Microsoft Project 2010 is a program intended to help project managers design and successfully complete projects. The 2010 version of the program is an update of existing versions, which stretch back to 1984. The software in its modern form traces its lineage through 8 previous releases, beginning in the early 1990s and culminating with the 2010 version.
Added functionality in the 2010 version includes the ability for multiple, independently run projects to share access to resources listed within the database. The user was given more control over scheduling functions, and the Inactive Tasks function allowed users to develop dummy tasks – essentially to create a “what if” scenario in which to test future projects or run simulations of potential problems.
A newcomer to the program will require enrollment in a beginner’s Microsoft Project 2010 training course. Typically, the beginner’s course aims to finish with every delegate possessed of the ability to create simple projects using the 2010 version of the software.
Within the beginner’s framework, the following course attributes might be found:
The user may be taught the basics of project genesis and management theory, as well as the way these theoretical elements combine in the program. This allows the user to understand why the software has been written – and that, by extension, allows the user to interact with the software in ways that will directly enable his or her specific project goals.
The user may also be taught popular terms within basic business project creation – these terms, of course, being utilised freely by the software itself. For a beginner, who may be embarking on his or her first project creation, knowledge of terms and theory can be seen to be as important as knowing which button to press to get what outcome.
Basic elements of the program that will commonly enter a Microsoft Project 2010 training course environment may include creating and assigning tasks; entering task durations; adjusting tasks; outlining tasks; viewing and changing the critical path; creating calendars both for projects and for individual team members; entering cost definitions including both standard and overtime rates; creating resource tables to keep an eye on the rates and costs associated with each resource; and contouring the work assignment.
Intermediate level Microsoft Project 2010 training courses may cover the use of filters and autofilters (which are deployed to sort and group information); the creation and interpretation of baselines and interim plans; tracking progress, including the ability to view slippage and apply progress lines; and the viewing and interpretation of data.
Delegates to intermediate courses may also be taught how to create usage sheets and graphs for interrogating how well resources are being allocated and used within a project. They may learn about presenting graphics and hyperlinking one file to anther so reports and data presentations work in the most intuitive fashion possible.
Ultimately, the success of any project in representational terms (that is, how the project is shown to, and successfully interpreted by, its owners) is dependent on the ability to efficiently explain data. Microsoft Project is intended to make this process work.
About Author:Marko Jergic is the founder and Managing Director of Enliten IT, software training and a consulting company that provides organisations of all sizes with tailored training solutions on Microsoft and Adobe technologies. He loves writing articles related to Microsoft Project 2010 training .
