Software : Business : Finance : Excel Business Tools : Project Planning and Management

The Project Planning and Management template is designed as a generic solution to plan and manage any project. Management of the project’s budget as tasks are identified facilitates the processes of business case proposal, valuation analysis, and securing the required funding. Project dynamics can be altered and performance monitored with best practice Earned Value Analysis throughout the complete project management lifecycle.

Key features of the Project Planning and Management template include:

• Creation and management of project budget as tasks are defined.
• Pre-define project phases, task titles, holidays, and other key project planning parameters.
• Creation of project task dependencies and timing constraint management.
• 'Auto-timing' function calculates optimal project schedule automatically.
• Gantt scheduling chart with embedded project task information.
• Project status reporting based on best practice Earned Value Analysis.
• Project communication management through participant emailing and individual workbook creation.
• Project progress management by automatic updating from remote participant workbooks.

FAQ

There are many project management software titles available. Why should I use this one?
Many of the project management software titles available are very large and complex. This model is 'light', and while it may not have all of the features of a large software title, such as Microsoft Project, it does provide the core features necessary to successfully manage and monitor a project. Furthermore, since it is Excel based, it offers the ability to link data from it to other spreadsheets for financial analysis.

New Features

Copying Tasks. When a new task is added, there is now an option to prefill the task information by copying an existing task.

Scheduling Frequency. When the number of periods exceeds the number of columns in the gantt schedule worksheet, there is now a prompt to increase the frequency so that the schedule will fit into the worksheet - e.g. from Days to Weeks.

Start Dates and Times. When a start date is explicitly specified for a task and the start time is either omitted or set before 9:00am, the start time entered is set to 9:00am for the specified start date. This ensures correct allocation of hours in the auto-timing function.

FAQ

What version of Excel do I need?
All templates are compatible with Microsoft Excel 97 or above.

How can I open the download files?
The download files are "zipped" to to minimise the file size. You will need some extraction software like Winzip to open them on your computer once they are downloaded.

Why can't I see all of the cell formulas?
The worksheets are protected to ensure the robustness of operation. However, critical formulas are outlined in the embedded help prompts.

When I open the file, it asks me if I want to enable macros. What should I do?
You need to click "Yes" to accept macros in order to run the tools.

When I open the file, it doesn't ask me if I want to enable macros. Therefore, the macros are disabled. What should I do?
In this case you need to set your macro security settings to Medium. You can do this by opening a blank workbook and choosing Tools >> Options >> Security >> Macro Security, and selecting the Medium level. You should now be presented with the option to enable macros on opening the template file.

Why can't I see the VBA code?
The VBA code has been protected to ensure the robustness of operation and for intellectual property purposes.

Can other users open the models that I have completed?
When other users open the model for the first time on another computer, they are presented with the 30-day trial version. After 30 days, if they have not registered the model, they will still be able to view completed models, but not run processes. In this way, the templates can be freely distributed to clients and/or interested parties to view results.

I want to customize a model for my own use or to distribute it to multiple users in my organization. What are my options?
Upon purchasing the products, you will receive the password to unlock cells, sheets, and the workbook. Since much of the functionality depends on the original workbook structure, modifications made are at the sole risk of the user. Site licenses are available on purchase so that the model can be registered for an unlimited number of users within the same organization.

An updated version of a model is available on your site. How can I upgrade my older registered version?
You can simply download the new version and it will work as a registered version on the same computers that you have your older version on.

There are many project management software titles available. Why should I use this one?
Many of the project management software titles available are very large and complex. This model is 'light', and while it may not have all of the features of a large software title, such as Microsoft Project, it does provide the core features necessary to successfully manage and monitor a project. Furthermore, since it is Excel based, it offers the ability to link data from it to other spreadsheets for financial analysis.

I am working on the project alone, but the model won't let me add tasks until I have entered some participant information. Is there any work around?
Yes. By adding yourself as a particpant, you can add tasks using yourself as the person responsible. You can also leave the hourly rate as zero so that the Earned Value Analysis can be based on hours, rather than task cost value.

When I try to email participants, there is nothing the the body text of the emails. What should I do?
The emailing functionality uses a Windows API call and 'sendkeys' statements to compile the emails so that it will work with a variety of emailing software. Because of this, the results may vary depending on your system and emailing software configuration. It has been tested to work with Outlook, Outlook Express, and Lotus Notes. The first thing to try is to close and reopen your emailing software and try to send the emails again. If this fails, you can create individual participant workbooks using the option presented in the same form and manually send them as attachments. This method also offers the ability to update your model with the remote workbooks created.

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