Microsoft® Project 2016: Advanced

This course is tailored for experienced users of Microsoft Project, wanting to consolidate their grasp of planning and tracking, and to explore the advanced features of the software.

Description

This course is designed to familiarize you with the advanced features and functions of Microsoft Project Professional 2016 so that you can use it effectively and efficiently in a real-world environment. In the Microsoft® Project 2016: Introduction, students learnt the basic features of Microsoft® Project 2016 during the planning phase of a project. Microsoft® Project 2016: Advanced covers the advanced knowledge and skills a project manager needs to update a project plan in Project 2016 during the execution, monitoring, and controlling phases of a project. In other words, once your project plan is approved by the project sponsor, this course will enable you to manage the project so that it is completed on time, within budget, and according to scope.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, students will be able to:

  • Manage an existing Microsoft Project 2016 project plan
  • Update a project plan to reflect progress as you execute the project
  • Monitor project progress in the project plan
  • Adjust the project plan to control constraints
  • Create project reports to share a project’s status
  • Customize project settings and share customizations with other projects

Prerequisites

To ensure success in this course, students should have basic project management knowledge and skills. This can be accomplished by taking the following course; Project Management Foundation to Intermediate Level. Additionally, students should be able to create a new project plan, manage time in a project plan, manage tasks in a project plan, manage resources in a project plan, and share a project plan using Microsoft Office Project 2016. Additionally, students need to have the following knowledge:

  • Microsoft® Project 2016: Introduction
  • Have basic knowledge and skills for using any current Windows® operating system—preferably Windows 10 or
  • Microsoft® Windows® 10 Transition from Windows® 7

Who is this Training Course for?

This course is designed for students with an understanding of project management concepts who are responsible for creating and maintaining project plans. Target students will be looking to acquire the advanced knowledge and skills a project manager needs to update a project plan in Project 2016 during the execution, monitoring, and controlling phases of a project.

The Course Content

Part 1 - Project Scheduling 

1. Essential Elements of any Project 

  • Resources o Help Facilities 
  • 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 
  • Turning Off Personalized Menus 
  • Customizing a Tool Bar -- Adding Some Icons 
  • 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 
  • Milestones 
  • Tasks 
  • Project the slave, not the master 
  • Phases, linkages and time scales 
  • Costing 

2. Opening Microsoft Project and Customizing the User Interface 

3. Starting a New Project 

  • 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 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 
  • 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 Dates 
  • Eight Types of Constraints - Purposes of Each Type 
  • When Constraints Conflict with Links - a Switch Determines Who Wins 
  • What Types of Tasks are OK to Constrain 
  • Documenting the Reasons for Constraints with Notes 
  • The Purpose of Milestones - When Are They Useful? 
  • The 8/80 rule 
  • Conflicting Definitions with Other Applications like MPM 

4. Durations and the Time Scale 

5. Outlining a Construction Project 

6. Linking Tasks 

7. Adding Lags to Links for float 

8. Date Constraints 

9. Milestones – Construction deliverables 

  • The Deadline Feature and the Gantt Chart Wizard 
  • 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? 
  • Construction project baseline essentials 
  • Multiple baselines 
  • 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 
  • Filters (1) - The Short List in the Menu 
  • Filters (2) - The Long List in "More Filters" 
  • Filters (3) - The Power of Autofilters, Singly and in Combination 
  • Filters (4) - Total Control - Creating and Saving Custom Filters 
  • Applying a Highlight Filter 
  • Linking a Filter with a View, and the Permanent Highlight Filter Option 
  • 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 - a Kind of Group Sorting with Subtotaling 
  • 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 

10. Working with Project Tasks 

11. The Critical Path 

12. Filters 

13. Sorting and Grouping 

14. Customizing Fields

  • Adding "Stoplight" Graphics to an Optional Field 
  • Separate Customization Choices for Summary Tasks 
  • The Calendar View 
  • The Network Diagram View (Originally: "PERT" View) 
  • The Relationship Diagram View (Originally: "Task PERT" View) 
  • Splitting the Screen, and Managing the Two Split Halves 
  • The "Arrange All" Function -- For Managing Multiple Open Projects 
  • The Standard Reports 
  • Project 2016 Customized Reports 
  • S Curves and Earned Value Reports 
  • Resource Utilization Reports 
  • Burndown Reports 
  • Visual 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 
  • Adding an Excel chart, and making it synchronize with changing data 
  • 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 

15. Other Views and Display Options 

16. Reports 

17. Adding Graphics and Multimedia Objects to the Gantt Area 

18. Formatting for Printing 

  • 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 

19. Exporting Project Images and Data to Other Applications  

  • 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 
  • Best practices for the construction industry – using cost, material and work resources 
  • 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 
  • 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 
  • The "Usage" Views: Resource Usage and Task Usage 
  • New Totaling Options When Printing "Usage" 
  • Resource Editing and Contours 
  • 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 
  • Replacing a Resource

20. The Organizer 

 

Part 2 - Working with Resources 

21. The Resource Sheet 

22. Assigning Single Resources to Tasks 

23. Assigning Multiple Resources to Tasks 

24. Special Tools for Resource Assignment and Cost Estimating 

25. Managing Resource Workloads

  • 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 
  • How to adjust a resource calendar as opposed to the standard calendar 
  • Creating a New Base Calendar 
  • Setting the Overall Project Calendar in Project-Project Information 
  • Assigning Resources to Different Base Calendars 
  • Customizing Resource Calendars 
  • The Options Tab Controls and definitions of “day” 
  • 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 
  • Coping with a continuously shifting baseline – a hazard in the construction industry 
  • Saving a Baseline; Saving Interim Plans 
  • Multiple Baselines: Why and How to Use 
  • 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 

26. Resource Leveling 

27. Working with Calendars 

 

Part 3 - Tracking Progress 

28. The Baseline 

29. Tracking Progress with the Percent of Completion Method  

  • 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 earned value of a construction project - its importance for cash flow and reporting 
  • The Background for Earned Value 
  • Cost Variance and Schedule Variance 
  • Performance Indexes 
  • The Earned Value Data Fields in each version of Project - Continuous Improvement 
  • The Additional Earned Value Data 
  • How Microsoft Project Handles 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 
  • All construction projects can share from a single resource pool 
  • 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 
  • 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  

30. Tracking Actual Hours with the Usage Views 

31. Earned Value Concepts 

33. Progress Lines and Updating Tools 

34. Issues and Problems Arising With Tracking 

 

Part 4 - Working with Multiple Projects 

35. Resource Pooling 

36. Consolidating Projects

  • 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 

37. Links Among Projects in a Consolidation 

Similar courses

This programme is aimed at candidate who will be involved in the implementation, managing and leading of projects within different working environments. Participants will acquire an understanding of concepts of project management and will be able to plan and organise projects.

More Information

This course is aimed at professionals who have, or will soon have, responsibility for managing and manipulating data using MS Excel on a day to day basis.

More Information

This Project Management training course focuses on how to deliver comprehensive reliable plans with time and cost estimates that gives the owner or sponsor of projects, high levels of confidence for project delivery.

More Information

The Project Professional MBA is an intensive 10-day training course designed to sharpen your management skills focusing on current best practices in project management.

More Information

The training course also provides non-project professionals a unique and simplified approach of the basic project management skills as practiced by those manage projects worldwide. It provides them with a practical and effective guide to learn what project professionals and their teams are doing and to acquire the project management skills to be an active, value-adding participant to the project team.

More Information

Attending this course will help you reach advanced Excel levels allowing you to produce such important reports. The course starts with pivot tables, the most important tool ever created to perform data reporting, analysis and reconciliation.

More Information

This course provides technical professionals with the written communication skills to structure and write effective reports confidently, competently and persuasively.

More Information

This course will look at the definition, importance and uses of estimating, costing and pricing. We will cover the contextual framework, general principles and measurement when it comes to the process of tenders. Quantity estimating, client costing, tenderer pricing and contract completion also forms a major part of this specific topic and will be covered in detail

More Information

This essential training course is designed to present the basics of project management with a focus on understanding project management terms, project selection, planning, estimating, scheduling, and earned value management.

More Information

This course covers the critical knowledge and skills a project manager needs to create a project plan with Project 2016 during the planning phase of a project.

More Information

This Cost Saving Projects Practical course is designed for supervisors; managers and engineers. They are ultimately responsible and accountable for failure and deviation costs. They must investigate process errors including poor performance, low targets and other people issues. They need to identify; quantify; qualify and implement cost saving projects.

More Information

ICL’s online snippet is a short 1.5 hour webinar delivered by one of our subject matter experts.

More Information

The programme aims at equipping managers to protect employees, suppliers and customers by providing critical information in order to successfully manage COVID-19 within the work environment.

More Information

This online training seminar is designed to equip those involved in project work with the essential skills needed to fulfill their responsibilities in a professional way. The concepts, methods and techniques presented include both well established and latest thinking to provide the essential knowledge, skills, and toolkit to ensure more successful project outcomes.

More Information

In this online course, we aim to look at a number of advanced concepts in Project Management, Leadership and Risk Management that will enable you to deal with the ever-changing business context and ever moving project goal posts.

More Information

This ‘Leading Successful Change’ training course helps leaders develop the practical skills they need to bring about lasting change with minimum disruption to operations. It provides them with specific guidance and the opportunity to work with a host of practical tools for implementing and embedding change.

More Information

This training course explores the very foundations of how projects are different to the operational world, but an absolute necessity when it comes to changing the operational world. You will discover how the very best practice management techniques are used to take a project through a project lifecycle, from Inception, through Definition, Execution, Monitoring and Control to Closure.

More Information

The main purpose of the course is to give delegates a good understanding the power of Power BI to develop dashboards using large data sets.

More Information

The main purpose of the course is to give delegates a good understanding the power of Power BI to develop dashboards using large data sets.

More Information

This course provides the knowledge required to pass the Microsoft AZ-900 exam. This course is beneficial for those that will be using Microsoft Azure, whether they are administrators, developers, or database administrators.

More Information

The main purpose of the course is to give delegates a good understanding the power of Power BI to develop dashboards using large data sets.

More Information

Perform powerful data analysis with DAX for Power BI, SQL Server, and Excel

More Information

This Microsoft Word training course aims to provide new users with the essential skills needed to create, edit and print professional looking documents using text, tables, lists and pictures as well as covering simple mail merge

More Information

This Microsoft Word training course aims to provide users with the skills to work with larger documents efficiently, create standard documents for repeated use as well as covering advanced mail merge techniques.

More Information

This Microsoft Word training course aims to provide experienced users with the skills to work with document referencing features, longer document tools, tracking changes, document protection, diagrams and develop automation using fields and macros.

More Information

This course aims to provide new Excel users with a foundation knowledge of Excel’s core features such as formulas, formatting, navigation, printing and creating charts.

More Information

This course aims to provide more experienced users with proficient skills in Excel’s three major strands: formulas, list management and charts, as well as providing tips to assist efficiency.

More Information

This course aims to provide experienced Excel users with proficient skills in developing more complex formulas, list analysis using a variety of tools and creating simple macros as well as features and tips to assist efficiency.

More Information

The course guides you through the basic and advanced features of Excel to help you discover the gems hidden inside. From data analysis, to visualization, the course walks you through the steps required to become a superior data analyst.

More Information

This Microsoft Word training course aims to provide users with the skills to work with larger documents efficiently, create standard documents for repeated use as well as covering advanced mail merge techniques.

More Information

This short course will allow you to become productive by acquiring a basic understanding of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Outlook, for everyday professional use.

More Information

This Microsoft PowerPoint training course aims to provide new PowerPoint users with the essentials skills needed to create, edit and present professional looking presentations using text, tables, diagrams, charts and pictures as well as providing presentations tips.

More Information

This Microsoft PowerPoint training course aims to provide experienced PowerPoint users with the skills to work with PowerPoints more advanced features such as masters, creating templates and themes, and using media such as video and audio to expand your presentation as well as providing tips to assist efficiency.

More Information

This Advanced Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 training class is for PowerPoint 2016 users who want to build upon their basic skills. Students will use advanced techniques such as working with Masters and Special Effects within their presentations.

More Information

Essentials for Educators and Skills Development Facilitators

More Information

The course begins with the basic concepts and leads students through all the functions they’ll need to plan and manage a small to medium-size project, including how to level resources and capture both cost and schedule progress.

More Information

Extract, transform, and analyse data with business intelligence software frequently seen as the next step after Excel.

More Information

Extract, transform, and analyse data with business intelligence software frequently seen as the next step after Excel.

More Information

Win tenders based on clear winning strategies and a legal understanding of the process.

More Information

Shaping the Future of Water Management

More Information

This course builds upon the foundational knowledge gained in the Introduction to SharePoint Online course.

More Information