Microsoft Project

A complete guide to using this software tool to help project management & reporting
Overview

During this introductory hands-on course, delegates will learn how to utilise Microsoft Project to assist in the planning, monitoring, maintenance and control of projects.  In addition they will also understand where Microsoft Project as a tool, fits within the management and support of a project.

Course Code
MS102PRJ
Duration
2 Days
Delivery Style
Classroom
Course Type
Public or Private
Max Delegates
12
Available as Nutshell
No

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Purpose of this course

Our Microsoft Project course will give you the hands-on experience you need to confidently use the software tool to help support the management of a project. Although designed primarily for people in a project support function, the course does also incorporate various Project management techniques and theory which lends context to the use and benefits of Microsoft Project itself.

Who is this course for

Anybody working in a Project Support role, providing administrative support to Project Managers. The course also contains useful theory and practise for Project Managers looking to use Microsoft Project as a software tool in supporting their role and assisting with the planning and control of projects.

You will learn how to
  • Understand some of the basic concepts of Project Management and of Planning a Project
  • Use Microsoft Project to create and manage Calendars, Tasks and Resources
  • Create Project Plans and Schedules, including Gantt Charts, Network Diagrams and Task dependencies
  • Schedule Tasks and allocate resources (including identifying and resolving conflicts)
  • Monitor Project progress, customise your views and generate reports
  • Import and Export data to and from Microsoft Project and sharing Project information
Benefits for your organisation

Microsoft Project enables organisations to increase efficiency and optimise costs through unified Portfolio and Programme management of all their Projects. By having Project Managers and support personnel trained in MS Project, you allow for structured, consistent and comprehensive planning, maintenance, control and reporting across all projects within the organisation.

Benefits for you as an individual

Once familiar with Microsoft Project, you will quickly come to realise how it can assist in the planning, maintenance and management of all aspects of running a project through its entire lifecycle. From the initial planning process, to resolving resource  and  scheduling conflicts, updating/amending plan components to running complex reports – MS Project does it all.   As part of learning how to use MS Project, this course will give delegates an appreciation of basic Project Management concepts and terminology and increase understanding of how Projects work in the wider corporate environment.

Introduction to Project Management
  • What Makes a Project?
  • Seven-Steps to Project Management
  • Where does Microsoft Project fit in?
Using Microsoft Project
  • A First Look
  • Saving a Project File
  • Additional Information
  • Using Project Calendars
  • Adding Tasks to the Plan
  • Changing Views
Creating the Project Plan
  • The Work Breakdown Structure
  • Linking Dependent Tasks
  • The Network Diagram
Time and Resource Management
  • Estimating Task Durations
  • The Critical Path
  • Creating Project Resources
  • Assigning Resources
  • Resolving Resource Conflicts
Updating Project Plans
  • Why Update?
  • Comparing Project Plans
  • Constraints, Deadlines and Milestones
  • Task Progress
  • Rescheduling Tasks
Exporting and Importing Project Data
  • What to Export/Import?
  • Project Reports
  • Copying Data to Office Documents
  • Exporting to Excel
  • Importing Data
Customising Project
  • Project Customisations
  • Using Tables
  • Using Filters
  • Using Views
  • Custom Reports
  • Visual Reports
Re-Using Project Plan Information
  • Re-using Project Plan Information
  • Sharing Project Customisations
  • Sharing Resources
  • Create a Master Project Plan
  • Creating Dependencies Between Project Plans
Additional Features in "Professional " Edition Only
  • The Team Planner
  • Inactive Tasks
  • Other Features
Prerequisites

A basic level of computer literacy and familiarity with Microsoft Windows and Office packages, though not essential, is highly desirable. As the course also takes delegates through the basic components of project planning, an understanding of the basic principles and concepts of project management would be useful, but again, not essential.

About the Lead Trainer

Tim Finch

No training is dull with Tim. He oozes a real pleasure in teaching people stuff they don’t know. Tim loves developing new courses and sharing his knowledge at many on-site customer locations. In addition to training, Tim is an experienced consultant, advising on company computing requirements.  Did we mention that he also likes to read computing books and blogs in his spare time?