Appendix B
Develop your project management skills
If you’ve completed most of or all the chapters in this book, you’re well on your way to mastering Microsoft Project Online desktop client. However, one book can get you only so far. To help further your knowledge of Project and project management, start with the sources in this appendix.
Join a Project learning community
Many Project users love to talk about the program and their work with it and to share ideas with others. Whether you work in a large organization or independently, you’re likely to find a community of Project users nearby.
If you’re in a large organization, especially one with a strong project-management focus, you might find an internal Project user group or support group there. Such groups often meet informally to provide peer training and support, critique plans, and share best practices. If your organization doesn’t have such a group, perhaps you can start one.
In the public realm, many Project user groups exist around the world. These groups share tips and tricks about Project. Joining a user group is a great way to broaden your exposure to Project usage, and it can also be a great source for informal product support, training, and career networking.
The following are some places where you can investigate Project user groups and find Project-related resources:
The Microsoft Project User Group (MPUG) is the official industry association for Project. MPUG offers information about a variety of Project and project-management resources. Find it on the web at mpug.com.
To formally showcase your Project expertise, you can become certified. Certification is available through third parties such as Microsoft partners and training organizations.
The Microsoft and Office websites include a variety of tools and information to help you succeed with Project. Useful pages include these:
The main Project product portal, at https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/project/project-management-software
In-depth blog posts at https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/blog/project/
Project community and support resources, at https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/project/microsoft-project-support
Help within Project Online desktop client on the Help tab of the Ribbon.
Join a project-management learning community
Perhaps more than other desktop programs, Project requires you to be involved in a specific formal activity: project management. Project management can be an exciting mix of technical, organizational, and social challenges. The Project Management Institute (PMI) is the leading organization of professional project management. PMI focuses on setting project-management standards, developing and offering educational programs, and certifying project managers. Of the certifications available, the most widely recognized one is the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—published by the PMI and referred to as the PMBOK Guide—describes generally accepted project-management practices, knowledge areas, and terminology. In addition, the PMI publishes PM Network, the Project Management Journal, and additional guides and standards. You can learn more about the PMI on the web at pmi.org. If you’re professionally invested in the practice of project management, you should be in the PMI.
Tip
Project includes some PMI-related templates that might be of interest to you, including the Project management institute process template. To view these templates, select the File tab, select New, and then select from the list of available templates.
Of course, many worthwhile commercial and nonprofit organizations are dedicated to Project and project management besides those described here. Project enjoys a leading position in the diverse, sometimes contentious, but always interesting world of project management. Wherever you are in your own Project and general project-management knowledge and career development, you can find a great variety of supporting organizations and peers today. We wish you the greatest success!