Training / Assitance

[David RTMK]

I am restaurant owner wanting to harness the power of MS Project. We just
recieved a large injection of capital and we have a plan in place to build 25
restuarnts over the next 4 years. I am looking for some who can help with all
the scheduling needs of a growing company. Where is the best place to look
for someone like this other than Monster. schools? Graduate student? how do
you enter a task? HA Please help!

 

[JulieS]

Hello David,

Are you looking for an experienced project scheduler or are you
looking to gain the skills needed to work with MS Project yourself?
Let us know where you are (Country, Region, City etc.) and perhaps we
can be of more assistance with recommendations for training or
recruiting.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project

 

[David RTMK]

Julie,

I want to learn the basics but what i am really looking for is a graduate
student (or unless you have other ideas) that will specialize in project
management. They must be an expert in MS Project or well on there way. They
could start as part time/hourly and if they do a good job it would turn it to
a full time job. We have 3 restuarnts scheduled this year and once those are
online we will have more GA dollars to spend on this full time job fuction.
All of our growth will be in Texas.
I am based in San Antonio. Please let me know if there is any other info
you need.

Thanks

David

 

[Steve House]

Why a grad student? IMHO, the most important skill a PM has is general
business knowledge and strategic thinking ability. That's hard to find in a
student and very hard to effectively utilize on a part-time, hourly basis.
A PM is first and foremost a manager and the responsibility for the success
or failure of the project rests squarely on his shoulders - don't try shop
for bargains when hiring someone to do it. You can have it done cheap or
you can have it done right but trying to get both at once puts your whole
venture in jeopardy.

 

[JulieS]

Hi David,

Sorry for the delay in replying. I would suggest having some
preliminary conversations with someone in project management in your
area. I'm willing to bet that there is a local chapter of the Project
Management Institute (PMI) in San Antonio which could be a very good
resource and may also be willing to place an advertisement on their
local web site.

I do echo parts of what Steve said as well. You and your company need
to make some decisions about what skills you need -- if you can afford
the time to bring someone along, a relative new comer to the world of
project management may suit your needs. *But* you must be willing to
guide and mentor that person. You cannot expect to place the
responsibility for a major undertaking on the shoulders of someone who
works part time. If on the other hand, you need someone who can
effectively manage a number of complex projects which are critical to
the success of your company, it will cost you more and will take
longer to find the right individual. I'd start by sorting that
information out first, then have a talk about where to find the right
person.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project