Overview and objectives

After completing this one-day course, students will know how to:

• Use the Project Guide to create project plans; save a baseline and an interim plan; update percentage of tasks completed, actual start date, actual work, and actual costs for a resource; use the Earned Value table to monitor the actual and estimated costs of tasks; and view task progress in Gantt Chart view and Network Diagram view.
• Analyze the project by viewing the project status, critical path, and slack in the schedule and by performing a PERT analysis, reschedule the project by splitting tasks, and adjust resource schedules by delaying resource work and assigning overtime.
• Format a project file by modifying bar styles and timescale, use the Drawing toolbar to enhance the Gantt Chart information, print views and reports, and create a custom report and a Crosstab report.
• Consolidate project files, link tasks across projects, assign task priorities, share and copy project elements and share resources across projects.
• Import and export data from and to a Microsoft Excel worksheet and a Microsoft Access database, and copy and paste project information to a Microsoft Word document and a Microsoft Excel worksheet.
• Create a custom Network Diagram view and a combination view, create and run macros to automate tasks, create a new toolbar and a new menu, and create a custom table by using the More Tables dialog box.

Target Audience

Students should know the basics of Microsoft Project 2003 and project management techniques. Students will get most out of this course if their goal is to use Microsoft Project 2003 as a tool to become proficient managers and to create efficient and cost-effective projects for their organizations

Course Content

Tracking project work

• Managing a project
• Saving a baseline plan
• Updating the progress of tasks
• Updating the percent complete of a task
• Updating actual start and finish dates
• Updating tasks that are in progress
• Updating the actual work performed on a task
• Saving an interim plan
• Observing project progress
• Displaying the Earned Value table
• Viewing progress in Network Diagram view

Analyzing and adjusting the plan

• Analyzing the plan
• Viewing project statistics
• Displaying slippage and slack in a plan
• Rescheduling tasks
• Splitting a task
• Delaying resource work
• Assigning overtime

Formatting and reporting

• Formatting a project file
• Modifying a bar style
• Formatting a timescale
• Using drawing tools
• Using the Drawing toolbar
• Printing views and reports
• Printing the current view as a report
• Printing a report
• Customizing reports
• Creating a custom report
• Creating a Crosstab report

Customizing the project environment

• Creating custom views
• Creating a custom Network Diagram view
• Creating a combination view
• Creating macros
• Creating a macro
• Running a macro
• Creating a toolbar and a menu
• Creating a toolbar
• Deleting a toolbar
• Creating a new menu
• Deleting a menu
• Creating a custom table
• Creating a custom table

Managing multiple projects

• Consolidating and sharing projects
• Consolidating project files
• Linking tasks across projects
• Assigning project and task priorities
• Making an existing filter global
• Sharing a filter between projects
• Sharing resources across projects
• Sharing resources from another project

Project communications

• Communicating among a project team
• Discussing Microsoft Project Server 2003
• Sending task assignment requests
• Sending status requests
• Sending schedule notes
• Exporting project data to the Web
• Saving the project file as a Web page
• Viewing the project file as a Web page
• Working with hyperlinks
• Adding a hyperlink
• Saving projects to Microsoft Project 98
• Saving a project file to Microsoft Project 98
• Identifying lost elements

Exchanging project data

• Importing data
• Importing data from a Microsoft Excel workbook
• Importing data from a Microsoft Access database
• Exporting data
• Exporting data to a Microsoft Excel workbook
• Exporting data to a Microsoft Access database
• Copying data