Project Management

Project management isn’t just for construction engineers and military logistics experts anymore. Today, in addition to the regular duties of the job, employees are often expected to take on extra assignments – and to get that additional job done well, done under budget, and done on time. Projects play an important role in both the advancement of companies toward their goals and in the career development of their employees. The objective of this course is to provide a basic understanding of projects and the skills and tools of project management to the new or potential Project Manager. The course combines learning with practical application of the material to a project of the participant’s choosing. Additionally, the course touches on the related management topics of teamwork, team development, and delegation.

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to define and create the scope of work for a project, identify, plan, schedule and estimate the cost of the required resources, and execute the project managing change and risk. Participants will also know how to develop and manage their teams and to meet and communicate effectively both with their teams and with others in the organization.

Projects play an important role in both the advancement of companies toward their goals and in the career development of their employees. Too often, critical projects depend upon the individual ability and tenacity of the Project Manager to navigate through challenges, chaos and confusion to a successful completion. With consistent project performance being a keystone to future success, the objective of this course is to reinforce and expand upon the skills needed for Project Management and to understand the organizational processes necessary to support either project- oriented activities or a project-based organization. The course combines a defined curriculum with the flexibility for practical application in the participant’s environment.

Upon completion of this training, participants will have learned advanced techniques and tools to improve their ability to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and close a project. Participants will also understand the organizational methodologies and processes that support project management and will be able to develop those appropriate to their environment.

This course is intended for individuals wanting to improve their project management skills using Microsoft Project. This course provides participants with the critical skills necessary to manage projects from the planning stages through completion. The course presents how to use Microsoft Project to create a project plan, which tracks tasks, task relationships, and resources, including resource assignments and constraints. In addition, the course covers the implementation phase of the project, including creation of project status reports. In the process of learning how to use Microsoft Project, key project management concepts are discussed and will enhance participant’s mastery of project management, as well.

The following topics are covered:

• Overview of MS Project
  • Customizing the Toolbar
  • Understanding Wizards
  • Reports, Filters, and Views
  • Help!
• Planning the Project
  • Creating Tasks and Milestones
  • Defining Durations
  • Mapping Dependencies
  • Creating Resources
  • Defining Assignments and Constraints
  • Defining Reports
  • Setting the Baseline View
  • Using the Project Calendar
• Implementing the Project
  • Updating the plan
  • Tracking costs
  • Tracking project progress
  • Creating jeopardizes and mapping their impact
  • Tracking current plan (as revised) vs. the Baseline View
• Reporting Project Status
  • Defining Reports and Views
  • Managing Multiple Projects
  • Sharing project data with other programs

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Develop a project plan which includes tasks, resources, constraints and assignments
• Use reports and views to communicate project responsibilities and status
• Track project status
• Update project plan and track against baseline view
• USE MS Project to manage individual or multiple projects