Mastering Microsoft Project 2013

The course begins with the basic concepts and leads students through all the functions they’ll need to plan and manage a small to medium-size project, including how to level resources and capture both cost and schedule progress.

This course is intended for both novice and experienced project managers, managers, schedulers, and other project stake holders who need to incorporate the discipline of project management with Microsoft Project 2013.

Course Outline

1 - Introduction to Microsoft Project

• Describe how Project relates to the discipline of Project management.
• Learn what the new features are in Project 2013.
• Navigate to the primary views available using the Ribbon.
• Choose Views that display task, resource, or assignment information.
• Select table within views to change the information that is available to see and edit.
• Relate the features of Project to the 5 steps for building a plan in Project.
• Lab 1: Introduction to Mastering Microsoft Project

2 - A Quick and Easy Overview of Managing with Project

• Create a new project and prepare it for data entry.
• Enter project tasks.
• Sequence the tasks.
• Define resources.
• Estimate Task duration and assign resources.
• Baseline the project.
• Track project progress.
• Lab 1: Creating a Basic Project with a template
• Lab 2: Creating a Basic Project

3 - Setting Up a Project

• Use multiple methods to create a new project from an Excel file and a SharePoint Tasks list.
• Establish one or more calendars to constrain resource availability.
• Configure Project to calculate the schedule from the Start Date forward, or from the Finish Date backward.
• Lab 1: Setting Up a Project

4 - Manually Schedule vs. Auto Schedule

• Students practice switching tasks between Manually Schedule and Auto Schedule modes. By switching modes, students learn the impact made on the project schedule and the individual tasks.
• Lab 1: Explore Task Modes

5 - Creating a Work Breakdown Structure

• Build and use summary and subordinate tasks.
• Understand and use milestones.
• Develop WBS Outlines.
• Assign completion criteria.
• Evaluate the WBS.
• Understand and use WBS templates.
• Lab 1: Manipulate a WBS
• Lab 2: Supporting the Project Plan

6 - Identifying Task Relationships

• Understand the different types of task relationships.
• Understand and use various methods to create relationships.
• Determine and display task sequence.
• Understand and use lag, lead, and delay.
• Understand the new feature of Task Paths.
• Lab 1: Display the sequence

7 - Defining Resources within Project

• Define resource types.
• Define individual resources that will be used on the project.
• Record the cost (s) of using each type of resource.
• Record the limit of availability for each type of resource by establishing a resource calendar and defining the maximum units of that resource.
• Lab 1: Resource Calendar and Availability

8 - Making Work Package Estimates

• Enter estimates for duration and costs for each task.
• Distinguish between task types and describe when each is appropriate.
• Describe the relationship between work, units, and duration.
• Describe the way Effort Driven scheduling is affected by work, units, and duration.
• Assign tasks to resources using the Team Planner view.
• Lab 1: Work, Duration and Labor

9 - Creating an Initial Schedule

• Calculate float and identify a project’s critical path.
• Understand and identify task constraints.
• Create milestones.
• Use the Task Inspector to troubleshoot the initial schedule.
• Lab 1: Calculating an Initial schedule

10 - Create a Resource Leveled Schedule

• Adjust a project schedule to account for limited people and other resources.
• View the overall cost and schedule of a project.
• Identify resources that have been overallocated for a project schedule.
• Use multiple ways to adjust tasks and assignments to remove over allocation for any resource.
• Lab 1: Resource Leveling

11 - Managing the Project

• Learn how to set a baseline.
• Lean how to enter and track project performance data.
• Learn how to apply different tracking methods.
• Learn how to perform a variance analysis on a project.
• Lab 1: The Baseline
• Lab 2: Baselining & Tracking Performance
• Lab 3: Variance

12 - Formatting Output and Printing Reports

• Print
• Views
• Formats
• Sorting
• Filtering
• Grouping
• Custom Fields
• Reporting
• Other File Formats
• Lab 1: Use the Grouping Feature
• Lab 2: Create Reports in Project 2013

13 - Managing Multiple Projects

• Learn how to use common resources among multiple projects.
• Learn how to link tasks between multiple projects.
• Learn how to create a consolidated view of multiple projects.
• Lab 1: Identifying Overallocated Resources from a Resource Pool and Consolidated File

14 - Advanced Topics

• Learn how to customize the Ribbon and the Quick Access Toolbar.
• Learn how to customize WBS numbering.
• Learn the concepts of Formulas and Graphical indicators.
• Learn the purpose of the Global template and Organizer.
• Learn how to use Task Deadlines.
• Learn how to record a Macro.
• Lab 1: Recording a Macro in Project 2013

15 - Summary

• Learn how to access the Office App Store.
• Learn what 74-343 Microsoft Project 2013, Managing Projects with Project 2013 exam will cover and what is in the objective domain.