Course Overview

The Project Essentials course is aimed at those who want to set up or update a project schedule with tasks and resources, set a baseline and record actuals, and understand scheduling concepts such as work effort, contouring and levelling.

Detailed Course Content (2 days)

Create a new Project file

  • Create a Project file from the Start menu
  • Create a Project file from the Start screen
  • Create a new file from Project

Save a Project file

  • Save a new, previously unsaved Project file
  • Save (update) previously saved project file
  • Save your project file in a PDF format
  • Save a copy of your project
  • Save your new project file to the Desktop

Close & open existing Project files

  • Close a project
  • Find and open existing Project file
  • Open recent project

Customise Quick Access Toolbar

  • Move the Quick Access Toolbar
  • Add common buttons to QAT
  • Add other buttons to QAT

Work with Project views

  • Display a full list of Project Views
  • Change Project view from the View Bar
  • Use a combination view

Work with Tables

  • Display a full list of Tables
  • Change the Table
  • View current view / table selection

Set up your Project file

  • Review start and finish times
  • Advanced Properties
  • Set Hours and Days information
  • Scheduling options

Modify the standard Project calendar

  • Set standard working days and times
  • Set standard non-working days and times
  • Adding exceptions to the standard calendar

Add a new calendar

  • Customise the standard calendar
  • Create a new base calendar

Enter tasks into Project

  • Enter a list of individual tasks
  • Insert summary tasks
  • Change a task to a summary task
  • Change a task to a subtask
  • Insert milestones

Enter task durations

  • Set default duration units
  • Enter a task duration

Constraints and Deadlines

  • Add a Must Finish On constraint
  • Add Start No Earlier Than constraint
  • Add a deadline
  • View deadline on Gantt chart

Enter predecessors

  • Enter predecessors
  • Select predecessors
  • Link tasks

Inactivating a Task

  • Delete vs inactivate
  • Mark a task as inactive
  • Mark a task as active

Lag time

  • Enter lag time in working time
  • Enter lag time in actual time
  • Enter lag time as % of predecessor

Lead time

  • Enter lead time in working time
  • Enter lead time in actual time
  • Enter lead time as % of predecessor

Enter work resources

  • Open the resource sheet
  • Enter a work resource
  • Change the number of resources available
  • Change the resource calendar

Enter material resources

  • Enter a resource
  • Change the resource type
  • Enter the material unit of measure

Enter cost resources

  • Enter a resource
  • Change the resource type

Assign resources

  • Assign a work resource
  • Assign a material resource
  • Assign a cost resource

Enter costs

  • Add resource costs
  • Add task costs
  • Add planned fixed costs

Schedule a Project

  • Set the project start date
  • Enter task dependencies
  • Auto schedule the project

Work Effort

  • Duration vs work
  • Effort driven vs non-effort driven
  • Task types
  • Set default task type

Viewing Work Information

  • Task form view
  • Task usage view
  • Resource usage view
  • View work contouring type

Work contouring

  • Set task as Back Loaded
  • Set task as Front Loaded
  • Set task as Bell
  • Manually contour a task

Viewing Over Allocations

  • View in resource usage view
  • View in team planner view
  • View in over allocation report

Manual Resource Leveling

  • Increase duration of task
  • Increase number of resources
  • Add other resources
  • Allocate overtime
  • Extend work days

Resource Leveling Tools

  • Level the project
  • Level selected tasks
  • Level a resource
  • Leveling options
  • Clear Leveling

Create a Baseline

  • Create a baseline
  • View baseline information in the Project information window
  • View baseline information in the task sheet view
  • Add baseline information to the Gantt chart

Enter actual information

  • Mark tasks on track
  • Mark tasks as % complete from the task tab
  • Enter actual information from the ‘Tracking’ table

Using the Timescale

  • Select time periods
  • Use the zoom slider
  • Modify tiers
  • Format non-working time

Print from Project

  • Preview print of your current view
  • Select timeframe to print
  • Change orientation
  • Change paper size
  • Change page margins
  • Show legend on one page only

Printable course information
Microsoft Project Essentials Course Calendar View Calendar

Pre-requisites

  • Basic computer experience, including keyboard and mouse skills
  • Familiarity with Microsoft Windows

If you are not familiar with using a computer or Microsoft Windows, the course Introduction to computers, will give you the skills to take this Excel course.