Advanced Microsoft Project (MS Project) Course

Course Objectives

The main objective of this Microsoft Project training is to empower project management professionals with—

• a complete skillset, confidence and knowledge required to manage projects using Microsoft Project
• the necessary confidence, experience and knowledge to train other stakeholders and professionals about using Microsoft Project
• the adequate capability to design and plan projects using Microsoft Project
• the knowledge of industry-standard best practices to apply during the process of managing a project
• the necessary information and skill to draw a logical project plan
• the required confidence and knowledge to plan budgets and allocate resources to the project, thus preventing under or over-allocation of any kind
• the adequate foresight and preparedness to anticipate probable risks and make provisions to prevent these from occurring or minimise their impact when they occur during the course of the project
• the necessary knowledge and information to prepare schedules, anticipating delays/disturbances due to risks
• the required understanding to document all critical aspects of a project and maintain effective communication between all stakeholders
• the necessary skillset and confidence to manage multiple projects simultaneously

Course Outline

Module 1 – Critical Project Management Functions

• Project planning
• Project tracking (completion, time and cost)
• Scheduling and time management
• Resource allocation
• Budgeting
• Communication and collaboration
• Documentation
• Risk management

Module 2 – Benefits of Project Management Software

• Collaboration on projects
• Internal and external communication
• Budget management
• Monitoring
• Document sharing
• Optimised decision making
• Enhanced customer satisfaction

Module 3 – Overview of Microsoft Project

• History
• Versions
• Difference from other software

Module 4 – Functions of Microsoft Project

• Develop plans
• Assign resources to tasks
• Track progress
• Manage budgets
• Analyse workload

Module 5 – Important Microsoft Project Features

• Planning and scheduling
• Project timeline view
• Collaboration
• Reporting
• Project portfolio management
• Resource management
• Multiple projects
• Different views
• Change management

Module 6 – Advantages of Microsoft Project

• Flexible and powerful
• Integration with other Microsoft tools
• Great for collaboration

Module 7 – Disadvantages of Microsoft Project

• Advanced features requiring training
• Powerful insights but unintuitive
• Basic reporting

Module 8 – Pre-requisite Skills for Using Microsoft Project

• Gantt charts
• Network diagrams
• Resourcing dashboards
• Cost management
• Critical path analysis
• Variance analysis
• Tracking and monitoring