project management user guide - bnh expert soft · robert simmon – naval technical training...

Project Management User Guide

Who needs to be trained, on what

and why?

Mission Task Analysis

Job Task Analysis

Knowledge/Skill Gap Analysis

What is most effective and economical

way to deliver training?

Media Analysis

Cost Analysis

Generate Training Plans

How much money, personnel,

and resources are needed?

Forecast Budget, Personnel

and Resource Requirements

Uncover Training Duplication

How training should be implemented?

Generate Project Plans

Track Progress in Real-Time

Manage Personnel and Resources

How to improve performance

and validate training?

Performance Gap Analysis

Root Cause Analysis

Cost Benefit Analysis

ADVISOR Enterprise User's Guide © Copyright 1995 to 2015 BNH Expert Software Inc. Latest Update: June 15, 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication and/or software may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of BNH Expert Software Inc., 4000 Steinberg Street, Saint Laurent, Quebec, Canada, H4R 2G7. Printed in Canada

BNH Expert Software ________________________________________________________________________________________

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Copyright © BNH Expert Software Inc.

Forward Maintaining projects on time and within budget is one of the greatest challenges for any project manager. To minimize delays and cost overruns, realistic project plans are vital for keeping projects on track by identifying what needs to be done, when, and by who; the time, money, personnel and resources needed for each task and phase; critical paths/milestones; interdependencies among various tasks - i.e., how delays in one task can impact others. Since the best-laid plans can go awry, a tracking system is also critical for monitoring progress. With viable project plans in hand and real time updates from the project team on hours worked and tasks completed, progress can be tracked, delays anticipated and corrective measures implemented to keep projects on-time and within budget.

Develop Project Plans ♦ Track Progress ♦ Manage Resources


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Challenges …

Project Management can, however, be complex, time consuming and costly, for the following reasons: Involves multiple individuals assigned

to several projects. Requires accurate estimation of time

and costs. Requires identification of

interdependencies among tasks as well as constraints.

Requires schedules that take into consideration interdependencies among tasks and constraints.

Requires realistic project plans that take

into account team members current commitments and workload.

Requires a robust tracking system that anticipates delays, identifies corrective measures and facilitates project plan updates.

Requires simultaneous tracking of multiple projects that utilize the same pool of personnel and resources.

Requires meeting the requirements of various standards.

Requires generating project plan reports in desired format.


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ADVISOR Added Value …

Speeds Analysis ♦ Minimizes Duplication ♦ Improves Efficiency

Facilitate collaboration and data exchange. Projects and personnel skills and activities are stored in a centralized database accessible anytime and from anywhere with a Browser.

Speed data collection; minimize delays and cost overruns by tracking progress in real time. Hours worked on each Task and items completed are reported in real-time.

Quickly and accurately forecast time and budget needed to develop, deliver, maintain and support training programs using templates.

Automatically compile and analyze data from team members, update project’s status and communicate results to clients.

Produce viable project plans that recognize interdependencies among tasks and constraints.

Anticipate problems and pinpoint corrective measures by continually assessing progress relative to project plan.

Improve resource allocation by tracking the overall utilization rates of personnel and resources.

Forecast future personnel and resource needs based on upcoming projects.


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Acknowledgement ADVISOR Enterprise is the result of over twenty years of research and development. Dozens of organizations and hundreds of individuals have contributed to the development and evolution of ADVISOR and for this we are very appreciative. Our primary objective is to develop a practical, reliable and robust tool that simplifies and speeds training analysis, forecasts and optimizes training resources, improves resource allocation, generates audit trail to support recommendations, facilitates collaboration and sharing of data among team members, minimizes duplication as well as facilitates the upkeep of analyses over time to keep training programs effective, efficient and relevant. We believe that with the assistance and contribution of the following organizations and individuals, we have been able to accomplish this goal.

Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence

Federal Deposit Insurance Agency

Lockheed Martin

National Security Agency

Merck Company

Nortel Networks

Raytheon Systems Company

Southern Steel Company

United States Air Force

United States Army

United States Coast Guard

United States Marine Corps

United States Navy

Lisa Abramson – Merck & Company Larry Alberter – National Security Agency Cathi Billings – Sheppard AFB Ferrell Briggs – Naval Aviation Maintenance Training Group Tim Bothell – Franklin Covey Company Bruce Castle – Lockheed Martin Bryan Chapman – Brandon-Hall.com Rick Cheek – Keesler AFB Dr. Ed Chenette – Chief of Naval Education and Training Dr. Adelaide Cherry – Maxwell AFB Alex Cohoon – US Navy, Virginia Beach FCTCLANT Beverly Condon – Goodfellow AFB Dr. Dennis Duke – US Navy Naval Air Systems Command Dr. Bruce Eddy – Lockheed Martin Frederick Glover – Naval Aviation Maintenance Training Group Dr. Robert Guptill – Dynamic Research Corporation Richard Grahlman – Naval Postgraduate School


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Dr. Jo Ann Graves – Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Pacific Janet Heins – Merck & Company Peter Hope – Canadian National Defence Betty Sue Jones – Maxwell AFB James Kalivoda – Naval Education and Training Professional David M Lorage – US Coast Guard Dr. Fred Madsen – Lockheed Martin Dr. Tim McLaughlin – Raytheon Professional Services Dr. Bill Melton, US Army – TRADOC Jesse Martinez – US Marine Corps Dr. Arlen Michaels – Nortel Networks Hector Moya – Goodfellow AFB Vangie Nix – Maxwell AFB Arlene Parker – Keesler AFB Dr. Albert Pruett – Naval Aviation Maintenance Training Group Peter Sabiston – Canadian National Defence Mike Sazma – Great Lakes Naval Training Center Fred Roberts – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Roger St. Pierre – Canadian National Defence William Schafer – Trident Training Facility Bangor Dr. Bill Shook – Boeing Company Robert Simmon – Naval Technical Training Center John Stacy – Kraft Foods Karl Stradley – Raytheon Professional Services Gary Troy – Goodfellow AFB Dr. Steve Ulosevich – Southern Steel Company Chris Winters – Raytheon Systems Company Dr. Kenneth Woolman – Lockheed Martin Thank you. J. Bahlis, Ph.D., P.Eng. President BNH Expert Software Inc.

Table of Contents ____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Table of Contents Table of Contents..........................................................................................................................................................ix

Chapter 1: Getting Started ............................................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 How Can ADVISOR Help You? ......................................................................................................................... 1

1.3 System Requirements .......................................................................................................................................... 2

1.4 Background Theory and Process ......................................................................................................................... 3

1.5 Getting Started ..................................................................................................................................................... 6

1.6 How is ADVISOR Organized? ............................................................................................................................ 7

1.7 Learning ADVISOR ............................................................................................................................................ 8

Chapter 2: Define Scope and Estimate Costs ................................................................................................................ 9

2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 9

2.2 Approach #1: Preliminary Cost Analysis .......................................................................................................... 11

2.3 Approach #2: Detailed Cost Analysis ................................................................................................................ 22

Chapter 3: Divide Project into Phases and Tasks ........................................................................................................ 29

3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 29

3.2 Setup a New Project........................................................................................................................................... 30

3.3 Divide Project into Phases ................................................................................................................................. 32

3.4 Setup Tasks for Each Phase ............................................................................................................................... 33

Chapter 4: Generate Project Plan ................................................................................................................................. 35

4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 35

4.2 Define Dependencies ......................................................................................................................................... 36

4.3 Identify Constraints ........................................................................................................................................... 37

4.4 Setup Schedule .................................................................................................................................................. 38

4.5 Assign Personnel and Resources ....................................................................................................................... 40

4.6 Generate Project Plan ........................................................................................................................................ 44

Chapter 5: Monitor Progress ........................................................................................................................................ 45

5.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 45

5.2 Update and Review Progress ............................................................................................................................. 46

5.3 Project Status Report ......................................................................................................................................... 50

5.4 Export to MS Project ......................................................................................................................................... 51

Chapter 6: Setup Classification System ....................................................................................................................... 53

6.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 53

6.2 Master Skills List ............................................................................................................................................... 53

6.3 Master Attributes List ........................................................................................................................................ 54

6.4 Master Activities List ........................................................................................................................................ 55

Table of Contents ____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Chapter 7: Setup User Accounts .................................................................................................................................. 57

7.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 57

7.2 Setup New User Account ................................................................................................................................... 58

7.3 Setup Project Accounts ...................................................................................................................................... 63

7.4 Final Notes ......................................................................................................................................................... 64

Chapter 8: Manage Preferences, Skills and Projects ................................................................................................... 65

8.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 65

8.2 Manage Preferences ........................................................................................................................................... 65

8.3 Define Skills and Attributes ............................................................................................................................... 69

8.4 Manage Projects ................................................................................................................................................ 70

8.5 Time Sheets ....................................................................................................................................................... 73

8.6 Manage Vacation, Training and Sick Leave ...................................................................................................... 74

8.7 View Calendar ................................................................................................................................................... 75

Chapter 9: Setup and Manage Inventory ..................................................................................................................... 77

9.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 77

9.2 Setup Inventory .................................................................................................................................................. 77

Add Resources to Inventory ................................................................................................................................ 77

Scheduling Maintenance for Inventory ................................................................................................................ 79

9.3 Manage Holidays ............................................................................................................................................... 81

Chapter 10: Generate Reports ...................................................................................................................................... 83

10.1 Personnel Utilization Rates .............................................................................................................................. 83

10.2 Personnel & Resources Needed ....................................................................................................................... 85

10.3 Personnel Calendar .......................................................................................................................................... 86

10.4 Projects Calendar ............................................................................................................................................. 87

Chapter 1 – Getting Started ____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Chapter 1: Getting Started

1.1 Introduction With multiple competing priorities, maintaining projects on time and within budget is one of the greatest challenges for any project manager. To minimize delays and cost overruns, a solid project plan is vital for keeping the project on track by identifying the time, money and resources needed for each step; what needs to be done by who and when; critical paths/milestones; relationships between various tasks – i.e., how delays in one task impact others. Since the best-laid plans can go awry, a tracking system is also needed to monitor progress, anticipate problems and allow for corrective measures. ADVISOR Enterprise is a web based project and resource management tool specifically designed for training managers. It forecasts time, money and resources needed to design, develop, administer, manage, deliver, maintain and support training programs; automatically generates project’s phases and tasks including time and money needed by each; facilitates the set-up of dependencies and constraints; speeds the development of project plan; manages the assignment of personnel and resources; as well as tracks progress in real time.

1.2 How Can ADVISOR Help You? ADVISOR provides a practical tool for quickly and accurately forecasting the time, money and resources needed to design, develop, administer, manage, deliver, maintain and support training programs; and in-turn facilitating the development of solid project plans as well as tracking progress. It is based on scientific principles, supported by extensive research and produces measurable results. With data from all programs at your fingertips, you can: Minimize delays and cost overruns. Provide accurate time and cost estimates, produce solid project

plans and track progress in real-time. Facilitate project planning. Based on forecasts, automatically generate Phases and Tasks for the

project including time and costs. Quickly update the project requirements as training priorities change – for example due to an increase or decrease in throughput.

Save time. Quickly identify and assign personnel and resources to various tasks. Skills, attributes

and availability of personnel and resources within training division are readily accessible to Project Manager.

Facilitate collaboration. Automatically notify personnel of new assignments, solicit confirmation and

track progress on various tasks in real-time.




Maintain quality. Provide simple step-by-step methodology for inexperienced managers to forecast time and money needed for training programs, plan projects and track progress.

Improve resource allocation. Monitor the overall usage of personnel and resources (utilization rate).

Anticipate potential shortfalls and redirect excess resources to areas of greatest need. Develop effective presentations. Generate clear, simple to follow schedules, charts, tables and

reports to effectively monitor progress and communicate the results to others. Document decision and present the results with confidence. ADVISOR is based on extensive

research, tested on thousands of scenarios and used by hundreds of organizations. Detailed computations as well as the reasoning behind recommendations are clearly presented and can be easily validated.

1.3 System Requirements Pentium IV microprocessor or higher 512 MB random access memory or more SVGA Monitor, for best results screen resolution should be set to 1024 x 768 Hard disk drive with 200 MB of free disk space Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or higher, or Netscape 6.0 or higher. Ensure that

Browser is configured to accept Java, Java Script and cookies and Pop-up Windows are not blocked. For Internet Explorer, the settings can be changed by selecting Tool, Internet Options, Security and Custom Level. For Netscape, the setting can be changed by selecting Edit, Preferences and Advanced.




1.4 Background Theory and Process Project Management is the discipline of organizing and managing people and resources in order to complete a project on time and within the specified cost. All projects are carried out under certain constraints – traditionally, they are cost, time, and scope. These three important factors (commonly called "the triple constraint") are often represented as a triangle with quality as the central theme. The Scope constraint refers to what must be done to produce the project's end result. The Cost constraint refers to the budget available for the project. The Time constraint refers to the amount of time available to complete a project. These three constraints are often competing. In other words, increased scope typically means increased time and increased cost; a tight time constraint could mean increased costs and reduced scope; and a tight budget could mean increased time and reduced scope. Changes to any of one of these three constraints that do not allow for adjustment of the other two constraints will inevitably have an impact on Quality. Step 1. Define the Scope The Scope defines the project requirements – i.e., the end results or deliverables. A major component of the Scope is the quality of the final product. For large projects, quality can have a significant impact on Time and/or Cost. The Scope of a training project is defined by the instructional goals; course length; trainees’ throughput; quality and frequency of graphics, audio and video; display, control, hardware, system, motion, audio and visual fidelity; delivery media, etc. Step 2. Estimate the Cost Forecast the effort and money needed for the training program. Based on course length, throughput, instructor to trainee ratio, attrition rate, development ratios, delivery media, rates paid for developers, managers, administrators, instructors, support and maintenance staff, and so forth, the effort and money needed to design, develop, administer, manage, deliver, maintain and support a training program is forecasted. Step 3. Divide Project into Phases and Tasks Based on the results of the course analysis (Step 2), the preliminary Phases and Tasks for the project including time and money needed by each are automatically generated. The user may add or modify Tasks then reallocate time and money accordingly. ADVISOR maintains consistency and preserves data integrity, by harmonizing the time and costs within each phase with the estimates generated under the course analysis. In other words, should the forecasted time and/or money requirements for the training program in Step 2 change, the time and funds allocated for the project plan in Step 3 can be adjusted accordingly.




Step 4. Define Dependencies and Constraints The relationships among Tasks (for example, Task C can only start after Tasks A and B have been completed) as well as other conditions that should be adhered to (for example, Task C must finish on a specific date) are defined in this step. Step 5. Schedule Tasks The Start and End Date of each Task is defined in this step. To maintain consistency and preserve data integrity, all dates are validated in accordance with the dependencies and constraints defined above. It should be noted that the dependencies between the tasks can affect the length of the overall project.

Step 5.

Schedule Tasks

Step 6.

Assign Personnel & Resources

Step 4.

Define Dependencies & Constraints

Step 3.

Divide Project into Phases & Tasks

Step 9.

Track Progress

Step 8.

Update Progress

Step 2.

Estimate Costs

Step 1.

Define Project Scope

Step 7.

Generate Project Plan

Personnel on Project




Step 6. Assign Personnel and Resources To facilitate this process, the skills, attributes and availability of personnel and resources for each client are made available to the Project Manager. Once personnel and resources are assigned to the project, email notifications may be sent to each individual indicating time needed on each task as well as requesting confirmation. Once again, the availability of resources – resource constraint – can affect the length of the overall project. Step 7. Generate Project Plan With timelines and personnel in place, a daily or monthly project plan outlining tasks and personnel assigned for each task can be generated for any time period. The project completion date is of course dependent on tasks needed to produce the deliverables, the effort needed to complete each task and the dependencies among the tasks. Step 8. Update Progress Each individual can update their progress on each of the assigned tasks by indicating hours worked, funds spent, % of work completed as well as anticipated completion date. The information is automatically relayed to the Project Manager and the progress of the project is updated accordingly. Step 9. Track Progress The status of the project including time planned, time worked, % completed as well as time ahead or behind schedule is presented for each individual and task. A daily or monthly progress plan can be generated for any time period.




1.5 Getting Started To log on to ADVISOR Enterprise, go to http://www.bnhadvisor.com, click on “ADVISOR Sign In”, input your User ID and Password and click [Submit]. You may change your User ID (login), password and

preferences by clicking on the Preferences node under Personalize tab, editing the required items and clicking the [Save] button. Step by step instructions are also available to familiarize you with ADVISOR. You can hide or display

these instructions (ADVISOR Tour) under Personalize tab by selecting the Preferences node and the options tab and selecting or deselecting the ADVISOR Tour option. Context sensitive online help is available for each screen by clicking on the [Help] button.

To get the most out of ADVISOR Enterprise, Chapters 3 through 10 along with the ADVISOR Configuration Guide should be thoroughly reviewed to gain a clear understanding of the system’s capabilities and how to setup ADVISOR to best meet your needs.

http://www.bnhadvisor.com/




1.6 How is ADVISOR Organized? ADVISOR has five main components organized within 3 windows: top, left and right. The sizes of the windows can be adjusted by dragging the border. Once you become familiar with these components, the system operation and navigation will become fairly simple. a) Buttons (top window) – Actions available to user are presented as a series of buttons at the top of

the screen. You can Add, Save, Copy, Delete, Merge/Diverge content, add comments/ assumptions to a screen (Notes), Print a screen, Return to previous level (Up), Restore previous values, request Help or Logout. Information is only saved when you click the [Save] button.

b) Path (top window) – Tracks your progress as you navigate through ADVISOR. c) Tree (left window) – List options (nodes) available to user. To expand an option (node), click on the

[+] sign. To view the contents of an option (node), click on corresponding node. d) Tabs (top of right window) – Data for some nodes are divided into several tabs. Click on a tab to

view its contents. e) Main Window or Workspace (right window) – Content of each screen is presented in this window.




1.7 Learning ADVISOR To use ADVISOR, you should know how to perform basic computer, Windows and Browser operations. For example, how to start and quit applications, selecting commands and dialog box options. To facilitate the learning process, ADVISOR comes with its own set of online tools. These include: Online Tour: a slide show that highlights ADVISOR’s main features. It is presented after User logs on

ADVISOR.

Video Clips: provide a better understanding of ADVISOR's main functions and features. To view, please visit the following URL: http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/tour.htm.

Step-by-Step Guides: for forecasting training costs. To view and download, please visit the following URL: http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/sbs4.pdf.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions are available online at: http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/resources/faq.htm

Context Sensitive Help: can be displayed for each screen by clicking on the [Help] button.

Technical Support: Available 8:00 am to 6:00 pm EST by calling 1 (514) 745-4010. You may also fax 1 (514) 745-4011 or E-mail [email protected] questions.

User-to-User Forum: You may also interact with other ADVISOR Enterprise users through our User-to-User Forum at: http://www.bnhadvisor.com/jforum/forums/list.page.

http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/tour.htm

http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/sbs4.pdf

http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/resources/faq.htm

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.bnhadvisor.com/jforum/forums/list.page

Chapter 2 – Define Scope and Estimate Costs ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 2: Define Scope and Estimate Costs

2.1 Introduction Two approaches are presented in this Guide: Preliminary Cost Analysis #1: This approach allows you to quickly generate rough order magnitude

(ROM) estimates. Key cost data is collected under the Data Collection Wizard and submitted for analysis. This approach: (a) is simple to use, (b) forecasts the costs of alternate delivery options within a few minutes, and (c) estimates can be easily edited/refined under the Course Analysis folder.

Step 5.

Schedule Tasks

Step 6.


Step 4.


Step 3.


Step 9.

Track Progress

Step 8.

Update Progress

Step 2.

Estimate Costs

Step 1.


Step 7.






The Data Collection Wizard is not suited to courses with multiple learning outcomes. In such cases, the data should be collected and analyzed under the Course Analysis folder, which includes a function for dividing the course into several groups based on learning outcomes. Detailed Cost Analysis #2: This approach generates a detailed breakdown of training program costs; and

facilitates the forecasting of development, courseware, hardware, administrative, management, travel, instructors, facilities, transmission, maintenance and support costs. Templates can be created and made available to all analysts to speed the analysis process.1 Moreover, the cost templates ensure consistency in cost estimates, and facilitate conducting multiple “what if scenarios”. Detailed analyses are conducted in the Design Tab under the Course Analysis folder.

For in-depth information on cost analysis, please refer to the ADVISOR Enterprise “Training Design” User Guide2. Remember that context sensitive help for each screen is also available by clicking on the [Help] button.

1 The creation of templates is fully explained in Section 2.4 of the ADVISOR Configuration Guide

(http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/guidec.pdf)

2 http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/guide2.pdf

http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/guidec.pdf

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2.2 Approach #1: Preliminary Cost Analysis Objective: To quickly generate rough order magnitude (ROM) estimates for the costs for alternate

delivery options. Step 1. To analyze a new course, click on the Data Collection Wizard folder.

Note: To edit an existing course or conduct a detailed analysis of a new course, click on the Course Analysis folder.

Step 2. Click on the [Add] button (top left corner).

Step 3. Critical data required for forecasting the costs of a new course is collected in this section. These include:

1. Course Info: General course related information such as the learning outcome, # of hours required to deliver the course, expected life of course, and start date.

2. Instructional Requirements: Information related to course’s instructional design requirements such as media, trainee characteristics and assessment.

3. Cost Factors. High level costing data required to generate rough order magnitude cost estimates.

All fields with an asterisk (*) should be completed. Of course, the more data you provide the better the results. Once you have finished inputting your data in the tabs, click [Save] button.




For your reference, a brief summary of some of the collected data items is presented below. A full description for all items is available by clicking the [Help] button. Step 3a. Primary Information

Course Title Input the course title, maximum 200 characters

Learning objectives Select the category of learning outcome/objective of this course. If more than one, what is the most dominant category?

# of hours required to deliver the course

Estimate the number of hours required to deliver the course in an instructor-led format.

Course start date [dd/mm/yyyy]

Indicate the expected delivery date of the course. If the course exists, then use today's date as a reference point.

Expected life of course [years]

Over how many years can the course be delivered before it becomes obsolete, irrelevant or requires major changes? If the course exists, estimate the remaining life, using today's date as a reference point.

Number of trainees over the life of the course

Estimate the number of learners over the life of the course. If the course exists, estimate the number of learners using today's date as a reference point.

Client Select the client for the course.




Step 3b. Instructional Requirements

Time to develop the course

Select the time available to prepare course material.

Course content generic or organization specific

Select the level of content specificity for development.

Trainees location

Select the geographic categorization of the training audience.

Data presently (or planned to be) collected

Select the type of data that is or will be collected as part of the training delivery.

Trainees work as a team using skills learned

Select the level of team work required.

Dangerous to practice learned concepts

Is it dangerous for trainees to practice learned concepts - how to regulate a high voltage panel, for example?

Real equipment required for the delivery of training

Select the requirement for and availability of real equipment for training delivery.

Difficult to simulate the equipment

Select the level of difficulty to simulate the functionality of the real equipment.

Role-play critical in meeting course objective

Select the requirement for role play in the delivery of training. How important is it towards achieving the learning objectives?

How critical are guided discussions?

Select the requirement for guided discussions in the delivery of training. How important is it towards achieving the learning objectives?

How critical are teaming exercises?

Select the requirement for team exercises in the delivery of training. How important is it towards achieving the learning objectives?

How critical is audio?

Select the requirement for the use of audio in the delivery of training.

How critical is full motion video?

Select the requirement for the use of full motion video in the delivery of training.




Step 3b. Instructional Requirements - continued

How critical are still images?

Select the requirement for the use of still images in the delivery of training.

Trainers resistance to technology

Select the level of the instructional staff’s resistance to technology.

Trainees receptive to computers for learning

Are trainees receptive to the use of computers for the delivery of training?

Trainees reading ability

Select the trainees’ reading ability level.

Trainees skill and proficiency level

Select the homogeneity of trainees’ prior knowledge and skill of subject matter.

Trainees have access to computer

Select the level of trainee access to computers.

Trainees have access to multimedia computer

Select the level of trainee access to multi-media computers.

Trainees have access to video conferencing

Select the level of trainee access to video conferencing.

Trainees access to Internet/Intranet

Select the level of trainee access to the Internet/Intranet.

Minimum acceptable internet connection speed

Select the minimum acceptable connection speed to the Internet or Intranet (lowest common denominator).

Application of learned skills

Select the category that best describes learner application of concepts gained from this training.




Step 3c. Cost Factors

% of course that changes each year

Estimate the percentage of the course content that may change each year. The estimate should be indicated as a percentage of the initial development effort [10% each year, for example]. Although a course may have a life span of three years, for example, 15% of the content may change each year.

Annual salary of individuals taking the course

Input the average annual salary of trainees [$40,000, for example]. Data on average annual salary of trainees may be obtained from personnel or payroll department.

Organization fringe benefits factor [%]

Input the organization's fringe benefits factor. This covers all expenses including employees' benefits such as medical and dental coverage; organization's contribution to pension and other funds; as well as general operational expenses such as rent, electricity, phone, security, etc. Fringe benefits factor generally varies from 25% to 75% of employee's salary. Data on the fringe benefits factor may be obtained from personnel or payroll department.

Average number of trainees per class

Estimate the average number of trainees per class, if course is delivered in a synchronous mode.

Average number of instructors per class

Estimate the average number of instructors/facilitators per class, if course is delivered in a synchronous mode.

% of trainees that travel to course

Estimate the percentage of trainees that would have to travel to and from the course site, if course is delivered in an instructor-led format.

% of instructors that travel to course

Estimate the percentage of instructors/facilitators that would have to travel to and from the course site, if course is delivered in an instructor-led format.

Average per diem cost per individual [per day]

This includes reimbursable daily expenses for lodging, meals and tips. Data on the average per diem costs may be obtained from the payroll or accounting department.

Average travel cost per individual

This includes round-trip air, bus or train fare, local automobile mileage, taxi or local public transportation costs. You may average these costs for participants in the course. However, the method used to compute the average should be documented. Data on average travel costs may be obtained from the payroll or accounting department.

Average instructor annual salary

Input the average annual salary of instructors/facilitators, if course is delivered in a synchronous mode. Data on the annual salary of instructors may be obtained from personnel or payroll department.




Step 3c. Cost Factors - continued

Average consulting fees per class

Input the average consulting fees per class, if external subject matter experts, instructors or facilitators deliver course in a synchronous mode.

If course exists, present delivery method

Select the method presently used to deliver the training, if applicable.

Effort required to develop course

Select the effort required to develop the course, even if course already exists, as follows:

Low – a course that deals with a simple subject. The course content can be adequately presented in text, graphics and simple animation, if developed in an asynchronous mode. That is, it does not require complex animation, simulation, audio or video.

Medium – a course that deals with a moderately complex subject. The course content requires text, graphics, animation, simple simulations, some audio but minimal video, if developed in an asynchronous mode.

High – a course that deals with an abstract/complex subject that is difficult to comprehend. The course content requires text, graphics, complex animations and simulations as well as audio and video if developed in an asynchronous mode.

Average cost of room rental per class

Estimate facilities costs per class (hotel or conference center room rental, for example), if course is delivered in an instructor-led format.

# of administrative days required [per class]

Estimate the number of days per class required to administer the course, if delivered in an asynchronous mode. This may include registering trainees, booking a room, arranging for equipment, etc. Note that this refers to working days and not calendar days.

Cost of computer/hardware required by course

Cost of special equipment (computers or trainers, for example] required for training. If remodeling the classroom is required, then the costs should also be included.




Step 4. To view and/or modify the preliminary cost estimates, click on the Course Analysis folder. A list of available courses is presented.

Step 5. Click on next to the Course Analysis folder to expand and the next to the (course

title) node to view available options.

Step 6. To view the results of the preliminary cost analysis, click on the Group Analysis folder and the next to it to expand. A list of the groups within the course is presented. Only one group is

generated by the Data Collection Wizard. Step 7. Each group is analyzed separately to determine the most economical delivery option. Click on

next to the (group title) node to display the Cost Analysis folder.

The forecasts for each group are presented under the Cost Analysis folder. If the course has multiple groups, the costs for the entire course (i.e., all groups) are presented under the Course Summary folder.




Step 8. To view a detailed breakdown of the costs of alternate delivery options, click on the Cost

Analysis folder, then click on the next to it to expand and then click on the Summary

node. To hide and/or rename options, click on the Delivery Options node.

Step 9. By selecting the tabs at the top of the workspace you can also view direct (budget related) costs, indirect (productivity related) costs, savings that may result from utilizing alternate delivery options, start-up and recurring costs as well as the personnel and resources required to design, develop, deliver, administer, maintain and support this module.

To view graphical representations of the results, click on the Distribution Charts,

Direct/Indirect Charts or Break Even Point Charts nodes.




Step 10. To find out how each item is computed (development costs, for example), click on the

corresponding node ( Development). You may also edit any field and click the [Save] button to re-compute the costs.

Step 11. If the course has multiple groups, ADVISOR will recommend the most economical delivery

option within each group. To create and compare alternate blends of delivery options, click on

the Course Summary folder and the next to it to expand.




Step 12. Click on Delivery Options folder. Two blends are automatically created by ADVISOR, namely: Currently Used and ADVISOR Recommendation. To view options recommended by ADVISOR,

for example, click on next to Delivery Options folder to expand, click on next to

ADVISOR Recommendation node to expand, and click on the Delivery Methods node to view the delivery options recommended by ADVISOR.

To create additional blends, click on the Delivery Options folder, click the [Add] button, input the delivery option title (analyst recommendations, for example) and click the [Save]

button. Click on next to the (delivery option) node that was created, click on the Delivery Methods node, select the desired blend of delivery options and click the [Save] button.

Step 13. Click on Base of Comparison node, select the delivery option to be used as base of comparison and click the [Save] button. In general, the Currently Used or method commonly used for the delivery of training should be selected as the base of comparison.

Step 14. To view a detailed breakdown of the costs of alternate blends of delivery options for a course,

click on the Cost Distribution node. By selecting the tabs at the top of the workspace you can also view the direct (budget related) costs, indirect (productivity related) costs, savings that may result from utilizing alternate delivery options, start-up and recurring costs as well as personnel and resources required to design, develop, deliver, administer, maintain and support the course.

To view graphical representations of the results, click on the Distribution Charts, Direct/Indirect

Chart or Break Even Point Charts nodes.




Step 15. Once you have had the opportunity to evaluate and compare the costs of alternate blends of

delivery options, an option can be recommended by the user/analyst by clicking on the User Recommendation node, selecting the desired delivery option and clicking the [Save] button.

Step 16. Several comprehensive reports for the course can be generated under the Course Reports folder. To view the list of course reports, click the next to the Course Reports folder.

A detailed account of the process used to compute the costs of alternate delivery options can

be generated by clicking on the Course Report node, selecting the items to be included and clicking the [Save] button. The report is presented in a new window in html format. You may print or save the report using the corresponding functions in your browser.

Since the report is in html format, you can quickly advance to any section by clicking on the corresponding title in the Table of Contents. To return to ADVISOR, close the Course Report window.

Remember that context sensitive help is also available for each screen by clicking on the [Help] button. Enjoy!




2.3 Approach #2: Detailed Cost Analysis

Objective: To generate a detailed breakdown of training program costs. Step 1. To analyze a new course, click on the Course Analysis folder. Step 2. Click on the [Add] button (top left corner). Step 3. Input your data and click the [Save] button to create

the course.

Step 4. Click on next to the (course title) to expand.

Step 5. If available - click on the Import Course Templates node, select the required templates and click the [Save] button. You may view and

edit imported data by clicking on the Cost Factors node.

Note: If Templates are not available, the Import Course Templates node will not be presented.3

Step 6. If available - click on the Target Audience folder and select the training audience for this

course by placing checkmarks next to the appropriate groups and clicking the [Save] button.4 Note: If Job Profiles have not been defined the Target Audience folder will not be presented.

Step 7. Click on the Trainees per Year node, input the number of trainees for each year and click the [Save] button.

3 See Section 2.4 of the ADVISOR Configuration Guide for the instructions to create templates. (http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/guidec.pdf) 4 See section 4.4 of the Advisor Configuration Guide for the instructions to setup jobs, occupations and positions

You can share your analysis with colleagues (i.e., Users within the same Client) by clicking on the [Sharing] tab, placing checkmarks next to their names and click the [Save] button.





Step 8. Click on the Learning Objectives folder. To add a new learning objective, click on the [Add] button (top left corner), input the required information and click the [Save] button. The following should be considered when completing this section:

Learning Objective/Outcome:

Software - refers to the ability of individuals to use a software application, an operating system, a legacy system or an information management system effectively and efficiently. Learning a software application requires the use of both cognitive and psychomotor skills. Select Software as a primary learning objective/outcome if the purpose of the instructional goal is to provide personnel with the knowledge, comprehension and skills needed to use a software application and/or operating system. For example, "Personnel will be able to type and format a letter", "Personnel will be able to import charts into an MS Word document".

Knowledge - refers to the ability of individuals to recall, recognize, understand, translate and interpret information as well as use learned material in specific instances. Select Knowledge as a primary learning objective/outcome if the purpose of the instructional goal is to enable personnel to name parts of an object, point out certain object, state a definition, classify an object into a category, contrast two objects, apply theoretical knowledge to perform a task or use a particular set of procedures. For example, "Personnel will be able to explain and describe the rules and procedures for lodging a complaint within the department."

Mental Skills (Problem Solving) - refers to the ability of individuals to compare, contrast and break down a problem in order to arrive at a solution. In other words, issues that involve thinking, reasoning, analyzing, judging and inferring. Select Problem Solving as the primary learning objective/outcome if the purpose of an instructional goal is to provide personnel with the skills to select and organize alternatives, or derive solutions to a problem. For example, "Personnel will be able to choose the most effective instructional strategy for specific learning outcomes", or "Personnel will be able to solve mathematical formula by combining previous learned rules".

Psychomotor Skill - refers to the ability of individuals to perform a physical task. A task that requires physical exertion or manipulation of an object. Psychomotor Skills are learned capabilities whose outcomes are demonstrated through speed, accuracy and quality of the performed task. Select Psychomotor Skill as a primary learning objective/outcome if the purpose of the instructional goal is to provide personnel with "practical skills" or "motor skills" that require perception, decision and action to perform the task. For example, "Personnel will be able to climb a telephone pole", or "Personnel will be able to repair a flat tire".

Attitude - refers to individuals' personal beliefs and/or preferences towards an object, situation or person. In other words, their mental state that influences behavior, choices and opinions. Select Attitude as a primary learning objective/outcome if the purpose of the instructional goal is to change, in some way, the attitudes, behavior, preferences and/or value systems of personnel. For example, "Personnel will demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviors towards new work procedures", or "Personnel will be more sensitive to colleagues with varied cultural backgrounds".




If an instructional goal has more than one learning objective/outcome, then it should either be divided into multiple instructional goals or the most dominant category selected.

Groups:

Although it is feasible to analyze each instructional goal separately to determine the cost of

training program, the process can be extremely cumbersome. To drastically reduce the time needed to forecast the costs without compromising the integrity of the analysis, instructional goals with similar outcomes and content can be grouped and analyzed as a single unit (group). Indicate the group in which the instructional goal should be placed. Please note that instructional goals can only be placed in groups with similar learning outcomes. That is, you may place all Knowledge goals within the same group, but cannot place Knowledge goals with Mental Skills (Problem Solving) or Psychomotor Skills goals.

Step 9. Click on the Cost Factors node, input the required information under the [Trainees] and [Transmission] tabs and click the [Save] button.

If the course is divided into multiple groups (Step 8), the costs for each group is forecasted separately.

The results for each group is presented under the Cost Analysis folder in the Summary node. Once all groups have been analyzed, the results are combined to determine the most economical blend of delivery options for the course under the Course Summary folder. To view the groups for the course, click on the Group Analysis folder and the next to it to expand. Steps 10 through 26 should be repeated for each Group.

Step 10. Click on the next to the (group title) node to expand.

Step 11. Click on the (group title) node, input the required information and click the [Save] button.

Step 12. To view and modify the costs of alternate delivery options, click on the Cost Analysis folder and the next to it to expand.

Step 13. Click on the Delivery Options node, select the delivery options to be compared, input the title, indicate the current delivery option as well as the base for comparison and click the [Save] button.




Step 14. Click on the Import Cost Data node, select the desired templates and click the [Save] button.5 You can view and edit imported data by clicking on the corresponding node under the

Cost Analysis folder.

Note: If Cost Templates are not available, the Import Cost Data node will not be presented.

Step 15. Click on the Course Variables node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 16. To estimate development costs, click on the Development node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 17. To estimate courseware costs, click on the Courseware node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 18. To estimate hardware costs, click on the Hardware node, input the required information under the [Purchase] and [Operation] tabs for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 19. To estimate administrative costs, click on the Administrative node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 20. To estimate management costs, click on the Management node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 21. To estimate trainees’ costs, click on the Trainees node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 22. To estimate instructors’ costs, click on the Instructors node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 23. To estimate facilities’ costs, click on the Facilities node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 24. To estimate transmission costs, click on the Transmission node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

5 See Section 2.4 of the ADVISOR Configuration Guide for the instructions to create templates. (http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/guidec.pdf)




Step 25. To estimate maintenance costs, click on the Maintenance/Material node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 26. To estimate support costs, click on the Support node, input the required information for each delivery option and click the [Save] button.

Step 27. To view a detailed breakdown of the costs of the alternate delivery options for each group, click

on the Summary node. You may also view direct (budget related) costs, indirect (productivity related) costs, savings that may result from utilizing alternate delivery options, start-up and recurring costs as well as personnel and resources required to design, develop, deliver, administer, maintain and support this group by clicking on corresponding tabs.



Step 28. If the course has multiple groups, the cost for the entire course is compiled under the Course Summary folder. To compute and compare the costs of alternate blends of delivery options, click on the Course Summary folder and the next to it to expand.




Step 29. Click on Delivery Options folder. Two options are automatically created by ADVISOR, namely: Currently Used and ADVISOR Recommendation. To view options recommended by ADVISOR, click on the next to the Delivery Options folder to expand it, click on the

next to the ADVISOR Recommendation node to expand it, and click on the Delivery Methods node to view the delivery options recommended by ADVISOR.

To create additional blends, click on the Delivery Options folder, click the [Add] button, input the delivery option title (analyst recommendations, for example) and click the [Save]

button. Click on next to the (delivery option) node that was created, click on the Delivery Methods node, select the desired blend of delivery options and click the [Save] button.

Step 30. Click on the Base of Comparison node, select the delivery option to be used as base of comparison and click the [Save] button. In general, the Currently Used or method commonly used for the delivery of training should be selected as the base of comparison.

Step 31. To view a detailed breakdown of the costs of alternate blends of delivery options for the

course, click on the Cost Distribution node. By selecting the tabs at the top of the workspace you can also view the direct (budget related) costs, indirect (productivity related) costs, savings that may result from utilizing alternate delivery options, start-up and recurring costs as well as personnel and resources required to design, develop, deliver, administer, maintain and support the course.



Step 32. Once you have had the opportunity to evaluate and compare the costs of alternate blends of

delivery options, an option should be recommended by user/analyst by clicking on the User Recommendation node, selecting the desired delivery option and clicking the [Save] button.

Step 33. Several comprehensive reports for the course can be generated under the Course Reports folder. To view the list of course reports, click the next to the Course Reports folder.

A detailed account of the process used to compute the costs of alternate delivery options can

be generated by clicking on the Course Report node, selecting the items to be included and clicking the [Save] button. The report is presented in a new window in html format. You may print or save the report using the corresponding functions in your Browser.

Since the report is in html format, you can quickly advance to any section by clicking on the corresponding title in Table of Contents. To return to ADVISOR, close the Course Report window.

Chapter 3 – Divide Project into Phases and Tasks ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 3: Divide Project into Phases and Tasks

3.1 Introduction Based on project scope, time and cost estimates determined in the course analysis (Chapter 2), each project can be automatically divided into Phases and Tasks that correspond to actions needed to setup, develop, deliver, support and maintain a training program. Budgetary costs and hours needed for each Phase can be retrieved from the course analysis and updated as needed. You may also choose to override estimates generated in the course analysis as well as setup projects independent from course analysis.

Step 5.

Schedule Tasks

Step 6.


Step 4.


Step 3.


Step 9.

Track Progress

Step 8.

Update Progress

Step 2.

Estimate Costs

Step 1.


Step 7.






3.2 Setup a New Project To setup a new project, go to the Implement Tab, click on the Projects folder, and then click on the [Add] button. You will be prompted for general information, such as Project Title, Start Date, etc. Data required by ADVISOR is identified by a red asterisk (*). Complete the form and click the [Save] button. Of course, the more data you provide, the better the results.

Notes:

Once the schedule for various Tasks has been established, the entire schedule – i.e., the Start and End Date of each Task – can be shifted by the same amount of time by changing the Start Date, selecting yes for Change Tasks Date and clicking the [Save] button. The Start and End Date of each Task is shifted by the following amount of time: New Start Date – Current Start Date.

Team members can only update Projects with the status “Underway”. Pending projects cannot be seen by team members (i.e., individuals assigned to various Tasks). Once the Status of a project is changed to “Completed” or “Cancelled”, the project will appear to team members under the Completed Project folder in read only mode.

Courses analyzed (under the Course Analysis folder) are presented under the Import Course field. To link a Project to a Course (i.e., utilize forecasted time and cost estimates), select the course title and click the [Save] button.

You may also share the analysis with colleagues (i.e., Users within the same Training Division) by clicking on the [Sharing] tab, placing checkmarks next to their names and clicking the [Save] button.




Click on next to the (project title) node to view a list of available options.

If the project is linked to a specific course, the Import Course Analysis node will appear. Click on

next to the Import Course Analysis node to indicate the delivery option for the course and in-turn import the corresponding time and costs for each phase. Once the delivery option is selected click the [Save] button. Implication: The Import Course Analysis function will automatically generate Phases corresponding to actions needed to setup, develop, deliver, support and maintain the course – including the number of hours needed to complete each phase and budgetary costs. Existing Project Phases and Tasks, if any, will remain. Imported course Phases and Tasks will be added to the list.

Note: Up to 10 versions of each project can be archived – i.e., preserved. Once archived, changes to the

current analysis will not impact data in the archived versions. To archive an analysis, click on the (project title) node, then click on the [Archive] tab, input the Version Title and click the [Save] button. The date on which the archive was created is automatically saved with the Version Title. A list of archived versions is available under the [View] tab. You may view an archived version in read only mode. You can delete as well as recover (i.e., overwrite existing version) an archived version. Of course, if a project is deleted, all archived versions of the project are automatically deleted as well.




3.3 Divide Project into Phases To divide a project into Phases, follow the steps below: Step 1. Click on the Phases folder. Step 2. To add a new Phase, click on the [Add] button. Step 3. Type the phase title, # of hours needed to complete the phase, cost and sequence; and click the

[Save] button.

Note: If the project is linked to a course, then the Phases corresponding to actions needed to setup, develop, deliver, support and maintain the course – including # of hours needed to complete as well as out of pocket expenses are automatically generated. To make changes to the # of hours needed or costs associated with a Phase that is cascading from a course, you

must click the Import Course Analysis node and turn off the cascade function. If the number of hours required to complete a Phase or expenses are modified under Project Management,

you can restore the original estimates from the Course Analysis by clicking on the Import Course Analysis node, turning the cascade function on and clicking the [Save] button.




3.4 Setup Tasks for Each Phase To define the Tasks within each Phase, follow the steps below:

Step 1. Click on next to the (phase) to expand.

Step 2. Click on the Tasks folder under the (phase) node. Step 3. To add a new Task, click on the [Add] button. Step 4. Input the Task title, % of total work allocated to task, % of total cost allocated to task, whether

or not it is a milestone and its sequence, and click the [Save] button.

Note: Each Phase should have a minimum of one Task. The first Task is automatically created by ADVISOR if the Phase cascades from a Course. You may edit the Task title and corresponding

parameters by clicking on the (task title), editing the parameters and clicking the [Save] button.

Implications:

To preserve data integrity, the user cannot directly specify the work hours and costs within each Task. These values are controlled and computed as a portion of the total work and cost of that Phase. The Work [hours] and Cost allocated to a Task are computed as follows:

Work [hours] for Task = Work [hours] for Phase x Work [% of Total] for Task / Sum of Work [hours] [% of Total] for all Tasks

Cost for Task = Cost for Phase x Cost [% of Total] for Task / Sum of Cost [% of Total] for all Tasks




To facilitate the reordering of Tasks, the assignment of work [hours] and costs among the Tasks within

each Phase, click on the Summary node that follows the Tasks folder. The Tasks for the Phase are presented in a table. Indicate the sequence, as well as the % of work and % of cost for each Task, and click the [Save] button. The number of hours and costs allocated to each Task are automatically computed and displayed.

Chapter 4 – Generate Project Plan ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 4: Generate Project Plan

4.1 Introduction With the time and cost needed to perform each Task in place, we are ready to develop the Project Plan. This involves identifying and defining task dependencies and constraints, setting up a schedule, assigning personnel and resources. Details are provided in the following sections.

Step 5.

Schedule Tasks

Step 6.


Step 4.


Step 3.


Step 9.

Track Progress

Step 8.

Update Progress

Step 2.

Estimate Costs

Step 1.


Step 7.






4.2 Define Dependencies To ensure that the Project Plan is accurate and realistic as well as to enable project managers to anticipate the impact of certain delays on the schedule, dependencies among Tasks can be defined in this section. Dependencies are the relationships among tasks which determine the order in which activities need to be performed. For example, the “Training Delivery” Task can only commence after the all Development Tasks have been completed. To facilitate this process, all project Tasks (defined in Section 3.4 Setup Tasks for Each Phase) are presented under the Dependency folder under the Plan folder. To indicate the dependency of the

"Training Delivery" Task, on other project Tasks, click on the (task title), indicate the type of dependency, the lead or lag time and click the [Save] button. In ADVISOR, three types of dependencies may be specified: Finish to Start: Implies that the Task can only Start after this Task Ends Start to Start: Implies that the Task can only Start after this Task Starts Finish to Finish: Implies that the Task can only End after this Task Ends The dependency can be further qualified by a lead or lag time. For example, if a Task can only Start 7 days after another Task is Finished, then in addition to specifying Finish to Start, input 7 under Lag Time [days]. If on the other hand, the Task can Start 10 days prior to the Finishing of another Task, then input 10 days under Lead Time [days]. Implications: When scheduling Tasks (Section 4.4 Setup Schedule), ADVISOR validates the Start and End Date of each Task against dependencies specified in this section. This ensures that a schedule cannot be setup in violation of dependencies.




4.3 Identify Constraints To ensure that the Project Plan is accurate and realistic, as well as to enable project managers to anticipate potential problems arising from delays on the schedule, time constraints on various Tasks can

be defined by clicking on the Constraint node. The following constraints can be defined for each Task:

As Soon As Possible. If the Task should be completed as soon as possible – a desired outcome with no impact on the schedule.

As Late As Possible. If the Task should be finished as late as possible – a desired outcome with no impact on the schedule.

Finish no Earlier Then. If the Task End Date should finish after the specified Constraint Date. Finish no Later Then. If the Task End Date should finish before the specified Constraint Date. Must Finish On. If the Task End Date should finish before the specified Constraint Date. Must Start On. If the Task Start Date must begin before the specified Constraint Date. Start No Earlier Then. If the Task Start Date must begin after the specified Constraint Date. Start No Later Then. If the Task Start Date must begin before the specified Constraint Date.

Implications: When scheduling Tasks (Section 4.4 Setup Schedule), ADVISOR validates the Start and End Date of each Task against the constraints specified in this section. This ensures that a schedule cannot be setup in violation of the constraints.




4.4 Setup Schedule

The Start and End Dates of each Task are specified by clicking on the Schedule node. The Start and End Dates of each Task are validated against dependencies and constraints, and a list of violations, if any, is presented. Note: The schedule will only be saved if all dates comply with dependencies and constraints. If there is a scheduling conflict, ADVISOR generates an alert like the one below that identifies the conflict.




To facilitate the creation of a schedule that meets dependencies and constraints, click on the Auto Generate tab, place checkmark next to the Generate Schedule in line with Dependencies and Constraints field and click [Save]. The Start and End Date of each Task is generated taking into account:

Projects Start Date Time Required to Perform each Task Time Off (i.e., weekends and holidays) Constraints and Dependencies

Note: The Start and End Dates of each Task may be edited by clicking on the Schedule tab, making required changes and clicking [Save].




4.5 Assign Personnel and Resources Once timelines, effort and costs for each Task have been defined, individuals and resources needed to complete each Task can be assigned. To facilitate this process, all project Tasks (defined in Section 3.4 Setup Tasks for Each Phase) are presented under the Assign Personnel & Resources folder. To

indicate who will be performing a Task and the required resources, click on the (task title). The Start and End Dates, the # of hours needed to complete the Task and out of pocket expenses are indicated under the [General] tab.




To assign personnel for the Task, click on the [Personnel] tab. Individuals assigned to the same Client as the Project are presented.

To determine if the person is available to perform the Task, click on their corresponding [Calendar] link. To find out if they are qualified to perform the Task, click on their corresponding [Skills/Attributes] link.

To assign one or more individuals to a Task, indicate the % of Work [Hours] allocated to each individual. For example, if the Task requires 40 hours to complete and one individual is expected to perform all the work, then assign 100% under Work [% of Total]. If on the other hand, two individuals are needed to perform this Task and the work is divided equally between them, (i.e., 20 hours each), then assign 50% under Work [% of Total] for each individual. Similarly, you can define the budget allocated to personnel performing work by indicating the Cost [% of Total].

If confirmations from individuals assigned to the Task are required by a specific date, you can include an RSVP date which will prompt the person to respond to the Task assignment. The Task Status will display Pending until it has been accepted.

Click the [Save] button when you are done.




To assign resources for the Task, click on the [Resources] tab. Resources (Chapter 9) defined for the same Client as the Project are presented.

To determine the availability of the Resource, click on its corresponding [Calendar] link. To determine its suitability for the Task, click the description link.

To assign one or more resources to the Task, indicate the number of hours needed. If confirmation from Resource Manager (if applicable) is needed by a specific date, input the date and click the [Save] button.

Note: Only Resources listed under Client’s Inventory folder are displayed (Chapter 9.4 Inventory).

Once the assignment of individuals and resources to various Tasks is complete, email notifications can be automatically generated and sent to each individual assigned to a Task including Resource Manager informing them of project requirements and requesting confirmation. To send email notifications, click

on Email Notification node, place checkmark next to the Notify field and click [Save].




Note: The Email Notification node will only appear if new personnel and/or resources are assigned to a Task or modifications to a Task’s timeline, effort or associated costs impacts the schedule, hours or budget assigned to individuals and/or resources.

Once email notifications are sent, the Email Notification node disappears. In addition to email notifications, the status of your requests are tracked under the [Personnel] and [Resources] tabs. When an individual or resource is 1st assigned to a Task, their Status would appear as “Pending”. Once the request is accepted by the individual or Resource Manager, the Status will be updated to “Approved”. Should the individual or Resource Manager decline the assignment, the Status will be updated to “Declined”.




4.6 Generate Project Plan To generate a project plan that includes the timelines for various Tasks, individuals assigned to each Task, the % of working hours required by each individual to complete the assigned Tasks, and status

(approved, declined or pending), click on the Project Plan node, specify the time period that you would like to examine as well as the level of details – i.e., daily or monthly and click [Save]. The Project Plan for the specified period is presented in a new window.

Notes:

Time off (i.e., weekends, holidays, etc.) for client is indicated with vertical grey lines. % of work hours required to complete the Task is indicated after the individual’s name. It is

computed as follows:

# of Hours Required to Complete Task / # of Work Hours Available to Individual during the prescribed time period For example, the Analysis Task requires 107 hours to complete, is scheduled between January 01, 2015 and January 16, 2015 [15 days] and is assigned to one Instructional Designer. For this period, the time available for the Instructional Designer is 11 days (15 days – 1 statutory holiday and 4 weekend days) or 96 hours (11 days x 8.7 hours per day). As a result, the % of Instructional Designer’s Time assigned to this Task is: 111% (= 107 hours / 96 hours x 100%). In other words, 100% indicates that all of the individual’s working hours are needed to complete this task. Over 100% indicates that the individual will need to work overtime to meet this obligation.

Chapter 5 – Monitor Progress ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 5: Monitor Progress

5.1 Introduction Once the project plan is finalized, execution can begin. Keeping the project on-time and within budget requires a solid project plan and a rigorous monitoring system that updates the project manager on progress and alerts them of critical delays and cost overruns that may derail the project. The process used by ADVISOR to update the schedule and monitor progress is presented in this chapter.

Step 5.

Schedule Tasks

Step 6.


Step 4.


Step 3.


Step 9.

Track Progress

Step 8.

Update Progress

Step 2.

Estimate Costs

Step 1.


Step 7.






5.2 Update and Review Progress Since ADVISOR Enterprise is web based and data from all users is saved in a centralized database, once a user updates the status of a task, including hours worked, money spent, % of work completed or completion date, the project manager is automatically notified and the project progress is updated accordingly. To illustrate, a simple example is presented below. Step 1. Project Manager: Assigns Task(s) under Project to Instructional Designer 01.




Step 2. Instructional Designer: The Project and Tasks assigned by the Project Manager in Step 1 are

presented to Instructional Designer 01 under the Pending Project folder under the Personalize tab once Instructional Designer 01 signs in ADVISOR. The Instructional Designer can accept or decline the assignment.

Implications:

Once the User accepts or declines the assignment, the project will be automatically moved under the Projects folder or Declined Projects folder, accordingly. Moreover, the Status of the Tasks assigned to the User (in Step 1 above) will be updated and the Project Manager will be notified.

Note:

If the User requires approval from their Supervisor (individual they report to) before accepting assignments (Chapter 7), then the Supervisor is also notified when project tasks are assigned to their subordinates. In this case, the Supervisor’s approval will also be required before an assignment can be accepted. Both the User and the Supervisor can decline the assignment.




Step 3. Instructional Designer: As indicated in Step 2, once accepted, the project is moved under the Projects folder. The user may then update the Task Status, Hours Worked, Money Spent, the percentage of Work Completed and the anticipated Completion Date as needed.

Step 4. Project Manager: As soon as the data is updated by the Instructional Designer and other team

members (Step 3 above), the Project Manager can review project’s progress by clicking on the

Progress node under the Track folder. The Project Manager may, in-turn, accept or reject completed Tasks or cancel Tasks that are no longer needed.

Implications: Once a Task is Accepted or Cancelled, no additional effort is needed by individuals assigned to the Task and it is considered complete. As a result, completed Tasks will be automatically moved to the Completed Projects folder and presented in read only mode.




Step 5. Instructional Designer: As soon as the Project Manager updates the Task’s Sign Off status (Step

4 above), Instructional Designer 01 can view the Task’s Sign Off status by clicking on the (project title) node under the Projects or Completed Projects folders.

Note:

Once a project task is completed – i.e., accepted or cancelled by Project Manager – it is moved to the Completed Projects folder. The user can continue to view completed Tasks with relevant details in read only mode.




5.3 Project Status Report

To find out the status of a project including Tasks that are on, ahead or behind schedule, click on the Project Status node under the Track folder, specify the time period that you would like to examine as well as the level of details – i.e., daily or monthly and click [Save]. The Project Status for the specified period is presented in a new window. Notes:

Phases as well as corresponding total hours planned, worked, etc. are presented in blue text.

Tasks that are ahead of schedule are shown in a green progress bar with the corresponding amount of work to be completed in grey. The number of hours the task is ahead of schedule is indicated as a positive number in the disparity column on the left. In the example above, the Storyboard Task is 1 hour ahead of schedule.

Completed tasks are show as a full green progress bar. In this example the Analysis Task is complete and was finished 12 hours ahead of schedule.

Tasks that are behind schedule are shown in a red progress bar with the corresponding amount or work to be completed in grey. The number of hours behind schedule is indicated as a negative number in the disparity column on the left. The Development and Graphics Tasks in the above chart are both behind schedule.




5.4 Export to MS Project

Your Project Plan can be exported to MS Project, by clicking on the Export node. To save, right click on “project.mpx”, select Save Target As, specify the file name and directory and click Save. If MS Project is installed on your computer, you can open the Project Plan in MS Project by clicking on “project.mpx” link.

Chapter 6 – Setup Classification System ____________________________________________________________________________________________






Chapter 6: Setup Classification System

6.1 Introduction To provide a common classification system for employees’ skills, attributes and activities, three classification systems can be set-up within ADVISOR Enterprise as described in the following sections.

6.2 Master Skills List To facilitate the identification of personnel with specific knowledge and skills, a common classification system for all Skills across the organization can be created in the Setup Tab, under the Personnel Templates folder by adding skills to the Master Skills List folder. Skills can be grouped under various units or divisions (IT, HR, Operation and Sales, for example) and/or occupations (Sales Executive, Online Manager and Account Executive, for example) to make them easier to locate. Once created, Users can indicate their competency level for each Skill (i.e., Basic, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert), under in the Personalize Tab under the Personalize folder in the

Skills node.

To add a new Skill or Category, click on the Master Skills List folder and then click the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Skill Title and whether it should be sub divided. For example, to group Skills under various units, input the unit title, select yes for Sub Divide Skill and click the [Save] button. Note: A skill is defined as an ability to perform a task or activity consistently over a period of time. Skills are acquired through education, training and/or practice. Skills can be mental and/or physical.




6.3 Master Attributes List To facilitate the identification of personnel with specific attributes, a common classification system can be created in the Setup Tab for all attributes across the organization, under the Personnel Templates folder by adding attributes to the Master Attributes List folder. Attributes can be grouped under various units or divisions (IT, HR, Operation and Sales, for example) and/or occupations (Sales Executive, Online Manager and Account Executive, for example) to make them easier to locate. Once created, Users can indicate whether or not they possess each Attribute, in

the Personalize Tab under the Personalize folder in the Attributes node. To add a new Attribute or Category, click on the Master Attributes List folder and then click on the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Attribute Title and whether it should be sub divided. For example, to group Attributes under various units, input the unit title, select yes for Sub Divide Attribute and click the [Save] button. Note: Attributes are defined as a characteristic that a user may possess – for example, citizenship, security level, etc.

To select a Personal Attribute go to the Personalize Tab, select the Attributes node and indicate whether or not you possess the attribute.




6.4 Master Activities List

To facilitate the categorization of employees’ activities, a common classification system for all Activities across the organization can be created in the Setup Tab, under the Personnel Templates folder by adding attributes to the Master Activities List folder. If required, each activity (Training, for example) can be subdivided further (MS Office, Management, Leadership, for example). Once created, Users can classify their time off accordingly, in the Personalize Tab under the Personalize folder under the Activities folder under the Dates folder. To add a new Master Activity, click on the Master Activities List folder and then click on the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Activity Title and whether it should be sub divided. Input the required information, and click the [Save] button. To add a new Personal Activity:

1. Go to the Personalize Tab, expand the Activities folder and create a node for the year by

clicking [Add], entering the year and clicking the [Save] button.

2. Expand the (year) node and click on the Dates folder. Click [Add] and enter the title of the

activity, select the type of time off and enter the dates. Click the [Save] button.

Chapter 7 – Setup User Accounts ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 7: Setup User Accounts

7.1 Introduction Multiple individuals in an organization can benefit from ADVISOR Enterprise including project managers, instructional designers, performance and financial analysts/consultants, training managers and senior executives. Each User, in-turn, can be assigned privileges in line with their responsibilities – i.e., functions that he/she can perform. For example, a User’s role may be limited to setting-up cost templates, forecasting the costs of training programs, managing projects or generating reports. Moreover, these privileges are only extended to the Client(s) that the User belongs to. In addition to managing their own courses and projects, users may also share their analyses with others. Furthermore, analyses are automatically shared with the user’s direct supervisor(s) and the results are made available to managers up the chain. While a manager can compile data and generate reports, they cannot view or edit the analyses of subordinates. For example, in the hierarchy structure below:

Analyst 1 can only view and generate reports on projects 1 through 4 that belong to him/her. Supervisor 1 can only view and generate reports on projects 1 through 4 that belong to Analyst 1. VP/Director, on the other hand, cannot view any project but can generate reports on projects 1

through 12 that belong to Analysts 1, 2 and 3.




7.2 Setup New User Account To create an account for a new user, go to the Setup Tab and click on the Users Accounts folder, and then click on the [Add] button. You will be prompted for general information, such as the user’s first name, last name, title and password. The User Login is automatically generated, once you click the [Save] button. The User Login is composed of the individual’s first initial and last name. Since each user requires a unique User Login, if the User Login already exists a digit is added. Access to ADVISOR can be denied without deleting the User by specifying an expiry data under the Limits tab. If no date is specified, the User' account will expire with the organization, if ADVISOR is licensed on an annual basis. Users may edit their Login and Password by going to the Personalize Tab, expanding the Personalize

folder and selecting the Preferences node. Data required by ADVISOR is identified by a red asterisk (*).




Privileges To indicate what the User can or cannot do, click on the Privileges tab and place checkmarks next to the desired options. By default, no privileges are assigned to new users. The System Administrator privilege provides the User with access to all data. A brief description of each function can be viewed by clicking on the [Help] button. A hard copy is also included in Section 3.2 of ADVISOR Configuration Guide6. Implications: If a User is given permission to Browse, but not Edit, Manage or Perform a function, the information is presented in a “read only” mode. If no privileges are assigned for a particular function,

for example a User cannot Browse or Edit Course Templates, then the corresponding node(s), Course Templates, will not be visible to the User. ADVISOR streamlines User’s view by automatically hiding “irrelevant” nodes. Privileges can be very effective in:

Managing tasks within the organization. For example, by assigning the privileges Browse for Clients and Manage for Financial Templates to a financial analyst, the analyst will be limited to setting up Cost Templates for Clients – but will not be able to edit or create new Clients. The create client function may be assigned to another individual or performed by the System Administrator.

Simplifying the use of ADVISOR and streamlining the interface, by only assigning relevant functions

to each User.

6 http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/guidec.pdf





Clients To indicate which Client(s) the User belongs to, click on the [Clients] tab and place checkmarks next to the corresponding Client. By default, new users are not assigned to any Client.

Implication: Users can only share data (course and project analyses, for example) with other Users assigned to the same Client. Moreover, User's privileges can only be exercised within the Client(s) that they belong to. For example, if George Smith is assigned the Navy (client), and his privileges allow him to manage resources, then he can only manage the Navy resources. Limits The following restrictions can also be imposed on Users’ accounts under the [Limits] tab:

The maximum number of courses the User can manage at a time. It does not limit the number of analyses that a User may perform, simply the number of analyses that can be saved at any one time. For example, if 5 courses are assigned to George Smith, then George Smith can analyze as many courses as he needs, but can only save the results of 5 courses at a time. In other words, once George Smith reaches the 5 course limit, he can delete a course and utilize the freed up space to analyze another course.

To provide temporary access to a partner or a consultant, for example, you can specify the expiry date for the account. In other words, the User will not be able to access the system after the expiry date. If no date is specified, then User's account will expire with the organization, if ADVISOR is licensed on an annual basis.




Supervisor(s)

To indicate who the User reports to, click on the Report To node. Supervisors can view as well as edit the data of subordinates. In the example below example, since the Training Manager is the supervisor of Instructional Designer 02, the Training Manager can view as well as edit any analyses conducted by Instructional Designer 02. Approval Each user can define the skills and attributes that they possess, time off needed as well as approve or decline projects assigned to them. To indicate whether Supervisor’s approval is needed for any of these

items, click on the Approval node, place checkmarks next to the corresponding item and click the [Save] button.

Implication: If approval is needed, then the Supervisor (individual they Report To) will receive an email notification each time the subordinate’s Skills and Attributes are modified, Time-Off is requested or Projects are assigned to the individual. Additionally, the Supervisor's approval is needed to authorize the individual to take time-off, accept or decline work on projects as well as recognize subordinate's skills and attributes. The Supervisor can approve or decline subordinates requests, by clicking on the

corresponding nodes – namely, Skills, Attribute or Work Schedule, under the (subordinate name) under the User Accounts folder.




Client Divisions Accessible To User

To indicate Client Division(s) that the User has access to, click on the Access To node. By default, the User has access to all Divisions within the Clients that he/she belongs to.

Implication: When generating Reports, Users can compile data from courses and analyses within the Client that he/she has access to. For example, if John Smith has access to the Air Force, and his privileges allow him to generate executive reports, then he can compile the data from all courses within the Air Force Divisions to forecast training budget and resources. Job Profile Each individual can define their job title, number of days they work per year, vacation days per year as

well as the number of hours they work each day of the week under the Personalize Tab, in the

Preferences node. The information is presented to their Supervisor (individual they Report To) in read only mode.




7.3 Setup Project Accounts In addition to the ADVISOR Users, accounts for team members that require limited access to ADVISOR can be set-up under the Project Accounts folder. These accounts have similar attributes to the ADVISOR User accounts (Section 7.2). Key differences are:

They only have access to the ADVISOR’s [Personalize] tab – i.e., can only update Skills and Attributes, set-up Activities (time-off, for example) and update the status of projects assigned to them.

They do not have Supervisors. Skills, Attributes, Activities and Projects are automatically approved. Any specific privilege that is not assigned to the User (for example, Preferences Skills, Attributes,

Activities, Time Sheets or Projects) will be automatically accessible by Project Managers (i.e., individuals with Manage User Accounts privilege). In other words, the Project Managers will be able to update User’s Preferences, Skills, Attributes, Activities, Time Sheets and Projects Status.

Project Accounts can be setup by any User with the Manage Users Accounts privilege.

To create a Project Account, click on the Project Accounts folder, and then click on the [Add] button. You will be prompted for general information, such as user’s first name, last name, title and password as well as Privileges and Client(s) they belong to (as outlined under Section 7.2). Notes:

Project Account Users only have access to ADVISOR’s Personalize tab and therefore can only update Skills and Attributes, set-up Activities (time-off, for example) and update the status of projects assigned to them.

To assign user more privileges, the user account should 1st be activated by selecting yes under the

Activate User Account field and clicking the [Save] button to move the account under the Users Accounts folder and gain access to all the attributes described under Section 7.2.




7.4 Final Notes Privileges are very effective in mapping Users’ roles and responsibilities to specific functions within ADVISOR. For example, financial analysts may be granted the privilege of creating and managing cost templates; while training managers may be granted the privilege of managing projects; and executives the privilege of generating reports on personnel and resource utilization rates. By limiting User privileges to relevant functions, data integrity can be maintained and the use of ADVISOR simplified. For these reasons, the assignment of privileges should be carefully planned. To help you figure out which privileges should be assigned to each individual, the following questions should be considered: Who should have Administrative Privileges?

Who should manage Clients and sub divisions?

Who should create and maintain Cost Templates?

Who should manage Users Accounts?

Who should manage Master Skills, Attributes and Activities List?

Who will be forecasting the costs of training programs?

Who will be developing project plans and tracking progress?

Who needs access to various Reports?

Chapter 8 – Manage Preferences, Skills and Projects ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 8: Manage Preferences, Skills and Projects

8.1 Introduction A Personalize folder is available for each User under the [Personalize] tab to manage Preferences, Skills, Attributes, Projects as well as Time Off. A detailed description of each function is presented below.

8.2 Manage Preferences Users can change their login and password, set-up a secret question with an answer to provide an alternate venue to access ADVISOR, as well as modify language and interface to better meet their needs

by clicking on the Preferences node under the Personalize folder. A brief description for all available options is presented below:




Manage Password and Contact Info [Password] tab

Option Description

User Login To change your Login, input the new Login - 6 characters minimum. Please note that the Login is case sensitive.

Password To change your password, input the new password (minimum of 6 characters) in this field and retype under the "Confirm Password" field. Please note that the password is case sensitive.

Email Address To specify or modify email address. Email addresses are critical for alerting users of new projects, approval of skills, attributes and time-off, as well as other updates.

Phone Number May be specified to facilitate access to User by project manager, supervisor and colleagues.

Location If the organization has multiple sites, indicate the location of your site. For example, Orlando, Florida, USA. May be specified to alert project manager, supervisor and colleagues of time zone differences, if any.

Language To facilitate the use of ADVISOR, all labels, questions and responses may be modified to reflect the terminology used within the organization. For example, "Interactive Courseware" can be used instead of "Computer Based Training”. If more than one language is available, User may select the desired "Language" and click the [Save] button to display the appropriate terminology.

To revert to the current ADVISOR terminology, select English (Default) and click the Save button. To view earlier ADVISOR terminology, select English (First Edition) and click the [Save] button.




Manage Interface [Options] tab

Option Description

ADVISOR Tour To display/hide the ADVISOR Online Tour. Although beneficial for 1st time users, the ADVISOR Tour is not needed by experienced users. You may display or suppress the ADVISOR Tour by placing or removing the checkmark next to the "ADVISOR Tour" field, respectively.

Items per Page Indicates the number of items (i.e., Clients, Users, Courses, Objectives, etc.) to

be displayed. Can vary from 1 to 99.

Items per Tab Indicates the number of options (i.e., Knowledge/Skills, Tools, References, etc.) to be displayed on each tab. Can vary from 1 to 999.

Import Style Two options may be used for specifying how data should be imported a from a file:

Dropdown: select column # from a dropdown menu

Text: input the column #

Spell Check Language Three options may be used to spell check:

English (United States)

English (United Kingdom)

English (Canada)

Customize Task Display

Since there are no restrictions on the number of levels that a Task can be subdivided, ADVISOR uses the term Task to reference the 1st Level and Sub Task to reference all subsequent levels. 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels are also referred to as Sub Tasks. If you are limiting the Task breakdown to 4 levels, than the Customize Task Display provides unique term for each of the top 4 levels namely: Task, Sub Task, Step and Sub Step. Moreover, if 1st Task is Classified as Team, than the next level will also referenced as Task. The following breakdown is provided for illustration:

If the 1st Task is classified as Team, then the: 2nd Level is referenced as Task 3rd Level is referenced as Sub Task 4th Level is referenced Step and 5th Level is referenced as Sub Step

If the 1st Task is classified as Individual, then the: 2nd Level is referenced as Sub Task 3rd Level is referenced as Step and 4th Level is referenced as Sub Step




Manage Interface [Options] tab - continued

Option Description

Generate Reports on Server

To facilitate the generation of large (40+ MB) Training Needs Analysis (TNA), Job Analysis, Course Analysis and Solution Analysis reports. Once, report is generated, email is sent to user to download.

Generate History Reports on Server

Online history reports are limited to the past 30 days. To generate a history report beyond 30 days, place checkmark next to Generate History Report on Server and click Save. Once, the report is generated, email is sent to user with results.

Manage Job Description [Job Description] tab Relevant information can be specified in this section to help project managers assess the suitability of individuals to various tasks.

Specify Occupation [Occupation] tab Job Profiles (Occupations) under various Client Divisions are presented in the screen. To indicate your occupation, place checkmark next to the appropriate option and click the [Save] button.

Specify Work Schedule [Work Schedule] tab The number of days an individual works per year as well as working hours per day are specified in this section. This information is critical for accurately assessing the utilization rate which is used to determine if an individual is underutilized or over committed.

Anticipated Retirement Date [Retirement] tab To assist project managers in assigning personnel to various tasks as well as alert managers of potential shortages in various skills.

Current Privileges [Privileges] tab To view privileges assigned to you.




8.3 Define Skills and Attributes Skills and Attributes defined under the Master Skills List folder and Master Attributes List folder

under the Personnel Templates folder in the Setup Tab (Chapter 6) are presented under the Skills

and Attributes nodes respectively. You can indicate your current and desired competency level for each Skill (i.e., Basic, Intermediate,

Advanced or Expert) by clicking on the Skills node, completing the form and clicking [Save].

Similarly, you can indicate which attributes you currently possess by clicking on the Attributes node, completing the form and clicking the [Save] button.




In addition to helping project managers assess the suitability of individuals for various tasks, the information can help management assess skill and knowledge shortages.

Note: If Supervisor’s (individual you Report To) approval is needed, then your Supervisor will receive an email notification each time you modify your Skills and Attributes. You will in-turn receive an email notification once skills and attributes are approved or declined by Supervisor. In such cases, Skills and Attributes are only recognized once approved by Supervisor.

8.4 Manage Projects

Projects assigned to you (Section 4.5) will appear in the Personalize Tab under the Pending Projects folder. You can review a project including details of each Task – i.e., start and end date, anticipated

effort, budget as well as % of works hours required to complete – by clicking on the (project title) node under the Pending Projects folder. You may accept or decline the Tasks, by changing the User Consent Option accordingly, supplementing your decision with a note and clicking the [Save] button. Notes:

If your Supervisor’s (individual you Report To) approval is needed for a project assignment, they will receive an email notification each time you approve or decline Tasks within a project. You will in-turn receive an email notification once the assignment is approved or declined by your Supervisor.

The Project Manager (the individual that assigned you to the project) will also be notified once assigned Tasks have been accepted or declined. If the Supervisor’s approval is needed, then both you and your Supervisor’s approval are needed for the acceptance of the assignment.




% of Total – indicates the % of work hours required to complete the task. It does not take into account other tasks that you may be performing. It is computed as follows:

[Hours Required by Task / Available Hours] x 100%

Where: “Hours Required by Task” is indicated under Works [Hours] and “Available Hours” is computed from Task Start and End Dates as follows: Task [Start Date – End date] – holidays – vacations, etc.

For the example above the 268% is computed as follows: [107 hrs / (5 days x 8 hrs per day)] x 100%

Declined projects are presented under the Declined Projects folder. Once again, you can review a project including details for each Task – i.e., start and end date, anticipated effort, budget as well as % of

work hours required to complete – by clicking on the (project title) node under the Declined Projects folder. You may accept the Tasks, by changing the User Consent option accordingly, supplementing your decision with a note and clicking the [Save] button. To return the project to the Pending Projects folder, simply change the User Consent to Pending and click [Save]. Notes:

If your Supervisor’s (individual you Report To) approval is needed for a project assignment, they will receive an email notification each time you approve or decline Tasks within a project. You will in-turn receive an email notification once the assignment is approved or declined by your Supervisor.

If your Supervisor’s approval is needed, then both you and your Supervisor’s approval are needed to

return the project to the Pending Projects folder.




Approved projects are presented in the Personalize Tab under the Projects folder. To update the

status of each Task, click on the (project title) node under the Projects folder, indicate the Task Status, total number of hours worked on each Task, money spent, % of work completed as well as the anticipated completion date and click the [Save] button. Notes: By default, Actual Work Hours and % of Work Completed fields are automatically populated based on Time Sheets (Section 8.5). To input values or over ridge existing data, the fields should be locked.

The project manager can view the status of each Task in real time as soon as it is updated. Implications: The data entered by the project team is used in computing utilization rates – i.e., identify individuals that are underutilized or over committed – as well as comparing actual to forecasted effort. Since Project Managers rely on this data to monitor project progress as well as anticipate potential problems, it is critical to provide accurate updates.

Projects and Tasks that have been completed are presented under the Completed Projects folder in ready only mode. A Task is considered complete once the project manager signs off or cancels the Task

(Chapter 5). To review completed Tasks, click on the (project title) node under the Completed Projects folder.




8.5 Time Sheets Time Sheets provide a single point for updating the number of hours worked each day on all Tasks under all Projects assigned to you, in lieu of having to compile and indicate the total number of hours worked on each task with each project. Issues encountered during execution can also be documented under Comments. The % of Task Completed thus far should also be estimated to assist project managers in assessing project's status. For example, if Task is completed, input 100%. If you are only half way through, input 50%. You can edit and save the Time Sheet as many times as needed by clicking the [Save] button. However, once you click Commit, the data for this time period (week) can no longer be modified. In other words, it is presented in read only mode.

To modify a Time Sheet after data has been committed, the Time Sheet should first be Released by the Project Manager. The Project Manager can release the Time Sheet by clicking on the Time Sheet node under the User Name under the User Accounts or Project Accounts folder and clicking on Release.

By default, the Time Sheet for current week is presented. To view Time Sheet for a previous week, click on Calendar and select the desired date. If data has not been Committed, you can modify and save. If Committed, it is presented in read only mode.




8.6 Manage Vacation, Training and Sick Leave Vacation, training, sick leave, or any other time-off can be setup in the Personalize Tab under the Activities folder. Once approved, the time will be blocked off your calendar to assist project managers in assigning Tasks to various personnel. To request time-off, click on the Activities folder and then click the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Calendar year. To facilitate the management of statutory holidays, vacation, training, etc., all activities are grouped under calendar years. Input the year and click [Save] to create. Click on

next to the (year) node to expand, followed by the Dates folder below it and then the [Add] button. You will be prompted for a brief description, classification (as defined under Master Activities folder) and dates. Input required information and click [Save].

Note: If your Supervisor’s (individual you Report To) approval is needed, then he/she will receive an email notification each time you request time-off. You will in-turn receive an email notification once your request is approved or declined by the Supervisor. Implications: Once time-off is approved, the dates will be blocked off your calendar.




8.7 View Calendar

To view projects and activities within a specific time period, click on the Calendar node, specify the time period that you would like to examine as well as the level of details – i.e., daily or monthly and click [Save]. Your Calendar for the specified period is presented in a new window. Notes:

Time off (i.e., weekends) is indicated with vertical grey lines.

Personal activities (i.e., vacations, training, statutory holidays, sick leave, etc.) are presented in red. In our example above, the Instructional Designer is taking a holiday day on Family Day followed immediately by a 3 day Project Management course.

Tasks currently underway (i.e., approved tasks) are presented in green or red. In above chart, the Analysis task is approved and underway, but shows as red because the time allocated to task completion is less than the time available for completion (104 hours (=13 days x 8 hours per day) available versus the 107 hours forecasted effort needed to complete.)

Pending Tasks that have not been approved are presented in grey.

Chapter 9 – Setup and Manage Inventory ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 9: Setup and Manage Inventory

9.1 Introduction To facilitate the management of resources available to a Client such as equipment, hardware, facilities, and so forth, including availability and utilization.

9.2 Setup Inventory

Add Resources to Inventory To facilitate Project Management, resources available to all projects for a specific client such as Courseware/Software, Hardware, Facilities or Material can be setup under the Inventory folder

under the (client) node. To add a resource, click on the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the resource title, a brief description, instructions for potential users, date of purchase, cost and anticipated replacement date. To reconcile identified requirements with available inventory, you may also link each resource to a specific requirement identified under Courseware, Facilities, Hardware, or Material folders within the Resources folder. Input the required information and click [Submit] to save.




The availability of the resource is captured under the availability tab. If approval is required to reserve the resource for training, select yes in the Approval Required field and indicate the approving authority for the resource. When approval is required, the approval authority will receive an e-mail notification each time the resource is requested, and permission to use the resource will only be granted once approved by the approval authority. If no approval is needed, select no.




Scheduling Maintenance for Inventory The maintenance schedule for the resources is setup under the Maintenance folder to indicate the dates the resource will not be available. To block time for scheduled maintenance, click on the [Add] button, input the Start and End Dates of the maintenance period and click the [Save] button. To generate an activity calendar – i.e., view maintenance periods and project tasks assigned to the

resource, click on the Calendar node, specify the time period that you would like to examine as well as the level of details – i.e., daily or monthly and click [Save]. The Resource Calendar for the specified period is presented in a new window.




Notes: Days that the resource is not available (i.e., weekends) are indicated by vertical grey lines. Maintenance Activities are presented in red. Approved Tasks are presented in green. Pending Tasks that have not been approved are presented in grey % of Resource Time required by Task is indicated after the Task. It is computed as follows:

[Hours Required by Task / Available Hours] x 100% Where:

“Hours Required by Task” is indicated under Time [Hours] “Available Hours” is computed from Task Start and End Dates as follows: Task [Start Date – End date] – Days resource is not available such as weekends, maintenance, etc.

For example, if 150 hours of Computer Lab time is required by the Intro to Excel Analysis Task, and it is scheduled between April 01, 2015 and June 26, 2015 [88 days]. For this period, the time available for the Computer Lab is 64 days (88 days – 24 holidays) or 512 hours (64 days x 8 hours per day). As a result, the % of Resource Time required by this Task is: 29% (= 150 hours / 512 hours x 100%). In other words, 100% indicates that all available resource time is allocated to this Task. Over 100% indicates that additional resources will be required to meet obligations. If the Computer Lab was required for two additional projects, 29% for Intro To Word and 39% for Intro To Project Management, during the same time period, the Computer Lab % of utilization would climb to 97% (29% + 29% + 39%). If a fourth project, Intro To Access, requires 58% of the Computer Lab Time during the same time period, the request should be declined to avoid conflict.




9.3 Manage Holidays To minimize repetition, statutory holidays (i.e., time-off for all individuals assigned to a Client) can be

defined under the Time Off folder under the (Client) node. Once defined, the dates will be blocked off the calendars of all projects assigned to that Client. Please note that Client Holidays are not factored in the computation of time available to individuals and resources assigned to the Client. To setup the holidays, click on the Time Off folder and then click the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Calendar year. To facilitate management, statutory holidays are grouped under

calendar years. Input the year and click the [Save] button to create. Click on next to the (year) node to expand, followed by selecting the Dates folder below it and then clicking the [Add] button. You will be prompted for a brief description, classification (as defined under the Master Activities folder) and dates. Input required information and click [Save]. Note: Repetitive holidays, such as weekends, can be specified in a single entry by selecting the Repeat every week option under the Repeat field. In this case, a second screen will be presented to identify which days of the week the holidays will repeat. Repetitive holidays may that occur every two weeks or every month can also be specified. Implications: Once time-off is defined, the dates are blocked off the calendars of all projects assigned to the Client. However, the dates are not factored in the computation of time available to individuals or resources assigned to the Client.

Chapter 10 – Generate Reports ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 10: Generate Reports

10.1 Personnel Utilization Rates To identify who is over committed and who is underutilized, the utilization rates are computed and presented in the Reports Tab under the Personnel Utilization folder. The utilization rate is defined as the % of hours an individual worked on various projects relative to the number of work hours that the individual is available. It is computed by dividing Hours Worked on Projects / Work Hours Available.

To generate a new report, click on the Personnel Utilization folder under the Reports folder and then click the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Report Title and the Client that report should be assigned to. Input the required information and click [Save] to advance to the next screen.

Note: All Users assigned to a Client may use the same parameters to generate their own reports. To compute the utilization rates within a specific time period for personnel assigned to a Client, input the Start and End Dates, the Client and whether personnel within Sub Divisions should also be included. You may filter personnel further by Skill and/or Attribute. In other words, limit the report to Instructional Designers or Project Managers with a Top Secret clearance.




Once you click [Save], the report is presented in html format, in a new window. You may export the report to other file formats such as MS Word, PDF or print by clicking on the corresponding icon in the top left corner of the screen. To return to ADVISOR, close the Report window. Note: 100% utilization rate implies optimal efficiency. Over 100% utilization rate implies the individual is over committed – i.e., working overtime. Less than 100% utilization rate implies the individual is underutilized. To find out the skills and attributes of an individual, click on their name/title in the report table.




10.2 Personnel & Resources Needed To find out which personnel and resources are in greatest demand, assignment rates are computed and presented in the report generated from the Personnel/Resources Needed folder. The assignment rate is defined as % of hours an individual is assigned to various projects relative to the number of work hours that the individual is available. It is computed by dividing Hours Assigned to Projects / Hours Available.

To generate a new report, click on the Personnel/Resources Needed folder and then click the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Report Title, Report Type (i.e., Personnel or Resources) and Client that report should be assigned to. Input the required information and click [Save] to advance to the next screen. To compute the assignment rates within a specific time period for Client’s personnel or resources, input the Start and End Dates, the Client and whether personnel or resources within Sub Divisions should be included. You may filter personnel further by Skill and/or Attribute. In other words, limit the report to Instructional Designers or Project Managers with Top Secret clearance. Once you click [Save], the report is presented in html format, in a new window. To find out the skills and attributes an individual possesses or more information on resources, click on individual’s name or resource title. You may export the report to other file formats such as MS Word, PDF or print by clicking on the corresponding icon in the top left corner of the screen. To return to ADVISOR, close the Report window.




10.3 Personnel Calendar To find out who is doing what at any given time – including projects/tasks assigned to them, personal activities, etc. This report generates a calendar of activities for various individuals - including projects/ tasks assigned to them as well as dates blocked for training, holidays and other activities To generate the calendar click on the Personnel Calendar folder and then click the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Report Title, Select By (i.e., Personnel or Client) and Client that report should be assigned to. Input the required information and click [Save] to advance to the next screen. To view the calendar of various personnel within a specific time period, input the Start and End Dates as well as other relevant parameters and click Save.

Note: If Individuals assigned to the Client option is selected, you may filter personnel further by Skill and/or Attribute. In other words, limit the report to Instructional Designers or Project Managers with Top Secret clearance.




10.4 Projects Calendar To find out the status of multiple projects at any given time – including individuals assigned to various Tasks, % completed, as well as hours planned, hours worked and hours ahead or behind schedule for each Task. To generate a calendar of activities for various projects, click on the Projects Calendar folder and then click the [Add] button. You will be prompted for the Report Title, Select By (i.e., Project or Client) and the Client that report should be assigned to. Input the required information and click [Save] to advance to the next screen. To view the calendar of projects within a specific time period, input the Start and End Dates as well as other relevant parameters and click Save.

Note: If Projects within Training Division option is selected, you may filter the projects further based on their Status – i.e., Pending, Underway, Completed or Cancelled.

project management user guide - bnh expert soft · robert simmon – naval technical training...

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