MS Project® 1: From Initiating to Scheduling a Project

Learn to establish MS Project^® standards, coordinate project documents, record estimates, schedule activities and tasks, assign resources to an activity or task, track performance to date and provide the appropriate level of reporting.

Based on the Project Management Life Cycle Model, use MS Project as a vital tool throughout initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing a project.

This course can be applied to the following certificates:
Project Management Certificate
Project Management Certificate – Advanced

Instructor

Sandra Hoskins, ISP, ITCP, PMP, CSM

As a speaker, mentor, educator, consultant, author and project manager, Sandra is committed to working with people who want to create excellence in their life, whether at work, home, play or in their community. Sandra’s passions are project management and ... read more

Benefits and Learning Outcomes

Understand the importance of configuring Microsoft Project and using network schedules to manage the critical path
Create a resource pool for managing staff and material resources
Input task dependencies to create project schedules
Gain immediate results that you can apply daily
Network with others to collaborate on real world challenges/solutions

Course Outline/Topics

Seminar Outline

Introduction
• Terms of reference
• Overview of Microsoft Project
• Scheduling terms
• Software interfaces

Configuring the Project
• Project configuration
• Tool and menu configuration
• Setting up the company calendar

Setting up Resources
• Adding resources

Setting Up a Project
• Setting up the summary information
• Selecting the schedule type
• Defining the project environment

Creating Project Estimates
• Identifying project deliverables
• Develop a work breakdown structure
• Developing time-based estimates
• Using fixed duration or fixed unit
• Assigning resources
• Re-evaluate estimates

Creating the Project Schedule
• The PERT Chart
• Customizing the PERT Chart
• Resource the schedule (staff)
• Adjust the schedule to make best use
of the resources
• Critical path: Did it change?
• Customizing the Gantt Chart

Developing Control Procedures
• Tracking actual estimates
• Customizing reporting procedures

Customizing for Flexibility
• Customizing views and tables
• Comparison reports
• Exporting data
• Updating project status
• Project consolidation

Summary and Conclusion
• What’s next
• What to remember
• Leveraging other products

Prerequisites

Project Management Foundations or equivalent, and basic familiarity with MS Office

Testimonials

"Sandra is very knowledgeable on the subject matter. She encouraged questions and provided assistance on individual issues." — Lenel Brown, Bostic, Inc.,

"Best adult learning experience I’ve had in years. The instructor, Sandra, was perfect for this." — Walter Sawatzky