Microsoft Project: Managing Multiple Projects

Day 1: Introduction to Microsoft Project and Multi-Project Framework

Introduction and Overview

• Overview of Microsoft Project and its role in managing multiple projects
• Understanding project portfolio and program standards and terms
• Introduction to Microsoft Project Professional for complex and multiple projects
• Identifying essential prerequisites for managing multiple projects

Establishing a Multi-Project Framework

• Operating within a shared environment for multiple projects
• Setting standards for Microsoft Project Professional across projects
• Applying a consistent feature set throughout the organization
• Managing the multi-project environment with effective controls
• Controlling calendars, views, and fields to maintain consistency
• Adopting a robust multiple-file management system

Day 2: Master Projects and Subprojects

• Developing consolidated projects with embedding techniques
• Utilizing existing project plans to streamline new projects.
• Building master and subprojects to organize multiple tasks
• Defining project hierarchy by inserting subprojects into a master project
• Linking tasks across different projects to create a unified plan
• Applying best practices for master and subproject management

Day 3: Scheduling Resources Using a Shared Pool

• Creating a shared resource pool for multiple projects
• Selecting preferred resource types, including names, generic types, and sets
• Grouping resources to establish management boundaries
• Employing a shared pool to enhance resource management
• Identifying and resolving resource conflicts across projects
• Viewing resource assignments across all projects for comprehensive management
• Resourcing projects based on resource availability
• Resolving resource over allocations by prioritizing tasks and subprojects
• Levelling and smoothing subprojects using resource priorities

Day 4: Tracking Progress Across Multiple Projects

• Key skills for tracking progress in multi-project environments
• Defining meaningful metrics for schedule, completeness, and budget
• Baselining projects and subprojects for tracking progress
• Selecting the appropriate tracking methods for tasks, assignments, and teams
• Implementing cost-tracking methods effectively
• Calculating cost variances and maximizing information usage
• Analysing and evaluating project progress
• Identifying and addressing schedule slippage
• Taking corrective actions to stay on track
• Practical guidelines for tracking complex projects

Day 5: Communication and Reporting Across Projects

• Developing an infrastructure for effective communication across projects
• Integrating Microsoft Project with third-party applications for smoother workflows
• Using Outlook to improve communication with team members
• Facilitating updates from local and distributed team members
• Transferring project data to Access or Excel for easy reporting
• Disseminating information to non-Microsoft Project users
• Distributing data from multiple projects to key stakeholders
• Reporting on schedule and cost progress for comprehensive updates
• Customizing views and reports to fit the project needs