Gantt Chart (and other diagrams) as a poster!

In P2ware Planner it is possible to create large files that may be printed on paper sizes such as A1, A0 (or larger). Such diagrams are in many cases great PR tools showing how large and complicated projects are and make it easier to communicate the scope and purpose of the project.

P2ware Planner users can easily create that kind of "posters". The example below presents export of Gantt Chart to the format that can be printed on large sheets of paper.

Step 1: While on Gantt Chart click Print -> Print.

Print

Step 2: In Advanced options of Gantt Chart you may select to print: entire plan, visible range or custom date range.

Advanced Gantt print settings

Step 3: Click Print Preview button in Print View Options. You may use Page Setup menu to change scale and orientation. In order to export image click Export to -> Image File.

Print Preview

Step 4: Change dpi to higher value, e.g. 500. Click OK to save file.

Change DPI

Step 5: Gantt Chart in png file is ready. 

Gantt Chart exported to the file

You may also export other diagrams such as Network Diagram, Product Breakdown Structure, Product Flow Diagram.

Product-based planning technique (short introduction)

Product-based planning is a technique that is slightly different from "traditional" and quite popular way of creating plans. In most medium or large projects one does have to use some tool to create a plan that includes at least scope, budget, timing. Most of the tools force users to start straight from activities which makes them think at the same time about timing (when + how long), resources, dependencies and other aspects. The problems here are that we may be easily distracted and loose focus on what is the most important in whole project: the final result of a project. Second most important are all products/results that lead to the final result. That is simply obvious! So why are we doing it wrong?


What is a product-based planning technique?
This is a planning technique that enables planners to create plans that are more accurate, relevant, much faster while not missing any important details.
In product-based planning technique a plan should first define the final product of the plan. Then person creating plan should identify all products that are required to create final product and other products in the plan. Product in this approach is a visible result (not a product in a meaning that something is sold on a shelf). Examples of final products are: Integrated IT system, Built new factory, Upgrade complete, Renovated house, etc. What they do have in common is that all represent final state of a project when all work is completed. One can easily visualize this result. 
Final product (and other products) has to be described in as many details as needed. At the beginning one does not have to dig deep into details. It is enough to provide the most essential details.
Then other products have to be identified, the products that are required to complete the final product. Each of these products can be (and usually is) broken into other products, etc.
While identifying products one can arrange products in a diagram called Product Breakdown Structure - very useful diagram that is helpful in identifying and grouping products.

Product Breakdown Structure

Product Breakdown Structure is important because planner does focus only on results and not on sequence, relations, timing, budget and resources. This is nothing more than identifying, grouping and breaking up products.


Products in products-based planning technique are divided into:

• Specialist products - products that are specific to the project
• Management products - project management documents required by a methodology

Specialist products are further divided into:

• Final product - result of a project
• Simple products - result of some work that has no other children
• Integration products - result of some work that is broken up into other products, i.e. products that have to be completed before one can start work on this product
• External products - a product created outside a plan but necessary for completion of the plan
• Product groups - a product used to group other products that share similar characteristic. This is a product that is not a "real" product, i.e. does not have any quality review and does not require any real work

Product notation on diagrams is presented below:

Final product	Final product in product-based planning
Simple product	Simple product in product-based planning
Integration product	Integration product (with blue arrow) in product based planning
External product	External product in product-based planning
Product group	Product group in product-based planning

Knowing that we may create complete Product Breakdown Diagram. It is important to know that in P2ware Planner 2011 you do not have to describe and identify all product before proceeding to other planning steps.


Having created Product Breakdown Structure (complete as it can be for now) we navigate to Product Flow Diagram. The diagram illustrates the sequence of production or delivery of products. In this step one focuses on the logical relations between products without considering how it is done and when. This step is about specifying which products are needed to create other products.

Sample Product Flow Diagram

Note: in P2ware Planner 2011 all products from Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) are visible on Product Flow Diagram (PFD). The exception are product groups, which are used only to group similar products and does not mean any work to be done (are not "real" products). Also it is important to note that integration products are visible on PFD with their children before them.

Integration product (Handouts) on Product Flow Diagram

While working on Product Flow Diagram planner can add products. This is very likely that one can realize at this point that some other products are needed. Products added here are automatically visible on Product Breakdown Structure.


Products can be described in every moment of working on any view that presents products.


Having complete Product Flow Diagram in P2ware Planner navigate to Gantt Chart view. What you will notice is that Planner creates initial default Gantt Chart for you (they all have a duration of 1 day). It does it by using relations from PFD.

Automatically generated Gantt Chart

It is the moment when you can add other activities or sub-activities, change planned duration and add other relations. Of course this is still a beginning of creating a plan but using this technique it is very likely that one does not skip any important product and relation.


Note: activities that have associated product have black rhomboid in their body.

Product-based planning diagrams
Product-based planning technique uses two diagrams:

• Product Breakdown Structure - this is a diagram on which we identify products asking oneself only one question "what has to be done?".
• Product Flow Diagram - this is a diagram on which we identify sequence in which products are created or delivered asking oneself only one question "which products have to be created before other are?"

Then of course is also Gantt Chart and Network Diagram which are necessary in good plan but were not introduced by product-based planning technique.


Product-based planning - summary
Product-based planning technique is important project management tool that helps create plans much faster while making sure that the plan is more accurate. Planning using the technique requires

• Products identification (final product and other products)
• Product description
• Arranging products in Product Breakdown Structure so that no product is missed
• Having identified all (or most of all) creating Product Flow Diagram which tells which products has to be done in what sequence
• Further description of products

In this post I described the most important aspects of product-based planning. Computer software, such as P2ware Planner, make this technique much easier to use because

• once added product does not have to be added anywhere else,
• it is easier to describe products to the extent the project requires (in every detail or only briefly),
• Planner creates automatically initial Gantt Chart and Network Diagram,
• one can add quality reviews for every products,
• one can easily create work packages that include products,
• and many more reasons :-)

How to import and export plan settings

One of important features of P2ware Planner Suite PM software is customization. Central part of the customization is adjusting plan template to particular requirements. This means that users can add/remove/hide elements of plan description, e.g. add properties, hide not needed properties or formulas, change layout of some windows. As a result plan contains only data that has to be in the plan and nothing more.
It is important to know that you do not have to modify plan description (e.g. add properties) every time you create plan! You have to use plan templates and import plan settings functions. In this post I am going to describe how to import settings to your own plan and send your plan settings (plan template) to someone else without sending plan data.


Scenario 1. Import settings from other plan to your own project plan
Scenario is simple: 
You received useful plan template you want to use in your project, but you have some data in your plan and do not want to enter it again.
Solution is also really simple!

• Step 1: On any view go to Import and Export tab
• Step 2: Click Import Settings button

Location of import settings button

• Step 3: Select plan file in Open file window
• Step 4: Click OK to import settings. Done

The import will not import data, only settings (properties, formulas, perspectives and other similar settings).


Scenario 2. Send settings as an empty plan (a.k.a. create plan template)

Scenario: 
You created plan with real project data. As a user of Planner Premium (or For Project Support Office) you were adding properties and formulas while creating plan - very practical way. Now you want to send plan setting to other co-workers and save settings (without data) as plan template.
Solution:

• Step 1: Save your plan on disk
• Step 2: Create new empty plan
• Step 3: Import settings from you plan (exactly as described above in scenario 1)
• Step 4: Save new empty plan on disk as plan or as a template. When saving plan as a template you may describe it (author, name, description and even icon). Done

Example of plan template description

PS. In project/programme/portfolio management solutions with Planner Server you may use techniques described here but most likely PSO/PMO (or any project support office) will deliver plan templates via Planner Server.

Upgrades to Planner 2011 explained

All customers with P2ware Planner 2008 and Product Based Planner project management software can upgrade their licences to Planner 2011!


New Planner 2011 versions
There are new licences for Planner 2011 software. Versions are divided into two categories:

1. Licences for desktop only project management solutions - these cannot connect to Planner Server and work in environment that enable users to synchronize projects, work simultaneously on same plans, share resources etc. P2ware described these solutions as single user project management and workgroup project management. Planner versions here are: Standard, Professional, Premium.
2. Licences for enterprise project management systems and integrated with Planner Server - these are used to build project, programme and portfolio management systems with Planner Server. P2ware described these solutions as enterprise project management and integrated project management. Planner versions here are: Enterprise, For Project Support Office, Planner Server.

Software for desktop only project management solutions

Planner Standard	Entry-level project management software. It provides many important project management tools such as product based planning (product breakdown diagram, product flow diagram, automatic generation of network diagram based on product flow diagram), risk and issue registers, cost chart and other.
Planner Professional	The name says it: it is a tool for professional project managers. It has (of course) functionalities such as product based planning, network diagrams, Gantt chart and other project management tools from Standard. Above that it has: advanced resource management, quality management, daily log, lessons log and project reporting.
Planner Premium	It is Professional + two customization views. You may add all required properties, create formulas based on all data types, modify layout of selected windows, custom plan templates.

My recommendation: if you are looking for software that may greatly enhance your project management documentation and plans I strongly recommend Planner Premium 2011 to take advantage of all available views and customization features. Planner Premium is also important software in building project management solutions.

Software for enterprise project management systems

Planner Enterprise	Full featured, advanced project management tool, intended for professional project managers creating and executing plans in an integrated project, programme and portfolio management system - a system with P2ware Planner Server as a central project management application.
Planner for Project  Support Office	The most advanced project management tool intended for project, programme and portfolio support offices which define project management standards in any organisation.
Planner Server	The software designed to manage projects, programmes and portfolios of projects. It is used by both small and large organizations managing projects in a coherent and coordinated way.

How to upgrade your software?

P2ware introduced new licences for P2ware Planner. You may upgrade your software to corresponding Planner 2011 version or to higher one, i.e. upgrade Planner Standard 2008 to Planner Standard 2011 or to Planner Premium 2011 (or other). The diagram below presents mapping licences of Planner 2008 and 2011. For example: Planner Professional 2008 is now Planner Enterprise 2011.

New P2ware Planner project management tools versions

There are two new licences: Planner Professional 2011 and Planner Premium 2011. Planner Professional and Premium are compared here: comparison of Planner project management software. The difference between Professional and Enterprise is that Planner Enterprise is used in integrated project management systems with Planner Server and Planner Professional cannot connect with Planner Server. The same is with Planner Premium. They are for different users.


Upgrade Planner 2008 to Planner 2011
Price list of upgrades from Planner 2008 to Planner 2011 is at the bottom of the page: Price list of P2ware Planner. You may order upgrade here.


Upgrade Product Based Planner to Planner 2008 or 2011
P2ware upgrades PBP to Planner Standard 2008 for free! It means that if you are upgrading Product Based Planner to Planner 2011 you pay for upgrade from Planner Standard 2008 to any other version of Planner 2011. Some upgrades are not available by default. You may order upgrade here.

Planning and control the project manager’s own activities

By Wiesław Kosieradzki.

Introduction

Effective project managers focus on planning and controlling the activities of teams or individuals delivering project products but also on their own activities within the project. This first area is described in numerous textbooks, in PM training and is supported by many tools. Very little has been written on the second area. 

The PM neglecting a key management action can have greater impact on the project than the delivery of a critical path product.

That’s precisely why P2ware’s Planner software features powerful, easy-and-quick-to-use functionality for planning and controlling PM activities using the product-based planning technique, and for defining checklists suitable for any project. Since users can create their own checklists, the software is particularly suitable for PRINCE2®  projects as well as projects managed according to PMBOK® PMI®   or any other standard and method.

Quality assurance for a project manager 

Many organisations around the world have understood and implemented Deming’s “Plan, Do, Check, Act” model. When analyzing the everyday activities of many PMs, the author has found that to ensure quality and productivity in PM, a slightly different cycle has to be followed: Plan, Make It Happen, Check & Forecast, Act.

Plan, Make It Happen, Check & Forecast, Act diagram

The cycle steps are:

Plan what, who, when, where, and at what cost something should be done

Make It Happen 

Check whether:

• Results fulfill the requirements
• Work progresses as planned
• The business case remains valid
• New risks or issues have occurred

& Forecast:

• Benefits from the project
• Resources needed to complete the stage and project
• Costs to be covered
• Finance availability

Act:

• Close the stage or project according to the plan
• or Continue the stage and project
• or Escalate issues
• or Execute an exception or fallback plan
• or Request premature closure of the project. 

This means that in practice the PM has to deliver many management products and to carry out numerous and varied actions. Within the ‘Select the project approach and assemble the Project Brief’ activity, PRINCE2 recommends a set of actions (amongst others) as follows:

Evaluate the possible delivery solutions and decide upon the project approach appropriate to delivering the project product and achieving the outline Business Case:

• Review the Lessons Log for lessons related to the project approach 

• Consider any corporate or programme strategies that are relevant, and put the project in context with any other work or corporate initiatives by establishing external dependencies and prerequisites 

• Consider any corporate or programme standards or practices that should apply (in a commercial customer/supplier context there are likely to be different standards and practices which need to be accommodated) 

• Consider the current thinking about the provision of solutions within the industry sectors and specialist skill areas involved (including any technical options for the development lifecycle for the project product). 

 (Source:  ‘Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2™’, TSO London, 2009)

In the ‘Starting up a Project’ process PRINCE2 recommends more than 120 actions.

So how can the PM plan and control such a huge number of actions? Should he or she rely on memory, or use a traditional or electronic notebook? Even with an electronic notebook it is difficult to access easily and quickly such a list of actions.

Tools for supporting planning and control of the PM’s activities

Checklists are quite useful in planning and controlling many activities, but problems arise when the PM needs to use a large number of checklists.

P2ware Ltd has been developing software tools for project, programme and portfolio management since 2004. It was the first software vendor to fully implement the product-based planning technique, receiving the Microsoft awards ‘Application of the Year 2005’ and ‘Most Innovative IT solution 2008’.

The latest version, ‘P2ware Planner Suite 2011’ features the capability to add a ‘Checklist’ to any plan. A Checklist can consist of default items for all products and activities, and can be edited individually.

To plan and control the PM’s own activity, he or she can create a product breakdown structure (PBS) and a product flow diagram (PFD) with all the management products which he or she is to deliver.

For the PRINCE2 ‘Starting up a Project’ process, such a plan might include:

• Executive role description
• Project Manager role description
• Daily Log
• Project management team structure
• Project Product Description
• etc.

Each management product has its own description defined by PRINCE2, by another method or by a company standard, and requires a number of actions, as shown in the previous section for a project approach.

The screenshots below show the product breakdown structure and the product flow diagram for the PRINCE2 ‘Starting up a Project’ process.

To create or edit a part of a product description, it is sufficient to click on the product on the PBS diagram, and then in the Properties window, on the required property of the product.

Figure 1. The Product Breakdown Structure with visible composition of a product.

To check which of the required actions have been completed or are to be still completed, just hover the cursor on the product. So just by moving the cursor across the product flow diagram one can rapidly check many products within seconds.

Figure 2. Product Flow Diagram with a Project Approach checklist.

To mark a completed action, just select the relevant product and open its checklist, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. The Project Approach checklist

With P2ware Planner Premium or Planner for PSO versions, the user can define as many different checklists or other required properties for plan objects as desired. 

Plans with diagrams and checklists can be stored as templates and made available for other users. Recycling optimized and proven plan objects for use by others, and helping share the experience of fellow project managers, saves time, effort, money and rework. Experienced PMs (with “scars and war stories”, rather than “just badges”) are a scarce and highly valued resource in many organisations. Hence, the Return on Investment (ROI) for the software and its repository of reusable objects built-up over time, can be absolutely huge.

With P2ware Planner Suite 2011, the technology works in tandem with people and processes to create a holistic, coherent PM information system, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Project, Programme and Portfolio Information Management System 

For further information, please visit the P2ware website: www.p2ware.com and download the P2ware Planner Professional Trial version.

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1) PRINCE2® is a registered trade mark of the Cabinet Office

2) PMBOK® PMI® are registered trade marks of the Project Management Institute