Microsoft Project 2010 : Setting Up Project for Your Use - Defining Environment Options (part 1)

The Options dialog box has been completely redesigned for Project 2010, but it serves the same purpose. It enables you to view, modify, and define assumptions about your project and how you will manage it. There are two types of options: global (which affect all your projects) and file-specific (which affects only the specific project file you are working with when you open the Options dialog box). To display the Options dialog box, select the File tab, Options (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. The Options dialog box contains 11 groupings to define elements of your project.

In the Options dialog box, you use 11 categories divided into groups to define the environment options of your project Most of the settings are global options, affecting all of your projects, including previously created projects. If you change these settings, they stay that way until you change them again. For example, Figure 2 shows the Options dialog box open to the Schedule tab. If you change the top section, Schedule Options for Microsoft Office Project, it will affect all your projects.

Figure 2. Some settings affect all projects, and some affect only the project you are working on. This is true throughout all tabs in the Options dialog box.

There are also option settings that affect only the project you are currently working with (have the project files open). These settings have a header that is suffixed with “...options for this project” and are next to a drop-down that enables you to specify a particular project or All New Projects.

Unlike Project 2007, Project 2010 automatically updates the Global Template when All New Projects is selected. There is no Set as Default button.