Introduction to Project Scheduling with Microsoft® Project®

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1-Day: Online or In-Person

8,500+ Professional Careers Supported

Training Overview

The Project Management Institute (PMI)® presents industry-standard techniques for project scheduling in the Project Schedule Management chapter of the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). Taught by experienced Project Managers – all PMP® certified – this course will introduce you to these techniques, enabling you to plan and manage any standalone project. These techniques will be illustrated using hands-on exercises with the Microsoft® Project® package. Our goal is to equip project managers with scheduling skills that they will be able to apply with the help of Microsoft® Project®. In other words, this will not be merely a guided tour of the software package.

Virtual Introduction to Project Scheduling with Microsoft® Project® Courses

There are currently no public dates available. However, this course is still available for private or group training. Contact us for more information.
400.00

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Learning Objectives

On completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Navigate the Microsoft® Project® software package comfortably
  • Set up initial, project-wide functions, such as project calendars and the project start date
  • Use the Work Breakdown Structure to format the overall schedule
  • Define tasks by breaking down Work Packages in the Work Breakdown Structure
  • Create basic tasks, summary tasks and milestones in a schedule
  • Establish relationships and dependencies between tasks
  • Estimate the resources and durations associated with basic tasks
  • Manage constraints on the schedule, using techniques like resource levelling
  • Represent the schedule using both Network Diagrams and Gantt Charts
  • Baseline the initial schedule
  • Track and report progress against the schedule

Skill Level

For beginners starting their tech journey, we offer the “Software Novice” course. This course introduces software application fundamentals and project management tools in a user-friendly and interactive way. It focuses on basic functionalities and practical exercises, boosting your confidence in navigating the digital landscape and preparing you for advanced courses.

Delivery

This is a 1-day VOD course, delivered through a virtual platform.

Inside a Introduction to Project Scheduling with Microsoft® Project® Course: What's Included?

Relevant Course Materials

Access to materials for the Introduction to Microsoft Project course.

Practice Questions

Access to our practice questions designed to enhance your understanding of Introduction to Microsoft Project.

Access to Educate 360 LMS

Access our learning management system for supplementary documentations recordings.

Course and Customer Support

Telephone and e-mail support up to and including the day of the exam.

Course Agenda

This comprehensive course aims to thoroughly educate participants on the principles of project schedule management, as defined by the PMI®. Attendees will engage in practical exercises using Microsoft® Project®, aiding in the understanding and application of these industry-standard scheduling techniques. Overall, the course will empower project managers to effectively plan and manage projects using cutting-edge scheduling methodologies and tools.

  • Introduction to Microsoft Project
    • Basic navigation – making sense of the screen layout and introducing the key views, i.e.: Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet
    • Initial set-up
      • Setting system values – e.g. auto scheduling and effort driven
      • Creating project calendars
      • Setting project start date
  • Scheduling steps
    • The five steps to building a project schedule
    • Manual and automatic scheduling
  • Defining activities
    • The Work Breakdown Structure
    • Work Packages
    • Decomposing the Work Packages to identify tasks
    • Basic tasks
    • Summary tasks
    • Milestones
  • Sequencing activities
    • Finish-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, Start-to-Start, Start-to-Start
    • Lags and Leads
  • Estimate activity resources
    • What are resources?
    • Assigning resources to tasks
    • Using the Resource Sheet
  • Balancing resources and time
    • Resource availability
    • Dealing with resource over-allocation (task inspector)
  • Estimate activity durations
    • Estimation types: Analogous, Parametric, Three-Point
    • Assigning task durations
  • Develop schedule
    • Critical Path Method
    • Identifying float (slack)
    • Network Diagram and Gantt Chart views
    • Resource levelling
  • Schedule compression
    • Highlighting the critical path
    • Compression techniques: crashing, fast-tracking
  • Setting a project baseline
    • Is the schedule ready? (checklist)
    • Baselining
  • Recording and tracking progress
    • Calendar and task sheet views
    • Entering actual durations
    • Comparing planned vs actual – variance table
    • Dealing with late tasks

Eligibility Requirements

To apply for this course, you need to be:

  • Proficient in both written and verbal English. In other words, if English is not your first language, you must have a minimum overall International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each band, or the equivalent Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score.
  • Reasonable numerate – i.e. understand basic arithmetic. Thus we require learners to have at least a Junior Certificate, or equivalent.
  • Computer literate. To access our learning management systems and virtual classroom-based courses, you need to be comfortable with basic information and communications technology. You are also expected to provide their own computer equipment to access our learning systems.

Why Study with Velopi?

Since our foundation in 2007, Velopi has carved a niche in the project management training space that is based firmly on close relationships with both companies and individuals. As our clients’ needs have evolved, so have our project management training courses. Today, we offer a comprehensive range of project management courses that are designed to meet the needs of any organisation or individual.

10k Careers Supported - 95% Exam Pass Rate
“Velopi helped us achieve our first objective – gaining a high-level overview and common understanding of project management across the Team. We found the learning particularly useful in examining the versatility of our product and methodologies to meet our customer needs.”

Aisling Creedon
Team Lead, Enterprise Customer Success, Teamwork

“The biggest impact that the Velopi course had on me was learning how the science and framework of project management can help in managing people as well as through interpersonal and direct communication- the penny really dropped about this for me during the course.”

Ann Heffernan
Tyndall

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FAQs

Everything you need to know about the course. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, chat with our team.

Velopi’s courses are aimed at adult learners. We value the life experiences of our students and encourage everyone attending to contribute and to apply their existing experience to new situations.

At the start of each course, students will be provided with their instructor’s e-mail address and contact phone number. They are invited to make contact if they have any questions after the class.

Each one of the “Club PDU” courses are stand-alone offerings.
Following a continuing professional development course, many students are inspired to take their project management development a step further and we encourage our students to discuss their career plans with us. We can recommend further formal training leading to more advanced qualifications.

All students will receive a Certificate of Completion. This certificate sends out a strong signal that you are serious about the project management profession and seek to develop further in this role.

All of our instructors are Project Management Professionals (PMPs)®. Each has over a decade of industry experience and uses this to provide plenty of real-world examples to bring the courses to life.

Project management is a transferable skill. Thus these courses are relevant to all industries from Medical Devices, through Pharmaceutical, Financial Services, Construction & Engineering, the Public Sector, to Information & Communications Technologies.

This is reflected in the nature of our case study exercises. Students quickly realize that the problems they have faced in the workplace are very similar to those outlined in class.

Students also meet project managers from other industries and networking with these brings home the universal nature of most project management issues.

Yes we do! Please contact us to discuss your requirements. Many of our courses can also be delivered, face-to-face, at your own facility.

This is very much an introductory course and, as such, is ideal for someone who is new to agile development.

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