PDA Software Library/pdasoftwarelib.iso/PSION/MISC/PLAN/PLAN1.TXT

Text File | 1996-07-07 | 28.6 KB | 698 lines

                Plan

                 User Guide

                Version 4.1

Copyright  Andy Clarkson 1995,1996
All rights reserved.

The  information within this manual and the associated software  are
subject to change without notice.

Some  of  the  names used within this manual and  displayed  by  the
software  are registered trademarks. Such names are acknowledged  as
trademarks even though they have not been marked with the  symbol.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION
    1.1 About this manual
    1.2 What is Plan?
    1.3 Installation
        1.3.1 Installation of Plan from a ready to run SSD
        1.3.2 Manual installation of Plan

2. PROJECT PLANNING
    2.1 Fundamental concepts
    2.2 Example
    2.3 Calculation of task start dates

3. FAST START TUTORIAL
    3.1 Creating a new plan
    3.2 Creating a new resource
    3.3 Creating tasks
    3.4 Setting dependencies
    3.5 Summary tasks
    3.6 Updating a task
    3.7 Tracking work done
    3.8 Reviewing a task when it is underway
    3.9 Task end/work/rate calculation
    3.10 Views
    3.11 Example Plan

4. KEY FEATURES

5. PLAN AND RESOURCE FILES

6. VIEWS
    6.1 Task view
    6.2 Task list view
    6.3 Gantt chart
    6.4 PERT chart
        6.4.1 Appearance of the PERT chart
        6.4.2 Positioning tasks in the PERT chart
        6.4.3 Moving around the PERT chart
    6.5 Resource usage view
        6.5.1 Resource work hours
        6.5.2 Resource usage histogram
        6.5.3 Over-allocated resources
    6.6 Holiday view

7. TASKS
    7.1 Standard Tasks
    7.2 Summary Tasks
    7.3 Deleting tasks
    7.4 Masking tasks

8. DEPENDENCIES

9. COST AND USER DATA

10. TASK CALCULATION AND TRACKING
    10.1 Calculation (end/work/rate)
    10.2 Tracking work done
    10.3 Reviewing a task when it is underway

11. MEMOS

12. RESOURCES

13. PREFERENCES

14. PRINTING

15. MODULES
    15.1 Microsoft Project MPX module
    15.2 Postscript module
    15.3 Agenda module

16. COMMAND SUMMARY

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 About this manual

This manual describes how to use Plan for the Psion 3a.

A version of  this manual  which includes  screenshots is  available
from my homepage (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/andyc).

The  installation  instructions within this section  of  the  manual
describe how to install Plan.

The section "Project planning" describes key concepts which are used
throughout  this manual and should be read before the  rest  of  the
manual.  Plan is easy to use, provided that the fundamental concepts
are  understood. This manual should be sufficient in  order  to  use
Plan, however if you are unfamiliar with project planning in general
then  you  may wish to read one of the many books available  on  the
subject.

The  "Fast  start tutorial" section describes the main  features  of
Plan  and provides a quick method of getting up to speed with  Plan.
The  rest of the manual contains detailed information on all of  the
features of Plan.

On-line  help  is available from the help key within  Plan  provided
that the on-line help file has been installed.

1.2 What is Plan?

Plan  is  a  project planning tool for the Psion 3a.  It  allows  an
initial  project  plan to be created and refined  and  subsequently,
when  the  project  is  underway, provides facilities  for  tracking
progress.

A  project  consists of a set of resources, (individuals or  groups)
who  are  assigned to specific tasks within the project. The project
is  split into a number of separate tasks. Each task has a start and
end  date,  an  amount of work, and a number of assigned  resources.
Dependencies  may  be set between tasks, indicating  that  one  task
cannot  start  until another finishes. In this way if  one  task  is
updated  within  Plan, any tasks dependent upon  the  task  will  be
recalculated automatically.

Plan  may be used as a stand-alone project planning tool or  may  be
used  in  conjunction with PC based project planning tools  such  as
Microsoft  Project. When used with Microsoft Project, Plan  provides
an  ideal  means of transporting project plans out of the office.  A
project  plan may be transferred from Microsoft Project on a  PC  to
Plan on the Psion and readily updated "on the move". The project may
subsequently  be  transferred back to the  PC  upon  return  to  the
office.

1.3 Installation

Plan may be supplied either ready to run on a Psion Solid State Disk
(SSD)  or  may  need  to be installed from the  distribution  media,
(usually a 3.5" MSDOS floppy disk).

Before  installing Plan ensure that any previous version of Plan  or
Plan Deluxe has been backed up and removed from the Psion.

1.3.1 Installation of Plan from a ready to run SSD

If  Plan is supplied ready to run on an SSD then insert the SSD into
one  of  the  SSD drives on the Psion. From the Psion system  screen
select  the  "Install" menu option from the "Apps" menu. Change  the
displayed  disk item to refer to the drive which contains  the  Plan
SSD and select the file named "Plan.opa". Press enter to install the
Plan icon onto the Psion system screen.

1.3.2 Manual installation of Plan

If  Plan  is  provided on a floppy disk or you want to install  Plan
onto another Psion drive, such as an SSD, then proceed as follows...

A  typical installation of Plan on the Psion 3a would consist of the
following files:

     M:\APP\PLAN.OPA
     M:\APP\PLAN\PLAN.MSG

     M:\APP\PLAN\PLAN.HLP     (optional)
     M:\APP\PLAN\PLAN.TTL     (optional)
     M:\APP\PLAN\AGN.OPO      (optional)
     M:\APP\PLAN\MPX.OPO      (optional)
     M:\APP\PLAN\PS.OPO       (optional)
     M:\OPD\PLAN.REG          (optional)

     M:\PLN\EXAMPLE.PLN       (optional)
     M:\PLN\EXAMPLE.RES       (optional)

The  above  example shows Plan installed on the internal drive  (M).
Plan may also be installed on a RAM or FLASH SSD in drive A or B.

Plan  requires  between 90K and 150K of disk space for  installation
depending  upon whether the optional files are installed. A  minimum
of  35K  of  run-time  memory is required in order  to  start  Plan,
additional  memory will be required depending upon  the  size  of  a
plan.

Start  the  installation by copying the Plan main  application  file
PLAN.OPA into a directory called \APP on any drive and install  from
the system screen as described in section 1.3.1.

If  you  are installing Plan from a PC using PsiWin and the  message
"Failed  to convert file" is displayed when dragging files from  the
PC to the Psion, then you will need to turn off automatic conversion
of  files. This may be done by selecting the "Conversions" menu item
from  the "Setup" menu in PsiWin. Ensure that "Allow convert on Drag
& Drop between Computers" is turned off.

Create  a  directory called PLAN below the APP directory  where  the
PLAN.OPA  file has been installed.  Copy the Plan message file  into
the \APP\PLAN directory:

     PLAN.MSG

The   remaining  files  which  may  be  installed  provide  optional
facilites. These files may be omitted from the installation  if  you
are short of disk space.

If installing  Plan via a Mac and you get the  message "Incompatible
message file" when first starting  Plan then this indicates that the
PLAN.MSG file  has been corrupted.  The cause of  this is often that
the file has been  treated as a text file rather  than a binary file
when extracting  it from the supplied  ZIP file.  The solution is to
ensure that a file with  extension .MSG is extracted  with a type of
"BINA" (binary file) by setting the preferences appropriately.

If  on-line  help is required then also copy the on-line  help  file
into the \APP\PLAN directory:

     PLAN.HLP

If a registration file, PLAN.REG, has been supplied copy this to the
\OPD directory, otherwise you will need to enter a registration code
using the "Registration" menu option on the "Special" menu when  you
start Plan.

The PLAN.TTL file provides an optional title screen when Plan starts
and may be copied into the \APP\PLAN directory.

If  any  of  the optional plan modules are required then  they  also
should  be  copied  into  the  \APP\PLAN  directory.  The  currently
available  Plan  modules are AGN.OPO, PS.OPO and  MPX.OPO.  See  the
"Modules"  section of this manual for further details  on  what  the
various Plan modules are for.

The  plan  and resource files used by Plan should be kept in  a  top
level  directory  called  \PLN on either the  internal  disk  or  an
external RAM disk. An example project plan, EXAMPLE.PLN, along  with
a  resource file, EXAMPLE.RES, are provided which may optionally  be
installed into the \PLN directory.

This  software is provided as is, without any warranty of any  kind.
The  author and distributor shall not be liable for any loss of data
or damage arising from the use of this software.

1.4 SHAREWARE REGISTRATION

Plan  is shareware, which means that if you continue to use  it  you
should  register  with  the  author.  The  software  may  be  freely
distributed  provided  all  files in the  package  are  included.  A
maximum  of  10 tasks may be entered until the program is registered
by entering a special code via the register menu option.

To register send a 15 UK pounds cheque to:

 Mr. A. Clarkson,
 3 Ashmead Drive,
 Hardwick,
 Cambridgeshire.
 CB3 7XT.
 U.K.

When registering please state the version of the program, (which  is
4.1), and where you obtained the copy. This allows me to check  that
you are using the latest version.

In  return  for  the registration you will receive a  password  code
which  may be entered into Plan. This will remove the 10 task  limit
which  applies to the unregistered version, enabling up to 200 tasks
to  be entered. If you have an email address quote this in order  to
receive the registration code via email more quickly.

For members of Compuserve, Plan may be registered electronically via
the  SWREG  facility (Enter "GO SWREG" and select the file  with  ID
6310).  The  charge  is  US$25 which will be added  to  your  normal
Compuserve bill.

For  users outside the UK the following methods of payment can  also
be accepted:

    Payment in UK pounds            15 UK pounds
    (cash, cheque, eurocheque
    or money order)

    Payment via cash in local    equivalent of 17 UK pounds
    currency (non-UK pounds)        (US$25)

    Payment via a cheque in        equivalent of  19  UK  pounds
    local currency (non-UK pounds)    (US$30)

The  additional charges for non-UK currency is to cover exchange and
bank charges.

For  any  further  information  I can  be  contacted  via  email  at
[e-mail]

2. PROJECT PLANNING

2.1 Fundamental concepts

Plan  allows  a project plan to be constructed from individual  task
components.  Task  and  resource  details  are  entered   into   the
application  along with dependencies between tasks. The  application
will then calculate the schedule for each task and the project as  a
whole.

Each task within a project plan has the following key values:

 - start  constraints (given by a specified  start  date  and/or
   dependencies upon earlier tasks)
 - the amount of work required to complete the task
 - a number of assigned resources working at a given rate
 - end date and time

Usually three of the above values are entered, with the other  value
being calculated by Plan. For example:

 - End.  A  start  date  and time may be specified  (usually  in
   relation to the end of an earlier task) along with an amount of work
   and details about assigned resources. Plan will then calculate the
   end date and time for the task. This is the most common calculation
   method.

 - Work.  Given  a  start and end date and  time,  and  assigned
   resources, Plan will calculate the work. This could be used where a
   task has been completed, the start and end are known, along with the
   average work rates for each assigned resource, but the total amount
   of work needs to be calculated.

 - Rate.  Given  a  start and end date and  time  and  the  work
   required,  Plan  will calculate the average work rates  for  each
   assigned  resource. This could be used in order to calculate  the
   number of people required to complete a task on a given date.

A  number of resources may be assigned with given work rates to each
task.  The  resource work hours, holiday information and work  rates
are then taken into consideration when calculating task values, such
as end dates.

2.2 Example

Consider a task which is estimated to take two man days to complete,
(one  man  day being the time between the start and end of a  normal
working  day,  set  to  8.0  hours in this  particular  example).  A
resource  is  assigned  to  the task  where  the  resource  has  the
following attributes:

 - Works a standard work day, starting at 9:00am, ending at 5:00pm
 - Works a standard week starting on Monday and ending on Friday.

The task start day is set to a Monday at 9:00am and the work set  to
two  days.  Plan  calculates the end of the task  to  be  5:00pm  on
Tuesday. Assume now that the resource is only available to  work  on
the  task at a rate of 50% rather than 100%. Plan would now indicate
the  end of the task to be Thursday at 5:00pm. Assume also that  the
resource takes one day holiday on Tuesday. Plan would calculate  the
end  to be Friday at 5:00pm. Suppose that the task is completed  and
actually  finished  at  5:00pm on Wednesday rather  than  5:00pm  on
Friday.  Plan  will allow the end time to be set to the  actual  end
time  and  will  then calculate the work given the  start,  end  and
resource details to be one man day rather than two.

Plan works internally down to an accuracy of one second. There is an
option  in  the preference settings for each project which  controls
whether  values are entered and displayed in units of days or  units
of days, hours, minutes and seconds.

2.3 Calculation of task start dates

The  start of any task is controlled either by dependencies  defined
on  earlier tasks, a specified start on/after date, or a combination
of the two.

Dependencies may be set between tasks so that the start of one  task
depends  upon the end of another. If the first task is  delayed  the
second will also be delayed. Dependencies may be set for a number of
reasons, such as:

 - If one task cannot logically start until another task finishes.
   For example, in a software development project the development may
   be dependent upon the requirements phase.

 - Resource limitations may impose dependencies, for example  if
   two tasks need to be carried out by one person, and the person works
   on the tasks sequentially, then a dependency should be set between
   the tasks.

When  creating a task a start on/after date may be set  to  indicate
either  that the task should start on the specified date  or  cannot
start  before  the given date. If no dependencies have been  defined
then the given date will be used as the start date for the task.  If
the  task  has one or more dependencies upon earlier tasks then  the
latest  date  will  be  used as the task  start  date,  taking  into
consideration all the dependencies and the specified start  on/after
date.

For  a  set  of dependent tasks there will be a number of the  tasks
that  are  critical to the end of the project. If any one  of  these
tasks  is  late  then the end of the project will be delayed.  These
tasks  are  described as being on the critical path. It is important
to  know the critical path for two reasons. Firstly, it is useful in
identifying the tasks that may be worth adding extra resource to, in
order  to  bring the project in sooner. Secondly, it  is  useful  in
highlighting  those  tasks that will need to be monitored  carefully
when  the  project  is in progress in order for the  project  to  be
completed  on  time.  Plan has an option which  will  calculate  the
critical path.

3. FAST START TUTORIAL

This  section describes, by way of an example, how to use  the  main
features  within  Plan. It includes an example of creating  a  plan,
adding resources and tasks, and updating tasks.

Plan  has  many features and it is not possible to describe  all  of
these  features  within a short section such as this.  This  section
includes enough to get started, as you become more familiar you  may
want to explore the rest of the manual to find out what else you can
do with Plan.

3.1 Creating a new plan

If  Plan has not been installed or is not visible as an icon on  the
Psion  system  screen then refer to the installation section  before
proceeding.

When  first  starting  Plan it will create a default  resource  file
which has a single resource called "General". The work days for this
resource  will  be set to the work days set within  the  Psion  Time
application. The following tutorial assumes that the work  days  are
Monday  to  Friday  with Saturday and Sunday  as  non-working  days.
Before  proceeding ensure that the work days are set accordingly  by
going  to  the  Time application and selecting the  "Workdays"  menu
option from the "Settings" menu.

On  the Psion, go to the system screen and position the cursor below
the Plan icon. From the "File" menu on the system screen select "New
file".  In the dialog which appears enter a file name such as "Test"
and press Enter.

Plan will start up and display a screen with a top line reading TASK
DESCRIPTION  WORK,... Under the top line there will be a highlighted
line  or  cursor. This is one of the many different views  available
within Plan.

3.2 Creating a new resource

Start by creating a new resource. To do this, select the "Make" menu
option from the "Resource" menu. Enter the name for the resource  as
"Res1".  A second dialog will appear. In this dialog set the maximum
units  value  to 1 which indicates that this resource  represents  a
single  person.  A  resource may be used to  represent  a  group  by
setting  the maximum units to a value greater than 1. Set  the  cost
per hour to 5. Plan will calculate the cost of the project using the
resource charge rates as entered here.

Two  more dialogs will appear prompting for the work hours  for  the
resource. The first dialog shows the start times for each day of the
week  and the second dialog shows the end times. Leave these at  the
default of 9am to 5pm throughout the whole week. Press enter and the
resource will be created.

From  the  diamond menu select the "Holiday view" option. This  will
display  the  holidays  for the newly created resource.  These  will
default  to the same holidays as the General resource which in  turn
will  initially have been set using the rest days set in  the  Psion
Time  application. The cursor keys may be used to move from one  day
to  the  next  and the enter key will toggle a holiday on  and  off.
Leave all the holidays unchanged for the time being.

3.3 Creating tasks

Now  enter a new task. From the diamond menu select the "Task  List"
menu option.

In the task list view each task is shown on one line of the display.
Each  task  has  a number of associated fields. The left  and  right
cursor keys will shift the right hand side of the task list view  to
display the various fields for each task.

First  ensure that Caps lock is turned off and then press the  enter
key. A dialog will appear prompting for the task details. Enter  the
values as shown:

       Id                T1
       Description       Task 1
       Start on/after    1 Apr 1996, 09:00am
       Work              3 days

When the enter key is used a second dialog will appear prompting for
the  details of the resources to be assigned to the task. Update the
dialog as follows and press enter:

       Resource          Res1
       Rate (%)          100

The  new task will be created and the screen will update to show the
entered  and calculated values. Note that the end date for the  task
has  been calculated by Plan using the start on/after date  and  the
work.  The end should be displayed as 5pm on 3 Apr 1996. The  labour
cost is also calculated and displayed as 120.

From  the  diamond menu select the Gantt chart. Press the space  bar
which will refresh the display on the right hand side to display the
current  task.  This  shows the task on one line  with  a  graphical
representation  of the task on the right hand side  of  the  screen.
Press  the  down arrow to move the highlighted line, or  cursor,  to
below task T1. Note how the graphical bar extends from the start  of
the task to the end, with the holidays shaded.

Now enter a second task by pressing enter with the cursor below task
T1. Create a new task with the following values:

       Id                T2
       Description       Task 2
       Start on/after    1 Apr 1996, 09:00am
       Work              1 day
       Resource          Res1
       Rate (%)          100

The  new  task  will be shown below task T1 and  will  be  shown  as
starting on the 1 Apr 1996 and ending at the end of the same day.

3.4 Setting dependencies

Now set the start of task T2 to depend upon the end of task T1. With
task  T2  current, i.e. highlighted, select the "Dependencies"  menu
option from the "Task" menu. Set the first task Id to T1 by pressing
the  tab key and selecting T1. When the second dialog appears  leave
the  "Lag-T1" field set to "None" meaning that task T2  will  follow
straight after task T1. When the enter key is pressed task  T2  will
be recalculated to start after task T1.

3.5 Summary tasks

Now enter a summary task for task T1 and T2. Ensure that task T1  is
current  and press shift-enter to insert a new task. The  enter  key
edits the current task, or creates a new task if no task is current,
and  shift-enter  inserts a new task immediately above  the  current
task.  Set the Id to S1 and the description to "Summary task". Leave
all  the other fields unchanged. A new task will be inserted at  the
top of the list.

At  the moment all the tasks are normal tasks and we need to make T1
and  T2  sub-tasks of the new task. To do this, make T1 current  and
press  control-right arrow. This will indent T1 and place  a  bullet
next  to  the  description. T1 is now a sub-task  and  S1  has  been
changed from a normal task into a summary task. Repeat this so  that
T2 is also a sub-task.

3.6 Updating a task

To  demonstrate how Plan automatically recalculates tasks, edit task
T1 so that the start on/after date is 2 Apr 1996 at 09:00am. This is
done by making task T1 current and pressing enter. When edited, task
T1, T2 and the summary task will be recalculated automatically.

3.7 Tracking work done

Imagine  that task T1 is underway and that it is now the morning  of
the  4  Apr  1996. From the "Task" menu select "Set work  done"  and
choose the option "Set by time...". This dialog allows the work done
on  a  task so far to be set. Enter the work done as 2 days and  set
the  "Done up to start of" value to 4 Apr 1996. The bar on the Gantt
chart representing the task will be shaded to indicate the % of  the
work done so far.

3.8 Reviewing a task when it is underway

Suppose that whilst task T1 is underway you receive information from
resource  "Res1" that there are still 2 more days work  left  to  do
rather  than  the  1  day  which  is  currently  planned.  Plan  can
recalculate the end using the work done so far and information about
the   remaining   work.   From  the  "Task"  menu   select   "Review
calculation".  Set  the  remaining work to  2  days  and  leave  the
remaining  work  rate set to 100%. The task will be recalculated  to
end  on  the  5 Apr 1996. To display all the tasks press psion-Z  to
zoom  the view out. In the Gantt chart the psion-Z and psion-z  keys
zoom  in  and out and the left and right arrow keys move the display
left and right. The space bar may be used to recenter the display to
show the current task.

3.9 Task end/work/rate calculation

Imagine now that task T1 has been completed and actually finished at
5pm  on  Monday  8 Apr 1996. So you know when the task  started  and
ended, plus the fact that Res1 worked on the task 100%. Normally  it
is  the end date for a task that needs to be calculated, but in this
case  it  is more appropriate to calculate the work from the  start,
end  and  rate. To get Plan to do this for you, ensure T1 is current
and select the "End/work/rate" menu option from the "Task" menu. Set
the  calculate value to "Work". Now edit the task by pressing enter.
Note  how previously the start date and work fields were shown.  Now
it  is  the start and end dates that need to be entered. Update  the
end  to 5pm on 8 Apr 1996. The task will be adjusted accordingly and
the work recalculated as 5 days.

To mark the task T1 as complete set the work done to 100% using "Set
by %..." from the "Set work done_" menu option on the "Task" menu.

3.10 Views

To save the plan select "Save" from the "File" menu.

Now  look  at  the  other views available in Plan using  either  the
diamond key or the diamond menu. In all the task based views the  up
and down arrow keys change the current task.

The task list view shows one task on each line of the display. Press
the left and right arrow keys to shift the fields shown on the right
hand side of the screen left and right.

The Gantt screen has already been seen during the tutorial.

The  PERT  screen  will initially appear blank. To layout  the  PERT
chart  select the PERT view and choose the "Layout pert" menu option
from the "View" menu. Leave the "X mag" and "Y shift" values set  to
1.  In  the PERT chart each task is shown as a box with dependencies
indicated  by  lines between tasks. The left and  right  arrow  keys
shift  the  PERT chart left and right and the Pg Up and Pg  Dn  keys
shift the display up and down. The zoom menu options may be used  to
alter the scale.

The  resource usage view shows the working hours for a  resource  as
well as the allocation of the resource to tasks.

3.11 Example Plan

An  example plan and resource file are supplied which may be used to
further experiment with Plan.

4. KEY FEATURES

Plan has the following key features:

 - A separate file for each project plan with either plan specific
   or a shared resource file.
 - Up  to  200  tasks may be entered, each having the  following
   details:
   - Id
   - description
 - work
 - up to four assigned resources per task
 - rate of work for each assigned resource
 - start on/after date and time
 - start date and time
 - end date and time
 - calculation method (end, work or rate)
 - work done
 - labour and fixed costs
 - saved work, start and end dates and times for future reference
 - user floating point value and text fields
 - Calculation of end date and time, work, or work rates for each
   task.
 - A start constraint may be specified, i.e. the task must start
   on/after the given date.
 - A  task  may be dependent upon up to eight other tasks,  with
   specified lag times with each dependency. Plan will automatically
   calculate  the start of each task from the dependency  and  start
   on/after date.
 - Task  tracking.  The  actual  work  done  may  be  input  and
   incrementally changed as work progresses.
 - A task may be re-estimated taking into account the work already
   done and the work remaining.
 - Calculation of critical path.
 - Accuracy  down  to the second with an option  which  controls
   whether dates or dates and times are entered and displayed.
 - Tasks  may  be grouped under a summary task whose fields  are
   calculated automatically from the sub-tasks. Tasks may be nested up
   to eight levels deep.
 - The labour costs are calculated automatically for a task along
   with the total cost for the project.
 - A memo may be attached to each task. Memos are edited using the
   Psion Word application which is started via Plan.
 - Any number of resources may be input, (subject to memory limits
   imposed  by  the Psion operating system). Each resource  has  the
   following properties:
   - name
   - maximum units available
   - labour charge per hour
   - a three year holiday calendar
   - times for the start and end of work for each week day
 - Plan can check and highlight any over-allocated resources.
 - Plan will count resource holidays in a given period.
 - A Gantt chart view.
 - A PERT chart view.
 - A resource allocation histogram view.
 - Auto layout of tasks in the PERT chart.
 - Sorting of tasks by a number of attributes.
 - Export data to the Psion Agenda application.
 - Print Gantt and PERT charts on a postscript printer.
 - Transfer projects between Plan and Microsoft Project.