Comments on: How to Choose a Microsoft Project Training Course http://www.pmhut.com/how-to-choose-a-microsoft-project-training-course Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:52:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Rolf Kühnast http://www.pmhut.com/how-to-choose-a-microsoft-project-training-course/comment-page-1#comment-1163 Rolf Kühnast Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:53:28 +0000 http://www.pmhut.com/how-to-choose-a-microsoft-project-training-course#comment-1163 Having taught MS Project for the past 8 years, I fully agree with Mike's comments. I developed my own MS Project courseware in 2000, and have updated it whenever a new version was released. I generally presented this course, mostly level 1, to a number of government and academic institutions, mostly administrative and acadmic staff that had completed a few days of Project Management theory training. Class sizes ranged from 5 to 20 delegates. My finding support Mike's comments: In a class of 20 delegates, seldomly more than 3 could actually apply what they had learned. I have recently been asked to upgrade my course to MSP 2007, but have decided to discontinue with the course. If someone wants private face-to-face guidance, I will provide this, but only after careful analysis of the client's understanding of Project Management theory, and MS Office. Others, I will tell to buy one of the many good reference books available Having taught MS Project for the past 8 years, I fully agree with Mike’s comments.

I developed my own MS Project courseware in 2000, and have updated it whenever a new version was released.

I generally presented this course, mostly level 1, to a number of government and academic institutions, mostly administrative and acadmic staff that had completed a few days of Project Management theory training. Class sizes ranged from 5 to 20 delegates.

My finding support Mike’s comments: In a class of 20 delegates, seldomly more than 3 could actually apply what they had learned.

I have recently been asked to upgrade my course to MSP 2007, but have decided to discontinue with the course.

If someone wants private face-to-face guidance, I will provide this, but only after careful analysis of the client’s understanding of Project Management theory, and MS Office.

Others, I will tell to buy one of the many good reference books available

]]> By: Mike Greer http://www.pmhut.com/how-to-choose-a-microsoft-project-training-course/comment-page-1#comment-1162 Mike Greer Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:11:30 +0000 http://www.pmhut.com/how-to-choose-a-microsoft-project-training-course#comment-1162 There is absolutely no question re: the first and maybe the only strategy for most people in Learning MS Project. Follow these steps: 1. Acquire a copy of Microsoft Project Step by Step or Microsoft Office Project Step by Step (training disk included) for about $20. 2. Work with this flexible self-study text and its disk at your own pace, learning exactly those features which interest you. I teach basic PM and I am a former instructional designer. And this I know: Trying to learn how to use software in a class, going at everyone else's pace, is almost impossible. This great book (series of books, based on the version you are using) provides the following benefits: * Excellent instructional design and pacing * A disk full of pre-keystroked case study tasks and activities, so you can focus on analysis and operation of Project, instead of avoiding typos and endless keystroking * Small, bite-sized chunks of learning that you can: - repeat as many times as you like - complete at your own pace... AT YOUR OWN PACE... until you comprehend it fully - jump in at any level, skipping some sections you aren't going to be using - low cost (around $20) The best thing I can say about this book series is this: I was doing research to develop my own classroom course on Project when I found these books. I realized that nothing I could ever afford to create for the classroom would be as powerful, as flexible, or as well-designed. So I gave up on my idea. After all, why force my students to spend hundreds of dollars to be dragged along at someone else's pace through content someone else selects, when they can go at their own pace and skip or focus on whatever they choose? And it only costs around $20!! It's a no brainer! To learn Project, get the version of this book that matches your version of Project, then have fun learning at your own pace. There is absolutely no question re: the first and maybe the only strategy for most people in Learning MS Project. Follow these steps:
1. Acquire a copy of Microsoft Project Step by Step or Microsoft Office Project Step by Step (training disk included) for about $20.
2. Work with this flexible self-study text and its disk at your own pace, learning exactly those features which interest you.

I teach basic PM and I am a former instructional designer. And this I know: Trying to learn how to use software in a class, going at everyone else’s pace, is almost impossible. This great book (series of books, based on the version you are using) provides the following benefits:
* Excellent instructional design and pacing
* A disk full of pre-keystroked case study tasks and activities, so you can focus on analysis and operation of Project, instead of avoiding typos and endless keystroking
* Small, bite-sized chunks of learning that you can:
- repeat as many times as you like
- complete at your own pace… AT YOUR OWN PACE… until you comprehend it fully
- jump in at any level, skipping some sections you aren’t going to be using
- low cost (around $20)

The best thing I can say about this book series is this: I was doing research to develop my own classroom course on Project when I found these books. I realized that nothing I could ever afford to create for the classroom would be as powerful, as flexible, or as well-designed. So I gave up on my idea.
After all, why force my students to spend hundreds of dollars to be dragged along at someone else’s pace through content someone else selects, when they can go at their own pace and skip or focus on whatever they choose? And it only costs around $20!!

It’s a no brainer! To learn Project, get the version of this book that matches your version of Project, then have fun learning at your own pace.

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