Teaser: Learn about the importance and benefits of Microsoft Project for aspiring project managers. Discover available resources like video tutorials, in-depth classes, and career-specific training that can help you master this popular project management tool.
Key Insights
- Microsoft Project, with a 66% market share, is the most widely used project management software globally. Mastery of Microsoft Project is essential for aspiring project managers.
- The project management field is projected to grow significantly over the next five years, with the Project Management Institute predicting over 22 million new project management jobs by 2027.
- Microsoft Project aids project managers in task prioritization, expectation definition, task delegation, resource tracking, budget creation, and calendar sharing.
- Microsoft Project is highly integrated with the Microsoft Office suite and Microsoft Teams, providing a seamless experience for team members to collaborate and share files.
- Project Managers earn significantly high salaries, with an average annual income of $116,000, over double the national average across all occupations.
- Video tutorials, online training, and in-person classes like those offered by Noble Desktop and NYIM can help learners master Microsoft Project's advanced features.
With a 66% market share, Microsoft Project is the world's most widely used project management software. Project is part of the iconic Microsoft Office family of productivity products running on over 1 billion devices worldwide. Aspiring Project Managers will want to develop advanced knowledge of Microsoft Project and other Microsoft Office programs. Watching video tutorials online is a popular method of learning Microsoft Project. Watching online videos and tutorials is a great way to familiarize yourself with Project’s interface and capabilities. This article will cover a range of videos, including what they teach and where to find them.
What is Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project is the project management software in the Microsoft Office suite of programs. Microsoft Project is the world's most widely-used project management software and has been since its release. MS Project currently has around a 66% project management software market share. Proficiency in Microsoft Project is a must-have skill for aspiring Project Managers.
Project management is a booming field: the number of Project Manager jobs is expected to increase by over 33% over the next five years. The Project Management Institute (PMI) predicts that over 22 million new project management jobs will be created by 2027. Project management is growing rapidly because more companies recognize the need for professional help managing projects. However, there are already more Project Manager positions than employees trained in project management.
Microsoft Project assists Project Managers in prioritizing tasks, defining expectations, delegating tasks, tracking and managing resources, creating and tracking budgets, and sharing calendars with your team. Project also includes project management methodology tools, such as kanban boards and Gantt charts. Some of Project’s major features include tools for project planning, communication and collaboration, progress tracking and reporting, roadmaps for project tracking, financial management and timesheets, and resource management.
Project is fully integrated with Microsoft Teams, allowing team members to share files, attend meetings, and chat easily. Its scheduling features are automatic, which can help teams stay on track with less direct supervision from the Project Manager. Project also incorporates the cutting-edge Microsoft Power BI dashboard, allowing project teams to visualize and analyze data in real-time.
While Microsoft Project may seem easy to learn because of its familiar Microsoft Office interface, you will need to learn its advanced features to use it effectively. Senior Project Managers praise its power to manage multiple complex projects. Developing your ability to manage complex projects is the key to a successful career in project management.
One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Project is its full integration with other Microsoft Office programs. Microsoft Office is the most widely-used software suite in the world. If you’re serious about pursuing project management as a career, you’ll want to consider training in the entire suite of programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Read more about what Microsoft Project is and why you should learn it.
What Can You Do with Microsoft Project?
Project management is a hot career path: the Project Management Institute (PMI) predicts that over 22 million new Project Manager jobs will be created by 2027. Even without this 33% increase in job positions, there is already a significant talent gap in project management, with more companies seeking Project Managers than qualified candidates.
Another perk of a career in project management is a high salary: the average salary for a Project Manager is around $116,000 annually. That is more than double the national average of approximately $50,000 across all occupations. Training in project management could lead to a lucrative career.
Project Managers need to have many skills, including soft skills such as communication, leadership, and time management. Project Managers will also need to have advanced skills using Microsoft Project, the world’s most widely-used project management software tool, for decades.
Microsoft Project is the industry-standard for managing complex and multiple projects. Its powerful project management features include interactive dashboards for project monitoring, integrated project timeline, task prioritization and delegation, team dashboard, report generation, resource tracking and management, and the Master Project Plan for managing multiple projects.
Why Are Video Tutorials Helpful When Learning Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project has been the industry-standard in project management software since the 1980s. One of the reasons for Project’s enduring popularity is that it has a lot of power to manage complex projects. However, its power has the potential drawback of adding a learning curve. You won’t be able to start managing projects in Microsoft Project without some training.
Video tutorials can be a great place to start learning Microsoft Project. They’re often free and offer training from the comfort of your home. If you’re short on time, video tutorials can be a great way to fit training into your busy schedule. For example, you could watch them on your lunch break, between classes, or on your morning commute.
Video tutorials are also great for people who might experience interruptions in a live class. For example, you can pause your video tutorial when your kids need attention in the other room or you receive an important phone call.
Learning Microsoft Project through video tutorials is also recommended for visual learners and self-disciplined people. One potential drawback of video tutorials is that you’re in charge of your education. If you’re serious about learning Microsoft Project through video tutorials, you’ll need to hold yourself accountable for your education. You’ll also need to cover the right material to develop advanced skills.
Types of Microsoft Project Videos
There are different types of video tutorials. One option is free online seminars, such as Noble Desktop. These seminars give students a great preview of their unique, hands-on approach to live online learning. All of Noble Desktop’s courses are taught by expert instructors using hands-on, real-world projects.
In Top 10 Beginner Excel Tricks You Need To Know, students learn advanced tips and essential tricks to take them far beyond the blank spreadsheet. Some of the things you’ll learn include data validation, duplicate removal, commands, screenshots, text formatting, and tips to speed up your work process. Graduates have a more advanced understanding of training in Microsoft Office products and are better prepared for more structured instruction, such as Microsoft Project Level I.
For students who want less comprehensive training, Udemy offers several brief, introductory courses on Microsoft Project. Prices for these courses vary as different users offer them. You’ll want to make sure any class you sign up for includes comprehensive training. Courses which provide a Certificate after graduation are also helpful when establishing your project management training with potential employers.
There are free online Microsoft Project video tutorials on sites like YouTube. When training in Microsoft Project, one thing to remember is that many program versions exist, including older versions and more cloud-integrated online versions. You’ll want to ensure that any video tutorials you use for training are up-to-date and do not cover an outdated version of Project.
One of the major drawbacks of online tutorials is that it can be challenging to ensure you’re learning the right material. You might spend time working on a version of Project that is outdated or learn the material in the wrong order. Remember that Microsoft Project is designed to assist you in carrying out the Project LifeCycle, so learning in a structured way can help with that.
While online tutorials have some advantages, live instruction is the best way to ensure that you receive the proper training in the least amount of time. You won’t be learning unnecessary things or lessons in the wrong order. You can use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me Tool to discover Microsoft Project courses in your area.
If there are no in-person Microsoft Project courses available in your area, you might consider taking a live online class. Live online Microsoft Project courses work exactly like in-person courses, which means you’ll have all the same advantages. You’ll be able to ask questions. You can interact with your instructor and your classmates in real-time. You can receive direct feedback on your work using screen-sharing software, meaning you’ll never get stuck while learning Project. It also means that you can develop advanced skills in Microsoft Project from your bedroom or anywhere.
Career Centers offers live online Microsoft Project courses taught by expert instructors to guarantee small class sizes. In Microsoft Project Level I, students are guided through hands-on, real-world projects and develop skills in creating project plans, allocating resources for a project, task creation and organization, finalizing a project plan, and essential project management concepts. When completing the course, students receive a Certificate of Completion, which is shareable on Linkedin.
Graduates are eligible to take Career Centers’ Microsoft Project Level II course to master using Microsoft Project for complex projects. Students are guided through real-world projects to train in updating a project plan, monitoring project progress, making real-time project adjustments, creating project reports, and customizable advanced features. Graduates earn a Certificate of Completion to include on their Project Manager Resume.
Why Learn Microsoft Project?
Learning Microsoft Project is required for aspiring Project Managers. Project has been the world's most popular project management software for decades. Harnessing Project’s advanced features for managing complex or multiple projects is a must-have skill for those pursuing project management as a career.
When most people think of Microsoft Office, they think of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Microsoft’s popular suite of productivity applications also includes a project management program, Microsoft Project. One of the reasons that Microsoft Project is so powerful is that it is fully integrated with Office’s more well-known programs.
To manage projects professionally, you’ll need advanced skills in Microsoft Project. Many Project Managers report that training in Microsoft Project improved their project management skills and ability to manage complex projects. Some of Microsoft Project’s powerful project management tools include creating schedules and plans, task delegation, budget creation and financial management, progress tracking, resource management, and project analysis.
Read more about why you should learn Microsoft Project.
How Difficult is It to Learn Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project is significantly more difficult to learn than most other Office programs. Those programs also have more room for error: a poorly-formatted Word document still communicates the information even if it doesn’t look professional. However, Microsoft Project is essentially a relational database, meaning you have to get everything right from the beginning.
Many self-taught Microsoft Project learners struggle, especially with the program’s more advanced features. Project Managers must juggle many different tasks, which is why Microsoft Project uses a combination of tables that work together; these tables typically contain tasks, calendars, and resources. Unless the project’s tables are initiated correctly, you will only produce junk data.
There are no rigid prerequisites for training in Microsoft Project. Some recommend familiarizing yourself with other Microsoft Office products first. However, you can learn Project even if you still consider yourself a beginner in Office or Excel.
Unfortunately, there are no free versions of Microsoft Project. And although Project is part of the Office family of products, it is not included in the software suite. You can purchase a stand-alone version of Microsoft Project, allowing only one user to work locally without team collaboration. To use Project’s collaboration features, you’ll need to subscribe to one of Microsoft’s cloud-based Microsoft Project subscription plans.
Microsoft offers cloud-based Project plans, including a basic plan for $10 per user per month. However, this plan has fewer features than Microsoft’s more expensive plans, including more advanced project management tools. For $30 per user per month, users also gain access to features such as resource management, desktop clients, demand management, portfolio selection, and enterprise-level resource management.
Read about how difficult it is to learn Microsoft Project.
Learn Microsoft Project with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
If you’re an aspiring Project Manager, you’ll need to train in Microsoft Project. NYIM is a business, design, and coding school based in NYC. They offer tech courses and bootcamps both live online or at their state-of-the-art campus in Midtown Manhattan.
All of NYIM’s courses have guaranteed small class sizes and are taught by instructors who are experts in their industry. NYIM uses a unique hands-on approach in which instructors give a “micro-lecture” and then immediately guide students through applying what they learned using real-world projects. Graduates can take advantage of NYIM’s “free retake” option, which allows them to retake the course for free for up to one year to refresh or further develop skills.
Live online courses are a great option if you don’t live in the NYC area. Because the class is happening live, it works exactly like an in-person class: you’ll be able to ask questions, interact with your instructor and classmates in real-time, and even receive direct feedback on your work using screen-sharing software.
NYIM offers many options for learning Microsoft Project and the other programs in the Microsoft Office suite. In their Microsoft Project Level I course, students learn essential project management concepts and the fundamentals of using Microsoft Project to manage projects. Some of the Project skills that graduates will develop include defining projects, creating and organizing tasks, analyzing task relationships, creating a work breakdown structure, creating a resource calendar, resource management, creating baselines, sharing project plans, and finalizing project plans. Graduates earn a Certificate of Completion, which is sharable on Linkedin and your Project Manager Resume.
NYIM’s Microsoft Project Level II covers more advanced techniques, including managing multiple projects. Instructors guide students through hands-on projects to develop skills using Microsoft Project to execute a project, monitor progress, control a project plan, create progress reports, and use advanced customized features. Graduates earn a Certificate of Completion to share on their Project Manager resume or Linkedin.
If you want to study project management or pursue project management education hours toward CAPM Certification, you should consider a course like Noble Desktop’s Project Management Bootcamp. A PMP-Certified instructor trains students in project management theories and methodologies to help them launch a new career as Project Managers. Topics covered include the Project Management LifeCycle, project scope, project planning, resource management, risk management, financial management, team management, and becoming a professional Project Manager.
How to Learn Excel
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