Free course · Project management

Microsoft Project for Planning Engineers

This free course teaches Microsoft Project desktop the way planning engineers use it on construction, MEP and plant jobs. You set up calendars and a work breakdown structure, link tasks, read the critical path, level resources, save a baseline, record progress and read earned value. ProjectLibre is shown as a free way to practise. It suits planners, project coordinators and site engineers who are asked for a programme. It supports applications for planning roles, but it cannot promise a job.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Sample certificate for Microsoft Project for Planning Engineers

Sample certificate. Optional, issued when you pass the final exam.

Level: Beginner
Modules: 15
Video: 12 hours
Price: Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Set up a Project file with calendars, build a work breakdown structure, enter durations and choose task types, link tasks with lags and leads, apply constraints and deadlines with care, read the critical path and slack, assign and level resources, save a baseline and track progress to a status date, read earned value in cost units, build views, filters, custom fields and one-page reports, and hand a schedule to Primavera P6 users through XML.

Set up a plan with calendars, a work breakdown structure, summary tasks and milestones
Choose task types and enter durations, dependencies, lags and leads
Use constraints and deadlines with care and audit a plan for hidden dates
Find the critical path and calculate total, free and negative slack
Assign work, material and cost resources and level an overloaded crew
Save a baseline, track progress to a status date and read the variance
Calculate planned value, earned value, SV, CV, SPI and CPI in cost units
Build views, filters and custom fields, print reports and hand a schedule to P6 users as XML

Software

Microsoft Project desktop for Windows, as in a Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 subscription or the Project 2024 one-time edition; the scheduling steps are the same from Project 2019 on. Microsoft offers no trial of the one-time editions: the supported way to try Project before buying is a trial of Planner and Project Plan 3, whose terms Microsoft sets and changes. ProjectLibre is a free open-source option that opens .mpp files, and the notes show every step that works in it. Project for Mac does not exist; Mac users need ProjectLibre or a Windows machine. Project Online was announced to retire on 30 September 2026 and is not used.

Hardware

A Windows computer for Project desktop, or any computer that runs ProjectLibre.

Syllabus

15 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

1Start here: the Project workspace, project information, calendars and options2 lessons
2Work breakdown structure: summary tasks, outline levels and milestones3 lessons
3Durations, task types and effort-driven scheduling2 lessons
4Dependencies: finish-to-start, lags, leads and the logic of a schedule2 lessons
5Constraints and deadlines2 lessons
6The critical path, total slack and free slack2 lessons
7A construction schedule from scratch: the warehouse fit-out2 lessons
8Resources and assignments: work, material and cost resources1 lesson
9Overallocation and resource levelling3 lessons
10Baselines, progress and the status date3 lessons
11Cost units and earned value in Project3 lessons
12Views, tables, filters, groups and custom fields3 lessons
13Reports, dashboards, printing and exporting3 lessons
14Handing a schedule to Primavera P6 users, and ProjectLibre as the free option3 lessons
15Final Assessment0 lessons

How it works

How this course works

Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Simon Sez IT
the Project 2019 workspace tour, summary tasks, dependencies, critical paths, constraints and deadlines, resource sharing and the report lessons
Skills Factory
a 14-minute run through a first plan, used as the order-of-work overview
TechnoCivil
the worked examples of fixed units, fixed duration and fixed work task types
ITsEasyTraining1st
what the effort-driven setting does when a resource is added
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
setting constraints and deadlines, and the short automatic levelling demonstration
Dale Howard Microsoft Project MVP
negative slack and what causes it
Engineering Academy
the 90-minute step-by-step construction schedule build
Indigo Software
a Project 2024 start-to-finish plan showing the current screen
PM Expert
resource levelling step by step, and the custom fields, tables, filters and groups tour
Tom Stephenson
a second explanation of resource levelling and the order Project uses
Alvin the PM - Become a Certified Project Manager
saving a baseline and updating progress
Project-O-Metric
tracking the schedule, and planned and actual percent complete
Prime Project Control
earned value management in Project, and the Project to Primavera P6 conversion
EasyMSProject
finding cost and schedule variance in the Project columns
Performance with Project
custom fields with drop-down lists
NextGen Learning
creating a custom filter
Project Management Solutions
converting a Project file for Primavera P6
ACM - Administrative Controls Management, Inc
moving files in both directions between P6 and Project

Jobs

Jobs this course can lead to

The skills in this course are used in quality and project engineering work, for example as a planning engineer, a project planner and a project coordinator. No course can promise a job, and employers also look for experience, so read what live adverts ask for.

Browse Quality, projects and operations jobs
563 jobs live on the UK board

Questions

About this course

Last reviewed 1 November 2026.

Do I need to buy Microsoft Project to take it?

No. You can follow every lesson in the free ProjectLibre, which opens Microsoft Project files, and use the vendor trial if you have access to one. Menu names in the lessons are those of Microsoft Project desktop.

Is it useful if my firm uses Primavera P6?

Yes. The planning logic is the same in both tools, and one module covers handing a schedule to P6 users. Many UK contractors ask for one of the two, and our separate Primavera P6 course covers the other.

Is the certificate a Microsoft certification?

No. The optional £19 certificate is an EDWartens certificate of completion with a public verification page. It is not issued or endorsed by Microsoft and it is not a regulated qualification. Every lesson is free without it.

What is the Microsoft Project for Planning Engineers course?

It is a free-to-learn course that teaches the Microsoft Project desktop workflow used by planning engineers on construction, MEP and plant projects: calendars, the work breakdown structure, task types, dependencies, constraints, the critical path, resources, baselines, progress, earned value in cost units, reports and handing a schedule to Primavera P6 users. You learn from curated video lessons by named creators plus EDWartens notes, worked problems and an optional project.

Who is this Microsoft Project course for?

It is for site, planning, MEP and civil engineers, project coordinators and graduates who must build or read a project programme. No scheduling experience is needed. You should be able to use a Windows computer and a spreadsheet.

Which version of Microsoft Project does the course use?

It uses Microsoft Project desktop for Windows, as in a Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 subscription or the Project 2024 one-time edition. The scheduling steps are the same from Project 2019 on. Project Online was announced to retire on 30 September 2026 and is not used; Microsoft's pages were checked on 1 November 2026.

Can I learn Microsoft Project for free, and is there a trial?

The lessons, notes and practice are free to learn on EDWartens. The software is Microsoft's: it offers no trial of the one-time editions, and its supported way to try Project is a trial of Planner and Project Plan 3, whose terms Microsoft sets and can change. ProjectLibre is a free open-source program that opens .mpp files, and the notes show the steps that work in it.

Should I learn Microsoft Project or Primavera P6?

Many planning jobs ask for both, and one does not replace the other. This course teaches Microsoft Project and shows how to hand a schedule to P6 users as XML, and the separate Primavera P6 course on this site teaches P6. If you must choose first, read the job advert you want and learn the tool it names.

How long does the course take?

About 8 hours of video and around 12 hours in total with the notes, worked problems and practice tasks, at your own pace. There are 14 study modules and a final. The first module is about 40 minutes.

What jobs does Microsoft Project knowledge lead to?

It is a core skill for planning engineer, scheduler, project coordinator, project controls and construction manager roles, which are advertised in many regions, including the Gulf. The course covers the knowledge used in that work. It does not promise a job.

Civil and structural engineer