_DESCRIPTION_:
Whatever you plan, you can do it with KS-ProjectPlanner Pro fast, clear and accurate. Project management can be real fun, when using a good software,
.. once apart from the enormous benefits that you will gain by using such a software. Adding new tasks by double-click is more intuitive and smoother than typing them into a calendar or spreadsheed application. You can also specify constraints and dependencies to other tasks and define the availability and cost of resources. With every change, the software gives you immediate feedback and shows the impact on the project plan. You'll always have the project and the costs under full control. And all this is so incredibly useful, that you shouldn't renounce.
Dynamic Planning
by the quick and fluid work flow of this program.
Full cost control
prevents your project from running out of the rudder.
Pathbreaking on Tracking
Once your project is running, the program takes account of status and progression of tasks.
Working in a team
Projects can be optionally managed on a SQL Server.
The Art of Project Planning
When an artist paints a picture, he starts with a big brush and puts the gross forms. In the following steps, he refines the painting and goes more and more into the details, until he finally puts the finishing highlights with a fine hair brush. So he works from coarse to fine.
Planning
Start with a long task bar that extends over the entire project duration. Then right-click->Break down.. to subdivide this into finer tasks. Again break these tasks down to more detailed tasks, etc. This way you can create even a large projects quite quickly in it’s basic structure. Rename the newly created tasks and groups directly in the data-table.
With this basic structure, the program has also added dependencies all around with the tasks. Check these and add more dependencies where required.
Now you can begin to set the estimated duration for all tasks, by dragging them at their right border with the mouse. You can use the ASAP function from the main menu to align all tasks (or just the selected) to the left, which is as soon as possible.
Add some milestones to the project, which act like stage wins in a bicycle race, and make following tasks to depend on them. You can fix those milestones by setting their earliest and latest start date in the task dialog (double click to open). This way you can bind the entire project flow to these corner posts, without fixing all other tasks.
Also think, which tasks could run independently in parallel (at the same time). In the ideal case you’ll have planned some continuous strings from project start to it’s end. You should also add two more milestones at the project’s start and end. You shouldn’t fix the project end, unless it’s not a deadline, which must never be exceeded.
Now you can start assigning resources to all tasks, except for the milestones.
Tracking
Until now you have been in the planning stage. But in the moment, when you set the first task into ‘running’ state, the entire project definitely has begun and is now in tracking mode.
The program reports this important step and add’s a first project baseline, which is a current snap shot, and which can later be compared with the actual flow. You can add more baselines at any time.
Being the project manager, it’s your job to adjust all tasks and make them fit with reality. Some tasks may last longer than they were planned. Follow up tasks will shift forward automatically, due to their dependencies, and you can see the impact on the project plan and it’s costs immediately.
Now you can’t no longer move any tasks that already have begun, as you did during planning. They will instead start to split at their current point of progress. Tasks which are completed or cancelled can’t be moved at all, because they have to stay at their position to keep records of their performed work and costs.
Critical paths are marked in red. You should keep an eye on them, because a delay on the critical path will affect the total project length. Other paths that run in parallel, may be less critical.
The way how you meet the milestones at their planned date can be a measurement for your success. But you shouldn’t plan the project too tight, and rather add some buffers, so that you finally have some breath for sudden incidents.
Celebrate your success as the project manager together with the team and the customer. A typical milestone in the building craft is a roofing ceremony.
Whats New:
Split-views are an important feature for a project management software, especially during project tracking or when you want to compare with a project baseline.
The new flags feature simplifies navigation in large projects. So does the free sorting in the data table by clicking on a column header.
The current version of the plan can be saved to a new 'project baseline'. When the project starts up running, a new baseline is automatically created, to enable the later comparison of the actual project state with the planned state.
Big symbols and touch friendly scrolling makes this software work well on tablet computers running MS-Windows. This offers an excellent user experience when used on a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet.
When starting the first task, the projects changes to tracking mode. Running tasks will be split automatically, when shifted to a later date. This is, because the program does not only plan into the future, but also records the progression of the project.
This screenshot clearly shows a big benefit, which a project management software can offer. It would be nearly impossible to achieve this for every update when using a spreadsheet application. |
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