Evaluating LiquidPlanner Archives | LiquidPlanner https://www.liquidplanner.com Resource Management For Smart Teams Tue, 26 Apr 2022 16:39:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.liquidplanner.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cropped-LP-fav-icon-1-32x32.png Evaluating LiquidPlanner Archives | LiquidPlanner https://www.liquidplanner.com 32 32 Classic Customer FAQ for the New LP https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/classic-customer-faq-for-the-new-lp/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 20:22:15 +0000 https://www.liquidplanner.com/?post_type=support&p=32826 In Spring 2021 we launched the New LiquidPlanner, a bold re-envisioning of predictive scheduling and intelligent planning. Since then, customers

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In Spring 2021 we launched the New LiquidPlanner, a bold re-envisioning of predictive scheduling and intelligent planning. Since then, customers using LiquidPlanner Classic have contacted us to find out more about it. We compiled their most frequently asked questions below so you can learn too.

To experience it for yourself, please go to The New LiquidPlanner registration page and create an account on the FREE PLAN: next.liquidplanner.com/register

After that, you can book time with a Product Advisor to ask questions and learn how to trial premium features.

Happy Planning!

Is there a LiquidPlanner Classic sunset date?

No, there is not a sunset date for LiquidPlanner Classic. We remain committed to the stability and security of our Classic product which continues to serve customers well. 

Is there a data importer?

Yes! We have a migration tool to help current customers move their data over. Want to learn more? Book time with a Product Advisor.

What’s the same?

We know the problem we solve better than anyone else is answering the question, When?

  • When will my projects be done?
  • When can my team take on new work?

Knowing when is absolutely critical to anyone using LiquidPlanner. Our new version builds on that, using technology that allows us to be far more innovative than ever before.

You’ll see a lot that is familiar to you

  • Predictive scheduling calculates dates for you
  • Automatic resource load balancing
  • Best case – worst case estimation
  • Priority driven methodology
  • Time tracking keeps the schedule up-to-date

The New LiquidPlanner shares the same principles as LiquidPlanner Classic – predictive scheduling, best case – worst case estimation, priority driven methodology and time tracking keeps the schedule up-to-date. Predictive scheduling and automatic resource load balancing are key features in both products.

What’s different?

Even though it comes from the same DNA, the new LiquidPlanner has a whole new look and feel. There are new features, and some things work differently.

Keep in mind we’re still building this new version, and it doesn’t have feature parity with LiquidPlanner Classic. Here’s what you can look forward to in the New LiquidPlanner:

Scheduling

  • No more “Schedule Ready” button – your schedule updates in real time.
  • Task status (active, on hold, done) is customizable. You can name and color code them to model your workflow.
  • Set a Target Finish (deadline) and choose to have the item stop scheduling to prevent downstream work from getting pushed out.
  • New availability rules enable you to adjust scheduling to accommodate seasonality, overtime, or personal calendars.
  • Personal time off and “everyone time off” are managed through Availability rather than added as items in the workspace tree.
  • You’ll set an ASAP tag on a task to designate priority instead of dragging it to another package.

Custom Fields

  • More Custom Field options and flexibility in how they’re applied: across users and all plan items.
  • Use Custom Fields to designate client work, providing more flexibility for tracking clients.

Task Assignments

  • A person can have multiple Assignments on a Task to itemize the work breakdown, or to pass work back and forth across team members.
  • Allowing multiple assignments can reduce the number of tasks and dependencies in a workspace.

Time Tracking

  • If you track time and then delete the entry, the new LiquidPlanner restores the remaining estimate.
  • Cost Codes replace Activities for time tracking (same behavior, new name).

Packages

  • There are four Project Collections: Scheduled, Pending, Archive and Templates.
  • Each collection is structured using packages.
  • To simplify the portfolio experience, there is no package nesting in this version. Packages only hold projects.

Templates

  • The New LiquidPlanner has a dedicated Templates feature.
  • Each workspace comes with a set of sample templates you can adapt to your needs, or create your own.
  • Make projects from templates in any Collection: SCHEDULED, Pending or Archive.

Views

  • Views are a new experience for managing work and monitoring workload.
  • Views filter what you see by location: portfolio, projects, packages, groups and people.

Account

  • Organization is where administrators manage user licenses, billing, and plan configuration.
  • There are four plans: ULTIMATE, PROFESSIONAL, ESSENTIALS and a FREE PLAN.
      • Paid plans have flexible billing terms: monthly, quarterly, semiannual, and annual.
      • The FREE PLAN is powerful enough for real work and extended evaluation.
  • An Organization can have multiple workspaces on the ULTIMATE Plan.
  • When an Organization has multiple workspaces, a person can belong to more than one workspace without additional license fees.

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Welcome to LiquidPlanner https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/welcome-to-liquidplanner/ Wed, 30 Mar 2016 22:12:03 +0000 https://lpn2021.wpengine.com/?post_type=support&p=30580  Welcome to LiquidPlanner! We specialize in working with teams that deal with dynamic project schedules, constantly evolving priorities, demanding

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Welcome to LiquidPlanner! We specialize in working with teams that deal with dynamic project schedules, constantly evolving priorities, demanding stakeholders, and resource constraints. This guide will help you get started with setting up LiquidPlanner so you can take the first step towards a proactive approach to managing your projects and growing your business.

LiquidPlanner’s Scheduling Engine

What makes LiquidPlanner different from other project management software is the scheduling engine. With so many factors affecting the outcome of your projects like changing priorities, resource constraints, and multiple projects in the portfolio, you need scheduling that can predictively calculate a realistic and accurate schedule for you. This is the LiquidPlanner scheduling engine.

The three key factors that power the LiquidPlanner Scheduling Engine are:

  1. Priority
    You set the priority order of your projects. When priorities change, you can change the priority order and LiquidPlanner will dynamically show you the change to your project schedule, as well as the effects on other projects in your portfolio.

  2. Effort
    For each task, you can provide a ranged estimate of the amount of time it will take to complete the task. Why a range? It’s very rare to complete a task in exactly 6 hours, for example. Usually, you might finish a little sooner, if things went smoothly. Or it might have taken you a little more than 6 hours because of unknown issues. Providing a range allows LiquidPlanner to capture that uncertainty and provide you with a range in finish dates.

  3. Resource Availability
    If your team members are working on multiple projects, why should you spend time trying to figure out exactly how their time is allocated to each project, and when they can start and stop different tasks? Let LiquidPlanner’s scheduling engine do that for you. All you need to do is tell LiquidPlanner how many hours each resource is available each day. You can also note when they’re on vacation or holiday. LiquidPlanner will account for their availability to make the most of their time across all the projects they’re assigned to.

Why Priority, Effort & Availability?

As soon as a project plan is documented, it begins to change as team members work and as external factors affect the outcome. If an executive shifts priorities or focuses for the team, that affects the teams’ project priorities. When a customer makes a change request or needs additional work, that changes the effort for a task. And when a team member is on vacation, or they take on other work responsibilities, that affects the amount of time they have available for projects. Priorities, task effort, and availability of resources are the three factors that commonly affect the outcome of projects, and that is why they are the keys inputs LiquidPlanner uses to calculate your schedule.

Are you ready to see the LiquidPlanner scheduling engine in action? Let’s take a quick tour of your workspace!

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Workspace Tour https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/workspace-tour-2/ Tue, 29 Mar 2016 22:12:40 +0000 https://lpn2021.wpengine.com/?post_type=support&p=30583 This article will provide you with an overview of the key tabs and menus in your LiquidPlanner workspace. Basic System

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This article will provide you with an overview of the key tabs and menus in your LiquidPlanner workspace.

Basic System Information

System Requirements: LiquidPlanner is tested and supported on the latest versions of major web browsers (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer), running on major operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux). Special plug-ins are not required. Flash is not required.

Localization: At this time, LiquidPlanner is available in English only.

How To Log In

Log into the workspace via the Sign In page, accessed via the blue Sign In button on any page of our corporate website https://www.liquidplanner.com. We encourage you to save a browser bookmark to this page as well.

Home Tab

Who uses it? All team members can access and use the Home tab.

Main Purpose: The Home is the first place you land when logging into LiquidPlanner. It’s a helpful view for seeing recent activity, comments or other recent updates posted to work items. You can also view widgets that display information such as your weekly Time Tracking progress or a summary of work you have coming up This Week.

My Work Tab

Who Uses It? The My Work tab is primarily used by team members that have tasks assigned to them in various projects.

Main Purpose: My Work is the best place to focus on your upcoming tasks and quickly and easily post updates to your work. Your tasks are listed based on tasks with the earliest Start Date at the top. You can click on the task name to open the task’s edit panel, edit information about your tasks, log time, view checklist items, mark the task complete and more.

 

Timesheets

Who Uses It? Team members use the Timesheets tab daily to track time spent on their tasks, and managers also use the Timesheets tab to review timesheets.

Main Purpose: From the Timesheets tab, you can view your upcoming tasks for the week and quickly log time at the end of the day or as you make progress throughout the day. Logging time to your tasks is an important update in LiquidPlanner so that the project schedule stays up-to-date.

Managers can also review and export timesheets from the Timesheets tab.

 

Projects Tab

Who Uses It? This tab is primarily used by project managers and managers to add new projects and prioritize work across the portfolio. This is where all the planning and scheduling action happens in LiquidPlanner.

Main Purpose: There are many views and features on the Projects tab, but the primary purpose is to create and add new projects, to view the timeline (schedule bars), identify and manage projects at risk, establish priority order of project work, and make other updates to the project plan.

 

People Tab

Who Uses It? This tab is most often used by Administrators or Managers.

Main Purpose: You can see every member of the workspace, and view information about their workspace profile. This includes viewing information about Virtual Members and Portal Guests.

Administrators can invite new members into the workspace from the People tab. Managers may also use the People tab to view and update availability or profile information for members on their team.

 

Dashboards Tab

Who Uses It? The Dashboards tab is used by all users because you can create your own private Dashboard, share Dashboards with your team or manager, and share a Dashboard with external stakeholders.

Main Purpose: Dashboards can be customized with different widgets and charts to display real-time information about your projects. They are a great tool for communicating information with team members and stakeholders, such as project status, key project metrics, upcoming tasks and at-risk items.

 

Analytics Tab

Who Uses It? Only Administrators and Managers have access to the Analytics tab. It is not visible to those with a Full Member or Restricted Member access level.

Main Purpose: Managers and workspace administrators can build custom reports to gather valuable metrics about projects and resources. These reports can also be exported to a spreadsheet or PDF format.

 

Learn Tab

Who Uses It? This tab is used by all team members because there are lessons tailored to help you LiquidPlanner based on your access / role type.

Main Purpose: You can Search our Knowledge Base articles for information on features or best practices within LiquidPlanner. You can also complete a learning pathway, or find information on how to contact LiquidPlanner Support.

 

The User Menu

Who Uses It? There are basic access features for all users, and access to key settings for Administrators.

Main Purpose: All team members can access and update their personal profile or Notification settings from the User Menu. Administrators and Managers can also access the Workspace Settings from here. The Workspace Settings presented here are filtered based on your access level.

 

Switching Between Multiple Workspaces

If your organization has multiple workspaces, you can switch to other workspaces from your User Menu. Click on User Menu > Workspace Directory.

From the Workspace Directory you can also access Dashboards that have been shared externally, or Project Portals you’ve been given access to.

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Virtual Members https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/virtual-members-2/ Mon, 28 Mar 2016 22:13:17 +0000 https://lpn2021.wpengine.com/?post_type=support&p=30584 A virtual member is a placeholder resource for your projects. It is not connected to a LiquidPlanner login. Here are

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A virtual member is a placeholder resource for your projects. It is not connected to a LiquidPlanner login. Here are some reasons for using a virtual member:

  • If you are evaluating or implementing LiquidPlanner, you might not be ready to invite your team into the workspace yet. But you can start to build out your projects and assign work to virtual members as placeholders for your real team members.
  • Virtual members can represent an external resource that owns tasks within your project, such as a contractor or vendor.
  • Virtual members can be used to represent work assigned to a machine or non-person resource that completes work within a project.

Keep in mind virtual members are not intended to be be a long-term replacement for people who could otherwise be real members. We don’t encourage using them to support centralized project control. We have designed LiquidPlanner to support our strong belief that direct team engagement is a key to project success!

Create a Virtual Member

You can create virtual members via the People tab > Add+ button > Add Virtual Member or from your User Menu > Settings > Members and Access > Add Virtual Member.

Tip: User names for real members and virtual members cannot include spaces.

Set Availability for a Virtual Member

  • A virtual member has a profile and an availability setting, which you can access via the People tab > Member List. Just click on the virtual member’s name to open their profile > adjust their hours under the Availability section on the right-hand side.

Assign Tasks to Virtual Members

  • You can assign tasks to a virtual member, just as you would assign the task to a Real Member.
  • Tasks assigned to a virtual member will schedule just the same as tasks assigned to a real member.

Tracking Time for a Virtual Member

  • A real workspace member must take responsibility for estimating and tracking time to tasks owned by a virtual member.
  • Timesheets are created for virtual members when you log progress for them.
  • Virtual member’s logged time is picked up in timesheet exports.

Transfer Tasks from a Virtual Member to Another Member

  • You can easily transfer a virtual member’s work to an existing workspace member via the People tab Member List. Hover over the virtual member row and under the Actions column, click Transfer Items.
  • You can also invite a brand new person into your workspace to replace the virtual member.  In the Member List, just click the link under the virtual member name that says Invite Member. 

Disconnecting Virtual Members

  • If you invite a member to fill a virtual member’s role, the virtual member will automatically be disconnected.
  • If you want to disconnect a virtual member for any reason, go to the People tab Member List. Hover over the virtual member row and under the Actions column, click Disconnect.
  • Before disconnecting your virtual member, be sure to transfer any outstanding tasks to a real member or another virtual member.

FAQs

  1. Is there a limit to the number of Virtual Members in my Workspace?
    Accounts on the Professional Plan have can have up to 25 Virtual Members and accounts on the Enterprise Plan can have up to 50 virtual members. See our Pricing for more information. Go to Settings > Click on Add Virtual Members. At the top of the screen you will see a notification of your current Virtual Member count compared to the total number available. 
  2. Is there a way to create a team of Virtual Members?
    You can create a Virtual Team to represent a team of external resources with a daily availability that is determined by you.
  3. If I track time to a virtual member’s tasks, will their time tracking history move if I transfer the tasks to a Real Member later?
    No, if you log time on behalf of the virtual member, the time entries will stay with the virtual member in time tracking history. If you want time entries associated to a real team member, make sure to log time after the real user has accepted their LiquidPlanner invitation.

 

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Create Your First Project https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/create-your-first-project-2/ Sun, 27 Mar 2016 22:14:08 +0000 https://lpn2021.wpengine.com/?post_type=support&p=30585 The first step to getting your workspace setup is adding some of your teams’ active projects that they will start

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The first step to getting your workspace setup is adding some of your teams’ active projects that they will start working on when you roll out LiquidPlanner. A few tips before you get started:

Before you get started, make sure you know the 3 inputs for LiquidPlanner’s scheduling engine.

What is a Project?
A project typically represents an organizational initiative that results in a major deliverable. Projects also have defined a beginning and end, as opposed to ongoing work. Projects are also different from Programs, because Programs are typically comprised of multiple projects. You can learn how to represent your Programs in a later step on Data Customization.

Here are the steps to add your first few projects and get some key information in place:

Add a New Project  

Go to the Projects tab — this is where you can view and prioritize all Projects across your portfolio. A project in LiquidPlanner is represented by a blue folder icon.

1. Add a Project to the Active Project Package

Add your first Project to the Active Projects Package. Right-click to highlight this Package. 

From the Right-click menu choose Add Items > Projects

2. Provide Project Details

Next, you will provide the name of your project, assign the project to the project owner, and you can also provide the Project Deadline.

The Project Owner should be the assigned project manager, or team member responsible for the outcome of the project. If you haven’t invited the project owner into your workspace yet, you can create and assign it to a virtual member for now, as a placeholder for the real team member.

If you don’t have a deadline for the project, you can leave this field blank. If you do enter a deadline, LiquidPlanner can warn you if you’re at risk of missing your deadline date.

Add Sub-Folders for Phases or Stages 

Sub-Folders are a grey folder icon, and they are used to represent phases or stages of your project. For example: Phase 1 and Phase 2 or Initiation and Design and Development. 

Sub-Folders need to have a parent Project, so they must belong to a blue Project folder.

Two Important Tips: 

  1. Like Projects, you should place your Sub-Folders in top-to-bottom priority order. Do not use Sub-Folders to represent categories of your project. We recommend using custom fields to categorize groups of tasks within your project. 
  2. Avoid nesting too many layers of Sub-Folders in a project. It can make your workspace hard to navigate.

Create a Sub-Folder

Create Sub-Folders to your Project from the right-click menu:

  • Right click on your blue Project folder
  • Click on Add Items > select Sub-Folders.
  • To add multiple Sub-Folders, click on the “New Sub-Folder” link to add up to 50 Sub-Folders at one time.

 

 

 

 

 

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Add Tasks with Ranged Estimates https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/add-tasks-with-ranged-estimates/ Sat, 26 Mar 2016 22:14:45 +0000 https://lpn2021.wpengine.com/?post_type=support&p=30586  Tasks are the action items for your projects. This article will explain how to add tasks to your new

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Tasks are the action items for your projects. This article will explain how to add tasks to your new project, and how you will use a ranged estimate to capture the effort required to complete the task. LiquidPlanner uses this ranged estimate to statistically calculate and forecast your project schedule.

Add a Task

On the Projects Tab, add a new task to your project by following these steps:

  1. Right-click on the Project folder
  2. Select Add Items… > choose Tasks

Assign and Estimate Your Task

From the Add Tasks form, you will describe the task, assign the owner and estimate it.

Note: You can add a single task or click the New Task link to add multiple tasks.

Assign the task to person completing the work. If you don’t have any team members in your workspace yet, you can assign the task to a Virtual Member.

Provide a ranged estimate for your task. You can enter estimates in minutes, hours, days or weeks:

  • Use ‘w’ for weeks (1w – 2w)
  • Use ‘d’ for days (2d – 4d)
  • Use ‘h’ for hours (2h – 4h)
  • Use ‘m’ for minutes (15m – 30m)

LiquidPlanner will assume 1 day is equal to 8 hours (unless this setting is changed by the Workspace Administrator).

Why Estimate in Ranges?

By definition, an estimate is a rough approximation. The single-point estimates (i.e., “10 days”) that most software programs use are not realistic because they do not capture any uncertainty or risk.

Using ranged estimates will also change your team’s perspective on work and scheduling. Instead of being stuck with a non-negotiable single-point estimate, estimating tasks in ranges will allow for open and honest dialogue about requirements and ways to work together constructively to get rid of uncertainty.

Tips for Estimating

Estimate tasks based on effort, not Duration or Calendar Days
If a task is estimated at 5-10 days, that means you expect to put in 5-10 full days of work in order to complete it. You’re not specifying that the task will be done in 10 days. LiquidPlanner will figure out when for you, because it can account for the estimate along with all of the other factors in your schedule too (dependencies, vacations, availability, etc.)

Review and Update Estimates Regularly
If the scope or remaining work has increased or decreased, make sure to update the remaining estimate. LiquidPlanner will update your schedule based on the changes in your project estimates.

Large versus Small Ranges
If the range of your task estimate is quite large, the amount of uncertainty is high. If the range is small, the task duration is relatively certain. As you make progress on the task, you’ll probably have a better idea of the work remaining and can narrow the estimate range as you go.

Place Tasks in Priority Order

Once you’ve added tasks to your project, make sure to put your tasks in priority order. If you haven’t noticed already, priority order matters in LiquidPlanner. If you place your tasks in priority order, LiquidPlanner will ensure that higher priority task starts and finishes before the task below.

Read The Task Schedule Bars

By providing a ranged estimate, you can see how LiquidPlanner can help you visualize the uncertainty in your plan by calculating multiple finish dates for you.

Here is how to interpret the information on a simple task schedule bar.

  • Expected Start: The beginning of the schedule bar is the expected start of the task, or referred to as Start [E].
  • Expected Finish: The bold E in the middle of the schedule bar represents the expected Finish date of the task, or referred to as Finish [E].
  • Finish [90%]: The end of the white line within the schedule bar represents the 90% late finish date.
  • Finish [98%]: The very end of the schedule is the latest finish date.

You can read more detail about the schedule bars here.

FAQs

  • How detailed should my tasks be?
    Finding the right level of task detail can help your team be productive. If the task is too broad, it’s difficult to comprehend the work required and effort involved. If you get too detailed, you create more administrative work for your team members to update daily. Consider whether the task detail you have created is comprehensible, manageable and assignable. Read more.
  • How do I handle ongoing tasks?
    LiquidPlanner provides a specific recommendation for tracking ongoing work in this article.
  • How do I add multiple team members to the same task?
    You can add multiple team members to the same task by double-clicking on the task to open the Edit Panel, and adding additional task owners in the People section. Read more.
  • How do I make one task dependent on another task?
    You can create finish-to-start dependencies between tasks. Read more.

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Duplicating Project Templates https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/duplicating-project-templates/ Fri, 25 Mar 2016 22:15:14 +0000 https://lpn2021.wpengine.com/?post_type=support&p=30587  You can duplicate plan items in LiquidPlanner in order to save time creating new items, and make duplicating part

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You can duplicate plan items in LiquidPlanner in order to save time creating new items, and make duplicating part of your process for using Project or Task Templates.

Duplicate Any Item

To duplicate an item, follow these steps:

  1. From the Projects tab, right-click on the item you want to Duplicate
  2. Select Duplicate
  3. Next, confirm which options from the original item you want to duplicate: associated notes, documents, tags, links, comments, checklists, delay until dates, deadlines, restricted member access, project dashboards, and expenses (Enterprise customers only). Check the appropriate boxes.

Notes About Duplicating Items

  • When duplicating an item, certain fields are automatically populated in the copied version. Depending on the item type you’re duplicating, that may include: name, owner, description, estimates, dependencies, activities, shared portal status or client association.
  • When duplicating a container, such as a Project or Package, all items inside of the container will be duplicated as well.
  • The duplicating process is filter aware. For example, if you are filtered to “Active Items“, but you also want to duplicate tasks that have been marked done, make sure to change your filter to “All Items” before you Duplicate.
  • If any of the tasks in the original project had been packaged, the packaged status does not carry over to the copy.

 

Set Up Project and Task Templates

If you frequently complete similar types of tasks or projects, creating templates for those items can be a huge time-saver:

    1. Start by creating a backlog package at the bottom of the workspace called “TEMPLATES” where you can store all of your templates without impacting your schedule.
    2. Next, create a project or task that contains as much detail as possible.  Estimate and assign the tasks, and include other details like Notes, Tags, Checklists, or Custom Field values that will be applicable for the new item.
    3. Name the project or task as a template, e.g. TEMPLATE: Website Design or TEMPLATE: Service Request
duplicate templates
  1. When you are ready to start a new project, simply select the template project and duplicate it.
  2. Update the name of the new project and move it to the appropriate place in your scheduled plan.  As soon as you remove the project from the backlog package, it will be taken off hold and scheduled according to its priority order.

If you have a customized project dashboard associated with your project template, you have the option to duplicate the dashboard when duplicating the template to create a new project. Sub-folder dashboards associated with the project will be duplicated as well. Once the new project is created, click the View Project Dashboard and View Sub-folder Dashboard links to update dashboard names.

If you’ve set up an intake form on a dashboard and wish to use an existing task or project template as a base, simply select the option to “Use a task or project as a template” on the widget and then select the appropriate template item.

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Prioritize Your Projects https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/prioritize-your-projects/ Thu, 24 Mar 2016 22:15:49 +0000 https://lpn2021.wpengine.com/?post_type=support&p=30588    LiquidPlanner uses an item called Packages to help you prioritize your work in two ways: Prioritize your workflow. For example:

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pipeline

   LiquidPlanner uses an item called Packages to help you prioritize your work in two ways:

  1. Prioritize your workflow. For example: the Active Projects package is prioritized higher than Pending Projects. Or a 2019 Projects package is prioritized above a 2020 Projects package.
  2. Prioritize individual tasks from low priority projects (to learn more read about the ASAP package)

Packages are also subject to LiquidPlanner’s “top-to-bottom” priority-based methodology. This article will introduce you to the most common package structure that can help you prioritize your projects and tasks.

Have you added Packages to ORGANIZE your workspace?
Using packages to organize projects by categories (ex: by department or project type) can negatively affect your priorities. Read further learn about the potential pitfalls, and what features you can use instead.

Status Model Package Structure

The Status Model is the most common package configuration because it provides quick visibility into active vs. pending projects. This model also naturally reinforces listing projects in priority order from top-to-bottom, which is a key aspect of LiquidPlanner’s priority-based scheduling methodology.

Inbox
The Inbox is at the top of every workspace and can be used as part of your project intake process. Items in the Inbox are unscheduled, so you can build out new tasks that need review prior to being scheduled and prioritized in your plan.

Events
Keep the events your team is using to block time out of the schedule for meetings, holidays, and vacations in this package. Unlike tasks, events will always be scheduled for the date and time that you set, regardless of where they’re placed in the plan hierarchy. We recommend keeping PTO grouped together in the Events package so it’s easy to see who is out of the office.

ASAP
LiquidPlanner’s priority-based scheduling methodology will schedule your tasks in order from top to bottom by default, but sometimes tasks from projects listed lower in the workspace will need to be done before tasks listed higher up in the workspace. Use the ASAP package to manage your to-do list. Package up tasks from multiple concurrent projects to schedule them in the order they need to be completed.


Active Projects
Keep the projects your team is actively working on in a package called “Active Projects”. Be sure to list them in priority order so LiquidPlanner schedules them accordingly.

Pending Projects
This is where you’ll keep any projects that have not started yet, or perhaps the project is still being scoped. You can rename this to “Planned Projects” or “Awaiting Approval”. Pending Projects is placed below the Active Projects packages so that LiquidPlanner schedules all tasks assigned in the Active Projects package first. You can also keep the Pending Projects package On-Hold.

Templates
If you have projects with the same tasks and phases, create a template version of those projects and keep them in the Templates package.  When a new project is approved, just duplicate the template, drag and drop it to the appropriate place in the plan.

Avoid Category Packages

It can be natural to use Packages to categorize your projects by team or project type, but it is not recommended. Since Packages must also be placed in top-to-bottom priority order, setting up packages by category will result in your highest priority projects being inaccurate.

In the example below, the package structure organizes projects by Team Category. Notice that the R&D projects are prioritized above the Engineering package. This is problematic if you have shared resources working on projects across both teams. LiquidPlanner will assume team members should work on their R&D projects first, before working on their Engineering projects below.

Pro Tip: Instead of categorizing your Projects using Packages, use Custom Fields instead. Learn more in Step 3.

Sprint Package Structure

If you’re an Agile team, you can configure your workspace using our sprint package structure.

Time Based Structure

You can also set up packages to organize your project workflow in time-based packages. For example, prioritizing your projects quarter-by-quarter or year-to-year.

Next: Add your Custom Project Data
Once you’ve established your workspace package structure, you’re projects and packages should reflect the priority of work for your team.

The next step in setting up your new workspace is configuring your workspace settings to capture key data about your projects using custom fields, activities, teams, and more.

3. Customize Data » « 1. Create First Project

 

 

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Custom Project and Task Fields https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/custom-project-and-task-fields-2/ Wed, 23 Mar 2016 22:16:37 +0000 https://lpn2021.wpengine.com/?post_type=support&p=30589 Custom project and task fields are part of our data customization feature set. They are located on the Edit Panel

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Custom project and task fields are part of our data customization feature set. They are located on the Edit Panel for Tasks and Projects, and can be included in plan and time tracking exports, custom reports and dashboards.

They are great for capturing attributes that you can use to convey information about your projects’ status, risk, process, phase, or classification. They can also be used to report on metrics that are unique to your company or workflow.

Creating custom fields in the workspace allows you to take advantage of Card View. Using custom fields in conjunction with Tags adds another powerful dimension to plan filtering, reporting, and analysis.

Custom field types include Pick List, Text, Date, Numeric, and Currency fields. Only workspace administrators can create custom fields, but all workspace members can set and update custom field values on the Edit Panel. As a best practice, we recommend creating business rules around updating Custom Field values.

Creating Custom Project and Task Fields

Custom Fields can be added by workspace administrators only.

Under the Custom Fields sub-section of the edit panel, click on the link Manage Custom Fields or go to your User MenuSettings > Data Customization  > Custom Fields.

1. Click the blue Add Fields + button and enter the field name to create a new custom field. Designate the type as Pick List, Text, Date, Numeric, or Currency.

2. When creating a Pick List custom field, click Add Values to enter the list values. After a value is added, a designated color can be associated with it.

Custom Fields 2

3. Values for Text, Date, Numeric, or Currency fields are added directly to plan items on the task or project edit panel, under the Custom Field sub-section.

4. Reorder custom fields and custom field values by hovering over an item and clicking on the grey bars to drag and drop them into your preferred order – this is the order they’ll appear in on the edit panel. Custom field values can also be ordered alphabetically by clicking Sort A-Z.

Custom Fields 3

 

Set a Custom Field Value On the Edit Panel

Custom Fields are located in the Planning section of a project or task edit panel.

Once your fields have been created, you’ll see them in the Custom Fields sub-section of the edit panel:

Pick List custom fields have a drop-down arrow. To set a value on a Pick List custom field, click on the field and select the appropriate value. Clear a value by clicking Clear or the X.

Text, Numeric, and Currency field values are entered directly into the field. There is a limit of 255 characters. Click enter to save your text value.

To set a value for a Date custom field, click on the value field. You can select a date from the pop-up calendar or enter it underneath the calendar. Date custom field values are displayed based on the date locale selected in your Personal Profile Settings.

Filtering Custom Field Values

You can filter by Pick List Custom Field values by using the Filter by Custom Field option under the Filter Menu.

If you select two values from the same Pick List custom field, any plan items matching either of the values will be returned. If you select two values from different Pick List custom fields, any plan items matching both the values will be returned.

To filter by Date, Text, Numeric, or Currency custom field, you can create a Custom Status Filter by selecting the name of the Date or Text and one or more of the available rules. For example: is set, is not set, etc.

Custom Field Limits

Enterprise workspaces can create up to 25 custom project fields and 25 custom task fields.
Professional workspaces can create up to 10 custom project fields and 10 custom task fields.

Pick List fields accommodate fixed values only, in a single-selection format. Workspace members make a single selection from pre-set values.

Text custom fields hold up to 255 characters.

Colors for Pick List custom fields are not shown on the Intake Dashboard Widget when adding a new project or task.

Helpful Tips

  • Expose custom fields by column on the Projects tab.
  • When creating projects and tasks from the Add Menu, set custom fields using an asterisk between the field and the value. Example: Fruit*Apple will match the value “Apple” to the “Fruit” custom field.
  • Use quotes if there is a space in the custom field or value name. Example: “Custom Status*Planned” will match the value “Planned” to the “Custom Status” custom field.
  • Custom field names and values can be edited by workspace administrators. Changes are applied to all items in the workspace (even if they are marked done).
  • Custom field values (all types) can be edited by anyone with access to the plan item, even if the item is marked done.
  • Deleting a custom field, or a custom field Pick List value is permanent. Data will be removed from all plan items (even if they are marked done). There is not a way to recover deleted fields or Pick List values in the workspace.
  • Check the box for Roll-Up Type is “Sum” on Numeric and Currency custom fields to enable summing on Analytics Roll-Up Reports and Analytics Table widgets

Related Articles

Card View
Filters
Tags
Analytics Roll-Up Reports
Your Personal Columns Display
Reference Field

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