Introduction

About This Book

In recent years, Microsoft Project (MS-Project) has evolved as a powerful tool for creating and managing projects, across various domains. The Information Technology is a sector where timely delivery of projects is very important. It becomes all the more important to estimate the schedule and cost of projects properly and also track the projects. Although there are many books on using MS-Project for managing projects, very few of them discuss the functionality with examples from the Information Technology sector. Computer Support for Successful Project Management: Using MS Project 2016 with Information Technology Projects offers a comprehensive look at some of the key project management processes and also how engineers, practitioners from the Information Technology sector, can use features of MS-Project to their advantage.

This book starts with an introduction to Software Process Models and Project Management. Subsequently, the key project management processes related to project scope, time and cost management are discussed. Once the discussion about arriving at project schedule and cost concludes, it discusses about project monitoring. This book also deals with additional topics like managing multiple projects and using MS-Project in managing other project objectives like risk and quality. More importantly, the book discusses using MS-Project for Agile project management, though in brief.

In addition, this book includes several appendices. The appendices give you an introduction to Microsoft project, project server, and using MS Project with other office products.

Assumptions About You

This book assumes that you have experience in using MS Windows and also in using some MS Office applications like MS Excel. It also assumes that you have knowledge related to Information technology.

How to Use This Book

This book facilitates you to work with MS-Project Professional 2016 (and also with Project Standard). However, if you have not used it, it is better to go through Appendix-C, A Quick Introduction to MS Project 2016, to start with. If you have not undergone any formal project management training program, going through the first chapter (Chapter 1) helps you to understand project organizations and different knowledge areas of project management. Chapters 2 to 11 discuss using MS-Project to manage projects.

Appendix D discusses using MS-Project with other office products like Excel and PowerPoint. Chapters 2 to 11, Appendix C, and ­Appendix D can be roughly divided between two portions. The first portion is an explanatory part, which defines the core concept, and the second contains hands-on activity (enumerated procedure). Examples from the Information Technology sector have been used both for explaining the core concept and hands-on exercise. The hands-on activities are guided exercises and may require practice files. All the files are in the folder Practice-files and the folder can be downloaded from the web page:

http://businessexpertpress.com/books/computer-support-for-successful-project-management-using-ms-project-2016-with-information-technology-projects/

Please note that MS-Project program is not available on this website. You may have to purchase the same or download a trial version to use with the book.

The following table lists the practice files for hands-on exercises of this book.