Overview:
This course is a detailed, comprehensive and yet straightforward learning experience for Microsoft Project 2007. The manual has been designed to be an excellent accompanying guide for in-class learning, it will also serve as a great reference book for post course use.
The Introductory Course covers the first 12 modules, and is designed to teach you foundational skills by following a typical project life cycle. In these modules you will learn how to define a new project, plan your project with tasks, resources, and assignments, analyse the Critical Path, baseline your project, enter actual progress, analyse variance, revise your project, report project progress, and then close out the project. All these project management processes are managed by the efficient use of Microsoft Project 2007.
Notes, Warnings, and Best Practices are included throughout each module: Notes call your attention to important additional information about a subject, Warnings help you to avoid the most common problems experienced by others and Best Practices provide tips for using the tool based on our field experience.
Learning method:
This course uses a combination of instructor presentation, and student hands-on practical exercises.
Each attendee will be provided with a set of notes and will be given the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom throughout the course.
Who will benefit from this course?
Any computer user who needs to track resources and timelines for completion and delivery, including:
- Production Managers
- Project Managers
- Logistics staff
- Schedulers.
Pre-requisites:
Before attending this course, you must have a basic familiarity with Microsoft Office (any version)
What can you expect to gain from this course?
After completing this course, you will be familiar with the basic project management terminology and be able to:
- create a project plan and edit information
- link tasks and set lead and lag times
- set up and customise project calendars and resource calendars
- identify tasks that fall on the critical path
- understand variance and estimation principles
- incorporate a hierarchical outline structure into the project
- record, track and evaluate progress throughout the life of projects
Course Content:
Module 1:Project Management Overview
- understanding the Project Management process
- explaining planning, execution, control and closure phases.
Module 2:Microsoft Office Project 2007 Overview
- introducing the Global.mpt File
- using the Project Guide
- understanding the Planning Wizard
- navigating in Microsoft Office Project 2007
- tips for using the scroll bars
- using the zoom in and zoom out buttons
- using the scroll to task button
- using screen tips and tool tips
- understanding Gantt Chart symbols
- reading a Gantt Chart
- understanding Gantt-optimised scheduling benefits
- creating a three-tiered timescale bar.
Module 3:Inside Microsoft Office Project 2007
- understanding the Microsoft Project data model
- understanding views
- using single-pane and combination views
- understanding tables
- understanding filters
- understanding groups.
Module 4:Project Definition
- defining a new project
- set the project start date, enter project properties, display project summary task, set the project working schedule,
- set options unique to project, save the project.
Module 5:Project Task Planning
- understanding the task planning process
- creating a task list manually, using a template
- understanding change highlighting
- using basic task planning skills
- entering and editing tasks, moving tasks, inserting / deleting tasks
- creating the work breakdown structure (WBS)
- creating milestones
- adding task notes and cell background formatting
- using task dependencies, setting task dependencies, removing a task dependency
- using lag time with dependencies, using lead time with dependencies
- using alternate methods to set dependencies
- setting task constraints and deadline dates, setting constraints
- adding notes on tasks with constraints
- understanding flexible and inflexible constraints
- understanding planning wizard messages about constraints
- using deadline dates, viewing missed constraints and deadline dates
- assigning task calendars
- understanding duration-based and effort-based planning
- estimating task durations
- understanding task drivers
- creating recurring tasks.
Module 6:Project Resource Planning
- defining project resources, entering basic resource information, entering custom resource information
- entering general information, changing working time
- entering cost information
- entering resource notes
- using the custom fields page.
Module 7:Project Assignment Planning
- understanding assignments
- using a work estimation methodology
- assigning resources using a best practice
- using the task entry view
- understanding the duration equation
- understanding task types
- understanding programming biases
- setting the cost rate table
- assigning material resources
- using effort driven scheduling
- using non-effort driven scheduling
- using the assign resources dialog
- using resource substitution
- understanding resource over allocation
- locating resource over allocations
- levelling over allocated resources
- using a levelling methodology
- levelling an over allocated resource
- viewing and clearing levelling results
- setting task priority numbers.
Module 8:Project Execution
- understanding the execution process
- viewing the critical path
- working with project baselines
- saving a project baseline
- saving a "rolling baseline"
- saving over a previous baseline
- viewing and clearing the project baseline
- using additional baselines
- tracking project progress
- entering % complete
- entering actual work and remaining work
- using a daily timesheet
- rescheduling uncompleted work.
Module 9:Variance Analysis
- understanding variance and variance types
- understanding actual vs. estimated variance
- analysing project variance
- analysing date variance
- analysing work variance
- analysing cost variance
- using custom views to analyse variance
- what is a view?
- creating a new custom view
- creating a custom table
- creating a custom filter
- creating a custom group
- creating a new custom view
- creating a combination view
- using the organiser
- copying custom objects
- renaming and deleting custom objects.
Module 10:Plan Revision and Change Control
- revising a project plan
- potential problems with revising a plan
- using a change control process
- inserting new tasks in a project
- re-baselining your project
- re-baselining the entire project
- backing up an original baseline
- re-baselining only unstarted tasks
- saving a baseline for selected tasks
- viewing multiple baselines.
Module 11:Project Reporting
- reporting in Microsoft Office Project 2007
- printing views
- using page setup
- creating a header or footer
- using the print dialog
- printing reports
- understanding report and view interaction
- understanding report definition
- creating custom reports
- creating custom monthly calendar reports
- creating custom crosstab reports
- using visual reports
- viewing a visual report
- customising a Microsoft Office Excel 2007 visual report
- customising a Microsoft Office Visio 2007 visual report
- saving local OLAP cube data
- creating and editing visual report templates
- managing your visual report templates.
Module 12:Project Closure
- using project closure methodologies
- closing a project
- cancelling unnecessary tasks
- marking milestones as complete
- saving a completed project as a template
- creating a new project from a template
- using the compare project versions tool.