Microsoft Project 2013 Fundamentals

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
272 Students

Discover how to effectively plan, implement, manage, and control projects using the world's most popular project management software.

Discover how to effectively plan, implement, and control projects using the world's most popular project management software, Microsoft Project 2013. From sequencing tasks, producing a baseline, and assigning resources and costs, to tracking progress, analysing variances, and revising your project plan, Microsoft Project can help you organise all your project's details quickly and effectively.

In this course, you'll master the basics of Microsoft Project 2013 so you can create a project schedule in no time flat and then share it with clients and co-workers. Using the program's different views, such as the Calendar and Gantt chart views, you'll be able to manage your project information and produce effective reports. Armed with this information, you'll avoid going down dead-end alleys and overloading your schedule. And should you encounter trouble, you'll master a number of tried-and-true problem-resolution techniques to help get your project back on track.

You'll also learn how to fine-tune different aspects of your project, including splitting tasks for work interruptions and defining material consumption rates. After completing the course, you'll know how to develop, implement, and control a project plan that meets organisational and customer objectives.

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

Microsoft Project can help you manage your project's schedule, costs, and scope in a way that you've never dreamed of. Too often, Project users never use this powerful tool to its fullest potential. In your first lesson, you'll discover how to improve your project by adopting a formal management approach. You'll get a quick overview of Project Management, and then you'll learn the basics of Microsoft Project, including a summary of the Gantt Chart view and ways to create and enter project tasks.

If you're looking for ways to keep organized, you'll see just how to do that in today's lesson! We'll walk through steps to create a project schedule in no time flat. Once you create and enter tasks in Project's Gantt Chart view, you'll set a schedule by using a calendar and assigning lead times. Then, you'll need to create task dependencies, sometimes known as links. You'll see how to perform these activities and, in the process, you'll become comfortable using Project's many dialog boxes. Before you know it, you'll be creating schedules for all your projects with little effort.

<p>You won't get too far with your project without adding resources. While tasks create the backbone of your project, people, equipment, and material bring your project to life. In this lesson, you'll find out how to apply two types of Project resources—work resources, and material resources. We'll look at two more dialog boxes—Resource Information and Assign Resources—and you'll learn how to analyze resources by using the Resource Sheet and Resource Usage views. </p> <div><br> </div>

<P>No matter what project you work on, the bottom line is always important. So get ready to add the final piece to your basic project schedule—costs. We'll start things off by looking through a brief overview of cost accounting, exploring fixed, variable, relevant, and accrued costs. After this review, you'll learn how to assign costs by using the Resource Sheet. You'll even discover how to assign different costs for the same resource and analyze the overall costs for your project by using the Cost Table. </P> </H1>

Successful project managers are known for their efficiency and for safeguarding private information. Microsoft Project provides two excellent methods to help you in these areas: project templates and project security. You'll find out how to use some of the many templates Project has to offer, including the Residential Construction template and the New Product template. You'll also learn how to protect your project information with backups, passwords, and write protection. Then you'll discover how to put Project's task constraints to good use.

In this lesson, you'll discover how easy it is to modify your basic schedules and work with project data. You'll look at the various Project views, such as the Calendar, Leveling Gantt, and the Network Diagram. And if you don't like the default colors or fonts in your schedule or table, you'll be well-prepared to make changes. You'll even learn how and why you might want to create a combination view; add notes to your project; or sort, filter, and group data.

Many projects experience schedule compression when management or clients ask that the project be completed sooner and for less. In today's lesson, you'll discover how to improve your schedule's performance. You'll explore the Project Statistics dialog box, and you'll learn how to determine the ideal starting point in terms of planned costs and completion dates. You'll see how to change task dependencies to speed up your project and also find out how to split tasks to add more lead time. You'll also learn how to create recurring tasks and attach notes to your project's taskbars.

Before you implement your project, you need to create a baseline. This will help you track actual results against what you originally set out to accomplish. Microsoft Project makes it possible to set up a baseline with a few mouse clicks. You'll learn how to create a baseline and then see a variety of ways, including using the Tracking toolbar, to record your actual project results.

Here's where things really start to come together! You'll learn how to compare actual results to your baseline by using the Gantt Chart and reviewing a table. You'll discover how useful status identifiers and progress lines can be to quickly gain information about your project's position. You'll also begin using the Tracking Gantt and filters to automatically identify slipping tasks. You'll also take a stroll through the basics of variance analysis by discussing the Start and Finish Date, Resources, and Work Variance Tables.

Once your project gets rolling, outsiders will probably want to know how things are going. It can be a real time drain answering each request individually. When others request information from you, Microsoft Project offers the perfect solution: Reports. We'll go over a representative sample of the standard reports as well as discuss how to modify and create new reports in today's lesson. By the time you finish, you'll be well acquainted with Project's reporting capabilities and also know how to create Visual Reports as Project automatically exports data to Microsoft Excel and Visio.

Now that you're using reports to share project information, you'll occasionally need to print various views and tables. In this lesson, you'll delve into printing Microsoft Project documents. You'll be a master at creating different views of your project with the Page Setup dialog box, and you'll clearly understand the mechanics of the Print dialog box and the Print Preview.

No project is complete until it's officially closed. In this final lesson, you'll find out how to close your project and use the Organizer to help you customize and copy views for future projects.

Tony Swaim

Tony Swaim has helped many clients, colleagues, and students reach their professional and personal goals. He has been an online instructor since 1998 and has taught at colleges and universities across the United States since 1981. His focus areas ... Read more

Read Tony Swaim's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

This is the second course I have taken with Tony Swaim, and I like his teaching style. I will look for other opportunities to take courses for which he is the instructor in the future.

Verified Student

This course is valuable in many ways. It was highly informative, practical, and written in a way that I could understand with no prior business or project management degree. Makes me want to learn more about project management and possibly sign up for some more classes.

Verified Student

Once again, a great course.

Verified Student

See More Reviews

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Microsoft Project 2013 Fundamentals you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

Our Values

Learn At Your Own Pace

We believe in personalised learning. That's why we provide all the tools and support you need to succeed at your own pace. With flexible learning, you'll stay motivated and retain more information. Plus, you can balance your studies with work and family commitments to make your dreams a reality.

We Won't Break The Bank

Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

Industry-Led Courses

There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

Get The Personal Support You Deserve

At Vibe Learning, we're real people who are dedicated to providing you with personal support every step of the way. Our industry experts are not only professional and knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about sharing their expertise with you. With their guidance, you'll gain invaluable insights and practical knowledge to help you succeed.

Still looking?

Check out the following courses related to Microsoft Project 2013 Fundamentals:

Managing Difficult Projects

Project Management Fundamentals

Project Management

Microsoft Project 2010 Fundamentals

Discover more online courses

Microsoft Project 2013 Fundamentals

$599

$389AUD

Save 35%

Manufacturing Fundamentals

Now Only

$389

AUD

35% off

$599 AUD

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
795 Students

Learn the basic skills required to work in the manufacturing field.

Learn the basic skills required to work in the manufacturing field. Discover the role of production design, process planning, and the heart of 13 different manufacturing processes. Understand why facility location and plant layout decisions are so vital and learn how job design helps you accomplish company goals and achieve worker satisfaction. Find out what makes up the physical work environment and learn how to characterise different types of production materials. Master product development concepts such as the voice of the customer (VOC), quality function deployment (QFD), and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). Learn how performance measurements and standardisation improve manufacturing operations.

In this instructor-facilitated online course, you will learn how successful organisations use costs to communicate manufacturing progress and how to effectively develop short and long-term budgets. Also, you will discover how the application of technology turns an ordinary company into a high-performing organization. You will also find out how ISO 9000 and enterprise resource planning (ERP) make the most of a manufacturer's potential.

To make sure we get off to a good start, we'll begin this first lesson by defining manufacturing—looking at its history, identifying the various types of industries, and discussing different types of products. We'll survey the critical areas of design, materials, processes, technology, and systems. Then, we'll finish up by examining manufacturing capability, trends in the field, and manufacturing careers.

Production design is a critical activity for any manufacturing firm because it plays a major role in defining overall costs. Once a production design is set, it charts the course for a product. Even the most expensive equipment and the best engineers can't offset the limitations of a production design. Today, we'll examine the elements of production design and process planning. Then, we'll explore the vast number of processing types including metal casting, bulk deformation, sheet metal forming, material removing, polymer and plastic processing, rubber production, glass manufacturing, powder processing, surface processing, joining and fastening, electronics assembly, and chemical processing.

Before you can manufacture anything, you need some land, a building, and a layout. Your decisions about these elements are extremely important, especially the first two. Once you buy land and erect a building, it's usually too late to change your mind without incurring a stiff penalty. So, in this lesson, we'll explore the ins and outs of facility selection and layout. We'll begin by discussing the influence of forecasting, long-range planning, and capacity planning. Then we'll identify the numerous factors you need to consider for a general and specific location and look at a way to evaluate them. We'll also examine plant layout and review a few options for it.

Our topic today is job design. Job design has changed dramatically over the years and the majority of manufacturing jobs now combine human labor and machines. While a few positions such as assembly or heavy labor may not involve equipment, it's difficult to think of work that doesn't involve mechanical aids or tools. We'll discuss how job design is made up of job content and work methods and how jobs relate to each other. You'll find out how machines relate to human beings, and also how an operation chart helps define the steps a worker takes to complete a job. Then, we'll finish up with a discussion about work teams and a matrix organization, and see how job enlargement and job enrichment increase employee satisfaction.

Today, we'll add another essential layer to our manufacturing picture: how to create an effective and productive physical work environment. The physical work environment includes temperature, humidity, airflow, noise, lighting, and levels of contaminants (hopefully low). It plays a major role in worker well being and productivity. We'll examine the elements of a manufacturing work environment starting with the physical building and moving on to temperature, humidity, airflow, and noise. We'll also talk about lighting, contaminants, and hazards. Then, we'll close with a general look at safety and the elements of an effective safety program.

If you let your imagination run wild, you can probably think of hundreds, perhaps thousands of manufacturing materials. At the companies I've worked for, we've used latex rubber, electronics, sheet metal, wood, human plasma, seaweed, titanium wire, and alligator blood. That's some list! We won't be able to look at all materials, but, in this lesson, we'll cover the basic ones—metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites. We'll start by discussing the nature of materials. Then, we'll move on to their mechanical and physical properties and talk about dimensions, tolerances, and surfaces.

New products are the lifeblood of manufacturing organizations. But did you know that it takes more than 50 new product ideas to generate a single successful one? Unfortunately, most new products don't satisfy customer or company objectives. A major reason new products don't succeed is because they aren't marketed well. Today, we'll make sure this doesn't happen to you. We'll delve into the concept of customer orientation, starting with a brief overview of marketing. Then, we'll explore the voice of the customer (VOC). And finally, you'll see how failure mode, effects analysis (FMEA), and project management can lead to success.

Cost is the price you pay to acquire, maintain, produce, or use materials or services. Since most firms account for their operations at cost, it's vital that you understand how costs are determined and used. In this lesson, we'll examine many different types of costs including discretionary, relevant, variable, and standard. After we finish exploring these costs, you'll see how manufacturers reflect them in their accounting systems.

Today, we'll look at investment decisions for items such as equipment and fixture purchase and replacement. We'll also spend some time on budgeting. We'll discuss the different types of investment decisions, including average rate of return (ARR), payback period, discounted cash flow (DCF), net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR). After we work through a few problems, we'll discuss the basics of budgeting.

In this lesson, we'll examine performance measurements as a way to keep track of progress. After all, you don't really know how your manufacturing operation performs unless you have an official scorecard. So, today we'll identify the attributes of effective performance measurements and look at a few traditional and progressive methods. Then, we'll wrap things up by addressing physical measurements.

Today is all about standards. They've been around for quite a few years, but it's just in the past few decades that they've stepped out into the spotlight, mainly because of the high profile of ISO 9000. We'll talk about how standards are used, identify where they came from, and discuss how they're developed. We'll also explore their benefits and discover how they're defined.

For our final lesson, we'll focus on technology. We'll look at a few specific technological advances, namely computer aided design (CAD), computer aided manufacturing (CAM), computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), flexible manufacturing system (FMS), and bar coding. Then, we'll close the course by looking at a powerful software package used by manufacturers around the world: enterprise resource planning (ERP).