ΠΕΡΙΓΡΑΦΗ

A practical approach for managing and monitoring projects through a case study using MS Project as a tool

Implementing projects is an integral part of every business of any size. Modern studies show that 50% of the companies’ workforce deals  with projects.

The modern and competitive business environment demands the best possible project efficiency which requires a professional approach to managing projects. This course addresses the basic principles in project management where at the same time participants learn through a case study how to plan and monitor a project by Mastering Microsoft Project. Therefore, during this practical approach  participants learn in depth how to use MS Project.

ΣΚΟΠΟΣ ΣΕΜΙΝΑΡΙΟΥ

Upon completion the participants will:

• Understand the definitions such as project, project management, work packages, knowledge areas, deliverables
• Be able to design a project following project management principles and techniques and plan it using MS project as a tool
• Understanding resources and how these can be assigned to tasks
• Be able to cost activities and resources
• Understand and “crash” the critical path
• Be able to monitor the project

ΣΕ ΠΟΙΟΥΣ ΑΠΕΥΘΥΝΕΤΑΙ

Project Managers. Project Coordinators, Project Management Team members

ΠΕΡΙΣΣΟΤΕΡΕΣ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΕΣ

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.

TOPICS

Unit 1: Introduction

• The modern Era
• Your self—evaluation as a Project Manager!
• Our aim
• Definitions
• Project
• Project Management
• Work packages
• Deliverables
• Resources
• Project Characteristics
• Project Life Cycle
• Cost and resources during the life of the project
• Stakeholders, Risk and Uncertainty

Unit 2:

• Project Management Process and the role of project manager
• Project management processes and PMBOK
• Processes
• Knowledge areas
• The Project Manager’s characteristics
• Project Initiation Processes
• The Project Charter
• Initial statement of the project objective
• Getting ready to plan a project based on a case study

Unit 3 Development of a new plan

• Starting a new plan, and setting its start date
• Setting nonworking days in the project calendar
• Entering the plan’s title and other properties
• Break down of tasks using WBS
• Key points

Unit 4 Building a plan and using dependencies

• Using the 4 dependencies
• Defining tasks, durations and milestones
• Creating summary tasks for WPs
• Creating task dependencies with links
• Switching task scheduling from manual to automatic
• Checking the plan’s duration and finish date
• Documenting tasks
• Understanding Network Diagrams, Gannt Charts etc
• Key points

Unit 5 Setting up resources & Costing

• Definition of Resources
• Adjusting working time in a resource calendar
• Setting up cost resources
• Documenting resources with notes
• Key points

Unit 6 Assigning resources to tasks

• Assigning work resources to tasks
• Controlling work when adding or removing resource assignments
• Assigning cost resources to tasks
• Checking the plan’s duration, cost, and work
• Key points

Unit 7: Critical Path & Baseline

• What is a critical Path?
• Methods of identifying the Critical Path
• “Crashing” the critical Path
• What is a baseline?
• How to establish a baseline

Unit 8 Sharing information

• Customizing a Gantt Chart view
• Customizing a Timeline view
• Customizing reports
• Copying views and reports
• Key points

Unit 9 Monitoring the plan

• Techniques for monitoring the plan
• Tracking progress with MS Project
• Key points

Unit 10 Advanced scheduling techniques

• See task relationships with Task Path
• Adjusting task link relationships
• Setting task constraints
• Interrupting work on a task
• Adjusting working time for individual tasks
• Control task scheduling with task types
• Key points

Unit 11 Fine-tuning your plan

• Deadline dates
• Fixed Costs (i.e. Down payments)
• Recurring task
• Managing the critical path
• Key points

Unit 12 Levelling Resources

• Examining resource allocations over time
• Resolving resource overallocations manually
• Leveling overallocated resources
• Inactivating tasks
• Key points

Unit 13 Organizing project details

• Sorting Project details
• Grouping Project details
• Filtering Project details
• Creating new tables
• Creating new views
• Key points

Unit 14 Tracking progress on tasks and assignments

• Updating a baseline
• Tracking actual and remaining values for tasks and assignments
• Tracking timephased actual work for tasks and assignments
• Rescheduling incomplete work

Unit 15 Viewing and reporting project status

• Identifying tasks that have slipped
• Examining task costs
• Examining resource costs
• Reporting project cost variance with a stoplight view

Unit 16 Getting your project back on track

• Troubleshooting time and schedule problems
• Troubleshooting cost and resource problems
• Troubleshooting scope-of-work problems