Tasks can be split through the middle, with part of the task happening on one day and the other part occurring several days later. In Project 98, we accomplished the split visually and easily with a few clicks and drags. The second big improvement is the addition of resource contouring. If 8 hours of the resource were available per day, then 8 hours were applied to each day in the task. Any other allocation required manual adjustment.
Contours are predefined work patterns.
The Back Loaded contour allocates less time to the beginning of the task and more to the end, with the amount of time rising over the course of the task. Contours, like splits, cater to real-life. Contours allow the project planner to design such patterns quickly, without a lot of fiddling with numbers. Project management can be intimidating, especially to someone new to this kind of responsibility, so Microsoft has attempted to improve Project 98's approachability with several tutorials. While You Work provides a number of specific lessons that guide the user while working on an actual project.