Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Microsoft Office Project and EPM Vision Workshop
Presented by Microsoft in partnership with QuantumPM

Join QuantumPM and Microsoft for an exciting Workshop that focuses on Microsoft Office Project and an approach and overview of Enterprise Project Management (EPM). The day begins with a Microsoft Office Project Tips and Tricks session that focuses on best practices to help you leverage Microsoft Office Project more effectively. This session answers key questions through demo, discussion and illustration. The afternoon continues with a conceptual approach and an overview to EPM.  Join us to gain insight into this approach, understand lessons learned by other organizations and how your organization can successfully implement EPM!  EPM is all about your organization, how you work, what you accomplish, and what’s essential to you and what drivers you feel make projects successful.  Understand your Processes and How you Work. Learn How the Product can facilitate that process/project. The day is designed to be filled with interesting conversation and fun giveaways! Continental breakfast and lunch provided.

Session Details:

Session 1: Microsoft Office Project – Key Tips and Tricks   
This session focuses on best practices and tips & tricks to help you leverage Microsoft Office Project more effectively.  The session will begin with tips on scheduling projects, such as setting up key options and settings in Microsoft Office Project. This will ensure your project plan is well poised for the type of project you are managing, the results you are expecting, and ultimately how you will communicate project data throughout the life of the project.  Key questions we will answer in this module include:  What are some of the new Project Options? What are the Benefits of Using Project Templates? How do I Create a Work Break Down Structure? What are the Differences when using fixed: Duration, Work, and Units? What are Task Dependencies and how do I link tasks between different projects? How do I show the calculated the Critical Path? What are the “best-practices” for using Constraints? How do I Level Specific Resources? How do I Create or Use Baseline Data, and other mysteries about Earned Value? How do I Apply Progress to Projects, Tasks and Resources? …… And More.

Session 2:  Microsoft Office Project – Key Tips and Tricks – Focus on Resource Management  
This session focuses on best practices and tips & tricks to help you manage resources using Microsoft Office Project and Project Server 2003. The session will begin with an introduction to best-practices for managing resources within individual project schedules, then transition to using the Enterprise Global Resource Pool to manage resources across multiple projects for the enterprise. Key questions we will answer in this module include:   What are the options for defining and using resources? Is there a difference between “local” vs. “enterprise” resources? How can I see the resource load and remaining availability within my project? Why should I use “Generic” resources? Show me the steps I take to replace resources. What’s the best way to update my project with actual work? When I replace a resource with accumulated “actuals”, what happens to the remaining work? Why would I use “committed” vs. “proposed” resource types? Can I level resources across multiple projects? How can I do what-if project delivery simulations for projects with overloaded resources? Show me the best ways to analyze resource work loads and future availability.

Session 3: A Proven Approach for Success:  An Introduction to EPM
EPM is all about your organization, how you work, what you accomplish, and what’s essential to you and what drivers you feel make projects successful.  You need to identify, understand and plan how to manage your unique processes and activities with project management. This session will provide you with a conceptual approach and an overview to EPM.  Join us to gain insight into this approach, understand lessons learned by other organizations and how your organization can successfully implement EPM!
Understand your Processes and How you Work
Learn How the Product can facilitate that process/project
Plan and Envision your implementation of resource and enterprise project management

To Register:  http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/eventdetail.aspx?culture=en-US&eventid=1032272580&x=13&y=12

Please RSVP for this invitation-only event by calling 877.MSEVENT (877.673.8368) or visit http://msevents.microsoft.com/ and search for Event Code 1032272580.

Thursday, April 28, 2005
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(Breakfast and Registration at 8:30 a.m.)
Microsoft Corporation
3 Park Plaza, Suite 1800
Irvine, CA  92614
949.263.3000
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/info/usaoffices/southernca/orangecounty.mspx 

This is an AMAZING site.  Microsoft IT is publicizing how they deploy certain technologies, and not all of them are ‘ours’.  I strongly recommend people take a look at this site for products that they may be interested in hearing "best practices" for:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/msit/webcasts.mspx

Here are some examples of what’s coming up:

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How Microsoft IT Deployed Office Live Communications Server 2005

Tuesday, March 8th 8:00AM – 9:00 AM Pacific Time
Indheran Pillay, Microsoft IT Service Manager
Discussion about how Microsoft IT designed and deployed the live communications platform at Microsoft. Microsoft Office Live Communications Server uses industry standard Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to provide presence information, encrypted real-time communications, a single namespace across trusted forests, and integration with Microsoft Office and other collaboration programs.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032267763&EventCategory=5&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

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How Microsoft IT Microsoft Develops an Operations Manager 2005 Custom Management Pack (Level 200)

Tuesday, March 22nd 8:00AM – 9:00 AM Pacific Time
Mark Pohto, IT Senior Technologist, Microsoft Corporation
The Microsoft Information Technology (Microsoft IT) group supports internal line of business (LOB) applications. To improve monitoring of these applications and to help reduce downtime, Microsoft develops custom management packs for the LOB applications and deploys them to Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) servers inside Microsoft IT. This session examines the process that Microsoft IT uses and recommends to plan, develop, and deploy custom MOM management packs.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032269920&Culture=en-US

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How Microsoft IT Does Security Enhancements for Remote Access (Level 300)

Tuesday, March 29th 9:00AM – 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Patrick Garwood, IT Senior Systems Engineer, Microsoft Corporation, and Brent Atkison, Remote Access Manager, Microsoft Corporation
How can you improve the remote access security in your Windows–based IT infrastructure? Join this webcast to learn how Microsoft IT has dealt with remote access security with the latest generation of Microsoft products – Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003, Internet Authentication Service, Internet Security Accelerator 2004, Microsoft Operations Manager 2005, SQL Server 2000, Public Key Infrastructure & Certificate Services, and Connection Manager. The solution deployed, called Secure Remote User (SRU), enables Microsoft IT to manage specific remote desktop configurations, ensuring that all established security requirements are met when remote users access corporate network resources. 

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032268556&Culture=en-US

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For more information please visit the How Microsoft Does IT Webcasts landing page http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/msit/webcasts.mspx

WEBCAST:  Tips and Tricks for Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
Are you finding effective collaboration among team members difficult to achieve? Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, a key feature of Microsoft Windows Server 2003, takes file storage to a new level, providing community Web sites for team collaboration and making it easy for users to work together on documents, tasks, contacts, events, and other information. SharePoint Services also enables you to read and edit all of a site’s collaborative content within Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003. Join us for this informative webcast to learn how you and your team can get more out of Windows SharePoint Services and make collaboration the engine of team productivity.

http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?CMTYSvcSource=MSCOMMedia&Params=%7eCMTYDataSvcParams%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ID%22+Value%3d%221032269889%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ProviderID%22+Value%3d%22A6B43178-497C-4225-BA42-DF595171F04C%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22lang%22+Value%3d%22en%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22cr%22+Value%3d%22US%22%2f%5e%7esParams%5e%7e%2fsParams%5e%7e%2fCMTYDataSvcParams%5e

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This is one of the many Technology webcasts that we do on a daily basis.  If you are interested in seeing a list of the more than 1000 webcasts available, or you are interested in keeping up to date with the latest webcasts that we deliver, visit:
Microsoft Technet Webcasts Directory:
http://www.microsoft.com/events/webcasts/ondemand.mspx

A Proven Approach to Adopting Quality Management Initiatives like Six Sigma or APQP
Webcast: Wednesday April 6th
9:30am to 10:30am PST

Pcubed’s Enterprise Quality Management Solution (EQMS) provides the framework for streamlining new quality management methodologies like Six Sigma or APQP.  Pcubed’s best practices approach drives up program returns by addressing four critical areas: strategy, people, processes, and technology. The solution gives a single view of all quality management initiatives, and provides effective tools for optimizing resource management, helping to increase team productivity.

Join us to learn how EQMS can provide you the ability to easily track, measure and analyze all of the projects in your organization. And take advantage of the special offer for qualified Webcast attendees, an Envisioning Workshop valued at over $1,000!      

http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032271049&EventCategory=2