What is Microsoft Project?

Microsoft Project is a software application sold by Microsoft that provides project management tools to manage projects. The program, which has many different versions, allows users to:

• Understand and control project schedules and finances.
• Communicate and present project information.
• Organize work and people to make sure that projects are completed on schedule.

Microsoft Project 2010 Features Expert - SharePoint Integration with Project

Microsoft Project 2010 Features Expert - Resource Management

Overview of Microsoft Project

Microsoft originally purchased the software from another company and released its own version in 1985. The most recent version of the software is Microsoft Project 2010.

Microsoft Project allows the project manager to enter the tasks of a project (also known as the "work breakdown structure" or WBS) and assign workers (known as "resources") to those tasks, as well as cost information.

Microsoft Project also provides functionality that allows the user to create reports that communicate the status and progress of a project.

Versions of Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project has several different editions or versions, based on the needs of the users and organization.

Microsoft Project Professional 2010 includes all the capabilities in Project Standard 2010 as well as collaborative features that allow users to work together when the organization is also using Microsoft Project Server 2010.

Microsoft Project Standard 2010 is a single-user edition of the software. This version is targeted toward the desktop user.

Microsoft Project Server 2010 maintains project plan information and data on a server. Project Server allows multiple users to access that data through their client applications, Microsoft Project Professional and Microsoft Project Web Access.

Features Introduced in Microsoft Project 2010

SharePoint synchronization: This feature lets you publish a project schedules as a SharePoint 2010 task list and receive tasks updates from team members and keep the two matching even as one or the other changes.

Manual scheduling: Called "user-controlled scheduling" by Microsoft, this feature lets you set task durations and start and finish dates with point and click.

Placeholder text: Now you can create a project plan even if you don't have all the details yet. Project 2010 lets you enter text notes in Date or Duration fields and update them later when you know the details.

Active and inactive tasks: You can also perform what-if analysis by making tasks active or inactive to see what impact it has on your schedule, resources, and budget.

Timeline view: This view shows the whole schedule in a model that's easy for non-project managers to understand and follow.

Team Planner: This feature lets you drag and drop resources (people and materials) to try out various project scenarios.

Task Inspector: If a task has a scheduling conflict or a resource is over-allocated, this feature lets you fix the problem.

Microsoft Project Resources

Microsoft Project Management Certification: How to Get Started
70-178: Microsoft Project 2010: Managing Projects
70-177: Microsoft Project Server 2010: Configuring
70-632: MCTS: Microsoft Office Project 2007: Managing Projects
70-633: Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Managing Projects
70-634: Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Managing Projects and Programs
70-639: MCTS: Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Configuration