Appendix B: What s Next?

If you’ve completed most or all the chapters in this book, you’re well on your way to mastering Microsoft Office Project 2003. However, one book can only get you so far. To help further your Project and project management knowledge, here are a few sources available to you.

Joining a Project Learning Community

If there’s one thing we can say about Project users, it’s that they 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, to critique project plans, and to share best practices. If there isn’t such a group in your organization, you might well start one.

In the public realm, there are many Project user groups around the world. These groups typically meet on a regular basis to share tips and tricks about Project. For example, in the Puget Sound area in the northwest United States, where the authors live and work, there’s an active Microsoft Project User Group (MPUG) chapter that meets most months for informal idea sharing and for formal presentations by industry experts. Joining a user group is a great way to broaden your exposure to Project usage; it also can be a great source for informal product support, training, and career networking.

Here are a few places where you can investigate Project user groups and related resources:

• The official Project area of the Office Online Web site at microsoft.com includes a variety of tools from Microsoft and other Project users to help you manage your projects. Find it on the Web at www.office.microsoft.com

• The Microsoft Project Users Group (MPUG) offers both free and subscription-based information about a variety of Project and project management resources, as well as a directory of Project user groups around the world. Find it on the Web at www.mpug.org

• Msproject.com is an independent clearinghouse of information about Project. The Web site contains links to a variety of resources that would interest any Project user. Find it on the Web at www.msproject.com

• The official Project newsgroup offers help and discussions with other users of Project, including Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs). You can use any newsreader software to access this newsgroup. To view or subscribe to this newsgroup, point your newsreader to news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.project