DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject. Getting Started Guide

Transcription

1 DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject Getting Started Guide

2 Version 3.2 (June 2015) Copyright forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained in this document is the exclusive property of forproject Technology, Inc. This work is protected under United States copyright law and other international copyright treaties and conventions. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as expressly permitted in writing by forproject Technology, Inc. All requests should be sent to Attention: Contracts Manager, forproject Technology, Inc, 4020 N MacArthur Boulevard, Suite , Irving, Texas forproject, forproject Technology, Update forproject, Utilities forproject, Reporter forproject, Export forproject, Import forproject, DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject, EVMS forproject, Tracer forproject and the forproject logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of forproject Technology, Inc. and shall not be displayed, abused, disparaged, diluted or used in any way that misrepresents the identity of forproject Technology, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED/LIMITED RIGHTS Any software, documentation, and/or data delivered hereunder is subject to the terms of the License Agreement. In no event shall the U.S. Government acquire greater than RESTRICTED/LIMITED RIGHTS. At a minimum, use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in FAR Alternates I, II, and III (JUN 1987); FAR (JUN 1987) and/or FAR / (Commercial Technical Data/Computer Software); and DFARS (NOV 1995) (Technical Data) and/or DFARS (Computer Software), as applicable. Contractor/Manufacturer is forproject Technology, Inc, 4020 N MacArthur Boulevard, Suite , Irving, Texas Disclaimer While every effort to insure technical and typographical accuracy, we cannot claim that this document is without error. forproject Technology cannot be held responsible for any losses resulting directly or indirectly from the information provided. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. For questions or comments please contact: forproject Technology, Inc N MacArthur Blvd, Suite Irving, Texas info@forproject.com Tel (214) Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 of 49

3 Table of Contents OVERVIEW... 5 WHAT S NEW IN VERSION 3.0?... 6 PREREQUISITES / COMPATIBILITY... 7 MICROSOFT PROJECT... 7 REQUIRED FIELDS... 7 MICROSOFT WINDOWS COMPATIBILITY... 7 OTHER PREREQUISITES... 7 INSTALLATION... 8 REGISTRATION, ACTIVATION AND TRIAL LICENSES REGISTERING OR ACTIVATING THE PRODUCT DEACTIVATING THE PRODUCT RUNNING DCMA SCHEDULE ANALYZER FORPROJECT FOR THE FIRST TIME RUNNING DCMA SCHEDULE ANALYZER IN MICROSOFT PROJECT 2010 OR RUNNING DCMA SCHEDULE ANALYZER IN MICROSOFT PROJECT DCMA ANALYZER SUB-MENU OPTIONS THE SETTINGS SCREEN SETTINGS OVERVIEW GENERAL SETTINGS Analysis Options Toggle Filters Level-of-Effort Tasks Planning Packages DCMA METRICS & THRESHOLD SETTINGS OTHER COUNTS SETTINGS CRITICAL PATH TEST & CPLI SETTINGS Critical Path Test Settings CPLI Settings SAVING YOUR SETTINGS (AND OTHER ACTION BUTTONS) RUNNING THE SCHEDULE ANALYSIS SETTING A TEXT FIELD TO USE FOR TOGGLE FILTERS SETTING THE COMPLETION TASK THE DCMA SCHEDULE ANALYZER DASHBOARD THE PROJECT HEADER THE DCMA RESULTS PANE VISUAL INDICATORS TOGGLE FILTERS ON METRICS COUNTS ACCESSING DCMA FILTERS IN MICROSOFT PROJECT HELP ON THE METRICS REFRESHING THE ANALYSIS GENERAL COUNTS RELATIONSHIPS COUNTS CONSTRAINT TYPE COUNTS OTHER COUNTS GETTING HELP Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 3 of 49

4 EXPORT TO EXCEL OPTION UN/CEFACT IPMR6 XML EXPORTER OVERVIEW OF THE 14 DCMA METRICS DCMA # 1 LOGIC DCMA # 2 LEADS DCMA # 3 LAGS DCMA # 4 RELATIONSHIP TYPES DCMA # 5 HARD CONSTRAINTS DCMA # 6 HIGH FLOAT/SLACK DCMA # 7 NEGATIVE FLOAT/ SLACK DCMA # 8 HIGH DURATION DCMA # 9 INVALID DATES Metric 9(i) Invalid Forecast Dates Metric 9(ii) Invalid Actual Dates DCMA # 10 RESOURCES DCMA # 11 MISSED TASKS DCMA # 12 CRITICAL PATH TEST DCMA # 13 CRITICAL PATH LENGTH INDEX (CPLI) DCMA # 14 BASELINE EXECUTION INDEX (BEI) Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 4 of 49

5 Overview DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject is a simple yet powerful add-in for Microsoft Project. It performs schedule analysis following the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) 14-Point Schedule Assessment methodology. DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject automates all the steps required to analyze your project in accordance with DCMA procedures and instructions. Designed for speed and ease of use, it provides an easy-to-read dashboard that allows you to quickly identify potential schedule problems. Built-in filters allow you to quickly identify problem tasks and to correct potential problems. The system is highly configurable to match your individual projects and preferences and also supports exporting results to Microsoft Excel. The following image shows the main dashboard in DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 5 of 49

6 What s New in Version 3? 1. Updated DCMA Metric 9 (Invalid Dates) - Metric 9 has now been updated to reflect the latest DCMA methodology which splits this into two parts: (i) Invalid Forecast Dates Looks for Early Start or Early Finish dates prior to the project Status Date without a corresponding Actual Start or Actual Finish. This indicates that there are tasks that have not been properly updated in schedule. (ii) Invalid Actual Dates Looks for Actual Start or Actual Finish dates that are later than the current project Status Date. This indicates that these tasks may have been erroneously updated, or that the Status Date has not been properly advanced. 2. New Schedule Quality Metrics Nine (9) new counts have been added to detect schedule quality issues that may affect the DCMA 14-point assessment and the critical path analysis. Each of these new counts is described more fully in the sections below. 3. Updates to XML export to support IPMR Format 6 The built-in IPMR Format 6 XML Exporter now supports the latest version of the Data Exchange Instructions dated September 2013 and officially adopted by PARCA in February, 2014, including the D09B UN/CEFACT schema definition. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 49

7 Prerequisites / Compatibility Microsoft Project Microsoft Project Standard or Professional 2007 (SP2 or later) Microsoft Project Standard or Professional 2010 Microsoft Project Standard or Professional 2013 Getting Started with DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject Note: DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject uses the Visual Studio Tools for the Office (VSTO) system and is therefore NOT compatible with Microsoft Project 2003 (or earlier) versions. Required Fields You will need at least one available custom Text Field to support special filters that allow filtering of tasks for DCMA metrics This may be a local or an enterprise field. Microsoft Windows Compatibility Windows XP (SP2 or later) Windows Vista (SP2 or later) Windows 7 Windows 8 or 8.1 Other Prerequisites The following are also required in order to run DCMA Schedule Analyzer. If these are not present on the machine, they will be downloaded and installed automatically if an Internet connection is available. Windows Installer 3.1 (or later) Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (or later) Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for the Office (VSTO) system 3.0 Runtime SP1 (or later) Microsoft Office Primary Interop Assemblies (included in our installation package) Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 7 of 49

8 Installation To install DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject, you will need administrator privileges on the local machine. If you do not have local administrative permissions, please contact your IT support group. Note that if the product is installed by someone other than the end-user, they should select the option during install to be available for All Users on the machine. If you are upgrading from a previous version of DCMA Schedule Analyzer prior to version 2.0, then you should uninstall the previous version before installing version 3.2. You can do this by going to the Control Panel in Windows and selecting Add/Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Windows Vista or Windows 7) and then locating the DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject program entry and right-clicking and selecting Uninstall. (If you are using Windows 8, then select the Programs Category and then Programs and Features.) If upgrading from Version 2.0 or later, there is no need to uninstall the prior version. If upgrading from a version prior to Version 2.1, you may need to reactivate your license. Please have your license Serial Number available and see the instructions in the section below. Note: You can recover your current Serial Number from the About menu option, available in the dropdown menu for the DCMA Schedule Analyzer, as shown in the example below: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 8 of 49

9 Steps in installation: 1. Download the installation files to a folder on your hard drive. These files are available in a.zip file format. 2. Unzip the files to a folder of your choice. 3. Double Click on the setup.exe file. 4. You will see the following Installation Wizard: 5. Review the license agreement and check I agree to the license terms and conditions. 6. Click Install. At this time, all of the needed pre-requisites will be installed and the appropriate DCMA Schedule Analyzer installer will be launched for your operating system and installed Office components. 7. Click the Next button. You will be prompted to select a Setup Type: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 9 of 49

10 8. For most installs, the Typical installation is appropriate. If you want to customize the install location, click the Custom button, otherwise, just click Typical. 9. Click Install. 10. You ll see a progress dialog followed by: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 10 of 49

11 (Note that your installation may reflect 32-bit or 64-bit depending upon your system type and your version of Microsoft Project.) 11. Click Finish and you ll be returned to the confirmation screen: 12. Click Close. Product installation is complete. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 11 of 49

12 Registration, Activation and Trial Licenses Getting Started with DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject When you launch Microsoft Project with DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject installed for the first time, you will see the Registration screen as shown below. If you have downloaded the DCMA Schedule Analyzer as a free trial, click the Try button. You will be able to use the DCMA Schedule Analyzer for up to thirty (30) days, after which time you will have to buy and register the software or it will no longer function. As you approach the end of the 30-day trial period, this same screen will be displayed once during DCMA Schedule Analysis for each Microsoft Project session. Click the Try button to continue your trial. At the end of the trial period, you will need to purchase a license and register the software or it will stop functioning. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 12 of 49

13 Registering or Activating the Product If you have been provided a Serial Number, please click the Register button. Registration requires you to input the following information: Getting Started with DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject Your Name Your Organization Name The Serial Number provided to you at time of purchase, or by your organization. (If you have already copied a serial number to your Windows clipboard, the registration screen will insert it for you automatically.) Your Address Your Phone Number (optional) The Registration System will then verify the Serial Number locally and attempt to automatically activate it via our secure licensing server using an Internet connection. If you do not have internet access, see the instructions to Activate by , below. If successful, then your software will be activated with no time limits. If it is unable to connect to our servers or cannot activate the license for some reason, the software will be unlocked for an additional 15 days and you will receive the following screen: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 13 of 49

14 Click Activate by and the following screen will be displayed: Click Copy to and the system will open an in your default system. Optionally, click Copy to Clipboard if you would like the activation information sent to the Windows clipboard so you can paste into another application. While you are waiting for your Activation Code to be returned from forproject, you can click Go Back which will return you to the main Activation screen. From there, click Activate Later and you can continue to use the software. When your activation code is returned from forproject, you can return to the Activate By screen and enter the code there. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 14 of 49

15 Deactivating the Product If you ever need to move the license to another machine or user, select Deactivate Product from the DCMA Analysis menu. When the Deactivation screen is displayed, just click Deactivate. The license will then be deactivated from this machine. If you have internet access, it will automatically notify the secure forproject licensing server so that you will be able to activate it on another machine. You may retain the deactivation confirmation code for your records if you desire. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 15 of 49

16 Running DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject for the First Time DCMA Schedule Analyzer is an add-in to Microsoft Project. As such, it will not appear in the Programs list in your Start Menu. It will appear on the menu / toolbar / ribbon of Microsoft Project, depending upon which version of Microsoft Project you are using. When you launch Microsoft Project for the first time after installing DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject, you may see a prompt asking you to confirm installation of the add-in. Please click Install to confirm installation of the DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject add-in to Microsoft project. Running DCMA Schedule Analyzer in Microsoft Project 2010 or 2013 In Microsoft Project 2010 or 2013, the DCMA Schedule Analyzer appears as a new Ribbon Tab on the Ribbon bar, with a one-click button and an associated drop-down menu: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 16 of 49

17 Running DCMA Schedule Analyzer in Microsoft Project 2007 In Microsoft Project 2007, DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject appears in a new forproject menu group on the main Project menu, as well as a new one-click toolbar button: When you click on the forproject menu, the DCMA Schedule Analyzer will appear as a sub-menu: DCMA Analyzer Sub-Menu Options The following options are available on the DCMA Schedule Analyzer sub-menu: Option Run DCMA Analysis Settings Help Getting Started Release Notes Activate Product Support About Description Runs the DCMA 14-Point Schedule analysis on the open project. Access the Settings menu for DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject. Access the Help system for DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject. Opens this Getting Started guide. Opens the folder containing all of the release notes for DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject. Initiate activation of the software. Link to the forproject Technology Support web site, where you can access useful information and access technical support resources. Access information about this version of DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 17 of 49

18 The Settings Screen Before using the DCMA Schedule Analyzer for the first time, you ll want to review the default Settings and make any changes you feel are appropriate in your environment. Details about the settings menu are shown below and are also available in the on-line Help system. You can access the Settings screen from the main toolbar in Microsoft Project, as shown below: You can also access Settings from the DCMA Schedule Analyzer main window, as shown below: Settings Overview The settings dialog is divided into four (4) sections as shown on the left-side navigation menu: These tabs can be selected by clicking the links on the left side of the screen. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 18 of 49

19 General Settings Analysis Options Setting Task Selection Mode Task Filter Number of days used in High Float/Slack Analysis Number of days used in High Duration Analysis Number of decimal places shown in percentages Treat Manually Scheduled Tasks as Hard Constraints (Project 2010 or later) Description Allows you to specify how the analyzer will choose tasks to include in analysis: All Tasks - Use all tasks in the schedule. This is the default setting. Tasks in Current View - Uses all tasks that are included in the current view. This option, for example, would allow you to pre-filter the tasks that should be used for analysis. Use Filter - Uses tasks included in the filter specified in the "Task Filter" field. This field is only active when "Use Filter" is selected for the "Task Selection Mode" field. It allows you to choose a filter that designates which tasks to use for analysis. Controls the number of working days of Float (Total Slack) used in the High Float metric (#6). By default, the system is set to use 44 working days, which is the DCMA standard value. Controls the number of working days of Baseline Duration used in the High Duration metric (#8). By default, the system is set to use 44 working days, which is the DCMA standard value. Controls the number of decimal places shown in percentages. Default is 2. Microsoft Project 2010 and higher provide a capability to mark tasks to be manually scheduled, versus automatically scheduled by the schedule engine. For practical purposes, marking a task as manually scheduled is equivalent to specifying a Must Start On (MSO) constraint. By default, the DCMA Schedule Analyzer treats Manually Scheduled tasks the same as if they had a MSO constraint. You can disable this option if desired. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 19 of 49

20 Exclude Tasks marked as Milestones Controls whether tasks marked as Milestones in Microsoft Project are ignored in the Total Tasks and other counts. By default, only tasks with zero baseline duration are excluded. Select this option if you have other tasks with a non-zero duration that you wish to have excluded. Allows you to specify a formula for tasks to be always excluded from the 14-point assessment. This exclusion is in addition to anything specified via the "Task Selection Mode" and "Task Filter" controls. Exclude Tasks Where You can select an available Text, Flag, Number, or Outline Code field as the basis for this filter. In the first drop-down, select the appropriate field. In the middle drop-down, select the appropriate operator. In the right side box, enter the value that is to be used in the comparison test. For example: Toggle Filters DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject supports special toggle filters that allow you to toggle a filter on and off from the main analyzer window. Using these filters requires a single available local Text field. Setting Text Field to use for Toggle Filters Show Summary Tasks in Toggle Filters Show Toggle Filters as Highlights Description To use the built-in Toggle filters, select an available Text field. This can be a local Text field or an Enterprise Text field if using Project Server. Note that the selected field is automatically renamed to fp DCMA Filter. Indicates if summary tasks should be included in the toggle filters. If disabled, only the detail tasks are shown. Indicates if the toggle filters should highlight the tasks included in the filters. You can change the format of the highlight in Microsoft Project by formatted the Text Style called Highlight. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 20 of 49

21 Level-of-Effort Tasks The DCMA standard methodology is to exclude Level of Effort (LOE) tasks from the 14 point analysis. LOE tasks are not counted as a Total Task and are excluded from all 14 metrics. Setting Description Check the box if you have a way to identify Level of Effort (LOE) tasks in your schedule and wish to exclude them from the analysis. Exclude LOE tasks from analysis You can select an available Text, Flag, Number, or Outline Code field in order to identify LOE tasks. This can be a local field or an enterprise field if using Project Server. In the first drop-down, select the appropriate field in your schedule. In the middle drop-down, select the appropriate comparison operator. In the right side box, enter the value that is to be used in the comparison test. Planning Packages If your organization identifies certain tasks as Planning Packages as part of a rolling wave planning approach, the standard DCMA methodology is to exclude Planning Packages from the High Duration test (metric #8). Planning Packages represent far-term effort that has not yet been planned in detail and, as a result, often have longer durations than would be acceptable for normal tasks or work packages. Setting Exclude Planning Packages from the High Duration analysis Description Check the box if you have a way to identify Planning Packages in your schedule and wish to exclude them from the High Duration metric (metric 8). Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 21 of 49

22 Exclude via Formula To exclude tasks via a formula definition, select the first radio button. You can then select an available Text, Flag, Number, or Outline field as the basis for selecting Planning Package tasks. This can be a local field or an enterprise field if using Project Server. In the first drop-down, select the appropriate field. In the middle drop-down, select the appropriate operator. In the right side box, enter the value that is to be used in the comparison test. For example: Exclude via Rolling Date To exclude tasks via a rolling date, select the second radio button. You can then specify a date field and the number of days after the status date to exclude tasks. For example: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 22 of 49

23 DCMA Metrics & Threshold Settings The DCMA Metric & Threshold settings tab allows you to configure the thresholds conditions for when metrics are considered to have met their goals, or when they are unfavorable. Setting Active Goal Comparison Goal Value Metric Unfavorable Comparison Unfavorable Value Reset Description Indicates if the metric should be evaluated during analysis. Uncheck to de-activate the individual metric. Check to re-activate. Select the comparison operator for the goal condition. Select the value for the goal ( Green ) condition. May be positive or negative. The metric number and name. Select the comparison operator for the unfavorable ( Red ) condition. Select the value for the unfavorable condition. This can be positive or negative. Click the button in this column to reset the metric to the DCMA standard values. Note: Metric 12 is Pass/Fail and therefore cannot have threshold conditions set. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 23 of 49

24 Other Counts Settings The Other Counts Settings tab provides access to configure settings for some of the optional counts. These counts, due to the amount of processing required, may add significantly to processing time, particularly for larger projects. You therefore have the option of disabling these counts if you want to avoid the additional processing time. Setting Out of Sequence Updates External Relationships Invalid Baseline Duration Description Controls whether the Out of Sequence Update count is calculated. Uncheck to deactivate this count. Check to re-activate. Controls whether the External Relationships count is calculated. Uncheck to deactivate this count. Check to re-activate. Controls whether the Invalid Baseline Duration count is calculated. Uncheck to deactivate this count. Check to re-activate. Critical Path Test & CPLI Settings The Critical Path & CPLI Settings tab provides access to configure settings for the Critical Path Test and the Critical Path Length Index (CPLI). Critical Path Test Settings Setting Test Task Selection Mode Description Allows you to switch between Random mode, in which open tasks are selected randomly by the software for Critical Path testing, or Use Selected Task mode, where you manually select specific tasks to be tested. If manual mode is enabled, then you may select a task row in the schedule and press the Refresh button to perform the test on the selected task. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 24 of 49

25 Number of sample tasks used for Critical Path Test Days to add to Remaining Duration Adjust Remaining Duration when Total Slack > Added Days Pass if any shift in Completion Task is detected Pass if shift in Completion Task is greater than (days) Remove Deadlines If "Random" mode is selected, this setting controls the number of tasks that are sampled in order to perform the Critical Path test. A higher number means that more tasks are sampled and tested. The default value is ten (10) sampled test tasks. NOTE: Processing time will increase if the number of tasks is set to a very large value, particularly on larger projects. Specifies the days to add to the Remaining Duration on the test task when testing the Critical Path. The default is 600 days, as recommended by DCMA. This option is intended to assist if you happen to have any open tasks in your schedule that have Total Slack greater than the specified added days. This option adjusts the amount of Remaining Duration that is added to these high-slack tasks to compensate during the test. Specifically, the amount of Remaining Duration that is added is the Total Slack value plus one (1) day. Indicates that the Critical Path test should pass if any shift is detected in the Completion Task after the days are added to Remaining Duration on the test task. This setting allows you to configure how much shift in the Completion Task is acceptable after the specified days are added to the Remaining Duration on the test task. This option is only available if the option to "Pass if any shift in Completion Task is detected" is not checked. To be consistent with the standard DCMA methodology, task Deadlines are removed for the purposes of the Critical Path test. You can disable this option if desired. NOTE: Your Deadlines are only removed temporarily and will not be removed in your permanent project copy. CPLI Settings Setting Remove Hard Constraints Remove Deadlines Description To be consistent with the standard DCMA methodology, hard constraints are removed for the purposes of the CPLI analysis (metric #13). You can disable this option if desired. NOTE: Constraints are only removed temporarily and will not be removed in your permanent project copy. To be consistent with the standard DCMA methodology, task Deadlines are removed for the purposes of the CPLI analysis (metric #13). You can disable this option if desired. NOTE: Deadlines are only removed temporarily and will not be removed in your permanent project copy. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 25 of 49

26 Saving Your Settings (and other action buttons) Getting Started with DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject Buttons at the bottom of the Settings screen provide access to common actions including saving, exporting, importing and getting Help. Opens the help system. Resets all settings, returning them to their default state. Imports settings from an XML file. Exports settings to an XML file. Accepts all current settings and closes the Settings dialog. Cancels any changes since the settings dialog was opened and closes the settings dialog. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 26 of 49

27 Running the Schedule Analysis Getting Started with DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject Once you have configured your settings, running the DCMA Schedule Analyzer is a simple process: 1) Set the Project Status Date in Microsoft Project. Several metrics are based on the Status Date. 2) Set a Baseline for your project. Several metrics utilize Baseline Duration, Baseline Start and Baseline Finish dates. Note that Baseline zero (0) is used for these metrics. 3) Run the DCMA Analysis. From the Microsoft Project tool bar (Project 2007) or ribbon bar (Project 2010), click on the DCMA Analysis button. (You can also select the Run DCMA Analysis from the sub-menu.) Setting a Text Field to use for Toggle Filters The first time you run the DCMA Schedule Analyzer on a new project, if you have not already selected a field to use for Toggle Filters in your settings, you will be prompted to do so. Click the OK button and you will be taken to Settings where you may select any available text field: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 27 of 49

28 Setting the Completion Task The first time you run the DCMA Schedule Analyzer on a project, you will be prompted to select the Completion Task. This should represent the project ending task or milestone, or the ending task or milestone for the portion of the project that you are evaluating. Several of the DCMA metrics, including the Critical Path Test (Metric 12) and the CPLI test (Metric 14) both require a Completion Task to be selected or the metric cannot be computed. In order to be selected as a Completion Task, the task or milestone must meet the following criteria: 1. A blank row may not be selected 2. Is not a summary row 3. Has a Baseline Finish that is equal to or later than the Status Date 4. Cannot have an Actual Finish Date You can scroll down to select your Completion Task, then click the OK button in order to save and run the analysis. If you have multiple sub-projects in a master project, each sub-project will be shown under the parent project name, so you can quickly locate the correct task. You can click on the arrow to the left of the project name in order to collapse/expand the rows under that project. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 28 of 49

29 In the filter screen, you may enter various filter criteria in order to identify your Completion Task: Task ID Task Name Project Enter the Task ID number, if known, and click the Apply button. Enter the Task Name (or any unique portion of the Task Name ) and click the Apply button. The window will show all tasks that contain the specified characters. If you have multiple projects embedded within a Master project, you can restrict the filter to a specific project by entering the Project Name (or any unique portion of the Project Name) in the filter. For example, entering the word Complete in the Task Name filter field will filter to all tasks that contain the word Complete. Select the desired Completion Task in the lower window and then click the OK button in order to save your changes and run the DCMA analysis. If you wish to change the Completion Task, click on the link shown at the top of the main window: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 29 of 49

30 The DCMA Schedule Analyzer Dashboard Getting Started with DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject The main dashboard screen of DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject is shown below. Each of the sections is described in the chapters which follow below. The Project Header At the top of the screen you will see a header that identifies: The name of the Project being analyzed The current Status Date The currently selected Completion Task Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 30 of 49

31 The DCMA Results Pane Counts by Metric Metric Number Percent or Index Value Metric Name Visual Indicator Message Area Visual Indicators You can hover over the visual indicators to see the targets established by DCMA for each metric. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 31 of 49

32 Toggle Filters on Metrics Counts By clicking on one of the links in the Counts column, your project is filtered to show only those tasks that meet the exception criteria for each metric. By clicking again, the filter will be toggled On and Off. Accessing DCMA Filters in Microsoft Project These filters are also available in Microsoft Project after running the DCMA analysis. You can access the filters from the Microsoft Project Filters menu and use them either to filter or highlight the tasks that are selected by each metric or count. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 32 of 49

33 Help on the Metrics By clicking on the Metric Number in the left column, Help in each individual metric is available. Refreshing the Analysis You can refresh the analysis at any time by clicking the Refresh button at the bottom of the screen. This is useful, for instance, if you have made some adjustments to the schedule in order to correct a problem identified by one of the metrics. You can correct the problem and then hit Refresh in order to quickly and easily see the improvements to your schedule! Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 33 of 49

34 General Counts DCMA Total Tasks Completed Tasks Counts all tasks except for the following: Summary Tasks Tasks with zero (0) or missing Baseline duration Tasks identified as Level of Effort (LOE) Counts tasks are those that qualify as a Total Task using the DCMA criteria AND have an Actual Finish date. Completed tasks are excluded from the DCMA analysis so that the DCMA metrics are a good indicator of the work remaining in the schedule and are not distorted by the amount of work that has already been completed. Incomplete Tasks Baseline Count Incomplete tasks are those that qualify as a Total Task using the DCMA criteria and do NOT have an Actual Finish date.\ Baseline Count includes those tasks that qualify as a Total Task using the DCMA criteria and for which the Baseline Finish Date is not later than the current project Status Date. In other words, Baseline Count includes tasks that should have been completed up through the Project Status Date according to their Baseline Schedule dates. BEI Baseline Count The Baseline Execution Index (BEI) Baseline Count includes those tasks that are included in the Baseline Count metric, plus any Total Tasks that have no Baseline Finish date set. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 34 of 49

35 Relationships Counts These statistics show the number of relationships on Open Tasks, by Relationship Type. Constraint Type Counts The Constraint Type counts show the number of constraints on Open Tasks, by type. For Project 2010 only, the number of Manually Scheduled Open Tasks is also shown. Other Counts Note: These other counts are applied to ALL tasks in the schedule, not just Open Tasks. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 35 of 49

36 Dangling Finishes Out of Sequence Updates Constraint Violations Relationships on Summary Tasks Summary Tasks with Resources External Relationships Baseline Not Set Invalid Baseline Duration Invalid Baseline Date Rollup Counts the tasks that have no Successor connected to the Finish of the task. These tasks can have the duration increased and Finish Date slipped without affecting any other tasks. Counts the number of tasks that have been actually started or actually finished in conflict with the predecessory/successor logic applied to the task. For example, in a Finish-Start relationship, if the Successor task is actually started before the Predecessor task has actually finished. Counts the number of tasks that have Actual Start dates or Actual Finish dates that conflict with the Constraints applied to the task. For example, if a task has an Actual Start date that is different from the date entered in a Must Start On constraint. Counts the number of Summary tasks that have predecessor or successor relationships. Counts Summary tasks that have Resources assigned. Counts Relationships which include links to external projects. Counts tasks missing Baseline Start or Baseline Finish dates. Counts the number of tasks where the Baseline Duration is inconsistent with the Baseline Start and Baseline Finish dates. This indicates that the baseline fields have been manually edited and not set with the Set Baseline feature in Microsoft Project. Counts the summary tasks where the Baseline Start and Baseline Finish is not consistent with the subordinate tasks. This indicates that the baseline fields have been manually edited and not set with the Set Baseline feature in Microsoft Project. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 36 of 49

37 Getting Help The DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject help system is available from the main toolbar menu: Help is also available on the main Analyzer window, by clicking on a metric help link or the name of one of the General Counts: Help can also be accessed using the Help icon at the bottom of the main Analyzer window: The Help window provides help in the configuration and operation of DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject, as well as explanatory help on the DCMA metrics and basic counts. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 37 of 49

38 Export to Excel Option DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject provides the ability to export results to Microsoft Excel. In order to use this option, you must have Microsoft Excel (2007 or later) installed on your computer. The following options are available when exporting to Excel: Create Summary Report Worksheet This option creates a report page in Excel that mimics the main screen of DCMA Schedule Analyzer forproject, showing summary metrics and counts. An example is shown below. DCMA 14-Point Metrics This option creates a separate worksheet for each of Metrics 1-12, showing the tasks that failed that particular metric. The columns that are visible in the current Microsoft Project view will be included in the Excel output. By changing the columns shown in Microsoft Project, you can tailor the output shown in Excel. General Counts Generates a separate worksheet for each count in the General Counts section. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 38 of 49

39 Constraint Type Counts Open Relationship Counts Other Counts Generates a separate worksheet for each count in the Constraint Type Counts section. Generates a separate worksheet for each count in the Open Relationship Counts section. Generates a separate worksheet for each count in the Other Counts section. The following shows an example of the Summary worksheet in Excel: Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 39 of 49

40 The following shows an example of a Task Worksheet in Excel: Tabs are shown at the bottom of the Excel Worksheet for each selected metric or count. Note: The columns shown on the detail output in Excel will correspond to the columns that are visible in Microsoft Project at the time the Excel export is run. UN/CEFACT IPMR6 XML Exporter The DCMA Schedule Analyzer Version 2 now includes UN/CEFACT Exporter forproject for exporting the schedule in IPMR Format 6 XML. For more information about this module, please see the UN/CEFACT Exporter Getting Started Guide included in the setup package, or Help, available through the menu. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 40 of 49

41 Overview of the 14 DCMA Metrics DCMA # 1 Logic The Missing Logic test identifies those Incomplete Tasks that are missing either Predecessor relationships, Successor relationships or both. Schedules that are missing predecessor and successor relationships tend to be less useful and valid from a critical path analysis perspective. The DCMA analysis considers that most tasks in the schedule should have both Predecessors and Successors for the critical path logic to be valid and useful. Test Condition: All tasks that qualify as an Incomplete Task using the DCMA criteria and are missing either a Predecessor relationship or a Successor relationship (or both) Target: Five percent (5%) or less. No more than 5% of the Incomplete Tasks should be missing logic. Thresholds: 5% or Less >5% and <20% 20% or more DCMA # 2 Leads The Leads test identifies those Predecessor Relationships on Incomplete Tasks that have a negative lag value (i.e. an overlap). In Microsoft Project, a Predecessor relationship can be of several types including Finish-Start (FS), Finish- Finish (FF), Start-Start (SS) and Start-Finish (SF). Each of these relationships can further be qualified to include a Lead time (i.e. an overlap between tasks). An example of a Lead (sometimes called negative lag) in a predecessor would be FS-10d. According to DCMA, schedules that have Leads or overlaps between tasks are more difficult to analyze from a critical path perspective and can lead to distortions in the Total Float (or Total Slack) calculations. Test Condition: Any Predecessor Relationship on an Incomplete Task that has a lead (negative lag). Target: Zero (0%). No leads should be found in the schedule. Thresholds: 0% >0% Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 41 of 49

42 DCMA # 3 Lags The Lags test identifies those Predecessor Relationships on Incomplete Tasks with a positive Lag value. In Microsoft Project, a Predecessor relationship can be of several types including Finish-Start (FS), Finish- Finish (FF), Start-Start (SS) and Start-Finish (SF). Each of these relationships can further be qualified to include a Lag time (i.e. a delay between tasks). An example of a lag in a Predecessor would be FS+5d. According to DCMA guidance, schedules that have lags between tasks are more difficult to analyze from a critical path perspective and can lead to distortions in the Total Float (or Total Slack) calculations. Test Condition: Any Predecessor Relationships on Incomplete Tasks that have a positive Lag value. Target: Five percent (5%) or less. No more than 5% of the Incomplete Tasks should have lags. Thresholds: 5% or Less >5% and <20% 20% or more DCMA # 4 Relationship Types In Microsoft Project, a Predecessor relationship can be of several types including Finish-Start (FS), Finish- Finish (FF), Start-Start (SS) and Start-Finish (SF). The Relationships test identifies the percentage of relationships that have the Finish to Start (FS) relationship type versus other relationship types. According to DCMA, schedules that use mostly Finish-Start relationships are better than schedules that have excessive use of other relationship types. Test Condition: This test looks at the percentage of Finish-Start (FS) type relationships over the total number of relationships in the schedule. Target: At least ninety percent (90%) of the relationships in the schedule should be of type Finish-Start (FS). Put another way, less than 10% of the relationships should be of types other than FS. DCMA Schedule Analyzer counts the relationships that are NOT of type FS, so the metrics are expressed in those terms. Thresholds: Less than 10% >=10% and <20% 20% or more Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 42 of 49

43 DCMA # 5 Hard Constraints In Microsoft Project, various settings are available to constrain the task Start or Finish dates. The available Constraint Types include both soft and hard constraints. Soft Constraint Types include: As Soon As Possible (ASAP) As Late As Possible (ALAP) Start No Earlier Than (SNET) Finish No Earlier Than (FNET) Hard Constraint Types include: Must Start On (MSO) Must Finish On (MFO) Start No Later Than (SNLT) Finish No Later Than (FNLT) According to DCMA, use of Hard Constraints can prevent tasks from being driven by the relationship logic, distorting the Total Float and critical path calculations. Test Condition: Any tasks that qualify as an Incomplete Tasks using the DCMA criteria that have any Predecessor relationship of type MSO, MFO, SNLT or FNLT. Target: Five percent (5%) or less. No more than 5% of the Incomplete Tasks should incorporate Hard Constraints. Thresholds: 5% or Less >5% and <20% 20% or more Notes for Microsoft Project 2010: Microsoft Project 2010 and higher also provide an option to mark tasks as Manually Scheduled (versus Automatically Scheduled ). This has a similar effect as setting a Must Start On constraint. Therefore, by default the forproject DCMA Schedule Analyzer treats manually scheduled tasks the same as tasks with a Must Start On constraint. There is an option on the General Settings screen to change this behavior, if desired. Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 43 of 49

44 DCMA # 6 High Float/Slack This test identifies the percentage of Incomplete Tasks that have more than 44 working days (i.e. two working months) of Total Slack (also known as Total Float). According to DCMA, tasks with excessive Total Float can indicate logic problems or an unstable schedule that is less useful for critical path analysis. Test Condition: Percentage of tasks that qualify as an Incomplete Task under the DCMA criteria and that have a Total Slack value greater than 44 working days. Note: In General Settings, you can change the number of days used in this test. However, if changed, results may differ from those calculated by the DCMA. Target: Five percent (5%) or less. No more than 5% of the Incomplete Tasks should have a Total Slack of greater than 44 working days. Thresholds: 5% or Less >5% and <20% 20% or more DCMA # 7 Negative Float/ Slack This test identifies the percentage of Incomplete Tasks that have less than zero (0) Total Slack (also known as Total Float.) Tasks with negative Total Float can indicate logic problems and generally indicate that the project or certain important milestones cannot be met. DCMA suggests that the schedule should be revised to eliminate all negative float. Test Condition: Percentage of tasks that qualify as an Incomplete Task under the DCMA criteria and that have a Total Slack value less than zero (0). Target: Zero percent (0%). No Incomplete Tasks should have negative Total Slack. Thresholds: 0% >0% Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 44 of 49

45 DCMA # 8 High Duration This test identifies the percentage of Incomplete Tasks that have more than 44 working days (i.e. two working months) of Duration. Note: If you are using rolling wave planning, you have the option to exclude Planning Packages from this metric. In General Settings, select the option to exclude Planning Packages. According to DCMA, tasks with excessive Duration can indicate that work is being planned at too high a level. Breaking long-duration tasks into shorter, more discrete tasks is helpful from a performance measurement perspective. Test Condition: Percentage of tasks that qualify as an Incomplete Task under the DCMA criteria and that have a Baseline Duration value greater than 44 working days. Note: In General Settings, you can change the number of days used in this test. However, if changed, results may differ from those calculated by the DCMA. Target: Five percent (5%) or less. No more than 5% of the Incomplete Tasks should have a Baseline Duration of greater than 44 working days. Thresholds: 5% or Less >5% and <20% 20% or more DCMA # 9 Invalid Dates This test identifies the percentage of Total Tasks that have invalid or illogical dates. For the purposes of reporting this metric is split into two parts: Metric 9(i) Invalid Forecast Dates Test Condition: Percentage of tasks that qualify as a Total Task under the DCMA criteria and that have one of the following: A Start date that is on or before the Project Status Date but no Actual Start has been entered A Finish date that is on or before the Project Status Date but no Actual Finish has been entered Target: Zero percent (0%). There should be no invalid Forecast dates in the schedule. Thresholds: 0% >0% Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 45 of 49

46 Metric 9(ii) Invalid Actual Dates Test Condition: Percentage of tasks that qualify as a Total Task (including those tasks that have been reported as 100% complete) under the DCMA criteria and that have one of the following: An Actual Start date that is after the Project Status Date An Actual Finish date that is after the Project Status Date Target: Zero percent (0%). There should be no invalid Actual dates in the schedule. Thresholds: 0% >0% DCMA # 10 Resources This test identifies the percentage of Incomplete Tasks that have no baseline work or baseline cost in the schedule. For earned value management, the resource baseline work or baseline cost is used to establish the baseline for performance measurement. Generally, all discrete work in the schedule should have resources assigned, except in special cases such as Government-furnished equipment, material or information or other external tasks. According to DCMA, all tasks in the schedule should have resources or costs identified, either through specific resource assignments or total Work or Cost specified at the Task Level. Note that some organizations maintain their resource baseline plans in their EVMS or Cost Management tools and do not maintain a resource-loaded schedule in Microsoft Project. In such cases, this metric can be disabled in the Settings screen. Test Condition: Percentage of tasks that qualify as Incomplete Tasks under the DCMA criteria and that have no Baseline Work or Baseline Cost values on the task. Target: Zero percent (0%). All of the Incomplete Tasks in the schedule should have Baseline Work or Baseline Cost values. Thresholds: 0% >0% Copyright 2014 forproject Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 46 of 49