Project Planning Training & Project Risk Management Training / Onsite Program

Microsoft (MS) Project Training: Mastering Microsoft® Project 2000, 2003, and 2007
(15 PDU's)

Description:

Our Microsoft® Project curriculum goes beyond point-and-click MS Project training by integrating the project management discipline into the proper use of MS Project. Understanding the principles upon which the software applications are based enables the user to capitalize on the powerful and flexible capabilities that this software can deliver. As with all LSA Workshops, our Microsoft® Project classes can be customized to meet your specific needs.

Our facilitators are truly product experts. Their MS Project knowledge is a result of exhaustive exploration of new features as well as hands-on experience using the tool to manage projects. These same facilitators teach our project management discipline courses – providing you a unique combination of software and professional knowledge.

The focus of our Microsoft® Project training is to teach participants to use this powerful tool to more effectively manage projects by building plans, creating resource-leveled schedules, establishing baselines, producing status reports and making clear task assignments. Project managers and team leaders learn the features of this tool while following the same five-step planning method taught in our Principles of Project Management course to ensure that the project management software is taught within the appropriate context.

Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the discipline of project management as it applies to using MS Project.
• Create a Work Breakdown Structure
• Identify Task Relationships
• Define Resources within MS Project
• Make Work Package Estimates
• Create an Initial Schedule
• Create a Resource Leveled Schedule
• Manage and track the project through the software
• Format Output and Print Reports
• Integrate Multiple Projects

Microsoft® Project Workshop Outline:

1. Introduction
   What’s the value of project management software? How do you use the five-step planning model and the project lifecycle to ensure project success? How do you get a handle on the program’s navigation, buttons, tool bar and views?
    
2. Setting up a new project
   Introducing the project calendar. How to change work time and use project statistics.
    
3. Building a work breakdown structure (WBS)
   What is a WBS? How to get a grip on tasks, summary tasks and milestones. What’s the difference between WBS numbering and outline numbering? How do you evaluate the WBS?
    
4. Establish task relationships
   Introducing task dependencies, networks and PERT charts. What are lag, lead and delay? How to format the network diagram.
    
5. Making work package estimates
   How to create duration estimates and effort driven schedules. Introducing effort and task types.
    
6. Creating an initial schedule
   How to use critical path analysis to create a schedule. What are scheduling constraints? How do you “crash” a schedule?
    
7. Assigning and leveling resources
   How do you define resources? What is realistic resource planning? How to level resources in Microsoft® Project.
    
8. Managing the Project
   How to track field definitions, create a project baseline and enter actual performance data. Introducing the project Gantt. How to split tasks and reschedule work.
    
9. Formatting output and printing reports
   How do you use the Gantt wizard? Standard versus custom reports. How do you manage and integrate multiple project?

Target Audience:
Project managers who need to incorporate the discipline of project management with Microsoft® Project software tools.