Two Approaches to using Microsoft Project: Training and Consultancy
Project management software gives a business a competitive edge. With a clear plan, an organization can allocate resources efficiently and prevent process bottlenecks. However, with a steep initial learning curve when learning the Microsoft Project software, how do you approach an application like Microsoft Project if there is no staff expert?
Training and consultancy are two common methods that organizations used with project management applications.
Microsoft Project Training and Consultancy: What’s The Difference?
When you choose MS Project training, your staff attends courses to learn how to use the software properly and effectively. The end result is having employees with basic skills with which to start using MS Project.
The big different between Project training and consultancy is that with consultancy, an outside expert is brought in to architect the high-level project plan. Consultancy often includes light training so that the staff can make small changes to the project, but major changes require calling the consultant back in.
MS Project Training vs Consultancy: Benefits
The advantage of training is that you now have someone familiar with Project on salary, available at any time without paying an additional consulting fee every time you need a change made. However there is a level of proficiency that can’t come from a classroom. Expertise only comes from using the software for months or years.
It can take a long time to benefit from Project training, and consultancy provides you an experienced specialist right away. A consultant creates a plan more quickly than a newly trained user and provides a solution that is more efficient and balanced. This is great – as long as nothing changes. Changes in strategy or new project planning can require a new round of consultation.
Which Is Better For Your Project?
Training and consultancy are both good choices but depending on your situation, one might be a better choice for your organization.
Training is a long-term investment. When the course is complete, you have someone with the basic skills to complete project planning but it will still take experience before this person becomes a pro. If you are working on a project with a very long duration, or if you are a business that gets involved in multiple complicated projects with clients who come and go, training is probably your better choice.
Consultancy gives you expert-level results in the short-term because you immediately get someone with the experience to provide a strategically designed project plan. However the more changes to a plan or the more new plans you need, the less cost-effective a consultant is. Consultancy is a good choice for a business that needs an initial project plan or a review and polish of an existing plan.
Combine Project training and consultancy to get the best of both worlds. Use a consultant to get started while your employees attend courses. Once the plan is in place, your newly trained employees can maintain and update the project plan and move you toward your project goals.
Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Project training and consultancy, please visit http://www.microsofttraining.net
Microsoft Project Training Courses For Project Management
It is possible to apply project management principles to most activities that we undertake in our daily lives. Whether we are planning to build a house or set up a new business or even offer this service to others. It therefore seems logical to take advantage of any available systems which can aid us in such activities. Microsoft Project is an example of such a tool. If you are unfamiliar with this program or are unaware of all the advanced features that it has to offer, then it may be worth taking a Microsoft Project Training course.
The first step is to identify your level of skill in using Microsoft Project software. If you have had no experience in using this software or feel that you are in need of a recap of the basic principles, then an introductory level course would be most appropriate. It can, however, be a little trickier to decide whether an intermediate or advanced level course is more appropriate.. Are you familiar with how to run the Gantt chart wizard or how to use the variance tables? Do you know how to create a project template? Let us briefly review some of the material that is covered at different levels of Microsoft Project training courses.
Introductory Level
Complete beginners to this software could consider taking an introductory level Microsoft Project Training course. Basic concepts such as opening and closing a project file, creating and modifying a task list and working with filters are usually covered.
Intermediate Level
Intermediate level training material includes management of resources, schedule analysis, project tracking, importing of data and management of multiple projects. The idea is to build upon basic concepts and to develop an understanding of the more complex features of the software.
Advanced level
Microsoft Project training courses at an advanced level aim to enable operation of the software at a sophisticated level. The most advanced functions that are covered include creation of filters, the use of custom fields, PERT analysis and macro features. Project managers can thereby maximize their efficiency and hopefully utilise the full potential of this program.
Having identified your level of ability, the next step is to consider your training options. For the individual, possibilities include e-learning, self-directed learning or instructor-led courses. Courses can be tailored to your specific requirements and even delivered on a one-to-one basis. In addition to the training opportunities mentioned previously, companies can select on-site training which can again be targeted to requirements. It could be said that choosing the right Project Management training course in itself requires a certain amount of personal project management.
Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on MS Project training courses, please visit http://www.microsofttraining.net
How To Initiate A Six Sigma Project
Although one cannot have a project-specific vision right from the very beginning of a Six Sigma initiative, you can develop a comprehensive viewpoint. An all-encompassing viewpoint definitely helps to reach out beyond the scope of the project.
Selecting The Right Project
Six Sigma projects need to be selected with care. Select a project only after you have weighed its pros and cons properly. However, this does not mean that you should not attempt to solve the most pressing problems first, just make sure that you have weighed the constraints properly.
If you want to begin your Six Sigma initiative successfully, then follow the tips given below for project selection.
The first thing to remember is that not all projects will help to save the same amount of money. This will help you to realize that you should not only look at the monetary aspect of a project; the other important features are eliminating draconian procedures, improving employee contentment and the promise of producing a good result that induces further improvement in other projects.
Think carefully while deciding about the placement of Six Sigma “Belts” and other members of the Six Sigma team. This is the team that will ensure that the organization stays on the path of success. You should carefully analyze the cost benefits of recruiting Black Belts from outside as opposed to grooming belts in-house. Whatever the decision, make sure that you earn cost-benefits in the long term and also keep in mind affordability.
For more effective implementation of a Six Sigma project, subdivide the project deployment in two or three phases. The phases can be strategic, tactical and operational, which will methodologically use and follow statistical tools for taking the imperatives beyond the employee level.
Scrutinize The Deployment Strategy
Now that you have identified the project, contemplate the project deployment strategy in the background of both the top and bottom line developments. Once you are done with this, don’t start right away with the implementation – instead try to contrast the projected outcome against the set management goals. You should maintain a checklist that will help you to question the strategic steps involved in all phases.
Unless you execute a draft strategy, you will never know what the real strategy will look like. Another formidable tool that involves a collective opinion for the foundation of the project is brainstorming. This is done so that at no point in time can The Black Belts and the project leaders afford to forget the huge sum of money that has been poured into the project.
Factoring And Monitoring Midway Course Correction
Sometimes a project deviates from its track. If the deviation remains undetected, then it can pose a threat to the entire project. In this case, the internal and external Six Sigma auditing team should conduct regular midway auditing and monitoring, to shed light on the problem and its possible causes. Regular detection is essential to keep deployment efforts from straying in undesirable directions.
Other Initiatives
- The organization should establish a route of communication for the “Belts”
- The organization should establish a core group to execute the findings of the deployment team
- The training of Six Sigma team members should be consistent
- The organization should keep an eye on the execution of the survey of internal customers
Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.
How To Turn Resistance Into Support For Lean Six Sigma
Employees often do not lend their full cooperation and support because they are of the opinion that they will lose their jobs after Lean Six Sigma is finally implemented. Some employees may also think that they may be asked to work more or shoulder multiple responsibilities; as such, they often resist the changes being suggested.
Such confusion reduces employee morale, something that needs to be addressed as soon as possible if the implementation is to be completed within the stipulated time and costs. Explained below are some of the techniques that can be used for turning resistance into support for Lean Six Sigma.
Determining The General Mood Among Employees
First, the objective should be to find what exactly are the employees making of the proposed changes. It is obvious that different employees will have different views on the subject, but since it would not be feasible to consider everybody’s viewpoint, it would make sense to identify a general thought pattern that is apparently affecting the majority. For gauging the general mood, the organization can make use of questionnaires or conduct personal interviews of a selected group of employees.
However, this needs to be done in a proper manner because employees generally fear that what they say can be used against them. To make employees more comfortable and to get the truth from them, it is necessary to make it clear to them that whatever they say will be kept confidential and will have no affect on their immediate job prospects. Further, the organization also needs to ensure that such communication is made by a senior person who commands the respect and admiration of the employees. This is necessary because it is highly unlikely that employees will believe somebody with whom they are not familiar, especially if they think that their jobs are at stake.
Communicating The Facts Through Training
After identifying the main conflict areas, management can plan and conduct specialized training sessions that aim at clearing common confusions and making the employees more comfortable with the idea of change. The employees need to be informed with the help of hard facts and figures so that they start believing in the necessity and importance of the changes being suggested. After the initial introduction, the organization needs to provide the requisite level of training to employees depending on the type of responsibilities they will be required to shoulder after the Lean six-sigma implementations are over.
Employees react indifferently at times, especially when their jobs are at stake, but this does not mean that they do not have a rational mindset. Employees know what is good or bad for them; all they need is proper communication and training that will make them more comfortable with the proposed changes and allow them to embrace new ideas being brought about by Lean Six Sigma implementations.
Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.