Microsoft Project (MS Project) Training Course

Introduction

In this Microsoft Project training course, you’ll learn about how to use this Microsoft Project software. It is the most popular project management software in the world developed and sold by Microsoft. It has been designed to help project managers in developing plans, assigning resources to specific tasks, tracking progress, managing costing and budgets and analysing workload. It encourages project managers to follow industry-standard best practices related to project management.

Microsoft Project has various features through which all critical aspects of project management can be addressed, such as planning and scheduling, collaboration, reporting, resource management, etc. Different classes of users have differing access levels to different features of the software and stages of the project, including different views and data.

With the advancing technology in all fields of work these days, using software to manage projects is the best and most effective option. It not only saves time but also eliminates the chances of manual error.

Communication with all important stakeholders also becomes easier through the software. Use of software enhances the project management process, resulting in successful completion of projects, and hence, organisational growth and increased client satisfaction.

This course will empower you with the complete skill set, knowledge and confidence required to manage projects using Microsoft Project. You will not only be able to use the software effectively but also be confident enough to train others to use the software.

Further, the knowledge and expertise gained through this course will equip you with all that is required to undertake projects in any sphere of work, i.e. in any other organisation or industry. Thus, you will be capable of successfully handling more roles and responsibilities, in turn facilitating more avenues and opportunities for career growth and progression.

Course Objectives

The main objective of this Microsoft Project training is to empower project management professionals with—

• A complete skillset, confidence and knowledge required to manage projects using Microsoft project
• The necessary confidence, experience and knowledge to train other stakeholders and professionals about using Microsoft project
• The adequate capability to design and plan projects using Microsoft project
• The knowledge of industry-standard best practices to apply during the process of managing a project
• The necessary information and skill to draw a logical project plan
• The required confidence and knowledge to plan budgets and allocate resources to the project, thus preventing under or over-allocation of any kind
• The adequate foresight and preparedness to anticipate probable risks and make provisions to prevent these from occurring or minimise their impact when they occur during the course of the project
• The necessary knowledge and information to prepare schedules, anticipating delays/disturbances due to risks
• The required understanding to document all critical aspects of a project and maintain effective communication between all stakeholders
• The necessary skillset and confidence to manage multiple projects simultaneously

Course Benefit

With project management professionals attending this Microsoft Project course, organisations will benefit in the following ways:

• Trained professionals to manage and successfully complete projects using Microsoft Project
• Faster project completion because of automated processes
• Adequate training of other stakeholders on using Microsoft Project, at no additional cost
• High success rate of multiple projects running simultaneously
• Organisational growth because of the successful completion of multiple projects
• Better risk assessment and management
• Lesser chances of manual error because of minimal manual intervention
• Projects completed within budgets and timeline because of scheduling and budgeting managed through Microsoft Project
• Increased investments because of greater credibility as a result of more successful projects
• Increased knowledge, confidence and skill to manage projects using Microsoft Project

• Greater confidence and understanding to train other stakeholders and professionals on using Microsoft Project to plan and manage projects
• Increased knowledge and understanding to design and draw out a logical project plan
• Enhanced skill and capability to manage multiple projects at the same time
• Better stakeholder management
• Increased confidence, experience and skill to manage schedules and budgets using Microsoft Project
• Increased understanding and experience to track progress and check for probable delays, addressing these in time
• Enhanced skillset and intuitiveness to anticipate probable risks and address these to avoid any negative impact on the project

Who Should Attend

• Senior management of organisations who need to understand the benefits of using Microsoft Project for planning projects
• Project managers, coordinators and administrators who plan and drive multiple projects for their organisations
• Project officers who plan and set guidelines around project management and related processes of an organisation
• Other stakeholders involved at various stages in a project life cycle
• Any other professional who would be keen to know more about managing projects using Microsoft Project

Course Outline

Module 1 – Critical Project Management Functions

• Project planning
• Project tracking (completion, time and cost)
• Scheduling and time management
• Resource allocation
• Budgeting
• Communication and collaboration
• Documentation
• Risk management

Module 2 – Benefits of Project Management Software

• Collaboration on projects
• Internal and external communication
• Budget management
• Monitoring
• Document sharing
• Optimised decision making
• Enhanced customer satisfaction

Module 3 – Overview of Microsoft Project

• History
• Versions
• Difference from other software

Module 4 – Functions of Microsoft Project

• Develop plans
• Assign resources to tasks
• Track progress
• Manage budgets
• Analyse workload

Module 5 – Important Microsoft Project Features

• Planning and scheduling
• Project timeline view
• Collaboration
• Reporting
• Project portfolio management
• Resource management
• Multiple projects
• Different views
• Change management

Module 6 – Advantages of Microsoft Project

• Flexible and powerful
• Integration with other Microsoft tools
• Great for collaboration

Module 7 – Disadvantages of Microsoft Project

• Advanced features requiring training
• Powerful insights but unintuitive
• Basic reporting

Module 8 – Pre-requisite Skills for Using Microsoft Project

• Gantt charts
• Network diagrams
• Resourcing dashboards
• Cost management
• Critical path analysis
• Variance analysis
• Tracking and monitoring

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.