Project Management Tools

Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the questions below with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Now that you have reviewed some of the basic concepts of project management, you will spend the rest of this session getting to know and use the MS Project software. This tool is one of the most widely used tools in project management scheduling. If you haven’t already, be sure to download a copy of the MS Project software. Download options were explained in Unit 1. If you do not have a supporting operating system, other options are available.

For this assignment, complete the following:

Download and install MS Project software.
Open the MS Project application.
Chapter 2 explains Project 2013 and provides you with many different options to create new project files. These include the following:
Blank project: You add all task, resource, and project information
Featured: If you previously created a project from a local or online template
Personal: Personal templates you created and saved
New from existing project: If your new project is similar to another one
New from Excel Workbook: You can import basic task information from Excel
New from SharePoint task list: If you want to manage your SharePoint task list using MS Project
Search for online templates: Available for download if you are online
Your task in this Discussion Board is to access these options and to create a new file using at least 1 option (page 94 in your textbook can guide you through this task). Then, answer the following questions:

What steps do you recommend as a process for creating a new project schedule?
In which situation would you recommend the use of project templates?