However MS Project training courses teaches students how the use the software and not how to plan projects. Slapping in arbitrary and unrealistic schedules simple makes Project an effective way to track the company's downfall.
Let's start with the basics: proper task definition. All projects break down to individual tasks assigned to individual people and if the tasks are not well characterized the plan is doomed to fail.
Think In Hours Not In Weeks One of the most common mistakes new project planners make is to define the tasks far too broadly. If the plan has a task such as "Write documentation - 2 months" then there is no way that task will be completed on time.
When a planner creates such a large task then no thought has been given to the individual steps the task comprises and that means that several steps are inevitably going to get left out. This leads to additional work as forgotten elements are retro-fitted into a finished or nearly finished product.
Large tasks are also difficult to track. When the documentation task inevitably runs late, the manager will likely have no idea what the problem is, what can be done to speed things up, or when the real finish date is going to be.
Instead, each task must be broken down into small steps measured in hours - no more than 16 hours or two business days each.
This forces the planner to think about what is really involved in something like writing documentation. Not only the writing but the research, formatting, creation of diagrams, indexing, proofreading, and a host of other features are now laid out allowing a more realistic estimate of how long the project will really take.
The Worker, Not The Manager, Estimates Task Completion When managers impose arbitrary task deadlines on their staff, the project plan might as well be run through the shredder. Employees are the best judge of what they are capable of doing. A manager might think drawing up the widget design plans takes only 4 hours; the actual designer knows that 4 hours of drawing means another 2 of editing and changes and 1 of other ancillary activities so the project will really take 7 hours.
If a project is going to take 7 hours then scheduling 4 leads to missed deadlines, unhappy employees, and cranky project managers.
MS Project Training Is Only The First Step It is a long journey to become truly proficient with MS Project. Training is a big help but no substitute for experience and appropriate project management techniques. When combined with common sense it becomes a powerful tool for any business.
Are you a first time buyer looking to take those first tentative steps towards becoming a home owner? Perhaps you are looking to upgrade to a home with an extra bedroom? Or maybe you are looking to move into property developing and oversee the building of your property from start to finish? Regardless of the category you fall in to, it is fair to say that purchasing a house is the biggest financial commitment that most of us will make in our lifetime.
Additionally, it is a process that is commonly associated with much drama and stress. With so many things to organise, it would seem sensible to utilise the tools of modern technology to ease the burden. One available option is to use Microsoft Project to streamline the process. Truly understanding a piece of software does not only require a knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the system but also an idea of how and when to use certain features. Let us consider how MS Project can aid the process of buying or building a house.
Creating a Project Schedule When approaching any task, it is useful to create a list of all activities that need to be completed and assign a deadline to each. MS Project allows you to create a Gantt chart and thereby schedule each activity and see how things are progressing.
For example, if you are planning to move house what should be done in the final few weeks? You need to consider how financial and legal matters are progressing. It is important to notify certain individuals of your change of address and disconnect services from what will become your previous residence.
Arrangements need to be made for packing and with the removal firm you may be using. The list goes on. Fortunately, MS Project templates have been designed to aid you in planning all the steps in your move; saving you both time and effort.
Budget MS Project can also help you to keep track of costs and expenditures. Even before starting to consider building a new house for example, you need to mull over all costs involved and whether or not you may need to consider cheaper alternatives.
MS Project assists in you budgeting by allowing you to compare actual costs against your original budget. Resource rates, fixed costs and per-se costs are the basic cost types used in this software. Furthermore, it is possible to track the progress of your build and generate an actual figure for the percentage of tasks completed.
MS Project training can enable you to unlock the power of this software and use it to your advantage. If you decide to project manage what is a notoriously stressful process, you can save yourself time and effort and have yourself installed in your new abode in a calm and organised manner!
Rich Talbot has sinced written about articles on various topics from Software, Data Recovery and Software. Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on , please visit. Rich Talbot's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.