Building a project can be a stressful business as there are generally many variables to consider in order for it to be a success, with your surrounding team being an important part of this equation.

At the most basic level, initiatives involve you completing a task within a certain time using several tools and products. This could be a smaller project, such as publishing advertising leaflets, or a larger kind - like launching a complex website designed to show off clients' products. The process of getting these assignments off the ground is likely to be similar in that certain actions will have to take place to make them a success.

For example, it's necessary to consider the tasks involved, the time you have and the resources available to you. All these could exceed demands or be under-allocated. Whether you are working on a smaller or larger initiative such as those mentioned previously, you might find it useful to take a look at project management software.

Programmes can help put guidelines in place that are applicable to tasks of differing deadlines and varied sizes. Each of the elements making up your project are important, without an end goal there would be no objective and without deadlines the assignment lacks structure. Resources make up another very significant part of this formula and consist of a range of variables.

For instance, in order to get your advertising leaflets sent out you would need money and perhaps some staff or workers to assist you. Larger projects generally require a workforce that is varied in their skills and experience. To launch a large portal, it could be necessary to hire programming experts and Flash developers to get it working well and looking good.

Microsoft Project knows the importance of people as your resource when it comes to fulfilling the objectives of workplace campaigns. If staff is your main resource, it comes with all the challenges that the normal workplace brings. Workers get ill, promoted or become over-stretched on a daily basis and this needs to be taken into account when planning your task.

Other aspects of the project can change also, deadlines may be extended or reduced and the goals could shift. To deal with all these potential challenges you are able to input all the information needed by the programme and view it from these perspectives. In terms of your resources, you can activate the Team Planner view to get a great visual perspective on what fellow employees are working on.

Inputting resources to the tasks entered into Project tables is one of the final parts of getting started with the software. At this point, the application measures who is doing what and how much time they have. Often, assignments may encounter problems as large-scale initiatives seldom run 100 per cent smoothly.

However, the Team Planner view allows you to see ahead of issues that might crop up, such as having too few staff for all the tasks that need to be completed, or other problems like over-allocation of work. As well as getting a firm impression of your resources, you can also easily change who does what. The application is designed so you are free to re-allocate certain tasks and take the heat off those staff members who are tackling more assignments than their time allows.