License: This software is provided gratis (free of charge), AS IS and without Warranty. It is free to use, and it is free to distribute with prior written consent from the contributors/copyright holders provided no modifications are made. Contributors retain their patents. All other rights reserved. Copyright © 2019-2020, contributors and ClearPlan Consulting, LLC.
- The purpose of this project is to provide schedulers with a time-saving and error-free tool to be used in support of industry best practices and solid processes. (Read: don't be like the TSA conveyor belt.)
- It is not the purpose of this project to absolve schedulers of the duty to build, analyze, and maintain good schedules. No tool, and no automation, can replace the mind, experience, judgment, and instincts of a living, breathing human being. Therefore:
- Use only as directed. "When in doubt, read the directions."
- Microsoft Project Standard or Professional 2013+ (32-bit or 64-bit, but must match Office version for some features to work properly)
- Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint) (32-bit or 64-bit, but must match MS Project version for some features to work propertly)
- Internet Connection preferred, but not required
- Some features may require that
.NET 3.5be enabled. From your start menu, search for 'Turn Windows Features On or Off' (a control panel setting) and be sure.NET 3.5is enabled.
Note: this tool is not currently designed (nor has it been tested) for use with Microsoft Project Server. Contact cpt@ClearPlanConsulting.com for further information or if you would like to explore a custom installation for your Server environment.
- Enable Macros
- Open Microsoft Project, go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings...
- In the Macro Settings pane, click Enable all macros
- In the Legacy Formats pane, click Allow loading files with legacy or non-default formats (this will allow import/export of settings required for various features)
- Click OK a couple of times to close the dialogs
- Completely exit, and then restart, Microsoft Project (this makes the settings above 'stick')
- Download and open the latest release (download the cpt_*.mpp file).
- Open the Organizer and select the Modules tab:
- If you have an internet connection: copy the
cptSetup_basmodule into your Global.MPT - If you do not have an internet connection: copy all modules prefixed with
cptinto your Global.MPT
- If you have an internet connection: copy the
- On the Ribbon, click View > Macros > View Macros > and run the macro
cptSetup()- This macro installs necessary core modules if they are not already installed
- Changes will be made to your ThisProject module, but if you have existing code it will not be overwritten. cpt-related code will be inserted at the very top of the procedures Project_Activate and Project_Open and each line is appended with
'</cpt>for reference.
- The ClearPlan Toolbar will be added. Click ClearPlan > Help > Help > Check for Upgrades to download the latest hotfixes. If you do not have an internet connection, please contact cpt@ClearPlanConsulting.com for the latest hotfixes.
- Reset All - removes all groups and filters, expands all tasks, and reorders by Task ID.
- WrapItUp - collapses the currently visible outline (or group) of your project starting from the lowest level up.
- Count Tasks - Just what it sounds like - optionally count all tasks, visible (filtered) tasks, or selected tasks. User is prompted with a tally of subtasks vs. summary tasks and includes inactive tasks separately. External and 'Nothing' Tasks are skipped.
- Advanced Text Tools - a single dialog aggregating the text tools below. Presents a preview of changes and can be applied to any selected tasks. Undo works.
- The following utilities are also available standalone in the top portion of the splitButton menu:
- Bulk Prepend - does just what it says. Select some tasks, click the button, enter a prefix, done.
- Bulk Append - same as above but adds a suffix instead of a prefix.
- Enumerate - select some tasks, click enumerate. Enter how many characters your sequence should be (i.e., '3' = 000), and what number you wish to start by.
- MyReplace - a better (and safer) find/replace tool that:
- Limits found/replaced texts to the selected tasks
- Includes all Text (and Outline Code) fields in the selection also.
- Other tools:
- Trim Task Names - removes all the pesky leading and trailing spaces when folks copy/paste from other tools.
- Replicate a Process - WIP (future release)
- Find Duplicate Task Names - finds duplicate task names and exports them into an Excel workbook.
- Reset Row Height = for the type-A-er in you; when task rows auto-adjust and it gives you chest pains, click this button to restore your mental sanity and enter a limited state of ~ nirvana ~.
- Dynamic Filter - This 'find-as-you-type' tool is arguably the greatest addition ever made to Microsoft Project (but we are biased). It allows you to optionally 'pin' a given task while searching for others. Optionally highlight the results instead of filtering. Include Summaries, or related summaries, in your results. Press CTRL+BKSP to clear the filter and return to your originally selected task or click 'Clear All' to reset the file. This tool is particularly helpful when working with a team to link up a schedule.
-
Driving Path - Select any target task, and then click this button. The Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Driving Path will be displayed. Note: as of v1.3 "
New Orleans" this does not yet work with master/subprojects. We are targeting v1.5 "Coronado" for upgrade.
-
Export to PowerPoint - With the target task still selected, click this button to export this
VBA wizardryinto a PowerPoint slide deck. Each Driving Path (Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary) will start a new set of slides. If the task count is too high, the network will be split over multiple slides to keep it readable (anti-eye-charting). If multiple slides are required, the last task on (e.g.,) slide 1 will be repeated as the first task on the following slide to retain context and presentation flow.
- Set a Project Status Date using Project > Project Information, or View > Status Date.
- Open the form and select: which field EV% is stored in; which field Earned Value Technique (e.g., LOE, 50/50, etc.).
- Choose whether to Hide Tasks Completed Before [a certain date]. E.g., set this to the previous status period to show tasks completed since the last update. If unchecked, the status sheet will include all incomplete tasks.
- Choose whether to create: A Single Workbook (all tasks on one sheet); A Worksheet For Each (a single workbook, but with separate worksheets for each [CAM, CWBS, IPT, etc.]; or A Workbook For Each [CAM, WBS, IPT], etc.]. If you select one of the 'For Each' options, you can further refine your output by selecting one or more items in the selected custom field. E.g., if you select A Workbook For Each and you designate the CAM custom field, a separate workbook will be created for each selected CAM and that CAM's name will be included in the file name.
- Optionally create an email with the created file attached. If you select A Single Workbook or A Worksheet For Each a single email will be created. If you select A Workbook For Each a separate email will be created for each [item] in the selected custom field.
- Optionally add custom fields between the UID and Task Name fields in the created workbook(s). Use the yellow search filter to find fields, and the right-arrow button to add it to your Export List. Use the double right-arrow to add all selected fields at once. Similarly, use the single or double left arrows to remove fields from your Export List. Use the plus and minus buttons to reorder the fields in your created workbook(s). Note that as you add/remove/reorder fields to your Export List, the current view will be updated to reflect your options--to provide you with a 'preview' of the created workbook(s). The structure of the tasks (summary levels) in the current view (whether native summary tasks or group by summaries) will be reflected in your created workbook(s).
- When you have selected all of the above options, click Create. The yellow status bar will notify you of progress. Because we include many conditional formats to catch invalid data, the export may take a couple of minutes to complete.
- Created workbooks will be saved to C:\Users\[username]\CP_Status_Sheets\[Project_Name]\[Status Date]\. All worksheets are protected; updates will only be permitted in empty Actual Start/Actual Finish fields, New Forecast Start/New Forecast Finish fields, the New EV% field, the New ETC field, and the Reason / Action / Impact field, which are highlighted.
- If you have a resource-loaded schedule, the status sheet will include editable Assignment-level cells for Remaining Work for Work (labor) resources, or Remaining Cost for Material resources.
Notes: Your choices will be saved between sessions. These settings are saved locally, so are not shared between users. If a saved custom field does not exist in the currently active project, you will be prompted to remove it.
- Stakeholders should open the received Status Update workbooks and make changes to the editable fields (AS/AF, FS/FS, New EV%, New ETC, R/A/I). Built-in conditional formatting will catch common entry errors, such as: Actual Finish <> NA and EV% < 100% or ETC > 0; Actual Finish = NA and EV% = 100 or ETC = 0, etc.
- Stakeholders may not add or remove tasks or assignments via the Status Sheet--this must (and should) only be done via the Scheduler in the live IMS.
- If forecast dates change significantly the spreadsheet does not duplicate Total Slack calculations (that's what MS Project is for).
- Collect returned status sheets in a new directory somewhere handy. You will be able to import one or many at a time.
Notes: Your choices will be saved between sessions. These settings are saved locally, so are not shared between users. If a saved custom field does not exist in the currently active project, you will be prompted to remove it.
The Import Status Sheet feature allows you to automatically import updates to custom fields in your IMS for further review and analysis before being applied to the IMS.
- Open the Import Status Sheet Form.
- Click Select Files..., navigate to the directory where returned status workbooks are stored, and make your selections. They will be listed in the ListBox on the form.
- Select where to import Actual Start dates: any of the 10 local custom Start fields, the local custom 10 Date fields, or (careful!) choose to import directly to the Actual Start field. Likewise for Actual Finish: any of the 10 local custom Finish fields, the 10 local custom Date fields, or the Actual Finish fields are available. Do not select the same custom Date field for both Start and Finish.
- Select where to import the New EV%: any of the 20 local custom Number fields are available.
- Select where to import the Assignment ETC: any of the 20 local custom Number fields are available. (Note that these values will be imported to the Assignment level.)
- Optionally choose to import the R/A/I values to the Task Notes. You may choose to prepend to, append to, or overwrite, existing Task Notes.
- Save your file before importing in case there are any issues.
- Click Import, change your view to Task Usage, and review changes. Once you have reviewed and approved the updates, manually update the values in the live fields (i.e., forecast start/finish, EV%, and Remaining Work), with the values in your selected local custom fields.
Notes: Your import choices will be saved between sessions. These settings are saved locally, so are not shared between users. If a saved custom field does not exist in the currently active project, you will be prompted to reassign it before importing updates.
- "That task will be done on November 25th." "Ok...uh...let's start guessing how many days of remaining duration I need to hit that date..." Ever done that? NO MORE! Select a task, click this button, enter your finish date, and it will Figure Out The Things for you automagically. Please be sure to confirm remaining work after the magic subsides.
Resource Demand - Export timephased remaining work to Excel (similar to the Task Usage view), with automatic PivotTable and PivotCharts. Add whatever fields you'd like to the report, and your settings will be saved for next time.
- Schedule Metrics
- CPLI - select a target task and click this to get a quick CPLI.
- BEI - Baseline Execution Index. Assuming your project is baselined, get a quick BEI.
- Hit Task % - from the old Gold Card.
- EVish Metrics - the following "EVish" metrics assume that your schedule is resource-loaded (using MS Project Assignments), baselined, and that EV% is stored in the build-in Physical % Complete field:
- SPI - Ballpark Schedule Performance Index (in hours).
- SV - Ballpark Schedule Variance (in hours).
- BCWS - Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled, a.k.a. Planned Value [PV] (in hours).
- BCWP - Budgeted Cost of Work Performed, a.k.a. Earned Value [EV] (in hours).
This feature helps you set up and manage Outline Codes (e.g., CWBS, IMP).
- Select the local custom Outline Code you want to work with. Existing lookup tables will be shown in the TreeView control below. If you make updates to the code while the form is open, the TreeView will refresh automatically.
- Select the Import Code option and choose an Import Source. You can import:
- A properly formatted Excel Workbook (*.xlsx). Required fields are CODE, LEVEL, and TITLE and must exist in range [A1:C1]. Be sure there are no empty rows of data in your import. To create a template for later import, click Template. Optionally, click _Also create task structure to automatically create summary/task structure. If unchecked, the import will only update the selected local custom Outline Code picklist.
- A generic MIL-STD-881D Appendix B (Electronic Systems). Note: this option will create new summaries and tasks in your active project. If this is not what you want, then run this in an empty *.mpp file, and simply import the resulting Outline Code from your empty *.mpp file into your live *.mpp file using the Import button on MSP's built-in Custom Fields dialog.
- The existing summary/task structure in the active project. This will use the native WBS field as the code, and the Task Name as the Description.
- If the selected local custom Outline Code is not yet named, provide a name for it (e.g., "CWBS").
- Once you have made your selections, click Import.
- Select the Export Code option to export the selected local custom Outline Code into: An Excel Workbook; "WBS Descriptive" CSV file for import to MPM; a CSV Code file for import to COBRA; or import into pre-formatted DI-MGMT-81334D for update. Note: the DI-MGMT-81334D Template is required; install it to your Microsoft Templates directory (usually located at C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates).
- Select the Find/Replace option to find and replace multiple instances of a word in the selected local custom Outline Code descriptions.
- Export IMS to COBRA - Creates the CSV-formatted import files for Baseline, Forecast, and Status for upload to COBRA. See the Help Doc for more information.
Store custom field descriptions and automatically generate an IMS Data Dictionary.
- Local and Enterprise Custom fields will be listed in the ListBox. Use the yellow search filter to find a specific field.
- Enter a Description in the Text Box.
- Optionally export the IMS Data Dictionary to an Excel workbook. If desired, update the descriptions and import them. If you wish to share your data dictionary descriptions with others, export your entries and send to another user with the CPT installed, and they can import them. CAVEAT: be sure local custom fields are aligned between your file and theirs.
Note: Data Dictionary entries are stored per project file and per user.
- Check for Upgrades - From time to time click Check for Upgrades to get the latest upgrades and hotfixes. Note: if you do not have an internet connection available from your client computer, download on a non-client asset next time you're in the coffee-shop, then copy the modules over into your Organizer next time you're onsite.
- Submit an Issue - submit your bugs/issues for quick triage and (depending on availability of our developers who are themselves fully deployed) we'll push fixes ASAP.
- Submit a Feature Request - submit your feature requests for review! Suggestions, once reviewed, will be voted on at the next offsite!
- Submit Other Feedback - our entire goal is to help you sharpen your axe so please let us know how we're doing, what you'd like changed, what's broken, etc.
- Uninstall ClearPlan Toolbar - Never do this. Never. (Seriously, why would you do this?) ...ok, if you must uninstall (client request, you're rolling off the gig, etc.) then click this button and follow the prompts.
A special thanks to our developers and contributors, and to the ClearPlan leadership team for inspiring us to make it better.
Copyright © 2019-2021 ClearPlan Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved.