(Sun Microsystems, Inc.)(1997).iso/products/NIS/gifs/features2.gif)
GraphicVUE has a extensive list of standard and advanced project management features. These will help you schedule and track the many details involved with developing small to medium-scale projects. With its advanced features, GraphicVUE delivers a complete overview of your project:
Mouse-driven Graphical User Interface (GUI) with Gantt, Color, and Font palettes
Interactive Spreadsheet/Gantt views and PDM/Critical Path Analysis views
Multiple Project Scheduling
View Multiple Projects and Update Simultaneously
Extensive Reporting
Time-scaled Network Diagram
Baseline Comparisons
Cost Tracking
Printer & Plotter Graphics Support
Communications Network Support
Online, Context-sensitive Help
Online Documentation
Cost/Resource Roll-ups Across Projects
Hammocking Function for Single & Multiple Project Summaries
Target Start Date (Forward) & Target Finish Date (Backward) Scheduling
Multiple Work Calendars
User-defined Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Codes
Full Activity Start/Finish Lag Support
Time or Resource-based Activity Lengths
User-defined Activity Fields
Serial and Parallel Multi-Project Processing
Milestone Planning
Online and Telephone Support
Resource Leveling by Projects, Categories, Labels, or across Projects
Resource Labels as Persons, Places, or Things
Resource or Schedule Constrained Leveling
Resource Interdependencies by Calendar
Partial Project Resource Leveling (by date range)
Resource Assignment by Departments
Resource Summarization by Category
Resource Pooling by Projects or across Projects
User-defined Resource Leveling Shifts
Ease of Use -- Team members, project leaders, project managers, and company executives can use GraphicVUE. The mouse-driven windows and menus allow new users to learn the system quickly.
Flexible Data Entry -- Enter activity information through the interactive Gantt display, the PDM network display, or the Spreadsheet. Changes in one display are automatically reflected in other displays.
Gantt/Spreadsheet View -- Enter the activity name and drag the mouse to the Gantt to set the duration and you have started. Change the Gantt, Color, or Font Palettes to highlight information the way you want to see it. GraphicVUE's spreadsheet lets you update activity information and apply resources interactively. Discover time and resource bottlenecks that may delay your project.
PDM Chart with Critical Path/Global View -- Get your project under control with GraphicVUE's interactive PDM network display. Logically lay out your project by pointing and clicking the mouse to add, change or move activities. Intelligent zoom and pan functions make networks of thousands of activities easy to see. Move the Global View widget to enhance a specific area of the PDM.
Activity Information -- The length of an activity can be anything from seconds to years. GraphicVUE tracks over 40 separate types of data for each activity. Just click on an activity in the Gantt/Spreadsheet or the PDM chart to review or update activities. GraphicVUE fully integrates all activities and their dependencies in each project.
Calendar Window -- With GraphicVUE you can display three consecutive months of GraphicVUE's 20-year calendar. Up to 30 different calendars can be specified to support the most complex work schedules.
Resource Histogram -- GraphicVUE provides a visual portrayal of resource usage and leveling. Using GraphicVUE, you can apply resources interactively. One or more projects can be leveled in order to optimize the use of critical resources.
Reports -- GraphicVue's standard reports depict up-to-date reports for on-going project evaluations. A wide selection of reports and graphs will make your project presentations come together quickly and easily. View the graphic reports on-screen to verify their content before printing. Dozens of report criteria options deliver the report specificity you need.
Forward/Backward Scheduling -- Plan a project's completion on a certain start date, or the project start can be planned based on a specified end date.
Time/Resource Based Durations -- Control the duration of each activity by a user-specified time entry or by resource usage requirements. Progress status reporting can be based on resources used, percentage complete, or remaining duration.
Hammocks/Subprojects -- Summarize groups of activities (that is, different project phases) into hammocks (up to five levels). This allows management to check the pulse of a project to high degree of detail. Summarize activities within the same project as hammocks, or specify as separate subprojects.
Multiple Project Management -- Include projects scattered across the organization in multi-project reporting without prior definition as a subproject hierarchy. This facilitates distributed project planning and control. Project information can be combined across directories, networks, and geographical sites.
Cross-Project Dependencies -- GraphicVUE allows scheduling of external dependencies between projects. Managers can see the impact of any one project based on status changes in other projects.
Schedule Roll-ups -- Perform the combined multi-project critical path analysis with dates and durations reported globally or by project.
Cost Roll-ups -- Composite cost reporting over multiple projects, by activity is possible. Resource costs, planned and actual transaction costs, or any user-specified costs can be included in the reports. Totals and subtotals can be generated for groups of activities.
Resource Roll-ups -- Identify resource conflicts among projects quickly. Resource pooling among projects and undercommitment of resources is allowed.
Baseline Schedule -- Establish the current schedule as the baseline schedule at any time. Changes in duration, remaining duration, or activity relationships do not affect the baseline schedule. It can be used to assess actual performance against the original plan.
Lag Support -- The ability to enter lags allows an activity to start before its predecessor is finished. Start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and finish-to-start lags can be used to specify activity overlap. Completion percentage can also be specified (e.g., a successor can start when the current activity is 70% complete).
Resources -- People, machines, warehouse footage, etc. can be assigned as resources to an activity. Resources can be grouped for allocation or reporting purposes. The resource histogram display of planned usage is synchronized with the interactive Gantt display.
Resource Leveling -- Activities can be automatically shifted within available float to reduce peaks and fill in valleys of resource commitment. Resources can be leveled by priority or simultaneously to reduce overloads.
Forecasts -- Performs "What if" analysis on proposed resource and cost allocation changes based on early start versus late start assumptions. Managers can immediately view the impact of proposed changes on a project schedule and/or its costs.
Help -- Context-sensitive help is available for each menu item.
Multiple Calendars -- Establish up to 30 different calendars for a project. Special workdays and non-workdays can be identified. Attach resources, activities, and projects to a specific calendar.
Full Critical-Path Analysis -- GraphicVUE determines a project's critical path by analyzing its activity relationships, dates, resources, and the time required for each step in the process.
© 1997 National Information Systems, Inc.