leveraging netpoint & excel for template-based project planning
TRANSCRIPT
February 5-8, 2015
54th AnnualWestern Winter
Workshop
Presented by AACE Intl. San Francisco & Southern California SectionsHyatt Regency, Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Leveraging NetPoint & Excel for Template-Based Project Planning
By: Renee Woolley and Timothy Mather
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Author, BiographyTimothy D. Mather, is the CTO of PMA Consultants LLC, a diversified, US-based global project management firm. PMA employs 200+ professionals in 16 offices and ranks in the top third of Construction Manager for fee firm in the US, according to Engineering News-Record.
Mr. Mather also currently leads PMA Technologies LLC and its flagship product NetPoint®, a visual, gestural, collaborative, project planning software tool based on the revolutionary Graphical Planning Method (GPM®). Mr. Mather holds a bachelor degree from Michigan State University, a Graduate Certificate in Project Management Strategy from The University of Chicago, and is certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute. Mr. Mather is also a Certified Change Management Practitioner through PROSCI.
He has also published on the subjects of Project Management, Project Controls, Project Planning, Scheduling and Technology.
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Author, BiographyRenee Woolley is the Marketing Director-Software Solutions at PMA Consultants LLC, an international construction consulting firm. PMA is a recognized leader in program, project and construction management, employs 200+ professionals in 12 offices and ranks in the top third of Construction Manager for fee firm in the US, according to Engineering News-Record. Ms. Woolley also serves as the Marketing Director of PMA Technologies LLC.
Ms. Woolley holds a bachelor degree from University of Michigan and has worked for PMA Consultants LLC and PMA Technologies LLC for seven years. She is responsible for spearheading the introduction of PMA’s flagship product NetPoint® to new clients through technical guidance, resource development, and tutorials. With a technical background, Ms. Woolley has also been involved in several aspects of NetPoint’s® development from scope tracking and Q/A testing, to writing the first user guide.
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How Do You Plan Now?
Dilemma: finding an effective and manual option for planning
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Get it on Paper• Even the back of a napkin can be effective • “I see what you mean” = We need to visualize!
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Sticky Notes Plan• Sticky note sessions get participants involved• Require difficult translation into scheduling software • Sticky notes session woes are legendary!!
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Planning in Excel• Easy option to place tasks on a timescale• Easy to get data into Excel for a starting point
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Issues & Challenges with a Manual Process
• Issues– High margin of error – Does not calculate
calendars, resources and floats
– Without calculations, these deliverables are not SCHEDULES
– If a handed over to scheduler, common result is “That’s not my schedule”
• Challenges– Need a change? The
manual product is laborious to modify
– High margin of error with manual process
– Not always clear what the Excel graph is conveying
– Does not calculate calendars, resources, and float values
Solution: use a scheduling program
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Is Excel a Scheduling Option?Excel – easy to create a time-scaled graphic and build simple bar charts showing planned timing of activities without logic or calculations. Schedules should have logic ties and duration calculations.
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Scheduling Software OptionMicrosoft Project – MSP can be used to create quality schedules, but that may not be the case because the software allows logic to be omitted.This often results in a bar chart no more valuable than one built in Excel.
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Scheduling Software OptionPrimavera P6 – the industry standard for detailed construction schedules, but networks can become too large to be useful for all stakeholders, particularly higher level project management
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Challenges to Software Options• Lack of engagement, especially for non-schedulers• Process and end product unclear to many stakeholders• Scheduling tools difficult to use
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Software SolutionNetPoint – creates plans and schedules in real-time that in a logically-tied and calculated network that is easier to see and understand, even by non-schedulers.
Critical Path shows in red
edit
Logic is clear and easy to edit
Plan directly on the timescale
Changes can be observed in network
and resources
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Engage the Entire Team
• Advantage to get participation of team with graphic plans
• Conversation clarifies key handoffs between areas
• Stakeholders immediately see effect of input to the network
• Clear process maximizes stakeholder buy-in
• End product of the IAP is a calculated schedule
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Technology BreakthroughNetPoint uses Graphic Planning Method (GPM), instead of CPM, to instantly and constantly calculate the schedule
Instant calculation = No F9 black box
Instant feedback greatly improves team interaction and decision making
Superior productivity results from responsive and intuitive plans
Alternate forward and pull planning
Import existing Excel data to build logic-based, calculated NetPoint schedules
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© 2013-2014 PMA
Common Ground with NetPoint & Excel
Where would you start? Use a systematic approach with your Excel spreadsheets to build templates and modify for each project in an IAP. Coordinate the graphics of NetPoint and import Excel data into plans
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Start With Generic Spreadsheets
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• Dates not required • Import into live plans • Develop work streams then add handoffs collaboratively
Import Into NetPointImport Practice Recommendations
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Import from Excel
MS Excel 2010 & later
ActivitiesMilestones
Benchmarks DescriptionsActivity IDSCalendarsStart DateFinish Date
PredecessorsSuccessors
FS, SS & FF LogicDuration
Color
Imports listed fields from any Excel (.xls)
spreadsheet by mapping columns
NetPoint
Imports into existing
NetPoint plans at bottom of
schedule
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Layout Manager Organizes the Plan
1. Run a layout to organize plan after import from another tool
2. Create views from codes organized into swimlanes
3. Select order of the lanes4. Place summary activities and
milestones at top of the plan5. Run multiple views for one plan
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Supported Fields & Required Format
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Object TypeFor activity, enter as "activity," "task," "task dependent,“ "fixed units," "fixed duration," or "fixed work". For milestone, enter as "milestone," "start milestone," "sm," "finish milestone," or "fm". For benchmark, enter as "benchmark," "start benchmark," "sb," "finish benchmark," and "fb". For delay, enter as "delay“. If missing or invalid, it imports as an activity.
ID Any combination of letters & numbers (case sensitive). Characters such as "-" are supported but others like "#" are dropped.
Description Can be any combination of letters, numbers, and characters.
Calendar Must be defined in the file you are importing into. For example "United States" or "Calendar Days". Case sensitive. If missing or invalid, it will be set to the default calendar for the schedule you're importing into.
Duration Must be greater than 0 for activities and equal to 0 for milestones and benchmarks. If missing or invalid, it will be set as 1 for activities and 0 for milestones, benchmarks, and delays.
Start DateCan be entered in any date format recognized by Excel, including but not limited to: 3/14/2012; 3/14/12; 03/14/12; 14-Mar-12; 14-Mar-2012; March 14, 2012; Wednesday, March 14, 2012. If a date is entered that is not in that object's calendar's work days, the object goes to the next work day for that calendar. If missing or invalid, it may be set to its early date.
Finish DateCan be entered in any date format that is recognized by Excel, including but not limited to: 3/14/2012; 3/14/12; 03/14/12; 14-Mar-12; 14-Mar-2012; March 14, 2012; Wednesday, March 14, 2012. If a date is entered that is not in that object's calendar's work days, the object goes to the next work day for that calendar. If missing or invalid, it may be set to its early date.
PredecessorEnter as EITHER [Row #][Relationship][Lag] OR if ID's are being defined, [ID][Relationship][Lag], e.g. "12FS1" or "ABFS1". Ineither case "[Lag]" is optional, e.g. "12FS" or "ABFS". If ID's are being defined, row numbers can NOT be used. Possible relationships include SS, FS, FF, or SF. If the relationship or row #/ID is not recognized, the link will not be imported.
SuccessorEnter as EITHER [Row #][Relationship][Lag] OR if ID's are being defined, [ID][Relationship][Lag], e.g. "12FS1" or "ABFS1". Ineither case "[Lag]" is optional, e.g. "12FS" or "ABFS". If ID's are being defined, row numbers can NOT be used. Possible relationships include SS, FS, FF, or SF. If the relationship or row #/ID is not recognized, the link will not be imported.
Color Enter as EITHER R,G,B (for example, 255, 50, 50) OR by name. A list of supported is available at http://www.rapidtables.com/web/color/RGB_Color.htm. If invalid or not recognized, it is set as the default color for that object.
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Export Customizable Excel Reports
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Update Select Fields from Excel Reports
NetPoint
DescriptionsAbbreviated descriptions
Object IDSCode definition
Resource definitionCode assignment
Resource assignmentEstimated % Complete
Imports listed fields from any Excel (.xls)
spreadsheet by mapping columns
Imports into existing NetPoint plans at
bottom of schedule
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Import from Excel Reports & Update
Linked Report FieldsDescriptions
Abbreviated descriptionsActivity IDS
Estimated % completeDefine codes
Define resourcesAssign codes
Assign resources by day/duration
Customizable Report FieldsObject list
Start & finish dates Float &buffer values
Constraint dates Estimated & calculated % complete Resource cost & use lists/graphs
Code & resource definitions Code & resource assignments Predecessor & successor logic
Update from linked Excel reportExcel to NetPoint
Generic SpreadsheetActivities
MilestonesBenchmarks
DurationStart date
Finish dateCalendar
DescriptionsPredecessors Successors
FF, SS, FF logicAbbreviated descriptions
Activity IDSColor
NetPoint to Excel
NetPoint
Excel Data Excel Data
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Run Automated Layout to Organize Your Plan
1. Run a layout to organize plan after import from another tool
2. Create views from codes organized into swim lanes
3. Select order of the lanes
4. Name the layouts
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Q & A ?
Thank You!
Renee Woolley & Tim Mather
(734) 418-7898
Learn more or download a free trail version at:
www.pmatechnologies.com