Mastering Microsoft Project 2010

Course details

This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to plan and manage projects using Microsoft Project 2010.

Course Outline

1 - Introduction to Mastering Microsoft Project

• Describe how Project relates to the discipline of Project management.
• Know the significant new features of Project 2010.
• Navigate to the primary views available using the Ribbon.
• Choose Views that display task, resource, or assignment information.
• Select table within views to change the information that is available to see and edit.
• Relate the features of Project to the 5 steps for building a plan in Project.

2 - A Quick and Easy Overview of Managing with Project

• Create a new project and prepare it for data entry.
• Enter project tasks.
• Sequence the tasks.
• Define resources.
• Estimate Task duration and assign resources.
• Baseline the project.
• Track project progress.

3 - Setting Up a Project

• Establish one or more calendars to constrain resource availability.
• Configure Project to calculate the schedule from the Start Date forward, or from the Finish Date backward.
• Lab : Setting Up a Project

4 - Manually Schedule vs. Auto Schedule

• Describe which project functions are turned off for tasks using Manually Schedule mode.
• Change the task mode from Manually Schedule to Auto Schedule and back.
• Identify tasks that are in Manually Schedule mode by the task mode column and shape on the Gantt chart.
• Describe situations that are particularly appropriate for using Manually Schedule.
• Describe the limitations that a user must be aware of when using Manually Schedule mode.

5 - Creating a Work Breakdown Structure

• Build and use summary and subordinate tasks.
• Understand and use milestones.
• Develop WBS Outlines.
• Assign completion criteria.
• Evaluate the WBS.
• Understand and use WBS templates.
• Lab : Manipulate a WBS

6 - Identifying Task Relationships

• Understand and use the types of task relationships.
• Understand and use various methods to create relationships.
• Determine and display task sequence.
• Understand and use lag, lead, and delay.
• Lab : Display the sequence

7 - Defining resources within Project

• Define inpidual resources that will be used on the project.
• Record the cost (s) of using each type of resource.
• Record the limit of availability for each type of resource by establishing a resource calendar and defining the maximum units of that resource.
• Lab : Resource Calendar and Availability

8 - Making Work Package Estimates

• Enter estimates for duration and costs for each task.
• Distinguish between task types and describe when each is appropriate.
• Describe the relationship between work, units, and duration.
• Describe the way Effort Driven scheduling is affected by work, units, and duration.
• Assign tasks to resources using the Team Planner view.
• Lab : Work, Duration and Labor

9 - Creating an Initial Schedule

• Calculate the Schedule: The Theory Behind the Software.
• Critical Path.
• Schedule Float.
• Constraints.
• Deadlines.
• Task Relationships and Crashing a Schedule.
• Milestones.
• Task Inspector.
• Lab : Calculating an Initial schedule

10 - Create a Resource Leveled Schedule

• Project Statistics.
• Resource Graph and Resource Sheet.
• Resource Usage View.
• Resource Allocation.
• Task Usage View.
• Realistic Resource Planning.
• Resource Leveling.
• Leveling Settings.
• Leveling Settings Defined - Leveling Calculations.
• Leveling Settings Defined - Resolving Over-allocations.
• The Leveling Gantt Demonstrates Results of Leveling.
• Manual Leveling.
• Lab : Resource Leveling

11 - Managing the Project

• Tracking Field Definitions.
• Creating the Project Baseline.
• Displaying the Baseline on a Gantt Chart.
• The Tracking Gantt.
• Recording Progress Using % Complete.
• Updating Task and Resource Status.
• Recording Progress Using Actual Work.
• Variance.
• Percent Complete.
• Cost.
• Evaluating and Displaying Variance.
• Scheduling interruptions.
• Splitting tasks.
• Rescheduling Work.
• Lab : The Baseline
• Lab : Baselining and Tracking Performance
• Lab : Variance

12 - Formatting Output and Printing Reports

• Formatting the Timeline
• Using the Gantt Wizard
• Visual Reports
• Standard Reports
• Custom Reports
• Editing a Custom Report
• Reports
• Copy Picture to Office Wizard
• More Formatting for the Gantt Chart
• Reporting Against Budget
• Creating a Budget
• Lab : Reporting

13 - Managing Multiple Projects

• Integrating Multiple Projects
• Consolidating Project Files
• Resource Pools
• Summary
• Lab : Project Consolidation of Shared Resources

14 - Advanced Topics

• Customizing WBS Prefix
• Applying Grouping and Grouping customized Fields
• Applying Filtering functions
• Leveraging Global Templates
• Identify resource delay within a Task
• Applying Deadlines to a project
• Lab : Grouping

15 - Summary

Target Audience: This course is intended for both novice and experienced Project Managers and projects support personnel who need to apply the discipline of project management using Microsoft Project Professional/Standard 2010.