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    Applying MS Project to Plan, Schedule, and Control Your Projects

    A critical tool for project management effectiveness

    While this course is not required to complete the Masters Certificate in Project Management, we strongly recommend that participants understand how to use this software. MS Project is an invaluable tool on the job and will be used extensively throughout our courses, especially in a simulated project during the Project Management Capstone course.

    This is not your traditional “point and click” training. We will teach you how to apply MS Project to plan an actual project, show you how to make effective presentations to project stakeholders, and help you prepare multiple solutions to produce a project’s deliverables.

    Learn how to:

    • Create a project plan and project calendar
    • Create a work breakdown structure (WBS) and set task relationships
    • Develop time-based estimates for resources
    • Develop a project schedule, then analyze and optimize it
    • Assign project resources and adjust for resource contentions
    • Finalize and review a project plan
    • Update a project plan with actual data
    • Set a baseline and track project performance
    • Create reports for presentations to stakeholders

    laptop

    Please bring a laptop computer with Microsoft® Project 2010 loaded on it to the class. If you are not able to bring a computer, please let us prior to your arrival.

    Course Bonus! All students will receive a copy of MS Project Lesson Workbook, an invaluable reference tool to help you apply course content back at your job.

    Day 1

    Using MS Project as a tool

    • Overall project plan development process
    • Understanding terms and configurations

    Creating a project plan

    • Starting a new project plan file and a project calendar
    • Documenting key assumptions

    Creating a work breakdown structure (WBS)

    • Organizing task lists into an outline and assigning tasks

    Developing your initial timeline

    • Estimating using fixed duration, fixed unit and work effort
    • Setting, reviewing and modifying dependency links between tasks
    • Applying constraints and deadlines and optimizing the timeline
    • Viewing the Gantt chart, network diagram and initial critical path

    Setting up resources

    • Assigning resources and costs
    • Resolving resource conflicts

    Day 2

    Optimizing the project plan

    • Shortening the project duration
    • Evaluating alternative plans—the role of key assumptions

    Communicating the project plan

    • Creating custom reports
    • Presenting the project plan to stakeholders
    • Setting, viewing and modifying a baseline plan

    Tracking project performance

    • Viewing task progress in the schedule and analyzing variances
    • Re-optimizing the project plan to meet project goals
    • Rescheduling a task and adjusting the timing of future tasks

    Collaborating on a project plan

    • Requesting progress information
    • Approving project plan updates
    • Posting an issue

    Closing out a project plan

    • Reusing project plan information

    Bill Zimmerman

    Bill Zimmerman has been managing major and minor projects for nearly 10 years. His previous project management experiences range from district-wide computer integration and internet access to complete corporate cabling plant replacement. MS Project has been used in many of the projects he has managed in the past. His experience in teaching MS Project includes working with small groups and one-on-one training examples. Zimmerman earned his bachelor’s degree in technology education at Mankato State University with a minor in automotive engineering technology.