Project 2007 Level 1

Project Management Concepts

The theory behind project management
What factors must be considered when running a project

Overview of Microsoft Project

The three main views
Tables, Forms and Charts
Shortcuts Menus and Toolbars
How to find your way around, the project screens
Gantt Chart and Task Entry views

Using the Help system

Explanation of the extensive Help options available
Consulting the Project Map
Changing System Options

Creating a New Plan

How to start a project from scratch
Setting a project finish date or a start date, which is best?
Setting the default working times for the project
Entering properties for the project
Basing a project on a template

Adding tasks to your plan

Entering tasks into your project (including quick methods)
Using the change highlighting feature
Placing notes against tasks
Editing, deleting and rearranging tasks
Creating summary tasks, grouping tasks into a layered format, making the project easier to read
Placing priorities on tasks
Problems to be aware of when dealing with tasks
Setting deadline dates on task, keeping informed of which tasks are past their finish date
Setting estimated durations for tasks

Linking Tasks

How to join tasks together so as to create a coherent project
Three methods discussed as each is required at different times.
How to alter links between task, including incorporating delays (lag and lead times)
Splitting tasks
Checking the drivers of tasks

Sorting and filtering

Sorting tasks into a specified order, for example, alphabetically, this helps you to locate specific tasks during the planning stage
View tasks that meet a certain criteria, for example, how to show the tasks for a particular resource, hiding the rest
Shading in blue all tasks that meet a certain criteria, for example, how to shade in blue the tasks for a particular resource, whilst still displaying all other tasks

Constraints on Tasks

How to place a constraint on a task
What constraints to avoid, unless you have to
Problems with placing constraints on task
How to view tasks with constraints and what the symbols mean

Day 2

Resources

Adding resources to your project and adding material resources to a project
Using a resource pool
Assigning resources to tasks
Assigning resources to work part time on tasks
When you assign resources you invariable end up with a resource conflict, this occurs for example when a person is given two tasks at the same time. This course shows you which tools to use to solve these conflicts
Contour a resource's availability
Tips on resolving resource conflicts

Calendars and Time

Creating a standard calendar to base resources on, setting bank holidays etc
Altering a resources calendar, eg. to allow the resources to have a two week holiday
Make your calendars available to all other projects

Costs

Entering costs for resources
Entering costs for tasks independent of resources
Costs and summary tasks

Planning Techniques

Network Diagrams
New shapes and outline symbols
Understanding the Critical Path (viewing tasks that have the greatest effect on your project)
How to work out which tasks can afford to be delayed (Slippage)
Should tasks be dependent on resources or should they have the duration fixed?

Printing Charts and the Calendar

Create headers and footers using the project properties, saving typing information twice
Add project-level fields to headers, footers or legends
The options for printing legends
Print setting for the different views

Reports

How to use the standard reports, for example:-
How to print a report of the costs over time
Who is working when and the hours/costs involved
Many others
Creating your own custom reports
Making your custom reports available to other projects

How to format your Gantt Chart

How to draw notes and lines on the Gantt chart using the Drawing Tool Bars
How to alter how the working and non working time is displayed
How to display a project summary bar
Gantt Chart Wizard (Use with caution!)

Tracking your project

How to save a snap shot of your project before you start tracking it (Baseline)
How to clear the baseline
The concepts involved when tracking a project.
Updating the tasks that went to plan
Rescheduling tasks that didn't go as planned
Entering actual task information
Using the current date feature
Viewing statistics for your project
Comparing you project against what was planned.
Viewing how much tasks have slipped
Tips on tracking a project
Setting reminders for tasks