Project Plans

The Project Planning Module allows you to create project plans. You are able to estimate the work, plan resources and define a schedule. Project plans can be partitioned into tasks. One task can contain more than one work items.

These three structuring types are managed by the Project Planning Module:

• Project plans
• Tasks
• Work items

Table of Contents

• Project Planning with ARCWAY Cockpit
• Project Plan View
• Project Plans
• Tasks
• Work Items
• Projections

Project Planning with ARCWAY Cockpit

You can create more than one project plan for one Cockpit project. In each project plan you can create and schedule tasks. For a top-down estimation it is possible to specify the expected work. You get the deadlines for the deliverables from the tasks you have planned.

It is possible to compare the top-down-estimation based on tasks with a bottom-up-estimation on the detail level. The detailed work is estimated in work items. Work items identify which steps need to be done, by which resources and with how much estimated effort.

Work items can be attached to tasks and to the unique elements, which shall be implemented by them.
Work items can be identified by analysing the architecture, and the question: Which steps are necessary to make the individual components? You can identify work items, too, with the help of the work break down structure of the project plan if you define, what needs to be done to complete a task. The ARCWAY Cockpit unites both approaches.

The project planning module of ARCWAY Cockpit is perfect for the early phase of a project. If you are running a big project, you can export the project plans to other tools. Tell me how to export project plans to MS Excel™
Tell me how to export project plans to MS Project™

If you are running a small or medium project, or use agile processes, ARCWAY Cockpit supports you throughout the entire life-time of your project. It is possible to report the work done and estimate the remaining work for each work item. The progress and remaining work is automatically aggregated for the entire project plan. Projections display the aggregated information right in the Construction Blueprints More about projections ...

Currently, the Project Planning Module has the exports project plans to MS Project™ and MS Excel™. Existing project plans can be imported from MS Project™ and MS Excel™. into ARCWAY Cockpit.
An important feature of the Project Planning Module is the synchronization with MS Project™, which is a data exchange in both directions. The tasks are imported from MS Project™ into ARCWAY Cockpit and the work done as reported by your employees and the work forecast are transferred to MS Project™.
Tell me more about import, export and synchronization with MS Project™

View for Project Plans

The view of the project planning module displays project plans, tasks and work items in a tree. The view appear as a tab in the Project Data View and looks like this:

The project planning module uses the following icons:

1. Project Plan
2. Late Task
   This task is not completed even though it should be done.
3. Underestimated Task
   Indicates a task that will take longer than estimated. The work forecast (here for instance 170 days) exceeds the top down approximated work (here for instance 150 days).
4. Underestimated Late Task
   Indicates a task that will take longer than estimated and is not completed, even though it should be done.
5. Mile stone
6. Linked Work Item
   Work item that is linked to a Unique Element
7. Not Linked Work Item
   Work item that is not linked to a Unique Element. This work item is not included in the calculations of the projections.

Project Plans

With ARCWAY Cockpit you can manage several project plans at the same time.

Related Topics:
Creating a Project Plan
Editing a Project Plan
Deleting a Project Plan
Importing Project Plans from MS Excel
Importing Project Plans from MS Project
Exporting Project Plans to MS Excel
Exporting Project Plans to MS Project
Synchronizing Project Plans with MS Project

Tasks

Tasks are large units of work in ARCWAY Cockpit. They can be nested and each task can be split up into several work items, the smallest unit of work in ARCWAY Cockpit.

Tasks can be created in ARCWAY Cockpit or they can be imported from external applications. Tell me how to import tasks from MS Excel™
Tell me how to import tasks from MS Project™

Once they are created or imported, they can be split into individual work items. The work items can be assigned to resources and plan elements, whereas a task cannot be assigned to a resource or a plan element directly. The work items are also used to track the progress of a task, which can then be synchronized with the external application the task was imported from. Tell me how to synchronize tasks with MS Project™

Related Topics:
Creating a Task
Editing a Task
Deleting a Task

Work Items

Work items are the smallest unit of work in ARCWAY Cockpit. They can be associated with resources, plan elements and tasks and are used to track the progress of a task.

Work items can be associated with tasks as well as Unique Elements.

Related Topics:
Creating a Work Item
Linking a Work Item to a Plan Element
Editing a Work Item
Detaching a Work Item from a Task
Deleting a Work Item

Projections

The project planning module offers you three projections. Tell me more about the projections ...