How MS Project can cut costs, increase productivity

While the phrase “digital transformation” refers to a more strategic approach to using technology for day-to-day and backroom operations, sometimes using relevant software could reap instant benefits.

We asked our resource person, Donnie Baje, about how MS Project could accomplish this. Here’s his list:

1. MS Project allows project managers to keep track of task start dates and deadlines. With many interrelated tasks in an organization, it is very easy to lose track of dependencies and due dates. MS Project helps you with this. For example, construction companies can keep track of different phases of their project. If a delay happens in one of the tasks, MS Project will adjust the dates of the succeeding tasks that rely on the delayed task.

2. MS Project monitors if you have available resources that you can still maximize. Instead of having too much idle time, a completely and correctly filled out MS Project file can inform project managers of employee free times. Burnout is also reduced as it prevents over-allocating tasks to someone. Project leads can be aware if he or she is giving too many tasks to a person. Project leads may forget what tasks a person is currently doing so MS Project will warn against too many tasks, or avoid assigning a person to a wrong shift schedule, among other delegation problems.

3. MS Project is one of the most cost-effective tools in project management. It is very easy to learn and could be an excellent stepping stone toward using more sophisticated project management programs. Why purchase software that is thousands of dollars worth per license if the team members are not trained to use the simpler ones? MS Project is more affordable so companies can invest in it first to check and train their teams to be compliant and organized with task management.

4. MS Project interfaces well with other familiar programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. A novice user will not feel strange using the program as it somehow feels like using a program that they may have already used.

5. MS Project also offers many ready-made reports that can be used to track progress, monitor costs and other metrics. Together with MS Excel, it can also perform S-curves to check the effectiveness of the plan in terms of budget, time or resources.

Baje will conduct a workshop titled “Fundamentals of MS Project: Tracking Tasks and Managing Deadlines” on March 13.

There will also be an “MS Excel Advanced” course on Feb. 13-14, which is designed also to help professionals simplify data-driven tasks.

The Inquirer Academy is at 4168 Don Chino Roces Ave. corner Ponte St., Makati City. For more information about the workshops or if you would like to add your input on the article, you may e-mail [email protected], call (632) 834-1557 or 771-2715 and look for Jerald Miguel or Karl Paz, or visit the website at www.inquireracademy.com.