from several places including:
 The Project View or
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 From Home, Progress

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Understanding the Percent

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complete fields
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 The Overall Percent Complete is not linked to the

duration and records how much work has been
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completed,
 When a task is updated the Overall Percent
Complete is also updated but may be edited without
changing the Duration remaining,
 The Percent Complete is linked to the Duration
remaining and after rescheduling will recalculate the
task finish date, depending on how the Scheduling
Options are set.

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Entering Progress…
There are numerous ways within Asta Powerproject to
enter progress onto your tasks,
 The easiest way is to use the spreadsheet to enter
the data,
 To show the progress specific columns:
 On the View tab, select the Table command,
 Under the Progress category, select Progress – with a
baseline.
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Entering Progress
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 If this table is not present, add the following columns:

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 Name
 Actual Start
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 Actual Finish
 Percent Complete
 Planned Percent Complete (Pointed to the current baseline)
 Finish variance (Pointed to the current baseline)
 Any progress entered into the Percent Complete column
will be added to the task, giving the task a scored
through appearance.

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Overall Percent complete

Weighting…
 One of the issues with Microsoft Project is that
Summary Task Percent Completed are calculated
from the sum of the Non Summary Task Actual
Durations divided by the sum of their Durations which
leads to misleading summary durations,
 The Overall Percent complete allows a weighting to
be assigned to the tasks giving a more accurate
Summary Task % Complete,
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 When created all tasks are equally weighted, so when

each task is completed an equal amount to the sub
chart is shown to be progressed.
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Overall Percent complete

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Weighting…
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 The picture below show a summary task with all the

Overall percent weighting of the tasks that are the
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same:

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

To Display by WBS
 To see the task grouped by WBS, you will need to:
 Set the Hierarchy Appearance from the Work
Breakdown form and
 Create or apply a Group and Sort by WBS:
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Review Expectations
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 Any questions,
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 Complete Feedback Sheet,

 Have we met your expectations?

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 Create and Update an Unresourced Project Using Asta Powerproject

Thank you for attending

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