You can always create a new project from a template or another project. But if you need to start fresh, you can create a blank project file:
Click File > New > Blank Project.
That gives you a blank canvas to work on. If you’re not sure what to do next, read on.
Note: For a quick introduction to more basic tasks in Project, see Project Quick Start.
What to do with your new project
Set the project start or finish date
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Click Project > Project Information.
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Go to the Schedule from box, and pick Project Start Date or Project Finish Date.
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Add the date to the Start date or Finish date box.
Project management tip Schedule from the finish date to figure out how late you can start a project and still meet your deadline. Change the setting above to schedule from the start date once work begins, so you can see when changes put the deadline in danger.
Once you get the big picture in place, Project can help you sort out the details of the schedule:
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Use a calendar to change the working days and hours.
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Add holidays or any nonworking time to the schedule.
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Set vacation days for people working on the project.
Set the name or title and other file properties
Save your project to give it a name or title. You can change the name and other file properties at any time.
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Click File > Info.
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On the right, click Project Information and then click Advanced Properties.
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On the Summary tab, type the name in the Title box.
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Add any other info you want to be part of the project file.
Note: To get back to your project view, click the back button
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Add tasks
Most projects start their lives as a list of tasks in Excel, Word, or even on a piece of paper. Before you can schedule and manage those tasks, you need to get them into your project file.
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Add tasks manually That is, type them into Project.
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Cut and paste Project remembers the outline structure you created for your tasks in Word, Outlook, or PowerPoint, and it makes them summary tasks and subtasks when you paste them into Project (only in Project 2013 and later versions).
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Import data from Excel If your Excel task list had durations, cost estimates, deadlines, or other data about the project, you can bring that over, too.
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Sync with SharePoint You can work with Project in SharePoint. After you schedule these tasks, your team members can see the schedule and update their work in SharePoint, and you’ll see the changes in Project. And vice-versa.
Once you add them, you can start to work with your tasks:
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Link them together to create dependencies between them.
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Add milestones to mark important events in the schedule.
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Make an outline of your project with summary tasks and subtasks.
Show the project summary task
The project summary task contains all other tasks, and it appears at the top of your task list. Project hides the project summary task by default. To turn it on, go to the Gantt Chart, click Format, and then check Project Summary Task.
Where to go from here
When you create a new project in Project Web App, you have the following options:
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Enterprise Project. This option creates the project so that it is editable in Project Web App.
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SharePoint Tasks List. This option creates the project as a project site. Use the task list on the project site to list out the tasks for your project. As you build your task list on this project site, those tasks will be viewable from the Project Center within Project Web App.
Your organization may have several different templates for creating new projects, so you should choose the template that makes the most sense for the project that you are creating.
Create a new enterprise project
To create a new enterprise project:
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On the Quick Launch, click Projects.
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On the Projects tab, click New, and then choose Enterprise Project, or choose an enterprise project template that is specific for your organization.
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On the page that appears, type the appropriate information in the Name, Description, and Start Date boxes, and then choose Finish.
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Complete as much information as you can on the pages that are created for your project. After entering information, on the Task tab or the Project tab, in the Project group, click Save. Each page for the project is listed on the Quick Launch, under the project name, while you have the project open. You can navigate between pages by clicking the Quick Launch links, or by clicking Previous and Next on the Project tab, in the Page group.
If the project or proposal is associated with a workflow with multiple stages, you can click Submit to kick off the workflow once you've added as much information as you can on the project detail pages.
When you first create a project or proposal, it is only visible to the project owner. To make it visible to the team members assigned to tasks in the project, you need to publish the project. For more information on publishing a project, see Publish a project.
Create a new SharePoint Tasks List project
To create a new SharePoint Tasks List project:
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On the Quick Launch, click Projects.
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On the Projects tab, click New, and then choose SharePoint Tasks List, or choose a SharePoint Tasks List project template that is specific for your organization.
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On the Create a new project page, type a name for the new project, and then click Finish.
Note: If you have already started a project plan using a task list in Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2013, you can click Import from SharePoint sites to add that list as a project in the Project Center. For more information, see Add an existing SharePoint task list to Project Web App.
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Once the project site is created, click edit in the gray box on the left side of the Project Summary Web Part.
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Use the Tasks page to add your project’s tasks, including Due Date and Assigned To information.
Tip: For more information on creating tasks on a project site, see Add tasks to your project.
Once you have created this task list, if you return to Project Web App you see it listed as a project in the Project Center. Updates made to the task list on the project site are reflected in the Project Center in Project Web App.
