Introduction to Problem Solving with Microsoft Office 2003

1. Introduction to Problem Solving with Microsoft Office 2003 “You’ve got to seize the opportunity if it is presented to you.” — Clive Davis Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

2. About This Book andMicrosoft 2003 • Focus of book • How to use Microsoft Office 2003 to: • Organize ideas and information • Solve business problems • Manage data • Problem-solving concepts and tasks • Microsoft 2003 • Suite of programs including Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

3. Sections of the Book • Organizing and Communicating Information • How to Solve Problems with Excel • How to Solve Problems with Access • Integration • Capstone Projects Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

4. Section 1: Organizing and Communicating Information • Managing files • Conducting business research on the Web • Composing, formatting, and distributing business documents (Word) and presentations (PowerPoint) Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

5. Section 2: How to Solve Problems with Excel • Spreadsheet program used to display, analyze, and manipulate numeric data • Widely used in business to support decision making Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

6. Section 3: How to Solve Problems with Access • Database program used to maintain, organize, and retrieve related data, and then sort, filter, and display the information to serve business needs • Supports decision making Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

7. Section 4: Integration • The ability to share information among programs • Main advantage of using Office • How to make data transportable and universal by using HTML and XML documents on their own and incorporated into Access databases and Excel spreadsheets • How to integrate information from Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access to create sophisticated documents Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

8. Section 5: Capstone Projects • Pose realistic business problems • Ask you to use the tools described in the book to solve the problem Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

9. Taking aProblem-Solving Approach Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

10. Problem Recognition • Recognize and identify the problem • Describe and analyze the problem Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

11. Analyzing the Problem Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

12. Analyzing the Problem • Data gathering • Consider credibility, reliability, and accuracy • Pre-processing • Manipulate data into appropriate format • Cleansing • Identify and correct data corruption • Filtering • Remove data that isn’t useful or necessary Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

13. Problem Statement • Key characteristic • Some missing piece of information is identified that is required to solve the problem or make a decision Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

14. Analyzing the Solution Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

15. Understanding the Problem • What data is needed and what data or information is already known? • Is the data or information reliable and accurate? • What is the likely range of potential solutions? • What types of output are required? (e.g., single value, table, printed report, Web page) Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

16. Formulating a Solution Plan • Plan how to use Office by considering the steps you need to take to solve the problem • Numerical calculation • Determining if data meet specific criteria • Organizing information or results in a specific format • Combining several of these steps • Place data in well-organized, easy-to-understand layouts Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

17. Implementing the Solution • Input data • Process data • Depends on the problem and the proposed solution • Configure desired output Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

18. Implementing the Solution:What You Must Know • Spreadsheets • How to correctly write formulas and functions and use spreadsheet tools • Databases • What kind of information is stored in the database and how it is organized • Business documents and presentations • How to organize and articulate the information so that it meets the needs of your audience Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

19. Evaluating the Solution • Check the results to ensure they are correct Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003

20. Problem • You work in the human resources department of McNamara Construction Inc. a construction company. Although employees receive complete benefit information when first hired , they frequently are unaware of the many benefits available to them other than health insurance. You task is to design a newsletter to keep employees informed of the many benefits provided. • Benefits available • Vacation and sick days accrual policy • Flexible spending accounts • 401 K and retirement benefits • Maternity and Family Paid Leave • Online training for OSHA certifications Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003