M5929 - Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 - Managing Projects and Programs

Prerequisites:

The skills and knowledge required for a delegate to attend this course are as follows:

Fundamental knowledge of project management.
Experience using Microsoft Office Project to create project schedules.
Experience using Microsoft Office Project Web Access.Experience with Microsoft Office Project Server, preferable Office Project Server 2007.
Experience with the Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista operating system.
Experience with Microsoft Office Excel 2003 or 2007.

In addition, it is recommended, but not required, that students have:

Familiarity with the key project management concepts and terminology found in the PMBOK Guide Third Edition. Familiarity with the key program management concepts and terminology found in PMIs The Standard for Program Management.
Completed MOC Course 5927A: Microsoft Office Project 2007, Managing Projects.
Completed MOC Course 5928A: Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Managing Projects.

Course Description:

This instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and skills to use the Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 enterprise tool to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close enterprise programs and to customize the enterprise environment.

This is the third course in the Microsoft Office Project 2007 Official Curriculum series and addresses the Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution

This course is intended for project managers, program managers, members of the project management office, or participants in the deployment of an EPM solution, who are responsible for managing, analyzing, and reporting on projects and programs in the Microsoft Office EPM environment. Further, these individuals are able to refine the Office EPM environment to create solutions to business problems. A solid understanding of key project management concepts and terminology as found in the Project Management Institute's (PMI), A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), Third Edition, and in PMI's The Standard for Program Management is recommended. Additionally, substantial hands-on experience is recommended in Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007, Project Server 2007, and Project Web Access prior to attending the course.

At the end of this course delegates will be able to:

• Define a program by establishing its characteristics and parameters and delineate program benefits.
• Deliver the detailed plan of a program and optimize the program for time, cost, and resources in order establish a program baseline.
• Define program resources, and after identifying the critical resources, review and update the program plan and baseline.
• Track the work of the program resources in timesheets and the task progress of the program in Project Web Access and Project 2007.
• Define Earned Value Management (EVM) and perform EVM, including metrics, variances, and performance indexes, in order to create forecasts and make effective adjustments to the program.
• Use Project Center and the Data Analysis (OLAP Cube) feature to view and report the status of a program and to make forecasts.
• Configure project workspaces to meet the needs of a program.
• Describe the closing process for a program and propose changes to the enterprise environment based on the lessons learned through a program life

This course includes the following modules:

Managing Enterprise Projects, Programs, and Portfolios

• This module defines and explains project, program, and portfolio management, their interrelationships, and how they work and are managed in an enterprise. Participants will be able to describe general program management standards and define general program management terminology:
• Managing Projects, Programs, and Portfolios in an Enterprise.
• Understanding Program Management Standards and Terminology

Working with the Microsoft Enterprise Project Management Solution

• This module describes the architecture and components of the Microsoft Enterprise Project Management Solution and explains how to navigate the key interfaces of Office Project 2007, Project Server 2007, and Project Web Access:
• Understanding the Enterprise Management Solution 2007.
• Navigating the Enterprise Project Management Solution Interfaces as Various Users

Establishing Program Governance

• This module explains how to define a standardized methodology for program governance:
• Understanding Program Governance.
• Understanding Program Governance Infrastructure.
• Defining the Policies and Procedures of Program Selection and Governance Process Control.
• Establishing Project and Program Life Cycle and Phase Governance

Defining and Creating the Enterprise Environment

• This module explains how to propose and apply configuration changes to an enterprise environment as they pertain to program management activities:
• Reviewing the Default Settings of Office Project Server 2007.
• Implementing Changes in an Enterprise Environment

Setting Up the Program

• This module explains how to establish the characteristics and parameters of a program and define the program benefits in the context of Office Project Server 2007:
• Creating, Saving, and Publishing a Program.
• Proposing and Implementing Changes to the Permissions and Enterprise Fields in an Enterprise Environment

Planning the Program

• This module explains how to deliver the detailed plan of a program and optimize the program for time, cost, and resources in order to establish a program baseline in the context of Office Project Server 2007:
• Developing a Detailed Plan of the Program.
• Establishing the Interdependencies Between Tasks, Cross-Project Deliverables, and Resource Assignments.
• Optimizing Time, Cost, and Resources.
• Implementing Changes to Views and Enterprise Fields

Establishing Components of the Program Infrastructure and Managing the Resources

• This module explains how to define program resources and, after identifying the critical resources, review and update the program plan and baseline:
• Updating the Enterprise Resource Pool and Replacing Resources in the Program Plan.
• Refining the Program Plan by Identifying Critical Resources and Applying Necessary Changes

Tracking Timesheets and Task Progress

• This module explains how to track the work of program resources in timesheets and the task progress of a program in Office Project Web Access and Office Project 2007:
• Managing Timesheets and Task Progress.
• Configuring Timesheets and Task Progress

Performing Earned Value Management

• This module explains how to define Earned Value Management (EVM) and use EVM, including metrics, variances, and performance indexes, to create forecasts and make effective adjustments to a program:
• Applying Earned Value Management.
• Using Earned Value Management in Office Project 2007.
• Creating and Modifying Views and Reports for Earned Value Management Analysis.

Reporting and Analyzing the Program Data

• This module explains how to use Project Center and the Data Analysis (OLAP Cube) features to view and report the status of a program and to make forecasts:
• Customizing the Enterprise Fields and Views to Track a Program.
• Building an OLAP Cube and Creating and Modifying a View in Data Analysis

Managing Project Workspaces for Programs

• This module explains how to configure project workspaces to meet the needs of a program:
• Configuring a Workspace for a Project in a Program.
• Managing the Queue

Closing the Program and Refining the Environment

• This module explains how to describe the closing process for a program and propose and apply changes to the enterprise environment based on the lessons learned through a program life cycle:
• Closing a Project in a Program and Archiving a Program.
• Refining an Enterprise Environment