Course Review: MS Project 2016 Live Lessons – Excellent Course for Mastering MS Project in both Traditional and Agile Environments

By Sanjeev Kaushal, PMP

I recently purchased the MS Project 2016 Live Lessons course, which has both traditional (waterfall) and Agile content. It has been an invaluable learning experience for me. 

The course provides a well-structured approach to understanding how MS Project, which can be effectively used for traditional project management and also for Agile project management.

What I Liked?

Following are the ones I liked most about the course.

Comprehensive Content: The course covers everything from Traditional and Agile fundamentals to advanced MS Project features.

Practical Approach: It has hands-on exercises and real-world examples helped me grasp key concepts.

Clear Instructions: The instructor explains complex topics in a simple and easy-to-follow manner.

Great for Project Managers: The course is perfect for anyone managing Traditional or Agile projects and looking to streamline planning and execution.

My Key Takeaways 

I now feel confident using MS Project to manage Traditional and needed Agile workflows, track progress, and improve team collaboration.

I highly recommended for professionals looking to enhance their project management skills with Agile methodologies. 

Features in this Course

Following are the unique and distinct aspects of this course.

1. Hands-on Practical Approach

The course includes real-world scenarios, case studies, and interactive exercises to ensure learners can apply their knowledge in actual projects.

2. Seamless Integration of Traditional and Agile with MS Project

Along with the traditional MS Project courses, this course specifically focuses on how Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, etc.) can be implemented within MS Project.

3. Step-by-Step Guidance

The instructor breaks down complex Agile and MS Project functionalities into simple, actionable steps, making it easy to follow along—even for beginners.

4. Balanced Focus on Traditional and Agile Methods

This course is well-suited for hybrid project managers as it provides insights into how with MS Project you can manage both Waterfall and Agile approaches.

It covers Agile-specific tools such as Sprint planning, task boards, burndown charts, and backlog management, making it suitable for Agile project managers as well.

Brief Profile: Sanjeev Kaushal, PMP 

Current Role: Project Manager with over 10 years of experience in Software Development.

You may also like:

• MS Project 2016 Live Lessons - Guaranteed Learning or Your Money Back
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Articles on MS Project:

• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in Traditional and Agile Life Cycles with MS Project
• Understanding Velocity in Agile Approaches with MS Project
• Product Prioritization Techniques in Agile Development with MS Project
• Working with Multiple Baselines in MS Project
• 9 Ways to Check Critical Tasks in MS Project
• How to Create an Agile BurnUp Chart with MS Project (Part 1)
• How to Create an Agile BurnUp Chart with MS Project (Part 2)
• Agile Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) with MS Project 2013/2016 
• 'Formula Bar' and 'Entry Bar' - Two Different Functionalities in MS Project
• Five Important Tips - Setting Up MS Project 2013
• MS Project 2016 Brings New Agile Features

 

Scrum at Scale with CIPSA: The Dos and Don’ts

In a recent international webinar series, I presented the unique CIPSA framework and the associated CIPSA certification. This is the only certification in the world with hands-on, practical applicability for both Scrum at Scale and Kanban at Scale. 

Certain questions came up about the dos and don'ts while using the CIPSA Scrum Framework using the MS Project Agile software tool. One keen participant asked: We don't have 100% dedicated team members. They work in multiple projects. Will the CIPSA Scrum framework, work? 

To know the answer to the above question and other aspects, you can watch the concluding part of the webinar series here. The webinar series was conducted by MPUG in collaboration with ManagementYogi.

In this article, we will explore a simple set of dos and dont's. For in-depth explanation, and understanding with certification, you can use this course.

The Dos

Do # 1: Make extensive use of the available custom fields in MS Project Agile.

MS Project Agile comes with a number of custom fields related to text, number, flags and others. You can take advantage of this. For Scrum at Scale, while using multiple teams, make liberal use of custom fields in place of typing yourself every time. 

Example: Team custom field for Resources.

Important Note: The CIPSA framework can be used with other software tools, which provide scaling capabilities. It's not tied to one specific tool at all.

Do # 2: Segregate resources across multiple Scrum Teams. 

This applies to both Scrum and Kanban teams. You can segregate the resources with the help of built-in or custom fields based on their groups. But always remember, it’s a single CIPSA team!

Example: Grouping PO group. PO stands for (Team) Product Owner.

Do # 3: For every Individual Scrum Team, have a separate Scrum Board view.

In MS Project Agile, there are many Board Views to manage your Scrum projects at Scale. There are views such as Sprint Planning Board view, Sprint Planning Sheet view, among others. For Scrum at Scale, you should have separate views for your individual Scrum teams. 

However, the collective Scrum board view for the entire CIPSA team will be one. 

Again, many software tools provide separate board views for individual Scrum teams. They can be definitely used with the CIPSA framework.

Do # 4: For every Individual Scrum Team, have separate tables and filters. 

For Scrum at Scale using the CIPSA Scrum Framework, there will be commonalities among the individual Scrum teams, but there will also be differences. Because individual team choices can differ.

Don’t consider all teams to be equal and give flexibility with respect to tables and filters.

Do # 5: Have fully-dedicated CIPSA Scrum team members.

One of the characteristics of successful Scrum teams is to have fully dedicated team members, who are 100% available. The CIPSA Scrum Team Members should be 100% available. 

The Don’ts

Don’t # 1: Don’t go scaling without a strategy. 

Scaling and strategy go hand-in-hand. If you don’t have a strategy, but are still scaling, it’s unlikely to succeed. If you don’t have a strategy, then you also don’t need the roles of Chief Product Owner (CPO) and Principal Scrum Master (PSM).

Don’t # 2: Don’t hire people only for skills, but primarily for attitude.

Skills are needed. However, it's the attitude, first and foremost, which will determine the altitude for Scrum at Scale. You need people who have the capacity to build, take a lot of pains and setbacks. It’ll happen during the initial period.

Don’t # 3: Don’t forget to nurture talent.

Nurture talent and have one-to-one meetings with key people. It’s very important, but rarely done. This is really needed as Agile development demands intense collaboration and trust. 

Don’t # 4: Don’t use the wrong software tool to scale your Scrum projects.

The CIPSA Framework supports both Scrum and Kanban. It also is capable of taking any software tool which can handle scaling. 

If you’re especially using the CIPSA Scrum Framework, then choose the right software tool, which can scale. MS Project Agile is capable of handling Scrum at Scale and provides sufficient features to do so. Hence, this tool is specifically used.

Don’t # 5: Don’t have too many tools. The lesser, the better.

The focus of Scrum at Scale is also delivering working software or working products. The focus is not on having multiple tools. In fact, the fewer the number of tools, the better. 

If you use 5 or 10 tools to manage, it’s not really Agile!

Get CIPSA certified – Heavy on practice, but light on your pocket

The CIPSA framework is not only the simplest possible framework in the world, but also practical, hands-on and in-depth. It’s very light on your pocket.

This certification is not in thousands of dollars… not even hundreds. With much less, you can become a CIPSA. As the above section headline says: it’s heavy on practice, but light on your pocket. 

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To find out more about the CIPSA Scrum Framework, you can download the CIPSA Framework Guide. It’s free to download. 

For in-depth understanding with hands-on scaling, be a CIPSA certified professional.

Certified In Practical Scaled Agile

• Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA) Course – Practical and Economical

Mastering MS Project Agile 

• Mastering MS Project Agile Course – Hands-on, In-depth

Webinar: Upcoming PMBOK 8th Edition and Artificial Intelligence (AI) – A Comprehensive Introduction

 

In two articles written in early January, 2025, I’ve briefly outlined how Artificial Intelligence has been introduced into the new and upcoming PMBOK Guide, 8th edition. Currently, the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition is in draft form and was made available for public comment in December, 2024.

Artificial Intelligence and its usage in project management are beginning to take shape. A number of small to large AI projects are being launched. It's not just by large organizations that will provide the AI “electricity” for everyone, similar to cloud computing.

Rather, as I’ve observed and experienced with various AI tools, mostly large language models (LLMs), AI will also be powered by smaller companies that have their own AI “electricity supply.” I’ve noted it in another recent article on the upcoming PMBOK guide, 8th edition and AI. 

In AI projects, project managers will play an important role. Many areas of project management such as schedule management, cost management, risk management, and resource management etc. can benefit from the support of AI.

The Project Management Body of Knowledge or the PMBOK Guide from the Project Management Institute is one of most widely used guides for project management. If you are a PMP, an aspiring PMP or a project management practitioner, this upcoming event on April 30, 2025, is a must-attend.

In the PMBOK Guide, you not only have Artificial Intelligence as a specific tool and technique (AI) but also related ones.

In my upcoming webinar, we are going to cover many aspects of PMBOK and will see the entry of AI into the guide. It’ll be a comprehensive introduction. This will be conducted by Master Projects for Unlimited Growth (MPUG). 

Join us in this webinar to know more on PMBOK Guide, 8th edition and its integration with AI related content.

The links are noted below. Registration is closed. 

Webinar: The New PMBOK Guide and Artificial Intelligence – A Comprehensive Introduction

• Date: April 30, 2025
• Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST/EDT, US
               09:30 PM - 10:30 PM, IST, India
• Duration: 1 hour (60 minutes)
• Registration: https://mpug.com/event/the-new-pmbok-guide-and-artificial-intelligence-an-introduction/

You will learn the followings:

• The Upcoming PMBOK Guide, 8th edition - What's New?
• PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition – Principles 
• PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition – Performance Domains
• PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition – Process Groups
• The New Process Map in the PMBOK
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• PMBOK and AI - How do they fit together?

It’ll have face-to-face question and answer (Q&A) session. 

Quick Note: The image at the top-left of this teaser was generated by an AI model using a recent photo of mine. The model created the image in the Ghibli style.

Join us for this webinar on the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition and Artificial Intelligence. It's the first such webinar in the world.

References

[1] The New PMBOK Guide – 8th Edition, Project Management and Artificial Intelligence, by MPUG.com 

[2] Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide, 8th edition draft, by Project Management Institute (PMI)

[3] Article: PMBOK8 – First View and Analysis: Process Groups, Performance Domains and Addition of Artificial Intelligence (AI), by ManagementYogi.com

[4] Article: PMBOK8 – First View and Analysis on Agile, Hybrid and More of Artificial Intelligence (AI), by ManagementYogi.com