Project management is one of the most challenging business disciplines imaginable. You are responsible for seeing a particular project through to completion, juggling all the different facets of the operation whilst trying to second guess any complications or obstructions that may affect its smooth running. On top of this, you are required to lead a team that may have varying goals and ambitions that conflict with your aim for the project.

Project management requires a special kind of person with a rare mix of organisational, pragmatic and interpersonal skills and, even then, any additional guidance and advice is essential.

This is where Microsoft Project comes in. A purpose built tool to aid project managers in the structural design and evolution of their given task, MS Project is the most effective program of its kind. One of its most useful aspects is the Project Map.

The Project Map is essentially a road map for your project, identifying the key stages and providing tips and advice for each step of the journey. It is broken down into three broad stages - Build a Plan, Track and Manage a Project and Close a Project - and within these stages are further subdivisions dedicated to all conceivable phases and actions within the plan.

The Build a Plan stage guides you through the initial decisions crucial to your project's success. From the start it is vital to be clear about your project's objectives, assumptions and constraints.

At this stage, one of the key documents to be drawn up is a scope management plan. This document analyses any changes or compromises that may possibly need to be made throughout the project and identifies contingency plans for such circumstances.

Moving on from this, Microsoft Project can then help you to estimate costs, calculate viable work schedules and aid you in procuring resources.

Track and Manage a Project is primarily concerned with the progress of the project and comparing the rate of progress with pre-determined progress goals. By saving a number of different tracking documents within Microsoft Project, it is possible to keep track of any issues occurring on the project and react accordingly to resolve them.

Microsoft Project will also allow you to choose various methods of data collection in order for you to exchange task status with colleagues. It is at this stage that you can begin to adapt and update the plans devised in the Build a Plan phase of the project in light of incidents occurring during the task.

Close a Project is highly useful for establishing what went right and wrong during the project and building up a valuable document of 'lessons learned' for future projects. This document is also important for administrative closure and tying up any lingering tasks from the end of the project.

This summary barely scratches the surface of how Microsoft Project can be of vital assistance to even the most experienced project manager. There is a wealth of indispensable information contained within MS Project that can only be satisfactorily unlocked by enrolling on a training course.