• Establish a rigorous understanding of Dynamic Scheduling and the MS Project calculation engine.
• Master Resource Optimization, including shared resource pools and leveling.
• Develop skills in Tracking and Variance Analysis to maintain project health.
• Enable the creation of Visual Dashboards and custom reports for stakeholders.
• Integrate MS Project with the wider Microsoft 365 ecosystem (Excel, Power BI, and Planner).

Upon completion, learners will be able to:

1. Build fully dynamic project schedules that automatically recalculate based on logic changes.
2. Resolve resource overallocations using automated and manual leveling techniques.
3. Manage multiple interrelated projects using Master Projects and Sub-projects.
4. Execute Earned Value Management (EVM) tracking directly within the software.
5. Design custom macros and specialized views to streamline project administration.

Module 1: The Scheduling Engine & Task Logic

• Manual vs. Auto Scheduling: Why Auto is the industry standard.
• Task relationships and Dependency Types (FS, SS, FF, SF).
• Understanding the “Scheduling Triangle”: Work, Duration, and Units.
• Identifying the Critical Path and managing Slack (Float).

Module 2: Resource Management & Costing

• Resource types: Work, Material, and Cost resources.
• Creating and managing the Resource Sheet.
• Advanced Resource Assignments: Task Usage and Resource Usage views.
• Resource Leveling: Using the “Leveling Gantt” to fix overallocations.

Module 3: Baselines & Progress Tracking

• Saving and managing multiple Baselines (up to 11).
• Entering actuals: % Complete vs. Actual Work vs. Remaining Work.
• Using the “Tracking Gantt” to visualize variances.
• Rescheduling uncompleted work and status dates.

Module 4: Enterprise Project Management (EPM)

• Linking tasks across different project files (External Predecessors).
• Consolidating projects into a Master Project.
• Creating a Shared Resource Pool across multiple schedules.
• Integration with Microsoft Project Online and Project for the Web.

Module 5: Customization, Reporting & Macros

• Creating Custom Fields, Formulas, and Graphical Indicators (RAG status).
• Using the “Report” tab to build interactive dashboards.
• Visual Reports: Exporting data to Excel and Visio pivot tables.
• Introduction to basic VBA (Macros) for automating repetitive tasks.

Project