Mastering Microsoft Project

Includes Certification Study

Designed for the beginner or intermediate user that needs to manage projects with Microsoft Project!This course is officially endorsed by Microsoft!

MarketPlace course number: 55054

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Course Description

This course takes you step-by-step through the features and concepts you’ll need to plan and manage projects effectively with Microsoft Project. Versatile integrates the discipline of project management with a deep understanding of Project.

Your instructor will be a Microsoft certified product expert. Their knowledge is a result of exhaustive exploration of new features as well as hands-on experience using the tool to manage projects. These same instructors teach our project management discipline courses – providing you a unique combination of software and professional knowledge.

According to Microsoft: The 74-343 certification exam covers features of Microsoft Project 2013 such as how to build, maintain, and control well-formed project plans as well as how to schedule, estimate, coordinate, control, budget, and staff projects and support other users of Project. When you pass Exam 74-383: Microsoft Project 2013, Managing Projects, you complete the requirements for the following certification: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Managing Projects with Microsoft Project 2013.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

Understand the discipline of project management as it applies to using Project.
Leverage the new the Ribbon to navigate the application
Create a Work Breakdown Structure
Identify Task Relationships
Define Resources within Project
Make Work Package Estimates
Create an Initial Schedule
Create a Resource Leveled Schedule
Capture actual performance data
Format Output and Print Reports
Create new projects in SharePoint and Excel
Set up a Project with a Calendar, Start date, and scheduling method
Understand Manually Schedule vs. Auto Schedule modes
Set project baselines and use them to measure progress
Integrate Multiple Projects
Use the exam specifications that will guide your preparation for the corresponding exam.

Audience

Beginner and intermediate users of Microsoft Project that need to master this application.

Course Outline

Lesson 1 – Introduction to Mastering Microsoft Project

The value of project management software! How does Project integrate with the project management discipline? The best strategies for navigating the application using the new Ribbon. Includes introduction of features that are new in Project 2013.

Lesson 2 – A Quick and Easy Overview of Managing with Project

Get the big picture on using Project to plan and manage a project. See the high-level process that will be the basis for the remainder of the course.

Lesson 3 - Setting Up a New Project

Start a project off right. Open it from Excel or SharePoint or create a new project within Project. Establish a calendar and set the basic parameters for the scheduling engine.

Lesson 4 - Manually Schedule vs. Auto Schedule

Understand why and how to turn off Project’s scheduling engine.

Lesson 5 - Building a work breakdown structure (WBS)

What is a WBS? Get a grip on tasks, summary tasks and milestones. Know the difference between WBS numbering and outline numbering. Guidelines for a better WBS.

Lesson 6 - Establish task relationships

Introducing task dependencies and network diagrams. What are lag, lead and delay? Format the network diagram.

Lesson 7 - Defining Resources within Project

Resources accomplish the work on projects. Know the different resource types and how to establish their characteristics.

Lesson 8 -Making Work Package Estimates

Create duration estimates and effort driven schedules. Use effort and task types to control Project’s scheduling engine.

Lesson 9 - Creating an Initial Schedule

Use critical path analysis to create a schedule. Understand scheduling constraints. “Crash” a schedule.

Lesson 10 - Create a Resource Leveled Schedule

Balance the available people and other resources with the need for speed on your project. Realistic schedules have realistic expectations about resource availability.

Lesson 11 - Managing the Project

Capture plan vs actual information to identify performance problems and communicate project progress. Use a project baseline to find variance. How to split tasks and reschedule work.

Lesson 12 - Formatting output and printing Reports

Communicate effectively. Format the immense amount of information in Project into meaningful reports.

Lesson 13 – Managing Multiple Projects

Combine many smaller projects together to see multi-project views of resource use or coordinate among projects.

Lesson 14 – Advanced Topics

Powerful, useful, and rarely used features to take you to the next level of effectiveness.

Lesson 15 – Exam Study Tips

Know what to study and what to expect on the exam.