Work plan and Gantt with the critical path
Plan a project as linked activities with durations in working days. Schedule works out the dates, the float and the critical path. Set a baseline and see every slip against it on the Gantt.
PLANSScale only
The problem it solves
- The plan lives in one person's spreadsheet, and when one activity slips nobody knows which dates move with it.
- Everything looks equally urgent because nobody can see which activities have no room to slip.
- The client asks how late you are against the plan they signed, and the original dates were overwritten.
- Dates fall on Sundays and festival holidays because the plan counts calendar days.
How it works
- On the project, open the Work Plan tab and add activities: code, name, duration in days and the person responsible. If you break the work down, add a summary activity they sit under.
- On each activity's Comes After tab, link the activities before it. Use Finish to Start, Start to Start, Finish to Finish or Start to Finish, with a lag in days (a minus number overlaps).
- Set the project's Weekly Off and add holidays under Configuration > Tasks and Plans > Holidays. Press Schedule: the dates, float and critical path are worked out in working days from the project's start.
- Press Set Baseline when the plan is agreed. From then on each activity shows how many days it is late against the baseline.
- Open the Gantt: bars by planned or actual dates, the baseline under each bar, % done and link arrows. The critical path is red, with a line for today.
- As work goes on, press Start and Done on activities or enter actual dates and % done, then Schedule again. Actual dates are kept and the rest moves.
Everything it does
Activities
- Code, name, group heading, place, duration in days, quantity of work, notes
- Under: a summary activity it is part of; summaries take their dates from the activities inside, and their % done weighted by days
- Not Before: a date the activity cannot start earlier than
- Planned start and finish, latest start and finish, float in days, critical
- Baseline start and finish, actual start and finish, % done, Late By (days)
- Status from the dates and % done: Not Started, Under Way, Done; Start and Done buttons fill the actual dates
- Done by Our Crew or a Subcontractor, with the subcontractor and the person responsible
- Every change is kept in the activity's history
Links
- Four kinds: Finish to Start (the default), Start to Start, Finish to Finish, Start to Finish
- Lag in days; a minus number lets activities overlap
- Links stay within one project; an activity cannot come after itself, and a loop is refused when you schedule
Schedule and working days
- Earliest dates forward from the project's start date (or today), the Not Before dates and the links
- Latest dates back from the finish, then float; activities with no float and not done are critical
- Actual dates are kept as they are
- Weekly Off per project: None (every day worked, the default), Sunday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or Friday and Saturday
- Holidays of one project or of every project of the entity, one day or a closure of several days
- Each run posts the number of activities and the finish date on the project
The Gantt
- Pick the project from a list of your projects
- Zoom by days, weeks or months; fold summaries; show the critical path only
- Click a bar to open its activity; managers can run Schedule from the Gantt
- Dates are changed on the activity, not by dragging bars
Lists
- Projects > Work > Tasks and Plans > Work Plan: every activity of every project, as a list, month calendar or form
- Filters: Not Done, On Today, Critical, Late, Next 3 Weeks, Activities (No Summaries)
- Critical activities show red in the list, done ones greyed
Who uses it
Projects ManagerRuns Schedule, sets the baseline, adds holidays for one project or all, and sees the work plan of every project.
Project managerAdds and links the activities of the projects they run and reads the Gantt; runs Schedule when they also hold the Projects Manager role.
Team memberSees the plan of the projects they are on, and marks activities started or done with % done.
ClientHears about progress through the project feed and milestones; the Gantt is not on the portal.
Where you use it
- Web: the project form's Work Plan tab (Schedule, Set Baseline, Gantt, Weekly Off), Projects > Work > Tasks and Plans > Work Plan and Gantt
- Configuration: Projects > Configuration > Tasks and Plans > Holidays and Work Templates
- Not in the phone app and not on the client portal
What you control
Settings
- Weekly Off per project: None to start with
- Holidays for one project or for every project of the entity
- Link kind per link: Finish to Start to start with; lag 0
Questions
Are the activities the same as tasks?
No. The work plan has its own activities for scheduling. Tasks on the board are a separate list and are not drawn on the Gantt.Can I drag a bar to move an activity?
Not today. Change the duration, a link or the Not Before date on the activity and press Schedule; the bars follow.Can I bring in a plan from Microsoft Project or Primavera P6?
Yes. Import Schedule on the project reads Microsoft Project XML and Primavera P6 XER files, and Export to MS Project writes the plan back out.What happens to the dates when work runs late?
Enter the actual start or finish and press Schedule again. Actual dates are kept, the rest moves, and Late By shows the days against the baseline.Can we fill a plan from a template?
Work Templates can be kept under Configuration, but SmartMy Projects has no button yet to make a plan from one. Add activities by hand or import a schedule.Which plan has it?
Scale. Starter and Growth have tasks on a board, list, calendar and pivot, without the work plan.Related features
PLANNINGMS Project and Primavera P6 import and exportBring a schedule in from Microsoft Project (XML) or Primavera P6 (XER) with its outline, dates, progress and links. Send your work plan back out as a Microsoft Project file.TASKSTasks on a board, list, calendar and pivotEvery project's work as tasks with assignees, priority, dates and tags. See them as a board by stage, a list, a calendar or a pivot. Stages are shared by every project, or a project keeps its own.PROJECTSStages you leave only when the checks passEvery project moves through your stages, such as Planning, Execution and Closure. It leaves a stage only when its checks pass: tasks done, time approved, the payment received. Passing a check anyway takes an approval, with the reason on record.PROJECTSKey events with readiness checksKick-offs, steering reviews and go-lives run as key events. Each has readiness checks counted back from the day and invitations the client answers from a link. Reminders, follow-ups and the report come by themselves.MONEYSubcontract work orders with certified measured workGive work to freelancers and subcontractors on a work order with item lines and rates. Work done is measured and certified by a Projects Manager. Running bills work out retention, advance recovery, back-charges and withholding tax.PROJECTSClient projects with team, value and healthEvery project holds its client (or marks it internal), Entity, currency, value, dates and the team with their roles and dates. The project manager sets its health, On Track, At Risk or Off Track, with one line on why.
See your next project on it.
Tell us how many people keep time, how you bill your clients today (hours, fixed price, retainers) and what you use now. We will set up one of your real projects with you.