Copyright 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 by David Hunsberger, Microsoft Certified Professional, MS Project (1995).

• Participants' Backgrounds, Needs, and Expectations
• What is a Project?
• Recurring Theme 1 - Simplicity, Transparency, and No Loss of Control
• Recurring Theme 2 - Effort versus Accuracy -- the Asymptotic Curve

• Using Windows Explorer
• File Name View Options

• Verifying the Version Number and the Application of Service Releases/Service Packs
• Help Facilities -- Too Much? -- How To Turn Off
• A Tour of the Screen - Names & Definitions
• Notice lateral scroll bars at the bottom of both sides of the screen
• Menu Bar, Tool Bars, Icons, and the View Bar. (P2010: Ribbons)
• Turning Off Personalized Menus
• Customizing Tool Bars (P2003-2007) and Ribbons (P2010)

• Selecting a Project Start Date
• Start Date versus End Date Scheduling
• Entering Tasks - Observe What Project Does
• Adding and Hiding Columns, and a Quick Discussion of Project's Data Base

• Duration Defined
• Elapsed Duration
• The Time Scale -- Various Ways to Manage It
• The Third Timescale Level

• Summary Tasks and Detail Tasks ("Parent" and "Child" Tasks)
• Properties of Summary Tasks
• Outline Levels
• The "Line Zero" Project Summary Task
• Viewing Outline Numbers
• WBS Numbers and Outline Numbers -- Differences
• Viewing Outline Levels - Preview of Filters

• Standard Links (FS) using the Link and Unlink Icons
• Selecting Adjoining Tasks with the Shift Key
• Selecting Non-Adjoining Tasks with the Control Key - The Order Matters!
• Linking Graphically - Slightly Dangerous
• Three Other Types of Links (SS, FF, and the bizarre SF)
• Entering Links in the Task Information Box and Other Forms
• Power Linking by Typing Directly into the Predecessors or Successors Columns
• Linking Summary Tasks -- Controversy and Confusion ("Hidden Hands")

• Lags: Positive, Negative, and Percentage
• Combining Lags with SS and FF Link Types
• Documenting the Reasons for Lags with Notes
• Small Negative Lags versus Large Negative Lags
• An Alternative to Lags

• Constraints Frequently Set in Error - By Typing or Pasting Dates
• Eight Types of Constraints - Most of These Should be Avoided
• When Constraints Conflict with Links - a Switch Determines Who Wins
• When are Date Constraints OK to Use?
• Documenting the Reasons for Constraints with Notes

• The Purpose of Milestones - When Are They Useful?
• Conflicting Definitions with Other Applications like MPM
• The Milestones Filter

• The Deadline Feature
• More About Notes - Capacity and the Ability to Insert Objects
• Adding Hyperlinks to Tasks, and How they Compare with Notes
• Recurring Tasks
• Splitting Tasks
• Moving Tasks Around in a Schedule - Methods and the Level Problem
• Moving Columns to New Positions
• To Autolink or Not To Autolink Inserted or Moved Tasks
• Saving Work with Autosave, and Version Control Issues
• The Language of Tasks: When Verbs, When Nouns
• How Logic Flows Through an Unconstrained Schedule
• How Detailed Should Schedules Be?

• Understanding The Critical Path
• Different Views that Show the Critical Path
• Adding the Critical Path to the Gantt View with a Wizard
• Microsoft's Critical Path Options in the Tool Box (Tools-Options-Calculation)
• The Impact of Date Constraints on the Critical Path
• The Impact of Task Progress on the Critical Path -- The Different Effects of FS and SS Links
• The Impact of Deadlines on the Critical Path -- A Departure from the Classic Definition of "Critical"
• Elapsed Durations, ALAP Tasks, and their Effect on Critical Path

• What Kind of Schedules Really "Need" Filters? -- Large Ones!
• Filters (1) - The "Show" Button is a Kind of Filter - Very Useful for Top-Down Analysis
• Filters (2) - Autofilters are a Second Kind of Filter - Quick and Easy, and They Can Be Combined
• Filters (3) - The Filter Box Lists All Standard and Custom Filters Available
• Creating and Saving Custom Filters - Very Powerful, Very Useful for Special Views
• What is a Highlight Filter?
• Linking a Filter with a View

• When Would Sorting be Useful
• Sorting (1) - The Quick Sort -- Several Choices in the Menu
• Problems and Limitations with the Quick Sort
• Sorting (2) - The Full Sort -- Managing the Two Check Boxes
• Restoring Original Line Order with the Sort by ID Option
• The "Grouping" Function

• Changing Field Names - 2 Ways
• The View-Specific Change Technique -- Double Click Column Header
• The Durable Change Technique -- Customizing the Field
• Limiting Entries into Optional Fields with Data Validation
• Adding a Formula to an Optional Field
• Adding "Stoplight" Graphics to an Optional Field
• Separate Customization Choices for Summary Tasks

• The Calendar View
• The Network Diagram View (Formerly Called "PERT" View)
• The Relationship Diagram View
• Splitting the Screen, and Managing the Two Split Halves
• The "Arrange All" Function -- For Managing Multiple Open Projects

• The Standard Reports
• Editing and Customizing Reports
• Using the Gantt View instead of Microsoft Project's Reports

• Adding a Text Box
• Adding Clip Art
• Adding Sound and Video Objects

• Wrapping Text to Handle Long Task Names
• What Columns Will Appear in Print -- a Big Problem Resolved
• Gantt Bar Appearances - the Bar Styles Dialogue Box
• Adding and Removing Text and Dates from Gantt Bars and Milestones
• Link Appearances -- Suppressing Links in Large Schedules
• The Scaling Option - Get More Space with the Percent Scaling Tool
• Building Headers with Variable Inserts
• Building Footers with Variable Inserts - a Suggested Standard
• Turning the Legend On and Off
• The Final Setup Tab: Showing Notes, Blank Pages, Etc.
• Last Look at Zooming - Where is the Print Date Range Dialogue Hidden?
• Extra Polish: Adding Logos to Headers for Special Presentations
• Formatting Options are Stored in Views

• Exporting Gantt Views to Word and PowerPoint with the Camera Icon
• Exporting with the PrintScreen Key and ALT-PrintScreen
• Exporting Data to Excel -- the Outline Level Problem
• Exporting Data to Access -- the Choice of Power Users

• Overview of the Organizer: the 2-Library Concept
• What Project Does When it Looks For a New View or Filter, etc.
• Where Modifications are Saved - the Local Library
• What the Global Library is (GLOBAL.MPT), and Why it is Useful
• Making Custom Filters, Views, etc. Available to Other Schedules on Your Computer
• Sharing Custom Filters, Views, etc. with Friends and Colleagues
• More about Views - What They Contain and What They Don't

• Entering and Naming Resources - Two Ways
• Maximum Availability -- What it Means
• Showing Availability as a Percentage or Decimal
• Human Resources, Fixed Cost Items, and Material Resources
• Resource Rates and Costs
• Adding Resource Notes

• Many Ways to Assign Resources
• Virtues of the Resource Assignment Icon and Box
• Adding a Resource at Less than its Maximum Availability
• Filtering on Resources
• Look at Project Total Cost as Resources are Added: The Statistics Box

• Whiteboard Lecture: The Project Triangle -- Relationships Among Scope, Resources, and Time
• Creating a Schedule for Each Task Type, With and Without "Effort Driven"
• Watch What Happens When the Second Resource is Added - Another Big Problem Clarified

• The "Usage" Views: Resource Usage and Task Usage
• Resource Editing and Contours
• The Concept of "Assignment"
• Assignment Information Options
• Five Cost Schedules

• Viewing Resource Workloads and Task Assignments
• The Resource Graph -- Note Peak Units Problem Versus Total Work
• Analyzing Resource Conflicts With Split Screen Views
• Whiteboard Notes: The Manager's Knowledge and Options
• Replacing a Resource

• Definition and Overview of Leveling
• Demonstration of Leveling with a Sample Schedule
• Look at "Leveling Delay" in the Detail Gantt View
• Leveling Options: Level Within Slack, and Other Options
• Task Priority and How it Changes Leveling
• Clearing Leveling - Doesn't Always Remove Splits
• Discussion: When Leveling Makes No Sense, and When it Might

• Using Calendars
• Creating a New Base Calendar
• Setting the Overall Project Calendar in Project-Project Information
• Assigning Resources to Different Base Calendars
• Customizing Resource Calendars
• Problem: A Day for You Isn't a Day for Me: The Options Tab Controls what a Day of Duration Means
• Problem: Assign Work to a Resource when the Resource Isn't Working (First with Fixed Duration, Then with Fixed Units)
• Assigning a Calendar to a Task
• Resource Availability Dates

• Definition and Use of a Baseline
• Saving a Baseline
• Saving Interim Plans
• Multiple Baselines -- Why? When These Are Useful
• Clearing a Baseline -- When and Why
• Comparing the Baseline to Actual Data - Available Views and Reports

• Overview of the Percentage Method
• Using the Percentage Icons
• Inserting the % Completion Column
• What is % Work Complete, and How Does it Differ from % Complete
• Physical % Complete, and How it Differs from % Complete and % Work Complete
• Summary Tasks Build Averages as Individual Tasks are Tracked
• Percentages Translate to Costs in the Statistics Box and in Reports
• Moving Up the Accuracy Curve -- Add the Actual Start, Actual Finish, and Actual Work Columns
• Still Greater Accuracy -- Track the Hours by Resource, and Remaining Hours, with the Split Screen

• Overview of the Actual Hours Method
• Working in the Resource Usage and Task Usage Views
• Why the Plan Changes to Equal the Actuals
• How the Plan Reschedules Undone Work -- Depends on Task Types
• Dangers of the Percentage Icons when Using the Actual Hours Method
• Conclusions about the Actual Hours Method

• The Background for Earned Value
• Cost Variance and Schedule Variance
• Performance Indexes
• The Earned Value Data Fields in MS Project
• Companion Tools for Earned Value such as MPM -- What Value Do They Add?
• Does Anyone Use Microsoft Project Alone for Earned Value?

• Adding Progress Lines to a Schedule
• Using the "Update Tasks" Dialogue Box
• Updating an Entire Project to a Status Date

• Partially Complete Tasks Preceding Other Partially Complete Tasks
• Tasks Won't Move Once Started
• Task Splitting to Reschedule Unfinished Portions

• Overview of Resource Pooling
• Setting Up a Resource Pool as a Separate Project File
• Linking into the Pool with Tools-Resources-Share Resources Dialogue Box
• The Same Dialogue Box as Seen from the Resource Pool File
• Split Screen Views in the Resource Pool -- Add the "Project" Column for Clarity

• Consolidating the Quick Way with "New Window"
• Observe the Simultaneity of the Consolidation and the Individual Project
• Consolidating by Inserting Projects
• The Outline Level Issue -- Can't Promote to the Top
• What Happens When a File is Moved or Renamed

• Building Links Across Project Boundaries
• Note the Information in the Predecessor and Successor Fields
• Revisiting the Individual Projects -- the Ghost Tasks and Line Numbers
• Regenerating Broken Links with the Multiple Project Dialogue Box

• Overview of the Basic Concepts of Microsoft Project Server - Benefits and Problems
• Overview of Project Web Access
• Review of the Enterprise Functions Available in Microsoft Project without Project Server

• The Trial Versions
• Upgrading to the Next Version -- Free Under Certain Circumstances

• Consulting Support for Class Participants
• Microsoft's Knowledge Base -- Bug Reports, Workarounds, and Helpful Hints

• Available Certification Programs for MS Project
• The Microsoft Project User Group Community - "MPUG"
• The PMI and the PMP Certification