TSE007 Managing Projects Using Microsoft® Project

Tell the software what you want it to do - as opposed to the other way around!

Course Description

After introducing or reinforcing the necessary Project Management concepts needed to properly manage projects in real-world environments, the workshop focuses on raising the participants’ skill and speed in the use of Microsoft® Project.  Not a “button pushing” class, the workshop addresses those areas within a project where the software can help the Project Manager to plan, organize, track and control project schedules, estimates, deadlines, costs and associated resources.

This workshop also addresses a multitude of features such as the startup options, Timeline and Backstage, top-down scheduling options, tracking of multiple baselines, enhanced reporting capabilities, as well as a host of other real-world functionality.

Upon completion, participants involved with PMI® and the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional (PMP®) program, are awarded 8 PDUs or 8 “Contact hours” 

Upon completion of this workshop, each participant will be able to:

Instructional methods for this program include lecture, discussion, question and answer sessions, as well as extensive individual hands‑on exercises.  All participants receive the course workbook, handouts and sample files for on-the-job reference and use.

Course Outline

  1. INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND PM SOFTWARE
    • Course Objectives and Prerequisites
    • Project Management and MS Project  - Using scheduling software without letting it control you!
    • How to Plan, Organize, Control, and Manage the Scope of your project
    • Project Management tools and concepts
    • What MS Project does and does not do
    • Things you must do before can be effective (Initiating the project)
  2. GETTING STARTED WITH MS PROJECT 
    • Navigating the Fluent Interface
      1. The Title Bar and Quick Access Toolbar
      2. The Ribbon
        • The Tabs (File, Task, Resource, Report, Project, View, Format)
        • The (35) Groups within the Tabs
      3. The project Timeline
      4. The View Area
        • Default Views
        • Other Views and their purposes
        • Viewing different sets of data:
          1. Tables (Entry, Work, Tracking, etc.)
          2. Views
          3. Fields (columns)
      5. The Status Bar
        • Status Indicator
        • Task Mode Control
        • View Shortcuts
        • The Zoom Slider function
        • Right-click options
    • Calendars & Timescales
      1. Working vs. Non-working time
      2. Vacations
      3. Multiple Calendars
      4. Timescale settings and views
    • Project Help features
    • Initial Global and Project Settings
      1. Setting project start and end dates – calendar settings
      2. Which “out-of-the-box” settings to change – which ones to leave alone!
      3. vs. Automatic Scheduling
      4. Save options – file formats, templates, passwords
    • Documenting project information – name, mission, category, etc.
  3. PLANNING THE WORK
    • Entering Tasks
      1. Gantt Chart View – The Entry Table, Task Name field
      2. The Task Information dialog box
        • General Information
        • Predecessors
        • Resources
        • Advanced
        • Notes
        • Custom Fields
      3. Setting task durations
      4. Inserting, moving, and deleting tasks
      5. Recurring Tasks
      6. Setting Deadlines and Milestones
    • Establishing Task Dependencies (and why this is really important!)
      1. The Many Methods
        • The Predecessor Column method
        • Gantt Chart View - drag-n-drop
        • The Link Tasks button
        • Autolink - and its implications!
        • Adding and linking tasks on the Network Diagram
          1. Verifying and modifying dependencies
          2. Moving a task or group of tasks
      2. Critical Path features (and value!)
      3. Types of dependencies (FS, FF, SS, SF, Lead/Lag times)
    • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
      1. Representing project structure (using Summary Tasks)
      2. Indenting, Outdenting
      3. Roll-up and drill-down functions
      4. Summary Task information
      5. Automatic WBS numbering
  4. ORGANIZING THE RESOURCES
    • Defining Resources
      1. The Resource Sheet – Resource: Name, Type, Group, Costs, Calendars, etc.
      2. The Resource Names column
      3. The Resource Form View
      4. The Add Resources Button
    • Assigning Resources
      1. The Assign Resources button
      2. The Task Information, Resources tab
      3. Fixed Durations vs. Effort-Driven tasks
    • Identifying Resource Scheduling Conflicts
      1. The little guy in the red pajamas – the Indicator Column
      2. Four Simple Solutions:
        • Move the task
        • Change the Resource
        • Reduce the hours
        • Leave it!
  5. PROJECT EXECUTION - Monitoring Progress
    • Activating the Project Environment
      1. Finalizing the Project Schedule
      2. Approval of the Project Schedule
      3. Baselining the Project
    • Updating the project
      1. Updating task status:
        • The Task Information Window
        • The Task Tab, Schedule Group
        • Updating groups of tasks
      2. The percent complete metric – and its dangers!
      3. Weekly archive
    • Analyzing the Project Status
      1. The Tracking Gantt and Tracking Tables
      2. Analyzing Deadlines and Milestones
      3. Filters, Sorts, and Groups
      4. The Task Inspector
      5. Understanding the implications of changes to:
        • Resources
        • Task Durations
        • Start and end dates
        • The Project Baseline
      6. Reporting
        1. Built in and Excel-based graphical reports
        2. WBS as a reporting tool
        3. Exporting options: MS Project (Text, Excel, etc.)
  6. PROJECT CLOSING
    1. Creating and maintaining a formal document repository
    2. Capturing Lessons Learned
  7. CONCLUSION
    1. Review what you MUST DO, for PROJECT to help!
    2. Post-Workshop use of the Appendix Material
    3. Participants Critique Class
Click here to contact us for more details, discounts and enrollment information!