Who this book is for

Microsoft Project Step by Step (covering Project Online Desktop Client) is designed for use as a learning and reference resource by home and business users of Microsoft programs who want to use Project to create and manage projects more efficiently. The content of the book is designed to be useful both for people who have previously used earlier versions of Project and for people who are discovering Project for the first time.

The Step by Step approach

The book’s coverage is divided into parts representing general Project skill sets. Each part is divided into chapters representing skill set areas, and each chapter is divided into topics that group related skills. Each topic includes expository information followed by generic procedures. At the end of each chapter is a series of practice tasks you can complete on your own by using the skills taught in the chapter. You can use the practice files that are available from this book’s website to work through the practice tasks, or you can use your own files.

Download the practice files

Before you can complete the practice tasks in this book, you need to download the book’s practice files to your computer from MicrosoftPressStore.com/MSProjectSBS/downloads. Follow the instructions on the Downloads tab.

You can open the files that are supplied for the practice tasks and save the finished versions of each file. If you later want to repeat practice tasks, you can download the original practice files again.

The following table lists the practice files for this book.

E-book edition

If you’re reading the e-book edition of this book, you can do the following:

• Search the full text

• Print

• Copy and paste

You can purchase and download the e-book edition from the Microsoft Press Store at MicrosoftPressStore.com/MSProjectSBS/detail.

Adapt procedure steps

This book contains many images of the Project user interface elements (such as the ribbon and the program window) that you’ll work with while performing tasks in Project on a Windows computer. Depending on your screen resolution or window width, the Project ribbon on your screen might look different from the one shown in this book. (If you turn on Touch mode, the ribbon might display some commands in a different layout.) As a result, procedural instructions that involve the ribbon might require a little adaptation.

Simple procedural instructions use this format:

• On the Task tab, in the View group, select the Gantt Chart button.

If the command is in a list, our instructions use this format:

1. On the View tab, in the Data group, select the Filter arrow and then, in the Filter list, select Summary Tasks.

If differences between your display settings and ours cause a button to appear differently on your screen than it does in this book, you can easily adapt the steps to locate the command. First select the specified tab and then locate the specified group. If a group has been collapsed into a group list or under a group button, select the list or button to display the group’s commands. If you can’t immediately identify the button you want, point to likely candidates to display their names in ScreenTips.

Multistep procedural instructions use this format:

1. On the View tab, in the Resource Views group, select the Resource Sheet button to display the Resource Sheet view.

2. On the View tab, in the Data group, select the Tables button and then select Cost.

The instructions in this book assume that you’re interacting with on-screen elements on your computer by selecting (with a mouse, touchpad, or other hardware device). If you’re using a different method—for example, if your computer has a touchscreen interface and you’re tapping the screen (with your finger or a stylus)—substitute the applicable tapping action when you interact with a user interface element.

Instructions in this book refer to Project user interface elements that you select or tap on the screen as buttons and refer to physical buttons that you press on a keyboard as keys, to conform to the standard terminology used in documentation for these products.

When the instructions tell you to enter information, you can do so by typing on a connected external keyboard, tapping an on-screen keyboard, or even speaking aloud, depending on your computer setup and your personal preferences.

How to get support & provide feedback

The following sections provide information on errata, book support, feedback, and contact information.