IStarPMIS, LLC

The Company with the Enterprise Project Management Information System, I*PMIS^®

Specializing in I*PMIS^®, Project Management and Information Systems Consulting

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The Burn Down Chart is available for all projects and portfolios regardless of whether you are running a Scrum Sprint. The Chart Generator Dialog collects the numerical data from the original baseline plan, the current forecast and actuals and automatically generates the chart. You may prepare the chart with either hours or dollars.

The Earned Value Chart is also available for all projects and portfolios. The Chart Generator Dialog collects the numerical data from the original baseline plan, the current forecast and actuals and automatically generates the chart. You may prepare the chart with either hours or dollars.

The Dashboard is available for all projects, portfolios, milestones and tasks.  The Gauges include hours remaining, days remaining, % complete, the schedule performance index and the cost performance index plus earned value statistics.  The dashboard is automatically generated from baseline budgeted numerics and actual accumulated data.  All of the number crunching is done for you.

The EVM, Earned Value Management  Performance Report includes the data included on the Dashboard in numerical form only and is available for all projects, portfolios, milestones and tasks.  The data is automatically generated from baseline budgeted numerics and actual accumulated data.  All of the number crunching is done for you.

The labor variances are caculated for you.  The hourly unit cost variance, The total unit cost variance, the hour variance, total hours cost variance and the total labor variences are calculated comparing the actuals to both the original plan and baseline budget.

I*PMIS has it's own integrated Scheduling Program.   The Scheduler uses the I*PMIS task records that contain the individual task budgeted, actual and estimated remaining hours along with the task scheduling parameters and assigned indivitduals to prepare the Schedule.  A small group of parameters are entered on the Schedule Manager Screen.   All you have to do is to press the RUN button and your schedule is prepared.  This allows you to do interactive modeling while changing the scheduling parameteres and assignments on theTask Record via the Task Definition Dialog.  You can schedule individual Projects, groups of Projects or any of the Portfolios of Projects that been defined to the I*PMIS System.  

A small sample of the prepared schedule for Tom D. is displayed above.  There is more to the schedule than is displayed above as the input parmeteres and summary data are also displayed.  The I*PMIS Scheduler prepares an interface file that is then used as input into the Chart Generator Dialog.  The first time an accepted schedule is prepared it is saved on the Chart Generator Dialog as the baseline plan and used for comparison with additional updated schedules as the Project or Portfolio Progresses.   You are then able not only do interactive modeling with the Schedule Report above but also graphically display the different alternatives on the Scrum Burn Down and Earned Value Charts.

The scheduler is sophisticated enough to identifiy those tasks that lie on the critical path.  The tasks that are on the critical path are identified in red.  This helps you to model different scheduling strategies and tactics to reach the project goals and objectives.  Additionally, the scheduler quantifies and reports the task's free float, the task's total float and specifically breaks out the weekend and holiday float days that can be used for crashing the schedule.  The task data can also be exported to MSFT Project for additional analysis and display in a Gantt chart.

The Task Manager Screen of the Task Manager Dialog contains the detailed task data elements that are used to drive the Scheduler Program in it's preparation of the Schedule.

There are six major groups of data on this screen, the unique task name and identification number,  the task specifications, the assigned indiviual(s), the budget that is used in the preparation of the baseline schedule, the actuals that are accumulated from the submitted and approved status reports and the task priorities, scheduling parameters and prerequsites. 

The Chart Generation Dialog is used to actually prepare the Burn Down Chart, the Earned Value Chart and a Dashboard that only includes the baseline tasks.  This is where the time series data is accepted from the prepared schedule e.g. baseline, actuals and forcasted schedules.  All you have to do is press the right buttons and all of the work is done for you. 

The Project Charter Dialog is where you define the project to the I*PMIS system and control the status of the Project.

If the very basic information captured on the The Project Charter Dialog needs to be elaborated on, the Project Charger Notes Dialog will allow you do to just that. 

I*PMIS has a Project Stakeholders Dialog to record the names of all of the parties involved in the project.  The Action Select and Expand Button will bring you to the Contact Manager Dialog where all of the detailed contact information is available. 

I*PMIS has it's own proprietary Contact Manager Dialog with features such as freeform comments, a special notes page, mailing label generation, a connection to your default email program for emails,  hyper links to the contacts webpage and partial word searches on specific fields.  Security exists to make the contact information public, private to the entry person or specific to a project.

There is a Project Scope Statement Dialog where the boudaries of the project can be formally recorded.  Note the box in the upper right (frozen) or left open to change. 

The Requirements Register is where you define the individual line item requirements that are to be included in the project.  Note the expand selector and expand button that will bring you to the detailed Requirements Defintion Dialog.

The Requirements Manager Dialog is where you define and refine the specific line items in more detail.  The capability exists on this dialog to a define and generate a specific task or group of tasks that are dedictated to completing the requirment.  Additionally there is a "Perfomance" Button that brings to you a Dashboard Screen, illustrated above, dedicated to this particular requirement and group of tasks.   Because the traceablity and completion of specified requirements in and of itself is a requirement of some contracts, the capability exists on this dailog to do requirements traceability, tracking the line item definition of the requirement through further refinement and the final completion of the task(s) via reports dedicated  to tracablity.

The Requirements Traceability Report is displayed above.  Note that the original line item requirement is traced through the definition of the task(s) dedictated to satsifying the requirement and that the budgeted, acutal hours and completed status are on this report.

Once you have a fair idea of the gross project budget, scope and requirements you can take a first cut at a project plan.  I*PMIS has a Project Planning Dialog that will allow you do just that.  The Project Planning Dialog allows you to define hours, average hourly rate, start date, finish date and out of pocket expense dollars for each of the recommended PMI project management processes.  Additionally, as the project progresses the Project Planning Dialog will summarize all of the budgeted task data and actual data for variance analysis.  You have two basic processes to derive the effort needed to complete the project.  The high level plan comleted on the Project Planning Dialog and the detailed task budget that is completed using the Task Dialog.

The Project Planning Dialog has a report that sumarizes the plan using the PMI processes.  I*PMIS allows you to taylor the processes suggested by PMI and add your own, much like a chart of accounts.

If you prefer to work hierarcically starting with generic task descriptions and decomposing them into work packages to be completed, I*PMIS has a dialog that will support you with this process.  Once you have all of the detailed work packages defined as specific tasks you can revisit the Requirements Dialog to group and associate the tasks to a specific requiremnt.  This may be an interative process.   

The Decompostion Manager Dialog has a report that sumarizes the specific work packages identified as tasks using the hierachy that was defined.

Once the detailed work packages or tasks to be performed have been defined, the task attributes can be further refined e.g. the budgeted hourly effort, the out of pocket expenses, the sequence and prerequisite requirements, start and end dates, the priority of the task and other scheduling considerations.  When all of these attributes have been defined and you have a better idea of what the actual required project effort looks like you can make assignments and do the baseline scheduling.  You will have to define the personnel resources to I*PMIS, and of course there is a dialog dedicated to that purpose.  Keep in mind the Project Planning Dialog that will summarize all of the budgeted tasks hours so that you can see how you are doing in comparison to the high level plan.  Notice the Checklist and Estimate buttons that will bring up these addtional assisting dialogs.  There is also the Performance Button that will bring up the Dashboard, previously illustrated,  for this specific task and the Audit button so you can monitor who is booking hours and expense to the task.

I*PMIS has a dialog to support you with estimates.  Both a Master Estimating Manager Dialog and an individual Task Estimating Dialog exist.  You can save the Master and use it as a template for repeating tasks.

I*PMIS has a dialog to support you with checklists.  Both a Master Checklist Manager Dialog and an individual Task Checklist Dialog exist.  You can save the Master and use it as a template for repeating tasks.

The Milestone Manager Dialog allows to to group and orgainze tasks into milestones.  Performance data is available for the individual milestones that are defined.

I*PMIS has several dialogs to assist in the identification and recording of the risks associated with the project.  There is the Risk Register Dialog illustrated above.

There is the Risk Manager Dialog illustrated above where the attributes and planned responses and responsibilities to the specific risk can be documented.

And there is a Risk Register Report to summarize the risk analysis effort. 

There are mulitple reports that compare the plan to the budget and to the actuals.  These reports are organized by the suggested PMI process line item.   The reports compare dates, expenses, hours and labor and expense dollars.  These reports allow management to track how the detailed budget compares to the high level plan when it is finalized and then monitor the actual hours, expenses and dollars as they are accumulated throughout the life of the project. 

The Communicaton Plan Dialog begins with a listing of the approved and relevant individuals who will receive designated communications throughout the life of the project. The initial listing is autofilled from the Stakeholders Dialog Record. You then proceed to the Detailed Communication Plan Dialog by selecting the action indicator and Expand Button.

The Detailed Communication Plan Dialog is where you specify the communication type and frequency for each of the relevant individuals. There are both drop down selection boxes and free form entry boxes.

When the project planning and budgeting processes are complete and you are ready to start the project, you can start assigning the tasks.  After you have prepared a schedule, using the scheduler illustrated above, you as a Manager use the Manage Employee Assignments Dialog to import, review and finalize the assignment of specific tasks to a direct report.  The arrow in the illustration above points to the FF Sched Button that fills the tasks from the schedule to the Manage Employee Assignment Dialog from an interfaace file. . 

The employee responsible for the execution of the task will have the tasks defined on his/her Employee Assignments Dialog.  Obviously the title of the task needs to be expanded on for a detailed description of the specifications.  Using the Expand Button allong with the Selection Indicator will transfer the employee to the Task Manager Screen illustrated in the Task Manager Dialog above.  

The Status Reporting Dialog is the prime communication tool between the person actually responsible for performing the task, the manager and the I*PMIS System.  The interactive world wide web enabled functionality of the Status Report allows for daily and weekly interaction.  The performer is expected to update the Status Report Daily so that the manager has up to date information on a daily basis.  The Status Report is then reviewed and approved by the manager on a weekly basis.   When the Status Report is approved the Task Record as displayed on the Task Manager Dialog is updated with the actual hours and estimates to complete.  When all of the Status and Expense Reports have been approved the the Dashboard and Earned Value Management Statistics Reports displayed at the top of the page will have been updated and become available to management.  The scheduler can then be run to provide the updated actuals and forecasts to needed prepare the Burn Down and EVM Charts, also displayed at the top of the page.     

Timesheets are an intragral part of I*PMIS.  Note the GTFS Button pointed to by the arrow.  The GTFS Button Gets Totals From Status so hours do not have to be reentered.  You can use the Timesheets to feed into your Payroll.  An automated interface can be requested as a customized feature for a fee.

Expense Reports also update the Task Records when the are approved on a weekly basis.  You can also use the Expense Report to feed into your expense reimbursement system.  An automated interface can be requested as a customized feature for a fee.  

Although not illustrated, there are additioinal dialogs for late submissions, management approvals and historical access of the Status Report, Timesheet and Expense Report.

If you choose to do so, I*PMIS has the ability to enforce change control via the Change Request Manager Dialog.  Change control enforcement is optional and is controlled at the project level by the Project Manager.  Reporting capability is part of the Change Request Manager Dialog.

The Problem, Issue and Defect Manager Dialog provides you with a mechanism to record, document and track the resolution of the problem, issue or defect situation.  This dialog also has the capability to generate a specific task that can be used to assign an individual.   There is a related report that summarizes the historical and current resoluition time for each of the documented problems, issues or defects.

A more exhaustive menu is included with the Table of Contents.   The menu above is an abbreviated menu that is used to access the dialogs that are more actively used.  Notice that there are addtitional dialogs that were not illustrated above.    

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