Microsoft Project Fundamentals

This two-day hands-on course is designed to train you on the principles of Microsoft Project.

At the conclusion of this Melbourne Microsoft Project training course you’ll be able to use Microsoft Project as a powerful task and resource management tool, rather than simply a retrospective reporting tool. At the course’s conclusion you will be able to develop workable and modifiable models of your real-world projects.

Our Microsoft Project fundamentals training is designed to take you through the major phases of the project life cycle, and develop skills to represent and manage this process with Microsoft Project.

On day one, a heavy focus is placed on developing correct task relationship models and building a work breakdown structure, while day two looks at resourcing, creating baselines (by which you can compare your plan with actual progress) and tracking a project plan to completion.

Course Objectives

By the completion of the course the participant should be able to:

  • Start Microsoft Project and identify how it works
  • Explain some of the key concepts associated with project management
  • Enter tasks into a project file
  • Create relationships between tasks in a project
  • Understand and use resource assignment calculations
  • Assign resources to tasks using a number of different methods
  • Use various techniques for levelling over-allocation of resources
  • Assign material resources in a project
  • Assign and track costs within a project
  • Apply constraints and deadlines to tasks in a project
  • Track the progress of a project
  • Print various aspects of a project.
Course Content

Microsoft Project Basics

  • How Microsoft Project works
  • Starting Microsoft Project
  • The Microsoft Project screen
  • How Microsoft Project 2010 works
  • Using the ribbon
  • Understanding the backstage view
  • The project work area
  • Working with views
  • Working with split screens
  • Understanding sheet views
  • Working with tables
  • Gantt chart view
  • Working the Gantt chart view
  • Working with the QAT
  • Working with files
  • Exiting from Microsoft Project

Project Management

  • Tasks and resources
  • The importance of planning
  • Project management tools
  • Using a computer for project management

Creating a new project

  • Steps in creating a project
  • Understanding your project
  • Creating a new project file
  • Understanding the calendar options
  • Changing the calendar options
  • Working with calendars
  • Modifying the standard calendar
  • Entering public holidays
  • Creating a new calendar
  • Setting up project information
  • Entering file properties

Creating tasks

  • Understanding tasks
  • Understanding scheduling icons
  • The Rostadium case study tasks
  • Reviewing the project
  • Entering tasks
  • Creating summary tasks
  • Working in a sheet view
  • Working with summary tasks
  • Working with task views
  • Examining task information
  • Understanding task durations
  • Entering task durations
  • Checking progress
  • Entering milestones

Scheduling

  • Understanding task dependencies
  • Creating dependencies automatically
  • Creating dependencies in task entry
  • Creating dependencies in task information
  • Creating dependencies in a sheet
  • Fine tuning a schedule using dependencies
  • Auto scheduling tasks
  • Critical path and project slack
  • Viewing the critical path
  • Examining task slack
  • Understanding lag time
  • Entering lag time
  • Understanding lead time
  • Entering lead time

Resourcing a project

  • Understanding resources
  • Entering work resources
  • Entering material resources
  • Entering cost resources
  • Assigning calendars to resources
  • Understanding resource availability
  • Adjusting resource availability
  • Changing the unit display

Resourcing concepts

  • Resource assignment calculations
  • Task types and work effort
  • Creating a simple assignment
  • Working with fixed unit tasks
  • Working with fixed duration tasks
  • Making multiple assignments
  • Adding additional resources
  • Adding more of the same resource
  • More resources in multiple assignments
  • Understanding effort-driven scheduling
  • Working with non-effort-driven tasks
  • Working with effort-driven tasks

Assigning resources

  • Simple resource assignments
  • Assigning part-time resources
  • Understanding work contouring
  • Specifying resource usage
  • Contouring work hours
  • Assigning specific work times
  • Work times for multiple assignments
  • Problem assignments
  • Assigning resources in task information
  • Assigning resources in a sheet
  • Assigning resources you don’t have
  • The case study resources

Resource levelling

  • Understanding resource levelling
  • Creating resource chaos
  • Tracking down over-allocations
  • Checking resource usage
  • Creating an over-allocation report
  • Changing work effort
  • Understanding overtime
  • Assigning overtime
  • Hiring contract labour
  • Switching work assignments
  • Rescheduling tasks

Assigning materials – advanced course module

  • Assigning fixed material consumption
  • Contouring materials usage
  • Adding more material assignments
  • Assigning variable usage material
  • Adding to a material assignment
  • Checking work for materials

Costs – advanced course module

  • Understanding project costs
  • Reviewing current costs
  • Entering variable costs
  • Case study variable costs
  • Assigning daily costs
  • Assigning per usage costs
  • Assigning fixed costs
  • Assigning material costs
  • Using another cost table
  • Applying a different cost table
  • Changing rates during a project
  • Assigning cost resources
  • Viewing project costs

Constraints and deadlines 

  • Understanding constraints and deadlines
  • Reviewing our project
  • Adding a constraint
  • Using elapsed time
  • Rescheduling tasks
  • Creating a deadline

Project tracking

  • Creating a baseline
  • Updating the project actuals
  • Manually updating tasks
  • Entering delayed tasks
  • Tracking actuals on a Gantt chart
  • Using the tracking box
  • Viewing task slippage

Printing

  • Printing a Gantt chart
  • Printing sheet views
  • Printing tasks for resources
  • Printing resources for tasks

Course Delivery
At Project Advantage, we run our Microsoft Project fundamentals courses at customer-designated locations offering discounted rates when compared to the costs for employee attendance at public courses. The maximum numbers for this course is 10 participants. We also offer one – on – one training and online sessions for those wishing to experience a more personalised training experience.

Our customers provide the venue, necessary equipment including data projector, whiteboard and 10 networked computers all with Microsoft Project 2007/2010/2013 installed) and a choice of catering. Project Advantage provides the instructor, a notebook computer for the course presentation, course materials including workbooks, CDs, handout materials for activities, and certificates of achievement for those who complete the course.

Cost

  • Minimum four participants on site – $400 per person per day
  • Six-Ten participants onsite – $2400 per day, per group
  • One-on-one on-site- $1100 plus travel expenses
  • Online sessions. 6 x 2.5 hour sessions over two days – $800 per person

 

As well as this MS Project fundamentals training program, Project Advantage runs a number of other quality Melbourne Microsoft Project courses offering Microsoft Project training Melbourne-wide and across Australia. Other courses include MS Project training – tasks, MS Project training – resources and MS Project training – advanced.