Microsoft Project – optimising projects and schedules in terms of efficiency and resources

Training process

Training needs analysis

If you have specific requirements regarding the training programme, we will carry out a training needs analysis for you. This will guide us on which aspects of the programme should receive greater emphasis, so that the training programme meets your specific needs.

What will you gain?

Clear project structure - You will learn how to break a project into phases, stages and tasks so your schedule stays clear, easy to update and understandable for both the team and stakeholders.

Accurate task setup - You will learn how to define task types, durations, milestones and task links, helping you avoid planning mistakes early and build a schedule that works from the start.

Realistic schedules - You will master network schedules, Gantt charts and baseline plans, so you can create timelines that are realistic, manageable and easier to control during delivery.

Stronger dependency analysis - You will practice critical path analysis, float calculation and complex FS, SF, SS and FF links, so you can judge how changes will affect project timing with confidence.

Efficient calendar management - You will learn to configure project and resource calendars, connect tasks across calendars and control start and finish dates correctly in more complex project plans.

Better resource planning - You will learn how to assign people and material resources, analyze workload, overtime and costs, and respond to overallocations before they start delaying delivery.

Progress and cost control - You will learn how to track progress, report slippage, use earned value analysis and monitor costs, so you can make decisions based on current project performance data.

Multi-project coordination - You will see how to work with Project Server, templates and multi-project environments, making it easier to align schedules and organize shared resources across workstreams.

Training programme

1. Basic principles of scheduling in project management

2. Creating a work breakdown structure

phases,
stages,
tasks.

3. Introduction to defining and managing tasks in the project

types of tasks,
dependencies and constraints in dependencies between tasks.

4. Methods of creating and managing a project schedule

types,
principles of creation.

5. Project planning process

network schedules,
buffers,
critical path method,
network analysis,
milestone chart,
gantt chart,
baseline plan (schedule).

6. Setting up and managing project calendars

basic settings, transferring calendars between projects and exporting to other programs, linking tasks from different calendars, resource calendars, start and end dates.

7. Detailed management of project tasks

definition, duration and estimation, lead and lag,
different types of tasks – regular, recurring, milestones,
methods of task composition in the project,
task interdependencies, complex dependencies – FS, SF, SS and FF, problems with complicated dependencies,
types of constraints and their impact on the schedule (flexible, moderate), critical paths and their analysis,
external interdependence – linking tasks from different calendars.

8. Management of resources, both human and material, in order to effectively allocate them to tasks

types of resources,
assigning resources to tasks,
dependencies, sharing between projects,
workload and overtime, cost analysis and labor input,
analysis of resource overload and balancing,
over-budget tasks and resources.

9. Schedule optimization and resource allocation techniques

analyzing project and resource performance using Project Server and earned value analysis,
configuration and connection to the server, creating a project on the server,
tracking progress – progress lines, milestones, actual costs, slippages, progress reporting,
updates, management of multiple projects, templates.

10. Managing complex schedules in the case of multiple projects

What are the prerequisites for participating in the training?

Project management basics - You should understand what a project goal, task, deadline, milestone and resource are, so you can work comfortably with schedules and relationships between plan elements.

Basic computer skills - You should be comfortable using a computer and office software, because the training involves working with schedules, settings, views and project data updates.

Work planning ability - You should be able to break simple work into steps and sequence them, because the training expands this into task planning, dependencies, durations and milestones.

Project work exposure - You should have some exposure to projects or team-based work, so it is easier to relate resource planning, costs, overloads and progress tracking to your own practice.