Description:

Why Take a Class on MS Project?

Let’s face it – most of us have been frustrated by MS Project. 

Yet, we seldom realize that the tool is very powerful, and perhaps the best general purpose scheduling tool there is.

The user interface leaves a lot to be desired, the “Help” is cryptic at best.

And we exacerbate the problem by being self-taught, and learning by “hacking” through the system.

So, what are the alternatives?

We could read a “Step-By-Step” book.  The problem with those is that they are walk-throughs of the menu, and do not provide context or the application of the command.

We could ask our colleagues, and unless they are MCTS certified, each could end up suggesting a partial solution.

To solve this problem in a comprehensive way, PMI-SV is offering the foundations class, that will not only give you a good understanding of the basics and gotchas of the tool in the context of your day-to-day work, but lead you to MCTS certification.

The course material has been gleaned from the experience and mistakes observed by the instructors over the last 10 years, and the questions the PMI-SV members have raised in conversations.  

 Who Should Attend This Workshop:

• Those who are self-taught; those who have been frustrated by MS Project
• Those who wish to understand which fields are input and which fields are calculated by MS Project
• Those who are unfamiliar with the details of the scheduling engine… how Project reacts when any of the task parameters changes
• Those who wish to know the proper usage of Calendars, Deadlines, Constraints and Dependencies.
• Those who are unfamiliar with the details of “Resource”
• Those who are unfamiliar with the fields MS Project uses for tracking
• Those who wish to build a foundation before tackling the difficult subjects of Resource Pooling, Leveling, etc.

Objectives of the Foundations Course

The Foundations course is geared to give you a thorough understanding of the tool in the context of making/tracking a schedule for a single project (no resource pools or integrated schedules).

At the end of the class you will have a solid grasp of Tasks, Resources, and Calendars.

You will be able to quickly identify why dates are “misbehaving”.

You will also learn how to track a schedule properly and run reports or garner the essential information for reporting back to Management.

The Advanced class is designed to make you a power user – how to optimize schedules, and provide you with the knowledge for MCTS certification.

Course Outline

1. Scheduling with respect to a “Single Project”
   • Program (multiple projects) Schedules are covered in the Advanced Course
2. Finding Your Way
   • Menus, overview of features
   • Options
3. Project Info
   • ASAP/ALAP scheduling
   • Project Start/Finish dates
4. Fundamental Concepts
   • WBS
   • Tasks
   • Resource, Assignment
   • Calendar
5. Tasks in Detail
   • Task Types – Fixed Units, Duration, Work
   • Milestones, Rolled-up Milestones
   • Relationships, Leads/Lags
   • Recurring Tasks
6. Resources in Detail
   • Work and Material Resources
   • Cost and Budget Resources
7. Deadlines/Constraints
   • Schedule Conflicts
8. Critical Path and Slack
   • MS Project-specific implementation
9. Hands-on Scheduling
10. Basic Tracking
    • Start/Finish
    • Actual Start/Actual Finish
11. Exporting/Importing Data to/from Excel
12. Basic Reporting
    • Ready-Made Reports and Views

 Additional Information:

• Software Downloads: You should bring with you a laptop that is installed with MS Project 2016/2013/2010 and MS Excel 2010 or later. If you cannot, you may have to “buddy up” with a neighbor during exercises. 
  • Note – there is no difference between MS Project 2010, 2013 and 2016 as far as this class is concerned.
  • In the past classes, most students have brought a “work” laptop that is installed with MSFT Project. In a few rare instances students have purchased a used copy of MS Project 2010 or 2013 on Craigslist, eBay, AMZN etc. for $35 or less – and in our experience that has worked fine
  • If you prefer to use MS Project on-line, please refer to the link https://products.office.com/en-us/project/compare-microsoft-project-management-software?tab=1
  • Project Online Essentials is not relevant to this class – it is a timesheet application. Please do not purchase this plan
  • Project Online Professional ($30/mo.) works for this class

• MS Project 2016 (trial) is no longer available for download from MSFT.
• You can also check the MPUG site - https://www.mpug.com/resources/microsoft-project-free-trials/ 
• Do not download the “MS Project Server” files!
• If you do not have MS Excel, you may want to download a free trial copy from https://products.office.com/en-us/try
• Please do not forget to activate the products beforehand. The class structure requires you to start using the SW right away, hence there may not be enough time to install/activate on Saturday.

• Project 2007: There is a significant change in the UI and the scheduling engine between MS Project 2007 and MS Project 2010/2013/2016. If you are using 2007 or earlier, about 80% of the material is still applicable, but screenshots cannot be provided.

• Mac Users: Please note that MS Project does not work natively on a Mac. Most people create a Windows Virtual Machine on their Macs by using Vmware Fusion. (See https://my.vmware.com/en/web/vmware/info/slug/desktop_end_user_computing/vmware_fusion/10_0) .  Alternatively, you can download Parallels - https://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/ - but it may have some security issues, so caveat emptor
  • There is a free but equally effective software from ORCL called VirtualBox - you may find that to be an excellent alternative. http://sites.miis.edu/kb/2012/06/19/how-to-install-virtualbox-and-windows-on-your-mac/
  • There are plenty of YouTube vidoes showing how to use this software https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEvM-No4eQo
• Materials for the class: This is a "paperless" class. No materials are distributed.
  • Course material for is provided in PDF format. The materials will be placed on ‘OneDrive’

About the Instructors: