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Multi Level Programme / Multiple Critical Path

2 replies [Last post]
Tue, 2005-04-12 20:55
Hermie LaO
User offline. Last seen 17 years 40 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 29
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Hi All,

Top-Down planning usually entails starting from "summary level activities". As more project information becomes available, this is then further broken down to detailed tasks.

Issues with other tools is that you have to remove the summary tasks develop the details for it and relink back into the rest of the network.


Open Plan allows you to retain the summary activity and its link, constrain this summary(therefore setting finite delivery dates at that level)then develop the detailed tasks under it either as sub-projects or even EXTERNAL Sub-Projects!


What this achieves :
1. The ability to easily create and manage multiple critical path for each major deliverable section of work.

2. Allows you to rollup these activities(sub-projects) to easily see where critical overlaps occur between sections.

3. The sections of work can be compartmentalized so that links between sections is minimalized.

4. Assign these sections of work(summary) to other planners responsible for its detailing as a seperate project and yet have an automatic link to the Master Programme.

Nice huh!
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Replies

Fri, 2005-04-29 03:37
#1
Hermie LaO
User offline. Last seen 17 years 40 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 29
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Hi Brennan,

Website is www.welcom.com.

Yes Open Plan has entry level Earned Value capability. Full blown Earned Value system, with another product called COBRA(fully integrates with Open Plan).

Sub-programmes % Complete Rolls up to summary levels as well! However, it is a bit tricky with Budget quantities (since usually they are detailed at the bottom and then rolled-up). However there is a workaround. You can save the initial budget quantities to a different field. So when you roll-up % complete you can compare against that static(planned summary budget quantity).

Yes Open plan is a multi-user / multi-project system.

Regards!
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Fri, 2005-04-29 02:42
#2
Brennan Westworth
User offline. Last seen 7 years 30 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 23 Feb 2003
Posts: 150
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sounds nice

can u post a link to the website?

I especially like the idea of these summary activity’s sub-programmes having a critical path.

It is important to know what is critical to the deliverable, but this may or may not be critical to the overall project. I can see many applications for this in my current work.

Does OP do Earned Value Analysis? it would be great if the sub-programme’s % complete automatically rolled up the the summary activity and could be applied to a budgeted quantity at this level.

Also... is there a multi user feature?
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