Team 3 Project 6

Microsoft Office 2007 for Project Managers:

Microsoft Office 2007 for Project Managers BBA 360 Project 6 Team 3: Tamara Martin, Brandon Dahl, Marlos Hill & Joshua Winn

Microsoft Office 2007:

Microsoft Office 2007 Microsoft Office offers versatility with its many programs. Some of these programs include: Word Power Point Most people are familiar with the following- Access Excel Some programs offered that are less well know include- Visio OneNote Publisher InfoPath Project Groove Outlook

Microsoft Office Programs Project Managers use:

Microsoft Office Programs Project Managers use Project Visio Word Excel Virtually any program in the Microsoft Office Suite can be used in some way as a project management tool . The above are highlighted future to analyze their usefulness for project managers.

Microsoft Project 2007:

Microsoft Project 2007 Project is the dominant PC-based project management software program designed to develop plans, assign resources to tasks, track progress, manage budgets and analyze workloads.

How Microsoft Project benefits Project Managers :

How Microsoft Project benefits Project Managers By using critical path schedules project managers can keep track of the tasks that must be completed on schedule for a project to finish on time.

Benefits of Project (Cont.):

Benefits of Project (Cont.) By using Critical Chain managers can plan & manage a project’s schedule through a unique optimization process that joins the task-dependent critical path with the critical chain. Critical chain optimizing recognizes that the entire safety margin originally built into every project schedule might not be required and that all tasks, in theory, could be completed ahead of schedule.

Benefits of Project:

Benefits of Project Event chain methodology helps to mitigate the negative impact of psychological heuristics and biases, as well as to allow for easy modeling of uncertainties in the project schedules. Event chain methodology is based on : Probabilistic moment of risk Event chains Critical events or event chains Project tracking with events Event chain visualization

Benefits of Project:

Benefits of Project Schedules can be resourced leveled, and chains are visualized in a Gantt chart. Project can recognize different classes of users. These different classes of users can have differing access levels to projects, views, and other data. Custom objects such as calendars, views, tables, filters, and fields are stored in an enterprise global which is shared by all users.

Microsoft Visio:

Microsoft Visio Having an arsenal of tools at your disposal to help communicate the details of the project is crucial for project managers. While Microsoft word is useful for writing project plans, outlines and project charters, it is often helpful to use a tool like Visio to help visualize the project more in-depth.

How Microsoft Visio benefits Project Managers:

How Microsoft Visio benefits Project Managers Visio is a program that can be used for diagramming and creating flow charts . Visio uses vector graphics to create complex, diverse diagrams. Graphical diagrams enhance a project teams understanding of the project as a whole. Visio works especially well for detailing elaborate project plans. Makes it easy for IT and business professionals to visualize, explore and communicate complex information especially when compared to traditional methods such as using text/tables that are hard to visualize and thus don’t offer the same level of clarity.

Visio Benefits (Cont.):

Visio Benefits (Cont.) Visio can be used to make a detailed high level timeline with milestones. These timelines are very useful for presenting project schedules to stakeholders . Example of a Timeline using Visio

Visio benefits (Cont.):

Visio benefits (Cont.) Makes cross-functional flow charts – These show the relationship between business processes and the departments responsible for that process. Example of cross-functional flow chart using Visio

Visio Benefits (Cont.):

Visio Benefits (Cont.) Project managers can also make Pivot Diagrams using Visio. A Pivot Diagram is a collection of shapes arranged in a tree-like structure that helps managers analyze and summarize data in a visual easy to understand format Example of a Pivot Diagram using Visio

Visio Benefits (Cont.):

Visio Benefits (Cont.) Data Flow Diagrams are useful for Project Managers. These diagrams show the logical flow of data through a set of processes or procedures. This includes external sources/destinations, activities that transform the data and references where the data is held. Example of Data Flow Diagram using Visio

Microsoft Word:

Microsoft Word Microsoft Word is one of the most popular applications in the world. The application itself has become almost ubiquitous to word processing, communication and information gathering. As the principal piece of the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft Word is an important tool for any competent project manager.

How Microsoft Word benefits Project Managers:

How Microsoft Word benefits Project Managers Easy to use for documentation. Quality method to communicate important project information. Useful in keeping track of logs and notes. Beneficial for demonstration and record keeping.

Microsoft Word:

Microsoft Word MS Word is a veritable Swiss army knife for a project manager. It is well integrated with applications such MS Project and MS Visio, is robust enough to handle large documents and communiqués, is an excellent collaboration tool and has enough features to meet the needs of almost any project manager.

Microsoft Word:

Microsoft Word Integrated with other Office Applications. Allows for exporting and importing of various document types. Automated features such as spell check, clip art, tables and translation. Flexible enough to accommodate most uses for project management. An excellent collaboration tool.

Microsoft Excel:

Microsoft Excel Excel is a program that can be critical to a project manager. There are literally hundreds of functions that excel can serve for as being useful throughout the life of a project.

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers:

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers 1. It can be used to gather client information and present it in a manageable way that’s easy to read. Using Microsoft Excel as a reporting system client example

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers:

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers 2. Manage project costs by using the built in formulas to keep track of the economics involved in your project. Example of built in formulas

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers:

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers 3. Create chromatic graphs and charts to convey information visually.

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers:

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers 4. Almost all information from the other programs in Office can be integrated into Excel turning it into a central hub for all the information in the entire project.

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers:

Benefits of Excel for Project Managers 5. Easy to use templates can be found to turn Excel into an almost Project Manager-type program complete with Gantt Charts. Allows for integrated tools.

Summary:

Summary Project managers can make use of the many tools Microsoft Office has to offer. One of the best benefits of Office programs is their compatibility with one another. Microsoft Project is a program designed for project managers specifically to complete projects from conception through completion. Microsoft Visio is especially useful for Project managers in creating flowcharts which help all team members visualize concepts Microsoft Word is a “go-to” tool for project managers and can be fully integrated with other MS Office programs. Microsoft Excel can be used in many ways such as adding easy to understand charts and by using pre-made formulas.

References:

References http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio-help/create-a-pivotdiagram-HA010014196.aspx http://www.helium.com/items/1303354-how-microsoft-visio-enhances-project-management http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/us/details/8cf11fbd-567a-4252-bfa1-63555e62c761 http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio-help/about-data-flow-diagrams-HP089300005.aspx Microsoft project . (2011, April 20). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Project

References (Cont.):

References (Cont.) Stronge , B. (2008, May 27). Some benefits and drawbacks of microsoft project . Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/tech-manager/some-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-microsoft-project/508 Wilson, K. ( n.d .). What’s new in microsoft project 2007? advantages and benefits of upgrading from microsoft project 2000/2003 to microsoft project 2007 . Retrieved from http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:aNAfIbnd-jAJ:download.microsoft.com/download/C/A/B/CABA5F40-FDF5-46D6-9610-A2AF2A2014B5/What's%2520New%2520in%2520Microsoft%2520Project%25202007.pdf+overview+of+benefits+of+using+microsoft+project+2007&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShJixnPBnJLIzfrQIxOKtP9KgWFnbo2BHk305LdCsn6vUSXULSJzIDlI2EwVHmt9myNn0iEabGhQ1fZ3GTQtvkV3aD_tYezAT9YdnffCBi16hJ_fKVx1JPro13vuQ-9JOtdzf8y&sig=AHIEtbS-A7kR0Xl199SXTohU4V2wDESrFw