Excel and Project Management Tools Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Project Managers, Project Coordinators and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-PM-118

Before you join: Participants should understand basic project terminology, including scope, milestones, tasks, risks and stakeholders.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Project managers often receive incomplete estimates, changing priorities and progress information held in separate spreadsheets, emails and meeting notes. Without a structured schedule and reliable data, teams struggle to identify critical work, assign accountable owners, forecast resource pressure or explain schedule variance to sponsors. Excel and Microsoft Project can address these issues when they are configured around sound project controls rather than treated as document repositories.

This course develops practical capability in using Excel for project data analysis and Microsoft Project for planning, scheduling, resourcing, monitoring and reporting. Participants build work breakdown structures, estimate durations, sequence activities, create dependency-driven schedules and identify critical paths. They use Excel Tables, formulas, PivotTables, charts and conditional formatting to manage risks, actions, costs and status information. The course also covers baselines, actual progress, schedule variance, resource overallocations and management reporting.

Instructor-led sessions combine concise technical briefings with guided case work based on a realistic project scenario. Participants configure schedules, analyse project data, diagnose planning problems and prepare reports for different stakeholders. They leave with a reusable project controls pack containing an Excel status tracker, risk and issue register, reporting dashboard and Microsoft Project schedule structure that can be adapted for their own projects.

The course suits project managers, project coordinators, planners, team leads and PMO staff who already work with project information and need stronger control over schedules, resources and reporting.

What you will be able to do

  • Build a work breakdown structure and dependency-driven project schedule
  • Apply critical path method analysis to identify schedule-driving activities
  • Configure Microsoft Project calendars, tasks, milestones, constraints and dependencies
  • Assign resources and costs in Microsoft Project to identify overallocations
  • Create Excel Tables, formulas and PivotTables for project control data
  • Produce project dashboards using charts, conditional formatting and status indicators
  • Set baselines and analyse actual progress, variance and forecast completion dates
  • Prepare a project reporting pack for sponsors, teams and governance meetings

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Create credible schedules with visible dependencies and achievable milestones
  • Reduce manual reporting effort through structured Excel project trackers
  • Explain critical path, schedule variance and resource conflicts confidently
  • Produce clearer evidence for escalation and sponsor decision-making
  • Apply repeatable templates to current and future project assignments

For your organisation

  • Improves visibility of milestone dates, dependencies and schedule risks
  • Standardises project status reporting across teams and workstreams
  • Identifies resource conflicts before they affect planned delivery dates
  • Provides auditable baselines for assessing schedule and cost performance
  • Reduces fragmented spreadsheet reporting through consistent project controls

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define the project control information required to plan, monitor and report delivery.

  • Project life cycle controls from initiation through closure and handover
  • Scope statement, deliverables and acceptance criteria defining planning boundaries
  • Work breakdown structure decomposition using the 100 percent rule
  • Milestones, activities and work packages distinguished for reliable schedules
  • RACI matrix roles for project decisions, approvals and task ownership
  • Control accounts linking scope, schedule, cost and reporting information

Participants can structure project data in Excel for accurate tracking, filtering and analysis.

  • Excel Tables created with controlled fields, filters and structured references
  • Data validation lists standardising status, priority, owner and category entries
  • Named ranges supporting reusable formulas and controlled dashboard inputs
  • Sort and filter methods isolating overdue actions and high risks
  • Freeze panes, print settings and layouts for project control sheets
  • Workbook architecture separating source data, calculations and management reports

Participants can use Excel formulas to calculate project dates, status and control indicators.

  • IF, IFS and AND formulas assigning traffic-light project status
  • COUNTIFS and SUMIFS calculations summarising actions, risks and costs
  • XLOOKUP retrieving owner, budget and milestone information from registers
  • WORKDAY and NETWORKDAYS calculating planned dates and working-day variance
  • Date arithmetic comparing baseline, forecast and actual completion dates
  • Error handling with IFERROR for dependable project reporting outputs

Participants can create project registers and dashboards that highlight exceptions requiring action.

  • Risk register fields covering cause, event, impact, owner and response
  • Issue log escalation criteria, due dates and resolution accountability
  • PivotTables summarising risks by rating, owner, workstream and response
  • Conditional formatting highlighting late tasks, tolerance breaches and missing updates
  • Gantt-style Excel charts communicating milestone plans and delivery windows
  • Sponsor dashboard combining milestones, risks, decisions, costs and actions

Participants can configure a Microsoft Project file and enter a structured task plan.

  • Project start dates, calendars and working-time exceptions configured correctly
  • Summary tasks and subtasks entered from an approved work breakdown structure
  • Milestones created with zero duration for governance and decision points
  • Task duration, effort and elapsed duration distinguished for accurate planning
  • Outline codes and custom fields classifying workstreams, owners and phases
  • Notes and hyperlinks recording assumptions, specifications and supporting evidence

Participants can create logic-linked schedules and assess the activities controlling completion dates.

  • Finish-to-start, start-to-start and finish-to-finish dependencies applied appropriately
  • Leads and lags modelled without obscuring underlying delivery logic
  • Precedence diagramming method mapping activity relationships and sequencing constraints
  • Critical path method identifying zero-float activities controlling completion dates
  • Total float and free float interpreted for schedule management decisions
  • Hard constraints reviewed to avoid unnecessary schedule distortion and inflexibility

Participants can assign resources and costs to assess capacity, workload and planned expenditure.

  • Work, material and cost resources defined with appropriate resource types
  • Resource calendars reflecting availability, holidays, shifts and part-time patterns
  • Assignment units and effort-driven scheduling interpreted before workload adjustments
  • Resource Sheet rates establishing labour costs and standard charging assumptions
  • Resource Usage views identifying overallocations by person, task and period
  • Resource leveling options assessed against schedule dates and delivery priorities

Participants can baseline a plan, record progress and interpret schedule performance.

  • Baseline saved after approval to preserve planned dates, work and costs
  • Status date established as the reference point for progress reporting
  • Actual start, actual finish and remaining duration updates entered consistently
  • Percent complete and physical percent complete distinguished for control purposes
  • Tracking Gantt comparing baseline bars, current dates and slippage
  • Schedule variance analysed through missed milestones, float erosion and forecasts

Participants can produce concise, evidence-based reports for project teams and sponsors.

  • Weekly status report structured around achievements, exceptions, decisions and next steps
  • RAG criteria defined with measurable thresholds and escalation requirements
  • Milestone trend analysis showing forecast movement across reporting periods
  • Microsoft Project reports presenting work, costs, milestones and resource status
  • Excel dashboard extracts tailored for sponsors, project boards and team leads
  • Narrative commentary separating facts, impacts, assumptions and requested decisions

Participants can select and apply Excel and Microsoft Project controls to a current project need.

  • Schedule quality checklist reviewing logic, constraints, milestones and calendars
  • Excel register and Microsoft Project schedule aligned through common identifiers
  • Change control log recording scope, schedule, cost and resource impacts
  • Exception-based reporting focusing attention on tolerance breaches and decisions
  • Data quality checks finding missing owners, invalid dates and duplicate entries
  • Personal application plan selecting controls for immediate workplace implementation

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Microsoft Project schedule template
  2. Excel project status dashboard
  3. Risk and issue register template
  4. Work breakdown structure template
  5. Schedule quality checklist
  6. Project reporting pack

Who should attend

  • Project Managers — need reliable schedules, controls and stakeholder reporting
  • Project Coordinators — maintain project plans, trackers and meeting actions
  • Project Planners — develop logic-linked schedules and assess schedule impacts
  • PMO Analysts — consolidate portfolio data into consistent project reports
  • Team Leaders — plan team commitments and monitor delivery dependencies
  • Business Analysts — track requirements, actions and implementation milestones

Skills and tools covered

Project schedulingExcel data analysisCritical path analysisResource planningProject cost trackingStatus reporting

Tools and standards

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, Work Breakdown Structure, Critical Path Method

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings followed by guided configuration and analysis tasks in Excel and Microsoft Project. Case work follows a project from scope definition through scheduling, resourcing, progress updates and sponsor reporting. Participants work individually and in small groups to examine dependencies, resolve resource conflicts, interpret variance and present project status. Simulations introduce changes such as delayed tasks, revised estimates and new risks. Each participant completes an application plan for transferring selected tools and templates to a live project.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic project terminology, including scope, milestones, tasks, risks and stakeholders. They should be comfortable using a computer and performing routine spreadsheet tasks such as entering data, formatting cells and saving files. Prior experience of Microsoft Excel is helpful, particularly simple formulas and sorting, but advanced functions are not assumed. No prior use of Microsoft Project is required. Participants do not need formal project management certification, advanced mathematics, programming knowledge or previous experience building critical path schedules.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need basic familiarity with project terms and routine computer use. Simple Excel experience is useful, but prior Microsoft Project use and formal project management certification are not required.

Bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Project installed where possible. You may also bring a non-confidential project plan, tracker or reporting challenge to use when preparing your application plan.

It is designed for project managers, coordinators, planners, PMO analysts, business analysts and team leaders. It is most useful for people who must turn project information into controlled schedules and clear management reports.

General project management courses focus on methods, governance and leadership across the project life cycle. This course concentrates on applying project controls through Excel and Microsoft Project, including schedules, resources, baselines and reporting.

Participants can use the templates and techniques for a current project plan, risk register, action tracker or sponsor report. The final module helps participants identify the controls to introduce first and the data needed to sustain them.

The programme provides approximately 32.5 contact hours across five 08:30-16:30 training days. Time is divided between Excel project controls, Microsoft Project scheduling and resourcing, progress tracking, reporting and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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