Project management: Gantt, resources, milestones, critical path, planning.
Before starting, we run a 1-minute tech check — microphone, ambient noise, connection. If your setup isn't good enough, the test is fully refunded.
Prove your Microsoft Project skills in 15 minutes: Gantt charts, critical path, resource leveling, baselines — tested by an AI examiner that won't let you get away with buzzwords.
The Plume Microsoft Project badge certifies your ability to plan, track, and optimize projects using one of the most widely deployed project management tools in enterprise environments. The 15-minute oral exam digs into the features that separate real practitioners from occasional users: building a Gantt chart with Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, and other dependency types, identifying and managing the critical path, assigning and leveling Work, Material, and Cost resources, setting task constraints, and reading the Tracking Gantt alongside Task Usage and Resource Usage views. The AI examiner responds to your answers in real time, probing deeper whenever your response hints at a knowledge gap.
Unlike a self-declared LinkedIn skill or a checkbox on a resume, this badge is backed by a full vocal exchange analyzed by Claude Opus, which produces a structured report with a 0-to-100 score and one of four proficiency levels: Novice, Proficient, Advanced, or Expert. Because the examiner adapts its questions based on what you say, there is no shortcut: someone who genuinely knows the difference between total float and free float, or who can explain why resource leveling can shift a formerly non-critical task onto the critical path, will consistently outscore someone reciting terminology.
This badge is built for project managers, PMO analysts, program coordinators, consultants, and engineers who use Microsoft Project regularly and want a credible, verifiable proof of that proficiency. It's especially valuable when applying for roles in IT, construction, defense, or manufacturing — sectors where Project is still the planning tool of choice — or when responding to RFPs that require demonstrated scheduling tool expertise.
Here are the concrete dimensions the AI examines during the 15-minute oral.
Building a well-structured Gantt with all four dependency types (FS, SS, FF, SF), lag and lead times, summary tasks, and a logical WBS hierarchy that reflects real project phases.
Identifying the critical path, reading total and free float, explaining how a delay on a near-critical task can shift the schedule end date, and applying CPM reasoning to real project decisions.
Assigning Work, Material, and Cost resources, detecting over-allocations in the Resource Usage view, and resolving them through manual or automatic leveling without breaking the critical path.
Defining milestones, selecting the right constraint type (Must Start On, As Late As Possible, etc.) for each scheduling situation, and understanding how constraints interact with dependencies.
Saving and comparing multiple baselines, entering actual work and percent complete, reading the Tracking Gantt variance bars, and diagnosing schedule slippage against the original plan.
Navigating between Gantt, Network Diagram, Calendar, and Resource Sheet views, creating custom tables and filters, and using grouping to prepare data for steering committee reports.
Setting up fixed and variable costs, reading BCWP, BCWS, and ACWP fields, interpreting the Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) to forecast project health.
Understanding the differences between Project Standard, Professional, Project Online, and Project for the Web, and knowing how to export to Excel or XML and sync with SharePoint task lists.
Final scoring is performed by Claude (Anthropic), which reads back the full transcript and applies this weighted criteria grid.
Ability to build a coherent schedule using dependencies, constraints, milestones, and WBS structure. This is the core of day-to-day Project usage and carries the highest weight.
Fluency with resource assignment, over-allocation detection and resolution, leveling options, and the downstream effect of resource decisions on the critical path and project cost.
Correct use of baselines, progress entry methods, variance analysis in the Tracking Gantt, and interpretation of EVM indicators to support data-driven decisions.
Knowledge of available views, tables, filters, and groupings, plus the ability to tailor the display for different audiences such as sponsors, resource managers, or procurement teams.
Understanding of Project's different editions, integration with Microsoft 365, and practical judgment about when to use which features in real-world enterprise or consulting environments.
A Plume session takes about 20 minutes, from tech check to badge delivery.
The AI confirms your microphone is working, the room is quiet, and your connection is stable. No content questions yet — this step just makes sure the session runs smoothly from the first real question.
The examiner asks you to briefly describe your background with Microsoft Project: the types of projects you have managed, the edition you use most, and your general role. This calibrates the difficulty of what comes next.
The core of the exam. The AI works through scheduling (dependencies, critical path, constraints), resource management (assignment, leveling, over-allocation), and project tracking (baselines, actual progress, earned value). It follows up on your answers to explore grey areas and avoid surface-level responses.
You are given a realistic scenario: for example, a key resource is 150% over-allocated on a critical task and the project is already 3 days behind its baseline finish date. Walk the examiner through how you would handle it in Project.
Claude Opus reads the full transcript and delivers your score out of 100, your proficiency level, and a detailed breakdown by dimension. Your badge appears in your Plume profile within 10 minutes of finishing the exam.
Your score out of 100 translates into a level a recruiter can grasp at a glance.
You can open Microsoft Project, enter a list of tasks with start and end dates, and produce a basic Gantt chart. Dependencies, resource assignments, and the critical path are largely unfamiliar, and you rely on default settings without adjusting constraints or task types.
You build schedules with Finish-to-Start dependencies, assign resources to tasks, spot the critical path highlighted in red, and save a baseline before the project kicks off. You track progress by entering percent complete, but earned value metrics and advanced leveling options are still areas to develop.
You apply all four dependency types, set task constraints deliberately, resolve over-allocations through leveling, and read CPI and SPI to assess project health. You create custom views and tables for reporting and can explain scheduling trade-offs to stakeholders who don't use the tool themselves.
You manage multi-project environments with shared resource pools and subprojects, write custom field formulas, run real-time earned value analysis, integrate Project with SharePoint or Project Online, and coach team members on advanced features. You make deliberate edition choices based on organizational governance requirements.
No degree or years of experience required to take the badge. Here are the profiles it makes the most sense for.
You need a verifiable proof of your Project skills to win a contract, pass a technical screen, or satisfy a client's staffing requirements. The badge gives recruiters and clients something concrete to point to beyond your resume.
You consolidate multi-project schedules and resource pools, and you want to demonstrate that you use Project's advanced features — not just the basic Gantt view. The badge validates the depth of your planning expertise.
You have a PMP, CAPM, or master's degree in PM and have used Project in coursework or internships. The badge gives your application a credible signal of hands-on tool proficiency that stands out against more experienced candidates.
In your sector, Project is often required for scheduling project phases or industrial ramp-ups. The badge confirms you go beyond basic task entry and can handle resource constraints and critical path analysis on the job.
Clients browsing your Upwork, Malt, or LinkedIn profile can't verify your past project experience directly. A scored, time-stamped badge with a shareable URL closes that trust gap without a lengthy reference process.
Where and how your Microsoft Project badge will help you day to day.
A systems integrator is placing a project manager at a large enterprise client that requires validated Project expertise. The candidate shares their Plume badge URL before the technical interview, cutting the screening step from the process entirely.
A consulting firm responding to a government tender needs to prove that its proposed project manager can operate the mandated scheduling tool. The Plume badge provides a time-stamped, third-party-verified credential that slots directly into the technical proposal.
A junior PMO analyst wants to make the case for a promotion to senior project manager. She shares her badge score and the detailed competency report in her performance review, showing measurable evidence of readiness rather than self-assessment.
Before enrolling in a PMP boot camp or an advanced Project training course, a project manager takes the badge to pinpoint exactly where his gaps are — earned value, custom fields, or resource leveling — so he can focus his study time efficiently.
An independent project manager adds the badge to her Malt and LinkedIn profiles. The numeric score and certified level give prospective clients immediate confidence without needing to call past employers for references.
A learning and development manager has five project coordinators take the badge to map actual proficiency levels across the team. The results drive a targeted training plan: foundational modules for Novices, critical path workshops for Proficient-level staff.
A few minutes to check you have everything you need.
At the end of your session you don't just get a score — here's everything that awaits you.
Get a precise score out of 100 and an official proficiency level — Novice, Proficient, Advanced, or Expert — that reflects your actual command of Microsoft Project, not just a self-reported skill.
Claude Opus produces a structured breakdown of your performance: strengths in scheduling, resource management, and tracking, plus concrete improvement areas to act on right away.
Your exam recording stays confidential and is only accessible to you. You decide what you share and with whom — no third party gets access without your explicit consent.
A unique, verifiable link you can drop into your LinkedIn profile, resume, or technical bid documents so anyone can instantly check your credential without creating an account.
Discover related skills you can validate with Plume.
A 15-min oral exam with an AI, a shareable badge for your recruiters.
Choose this badge · €19.99
