ProjectLibre_Doc_v0.

3
User Guide –
Version 0.3.2 – March 11, 2014
We originally had this open for editing but had some bad actors. Please just request access to
edit!!!! We need community assistance to keep improving. Please request access and continue
improving. We do this and offer it as FOSS but need community help on this and also please if
someone can create a Tutorial and Training Manual that would be key improvements!!!!!
ProjectLibre Manual

Version 0.1 – October 3, 2012

Version 0.2 – October 24, 2012
Version 0.3 – April 13, 2013 : - converted to Google doc, -add List of Content, - more chapters.

________________ProjectLibre Manual
Introduction to ProjectLibre and Project Management
Overview of ProjectLibre
Introduction to Project Management terminology
Tasks, Resources, and Costs
Installing and Running ProjectLibre
Running ProjectLibre 1.5_beta5
Starting and Saving Projects
Navigation with the Primary Controls (Top Line)
Create an Example Project
Step 1: Create the project plan shell
Step 2: Identify the project resources
Step 3: Identify the project's high-level tasks
Step 4: Identify task dependencies
Step 5: Assign project resources to appropriate tasks
Step 6: Elaborate and decompose tasks
Step 7: Evaluate the project plan
Tasks
Views:
Gantt selection
Network or flow diagram view:
Work Breakdown Structure:
Task Usage view:
Zoom In or Zoom Out:
Clipboard:
Tasks:
Insert and delete:
Indent and Outdent:
Link and Unlink:
Information:
Calender
Resources
Save Baseline
Clear Baseline
Find
Scroll to Task
Update Tasks
Resource
Views
Resources
RBS
Resource Usage
Zoom In/Zoom Out
Clipboard
Resource
Insert
Delete
Indent/Outdent
Information
Calender
Notes
Find
View
Task Views
Gantt
Network
WBS
Task Usage
Resource Views
Resources
RBS
Resource Usage
Other Views
Projects
Report
Sub-Views
Histogram
Charts
Task Usage
Resource Usage
No Sub Window
Filters
Filter function
Sort function
Group function
Keyboard Shortcuts
________________
Introduction to ProjectLibre and Project Management
Overview of ProjectLibre
ProjectLibre is an open source project led by Marc O’Brien and Laurent Chretienneau
intended as an alternative to commercial software like Microsoft Project. It is free software, just
as the name implies, but it is also compatible with any other project management software that
can read and write .xml formatted documents. Obviously, that includes MS Project, as well as
several other such software.
. Current features include: task management, work breakdown structure generation (a list
and a graphical representation), resource allocation and tracking, and Gantt charts that provide
a clear view of the critical path elements of the schedule. Obviously, this list of features is not
intended to be comprehensive and there is nothing remarkably unique about this list. Indeed it is
appropriate to carefully define some of the terminology frequently used in project management
before further elaborating on the capabilities of ProjectLibre, since the use of these terms is not
completely uniform, either in project management software nor in organizational usage.
Introduction to Project Management terminology
The following definitions describe how these terms are used in ProjectLibre; your
organization may use the terms differently, but at least these definitions provide an
unambiguous glossary for usage understanding how this software works. A more complete list
of definitions1 is available for those who need more definitions.
Account: An account is used in a Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) to represent a place where
cost from tasks or resources can be aggregated.
Allocation: Tasks are allocated to resources during the planning stage of the project. Actual
assignments are part of the scheduling process. One important point is that simply making such
assignments does not guarantee the needed resource will be available.
Assignment: Resources are assigned to complete tasks according to the best estimate of the
planners of the project. Assignment is an important part of the scheduling process.
ACWP: Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP) is the aggregation of all costs necessary to
complete the work for the project.
BCWP: Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP) is the aggregation of budgeted costs
performed in completing the project.

BCWS: Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWP) is the aggregation of budgeted costs
predicted for work scheduled to complete the project.
CBS: The Cost Breakdown Structure is made up of resource accounts broken down to fit
the elemental tasks spelled out in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the development.
The CBS organizes accounts into a framework that enables costs to be aggregated
independent of the WBS or the RBS.
CPI: The Cost Performance Index (CPI) is equal to the BCWP/ACWP. When this index is
less than 1, the project is over budget. If the CPI > 1 the costs for the project are under budget.
Estimate: A prediction of the expected amount of effort or time needed to complete a given task.
Milestone: A milestone is a special task represents an event in your project; it is a task with an
effort of 0.00h. It is typically used to mark a major outcome; for example, the completion of a
deliverable satisfactory to and accepted by the customer.
PERT: The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) is an enhancement to the
Critical Path Method (CPM). Task effort estimates in CPM are point estimates, while task effort
estimates in PERT are computed by weighting the Optimistic, Most Likely, and Pessimistic
estimates [(O + 4*M + P)/6].
PERT Distribution: This distribution is a simplified way to calculate an Expected estimate from
the Optimistic-, Most Likely-, and Pessimistic estimates.
Resource: A resource can be one of three types: Work, Material, or Team. All resources must
belong to a Research Group.
Resource Group: A resource group is a collection of similar resources.
Resource Team: A resource team consists of a number of resources working together for a
common purpose.
RBS: The Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) organizes resources into resource groups.
SPI: The Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is equal to the BCWP/BCWS. When this index is
less than 1, the project is over budget. If the CPI > 1 the costs for the project are under budget.
Summary Task: A summary task has subordinate tasks (sub tasks) and rolls up information
based on these sub tasks.
Task: A task is a unit of work; resources are usually allocated at the task level.
WBS: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is used to decompose large projects down into
manageable chunks to ease planning and management.Tasks, Resources, and Costs
Three of the more important terms in the list above are tasks, resources, and costs; they
are the core elements to be manipulated and organized in project management. We will
elaborate in later sections on each of these concepts and how to work with them in ProjectLibre
but for this introductory section the following paragraphs are meant to fix these concepts firmly
in the user's mind.
Tasks are the fundamental building blocks for a project schedule. The definition in the
previous section was very terse, but meaningful – each task represents a unit of work, a step
toward completing a project. As is likely obvious, tasks often need to take a hierarchical form to
help in decomposing a complex project down into manageable and understandable chunks.
That is exactly what the definition of a WBS states; therefore, the WBS is made up of a
hierarchical tree of decomposed tasks. The organizational structure depicted by the WBS is
meant to make it easier to understand how the various elements of a complex task fit together
and ProjectLibre is a great tool for depicting that structure of tasks and how they interact.
Resources are shared entities; all the people and materials owned by your organization are
shared by all projects supported by the organization. People resources have the type “Work”
(expressed in hours or days – time) and materials have the type “Material” (expressed in a
quantity – bags of cement, for example). ProjectLibre has a spreadsheet depiction for managing
resources (Figure 1). These typical spreadsheet headings can be tailored to suit the needs of
specific projects.

Figure 1. Resource spreadsheet

Cost1 refers to the monetary value or financial pricing of a specific project activity and is
the most commonly used way of aggregating resources in a project to be managed. As Figure 1
suggests, it is typical to assign hourly (or weekly or monthly) rates to people resources.
Similarly, the amount of money paid to acquire materials, expressed as a dollar cost, gives an
indication of the relative value of different materials.
Installing and Running ProjectLibre
Installing ProjectLibre on a single computer is quite straightforward. For Windows systems,
go to http://sourceforge.net/projects/projectlibre/, download the Windows .msi file (currently
projectlibre-1.5_beta5.msi, and about 12.1 Mb in size. When the download is complete, double
click on the file to open it, and follow the instructions from the installer that are initiated from the
installation wizard shown in Figure 2. Then, simply complete the installation following the
directions on the screen.

Figure 2. Installer opening dialog box for setup wizard

If ProjectLibre is downloaded from the Sourceforce site listed above logged into a Linux
machine,projectlibre1.5_beta5.tar.gz is the downloaded file. This file is a compressed file
containing the usable files that must be extracted into a convenient folder on your machine. The
notes file in this archive, “readme.html” contains the instructions for installing on both Windows
and on Linux:
Running ProjectLibre 1.5_beta5
Requirements:
ProjectLibre uses Java version 6 or later.
To see what version you have, check out this page:
http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml
You can download java here: http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp
Installation:
Unzip the files to the folder of your choice.
Windows: The installer creates shortcuts for you. Alternatively, click on projectlibre.jar (or
projectlibre.bat)
Mac: Click on projectlibre.jar
Linux: Open a terminal, go to the projectlibre folder and run ./projectlibre.sh (assuming you
downloaded the tar.gz archive). If you get a permission denied message, do "chmod +x
projectlibre.sh" This will let you run the shell script. You can also run with the command "sh
projectlibre.sh"
projectlibre.sh will report an error if it doesn't find a valid Java installation on your system.
On some distributions Java Runtime Environment (JRE) isn't installed by default, but it's often
provided as an optional package.
This sequence of commands might look like this: (You do not need to be root.)

Figure 3. Running ProjectLibre in Linux

Starting and Saving Projects
After Starting the ProjectLibre program, a window opens and asks whether to open an existing
project or whether to create a New Project, see Figure below .
Figure Welcome window
Alterntive you may open an existing .pod or .xml file or create a new one, use the
commands on the top left of the redesigned ProjectLibre page (circled in magenta below). Left
click on either “Open” or “New” to start this process.

Figure 4. First step in opening or creating a project management file

Selecting “new” in the dialog box pops up another dialogue box (Figure 5); its primary
purpose is to name the new project. The only entry that must be filled in is the name (if you fail
to name the new project, a “nag” box (also shown in Figure 5) pops up. You may want to list the
manager's name, change the date or add notes in the provided spaces. Once you have made
the desired entries, click “ok” to proceed. The “Forward scheduled” box can be unchecked if you
do not wish to use this feature (see page tbd). Selecting “Help” in the bottom right box invokes
the online help (which is not fully implemented at this writing – October 3, 2012). Once you have
completed your entries and chosen “ok”, the program takes you directly to the screen for
starting your work plan (Figure 6). This screen is the one to which you are directed if you
choose “Open” (in Figure 4) rather than “New”. Now, new project task entry lines are blank as in
Figure 6.

Figure 5. Naming and defining a new project

Notice that this blank file is very similar to most other project planning file templates and is
ready for you to begin entering tasks, resources, and schedule information. The right half of the
window is the space where the Gantt schedule and its various entries will appear as you define
the schedule. The calendar is set to the default at this point (more on altering the calendar
later.)

Figure 6. A new project ready for the user to make entries

Saving a project in the native format for ProjectLibre is extremely simple. Looking at Figure
6, clicking on the “Save” tag or icon just under the OpenProj name saves this example as a
“Example.pod” file. That type of file is native to ProjectLibre (as well as to OpenProj) and gives
the highest reliability for capturing and retaining all the information you have entered.

Figure 7. Use of “Save as” under the “File” button

Alternatively, clicking on “Save as” allows you to save your work in the alternative Microsoft
Project .xml format, after popping up a dialog box like the one shown in Figure 7. Of course, you
a can also change the name of the file by typing in your choice of names in the “File Name” box.
If you leave the .pod extension as part of the name, ProjectLibre appends the .xml suffix to the
name typed. For example, selecting “Save” in Figure 7, creates a new file named
AFE61_DTW_mini_PRA_subtask_Rev-1.pod.xml.
Finally, “Close” is the last of the choices under this left-hand block of functions. Selecting
“Close” does just what the name implies. The file that is open is closed, retaining the name
which it is currently carrying. If the file has not been saved with a file name before this closure, a
window pops up to remind the user to name the file (Figure 8). If “No” is selected here, the file
closes with the name assigned when it was opened, discarding any modifications made after
the file was last saved. Choosing “Cancel” simply puts you back into the editing mode and
closes the dialog box.

Figure 8. Warning regarding saving changes made to a file

All in all, these “File” opening and saving functions under the primary File button on the
upper command bar are quite intuitive to use; there are no surprises.Navigation with the Primary
Controls (Top Line)
The primary navigation through ProjectLibre files and use of program capabilities starts on
the main menu (Figure 4). Primary selections for navigation are located just to the right of the
“Open”, “New”, “Save as”, and “Close” selections (on the second line of these command bars)
described in the preceding section. We will examine each section to the right of these buttons,
starting with the upper row of primary choices (Figure 9). These top four controls (“File”, “Task”,
“Resource”, and “, “View”) are the subjects of the next four paragraphs.

Figure 9. Navigational controls – primary choices and File functions

First, the File selection provides a way to examine and load different files and it controls all
the functions listed below them – printing and previewing and then just to the right, another
group of selections that allow the analyst to configure the project schedule to suit specific
purposes and to update after analysts. Notice that the “File” button in the top row remains light
blue, indicating a specific set of controls are available for use. We will come back later to go
over what each of these subfunctions allows in terms of manipulating the ProjectLibre file of
interest.

Figure 10. Primary controls – “Task” functions

Figure 11. Selecting the Gantt chart with a secondary button

The “Task” control brings up a different set of subfunctions (Figure 10). This particular set
of secondary controls is primarily for use with the Gantt chart, as the left-most icon suggests.
Selecting this “Gantt” icon switches the display in the main window of ProjectLibre so that it
shows the schedule as it has been entered so far by the analyst (Figure 11). This Gantt chart is
the default display if you open a file that was saved in this form, but if you were working on
some other aspect of the project (assigning resources, for example), selecting this option will
take you back to this familiar display. Notice also that the “Task” primary control block in the first
line is now light blue, rather than the “File” control block. Selecting the “Task” control block gives
access to this different set of navigation tools. As there was with the “File” control block
selected, there are a number of subfunctions to be discussed later; for now, we will stick to the
primary control functions and their elementary use. This Gantt window is, however, where much
of the useful work is done to lay out the schedule and tailor it to the specific project being
analyzed.
Next, we examine the “Resource” block in the primary control layer of the command lines
(Figure 12). As you likely now expect, it allows us to manipulate the resources available for
project use. Selecting the “Resource” control does not change the Gantt chart display; however,
if you click on the “Resources” icon, the main display window opens up to a spreadsheet (Figure
13) that allows you to enter, select, and modify resources and how they are to be used.

Figure 12. Selecting the “Resource” primary control

Figure 13. Selecting the “Resources” spreadsheet with a secondary button

Figure 14. Selecting the “View” functions with a primary control

As the final step in our initial trip through the primary navigation controls, we select the
“View” control box (Figure 14), bringing up a set of secondary controls that gives easy access to
views germane to various stages of project work. Now the various views and subviews are
named in the bottom section of the secondary control bars (marked with a yellow arrow in
Figure 14). In some ways, the “Task views” and “Resource views” groupings are repetitive to the
primary control selections in the top bar, but the “View” grouping gives better and immediate
access to “Sub-views” and other tools. Again, the goal in this paragraph is not to describe each
function in detail, but to overview how to navigate through the menus efficiently. It is however,
worth observing at this point, that the main display has now been altered to show four panes,
rather than the two that came up when we selected Gantt chart alone earlier. This specific view
was obtained by selecting the “Histogram” sub-view (green arrow) with the Gantt chart
displayed by itself. You can also return to the Gantt chart panes by clicking on the “No sub
window” selection (blue arrow). Finally, there are also other graphical ways to navigate to
various views, as is shown in the upper row, right hand side of the primary control bars. There
(Figure 14), a series of icons (green ellipse) reside and they can be used to select various sub
views. If you hover the cursor over each of the icons, it becomes clear that this set of five
controls is associated with the five sub views named in the sub view portion of the secondary
controls and discussed earlier. A sixth icon, a blue circle surrounding a question mark, allows
the analyst go bring up help in three different forms as suggested by Figure 15. The three labels
are self-explanatory.

Figure 15. Help pop-upCreate an Example Project

This initial overview of how to create a new project in ProjectLibre is largely based on an OpenProj
article in 2010 published at http://www.infobarrel.com by jayrsmith. We will follow that outline and
simply update those parts that are affected by the new interface for ProjectLibre. As Smith puts it: “The
best way to understand how a project plan may be created using OpenProj → ProjectLibre is to study a
realistic example such as the one that follows. This example, while simple, provides a step by step
description of typical actions that a project manager might use to establish a viable project plan using
(ProjectLibre).” This example likely will not fit your project perfectly, so you may want to either modify
this example or initiate your own to fit your needs more specifically. However, the basic steps are still
likely to apply.
A relatively small set of assumptions are given for the example project to be exercised
here. They include:
1. ProjectLibre has been installed and configured as described above and is connected to a
usable printer (or at least to a pseudo printer like pdf creator).
2. The example project, called “News Shower” is a marketing effort lasting 6 months.
3. Three full-time people resources, counting the project manager are assigned to News
Shower.
4. There is no budget constraint assigned for News Shower; the organization is fully behind
this effort but schedule is very important. It must be completed within 6 months.
5. The required (mandatory) completion date is no more than six months from the start
date.
Step 1: Create the project plan shell
The first step is to identify the basic parameters of the project. The analyst begins this step
with ProjectLibre as described starting on page 6. We saw how this process is begun in Figures
4 and 5. Now we name the new project “News Shower” and enter it in the top line as indicated
above Figure 5. We also add a start date as shown in Figure 16. You could also deselect the
“Forward scheduled” box which is the default selection. Doing so will allow you to select a finish
date and have ProjectLibre work backwards after you enter the required tasks. This alternate
method is primarily for those projects that have a firm finish date that must be met., one like
News Shower which has a mandatory completion date. It is perhaps a bit more common to
leave the default checked action as shown in Figure 16, enter the required tasks, and use the
software to calculate a completion date. But, for our example we will uncheck “Forward
scheduled” to be sure we satisfy that mandatory completion date. This change makes our
example slightly different than Smith's original one. As you develop your own learning example,
you will need to interpret your own organizational environment and utilize features of
ProjectLibre that meet your own needs. Setting down the assumptions and constraints is a bit
like developing, refining, and validating requirements for a system. The notes on the dialog box
used to name the project are a good place to start documenting some of these constraints and
assumptions.

Figure 16. Starting the example project

Once OK is clicked, a blank Gantt chart like the one shown in Figure 6, but with a new project
name inserted, is opened.
Step 2: Identify the project resources

Figure 17. Resource spread sheet for information about people resources
The next step is to identify and name the available resources. For News Sources all the
resources are people resources and we can enter all the necessary information by navigating to
the resources spreadsheet in one of the ways we described under the paragraph on navigation
within ProjectLibre. The best way to navigate to this spreadsheet is to select Resource in the top
line and click on the Resources icon on the left side of the second line. These two actions bring
up the spreadsheet shown in Figure 17.

Figure 18. More categories of information in the Resource spreadsheet

The left portion of the resource spreadsheet (Figure 17)7y
is only part of the information that can be stored there. One other way to see more of the
possible information that can be maintained here is to simply scroll to the right using the bottom
bar in this window, as suggested in Figure 18. This right side of the spreadsheet can hold
information like pay rate and calendar as suggested in the titles of the columns.

Figure 19. Assigning resources from the Resource spreadsheet

Values entered in the cells of this spreadsheet must be of a specified format or else an
error message of the type shown in Figure 19 warns of inconsistent entries. So this spreadsheet
becomes the central source of information about the available resources – both human and
material – available for the project.

Figure 20. Alternate means of entering Resource information

Incidentally, you can also reach the Resource spreadsheet by choosing View from the top
line of the control bar and clicking on the Resources icon in the second line in the “Resource
views” block just on block to the right of the Task views block (containing the Gantt icon).
Additionally, the analyst can also input specific resource characteristics – sometimes more
conveniently – by left clicking on a resource name in the Resources spreadsheet and making
entries in the dialog box (Figure 20) for that named resource. This entry method may be more
efficient and easier to organize than making them directly in the spreadsheet. Clearly, each of
these tabs and the large space for notes allow a variety of ways to tailor the resource inputs to
your project. We need to examine each of the tabs at the top of this dialogue box to elaborate
on why this alternative entry method may be useful for your project.

Figure 21. General tab for alternate dialogue box

First, we look carefully at the General tab (Figure 21) and note that many details can be added
about each resource that is part of the project resource database. You can specify specific work
groups, contact information, material descriptions, and even personalized work calendars (think
flex time, if you need to do so) and the usual identifiers like RBS identifier.

Figure 22. Costs tab for alternate dialogue box

The Costs tab allows the analyst spell out individual labor rates for any given resource on
any effective date. In fact the five subtabs (A-E) even allow the analyst to set five different cost
rates for a given person resource. Also, it is possible to give the resource a “raise” by simply
stepping up the rate at an appropriate “Effective Date” in the left column of a given tab.

Figure 23. Resource Availability tab for alternate dialogue box

The Resource Availability tab (Figure 23) gives other options for elaborating on the
Resource database. The tab also includes an entry set the upper limit on the use of this
resource. This limit is usually set in terms of the maximum percentage of time this resource can
be used.
The Tasks subtab (Figure 24) presents a list of all the commitments or assignments made
for each person in the Resources database. The columns give details about each of these
assignments (start and end dates, for example) regarding each of task on each page of the tab
for each resource.
 Lastly, the Notes subtab is shown in Figure 25. As is obvious, its primary function is to give
space for describing any characteristic of the resource that needs to be documented – hence,
there is plenty of white space for a narrative description or any other notation.

Figure 24. Tasks tab for alternate dialogue box

Figure 25. Notes tab for alternate dialogue box

Step 3: Identify the project's high-level tasks

Figure 26. High level tasks for the News Showerrs example
The News Showers example project is assumed to be similar to an earlier one successfully
completed by the organization. The project, like almost all projects, can be described with five
generic tasks: initiation, research, contracting, development, and launch. These generic tags are
not as unambiguously descriptive as one might like to see, but they do outline a general way to
categorize upper level tasks. So the analyst enters more descriptive task titles, but you will
recognize that these tasks fit this generic description (Figure 26). Observe that all task bars
used so far are red. This Kickcoloring means that all tasks are part of the critical task, which has
no meaning at this point in the analysis. When we finish the critical path will be in red and all
non-critical task bars will be blue, But it is way too early to identify a critical path at this stage of
developing the project plan.Step 4: Identify task dependencies
Some tasks cannot start until other tasks have completed; that is, the second task is
dependent on another task being completed before the second one can be started. In our News
Showers example, it is obvious that the application cannot be marketed worldwide until after the
beta testing has been completed and the beta testing cannot begin until the application is
developed. Finally, of course, the starting approval (implied by the kickoff meeting having
occurred) must occur before any of the other tasks can start. These dependencies show up in
Figure 27.

Figure 27. Task dependencies

The color code now shows the critical path in read; the logic of the dependencies shows
that critical path. Observe that task 3 is blue and is not on the critical path. This critical path has
three elements now and the non-critical path does not affect the critical path. There are several
other nuances about how to deal with tasks which will be dealt with in the next section. But first
we have to assign resources and decompose the upper level tasks where necessary.
Step 5: Assign project resources to appropriate tasks
Each task is likely to need one or more resources for completion. Columns on the Gantt
chart may be hidden unless the vertical slider is moved to the right. The names of the resource
elements can be directly typed into the column named “Resource Names”. The default option is
to allot 100% of their time to the assigned task, but this option can be changed in the
assignment dialogue. The Resource Names field allows direct entry of multiple resources, along
with the % time assigned to each task. Each resource name is separated by a semi-colon as
shown in the top part of Figure 28 (yellow rectangle). In this chart, the default value of 100% for
percentage of time devoted to the project was accepted. By choosing “Task Usage” from the
second line of the command ribbon (magenta circle), the resources allotted (in hours) is shown
at the bottom left of the display. This provides a convenient way to illustrate how each task is
covered. You might want to manipulate the hours to relieve the project leader of time for other
tasks; try that by changing the hours manually in the appropriate yellow line. Making changes of
this nature is likely to alter the total number of days applied to the task; choosing appropriate
percentages may be a better way to start this kind of resource leveling. We will come back to
that point shortly.

Figure 28. Resource assignment based on task usage

We can also choose the “Resource Usage” option (green ellipse in Figure 29) to see how
each person is loaded up for each task. This perspective may be an easier place to start
prioritizing workload for each individual. When you start this work prioritization, it is likely that as
you adjust percentages of effort, some tasks will be shortened as ProjectLibre attempts to
automatically schedule. It may be necessary to choose manual scheduling to accommodate
part-time work on desired tasks, level the workload, and still maintain the desired schedule. We
will have more to say about this kind of activity when we discuss the use of the Histogram
function and filtering activities.

Figure 29. Resource assignment based on individual resource load

Step 6: Elaborate and decompose tasks

Figure 30. Decomposition of high-level project tasks

Being agile in splitting up tasks is an important characteristic for a good manager.
ProjectLibre facilitates this kind of activity on the part of the analyst. Decomposing a complex
task into simpler ones allows better understanding of interrelationships and provides insight on
estimating resource needs. It brings just-in-time utilization of resources (both people and
facilities) into the scheduling picture in almost every case. Four such task decompositions are
shown for our News Showers example in Figure 30 (green rectangle). For more complicated
projects, many more decompositions are likely to be used, but these simple ones suffice to
illustrate use of the program. Notice that ProjectLibre uses indentation to indicate the hierarchy
for subtasks; this feature also feeds development of the Work Breakdown Structure, as we will
see later on in the Manual, when we reexamine how tasks are used.
Step 7: Evaluate the project plan
With a representative set of the tasks entered, and a few sub-tasks spelled out, the project
plan is well underway. The critical path is perhaps the most significant piece of information in
this rudimentary structure. This knowledge is quite important to the project manager. Analysis
and leveling of work loads can be carried out based on the resource information in the
ProjectLibre spreadsheets after those entries are completed. In the example, this information is
minimal, just enough to show how this effort can be completed. For most projects, laying out the
needed resources is one of the most important (and most tedious) tasks. Task and subtask
reports can be printed at any snapshot in time. Later on, if completion percentages are entered
and kept current for each task, status reports can be generated that show progress and permit
evaluation of schedule completion. The best way to use ProjectLibre is as a tool to continuously
evaluate progress toward project goals.Tasks
Now we turn attention to a detailed discussion of tasks and how they are handled in
ProjectLibre. We set the foundations for this elaboration with the paragraphs surrounding
Figures 10 and 11 and also Figures 24, 26, and 27. Tasks are still the primary element for laying
out a project plan, so we need to dig a bit deeper and learn a bit more about the Gantt chart and
its listing of tasks interacts with the rest of the program to produce the complete Work
Breakdown Structure (WBS) and other useful decompositions that describe the project and
allow management to readily evaluate progress, reallocate resources, and identify problem
areas. The task descriptions are fundamental to all these operations. So, let's reexamine the
Gantt chart first, this time looking at each of the functions available with the Tasks tab selected
in the top row of the command ribbon. The second row has three sections (Views, Clipboard,
and Task – third line) and 24 different possible selections in the second row (highlighted with a
large yellow rectangle in Figure 30).
Views:
Gantt selection
Starting at the left side of this row of functions, in the Views section, the Gantt chart button
is already somewhat familiar, having introduced it earlier. Left clicking on this button brings up
the default spreadsheet that is prelabeled with convenient labels for project management
purposes - “Name”, “Duration”, “Start”, “Finish”, and the like. There are some unique features
associated with this tailored spreadsheet on the lower left side of the Gantt page of ProjectLibre.
The first column is simply a sequential numbering scheme for each task and subtask,
starting at 1 and increasing one number at at time with each additional row. So, this column is
the row number for the Task spreadsheet.
The second column provides some flexibility in tailoring the spreadsheet to your own
needs. It has a circle with an “i” in it (magenta ellipse in Figure 30), perhaps to imply that this
icon allows insertion of new columns. If you left click on the icon, the entire column is highlighted
in black and you can change all rows suit your needs. Similarly, left clicking in the first or title
row also highlights that row for multiple row insertions. If you right click on the icon, a dialogue
box appears that offers three choices: (1) Insert column, (2) Hide column, and (3) Find.
Selecting any one of these choices pops up a dialogue box for insertion of more information.
The dialogue box for the first of these selections is below (Figure 31). There are a number of
choices for the field variable (see definitions at the beginning of the Manual) and making a
selection results in insertion of an additional column (Figure 32) labeled with the Field selection.
In our example, the new column is labeled “Baseline1 Start”. This feature allows the analyst to
very flexibly tailor the Gantt chart contents for tracking the project,.

Figure 31. Dialog box for Gantt spreadsheet Insert Column function

Figure 32. New Gantt chart column with label “Baseline1 Start”
The “Hide Column” selection for this dialogue box allows the user to remove this new
column (or any other of the other visible columns) by selecting that choice. Finally, the “Find”
selection brings up a dialog box (shown in Figure 33) that permits a search for a field name. [I
do not understand how this search function works. Can someone explain it to me? - DTW]
Figure 33. “Find” selection
Network or flow diagram view:

Figure 34. Network view of task flow

Figure 34 shows each of the tasks in our example project plan for News Showers in
summary form. In one sense, this network view is very similar to the right side of the Gantt chart
(Figure 30); the information is the same. The network view simply puts that information in a flow
diagram form and relocates the information in each task row within the appropriate block. The
analyst can also move the task blocks in the diagram to change the graphical presentation by
hovering the cursor over the outline of the block to be moved and waiting until a hand icon
appears. Left click and hold the left mouse button down and reposition the selected block to any
desired position within the white space. Similarly, if you hover the cursor over a location in the
interior of a block and then left click, you can insert additional text or corrected text with keypad
inputs.
The linkages between tasks is retained and the critical path is also marked with a red
outline for those blocks. Linkages can also be added, removed, or modified in this view. If you
hover the cursor over a task dependency connection line, a plus sign appears. Then a left
mouse click pops up a dialog box (Figure 35) which allows you to alter the connection as
desired. This dialog box lays out the From-To dependency sequence, providing both labels for
clear identification. Then it offers four possible dependency connection types: FS (the default
option), FF, SF, and SS. FS stands for Finish-to-Start (of the From task to the To task), FF
implies Finish-to-Finish, SF indicates Start-to-Finish, and SS means Start-to-Start. The choice of
connection types obviously alters the flow of the work between tasks. The default choice is by
far the most common usage. Notice that this dialog box also allows addition of lag (free) time
between tasks with a numerical value in either hours or days or other appropriate time unit. The
lower row of four selections allows you to completely remove the linkage, accept changes
made, cancel your operation, or go to the on-line help documentation (which is still being
developed for ProjectLibre at this writing).

Figure 35. Task dependency modification dialogue box

Finally, the Network view does not show the chronology of the tasks quite as completely
(there is no calendar – merely start and finish dates – showing the progression of tasks).
Work Breakdown Structure:
Figure 37 is the default chart that appears when the WBS (blue ellipse in Figure 36)
selection is made with a left mouse click. This diagram is similar to the Network flow view of the
tasks in that each block is separate. However, the textual entries inside the block are related to
blocks in the original Gantt spreadsheet, in the example shown “Cost” (implying that as costs
are entered during the course of a project's life, they can be monitored by the analyst and/or
manager from this block) and “Budget”. Notice that this second entry is blank; if we add a
budget column (How? There is no “Budget” entry in the dialogue box of Figure 31.)

Figure 36. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) view of tasks

 This chart can be modified in much the same way as the Network view chart. Left clicking
on textual material in a block allows modification of the text. Also, hovering the mouse over a
block outline allows the block to be moved. For example, Figure 36 shows the task blocks for
our example project laid out in a horizontal configuration.

Figure 37. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) – tasks rearranged

It might suit your purposes better and be more descriptive to arrange the WBS in a vertical
fashion (Figure 37). Moving the blocks is carried out just as described in the Network view
paragraph: hover the cursor over the outline of the block to be moved, then left click-and-drag
the block to the desired position. The connection lines can be altered similar to how
modifications described for the Network view linkages. Of course, the dialogue box is slightly
different (Figure 38) and the analyst can only remove the hierarchical relationship (equivalent to
selecting “Outdent” in the command line for the subtask) or accept it.

Figure 38. Hierarchical relation dialog box

One final note: when the narrative in the boxes (the task descriptions, for example)
exceeds the width shown in the box, a left mouse click with the cursor simply inside the text
area will show the rest of the line of text. This “peek-to-the-right” trick also works in the Network
view of the previous paragraph. In that case, it is helpful to be sure the cursor is on the line of
text to be extended for viewing.
Task Usage view:

Figure 39. Task Usage view

The next selection in the “Views” section of the command ribbon is the “Task Usage View”
(Figure 39), which shows hourly work based on information entered. The left half (the
spreadsheet half) of the view summarizes the total allocation of hours to each task while the
right half (the schedule plan) shows the hourly profile of available workers' hours against
chronological time. The spreadsheet is identical to the Gantt chart spreadsheet previously
described; the only difference appears to be the light tan background color for this information in
the Task Usage view.
The right side of the view shows scheduled work. Observe that scheduled work for a task
is the sum of the time allotted to the subtasks within each hierarchical layer. For example, the
sum of the hours in lines 3 and 4 adds up the total hours for the parent task in line 2 (green
rectangle) for each month of time. It is possible to directly edit the hours in the right side of this
view, but it is also quite possible (perhaps even likely) that doing so will alter the totals on the
left side and may cause fractional hours or days to be incorporated into the schedule.
Zoom In or Zoom Out:

Figure 40. Zoom In to daily hours

This last set of selections in the “Views” section control the time scale in the schedule
(right) side of the Gantt chart. Left clicking on the “Zoom In” command can drive the schedule to
show hours (still in the Task Usage view) for each day of the planned work (Figure 40).
Increments can go down to hours to be devoted each day to a given task by repeatedly
selecting this command (Figure 41); this level is the smallest time increment that the Zoom In
command can select in any of the Task Views.

Figure 41. Zoom In to hours for a given day

Zoom Out obviously resets the time scale on the right side of the Gantt chart in the
opposite direction as Zoom In. This pair of is quite useful in setting the scales to evaluate the
critical path in the basic Gantt chart (Figure 42). This graphic shows the schedule for the entire
example News Showers project reduced to a total length of five months in three different
quarters of two different years. Of course, you can use these two commands to help size a
Gantt chart for printing in a report or to examine the details of how work is scheduled.

Figure 42. Zoom Out on Gantt chart view

Zoom Out obviously resets the time scale on the right side of the Gantt chart in the
opposite direction as Zoom In. This pair of is quite useful in setting the scales to evaluate the
critical path in the basic Gantt chart (Figure 42). This graphic shows the schedule for the entire
example News Showers project reduced to a total length of five months in three different
quarters of two different years. Of course, you can use these two commands to help size a
Gantt chart for printing in a report or to examine the details of how work is scheduled.
Clipboard:
The Clipboard section of the Task command ribbon has only three possible selections: (1)
Paste, (2) Copy, and (3) Cut. The names are descriptive of what each selection does. To use
these functions for the Gantt chart spreadsheet the analyst must simply highlight the desired
row by left clicking in the first column of the spreadsheet; the selection turns black to show what
is selected. Once the desired row is highlighted, left click on Copy, move the cursor to the row
on the spreadsheet where you want to insert the duplicate row and left click to highlight the
desired location, and then left click on Paste. The results are shown in Figure 43.

Figure 43. Use of Copy, Paste, and Cut from the Clipboard
The Cut command can be used to remove a highlighted row in the spreadsheet. The same
effect can be achieved by selecting the “Undo” command at the top of the ProjectLibre
command ribbon (magenta ellipse in Figure 43); this selection simply reverses the last issued
command. The gold arrow just to the right of this “Undo” arrow is the “Redo” arrow and it
reverses the action of the “Undo” arrow. Quite clearly, ProjectLibre provides more than one
command to accomplish similar functions. Incidentally, the “Cut”, “Copy”, and “Paste” command
are also available by simply right-clicking with the cursor hovering over any row or column in the
main part of the Gantt chart spreadsheet. In fact this pop-up dialogue box has several other
functions including: (1) Indent, (2) Outdent, (3) New (for inserting a new row above the cursor in
the Gantt spreadsheet), (4) Delete (which deletes a selected or highlighted item), (5) Expand ??
not sure what these last two do??), and (6) Collapse (?? ??). To use these last two functions the
cursor????
Tasks:

Figure 44. Task section of Task view

The third and last group of commands on the command bars under the Task tab is marked
in Figure 44 with a magenta outline. It is by far the largest set of commands to be discussed
under the Task view tab, having a total of 15 possible selections available in this section of the
command ribbons.
Insert and delete:
These two commands allow insertion of a new row immediately above a selected row in
the main Gantt spreadsheet. If you left click on a row (say Row 8 in Figure 44), the row or
column is highlighted and choosing “Insert” enters a new blank row immediately above Row 8. If
you then enter information for a new task or subtask, the spreadsheet rows are all renumbered
to show the new sequence as you inserted them.
Selecting an active task row in the spreadsheet and left clicking on “Delete” in a similar
fashion, deletes the selected row and again renumbers the row in sequence. Note that selecting
a row for use of either “Insert” or “Delete” can be done in any column on the left hand Gantt
spreadsheet and the command action is still carried out for the entire row. These commands
have no effect on the schedule elements on the right side of the Gantt chart.
Indent and Outdent:
The Indent and Outdent commands have already been briefly introduced and used in the
introductory sections where we spelled out how to show levels in the hierarchy for subtasks.
The yellow rectangle shows the result of making “Indent” selections for the indicated subtasks.
It is also possible to repeat the process and move the hierarchy down in sub-subtasks.
Naturally, the “Outdent” is the inverse of the “Indent” command and simply removes a level from
the hierarchy.
Link and Unlink:
The Link and Unlink commands have also already been briefly introduced and used in the
introductory sections where we spelled out how to connect tasks and subtasks when the
elements were dependent on one another (p. 15 and following). To use the commands on this
Task ribbon, first select the link to be operated upon in the left side of the Gantt chart by left-
clicking on one of the two task rows connected by the link to be modified. The task row will be
highlighted in black as row 2 is shown in Figure 45. Then go to the task row at the other end of
the linking arrow (row 8 in this case), hold down the ctrl key and left click again to highlight both
rows 2 and 8 (Figure 45). Then select the Link (or Unlink) command from the ProjectLibre
command ribbon to modify the connection.

Figure 45. Using Link and Unlink commands

You an also hover the cursor over the link (yellow ellipse in Figure 45) or any of the white
space on the right side of the Gantt chart, right-click, and a dialog box similar to the one shown
in Figure 46 pops up.

Figure 46. Link popup dialogue box

If you left-click on “Split”, a small cursor with vertical parallel bars displays. Moving that
cursor to one of the blocks on the schedule (right hand) side of the Gantt chart and left-clicking
splits the designated block into two parts. Splitting a block can be applied to any of the main
blocks (not the black schedule bar). This feature allows repetitively accomplished task events to
be shown on the Gantt schedule.
If you left-click on the white circle (radio button) in front of “Show Assignments”, resource
assignments for the task will be shown (Figure 47), assuming that resources have been
previously assigned to the task. This action toggles between the Task view and the Resources
view.

Figure 47. “Show Assignments” results illustrated

The “Show Links” radio button serves as a similar toggle and is operational in either these
Gantt schedule or the Resource Assignment views. It simply allows showing all the linkages
between tasks or removing them from the schedule (right-hand side) chart.
The “Show Calendar” radio button (in Figure 46) is also a similar toggle switch in both the
Gantt Schedule and the Resource Assignment views. However, note that this switch only
controls the calendar grid; it does not switch on or off the calendar headings in the top two lines
of these two views. The “Show Rows” toggle button (again a radio button in Figure 46) simply
adds or removes a horizontal grid to the right side of these two views. Note that no horizontal
grid lines are added for task rows on the spreadsheet side of the Gantt chart that are not filled
in. This result might suggest that when you want to copy a schedule containing horizontal
gridding for the Gantt schedule it might be best to omit the blank lines on the spreadsheet side
(left side) of the Gantt chart (as suggested in Figure 48).

Figure 48. Results of toggling on “Show Rows”

The la st two selections in the dialogue box illustrated in Figure 46 allow tailoring of the
Bar Styles (Figure 49) and the Annotation Styles (Figure 50) for the Gantt schedule (right side of
the Gantt chart). Each of these “Styles” menus is a set of radio buttons that merely toggles on
on or off the selected style; as is by now familiar, a filled in radio button indicates that the style is
shown on the Gantt schedule and an empty radio button indicates that the style is not shown
there. These second layer dialogue boxes do not allow any change in color or shape of the bars
on the Gantt schedule.

Figure 49. Bar Styles second-level pop-up dialogue

Figure 49 shows the Bar Styles second-level dialogue box with its default settings. To
illustrate a change (shown in Figure 48), toggle the Total Slack bar on by left-clicking in the
cleared radio button at the bottom of the chart and this selection puts the blue diagonal bars at
the end of several task bars on the Gantt schedule chart. Notice that these “Slack” bars cover
up portions of the resource listings; this effect may not be desirable for all purposes.

Figure 50. Annotation Styles second-level pop-up dialogue

Figure 50 shows the Annotation Styles second-level dialogue box with its two default
settings – Normal Tasks and Milestones. Typically, the analyst would want to show both of
these Annotation Styles. However, in the examples shown in Figures 45, 47, and 48 none of the
tasks have been marked as milestones. To do so, you must go to the Information command
(yellow ellipse in Figure 48) and left-click; the dialogue box shown in Figure 51 appears. Go to
the “Advanced” tab and click on the “Display task as milestone” check box and the Kickoff
Meeting task will appear as a black diamond on the Gantt schedule (magenta ellipse in Figure
52).
Figure 51. Setting milestones

Figure 52. Kickoff task as a milestone

Information:
The Information command (yellow ellipse in Figure 48) was introduced earlier to discuss
Annotation Styles in the previous paragraphs. Now we need to look at each of the Tabs shown
in Figure 51 and explain the functionality they provide.
You have to mark a Task before the Information function is started, alternatively after a click on
the “Information” button, select a Task before a new window will open.. When the Information
window has opened, we start with the General tab, the default tab that appears when the
Information tab is selected with the mouse. This tab is an alternative way to fill in the most
important information about project tasks in one convenient menu. You can enter/edit task
information: Duration, Start date and time, Finish date and time, Percent complete (blank until
entered), whether Duration is estimated or not (? indicates estimated), the amount of work to be
done (usually in hours or days), Priority assigned to the task (a numerical value between 0 and
1000), and Baseline information (Start and End) - once a baseline schedule has been agreed
upon and entered. Our starting entries (so far entered directly on the spreadsheet for our News
Showers example) is displayed on this General tab.
To use the Information command properly, first select a task as suggested in Figure 53,
where the Kickoff task is highlighted in black by left-clicking on the 1 in column 1 of the Gantt
spreadsheet (left side). If you select more than one task row and then click on the Information
command, a warning box will remind you that only one task can be edited at a time with this
approach (Figure 54). Once a single task is properly selected (Figure 53), clicking on
Information command brings up the dialogue box in Figure 55 with the General tab selected by
default.

Figure 53. Kickoff task selected for Information command in Task block

Figure 54. Warning message if multiple tasks are selected for Information

Figure 55. General tab for Information commandCalender

The Calender is a very important feature in ProjecLiber, as it is the basis for all related
calculations. Allocating a Calender early in the Project is therefore considered important and
effective. ProjectLibre in only able to work with one Calender.
The Calender window (Figure 56) opens normally with the standards working Calender for the
present date, indicated in blue; here 13 April 2013. a left mouse click on the date will show the
working times from .. till .. on the left side of the window.
The Calender can be moved forwards and backwards with the arrows in the top right corner
(Figuur 57) ; a click on the “house” will bring you back to the present date again.
Figure 56 Moving in Time

Figure 57 Calender window

Clicking on “Options” button will open a new window Figure 58 in which you can specify the
working hours per day and per week and the working days in a month for your project.
ProjectLibre will use this for calculation the project duration.

Figure 58 Window to set working hours per day/week

Other Calenders are shown after a mouse click on the scroll arrow/ window on top-left (Figure
56); All available Calender in your ProjectLibre program are available, the standaard ProjecLibre
Calenders as well as your own previously save Calenders. If none of these Standard Calenders
offers the required working times for your project, ProjectLiber allows you to define and save
your own Calender.
A click on the “New” button (left bottom) pops-up a new Window (Figure 59) to define your own
Calender with your choice of Working- and Rest-days en even working times. First, you are
asked to provide a Name for your new Calender, a relevant Name that indicates the purpose of
this Calender. Oman to make a Calender that will be used in many Arabian countries with a
working week from Saturday till Wednesday. Two choices are offered, either to create a New
Base Calender or to modify an existing Base Calender; the window will be activated to allow you
to choose that Base Calender you like to copy from. An “OK” will create your New Calender
(Figuur 60) with the given Name and save it.

Figure 59 Window to create you own Calender

Saturday and Sunday are made normal working days already. The Thursday has been made a
Non-working day and the mouse cursor is marking all Fridays (a square around each Friday in
the Calender ). Using the radio buttons on the left, the Fridays can be made a Non-working day
as well. Clicking on one particular day allows you to specify the type of day and the individual
working hours e.g. Bank holidays. When all days, national and religious holidays are indicated
and the working hours defined as required, the Calender will be created and saved with a click
on “OK”. In future it will be available in the list of Base Calenders.

Figure 60 Window to create your Own Calender

Resources
ProjectLibre has a good feature in the assignment of Resources to Tasks, after which
ProjectLibre will use these assigned Resources to optimize the schedule. Click in the Task
commando on “Resources” and a window appears to assign Resources to Tasks. Best is to first
select a task before the Resources window is opened, as than the details of the task are
already filled, (indicated with green highlight), else you may select the tasks after the window is
opened.

Figurer 61 Resources assignment window.

Additional persons or Resources can be added, just mark the resource and click on “Assign”. A
new Resource is added with standard a 100% input; this however can be changed to click on
the percentage and type your percentage number or click the up or down small arrows.
A person or resource can be removed from this task by marking the resouce an a click on
“Remove”.
A person or resource can be changed from this taks by marking the resource and clicking on
“Replace. A new window with all available resources will open and allows you to select the new
name (Figure 62). After selecting the proper resource(name) an “OK” is sufficient to make the
change. George will replace jean. George comes with a 100% effor, which can be changed as
explained before.
Figure 62 Resources replace window

Save Baseline
With the project progressing, You will notice that the actual schedule starts deviating from the
start schedule. In order to be able, later, to review the changes, it is possible to freeze and save
10 baseline schedules at different times with its name. If your project has some milestones , that
would be a good time to create a baseline.

Figuur 63 Basisplan venster

Click on “Save Baseline” in the Task command bar. A new Baseline window opens (Figure 63)
and allows to select a name for a baseline from this moment be it for the whole of the project or
for just those actions that are selected. Confirm this with an “OK” and the baseline schedule is
saved.

Figure 64 The Gantt diagram with a Baselines

Later you can evaluate the different baselines stored, Figure 64. The New Douche project had a
basic schedule of 23 days till the Launch of the product and a Baseline was made , see greyish
bar of smaller heights under the main Task bars. Notice that the contract discussions with
production company starts only after the brainstorm session and prototype construction has
started. Marketing starts when the prototype B is well on its way and the contract discussions
come in its finalization phase; Link SS with lag..
An optimisation session with all involved was made during the Brainstorm session and it was
concluded that main part of the Prototype B work would be able to start during the Prototype A
construction, as well as the contract and marketing guys and dolls got some hurry. So an
improvement on the scheduler of 3 days was gained and this saved as Baseline 1, in yellowish
color, in the right part of this Gantt diagram..

Clear Baseline
A click on “Clear Baseline” brings a similar window on your screen. Now you can mark any
made Baseline and remove it. Confirming with an “OK” will get rid of it.
Find
In a large Project it might be difficult to find that special Task. A “Find” feature (Figure 65) is
making this easier; click on “Find” in the Task command. Type your find keyword, or part off,
then select the “Field” it will be in (in this example “Name”) and click the green or blue button;
the green button will search in the rows below your mouse cursor, while the blue button will
search in the rows above your mouse cursor. The found task will be highlighted in grey, if it
exists that is.

Figure 65 The Find windown

Scroll to Task
For larger projects, the scheduling bars in the right side of the Gantt chart, might have moved
out of sight. You have to mark that Task you want to see the scheduling bar for and a click on
the “Scroll to Task” button in the Task command will bring the bar within the screen.

Update Tasks
Making a project Schedule is one, but the actual reporting of actual progress is a necessary
second!. ProjectLibre is only able to forecast an accurate project finish date if all progress on
task is updated regularly.

Figuur 66 Het bijwerken van de actuale voortgang

The button “Update” in the Task command pops-up a Update Tasks window. The most effective
use is to first mark the Task as then the window is already filled with the details of the selected
Task. You may change the percentage to the actual one or fill the actual Start and End date for
the Task. After all updated information is in and closing the window, will make ProjectLibre
working on the update of the Project Schedule and will make changes visible in the Gantt chart,
other charts and the tables.
The Help feature is still not functioning; till this document is finished. Resource
Personen werkend aan een project, Materialen, Gereedschap en Materieel worden door
ProjectLibre op vergelijkbare manier verwerkt in het project.

Het Hoofmenu “Middelen”, heeft een aantal functies die opgedeeld zijn in drie groepen:
“Afbeeldingen”, “Prikbord” en “Middelen”; enkele functies, zoals b.v. kalender zijn gelijk aan de
kalender in het Taak Hoofdmenu en dit zal dan ook met een verwijzing en link aangegeven
worden.
Views
Resources
The “Resources” spreadsheet pops up with a mouse click on the “Resources” button in the
Views group.

Figuur 67 Middelen definitie venster

This spreadsheet contains all details on Resources, such as Name, RBS, type , an e-mail
address, initials, a hourly rate, overtime rate, base Calender etc.
The information form this spreadsheet is used by ProjectLibre to make calculations for your
Project, e.g. duration of work for a person depending on his/her maximal units, or expenditure
using the personell rates etc. Filling the spreadsheet is possible by direct typing into the cells
and a right mouse click offers a windown with easy features to help
.

The spreadsheet is flexible and easy to adapt to your needs by hiding a column or adding new
ones. To hide a Column simply click on “Hide Column” and the selected Column disappears
from the View; it is however not deleted. To add a new Column, click on “Insert Column” and a
new Insert Column window will appear. The window allows to choose which Column from a long
scroll-list to add, select your required Column and confirm with a click on “OK”.

Figure 68 Window to select New Column

It is possible to assign a separate Base Calendar to each Resource/Person. E.g. a Crane may
have a 24 hrs Calendar, while the crane-drivers each have an 8 hrs or 12 hrs Calendar for their
respective shifts.
A double mouse-click will show the “Resource Information window; later on this window. RBS
Recourse Breakdown Structure (RBS) shows a hierarchic structure in large list with Resources,
from personnel , tools, materials, equipment and other services. Cost is not a Resource as
such, though all Resources cost money. A click on the “RBS” button in the “Resources”
commando shows this scheme, Figure 68.

Each block represents a Resource and indicated the expenditure of that Resource of the usage
in the project against the budget.
The hierarchical relation between Resources is indicated with a line. A click on this relation line
brings a new window, that allows the line to be removed by a klik on the “Remove” button,
Figure 70.

Figuur 69 Middelen Struktuur voor het project (RBS)

An option to make a new relation line between Resources is also available: click the mouse inside a
Resource block and a line will appear from the block to the mouse with a ∞ symbool, click the mouse to
the other block to create the new relation.
Figuur 70 venster voor Middelen relatie te wijzigenResource Usage

Figure 71 Details spreadsheet with users data for Resources

A detailed spreadsheet will be shown with all usage data for Resources by the Task, just click
on the “Task Usage” button in the Resource command, Figure 71. Per Resource is indicated in
the left side in columns its usage per Task in hours, a total of hours and also where averaging
has been applied, etc. A mouse click on the head of the Column allows either to hide a Column
or even to create a New Column. A New Column window opens that allows you to select the
Column from a long list, among them some cost data.
On the right side of this spreadsheet the assigned hours per Resource and Task are indicated in
date structure, in hours, days or weeks. The time scale can be adjusted using the “Zoom In” or
“Zoom Out” buttons from hours to quarters of a year. The mouse allows you also to change the
size of left and right panes on this screen, with a click and drag action. Zoom In/Zoom Out

This feature is comparable with the ”Zoom In/Zoom Out function” and already discussed in the
Task command.

Clipboard
The Clipboard features for Paste, Copy and Cut , are comparable to the once in the Task
command.

Resource
The Resources group in the Resource command has several functions, some of which are
similar to functions in the Task command; these will be referred to.

Insert
The “Insert” button is working in the Resource spreadsheet and the Resource Usage table only.
First a Resource should be marked. A click on the “Insert” button will add a row above the
marked one and allow you to enter a new Resource.

Figure 72 The “Insert” function in the Resource spreadsheet.

When in the Resource Usage table and you mark a task row , within a Resource and click the
“Insert” button, a new row will be create at the end of this Resource and allow you to enter a
Resource.

Delete
The “Delete” button is also working in the Resource spreadsheet and the Resource Usage table
only.
First the row to be deleted has to be marked, by a mouse click. The row is highlighted in grey
and a click on “Delete” will remove this Resource row from the table.
Indent/Outdent
The “Indent” and “Outdent” functions are powerful in making changes to the hierarchical
structure of the RBS, similar to the Indent and Outdent functions discussed in the Task
command. Information
Clicking on the “Information” button in Resource command will open a new “Resources
Information” window only if a Resource was selected, else a Resource has to be selected for
the window to appear.

The Resource Information window has five Tabs, but will standard open with the “General” tab
open.

Figuur 73 Resource Information window

Some General information on the Resource can be entered, notice that the name of the
Resource is already in.

Figuur 74 Resource Cost Information

The “Cost” tab, allows for this resource to specify the labour rates, overtime rates and Cost per
Use. Notice that the first column with the name effective date, and that there are some 5 smaller
tabs, A,B, C, D, E.(Figure 74) This will allow you to set 5 different time intervals with each its
own rates for this Resource; pretty good for a salary raise eh?
The Resource availability tab allows you to specify for the Resource the percentage time
available for the project with some timeintervals.
The “Task” tab offers a summary of all Tasks that the marked Resource is involved with.
The “Notes” tab offers some free space for extra information for this Resource. Calender
The “Calender” button in the Resource command brings the same information window as the
“Calender” button in the Task command.

Notes
The “Information” window will be opened by clicking on the “Notes” button in the Resource
command, but this time the “Note” tab is already opened. The “Notes” tab offers some free
space for extra information for this Resource. Find
The “Find” button in the Resource command brings the same Find window as the Find button in
the Task command.

________________
View
Many Views in the “View” command are identical to the Views in the Task and Resource
command sections. e.g. Gantt and Resource spreadsheets. For Ease of Using this Manual the
text and images are repeated here, while there is also a link to the earlier sections given.

An important feature of the View section is the possibility to show sub-Views on the lower part of
the screen, either from the View command with the icons in the Sub-View section or the icons in
the top row right top.
The “Sub-Views” are always in the bottom part , but as for a vertical split in the Gantt
spreadsheet, the View -- Sub-Views screens have a horizontal split. With the mouse Figuur 75
the size of top and bottom part can be changed, click the mouse on the split line and a double
arrow appears, with the mouse you can move this horizontal split as you wish.

Figure 75 Sizing lower and bottom part of Views

Task Views
Gantt

Starting at the left side of this row of functions, in the Views section, the Gantt chart button is
already somewhat familiar, having introduced it earlier. Left clicking on this button brings up the
default spreadsheet that is prelabeled with convenient labels for project management purposes
- “Name”, “Duration”, “Start”, “Finish”, and the like. There are some unique features associated
with this tailored spreadsheet on the lower left side of the Gantt page of ProjectLibre.
The first column is simply a sequential numbering scheme for each task and subtask, starting at
1 and in-creasing one number at at time with each additional row. So, this column is the row
number for the Task spreadsheet.
The second column provides some flexibility in tailoring the spreadsheet to your own needs. It
has a circle with an “i” in it (magenta ellipse in Figure 30), perhaps to imply that this icon allows
insertion of new columns. If you left click on the icon, the entire column is highlighted in black
and you can change all rows suit your needs. (Similarly, left clicking in the first or title row also
highlights that row for multiple row insertions.) If you right click on the icon, a dialogue box
appears that offers three choices: (1) Insert column, (2) Hide column, and (3) Find. Selecting
any one of these choices pops up a dialogue box for insertion of more information. The dialogue
box for the first of these selections is below (Figure 31). The are a number of choices for the
field variable (see definitions at the beginning of the Manual) and making a selection results in
insertion of an additional column (Figure 32) labeled with the Field selection. In our example, the
new column is labeled “Baseline1 Start”. This feature allows the analyst to very flexibly tailor the
Gantt chart contents for tracking the project,.

Figure 31. Dialog box for Gantt spreadsheet Insert Column function

Figure 32. New Gantt chart column with label “Baseline1 Start”

The “Hide Column” selection for this dialogue box allows the user to remove this new column (or
any other of the other visible columns) by selecting that choice. Finally, the “Find” selection
brings up a dialog box (shown in Figure 33) that permits a search for a field name. [I do not
understand how this search function works. Can someone explain it to me? - DTW]

Figure 33. “Find” selection

Network

Figure 34. Network view of task flow

Figure 34 shows each of the tasks in our example project plan for News Showers in summary
form. In one sense, this network view is very similar to the right side of the Gantt chart (Figure
30); the information is the same. The network view simply puts that information in a flow
diagram form and relocates the information in each task row within the appropriate block. The
analyst can also move the task blocks in the diagram to change the graphical presentation by
hovering the cursor over the outline of the block to be moved and waiting until a hand icon
appears. Left click and hold the left mouse button down and reposition the selected block to any
desired position on the white space. Similarly, if you hover the cursor over a location in the
interior of a block and then left click, you can insert additional text or corrected text with keypad
inputs.
The linkages between tasks is retained and the critical path is also marked with a red outline for
those blocks. Linkages can also be added, removed, or modified in this view. If you hover the
cursor over a task dependency connection line, a plus sign appears. Then a left mouse click
pops up a dialog box (Figure 35) which allows you to alter the connection as desired. This
dialog box lays out the From-To dependency sequence, providing both labels for clear
identification. Then it offers four possible dependency connection types: FS (the default option),
FF, SF, and SS. FS stands for Finish-to-Start (of the From task to the To task), FF implies
Finish-to-Finish, SF indicates Start-to-Finish, and SS means Start-to-Start. The choice of
connection types obviously alters the flow of the work between tasks. The default choice is by
far the most common usage. Notice that this dialog box also allows addition of lag (free) time
between tasks with a numerical value in either hours or days or other appropriate time unit. The
lower row of four selections allows you to completely remove the linkage, accept changes
made, cancel your operation, or go to the on-line help documentation (which is still being
developed for ProjectLibre at this writing).

Figure 35. Task dependency modification dialogue box

Finally, the Network view does not show the chronology of the tasks quite as completely (there
is no calendar – merely start and finish dates – showing the progression of tasks).WBS

Figure 37 is the default chart that appears when the WBS (blue ellipse in Figure 36) selection is
made with a left mouse click. This diagram is similar to the Network flow view of the tasks in that
each block is separate. However, the textual entries inside the block are related to blocks in the
original Gantt spreadsheet, in the example shown “Cost” (implying that as costs are entered
during the course of a project's life, they can be monitored by the analyst and/or manager from
this block) and “Budget”. Notice that this second entry is blank; if we add a budget column
(How? There is no “Budget” entry in the dialogue box of Figure 31.)

Figure 36. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) view of tasks

This chart can be modified in much the same way as the Network view chart. Left clicking on
textual material in a block allows modification of the text. Also, hovering the mouse over a block
outline allows the block to be moved. For example, Figure 36 shows the task blocks for our
example project laid out in a horizontal configuration.

Figure 37. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) – tasks rearranged

It might suit your purposes better and be more descriptive to arrange the WBS in a vertical
fashion (Figure 37). Moving the blocks is carried out just as described in the Network view
paragraph: hover the cursor over the outline of the block to be moved, then left click-and-drag
the block to the desired position. The connection lines can be altered similar to how
modifications described for the Network view linkages. Of course, the dialogue box is slightly
different (Figure 38) and the analyst can only remove the hierarchical relationship (equivalent to
selecting “Outdent” in the command line for the subtask) or accept it.

Figure 38. Hierarchical relation dialog box

One final note: when the narrative in the boxes (the task descriptions, for example) exceeds the
width shown in the box, a left mouse click with the cursor simply inside the text area will show
the rest of the line of text. This “peek-to-the-right” trick also works in the Network view of the
previous paragraph. In that case, it is helpful to be sure the cursor is on the line of text to be
extended for viewing.Task Usage

Figure 39. Task Usage view

The next selection in the “Views” section of the command ribbon is the “Task Usage View”
(Figure 39), which shows hourly work based on information entered. The left half (the
spreadsheet half) of the view summarizes the total allocation of hours to each task while the
right half (the schedule plan) shows the hourly profile of available workers' hours against
chronological time. The spreadsheet is identical to the Gantt chart spreadsheet previously
described; the only difference appears to be the light tan background color for this information in
the Task Usage view.
The right side of the view shows scheduled work. Observe that scheduled work for a task is the
sum of the time allotted to the subtasks within each hierarchical layer. For example, the sum of
the hours in lines 3 and 4 adds up the total hours for the parent task in line 2 (green rectangle)
for each month of time. It is possible to directly edit the hours in the right side of this view, but it
is also quite possible (perhaps even likely) that doing so will alter the totals on the left side and
may cause fractional hours or days to be incorporated into the schedule.Resource Views

Resources
The “Resources” spreadsheet pops up with a mouse click on the “Resources” button in the
Views group.
Figuur 67 Middelen definitie venster

This spreadsheet contains all details on Resources, such as Name, RBS, type , an e-mail
address, initials, a hourly rate, overtime rate, base Calender etc.
The information form this spreadsheet is used by ProjectLibre to make calculations for your
Project, e.g. duration of work for a person depending on his/her maximal units, or expenditure
using the personell rates etc. Filling the spreadsheet is possible by direct typing into the cells
and a right mouse click offers a windown with easy features to help
.

The spreadsheet is flexible and easy to adapt to your needs by hiding a column or adding new
ones. To hide a Column simply click on “Hide Column” and the selected Column disappears
from the View; it is however not deleted. To add a new Column, click on “Insert Column” and a
new Insert Column window will appear. The window allows to choose which Column from a long
scroll-list to add, select your required Column and confirm with a click on “OK”.

Figure 68 Window to select New Column

It is possible to assign a separate Base Calendar to each Resource/Person. E.g. a Crane may
have a 24 hrs Calendar, while the crane-drivers each have an 8 hrs or 12 hrs Calendar for their
respective shifts.
A double mouse-click will show the “Resource Information window; later on this window. RBS
Recourse Breakdown Structure (RBS) shows a hierarchic structure in large list with Resources,
from personnel , tools, materials, equipment and other services. Cost is not a Resource as
such, though all Resources cost money. A click on the “RBS” button in the “Resources”
commando shows this scheme, Figure 68.

Each block represents a Resource and indicated the expenditure of that Resource of the usage
in the project against the budget.
The hierarchical relation between Resources is indicated with a line. A click on this relation line
brings a new window, that allows the line to be removed by a klik on the “Remove” button,
Figure 70.

Figuur 69 Middelen Struktuur voor het project (RBS)

An option to make a new relation line between Resources is also available: click the mouse inside a
Resource block and a line will appear from the block to the mouse with a ∞ symbool, click the mouse to
the other block to create the new relation.
Figuur 70 venster voor Middelen relatie te wijzigenResource Usage

Figure 71 Details spreadsheet with users data for Resources

A detailed spreadsheet will be shown with all usage data for Resources by the Task, just click
on the “Task Usage” button in the Resource command, Figure 71. Per Resource is indicated in
the left side in columns its usage per Task in hours, a total of hours and also where averaging
has been applied, etc. A mouse click on the head of the Column allows either to hide a Column
or even to create a New Column. A New Column window opens that allows you to select the
Column from a long list, among them some cost data.
On the right side of this spreadsheet the assigned hours per Resource and Task are indicated in
date structure, in hours, days or weeks. The time scale can be adjusted using the “Zoom In” or
“Zoom Out” buttons from hours to quarters of a year. The mouse allows you also to change the
size of left and right panes on this screen, with a click and drag action.

Other Views
Luckily there are some interesting functions in “Other Views” that will offer some new views and
even reports of vary sorts.

Projects
A click on “Projects button in the View section of command will open a screen that shows all
your projects actually opened in ProjectLibre, Figure 76. This makes it very easy and fast to
switch between the different Projects that you are managing. A right mouse click on the Heading
of a Column will open a small window that allows to Hide the marked Column or to Add a New
Column. The addition of a new Column was explained before, selection from a “New Column”
window. The Column width can easily be changed moving the mouse to the side of the Column
heading, when a double arrow appeard you can drag the mouse till the required width is
obtained.

Figure 76 A list of Open Projects with some information

Double-Clicking anywhere in the project list , will open the Project Information window with more
detailed information on the selected Project. Have you noticed as well, a small scroll box in the
top right corner, with a Project Name? The is the live Project you are working on, but a click on
the small arrow, opens a window that shows the ohter active Projects in the ProjectLibre
program; this allows a quick shift to the other project.

Figure with Active Projects

Report
Reports are meant to be printed and read by those interested in the content or those that are
supposed to invest their money in your Project. Consequently the format of the report looks
better and more attractive as the Views on the screen.

Clicking on the “Report” button in the View command section opens a nice “Report”, Figure 77.
Figure 77 The Project details Report using the report function from ProjectLibre

It is possible to select a variety of reports, but that later. First lets see the icons just above the
report. These are standard icons and can be explained easily.
The left one: Save : to save this report in different formats, among them pdf, xml,htm, csv, xls,
rtf,
2nd one: Print: to make a hard-copy print of your report,
3rd one: Refresh, which will make a new version of the same report e.g. after an update,
4th-8th: these are functions mainly for multiple page reports to scroll through the pages,
9th-11th: these are button to manage the report on the screen, fit the height or the width of the
screen,
12th-14th: zoom buttons to enlarge or shrink the report to fit on the screen or to have a detailed
look.

As said there is a variety on reports to choose from and there two lists with related options
available, Figure 78.

Figure 78 Two scroll boxes with related lists to select your desired report.

Depending what you choose on the Report scroll list, another list will become available to
choose from. So 4 main choices and from that some 6-12 additional choices; a good chance
your desired report will be found.

Sub-Views
We explainerd already how to change the size of the Sub-Views, so for easy of use you may
start with the Main/Ssub-Views split about half the screen. The selection in the Main-View has
some influence on the information shown in the Sub_View as we will see later.
The switching of Sub-Views can be made in two ways: first the icons in the “Sub-View”
command section and secondly with the Icons in the top right of the screen, Figuur 79; which is
very convenient if you were viewing the Task or Resource Main Menu and don’t have to switch
to Views first. .

Figuur 79 Icons for the Sub-Views

Histogram
Clicking the “Histogram” icon will show the Sub-View for Histograms with input from the Main
View selected before, or you may as well select it later.. The Task or Resource selected in the
top part (main-view), will be the source for data shown in the Sub-View Histogram. In this
example the Task “idee optimaliseren” is selected. In the Sub-View under resources “ard” and
“george” are indicated with a green dot, to show that both are assigned to this task. As a
Resource “ard” is selected and “Unstarted Assignments” from the available list in the Resource
Filter, to show his filtered data. .

Figure 80 A Histogram Sub-View

The blue bars in the Histogram is for the Selected Resource; “ard” in this case. The green bars
are for The complete Project. The black line indicates the percentage availability of resources.

Charts
Clicking the “Charts” icon will show the Sub-View for Charts again related to the selected Task
in the main-view. Again as an example a screenshot in Figure 81.

Also in Charts the Resources assigned to the Task are indicated with a Green dot. The
Resource filter list offers the same choices but there is more to choose from.
With check boxes you may select to view a Histogram or the contours and on top of this also
you can view the Cumulative Cost (in this case) over the project duration.
With the radio buttons “work” and “cost”, different lists will appear with many input variable to
choose from. Choose a selection and the outcome will be shown in the chart.
An explanatoin for some cost codes:
ACWP: Actual Cost of Work Performed
BCWP: Budgeted Cost of Work Performed
BCWS: Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled.

Figure 81 A Chart Sub-View

Task Usage
Clicking the “Task Usage” icon will show the Sub-View for Task Usage, again related to the
selected Task in the main-view: Brainstorming. As example a screenshot in Figure 82.

Figure 82 A Task Usage Sub-View

No further selections here. The Task usage of resources is shown in tabel form on the left side.
The columns can be hidden or new ones added as explained before. It shows that 4 persons
are participating in the brainstorming task with the amount of hours worked on this task, that is a
part of the “Ontwikkelen idee” main task.
The rights side of the Sub-View shows the hours worked on this task by the day; shifting the
calendar days can be done with the slider in the top Gantt diagram. Resource Usage
Clicking the “Resource Usage” icon will show the Sub-View for Resource work, again related to
the selected Task in the main-view: Brainstorming. As example a screenshot in Figure 83.

Figure 83 A Sub-View for Resource Usage

For the Resources assigned to the Project(not only persons, but also equipment etc. ), this
Resource Usage Sub-View will show all the hours worked on the different Tasks in the Project
as well as on the right side these hours indicated in the days worked on the project. It also
shows the total of hours for each Resourcem, while for the manager the total of all working
hours is rolled up. The columns can be changed, by either hiding some or by adding new
columns in the familiar manner.
The column “Work Contour” shows a small scroll window, after a click with the right mouse-
button. Here you may indicate the form for the working pattern of the resource per task; you
may prefer flat or maybe front-loaded; I am always scared for back-loaded as the hours
passed , have passed. Notice also that in the Column “Cost Rate” you can indicate which of the
labour rates of the Resource is applicable.

No Sub Window
This function is the easiest to explain: clicking the “No Sub Window” will close any Sub Window
that is open.

Filters
In the “Filters” section of the Views command window are three functions that allow you to
arrange the Tasks and/or Resources to those you want to view on your screen: The filter-, The
sort- and The group-functions, Figure 84.
These functions do also influence the content of the reports that you program ProjectLibre to
print.

Filter function

Figure 84 The Gantt diagram for my New House project, no filter.

Figure 84 shows the Gantt diagram for the project to build a New House from the start till the
final check including all links and resources assigned to the tasks.

Figure 85 The same Gantt diagram for my New House project, Critical task filter.

The”Filter” function will filter the list of Task and will show only those Task choosen by the filter
selection. In the filter list, there are several options to choose from, see Figure 85. Selecting the
“Critical tasks” option will filter only those tasks that are on the critical path (colored in red) and
will hide the other tasks that are not critical. This is a good way to concentrate on what is critical
and where a slip will extend the duration; a gain on the other hand will improve duration on your
project.
The filter lists offers 18 different filters , so a lot to choose from and shape your report and views
to your liking. Some interesting choices for project management are: Cost over-budget tasks,
Incomplete tasks, Late/over-budget tasks, and slipped tasks. Sort function
The “Sort” function works similar as the Filter function, but now all jobs will stay visible but
sorted in an order you select from the available sort options. In Figuur 86 you see wcich Sort
options are available. If you choose Name, than the Gantt view will show the Critical Tasks
(filter still applies) but sorted in alphabetic order on the Name of the Task.
Notice that sorting happens on tasks at same level, the indented tasks have their own sorting,
and
the Sort function only sorts the tasks that are filtered in this example.

Figure 86 The Gantt diagram with Critical Task filter and the Name Sort option. Group function
The “Group” function again is showing all tasks in the Gantt diagram but then grouped as per
the choice you make from the group list options. Figure 87 shows the different “Group”
functions to choose from.
Having still only the Critical jobs in the Gantt and choosing the “Resource Name” group option,
it can be seen that all critical tasks are grouped per Resource (person) or group of persons. A
useful view to point your staff to their critical jobs, imho.

Figure 87 The Gantt diagram with tasks grouped on the resources ===
________________

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