Microsoft Project 2010
Foundation / Intermediate

Training Course Outline

1-day course

Description:

In addition to covering the basic functions and features of Project 2010 this course also touches on concepts, features and topics usually covered only in Advanced courses. It covers a wider range of topics than a standard Foundation course but is still suitable for trainees with no prior experience of Microsoft Project. This format has proven to be very popular with our clients since it provides trainees with many of the skills they require in a single day.

Students will learn how to create a new project file, create and modify task lists, create a Work Breakdown Structure, and work with task relationships. They'll also learn how to create a base calendar, assign resources to tasks, create task calendars, and create and modify tables. Students will use filters and groups, and they'll sort task, resource data and learn how to resolve resource conflicts. Tracking a Project will review Entering Progress as a % Complete, Progress Using Update Tasks and Tracking Work By Time Period. Reporting & Printing will cover printing views, Reports, Visual Reports, copying the Timeline for email and presentations.

Objectives

Understand project management concepts, start Project 2010, open an existing project file, navigate different views, create and save a new project file, and use the Project 2010 Help features.
Use Project 2010 scheduling features, the Timeline, Team Planner and Task Inspector.
Create a task list in Gantt Chart view by entering the task name and duration, modify the task list by inserting and deleting tasks, and create a Work Breakdown Structure.
Create task relationships by linking, add predecessors and lead time to tasks, view task relationships, add recurring tasks, explore Network Diagram view and modify the task relationships in it, and use the Task Information dialog box.
Use the Change Working Time dialog box to create a base calendar for the project, use the resource sheet to create a resource pool, assign resources to tasks, create task calendars, enter resource costs in Resource Sheet view, and use the Cost table in Gantt Chart view.
Work with Calendar and form views, and create and modify tables.
Use standard filters and AutoFilters, create an interactive filter, use predefined groups, create a custom group, and sort task and resource data.
Display the critical path and edit effort-driven schedules, and resolve resource conflicts by identifying and adjusting resource overallocation.
Tracking the Project
Formatting a project file, printing views and reports
Copy the Timeline for email and presentations
See list of topics under Course Content below.

Target audience

The target students for this course should be comfortable using a personal computer and Microsoft Windows XP or later. Students will get the most out of this course if their goal is to become proficient project managers by using Microsoft Project 2010 to plan and manage their projects effectively.

Prerequisites

Students taking this course should be familiar with personal computers and the use of a keyboard and a mouse. Furthermore, this course assumes that students have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience: Windows XP Basic, Windows Vista Basic or Windows 7 Basic.

Courses to meet your needs

A Foundation course is also available that is less extensive and not so demanding but the Foundation / Intermediate course has proven to be very popular since it is designed to give the trainee an excellent grasp of a wide range of the essential tools and techniques in a single day.
We will be delighted to give you advice and assistance to ensure you select courses most suited to your staff training needs and business requirements. We provide a Complimentary Training needs Analysis (TNA) service to help training bookers, administrators and HR professionals get the very best from their training budget by identifying skill gaps, matching them to top-quality courses and delivering the most effective training possible. We will be happy to provide this service to you at no additional charge. Course arrangements will be handled by an experienced instructor / consultant to ensure you receive the highest quality of service possible.

Course content

Introduction
Project Management
Definition of Project Management
Project Constraints
The five phases of a project
Microsoft Project 2010
Microsoft Project 2010 views
The Ribbon
View Tab
Gantt chart view
Gantt Chart view with WBS
Network Diagram view
Calendar view
Resource Sheet view
Task Usage
Tracking Gantt
Resource Graph
The Backstage view
The Team Planner
The Timeline
The Task Inspector
The zoom slider
Manual scheduling
Explore the Ribbon, Tabs, Groups and Views

Working with Microsoft Project 2010
Terminology Used In Project 2010
Project Information
Microsoft Project Defaults
The Scheduling Formula
Task Types
Effort-driven
Calendars
Processes
Programs
Portfolios
Deliverables
Creating a New Project
Enter Project Summary Information
Enter Project Tasks
Enter Task Durations

Tasks
Types of tasks
Task Information
Task constraints
To Set a Task Constraint
Insert a New Task
Use Elapsed Time
Linking Tasks
Task Relationships
Lead and Lag Time
Linking Tasks
Adjust the Logic between Tasks
Insert New Tasks
Deleting a Task
Using Lead OR Lag Time on a Task

Adjusting Task Details and Creating Phases
Split Tasks
Timescales
Adjust the Timescale
Multiple Task Relationships
Delete Task Relationships
Redefining the Logic
Split a Task
Creating Summary Tasks
Apply Outline Numbering
Insert a Project Summary
Insert a Hyperlink
Attach a Task Note

Resources: Creating and Assigning
Setting up resources
Resources
Cost types
Entering Rates
Exercise Twenty-three
Enter Material Resource
Create a Text Field
Entering Work Resources
Assigning Resources
The Scheduling Formula
Assigning Multiple Resources
Assign a Single Resource to a Task
Assign Multiple Resources
Partial Assignment
Assign Equipment and Material to a Task
Tip: Assigning with the Assign Resources Dialog Box
Using the Resource List Options
Assign a Resource to a Summary Task
Assign a Resource to a Project
Change the Format of the Gantt Chart

Costs, Working Time and Overallocation
Adjusting Working Time
Adjusting Working Time for an individual Resource
View Project Costs
Entering Fixed Costs
Adjusting Working Time on a Task
Adjusting Working Time for a Resource
Overallocation and Resource Conflicts
Resource Overallocation and Levelling
Resolving resource overallocation
Resource levelling
Resource Leveling

Using Filters and Groups
Filtering Data
Grouping
Using Predefined Filters
Apply a Grouping

Tracking a Project
Critical path
Tracking a Project
Baselines
Set a Baseline
View the Tracking Gantt and Tracking Table
Adjust the Project Status Date
Entering Progress as a % Complete
Progress Using Update Tasks
Tracking Work By Time Period

Reporting & Printing
Print a view or report
Print a view
Create a Visual Report of Project data in Excel
Creating Reports
Copy the Timeline for email or presentations
Independent practice.
Reports
Microsoft Project Help Demos

The above outlines the range of topics covered in this course. Courses can be tailored to suit client needs and the instructor will adapt the course and range of topics covered to ensure trainees receive the maximum benefit possible from their training day. Contact us for details.

Top 10 benefits of Project 2010

Microsoft® Project 2010 delivers powerful, visually enhanced ways to effectively manage a wide range of projects and programs. From meeting crucial deadlines to selecting the right resources and empowering your teams, Project 2010 offers easier and more intuitive experiences to help you simply be more productive and realize amazing results.

1. Familiar and intuitive.

The Ribbon makes finding and using your favourite tools simpler with new graphical menus and a familiar experience to help you easily create and manage projects. Tooltips and contextual guidance provide information and shortcuts so you can accomplish more in less time. In the new Microsoft® Office Backstage™ view, simply save, share, print, or publish your projects from one location.

2. Save time and effort.

Save time and effort with familiar and essential functions like text wrapping, filtering, auto-complete, scroll and zoom, and more. Insert new columns on the fly—data types are readily identified so that you can quickly and effectively organize and analyze details. Quickly share schedule details through enhanced copy-and-paste, and retain key formatting between Project 2010 and other Microsoft Office applications.

3. Flexible and powerful.

User-controlled scheduling puts you in control and brings together the flexibility and ease of use of a tool like Microsoft Excel® 2010 and the power of the Project 2010 scheduling engine. Create project schedules at the level of detail that’s right for your project. Work with summary data initially or shift to a more detailed approach when it’s convenient. Place notes as reminders of where additional schedule information is needed, or simply add information as it becomes available.

4. Easier to see and share.

With a completely new and visually enhanced timeline view, you’ll have a clearer view of tasks, milestones, and phases. Newly expanded color palettes and text effects help you make every timeline and plan look their best—and help you to swiftly see and share important dates and deliverables.

5. At-a-glance.

(Team Planner – Pro only)

See the right mix of people and resources: simply drag tasks to effectively plan work for your entire team and project. The new Team Planner view in Project Professional 2010 shows resources and work over time, to help you spot problems and resolve issues. New in Project 2010, the Task Inspector offers additional analysis and intuitive guidance to resolve scheduling conflicts derived from a task’s attributes and assigned resources, which you can choose to act upon or not.

6. Control and deliver.

Quickly compare budget versus actual versus forecasted values to measure an initiative's progress with the flexibility of setting multiple baselines. Create high-level time-phased budgets with user-defined categories for costs and labor. Validate budgets against bottom-up estimates built by using labor, material, and cost resources. Control project costs by comparing budgets to completed tasks and forecasted totals. Use built-in earned-value metrics for predictive analysis and integrated performance management.

7. Evaluate possibilities.

(Inactive Tasks – Pro only)

Often you'll need to evaluate scenarios and consider options when planning new projects or monitoring ongoing work. Using inactive tasks, new in Project Professional 2010, you can easily experiment with your project plan and perform what-if analysis. A simple toggle removes or inserts one or more tasks, along with their effect on the project schedule. Project 2010 also offers more built-in tools to help support what-if analysis and scenario comparison, including multiple-level undo and change highlighting.

8. Collaborate with others.

(Task Status Updates – Pro only)

Connect your teams by synchronizing with Microsoft SharePoint® Foundation 2010. Using Project Professional 2010, you can synchronize SharePoint Foundation 2010 and Project Professional 2010 project task status updates for you and your team members. You can also save your project files to SharePoint Foundation 2010 team sites to communicate plans and collaborate on progress.

9. Grow capabilities.

(Connect to Project Server 2010 – Pro only)

Realize the power of unified project and portfolio management by combining Project Professional 2010 with Microsoft Project Server 2010. Together, Project Professional 2010 and Project Server 2010 create the Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution, and deliver end-to-end capabilities to help organizations prioritize investments and optimize resources, gain control of all types of work, and visualize performance by using powerful dashboards.

10. Enhance performance.

Use the 64-bit options of Project 2010 to enhance performance and support very large projects and programs. Project Standard 2010 and Project Professional 2010 are offered in 32-bit and 64-bit options to support a diverse range of project types and sizes. 64-bit options take advantage of the expanded memory and optimized capabilities of the latest processors and of the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows Vista. 64-bit Project Professional 2010 also offers enhanced performance and handles extremely large project files with ease when connected to Project Server 2010.

For further details, or to book a course, please contact us:
email: training@ictwizard.com
telephone: 01382 453447

Our courses are delivered by top-class trainers and consultants that are leaders in their field and meet our highest standards of experience, qualifications and ability.