Advanced Microsoft Project
Advanced Microsoft Project is a hands-on course in Project desktop, from dependencies, constraints and critical path analysis and levelling over-allocated resources to setting baselines, tracking progress, analysing earned value and building S-curve reports. It suits project managers, engineers who track site progress and PMO staff who report project status to management.
- Duration12 hours · 2 days
- FormatOnsite / live online
- Next roundOn request
- CertificateIncluded
Course overview
Many people can already build a plan in Microsoft Project, but the plan stops being useful once the project is under way. Dates do not move when work slips, one person ends up with more work than hours, nobody knows which tasks are on the critical path, and nobody can tell management how far behind schedule or over budget the project is. Project has the tools for all of this, provided it is set up and updated in the right way.
This course builds on the basics of Microsoft Project on the desktop, covering dependencies, lead and lag, constraints, task types and WBS, advanced critical path analysis, resource rates, work contours and levelling over-allocated resources. Learners then set baselines and a status date, record progress and costs, analyse earned value, design reports in Project and build an S-curve in Excel, with an explanation of the current Project product line now that Project Online has been retired. (2 days, 6 hours per day, 12 hours in total, Intermediate to Advanced level.)
What you’ll gain
- Understand the current Microsoft Project product line and choose the right tool for a project
- Control the schedule with dependencies, lead, lag, constraints, deadlines and task types
- Analyse the critical path and slack to find what is delaying the project
- Set resource rates and work contours, and level over-allocated resources
- Set a baseline and status date, and record progress and costs correctly
- Analyse earned value with CPI and SPI, and design reports in Project
- Send timephased data to Excel and build an S-curve report
Who this course is for
- Project managers and project coordinators who already plan in Microsoft Project
- Engineers and site supervisors who track project progress and costs
- PMO staff and anyone who prepares project reports for management
- Anyone who has completed a basic Microsoft Project course
Prerequisites
- Able to build a plan in Microsoft Project, such as entering tasks and durations and linking tasks
- A basic understanding of Gantt charts and assigning resources
- Able to build basic tables and charts in Excel
- A Windows laptop that can run Project desktop and Excel
Curriculum
Course Details
This is the 2026 edition of the Advanced Microsoft Project course. It runs for 2 days, 6 hours per day, 12 hours in total (09:00-16:00), hands-on with sample project files, at Intermediate to Advanced level. The content has been rewritten from Project 2016/2019 for today's Project desktop, both the version included with Planner and Project Plan 3 or 5 and Project Professional
2024, adding slack and task path analysis, Team Planner, resource levelling and earned value with CPI and SPI. It also explains that Project Online was retired on 30 September 2026 and that Project for the web has been folded into Microsoft Planner. Learners need their own or their employer's licence for Project desktop. Learners take home the course handbook, sample project files and an Excel S-curve template.
Day 1 Advanced Scheduling and Resources
Section 1: Microsoft Project in 2026
- Project desktop in Planner and Project Plan 3 or 5 compared with Project Professional 2024
- The retirement of Project Online, and Project for the web folded into Planner
- Choosing Project desktop or Planner to suit the size of the project
- A review of the project calendar, working time and project file settings
Section 2: Lab: Dependencies, Lead, Lag and Constraints
- The four dependency types FS, SS, FF and SF, and choosing the one that matches the real work
- Lead and lag time to overlap or space out tasks
- Task constraints such as As Soon As Possible and Must Start On, and their effect on the plan
- Lab: adjust a sample construction plan with lead, lag and deadlines
Section 3: Lab: Task Types, WBS and Recurring Tasks
- Fixed Units, Fixed Duration and Fixed Work, and the formula Work = Duration x Units
- Effort-driven scheduling and what happens when resources are added or removed
- WBS codes and outlines for the work breakdown structure
- Lab: set task types and WBS codes for a sample plan
Section 4: Lab: Advanced Critical Path Analysis
- Total slack and free slack, and what they mean for managing the project
- Showing the critical path and multiple critical paths
- Task Path: trace the predecessors and successors of a selected task
- Task Inspector to find why a task starts later than expected
- Lab: analyse and shorten the project along the critical path
Section 5: Lab: Advanced Resources
- Cost rate tables with several rates, and rates that change over time
- Resource calendars and individual leave
- Work contours such as front loaded and bell
- Lab: set pay rates and contours for the project team
Section 6: Lab: Levelling Over-allocated Resources
- Find over-allocation with Resource Usage and Resource Graph
- Team Planner: move work between people by drag and drop
- Automatic resource levelling and levelling options
- Lab: fix over-allocated resources without delaying the project
Day 2 Tracking the Project, Costs and Reports
Section 7: Lab: Baselines and Recording Progress
- Set a baseline and an interim plan, and re-baseline only the added tasks
- Status date and Update Project
- How %Complete differs from %Work Complete, and actual work
- Lab: record three rounds of progress on a sample project
Section 8: Lab: Tracking Costs and Earned Value
- The cost table: baseline cost, actual cost and remaining cost
- Earned value: PV, EV and AC, and their field names in Project
- CPI, SPI, cost variance and schedule variance
- Lab: analyse earned value and summarise the project's status
Section 9: Lab: Designing Reports in Project
- Built-in reports: dashboards, resources, costs and in progress
- Build a new report with charts and tables, choosing fields and filters
- Save reports for reuse, and set up the page before printing or exporting to PDF
- Lab: design a project status report for management
Section 10: Lab: Building an S-Curve in Excel
- Timephased data in Task Usage and Resource Usage
- Send data to Excel with Visual Reports or by copying from a usage view
- Build an S-curve comparing plan, actual progress and cumulative cost
- Bring the chart back into Project alongside the Gantt chart
- Lab: build an S-curve for the sample project
Section 11: Lab: Customising Views, Fields and Indicators
- Create your own tables, filters and groups, and combine them into a view
- Custom formula fields and graphical indicators that show status as colours
- Format the Gantt chart, timescale and timeline
- Lab: build a traffic-light status view for progress meetings
Section 12: Workshop: Tracking a Project from Start to Finish
- Workshop: plan a small real project, set the baseline and assign resources
- Record progress, fix over-allocation and analyse earned value
- Produce a status report and an S-curve to present
- Wrap up with good practice and a project tracking checklist
Schedule & training options
For individuals — public rounds
No public rounds are open right now. Join the waiting list and we will contact you first when the next round opens, or ask us on LINE. Or call 02-570-8449 or 088-807-9770
For organisations — in-house / private
- Tailor the content to your team’s tools and projects
- Your dates, at your office or live online
- Quotation with tax ID for procurement
Instructors
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between lead time and lag time in Microsoft Project?
Both apply to task links. Lag time adds a gap so the next task starts later by the time you set, for example waiting three days for concrete to cure. Lead time lets the next task start before the previous one finishes, so work overlaps and the schedule is shortened. In Project, lag is entered as a positive value and lead as a negative value, or as a percentage of the predecessor.
What is earned value analysis, and what does it show about a project?
Earned value analysis compares three values: the planned value of work (PV), the value of work actually done (EV) and the actual cost (AC). Together they show whether the project is ahead of or behind schedule and over or under budget. An SPI below 1 means behind schedule, and a CPI below 1 means over budget. In Project you need a baseline and a status date before these values are calculated correctly.
How do you create an S-curve report from Microsoft Project data?
Set a baseline and record progress first, then send timephased data such as weekly baseline cost or work from Task Usage to Excel, either with Visual Reports or by copying from a usage view. Calculate cumulative values and plot plan against actual as line charts. The result is the S-shaped curve used to track project progress, which can also be shown next to the Gantt chart.
Who is the Advanced Microsoft Project course for, and what should I know beforehand?
It suits project managers and coordinators who already use Microsoft Project, engineers and supervisors who track progress and costs, and PMO staff who report to management. You should be able to build a plan in Project, understand Gantt charts and basic resource assignment, use Excel, and have a Windows laptop that can run Project desktop.
What will I be able to do after the Advanced Microsoft Project course?
You will be able to control the schedule with dependencies, lead, lag, constraints and task types, analyse the critical path and slack, level over-allocated resources, set baselines and record progress, analyse earned value with CPI and SPI, design reports in Project and build an S-curve in Excel. Participants who complete the training receive a Certificate of Completion with its own number, which can be verified online.
Can the Advanced Microsoft Project course be run in-house for our team?
Yes. It can be run in-house for your team, with the sample project adapted to your own work, such as construction, system installation or IT projects. You can request a quotation from this page, or contact us on LINE @itgenius or by phone on 02-570-8449.