ENTERING THE JOBS

The Modify menu returns with the cursor on Schedule. Select Schedule. Figure 1-7 shows the Schedule menu.

Project Schedule Jan Feb 11., Apr ".~ Jun .--- 18 25 I 8 22 I 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 3 18 17 24 31 7 Job Description 8 1 Z 3 • 5 6 7 8 9 II 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Job

ifCt' c:."r~!!r

Mutiif~ Goto Schdule

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'.'.111"

l10ve 110re

Co.plete Quit

Figure 1-7. Schedule Menu

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The Schedule menu is the core of the VisiSchedule program. From the Schedule menu, you define each job by number, name, duration, pre-requisites, earliest start times, costs, and other important factors. You enter the data; the program calculates and displays the results.

The top of the screen contains the time line in weekly units starting at O. When you enter each job, the job's line extends from under one time unit to another in the time line, reflecting the number of weeks it takes to complete the job. Because you chose Weeks for the Time option in the Project Description menu, the time line counts each week as one time unit. Because you typed 1/18/82 for the Start option, week 0 in the time line is Jon 18.

No jobs are defined yet. All you see on the schedule area of the screen are the dates from Jon 18 through Jun 7, the 19th week after the start date.

VISISCHEDULE™

IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER

LESSON TWO THE LESSONS

Select Add. The program displays the Job Location menu. With the Job option, you can specify a job number. If you do not enter a job number, the program uses the number of the last job entered. When no jobs have been entered, it uses O. Then, you specify whether the new job is placed Before or After the job number. Select After. The job you'll add will be placed after job O.

After you specify where to add the job, the program displays the Job Specification menu as shown in Figure 1-8.

ProJect Schedule Jan Feb /lu Apr lilY Jon

- --- 18 25 1 8 22 1 8 IS 22 2'J 5 12 19 Z6 3 18 17 2. 31 7 Job Descriptioft 8 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 OJ III 11 1Z 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Joh

P.e.e. rarl iest Cancel

Figure 1-8. Job Specification Menu

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This menu lets you define all details of an individual job. These details are discussed below:

• Nome is a 1- to 30-character name of the job. The name is listed at the left side of the schedule. On the screen, only the first 12 characters of the name are displayed; however, the whole name is included in reports.

Select Nome, and enter Build model of product. Nothing shows on the screen until you enter all the information and select Accept in a few minutes.

• Duration is how long the job takes. The duration is expressed in a whole number of weeks or days, depending on the time unit used in the project. In this case, it is expressed in number of weeks.

Select Duration, and enter 3 (for three weeks).

IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER

THE LESSONS LESSON TWO

• Prereq is a list of jobs that must be completed before this job can begin. You can specify no more than nine prerequisites for a given job. The initial entry for this option is the number of the preceding job, or if no other jobs exist, the initial entry is O.

No other jobs are defined, so no prerequisites exist for this job. Go on to the next option.

• Earliest is the earliest date at which this job can begin. If you do not enter a date for this option, the job begins after the last prerequisite is completed.

This job must start at the beginning because several other jobs will depend on it. Go on to the next option.

• Cost is the direct cost associated with the job. This cost is expressed in the cost units defined in the Project Description menu. For this project, it is thousands of dollars (K$).

Material and setup costs of $10,000 are associated with this job.

Select Cost ^I and enter 1 O.

• Skill lets you specify the occupational skills required for the job along with the number of people needed for each skill category. From this information, the program calculates the manpower cost for each week.

Select Skill. The program displays the Skill menu shown in Figure 1-9.

PrOject Schedule J.n reb liar Apr lIa~ Jun

--- 19 25 1 8 Z2 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 3 18 17 24 31 7 Job Description 8 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 18 11 12 13 14 15 16 11 18 19 Job

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" B 8 (,:8.8 1:8.8

013-009/P

Figure 1-9. Skill Menu

VISISCHEDULE™

IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER

LESSON TWO THE LESSONS

As you move the cursor to each skill number, the program displays the assigned title in the top line of the menu. You can move the cursor in this menu with the arrow keys or by typing the skill level number.

Select 4 (Model Builder) and enter 1, indicating that one model builder is needed for this job. Select Continue.

• Deadline lets you specify the date by which the job must be done.

You specify the date by its day or week number on the time line. The deadline date shows on the graph as a plus sign (+), but it does not affect the scheduling. If you set a deadline beyond the project end date, it will be shown on the screen display, but will not be shown on the printed schedule.

Select Deadline. Enter 8 to mark a deadline at week 8.

You have entered all the values for job 1. If you wished, you could cancel all these values and return to the Schedule menu by selecting Cancel. Instead, select Accept to record the values. The program displays the job on the schedule and returns to the Schedule menu as shown in Figure 1-10.

rroJect Schedu Ie Jan feb liar Apt II.~ Jun

- --- 18 25 1 8 ZZ 1 8 15 2l 29 5 12 19 26 3 18 17 24 31 7 Job Deser 'pt ion 8 1 Z 3 4 5 (, 7 8 , 18 11 12 13 14 15 16 11 18 19 Job

1 Build .odel O::n:===X ! t 1

Modify Goto Schedule

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nove 1I0re

Co.plet.

Quit

Figure 1-10. Schedule Menu With a Job Added

013-010IP

Job 1 is on the critical path, because it cannot be delayed without delaying the project. Two calendar weeks (Feb 8-22) are between time-line weeks 3 and 4, because one week (Feb 15-21) is a nonworking week.

The exclamation point at week 4 marks the holiday week. The plus sign at week 8 marks the deadline for the job. Table 1-2 describes all graph

sym-IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER

Table 1-2. Schedule Symbols Description

-A critical job. -A critical job cannot be delayed without delaying the entire project.

A partially-completed job. The uncompleted por-tion could be critical or noncritical.

A zero-length job with no successors, usually the end of a project.

A deadline. This marks the date when the job must be completed.

A break in the schedule. If the time unit is days, this marks holidays and nonworking weeks. If the time unit is weeks, this marks nonworking weeks