Education Course Descriptions
Basic and Advanced Project Management Theory
The correct answer in project management is always “it depends”; successful project managers are able to figure out what it depends on and make optimal decisions accordingly. While the Project Management Institute’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge focuses on the processes project managers must understand and use, this course emphasizes the questions that must be answered and the decisions that must be made at each stage of a project. This approach is consistent with the PMBOK approach, but clarifies the project manager’s role in project management. This course is customized for each client and can include project examples from your industry or company and your organization’s specific methodology, if desired. Course length can range from one to three days or more, depending on the level of detail and amount of advanced content desired. A student workbook is included.
Critical Path and Critical Chain Approaches to Project Management
Project management has been adopted by many organizations as the preferred methodology for sequential or non-routine business operations. This has led to increased interest in alternate ways to use the basic theory of project management as outlined in PMI’s PMBOK. Two of the most discussed are the traditional Critical Path and the newer Critical Chain project management approaches. This course outlines the historical and theoretical background of each approach, the similarities and differences of each, and the use of tools such as Microsoft Project to support each. Perhaps most important, the course discusses the implications of each approach for higher management and describes the executive support needed for successful use of each. The typical course length is one day, but this can be customized or extended as needed for each client. A student workbook is included.
Introduction to Microsoft Office Project 2007
This course covers the use of Microsoft Office Project 2007 throughout the life cycle of a project. Planning, tracking, and reporting are emphasized, starting with the use of Microsoft Office Project 2007 Professional to prepare a project plan suitable for publishing to Project Server 2007, where it can be used in enterprise project management. Interaction with Project Server and the use of the communication tool Project Web Access are covered, as well. The three-day course includes everything the project manager needs to know to be able to use the latest version of Microsoft Project. A student workbook and exercise CD is included to support the hands-on nature of the class, which requires a computer with Microsoft Office Project 2007 loaded and a network connection to Project Server 2007 for each class participant.
Advanced Microsoft Office Project 2007
Organizations with large numbers of project managers or interested in using customized features of Microsoft Office Project 2007 will want a cadre of power users available to answer questions and manage those custom features. This course covers advanced topics in task and resource planning and tracking, as well as use of custom features in Project and the Windows SharePoint Services component of Project Server. A half-day workshop is usually included as part of the two-day course, suitable for questions and the design of custom tools. A student workbook and exercise CD is included. As with the Basic course, this is a hands-on session, requiring a computer with Microsoft Office Project 2007 loaded and a network connection to Project Server 2007 for each participant.
Project Web Access for Team Members
Subject matter experts working on a project [also known as team members] can use the browser-based tool Microsoft Project Web Access 2007 to receive task assignments and report progress without having Microsoft Project. Project Web Access also provides a virtual war room for geographically dispersed teams, as well as tools for issues management, risk planning and management, and deliverables tracking. This course covers the use of the communication tools in Project Web Access, and can usually be delivered in a half day. A student workbook is included.
Project Web Access for Stakeholders
Microsoft Office Project 2007 and its related tools are intended to support enterprise project management, best defined as a situation where each employee receives the information needed to be able to do his or her job effectively. Project plans are created by project managers using Microsoft Project and the data exported to Project Server, where it can be aggregated and analyzed by those with an interest in multiple projects. These project stakeholders can use the browser-based tool Microsoft Project Web Access 2007 to analyze project data and generate reports to support management decisions. Web Access 2007 also allows users to develop high-level project plans and proposals complete with resource plans and to prepare top-down project budgets – all without the use of Microsoft Project itself. This course summarizes the executive tools contained in Project Web Access, and can usually be delivered in two to four hours. A participant job aid is included.
Microsoft Office Project Server for Administrators
Microsoft Office Project 2007 can only support enterprise project management if knowledgeable administrators handle the Project Server-based components effectively. This course covers the duties of the Project Server 2007 administrator and provides instruction in performing the required functions. These functions include developing and maintaining the enterprise resource pool and generating custom fields, tables, and views to support management reporting and the data analysis features used by executives. The administrator is also responsible for developing and maintaining role-based security for users of the system and modifying the SharePoint features as needed to support the organization’s project methodology. This training is usually delivered by Project Assistants’ technical staff as part of the installation and set-up process for Microsoft Office Project Server 2007. The material is presented in a coaching and mentoring format during installation, and can also be made available separately as an instructor-led one-day course. An administrator’s guidebook is included.
