Microsoft Projects - Introduction

Microsoft Projects helps you manage your projects with ease and assist project managers in developing plans, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing budgets and analyzing workloads


Few Definitions-
Project :
Is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create an unique product or a service or a result, with a specific beginning, a defined end with defined resources 
Scope:
All the work and only the work required to complete the project and is a combination of all individual tasks and their goals.  
Tasks:
They are a division of all the work that needs to be completed in order to accomplish the project goals. 
Schedule:
Start and finish timelines for project activities. 
Resources:
List of resources required to complete the project. Eg: people, equipment, money etc…




Before embarking on the project you need to put down a few key points very clearly

1. Conceptualize and identify the purpose of the project
2. Define its objectives
3. Finalize its scope
4. Identify its activities
5. Assign resources to activities  
6. Create an estimate of time and costs  
7. Make honest assumptions about various relevant factors that can affect the duration of a project and its costs 
8. Discuss alternative scenarios and build contingency plans

Microsoft Project cannot help you with (1), (2), (7) and (8) but it can carry the remaining on its shoulders and sail you smoothly to your goals.



PMI and MS Projects – How are they connected?

-Gautam

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