What prior knowledge do you need for the MS Project Basics course?

For the MS Project Basics course you don't need any prior knowledge of MS Project. It is helpful, though, if you have basic experience with Windows and with working on projects. You don't need to have worked with planning software before. The course starts from the basics and builds up step by step, so that you can plan and manage projects independently in MS Project.

Who is the MS Project Basics course suitable for?

The MS Project Basics course is suitable for anyone who plans or manages projects with Microsoft Project. Think of project managers, project leaders, project planners, project administration staff and project controllers. Even if you are just starting out in a project role and want to professionalise your project planning, this classroom course fits in well with your day-to-day work.

Which topics do you cover in the MS Project Basics course?

In the MS Project Basics course you learn to plan and manage projects in Microsoft Project. You work with calendars, timelines, entering tasks, dependencies, assigning resources and resolving over-allocation. You also learn to set deadlines, record a baseline, update progress and produce reports for those involved in the project. Afterwards you apply these skills directly in your own project administration.

Do you receive a certificate after the MS Project Basics course?

Yes, on completion of the MS Project Basics course you receive a certificate of attendance from Learnit. This certificate confirms that you have followed the course and have mastered the basic skills for project planning and project management in MS Project. The course is taught in a classroom setting in a small group, led by an experienced trainer.

Can you also take the MS Project Basics course in-company?

Yes, the MS Project Basics course can also be taken as an in-company course. You decide the location, date and group composition yourself, and the content can be tailored to the projects and planning issues within your organisation. The classroom course lasts 2 days and is delivered by an experienced trainer in a small group, so there is room for your own practical examples.

Is MS Project still the standard for project planning, or is it better to start straight away with a modern tool such as Asana or Monday?

MS Project is still the standard within organisations that work with complex schedules, dependencies between tasks, resource management and baselines. Tools such as Asana, Monday or Trello are stronger for light team coordination and kanban work, but lack functionality for detailed Gantt schedules, critical path analysis and over-allocation warnings. Do you work in an environment with multiple projects, fixed resources and formal progress reporting? Then MS Project is usually the logical choice. For agile teams with short iterations and few dependencies, a lighter tool is often sufficient. In the MS Project Basics course (classroom) you learn how to set up tasks, dependencies, resources and baselines. That is precisely the functionality for which people still prefer MS Project over lighter alternatives.

When should you choose a classroom-based MS Project Basics course instead of a YouTube tutorial or self-study?

A YouTube tutorial works perfectly well if you want to look up one individual function, for example how to adjust a Gantt chart. For building a complete working method it falls short. In the classroom-based MS Project Basics course you work through the entire project cycle in a small group: calendars, tasks, dependencies, assigning resources, resolving over-allocation, setting a baseline and updating progress. An experienced trainer looks at your file with you and corrects you immediately where you get stuck. You may bring along your own practical examples, something a tutorial does not offer. Choose the classroom format if you are going to use MS Project on a structural basis and want to avoid building a plan that runs into problems later. Choose self-study if occasionally looking at someone else's plan is enough.

Can you use MS Project to plan both waterfall and agile projects, or is it really a waterfall tool?

MS Project supports both approaches. It was originally designed for waterfall planning with Gantt charts, dependencies between tasks and critical path calculation. In the current versions you can also work in an agile way: Kanban-style task boards, sprint planning and backlog management are built in as standard. The MS Project Basics course focuses on the classic planning techniques: entering tasks, creating dependencies, assigning resources, setting a baseline and monitoring progress. You need that foundation whatever methodology you use. For purely agile teams, tools such as Jira or Azure DevOps are generally more common. If you work in a hybrid way. With an overall project schedule at programme level and agile teams underneath. Then MS Project really comes into its own. The classroom course.

What is the difference between MS Project and Excel for project planning, and when is it worth switching?

Excel works perfectly well for small projects with a handful of tasks and a single planner. MS Project is built for project management and does things you would have to build yourself in Excel: automatically recalculating dependencies between tasks, assigning resources and flagging over-allocation, setting a baseline and comparing progress against that original plan, and critical path calculation. Switching usually pays off from around 30-50 tasks, multiple resources, or as soon as you have to report progress to clients on a structural basis. In Learnit's MS Project Basics course (classroom-based) you learn exactly these steps: setting up a plan, assigning resources, setting a baseline and updating progress. If you continue to work with single task lists, MS Project adds little over Excel.

How quickly after the MS Project Basics course can you actually set up a complete project schedule at work?

Straight after the course you will be able to set up a project plan in MS Project on your own. You will have practised entering tasks, adding dependencies, assigning resources and setting a baseline. For a simple project (up to around 50 tasks), setting this up will usually take half a day to a full working day. For more complex projects with multiple resources and over-allocation, you will need more time to fine-tune the plan. What you will not yet master after the basics: advanced reporting, multi-project planning and custom fields. These are covered in the follow-up course. Tip: bring one of your own projects along to the course, and you will leave on day two with a working plan.

What is the difference between a project planner and a project manager, and which role does this MS Project Basics course best prepare you for?

A project manager holds ultimate responsibility for the project result: scope, budget, team and stakeholders. A project planner supports that role by setting up the schedule, allocating resources, monitoring progress and producing reports. The MS Project Basics course is aimed more at the planner side: you learn to enter tasks, create dependencies, assign resources, resolve over-allocation, set a baseline and update progress. That is useful for a project manager too, but you will not learn stakeholder management, risk analysis or methods such as PRINCE2 or Scrum here. If you work as a project coordinator, project administrator or project administration officer, this course covers almost all of your day-to-day tasks. If you are a project manager, it is best to combine MS Project Basics with a separate course in project management methodology.

What does the MS Project Basics course cost and how long does it take?

You will find the current price at the top right of this course page, together with the schedule, location and delivery format. For in-company or bespoke courses we are happy to provide a quotation on request.

MS Project Basics course

Name: MS Project Basics
Price: 1050.0 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 8.2 (10 reviews)

Do you want to plan projects faster and manage them more tightly? The MS Project Basics course gives you a grip on schedules, resources and progress. You work in a small group with an experienced trainer and put your new knowledge to use at work straight away.

Description

In the MS Project Basics course you get to work with Microsoft Project, the tool with which you set up and manage clear project plans. Step by step, you learn how to create a project, enter tasks and create dependencies between those tasks. You also work with calendars, timelines and resources, so that you deploy the available people and resources efficiently.

Besides setting up a plan, considerable attention is given to project management. You discover how to set a baseline, spot and resolve over-allocation of resources, and set deadlines and task constraints. Updating progress, working with progress lines and rescheduling uncompleted work are also covered. Finally, you learn how to create clear reports for the various project stakeholders.

The course is practice-oriented and takes place in a small group led by an experienced trainer. You can bring your own practical examples, so you can apply what you learn directly to your own projects.

Topics

The following topics are covered during this MS Project Basics course:

Project planning:

Working with calendars
Setting up timelines
Entering and structuring tasks
Creating dependencies between tasks
Entering resources and assigning them to tasks

Project management:

Adjusting resource calendars
Identifying and resolving over-allocation
Setting deadlines and task constraints
Recording the schedule in a baseline
Updating the status date and progress
Working with progress lines
Rescheduling uncompleted work
Creating reports for project stakeholders

Result

After the MS Project Basics course:

You know what MS Project has to offer and how to apply it in your own work, you understand how project planning works in MS Project, you know how to manage and adjust a project in MS Project, you have mastered the basics of project administration in MS Project, you can put your new skills to use straight away in your daily work, and you improve your chances of a role as project planner, project coordinator or project administrator.

Target audience

The MS Project Basics course is intended for anyone who wants to make planning and managing projects easier with Microsoft Project. Think of project managers, project leaders, project planners, project administration staff, project controllers and other project professionals.

Teaching method

You follow this course in a small group under the guidance of an experienced trainer. At the start, the trainer discusses your starting level and what you want to get out of the course, so that the material matches your situation.

During the course, short explanations alternate with plenty of practical exercises in MS Project. That way you immediately turn what you have learned into skills you can use in your own work.

Are you already working with MS Project and running into specific issues? Then bring your own practical examples along to the course. That makes the course even more hands-on.

Prior knowledge

No specific prior knowledge is required for this course. Do you work with Windows now and then and have some idea of what a project schedule is? Then you can join without any problem. Experience with MS Project is not required.

In-company

Would you like to organise this training for a whole group or several groups? This can be cost-effective. For example, we can tailor the content entirely to your organisation, and training a whole group is also cheaper.

Are you looking at large numbers of participants or a complete academy? That involves a great deal. Consider planning and communication, for example, or identifying and agreeing the objectives and content of the training. Or differences in level, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding. Fortunately, Learnit has extensive experience in this field (more than 25 years) and we are happy to help you through this process.

Request a quote

Language

The training is given in Dutch as standard. The trainer has a good command of English. English-language course material can be used. With a minimum enrolment of 3 participants, the training can also be given entirely in English.

Practical Information

Number of days:

2 days

Course times:

from 10 am to 5 pm

Study load:

14 hours

Education level:

This training is suitable for all levels.

Exemptions:

Exemptions do not apply to this course.

Preparation time:

No preparation time applies to this course.

Certificate:

At the end of the course, a certificate is issued as proof of participation.

The best training for you

At Learnit you will always find a course that takes you further. From (technical) IT skills to communication or personal leadership. You can also choose the training format that suits you best: a classroom course, a tailor-made course at your own office, an online course or an e-learning. We have the right course and the right format for everyone. Because learning in the way that suits you best delivers the best results.

Moving forward together

Taking a training course at Learnit means learning together. Together with your experienced trainer, together with your course group or together with your colleagues. And whether you take the training at home, at your office or at one of our training locations, we are always available to help you. To share our knowledge with you in a way that is genuinely useful to you. Getting further together through personal attention and understanding each other well; that is what we believe in.

Apply it directly in your work

Learning theory from a book that you can then hardly use in your work? Not at Learnit! Whichever training you take with us, you can put it to use at your workplace straight away. Because of the unique learning objectives you set together with the trainer at the start of the training. Because of the alternation between theory and (interactive) practical assignments. And by bringing the challenges you face in your daily work along to the training.

First guaranteed start dates

2 days