ACTIVITY Have the participants follow as you explain the toolbars to them. Dialog Explain how MS Project is a powerful calculator and should be used to assist you managing the project. Note that it cannot manage the project without input from a human being who understands the implications of manipulating the data. It does not manage the project for you. If you are a poor project manager, then using MS Project 2000 will probably make you worse . If you are a good project manager then using MS Project 2000 will give you greater control of your project and will increase your ability to communicate the project status. Remind the participants that, as with other Microsoft products, MS Project 2000 has a number of ways of doing the same thing. They will be shown some of those variations in this appendix. Another point to note about MS Project 2000 is that it has been designed to cater for every possible project type and every possible project management style. It does not force you into doing things its way. You can develop and use your own style and MS Project 2000 will fit your way of managing projects. The downside of this, however, is that MS Project 2000 may at first seem rather complicated. There are at least two ways of doing everything in MS Project 2000, and sometimes six or seven. In this course we shall use a number of different ways, and in your own projects you can choose whichever suits you best. Take the participants through each of the toolbars, etc., shown on the top of their screen. Some facilities will have equipment to display the instructor's desktop on a screen for all to see. In this case, have the participants look at the screen. Otherwise, explain each of the toolbars and their contents verbally to the class. The standard MS Project 2000 screen contains a number of different areas: | Menu line | This is a standard Windows application menu. It allows access to all underlying functionality. The menu is in the same format as in other Microsoft Office products. | | Standard toolbar | This is simply a shorthand way of accessing frequently used menu options. The first ten buttons , or icons, are identical for all the Office products. A feature, Tooltips, is available which indicates the function of each icon. To activate this just pause the cursor on a icon. | | Formatting toolbar | This supplies additional icons to the toolbar to help outline your project and format your text. The number and content of the toolbars can be changed. | | Entry bar | This allows editing of your input. | | Status bar | This line is displayed on the bottom of the screen. | | Display options | You can control whether or not you wish the toolbar, the ribbon and the status bar to be displayed. You do this using the Options or Customize commands within the Tools menu. | |
