John PotterPlymouth Business SchoolUniversity of PlymouthProject Management

Many packages availableGood packages contain Gantt Chart plotting facility and PERT network capabilitySome windows packages includeMicrosoft Project 2010 is the latest versionMinute Man a low cost packageMicrosoft Excel -

Choosing a software package

Microsoft Project is available on many corporate computing networks and is available for individual PCsTake a look at http://www.microsoft.com/project/en/us/default.aspxFor a view of Microsoft Project 2010During this package we will be considering Microsoft Project 2007 as there is a comprehensive help directory to enable you to create an effective and comprehensive project plan within the minimum space of time.

Introducing Microsoft Project

When you first open Microsoft Project, it gives a blank task list and a blank Gantt chartCreating a projectCreating tasksBuilding a scheduleManaging multiple projectsManaging resources and assignmentsView management

Microsoft Project training tutorials and lessonsFree college-level course on project design and implementation using MS Project software. www.profsr.com/msproject/msproj01.htm - Cached - SimilarFree Microsoft Project Tutorial - Lesson 1Microsoft Project software is one of those tools. With this short tutorial ... www.profsr.com/msproject/msproj00.htm - Cached - SimilarShow more results from profsr.comTraining - Microsoft OfficeFree Microsoft Office Training courses - free training courses and tutorials for Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, ... Project 2010 SharePoint 2010 SharePoint Workspace 2010 ... office.microsoft.com/.../training-FX101782702.aspx - United States - Cached - SimilarMicrosoft Project Tutorials: Learn How to Use Microsoft Project15 Feb 2011 ... Whether you're completely new to Microsoft Project or you're a more advanced user who is looking for a few new tricks, there is a wealth of ... www.brighthub.com ... Software Reviews & Tips - Cached - SimilarMicrosoft Project 2007 Tutorial Videos 7 min - 6 Mar 2008 Uploaded by sohontis youtube.comMS Project Tutorial - Critical Path in ... 3 min - 12 Sep 2009 Uploaded by andymakar youtube.com[PDF] MS Project TutorialFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View MS Project Tutorial. Prepared by. Milton Hurtado. CS 587 Software Project Management. Instructor: Dr. Atef Bader. MS Project in Labs: ... www.ese.upenn.edu/seniordesign/resources/MS_Project_Tutorial.pdf - SimilarMicrosoft Project Tutorial | MS Project Tutorial | Microsoft ...A Microsoft Project Training Tutorial on project management scheduling. Learn how to build a project schedule with this MSProject tutorial. www.tacticalprojectmanagement.com/microsoft-project.../microsoft-project-tutorial-schedule-development.html - United States - Cached - SimilarMicrosoft Project tutorial: Building your plan | TechRepublic31 Jul 2009 ... In part two of our Microsoft Project series, we show you how to build your project management plan. Learn how to make work estimates, ... www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-project-tutorial.../1031577 - Cachedwww.web-enable.com/.../ms_project_tutorial/project_management.asp - Cached - Similar

An iterative, incremental framework for project managementSee in agile software development which is a type of software engineeringOriginally suggested for managing product development projectsNow used for a range of applications including running software maintenance teams and general project management approachesCreated in 1986 by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka.

A process skeleton that contains sets of practices and predefined rolesThe Scrum Master maintains the processes in lieu of a project managerThe Product Owner represents the stakeholders and the businessThe Team is a cross-functional group of around 7 people who do the actual analysis, design, implementation, testing and so forthThe concept of the Sprint.

Schwaber and Sutherland have produced a useful and comprehensive summary of SCRUM on their website www.scrum.org. This summary can be downloaded for free. A Google or similar search on SCRUM will provide a useful overview of the approach which is becoming very popular in many countries.A useful alternative to conventional project management and leadership approaches.

www.microsoftproject.comThis will give you a comprehensive source from which to investigate Microsoft Project and associated resources for effective project management and leadership

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(development)

www.scrum.org

For further information see:http://learnhigher.ac.uk/Students/Referencing.htmlAccessed 16/06/2011

Takeuchi. H. & Nnonaka. I. (1986) New New Product Developmennt Game. Harvard Business Review.References

This resource was created by the University of Plymouth, Learning from WOeRk project. This project is funded by HEFCE as part of the HEA/JISC OER release programme.This resource is licensed under the terms of the Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/). The resource, where specified below, contains other 3rd party materials under their own licenses. The licenses and attributions are outlined below:

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Back page originally developed by the OER phase 1 C-Change projectUniversity of Plymouth, 2010, some rights reserved Text for audio commentary

AuthorJohn PotterInstituteUniversity of PlymouthTitleProject ManagementDate Created16/06/2011Educational LevelLevel 5Keywords Learning from WOeRK Work Based Learning WBL Continuous Professional Development CPD leadership and management UKOER LFWOER

In this session of project management we are going to introduce the nature of project working and introduce some of the basic concepts involved with projects. In particular we are going to illustrate that effective leadership ability is now an important part of the project managers toolkit.*Project management software packages come in all shapes and sizes. The features you will need from a software package will depend on the complexity and size of the tasks involved in your project. All good project software packages contain the facility to create Gantt Charts and PERT networks. Gantt charts are a basic requirement and as we have already seen they contain horizontal bars above a timeline to show when tasks begin and end. The Gantt chart provides a quick overview of your plan and a way of monitoring progress. PERT networks show a much higher level of sophistication. The package can usually draw Gantt charts, but also draw sophisticated dependencies between tasks to identify critical parts of your work breakdown structure and present it in the form of a network diagram. For example, to build a wall, you must first order the bricks, and then the bricks must be delivered. These three tasks (order, deliver, build) must proceed in the correct sequence. A good PERT network allows you to identify these dependencies for complex activities, and then identify the 'critical path'. This defines the minimum time in which the overall program can be completed or highlight where slippages could result in a delay. Some of the windows packages available include Microsoft Project and at the time of writing the latest version is 2010. However most people will have 2007 and we will use this later in this session. Minute Man is a low cost product featuring Gantt and PERT and it has the ability to export date to Microsoft Project. Microsoft Excel is widely available with most Windows based computing systems and as we have already seen it can be used for producing Gantt charts. There are other packages which will work on a PDA or Pocket PC including Project@Hand and Pocket Plan. These can be synchronised with Microsoft Project. A Google search on Project Management Software will provide an extensive range of possible programmes.Study questions: What are you looking for from a project management software programme? Will you be using a handheld device as part of your management process?

Microsoft Project is available on many corporate computing networks and is available for individual PCs. In the space of this module it is not possible to include every detail of Microsoft Project so it is suggested that you take a look at http://www.microsoft.com/project/en/us/default.aspx for a view of Microsoft Project 2010During this session of the module we will be considering the 2007 version of Microsoft Project as there is a comprehensive help directory to enable you to create an effective and comprehensive project plan within the minimum space of time.Study questions: Have you accessed the website address for Microsoft Project 2010? Have you conducted a Google or other search engine investigation of project software packages and associated training tutorials?

When you first open Microsoft Project 2007 it shows a blank task list and a blank Gantt chart. If you then access the Help button on the top toolbar a range of topics is displayed such as creating a project, creating tasks, building a schedule, managing multiple tasks, managing resources and assignments and view management. Each of these areas breaks down into specific topics. For example on the creating a project page articles include creating a new project, creating a new project from an existing project or database, the use of templates and saving a project. By looking through all of the six areas shown in the slide you will rapidly gain a good working knowledge of how to use Microsoft Project which can easily be updated to work with later versions.Study questions: Can you access a copy of Microsoft Project 2007? Taking one of the earlier examples where a Gantt chart was shown can you then create the same Gantt chart in Microsoft Project 2007?There is a significant amount of training material for Microsoft Project which is freely available on the internet. In this slide we see a number of examples which the search engines have placed at the top of their rankings. In particular the trainings offered by Microsoft are excellent as are most of the video tutorials listed on YouTube. This is a short session as most of the session is practical work based on investigation and developing your familiarity with Microsoft Project.Study assignment: Work through as many of the links in the slide as you can and then apply the ideas to any project you may be currently handling. SCRUM is an iterative, incremental framework for project management often seen in agile software development, a type of software engineering. It was originally suggested for managing product development projects and is now used for a range of applications including running software maintenance teams and general project management approaches. It was created in 1986 by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka as a new approach to commercial product development what would increase speed and flexibility, based on case studies from manufacturing companies in the automotive, computer, photocopier and printer industries. The name reflects an holistic approach based on the rugby football approach. The whole process is performed by one cross-functional team across multiple overlapping phases where the scrum or whole team tries to go the distance as a unit, passing the ball back and forth. In 1991 DeGrace and Stahl first referred this to as the scrum approach and a number of other individuals took the method forwards leading to the publication of Schwabers and Beedles book Agile Software Development with Scrum published in 2001. Study assignment: Carry out a Google or similar search on SCRUM and other related words in the slide including the originators.

SCRUM is a process skeleton that contains sets of practices and predefined roles. Three of those roles are:The Scrum Master who maintains the processes in lieu of a project managerThe Product Owner who represents the stakeholders and the businessThe Team which is a cross-functional group of around 7 people who do the actual analysis, design, implementation, testing and so forth. The concept of the sprint is important whereby the team creates a potentially shippable product increment e.g. working and tested software. The features that go into a sprint come from the product backlog which is a prioritized set of high level requirements of the work to be done. A very useful description of the sprint is given in the Wikipedia entry on SCRUM. SCRUM promotes good communication and focus of the project team by injecting a sense of urgency. One key feature is that unpredicted changes (often called requirements churn) can be accommodated in a way that is not easily replicated by conventional project management.Study assignment: Work through the Wikipedia entry on SCRUM and familiarise yourself with the key roles involved and with the scrum and sprint concepts.

Two key players in the development of SCRUM are Schwaber and Sutherland who now have a website www.scrum.org from which a useful summary of the key features of SCRUM may be downloaded. A Google search shows many references including some controversial items Study assignment: Access www.scrum.org and read through the SCRUM guide. Also investigate your personal strengths using the websites assessment tool.The references for this session are all computer and internet based. Microsoft Project websites give a significant amount of information. The Wikipedia summary of SCRUM produces a useful overview and the website www.scrum.org provides access to both the SCRUM guide and the assessment tool.

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