Start using MS Office Project -> training necessity or not for a supposed good level IT consultant?

[Eric P.]

Hello,
Just a little question about MS project (professional version): Is this
soft (I do not know it) usually difficult to use for a skilled
computer/IT person not specifically trained to it? Does usually a good
level senior IT consultant who:
- has a good background in project management,
- use other standard pack office soft,
- but has never used this specific MS Project soft before,
.... absolutely need to have a specific training to use MS project or
can his client reasonably expect him to start rapidly to use basic
function without specific training ? and improve progressively?
PS: the question is not whether MS project is a good tool or not.
Thank you very much in advance for your reply.
Please excuse my English mistakes (French speaker).
Regards,
Eric

 

[John]

Hello,
Just a little question about MS project (professional version): Is this
soft (I do not know it) usually difficult to use for a skilled
computer/IT person not specifically trained to it? Does usually a good
level senior IT consultant who:
- has a good background in project management,
- use other standard pack office soft,
- but has never used this specific MS Project soft before,
... absolutely need to have a specific training to use MS project or
can his client reasonably expect him to start rapidly to use basic
function without specific training ? and improve progressively?
PS: the question is not whether MS project is a good tool or not.
Thank you very much in advance for your reply.
Please excuse my English mistakes (French speaker).
Regards,
Eric

Eric,
Of all the MS Office apps, Project is probably most user unfriendly and
difficult to learn. It is not intuitive. A good background in Project
Management helps but it will not guarantee a short learning cycle. The
best way to learn Project is by taking a class from a reputable
instructor who has years of Project experience. Then you must use it on
a regular basis to really get a feel for how it works.

Project can be self taught, but be prepared to make a ton of mistakes
(more than other applications) and get very frustrated.

John
Project MVP

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

At the very least, buy a book on Project (they're all reasonably good for
beginners) and walk through with Project hands-on
A course is faster!

 

[davegb]

Eric,
Of all the MS Office apps, Project is probably most user unfriendly and
difficult to learn. It is not intuitive. A good background in Project
Management helps but it will not guarantee a short learning cycle. The
best way to learn Project is by taking a class from a reputable
instructor who has years of Project experience. Then you must use it on
a regular basis to really get a feel for how it works.

Project can be self taught, but be prepared to make a ton of mistakes
(more than other applications) and get very frustrated.

John
Project MVP

I think you're wise to be asking these questions. I agree with what
John said and will add that the scheduling process done "intuitively"
will yield only slightly better results than no schedule at all in most
cases. To do really effective scheduling, you need to do "Critical Path
Method" scheduling, which, though not complicated, is certainly not
intuitive. This is what Project is really intended to do. If someone is
paying you to schedule, I'd strongly advise you to find a Project class
taught by someone who understands CPM and can teach it to you. Then
learn as much as you can about Project Management, which is a whole lot
more than just scheduling. The scheduling part interacts with the Risk,
Quality, Communications, Sub-contract Management and the rest of the
other parts. IOW, it's not something that just anyone can come along
and do well from the start without training and practice. That's why so
many companies now require certification before they will hire someone
as a PM. There have been a lot of expensive disasters! It depends a lot
on what your "good background in PM" is. If all you've managed is some
local IT projects, and what you're being asked to do is an enterprise
wide, cross-functional non-IT effort, then you could be in way over
your head very quickly!

Hope this helps in your world.

 

[Steve House]

Seconding (thirding?) what John and Dave have said. From the standpoint of
the simple mechanics of working the software, anyone with experience in MS
Office apps will pick it up quickly. But from the standpoint of developing
project schedules that actually make sense and are workable, it requires a
good deal more non-intuitive knowledge of how the software's functionaloty
meshes into formal project management methodology and in many cases a
fundamental attitude readjustment as to just what the software is intended
to do in the first place. And there are some pitfalls, counter-intuitive
behaviors, and non-sensical default settings that a good instructor can
guide you through that will help you avoid wasting many expensive working
hours. The cost of a formal course with a competent instructor (and by no
means are all instructors competent) will be money very well spent.