This three-day course provides students with the knowledge and skills to build, maintain, and control well-formed project plans. This is the first course in the Microsoft Office Project 2007 Official Curriculum series and will serve as the entry point for other Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) courses covering Microsoft Office Project 2007 and the Microsoft EPM 2007 Solution.

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This course is intended for both novice and experienced project managers and schedulers. These individuals would be involved in or responsible for scheduling, estimating, coordinating, controlling, budgeting, and staffing of projects and supporting other users of MS Office Project. A familiarity with key project management concepts and terminology is recommended as well as basic Windows navigation skills.

Voorkennis

• Experience using Microsoft Office Project to create project schedules.
• Fundamental knowledge of project management.
• Experience with the Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista operating system.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Excel 2003.

Module 1: Getting Started with Microsoft Office Project 2007

This module provides an overview of MS Project, relational databases, and project management concepts. This module explains how to use the desktop interface and how to work with various file types. It also illustrates how to receive help and advice while working and how to configure various options that affect the functionality of MS Project.

Lessons

• Understanding The Nature Of Projects
• Discovering Office Project 2007
• Understanding Project 2007 File Types
• Navigating The Project 2007 Interface
• Getting Help And Guidance
• Configuring Options

Module 2: Creating and Defining Projects

This module explains how to create new projects, how to define appropriate options, and how to enter, organize, and outline the task list. It also explores ways to import data from other sources and provides guidance on configuring the corporate calendar.

Lessons

• Creating And Saving Projects
• Defining Properties And Options
• Creating And Organizing The Task List
• Importing Data
• Modifying And Applying Calendars
• Setting Scheduling Options

Module 3: Working with Estimates and Dependencies

This module explains the techniques for estimating tasks and how to generate a dynamic schedule by creating dependencies between tasks. Various linking and unlinking techniques will be explored in multiple views and link types will be modified to reflect real-world scenarios.

Lessons

• Entering Task Estimates
• Using A PERT Analysis To Estimate Task Durations
• Linking And Unlinking Tasks Using The Gantt Chart View
• Linking And Unlinking Tasks Using The Network Diagram View
• Adding Lag Or Lead Time To A Linked Task

Module 4: Working with Deadlines, Constraints, and Task Calendars

This module explains how to incorporate restrictions in a schedule through the use of deadlines and constraints. Displaying, reading and analyzing the critical path will be discussed along with how to use task drivers in the analysis. Task calendars will be presented as a technique to get a schedule back in line with a deadline or constraint.

Lessons

• Introducing Deadlines, Constraints, And Task Calendars
• Creating And Modifying Deadlines
• Creating And Modifying Constraints
• Creating And Modifying Task Calendars
• Identifying Critical Tasks
• Working With the Task Driver Pane

Module 5: Working With Resources

This module explains the various types of resources that are needed on a schedule, how to enter the resource list and how to assign resources to tasks. Changes to the project team will be implemented by modifying resource assignments. Various types of costs will also be covered including resource costs, task costs, and project budgets.

Lessons

• Introducing Resources, Assignments, And Budgeting
• Adding Resources To The Resource Sheet
• Creating And Modifying Resource Assignments
• Entering Project Budgets

Module 6: Understanding Task Types and the Schedule Formula

This module explains the scheduling formula and how the variables duration, work, and units interact. It also illustrates how recalculations occur when variables are changed. This module explains recommended procedures on changing task types and changing variables for various situations.

Lessons

• Introducing Task Types And The Schedule Formula
• Changing Variables And Predicting Behavior
• Applying Task Types To Produce Predictable Behavior

Module 7: Analyzing Resource Utilization

This module explains techniques for manipulating views to display resource allocation and how to identify causes of resource over allocation. Various options for managing limited resources will be explored. In addition, several techniques for solving over allocated resources will be explained including the leveling feature.

Lessons

• Introducing Resource Utilization Concepts
• Applying Views And Tables To Analyze Resource Utilization
• Applying Filters And Groups To Analyze Resource Utilization
• Viewing Resource Assignments, Allocation, And Utilization
• Managing Resource Availability
• Optimizing And Leveling Resource Assignments

Module 8: Tracking Progress

This module explains how to manage updates to a schedule by saving baselines and tracking duration, work, and cost updates. Comparison between expected and actual results will be illustrated with various views that display variance. In addition, this module provides guidelines on how to troubleshoot a schedule and how to get a troubled schedule back on track.

Lessons

• Working With Baselines And Tracking Scenarios
• Entering Duration Updates
• Entering Work Updates
• Entering Cost Updates
• Discovering Variances
• Trouble Shooting And Getting Back On Track

Module 9: Customizing and Formatting

This module explains how to format text, bars, and other screen elements. Custom objects will be created including templates, calendars, fields, tables, filters, groups, and views. This module also illustrates use of the organizer to transfer custom objects to other files.

Lessons

• Formatting Screen Elements
• Creating And Modifying Templates
• Creating And Modifying Calendars
• Creating And Modifying Fields, Tables, And Formulas
• Creating And Modifying Filters And Groups
• Creating And Modifying Custom Views

Module 10: Creating Reports

This module explains how to configure views for printing and how to generate standard and Visual reports. Customizations to printouts and modifications to existing reports will also be covered. This module will explain how to export data and explore techniques for solving printing issues.

Lessons

• Selecting, Editing, And Creating Standard Reports
• Creating Notes And Drawings
• Configuring Print And Page Setup Options
• Setting Options To Correct Printing Issues
• Exporting Reporting Data
• Creating And Modifying Visual Reports

Module 11: Managing Multiple Projects

This module explains how to create and manage multiple projects. It will cover links and the critical path across multiple projects. It also discusses how to create and use a shared resource pool and how to view resource allocation across multiple projects.

Lessons

• Introducing Management Of Multiple Projects
• Creating Consolidated Views And Master Projects
• Creating Links Between Projects
• Calculating Single Or Multiple Critical Paths
• Saving And Opening Multiple Projects
• Sharing Resources And Analyzing Resource Utilization Across Multiple Projects