Microsoft Project Training
As Microsoft Project experts, Versatile sets the standard for Microsoft Project training. Our courseware has been selected by Microsoft for their learning partners around the world. At Versatile we’re committed to teaching people how to put this powerful tool to work!
Choose the training that’s right for you.
Tame Microsoft Project – 1 day (8 hours)
A one day class for people with simpler project management needs.
Choose a live instructor-led course or self-paced, on-demand eLearning.
Mastering Microsoft Project (2-3 days)
Designed for the beginner or intermediate user that needs to manage projects and efficiently work with Microsoft Project. Private classes can be held either online or on-site, and are led by expert instructors.
Tame Microsoft Project
A one day class for people with simpler project management needs
Delivered Online or On-site | 1 day | 8 hours
Live instructor-led training OR on-demand, self-paced eLearning.
Versatile has developed Project Templates that hide the features that make Project complex. You’ll use features that make sense to you for creating a detailed project schedule that is simple to maintain during the project. This is great for project managers who:
- Want to get started quickly with Microsoft Project
- Want to keep their projects simple
- Have part-time project teams
- Will be planning and managing a schedule only – not tracking hours or work
- Are not worried about resource overallocation or effort-driven tasks
What People Are Saying
Tame Microsoft Project is very well aligned with a gap I feel MS Project and MS Project training has had for at least 5 years, maybe a decade – MS Project isn’t as accessible at multiple levels of expertise as are other MS apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
SENIOR IT PROJECT MANAGER
Alan Dienst, PMP
This class is perfect for field superintendents. It has just what they need to know and makes Project easy to use.
SUPERINTENDENT, RUSH COMMERCIAL
George Goff
Course Description
- You DO manage schedules using MS Project.
- You DON’T manage costs with MS Project.
- You DO need to know WHO is assigned.
- You DON’T need to know how many hours a resource will work per day/week/month.
- You DO want easy-to-read reports about schedule progress for management.
This unique class is designed specifically for people who use Microsoft Project to manage a schedule, but NOT to manage cost or for resource utilization analysis. If that sounds like you, then you can ignore two-thirds of Project’s capability. But do you know which two thirds?
We’ll show you how to make a Tame Microsoft Project Template and Ribbon so you can ignore the features you don’t need. This class provides clear guidelines which make it simpler to build and maintain a schedule in Project.
Learn how to simplify MS Project.
Learn how to hide the features that only slow you down.
Learn it all in ONE DAY!
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the Tame Microsoft Project training, you will be able to:
- Understand the discipline of project management as it applies to using Project.
- Create a custom Ribbon to more easily navigate the application
- Create and enter a useful list of tasks (a Work Breakdown Structure)
- Quickly create a project schedule
- Establish Task Relationships to visualize which tasks must precede others
- Assign people to project tasks
- Assign duration estimates to tasks
- Capture the original schedule as a baseline
- Easily update the actual start and actual finish of tasks to track schedule progress
- Track the percent complete of tasks
- Generate a high-level project timeline for reporting to management
Create Custom Ribbons
Course Outline
Click the arrows to expand each section.
The value of project management software! How does Project integrate with the project management discipline? The best strategies for navigating the application using Versatile’s custom Ribbon.
Get the big picture on using Project to plan and manage a project schedule. See the high-level process that will be the basis for the remainder of the course.
Start a project off right. Open Versatile’s Tame Project Template. Establish a calendar and set the basic parameters for the scheduling engine.
Create a useful task list, also known as a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Understand tasks, summary tasks, and milestones. Learn the guidelines for formatting the WBS.
Visualize the sequence of tasks that drives the project schedule. Link tasks to establish task dependencies. Use the network diagram to visualize all tasks and their sequence. Format the network.
Resources accomplish the work on projects. Add the people, equipment, and other resources you need to your project plan.
Estimate and enter the duration of each task. Understand the scheduling defaults in the Tame Template that simplify schedule management.
Use critical path analysis to create a schedule. Apply schedule constraints.
Take control of the scheduling engine! Understand how and why to turn off Project’s scheduling engine.
Capture planned vs actual schedule information to identify performance problems and communicate project progress. Use a project baseline to find variance.
Communicate with management and customers using the Timeline or pre-configured dashboard reports.
Mastering Microsoft Project
Designed for the beginner or intermediate Microsoft Project user who needs to learn how to manage projects more efficiently.
Private classes offered on-site or virtually | 2 or 3 days
Discuss your learning goals with our learning advisor.
Course Description
Use Microsoft Project to plan and manage a project!
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 is a Microsoft certified product expert whose expertise is built on years of hands-on experience using Project to manage projects. These same instructors teach our project management discipline courses – providing you the unique combination of software knowledge and professional experience to enable you to make Microsoft Project work for you.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand the discipline of project management as it applies to using Project.
- Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- 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 Manual Schedule vs. Auto Schedule modes
- Set project baselines and use them to measure progress
- Integrate Multiple Projects
Course Outline
Click the arrows to expand each section.Learn the value of project management software. How does Project integrate with the project management discipline? What are the best strategies for navigating the application using the new Ribbon? This lesson includes an look at the features that were introduced in Project 2013.
Get the big picture about using Project to plan and manage a project. See the high-level process that will be the basis for the remainder of the course.
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.
Understand how to turn off Project’s scheduling engine and when to do it.
What is a WBS? Get a grip on tasks, summary tasks, and milestones. Know the difference between WBS numbering and outline numbering. Discuss guidelines for a better WBS.
Introducing task dependencies and network diagrams. What are lag, lead and delay? Format the network diagram.
Resources accomplish the work on projects. Know the different resource types and how to establish their characteristics.
Create duration estimates and effort driven schedules. Use effort and task types to control Project’s scheduling engine.
Use critical path analysis to create a schedule. Understand scheduling constraints. “Crash” a schedule.
Balance the available people and other resources with the need for speed on your project. Realistic schedules have realistic expectations about resource availability.
Capture plan vs. actual information to identify performance problems and communicate project progress. Use a project baseline to find variance. Learn how to split tasks and reschedule work.
Communicate effectively. Format the immense amount of information in Project into meaningful reports.
Project Management Tips
Every PMO Must Address Multi-Project Resource Visibility
By the time you have a Project Management Office, there are many projects floating around your organization. And with many projects, comes the challenge of the potential over-allocation of key people across multiple projects.
In Versatile’s project management training in Seattle, online, and at your location, we explain how to resource load a project. This process can become magnified in difficulty as more and more projects are added.
Add enough projects and you’ll have the classic resource traffic jam. Project management training won’t solve this problem. You need a powerful tool like Microsoft Project Online or Microsoft Project Server.
Fortunately, Versatile’s Microsoft Project Training gives you a glimpse of how Microsoft Project easily makes the solution visible. Check out the many resources that Microsoft Project Users Group has to help you solve this problem.
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