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	Contents	find	close
Title Screen

Quick Start

Planning with PlanBee

Planning Philosophies

The Calendar

Starting a New Project

Importing Task Lists

Spreadsheet view of Project

Editing or Changing a Task

Adding or Inserting a Task

Deleting a Task

Copying a Task

Splitting a Task

Working Day or Calendar Day Selection

Emphasized Tasks

Group/Heading levels

Moving or Rearranging Tasks

Show More Rows button

Navigating Around Your Plan

Precedence (Link) Details

Fixed Dates

Recalculation Options

Float and Criticality Options

PERT View of Project

Auto Alignment of PERT chart.

Printing a PERT Chart

Using PERT Chart in other applications

GANTT (Bar Chart) View of Project

Reporting Progress with PlanBee

Exporting Results to Clipboard or File

Colour Choices

Printing Reports

  features

About PlanBee Pro

Administrative Details

Language for Dates

Resource Assignment

Resource Calendar

Resource Leveling Techniques

Saving and Loading the Resource Master List

Automatic Emphasis

Marginal Criticality

Work Breakdown Structure

Web Page Output

The Sample Plans

Network File Sharing

Registration and Payment for PlanBee

Uninstalling PlanBee

Reinstalling or transferring PlanBee

PlanBee Version History

ParseRat, File Parser Converter and Restructurer

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Spreadsheet View

Armadillo expiry

Title Screen

One Time Event Cost

Status Number

"Families" of links

Welcome to the World of PlanBee

Special Price for ParseRat

Generic help

Gantt Display Details

Upgrades and fixes

PlanBee Pro Features

Upgrade to PlanBee Pro

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Title Screen
PlanBee

Critical Path Project Management

©Edward Guy, 2002

http://www.guysoftware.com/planbee.htm

Containing help information for PlanBee (basic), PlanBee Pro and the free evaluation copy which provides all functions for a thirty day period.

Start Here


Quick Start

If you want to start a project quickly - without worrying about theory, follow these steps (you might want to print [image] this topic).

1)	Click the "New" icon (the one at the left of the toolbar) [image] or select File…  New… and enter your project's basic details in the panel which appears.  You may also set a start date in that panel. Then click the OK button.

2)	Enter your first task's name and duration in Row 1 and press the DOWNARROW [image] key on your keyboard.

3)	Repeat to enter task 2 in row 2.

4)	Repeat for all tasks.

5)	Now it's time to enter "precedent dependencies".  If you are laying a pipe, you must dig a trench first - you will have situations like this in your project.  Select the row with the dependent activity (e.g. "Lay the Pipe") and click the "Add Precedent" button [image] - a panel will appear with the other tasks listed.  Select the "precedent task" in that list (e.g. "Dig the Trench") and click OK. (Sometimes precedents are called predecessors and dependents are called successors.)

6)	Do this for all tasks which depend on other tasks (remember that some tasks depend on more than one other task, so you may need to "Add Precedent" more than once for them).

Congratulations, you have a plan. You may now display and print reports (using the menu item File… Preview/Print Report),
Gantt charts (using the [image] button) and PERT charts (using the [image] button).

For details of how to handle more complex situations and a more thorough treatment of the subject please continue to read.


	Planning with PlanBee
PlanBee is a critical path planning tool. It allows you to specify tasks and their durations, and will then calculate the earliest and latest start and finish dates for each task, based on dependency links which you give it.  It will calculate "Float", the amount of spare time that a given task has in the schedule as an indication of how important that task is to the overall timing of the project.

The results are made available to you in several forms, either for printing or for incorporation in other documents or programs.

"Float" for a task is defined as the number of days by which the finish of a task may be delayed without affecting the overall finish time of the project.  Float can be calculated in terms of working days for that task or as calendar days, depending on an option on the Project Details panel (repeated on the Float and Criticality options panel).  In the case of a task which uses calendar days for its duration specification, both options give the same result.

PlanBee reports the total amount of float in its main grid.  However in the Gantt (bar) chart it further indicates the type of float.

Float which can be "used up" without affecting other tasks is known as "Free Float", float which will affect the timing of other tasks is known as "Interfering Float".  PlanBee shades the edges of that portion of a bar which denotes interfering float.  In task 132 above, free float exists from October 8th to 8:00 am October 16th and interfering float from October 16th to November 1st.  This means that task 132's finish may slip to October 16th without causing a delay to any other task.  If it slips beyond that date it will affect the timing of other tasks. All of the float in task 133 is interfering float, so any slippage will affect the timing of at least one other task.

Note that with PlanBee a "day" starts at 8:00 am and ends at 7:59 am on the following day.  If a task has a duration of 1 day it will be considered to end on the day after it started and one minute before the start time.  If the next day is a non-working day and the task duration is specified in working days, it will finish on the next working day.

If you are a new user of PlanBee, you may wish to experiment with the sample plans included.   To access them, select the File  Open  menu selection or click on the [image] button.

If a task has zero or negative float, that task is said to be "critical" and the sequence of critical tasks is called the "critical path" of the project.  The float for critical tasks is displayed in red on the PlanBee spreadsheet view and you may highlight critical tasks in red in both the Gantt and PERT charts by clicking the appropriate check box in their windows (this also highlights the charts when printed on a colour printer).

In this example, any delay in task 326 will delay the finish of the entire project.

As an enhancement to the Gantt chart, PlanBee will optionally show dependency links:

The colours used  are optional (you may change them by using an Options… menu item. Here links which are on the critical path are shown in red and others in magenta.

You may notice that sometimes a task on what looks like the critical path is not zero float.  This can occur when some durations and lags are specified as "working days" and some are specified as calendar days.  If a "working day" task is dependent for its start on a "calendar day" task, and the "calendar day" ends on a Saturday, normally the working day task cannot start until the following Monday.  Therefore, the calendar task would have some float, because it could also continue on the Sunday if necessary.

If you "fix" one or more dates in PlanBee, all of the other activities are scheduled around them (this would usually happen when an actual finish date becomes known).  Sometimes this cannot be done for some of the tasks and in those cases "negative float" arises.  This is the number of days which must be "saved" if the fixed dates are to be met.  Usually, you would assign additional resources to those tasks in order to reduce their durations.


	Planning Philosophies
Some people plan from a "start to finish" view point, others plan from a "finish to start" viewpoint.

The latter is often most successful when planning a particular kind of project for the first time.  You first define "completion".  "What is the last thing that has to be completed, and when we've done it we've finished?" (Note that this is often not the thing you first think of.  If you are publishing a newsletter, the last task may not be mailing it, it may be paying the bills.)

If there are several independent final events in different areas of the project, you may need to specify an artificial "completion event" of zero duration, which cannot start until all of these final events are completed.  This ties together the end point of the project.

Once the final task/event is defined, a list of every task which must be competed before this task is either started or finished is needed.  These tasks are then set up as "precedents" to the final task.

Each of these precedent events then requires a list of its own precedent events, until none of the tasks defined has any unlisted precedents.  At this time you have a plan.

Note that you may define these tasks in gross terms initially and break them down into smaller portions later.

PlanBee allows some short cuts for frequent tasks.  For example, inserting a task is achieved by positioning the cursor in the row below the position you desire for it and then pressing the INSERT key, which results in a new blank task with zero duration and no links.  Holding down the SHIFT key while pressing INSERT does this and also sets up a precedent link such that the new task becomes a precedent to the task below it, with Finish-To-Start dependency and no time lag.  This speeds up defining chains of tasks.  Holding down the ALT key while pressing INSERT does this and also sets up a dependent link such that the new task becomes dependent on the task above it, with Finish-To-Start dependency and no time lag.  This speeds up defining chains of tasks.

If you hold down the ALT and SHIFT keys while pressing the INSERT key, the new task inserted will be a precedent to the currently selected task and dependent on the task above it.  If this would result in circular dependencies, the link to the task above is blocked.

If the cursor is in the bottom row of the "Task" spreadsheet grid, pressing the DOWN ARROW key will add another task (don't worry if you do it by mistake, pressing [Ctrl][Delete] will remove any selected task which does not have dependencies).  Holding down the SHIFT or ALT key while pressing the DOWN ARROW will make the new task dependent on the task above it.


The Calendar

In any project, most tasks (otherwise called activities) are governed by a working day calendar.  They do not proceed on weekends or holidays, but only on "Working Days".  Other tasks or activities continue every day.  For example a continuous pour concrete operation must continue once started.  Other things like the curing time of concrete or the time taken for grass to grow are controlled by simple elapsed days, ignoring the "Working Day" status.

PlanBee permits any task duration or time lag to be specified as either "Working Days" or "Calendar Days".  These are differentiated in reports by the appending of a plus sign ("+") to durations or lags specified as Calendar Days.

PlanBee includes a working day calendar which covers the years 1900 to 2099.  All dates before or after those dates are assumed to be working days.

The default working day calendar assumes that every day except Saturday and Sunday is a working day and every Saturday and Sunday is a non-working day. This status may be changed by clicking on a date on the working day calendar to "toggle" or reverse its status.

In PlanBee a "day" begins at 8:00am and ends at 7:59am on the following day.

The working day calendar for a project is saved as part of the project file.  Additionally, the working day calendar may be saved separately using the "Save Calendar" function on the File menu. A previously saved calendar may be loaded into a project by using the "Load Calendar" function of the File menu.

By this means, one or more detailed calendars holding the working day and holiday status of a given jurisdiction for a long period may be created and saved for import into any project - particularly new projects.

For example, while Americans take off the Fourth of July, Canadians take off the First of July and the French take off the Fourteenth of July as national holidays.  You can create an American, a Canadian and a French working day calendar and any others you want to use.

Note that clicking on the "Current Month" button of the working day calendar will display the current month, with the current day indicated by white digits.

The working day calendar may be displayed or hidden by clicking on the "Calendar" [image] button of the toolbar.


Starting a New Project

To start a new project, select the File New menu item or click on the [image] toolbar button. The system will display a Project Details panel for the entry of basic data about the project: Company Name, Project Name, Author Name and Account Information.  You may enter anything you wish in these fields.  The panel also displays a calendar for you to select the project start date.  After entering this data, click on the OK button or the Close box in the upper left of the panel. Note that you may display the project data panel later (after you have defined at least two tasks) to change this information by clicking the [image] button on the toolbar or by selecting the Change Project Options function on the File menu.

You may now define tasks either in the Spread Sheet window or in the PERT window. You must first enter data to define the first task shown on the screen. Many of the options on the toolbar are disabled until you have defined at least two tasks.

Many, but not all, task details may be entered from the PERT view of the project. All task details may be entered from the Spread Sheet view, including task name, task duration, task calendar (i.e. working days or calendar days), link (precedence) details,  resource assignments, completion data and fixed dates (if any).

You may define linkages (precedents and dependents) at any time, however there are keyboard shortcuts for adding the most common linkages automatically while you are defining tasks.

Normally a new task is assumed to have its duration specified in working days and you need to click on the Calendar Day radio button in the lower left of the screen to set it to calendar days.  However if a project has the majority of its tasks defined in calendar days, you may change the default by checkmarking a box on the Project Details panel.

Importing Task Lists

Additional options on the "New" dialogue permit task names and optionally durations and other data to be imported from a file or the clipboard. This may save you some typing if you already have a list of tasks in computer-readable form.

The file format should be text  delimited by tabs or a commas. The data may also be enclosed in double quotes ("), if there is a chance that it may contain a comma. For file import the default project name will be the name of the file containing the task list, but you may edit it.

Clipboard import is possibly by copying from something like Excel.

The import will not actually occur until you close the "New" dialogue.

You will be offered the option of having the incoming tasks linked.  This way it is often easier to adjust the linking later by editing the links, since lists of nose-to-tail linked tasks are common.

Additionally, once a plan has been created, more tasks may be inserted above the currently selected task by pasting from the clipboard using the "Paste" button.

If the source from which data is to imported includes Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) data, this may be used to set the Group/Header levels of the incoming rows.


Spreadsheet view of Project

The default (usual) view of a project is similar to a spreadsheet in which the task details are shown as a matrix of rows and columns in the Task Details grid.

Notice that the row number of the currently selected task has a pale blue background. Tasks which are dependent on the currently selected task have their row numbers displayed against a yellow background (pale for a direct dependent, dark for an indirect dependent).  Tasks which are precedent to the currently selected task have their row numbers displayed against a violet background (pale for a direct precedent, dark for an indirect precedent).  This gives a quick visual overview of project linkages.

When a new project is created, a single task of zero duration is created.  You must enter an appropriate name and duration.

Most of the functions which can be performed via the keyboard can also be performed using the mouse by right-clicking the appropriate Task Name in the Task grid.

Editing or Changing a Task

Adding or Inserting a Task

Deleting a Task

Copying a Task

Splitting a Task

Working Day or Calendar Day Selection

Group/Heading levels

Emphasized Tasks

Moving or Rearranging Tasks

Precedence (linkage) Details

Show More Rows button

Fixed Dates

Exporting Results to Clipboard, File or Web page


Editing or Changing a Task

The task names and duration may be edited by simply selecting and altering them.  The dates are computed by the system.


Adding or Inserting a Task

When in the spreadsheet view of the project, pressing the [Insert] button on the keyboard inserts a new task above the currently selected task.  Holding down the SHIFT key at the same time creates the new task as a precedent to the currently selected task.  Holding down the ALT key at the same time creates the new task as a dependent of the task above it.

If you hold down both the ALT and SHIFT keys while pressing the insert key, the new task inserted will be a precedent to the currently selected task and dependent on the task above it.  If this would result in circular dependencies, the link to the task above is blocked.

The Insert a Task and Insert a Precedent Task functions are also available on the Right-Click menu of the Task Details grid.

If the currently selected task is in the last row of the list, pressing the down arrow key will add another task row below it.  Holding down the shift or alt key while doing this will create the new task row as a dependent to the task in the last row.


Deleting a Task

Holding down the [Ctrl] key while pressing the [Delete] will delete the currently selected task.

The Delete Task  function is also available on the Right-Click menu of the Task Details grid.

Note that you may not delete a task until links between it and other tasks have been deleted.  You may delete the precedent links to the task while it is selected.  To delete a dependent link, you need to go to the "other end" of the link (click on the dependent task name in the yellow list to the right of the precedent list - once you have deleted the link you may re-select the task by using the GoBack button.


Copying a Task

You may copy a task's name and duration and then insert the copy elsewhere by using the Copy and Insert Copy functions of the Right-Click menu of the Task Details grid.


Splitting a Task

Often, it is necessary to divide what initially appeared to be a single task into two (or more) tasks.  PlanBee assists this process using a function on the Right-Click menu of the Task Details grid.  If you select the Split Task function, the task will be divided into two tasks with a Finish To Start zero lag dependency between them on the following basis:

•	All precedents to the original task will be precedents to the first portion of the split.

•	All dependents of the original task will be dependents of the second portion.

•	The duration of the original event is shared as close to equally as possible between the new portions.

•	The same resources, manager, notes and cost code ( [image]  features) are assigned to the portions as were assigned to the original task.

Note: If there are "overlapping" dependencies (i.e. Start To Start or Finish To Finish) you may need to edit them to ensure that the result is what you intended.

A task may be repetitively split into as many tasks as desired.


Working Day or Calendar Day Selection

When entering a duration for a task, you may specify whether the task uses calendar days or working days by clicking the appropriate button in the Row Options section in the lower left portion of the screen or by checking or unchecking the appropriate entry on the Right-Click menu of the Task Details grid.

The standard default value for PlanBee assumes that durations are in working days for new tasks.  However if a project has the majority of its tasks defined in calendar days, you may change the default for the current project by checkmarking a box on the Project Details panel.


Group/Heading levels

If necessary, tasks may be arranged in related groups.  This is achieved by settings in the Row Options area at the lower left of the window.

Three levels of grouping are possible.  Durations may not be assigned to rows defined as group headers.  Dates are shown greyed-out at the group level, as if the tasks in the group were a single task.

Costs ( [image]  feature) are pyramided up the levels.  The costs for a task are added into the Group/Heading level immediately above it. A level 3 summary is added into the Level 2 summary above it and a level 2 summary is added into the Level 1 summary above it.


Work Breakdown Structure

A Work Breakdown Structure is a formalised hierarchical breakdown of a project into more easily understood groups of component tasks.

For example, the simplified Pipeline example provided with PlanBee may be broken down as follows.

WBS	Task Name/Description	Duration
01.00.00	Legal Work
01.00.01	Sign Contracts	1
02.00.00	Physical Work
02.01.00	Pre Construction
02.01.01	Assemble Crews	5
02.01.02	Assemble Equipment	3
02.02.00	Construction
02.02.01	Excavate	6
02.02.02	Lay Pipe	6
02.02.03	Backfill	6
02.02.04	Landscape the ROW	5

Note that the product is divided at the top level into two main groups, Legal Work and Physical Work.

The Physical Work group is further divided into Pre-Construction and Construction groups of tasks.

Each group comprises specific Tasks (sometimes called activities).

Note that this example is intended to illustrate principles - a real project this small would not usually have a formal WBS.

WBS 01.00.00 indicates the first level 1 group (the top level) of Legal Work.

WBS 02.02.03 indicates the third task within the second sub-group of the second top level group (Backfill).

Notice how different groups may be subdivided to different levels - WBS 01.00.01 is the first task in a top level group which is not further subdivided into groups.

PlanBee can handle up to three levels of grouping. (Group/Header levels 1, 2 and 3). It automatically generates WBS codes to the appropriate level based on the number of Group/Header levels defined in the plan and shows them on the Administrative Details panel of PlanBee Pro.

When importing data, PlanBee can use the WBS structure (if present) from a file or the clipboard to determine whether a record should be imported as a task or as a group/header row.  In the latter case, it will determine which level of group/header is appropriate.  Note that PlanBee will use the WBS only to determine levels and will re-number correctly if numbers are duplicated or omitted.

  feature In many cases, the WBS is used as a unique key to relate the rows in the plan to external data.  If that is the case, then PlanBee Pro can handle it by setting the checkmark "Use WBS as keys" on the Admin Details Panel. If your incoming WBS data has breaks or duplications in the sequence, you should probably also import it into the Unique Key field directly, as well as the WBS field and not checkmark the "use WBS as Key" box on the Administrative Details panel. You can import data from a given import column into more than one PlanBee field.


Emphasised Tasks
Emphasized Tasks

You may elect to emphasize a task by checkmarking the Emphasized Task radio button:

This task will then be printed in bold type in reports and also emphasized in Gantt charts by a heavier outline.  Additionally task emphasis may be used as a criterion when exporting task data to the system clipboard or a file.

Automatic Emphasis

  feature

In PlanBee Pro, there is an automatic emphasis feature which permits you to emphasize groups of tasks based on several criteria related to resource usage (selecting the resource from the resource master list panel) and to time schedules (using the calendar in the emphasis panel).  This permits you to draw attention to particular situations, as well as to selectively export task data for use in other processes. The Automatic Emphasis feature is found on the Options menu item.  Note that emphasis is additive - tasks will remain emphasized until their emphasis is cleared, either via the radio buttons for the specific tasks, or by using the Clear all task emphasis button.

Note that to permit re-playing a schedule for educational or forensic purposes, the emphasis calendar also provides the means to permit any date to be set as "Today".


Moving or Rearranging Tasks

To aid in grouping tasks, you may wish to re-arrange the rows.  In order to do this, right click on the row which you wish to move and select the Pick Up Row function then click on the place where you wish to put it down.

You may move the task boxes on the PERT chart using the same method.


Precedence Details
Precedence (Link) Details

Linkages may be added or changed using the Precedence Details grid. Clicking on the Add Precedent or Edit Precedent button will display a panel for adding or editing a precedent to the task currently selected in the Task Grid.

Only tasks which may be validly be assigned as precedents to the currently selected task are presented on this panel.

The Delete Precedent button will delete the currently selected precedent.  If the Precedent Details grid is currently selected, the [INSERT] button will act like the Add Precedent  button and the [DELETE] key will act like the Delete Precedent button.

Most precedents are of the Finish-To-Start form, where the precedent task must be completed before the dependent task may be started and the tasks may not overlap in time.  In some cases, tasks may overlap. For example, when laying a pipeline it is not necessary to wait until all of the ditch has been dug before commencing to lay the pipe.  However, the ditch must be started before laying pipe may be started and the ditch must be completed before laying pipe may be completed.  These are known as Start-To-Start and Finish-To-Finish precedences.  They may be defined by checking the appropriate box to permit task overlap. Note that Start To Start and Finish To Finish precedences may both be defined between tasks but otherwise one and one only precedent relationship must be defined.

Sometimes an overlapping task may take a shorter time than the one it is dependent on. In that case, the left hand end of the bar on the gantt chart is left uncoloured so that the coloured portion still represents the task duration.  The task may begin at the uncoloured start of the bar but cannot be completed until the finish of the yellow portion.  e.g. in the Pipeline Example, if backfilling took only 4 days in total it could start one working  day after laying pipe started but need not start until two days later than that, as shown here:

Occasionally complex constraints arise.  In the chart below, the planner has set a constraint that Task 219 cannot finish until another task has finished, but another task cannot start until Task 219 has started.  This creates a situation where Task 219 has an Early Start of 19 July (because of tasks it depends on), a Late Start of 3 Aug (because of another task whose start depends on its start), but cannot finish before 8 Nov (because it cannot finish until another task has finished).  Task 219's duration is set at 5 days.  Quite clearly those 5 days of work must be spread out over time or those constraints cannot be met.  PlanBee indicates this situation as shown below, with a reduced height bar extending the period over which the task must be active, while still correctly indicating the total task duration with the full-height bar.

Note that you may have PlanBee adjust the duration and resource level automatically ( [image] feature)to resolve this type of situation.

Sometimes, there must be a time lag between activities.  For example, in the case of the pipeline it may be necessary to allow 120 calendar days to elapse after backfilling before commencing to landscape the right of way, to allow the fill to settle.  Such lags may be specified on the precedence editing panel as either working or calendar days.

To aid in understanding and navigation, a list of the dependents of the currently selected task is shown in a yellow list box at the right of the precedent details. Clicking on one of these dependents will select it as the current task.

Precedents of the Finish-To-Start form may also be defined in the PERT window.

 feature

"Families" of links

There is often a need in a large plan to differentiate between types of link.  PlanBee Pro permits a link to be designated as a "Special" link instead of a regular link using the selection box on the Precedent Definition panel.  Special links may be indicated by different colours (user-selectable on the Options…  Change Colours…  menu item).

Special links may also be de-activated in order to see their effect (regular links may not be de-activated) using the Options…   Select Active Links… panel.

For example, you might designate a family of links to ensure that tasks which need a severely limited resource cannot be active at the same time.  If later that restriction eases you may simply de-activate those links without needing to delete them.

Links which have been de-activated are shown "greyed out" in the Precedent Details panel.

In a complex plan, you might wish to see only a particular family of links.  Other links may be hidden, but remain active, by using the "Hide" options on the Select Active Links panel.

You also have the option on the Gantt and PERT screens to show only critical links (and marginally critical links if you have specified a criticality margin) or links associated with the currently selected task.  Note that you may select a task by clicking on its PERT box or it's Gantt bar in addition to clicking its row in the spreadsheet view.  The currently selected task is indicated by an aqua (pale blue) row number in the spreadsheet view, an aqua box in the PERT window and an aqua border in the Gantt window.


Float and Criticality Options

Float may be expressed either in calendar days, or in working days based on the Working Day Calendar used for the project. This option is selected by checking a box on the Project Details panel (repeated for convenience on the panel accessed from the Options…  Float and Criticality Options…  menu item).

  feature

In a large plan, the critical path might change frequently during project planning if several parallel paths are similar in elapsed time.  To avoid having this sensitivity cause a problem, PlanBee Pro allows you to specify a Criticality Margin so that "almost critical" tasks are also flagged.  This option is selected by checking a box on the panel accessed from the Options…  Float and Criticality Options…  menu item.

Marginally critical and truly critical (i.e. zero float) tasks and links may be indicated by different colours.


Show More Rows button

The spreadsheet view of the project normally shows basic details of six tasks in the top portion of the window and other details for the currently selected task in the lower portion of the window.  Clicking on the Show More Rows button will fill the window with the basic task details grid. Clicking the button again (its caption will have changed accordingly) will restore the original length.


Navigating Around Your Plan

Navigating around a small plan is easy.  However, when a plan has hundreds of rows it becomes more of a chore to find and select a different task in the main task spreadsheet view.

To assist with this PlanBee provides several aids.

Go Back button.

Each time you select a different task PlanBee maintains a "trail of breadcrumbs" to help you retrace your steps.  Just click on the Go Back button (there are two of them on the screen) to re-select the previously selected task.

Right Click on a task name in another list.

When you right-click on a task name in the Precedent Details list, that task becomes selected in the main Task List.  The same happens with tasks in the Dependent list box and the task list box on the Resource Calendar ( [image]  feature) panel.

Select a task in a chart screen.

When you click on a PERT box or a Gantt bar, that task becomes selected in the main task list.

Grouping your links into "Families" (e.g. Regular, Special A, Special B, etc..)  ( [image]  feature) and giving each family a different colour also makes it easier to follow links on a complex plan. You can "hide" links by family to avoid visual confusion on the screen.


Fixed Dates

Sometimes you may wish to force a task to finish on a given date.  To do this, select the task in the spreadsheet window and then check the Fixed Finish box in the Row Options section in the lower portion of the screen.  A calendar will be presented for you to select the finish date for this task.  The dates for any tasks with fixed dates set will display as purple on the screen.

This is usually used for reporting the completion of a task, in order to update the remainder of a plan. However, it may also be used to insert fixed future deadlines to test whether they may be met.

Note that you may force impossible times on other tasks by doing this, and they will show up as "negative float".


Exporting Results to Clipboard or File
Exporting Results to Clipboard or a File

When you are viewing the spreadsheet view of the project, you may copy many task details to the system clipboard or to a web page (HTML file), a comma-delimited or tab-delimited file by selecting that function from the Edit menu or by clicking the [image] button on the toolbar.  You may then paste or import these results into a spreadsheet program or other program which is able to handle a matrix of data.  If pasted into a word processor, the columns are separated by tabs and the rows by carriage return/linefeed characters.  If using Microsoft Word, this may be converted to a Word table by highlighting and then using the "Convert Text To Table" function.

  featureThe option to export to a web page creates a web page (HTML file) with the selected data about the project incorporated into an HTML table.

The details exportable for each task row in this manner are selectable:

•	Task Name (always included)

•	Row Number

•	Duration

•	Early Start

•	Late Start

•	Early Finish

•	Late Finish

•	Float

•	Cost

•	Cost Code

•	Manager

•	Unique Key

•	Percent Complete

•	Precedents

•	Dependents

•	Resources

•	Task Notes

•	Status Number

Note that some exportable data is meaningful only for plans produced with PlanBee Pro, PlanBee Basic does not have the facilities to create or edit that data.

Task rows to be exported are also selectable:

•	Include a row with Column Names

•	Export All Rows

•	Export Heading Rows Only

•	Export Headings and Emphasized

•	Export Emphasized Tasks Only

Uncheck the

•	Include details for Group/Headers

box only if you are certain that this will not cause problems in the target application - some may require data in all columns of pasted data.

Extremely sophisticated reporting is possible with external database, spreadsheet and word processing products when such selections are performed. In particular, the ability to emphasize tasks and to export based on emphasis is valuable in this context.

You may copy total cost data to the clipboard by using the Copy Cost Incurrence Calendar item on the Edit menu.  When pasted into another program (e.g. Word or Excel) this will provide three columns: Date, Cost on that date, Cumulative cost to that date.


Web Page Output

  feature

If you wish to publish your plan to a number of people, it may be convenient for you to create a web page (an HTML file).

You may do this either from the [image] icon available via the  File…   Print/Preview Report…  menu item or from the Export icon [image] on the main toolbar.

Selecting the web page destination option and pressing the [image] button in the dialog box resulting from the [image] icon will produce a web page using the selection criteria checkmarked in the dialog. This gives you a great deal of control over the contents of the web page produced.

The report screen's [image] icon will cause a standardized report web page to be produced, using the options checkmarked on that screen.  That page may be displayed immediately in your default browser (you will be asked if you want to see it - if you answer "yes" your default browser will be started to display it - for subsequent updates you may need to click your browser's Refresh/Reload button) and if it is not exactly what you want, you may use the main toolbar [image] icon to fine tune the selections.  For example, the standard web page produced from the Report Preview screen shows only the "Early Start" and "Early Finish" dates (displayed as Start and Finish).  If you want the "Late Start" and "Late Finish" dates to show (displayed as Latest Start and Latest Finish) you may fine tune it by selecting those columns from the [image] icon dialog.

Similarly, if you want to show only those tasks affecting a particular resource you may emphasize those task using that resource and then fine tune by choosing one of the emphasized only options for row choice.

The web page contains two title rows above the data table. These are pre-set to the project name and the company name, but you may edit them if you wish.  The web page also contains two small hotlink lines below the table and you may also edit both the link text and the URL to which they take the user when clicked. If you do not wish to include titles or links, simply delete the text.  The web page options panel appears on the  [image] icon dialog when the web page destination option is selected.

If you do not like the default colour scheme of the web page generated you may select different colours using the regular PlanBee colour selection dialog on the Options… item of the main menu.  You also have the option of not using colours in the web page.


Recalculation Options

PlanBee normally recalculates the dates of a project automatically after you make a change which will affect them. To avoid slowing you down it waits until you have stopped entering items before doing this.  On a slow computer or with a large project (hundreds of tasks), this may result in unacceptable delays.  To avoid this, you may turn off the Auto-Recalculation option by unchecking that option on the File menu.  You will then be required to initiate recalculation yourself by pressing the F9 key (just like in a spreadsheet) or by clicking on the [image] toolbar button which is enabled (i.e. not Greyed-Out) when Auto-Recalculation is off. To ensure that a recalculation takes place immediately you may press F9 at any time.


Resource Assignment

  feature

PlanBee can keep track of the resources assigned to a project and of the associated costs (note that PlanBee can also track a cost not related to task duration as a One Time Event Cost). To invoke this feature, from the Spread Sheet view depress the Resources button [image] on the toolbar. PlanBee will display a resource list for the currently selected task:

and a Resources Master list.

To add an item to the Resource Master list, you may click on the Add Resource button and enter its details in the row which will be displayed.

You may change the sequence of items in the Resource Master List by "Drag and Drop" with your mouse. The sequence of resources in the resource calendar will also change to match.

You may delete the currently selected item from the Master Resource List by pressing the [CTRL][DELETE] key combination, provided that the resource is  not in use in the current project.

You may change the name of a resource by editing its entry in the master resource list and the matching changes will be made throughout the project (e.g. you might have a first-line supervisor position called "foreman" but you want to refer to it as "Supervisor" for the current project - try this on the "pipeline" sample file).

You may (but are not required to) also add a limit to the number of a resource available to the project.  If the limit is exceeded you will be alerted in the Resource Calendar.

Note that changing the Resource Master List in a project does not alter any copies of that list saved elsewhere unless it is re-saved.  The Master Resource List for a project is saved as part of that project file.

To add a resource to the currently selected task, select that resource and then click on the Add …to … button and then insert the number of that resource being assigned if you want a number other than one, which is added by default.  Each time you click the button one more item of that resource is added. You may edit the amount yourself and may use two decimal places in the amount of a resource assigned.  The cost of that resource for that task will be computed using the task duration and the cost per day figure from the resource master list.

You may copy total cost data to the clipboard by using the Copy Cost Incurrence Calendar item on the Edit menu.  When pasted into another program (e.g. Word or Excel) this will provide three columns: Date, Cost on that date, Cumulative cost to that date.

Saving and Loading the Resource Master List


Saving and Loading the Resource Master List

  feature

If you wish to use the same Master Resource List for another project, you may save it using the Save Master Resource List function of the File menu. You may load a Master Resource List by using the Load Master Resource List function on the File menu, provided you do so before you have assigned any resources in the current project.


The Resource Calendar

 feature

The Resource Calendar gives details of how resources are used by the various tasks. It appears when the [image] toolbar button is depressed.

The right hand panel provides a matrix with resources along the top and dates down, covering the whole period of the project.

The repeated [image] button permits toggling off and on of the Resource Master list and Resource Assignment panels. The Resource Calendar panel is closed by using the [X] button on its own toolbar.

Notice in the matrix that the "Date" header is red, as is the "Labourer" column header and the 28-Dec-1999 row header. The red colour indicates a resource overload, as may be seen in the cell at the intersection.

This gives you feedback about resource overloads as you are adding resources to tasks.  You may then decide to increase the amount of that resource available to the project, to take some action which will move the starting date of that activity or some other activity or to lower the resource usage per day by adjusting the duration of the task to maintain the same number of resource-days.  PlanBee Pro provides several tools to assist with resource leveling.

The left hand panel shows the tasks which use the selected resource on the date selected (or optionally on any date).  Right-clicking on one of these task names will bring that task into focus on the main panel to make it easier for you to adjust resource use.

Clicking the [image] button will maximize the grid to fill the window, to give a broader picture of the resource/date matrix.

This matrix may be exported by using the [image] button for use in other programs - for example exporting into Microsoft Excel permitted construction of a graphical chart of resource usage:

You may copy total cost data to the clipboard by using the Copy Cost Incurrence Calendar item on the Edit menu.  When pasted into another program (e.g. Word or Excel) this will provide three columns: Date, Cost on that date, Cumulative cost to that date.


Resource Leveling Techniques

  feature

Once you have prepared your plan, you may find that you have a situation where you sometimes need more of a resource than is available. There are several ways in which you may resolve this situation, however some of them may delay the overall project completion.  PlanBee helps you to analyse your possible strategies, by showing you their likely outcomes.

Force a task to move its timing:

PlanBee permits you to fix the finish time of a task.  Although this is mainly provided for inserting known finish dates for completion reporting, it also permits you to set a fixed future date for a task to finish and to see what effect that has on other tasks and on the overall project.  PlanBee also permits you to delay the start of a task, to "nudge" it ahead in time by using the Can't start before option. In this case, if you adjust some other task the task you 'nudged" may move ahead even more. The task is not fixed in time, merely constrained not to start before a given date.  These options are available by checking the appropriate box: , however only one may be selected for any given task.

Set resource constraint precedents:

PlanBee Pro permits you to have several "Families" of dependencies in a plan, and to activate and de-activate them.  You could set a "special" precedent from the finish of one conflicting task to the start of the other, so that may not be active at the same time. If you have set several of these, and wish to see how  resource constraints are affecting your overall project, you may de-activate that family of constraints using the Options…   Select precedence Links to Use…  menu selection.

Task Spreading:

Sometimes you can resolve a resource conflict by spreading a task over a longer period so that less work needs to be done per day. For example, in the simplified pipeline project the task "Assemble Crews" and Assemble Equipment" both require 60% of the time of a foreman - one for 3 days and one for five days.

Since those task overlap, there is a resource overload, as shown in the resource calendar:

Clicking the [image] button on the Resource Calendar toolbar brings up this panel

which permits you to adjust the duration of a task while keeping the total work constant in resource-days.

Here PlanBee has detected that the "Assemble Equipment" task may be spread over a greater period, without affecting any other tasks (i.e. it has "Free Float"). Clicking the "Spread Task" button will increase the duration of the "Assemble Equipment" task, while reducing the resource usage per day to maintain the same total resource-hours of work. Alternatively, you may enter a new duration of your choice in the edit box and click the "Change..." button. Planbee will also detect and display if appropriate situations where a task may start earlier than scheduled (because it has a finish-to-finish dependency) or where it may finish later without affecting the finish date of the plan, but will affect other tasks (i.e. it has "Interfering Float").  Because this is often a trial-and-error process, an "undo" function is provided. (The "undo" data is maintained in a file with the same name as the plan, but with the extension "UNDO" - you may delete this file once you are sure that you are satisfied with your task spreading.)

In the example chosen, spreading the task over 5 days requires 36% of the foreman's time and brings resource usage under the limit.


PERT View of Project
PERT View

Another common representation of projects is the PERT chart, shown above.  This view will be displayed in its own window when the PERT button [image] on the main window's toolbar is depressed.

The PERT window may be re-sized by "dragging" its borders with the mouse. The size of the elements may be changed by using the "Scale" buttons, which will change the number of tasks shown on the screen or printed on a page.

Note that the currently selected task is shown on a pale blue background and that the selected row in the spreadsheet window and the selected task box in the PERT window are kept synchronized. If you click on a node in the PERT view, that task becomes the current selection in the spreadsheet view and if you click on a task in the spreadsheet view, that task's node appears in the PERT view window.

Many operations in PlanBee can be conducted from the PERT view of a project.  The name and duration of a task may be edited in the boxes above the chart (however, specifying working or non-working days must be done in the spreadsheet view).

The PERT chart is auto-positioned in its window so that when you click on a task in the spread sheet view it will be in the portion of the chart displayed.  You may turn this feature off by unchecking the box in the PERT window.

The following functions may be performed by right-clicking on the PERT chart nodes

Function	Valid for	Description
Add New Task	Empty position	Create a new task in the selected position on the chart.  You may add task name and duration in the boxes at the head of the chart.
Delete This Task	Occupied Position	Delete the selected task provided that there are no links involving it.  Links must be removed using the Spread Sheet view.
Pick Up This Task	Occupied Position	You may wish to move a task to a different location on the chart.  Right clicking it and then selecting this function will "pick up" the task. You may then select an empty position for it and put it down either by left-clicking the desired position or by right clicking it and selecting "put down".
Put Down Picked Up Task	Empty position	See above.
Add Precedent Link*	Occupied Position	When this function is selected, a precedent link is created leading to this task.  The other end of the link is set by left-clicking on the precedent task or by right-clicking on the precedent task and selecting Complete Pending Link.
Add Dependent Link*	Occupied Position	When this function is selected, a dependent link is created leading from this task.  The other end of the link is set by left-clicking on the dependent task or by right-clicking on the dependent task and selecting Complete Pending Link.
Complete Pending Link	Occupied Position	See above
Cancel Pending Action	Any position	Cancel any pending action started by a right-click on the PERT chart.

*Note that the system will not allow you to specify a link which would create circular dependencies.

Auto Alignment of PERT chart.

Printing a PERT Chart

Using PERT Chart in other applications


Auto Alignment of PERT chart.

If you wish to "unscramble" a convoluted chart, you may click on the "AutoAlign" button to have PlanBee arrange your nodes in a way which seems logical to it.  Usually you will only want this if you have made some changes which involve deleting tasks, or if you have specified some tasks in the Spread Sheet view, which does not assign chart positions.  If you do not like the details of the alignment which results you may move specific tasks by "picking them up" using the right-click menu in the PERT window.


Printing a PERT Chart

The "Printed Pages" note tells you how many pages it will take to print your current chart on the currently selected orientation (portrait or landscape) of the currently selected paper of the currently selected printer.  You may adjust the scale of the chart for both screen and printer purposes by clicking the "Scale" buttons.  Frequently a chart under-uses the last pages of a printout and may be fitted onto a smaller number of pages by setting a slightly smaller scale.

The chart may be printed either by selecting the Print Pert Chart function on the File menu or by clicking on the printer icon in the PERT window.


Using PERT Chart in other applications

In order to use the chart in other applications, the Edit menu of the PERT form provides the means to copy the chart to the clipboard either as a bitmap of the currently displayed portion (ideal for pasting into a word processor when writing a report) or as a vector graphic of the whole chart for pasting into a vector graphics program such as Corel Draw or for output to a large format vector device like a plotter.


GANTT (Bar Chart) View of Project

A popular way to visualize the timing of a project is to view it as a GANTT Chart, often called a Bar Chart or a Time Line.

PlanBee maintains a Gantt Chart in its own window, which may be shown or hidden by toggling the [image] button on the toolbar.

This chart can show both the planned timing for tasks and the proportion of a task which has been completed.

If something is of zero duration it is known as an "event". It is shown with a diamond shape:

since otherwise there would be no method of indicating completion by filling the shape with silver shading.

The chart may be copied to the clipboard by clicking on the "Clipboard" icon, or printed by clicking on the "Printer" icon.  Copying the chart to the clipboard is a convenient way of incorporating it (or parts of it) in another application such as a report.

The size of the Gantt window may be changed by "dragging" its borders with the mouse.

The Time Scale buttons allow you to squeeze or expand the time scale which is useful for the Clipboard and Printer operations as well as for direct viewing. The display shows the number of printed pages which will result.

Note that sometimes switching to printing in "Landscape" format may result in more efficient use of paper.

When copying the chart to the clipboard, you may adjust the size and scale of the chart before clicking the clipboard button to choose what you will paste into your other application.  If you are transferring a large chart into another document in several pieces you may wish to use a different scale for the different pieces.

Although not a usual feature of Gantt charts, PlanBee allows you to show the dependencies between tasks as purple arrows (like those in the PERT view) when you check the "Show Dependencies" box.

In some circumstances you may wish to print a bar chart showing durations and progress only, without the "float" portions.  You may do this by unchecking the "Show Float" box before printing.

You may see other details concerning Gantt Charts in the introduction section.

The Gantt chart is auto-positioned in its window so that when you click on a task in the spread sheet view it will be in the portion of the chart displayed.  You may turn this feature off by unchecking the box in the Gantt window.


Colour Choices

The colours used in PlanBee have been chosen to suit most situations, however they may be changed by using the menu item Options…  Change Colours….

This results in display of the dialog:

Initially only the leftmost dialog box is displayed, containing the description of the items whose colours may be changed.  Those descriptions are written in the currently selected colour, where it is dark enough to show up against the background as well as being shown as a solid block.

Clicking on one of the item names brings up the standard Windows color choice dialog.


Reporting Progress with PlanBee

PlanBee permits you to keep track of progress on your projects. When the progress reporting button [image] on the toolbar is depressed, a progress reporting panel is displayed. The status of the currently selected task may be entered by clicking the appropriate button.

The progress of a task is also indicated by a grey "thermometer bar" across the top of its task name.

In printed reports, the progress of a task is shown by means of a circular target with a black segment indicating progress [image] once progress has commenced for that item.

All progress items in a project may be zeroed-out by using the appropriate button on the Project Options panel.  This may be useful for handling a project which is repeated several times, just clear the progress and choose a new start date.

If you wish to re-calculate your plan based on a task being completed earlier or later than scheduled, you may set its actual finish time by checkmarking the green Fixed Finish box and selecting the actual finish date. If you wish, you may have PlanBee calculate and insert percent complete figures for tasks when you set a fixed finish date by checkmarking the box: .

Since estimates of "percent complete" can be very inaccurate it is advisable to define tasks with short durations (a week to a month is good) and to report actual completion dates.

There is also a short-cut button on the "Percent Complete" panel to mark all tasks as 'Up to date".


Administrative Details

  feature

Clicking the [image] button on the toolbar opens the Administrative Details panel:

This panel allows you to maintain additional data which is frequently required for larger plans in a corporate setting.

Tasks which have notes associated with them are indicated by a paperclip symbol [image] next to the row number. The notes for a task may be up to 127 characters in length.

The Cost Code entered is used optionally in the PlanBee reports and is exportable for use in other processes.  Multiple tasks may be assigned the same cost code.

The resource costs incurred by a task are calculated based on the per-day cost of the resources assigned to the task. Frequently a task also has costs which are independent of its duration and of the resources assigned (for example a permit fee may be required). Costs such as this are added as a "One time Event Cost".  A reason for the one-time cost may be entered in a box which appears when a non-zero amount is entered as a One-time Event Cost.  The event costs and the resource costs are calculated for each task and pyramided up to the higher group/header levels.

In many cases a "unique key" or code must be assigned to a task to relate it to external data.  PlanBee permits you to enter such a code and ensures that it is unique - duplicates are not permitted to be entered.

The name of a "manager" may be entered. This is likely to be the person or authority responsible for the performance of the task.  It is exportable and in a large organization will probably comprise the email address of such a person, so that an external process using exported data may send notes automatically.


Language for Dates

PlanBee basic uses the local language in which Windows was installed for the expression of dates in its charts and reports.

  feature

PlanBee Pro provides, in addition, the pre-programmed ability to express dates in English, French, German and Spanish.  It also provides the ability to use Roman numerals instead of day or month names and to enter and save day and month names in any other language. This function is found on the Options…  Language Options For Dates… menu item.


Printing Reports

The printing function for text reports is located on the File menu. The View/Print Report function displays a panel showing a preview of the printed report.

The following options may be checkmarked:

Option	Action if checked
Include Line Numbers	Each task or heading line of the output report will be listed with its task list row number for reference purposes
Show Precedent Relationships	The precedents for each task will be listed, with details of the type of dependency.  Where there are multiple precedents, the one which governs the task  timing of the dependent is indicated.
feature Resources	The resources assigned to each task are included in the report.
feature Costs	The costs for each activity are listed and totaled for the activity. If there are group/heading levels shown, costs at each level are subtotaled.
feature Notes	Include Task Notes from Administrative Details
feature Manager	Include Manager name or code from Administrative Details
feature Unique Key	Include Unique key from Administrative Details
The report may be copied to the clipboard by clicking on the [image] icon, which permits it to be pasted into other files.  It may be directed to the printer by clicking on the [image] icon or to a Rich Text File (RTF) by clicking on the [image] icon.  Note that the RTF file will probably need to be viewed and/or printed in landscape mode.

  featureA web page may be produced by clicking the [image] icon.

Note that you may create your own reports by using the function to export results via the clipboard.  This gives you the ability to format your own reports with a word processing or spreadsheet program.

You may copy total cost data to the clipboard by using the Copy Cost Incurrence Calendar item on the Edit menu.  When pasted into another program (e.g. Word or Excel) this will provide three columns: Date, Cost on that date, Cumulative cost to that date.


Network File Sharing

If two or more copies of PlanBee on a network (or even on a single computer) have the same plan open at the same time, there could be a risk of one copy overwriting changes just saved by the other copy.  To avoid this, PlanBee ensures that when two copies of it have the same plan open, only one of them (usually the first to open it) may save it back to the same file.

When a second copy opens that plan, a warning is displayed that its access is read-only to that file.

A user has the option of opening a plan as read-only (by setting the appropriate check-box in the open dialog) even if he/she is the first to open it and in this circumstance somebody else may open it and save changes.

If the copy currently having write access does not exit properly (e.g. the machine is turned off or Windows crashes), other copies will not know that the file is now available for writing and may falsely report that someone else has it open.  If that occurs, the "lock" may be forcibly broken by deleting the file with the same name as the plan, but with the extension LCK.  Before doing that, you should check to ensure that this is the situation by checking with the user named in the warning message you saw when you opened the plan (you will need to close and reopen the plan once the lock is broken).


The Sample Plans

Several sample plans are included to give you the opportunity to become familiar with the system:

Newsletter:

Most groups or departments need at some time to issue a newsletter. This example will therefore be familiar to most.

Charity Lottery:

In many jurisdictions, charities or non-profits may conduct lotteries only under government supervision.  This usually involves legal deadlines expressed in calendar, rather than working, days.

Pipeline:

This (contrived and simplified) example is included to show the operation of various kinds of dependencies and time lags, including finish-to-start, start-to-start and finish-to-finish.

It also demonstrates the use of headings and groups to enhance reporting and to subtotal resource costs.

Advertising Campaign:

This is an example of a product launch with three simultaneous campaigns.

The Great Mail Train Robbery

Just after 3 o'clock in the morning, Thursday 8th August 1963, on a stretch of railway track in Buckinghamshire, England sixteen men ambushed the Glasgow-to London main train. Their total booty that night was £2,631,784  - worth over £26 million ($20,000,000) today.

"CHEDDINGTON, England--A well-drilled gang of about 30 masked bandits ambushed a mail train Thursday and escaped with loot estimated at millions of dollars in perhaps the biggest robbery of all time.

"The job was executed at 3:15 a.m., 40 miles north of London with precision and teamwork that pointed to the strategy of an underworld mastermind who has met with success in previous British train and bullion robberies.

"The gang first overpowered the railway signalman and set the signals for 'danger,'  stopping the train. They seized the engineer and fireman, expertly uncoupled the  engine and the first two cars, forced the engineer to drive them a mile down the track, then, smoothly swept up 120 mail sacks containing cash and diamonds.

"They made a getaway in two army-style trucks and a fast car. ...

"The ambush occurred at a lonely crossing by a signal which the bandits had rigged to appear red. They did not disturb electronic 'fail-safe' gadgets, but covered the green signal with a glove and used flashlights to shine a light through the red panel of the signal. The train halted exactly where they wanted it.

"When Co-Engineer David Whitby, 26, stepped down to see what was wrong with the signals, he and Engineer Jack Mills, 58, were seized by one group of bandits wearing silk stockings over their heads.

"At the same time, another group uncoupled the first two coaches, while postal workers in the remaining seven cars continued their routine unaware of the drama up front. ...

"The entire operation ... took only 15 minutes."

--compiled by Susan Schuurman

Source: Albuquerque Journal;

Aug. 9, 1963

In a book published shortly afterwards (Network Analysis for Planning and Scheduling - MacMillan & Co Ltd), a British university lecturer in Management Science, Albert Battersby suggested that a robbery of such complexity was probably planned using critical path techniques.  He suggested that Law Enforcement agencies could benefit from studying such plans on a theoretical basis to determine their weaknesses.  He designed and published such a plan for robbing a mail train and this example is based on his plan. Do not try this at home.


	Registration and Payment

The evaluation version of PlanBee is fully functional for a 30 day trial period.  At the end of the trial period, the Save function in the evaluation version will be disabled.  You may still experiment with plans and print the results but you will not be able to save the updated plan file until you pay for the product.

Registration and payment supplies the right to the continued use of the product after the 30 day free trial, and the elimination of the reminder screens and the comment lines in the reports which indicate that they were produced by an unpaid evaluation version.  It does not rescind the legal disclaimer of liability under which this product is used.

Credit card and other non-cash orders may be submitted online by clicking the Buy Now button at the right hand end of the PlanBee toolbar.

Depending on the source from which you obtained your evaluation copy, certain purchase options may not be available in the on-line system. Some software download sites have exclusive relationships with particular payment processors. If the online system has a record of that, your order will be directed via that payment processor.

A cash order form may be obtained by printing the topic INVOICE which may be mailed along with a cheque or money order to:

Guy Software,

1752 Duchess Avenue

West Vancouver

British Columbia  V7V 1P9

Canada   	 (sales@guysoftware.com)

(Non-Prepaid purchase orders are accepted only from government entities or major corporations and are subject to a $10.00 US handling charge and are subject to $150.00 minimum order quantity. They may be faxed to (604)926-1346)

Prices (US Dollars)

Price for delivery by Electronic Download (no shipped media)

	PlanBee (basic)	PlanBee Pro
Single User	$29.98	$69.98
Six User Package	$129.98	$299.98
Twenty User Package	$329.98	$769.98
For shipped media add:

CD with printable manual on the CD, by mail	$10.00
Disk and printed manual, by mail	$20.00
Disk and printed manual by express courier	$50.00

For classroom use in a bona fide educational institution the six user package may be used for any number of users in the same classroom.

For the single copy licence, if PLANBEE is installed on the internal hard drive (or equivalent) of a computer and one person uses that computer more than 80% of the time it is in use, then that person may use PLANBEE on one other computer.

Because of advancing technology in electronic commerce, other payment options in addition to those listed above may be available when you read this.  They will be listed on the PlanBee web page http://www.guysoftware.com/planbee.htm and if your web browser is appropriately configured, you may access it by clicking the blue link text.


Registration and Payment via CompuServe

CompuServe provides a convenient route for the registration of Shareware, via a portal to the Atlantic Coast Soft-Shop registration service.

To use this service, GO SWREG on CompuServe and follow the prompts to register Registration ID  #93016689571.


Upgrade to PlanBee Pro

As a paid-up user of PlanBee (basic) you are eligible to upgrade to PlanBee Pro for $39.98 (USD) for electronic delivery (Regular price: $69.98).

Similar discounts apply to the other packages:

	Regular price	Upgrade Price
Single user	$69.98	$39.98
Six user package	$329.98	$169.98
Twenty user package	$769.98	$439.98


PlanBee Pro Features

The following features are available only in PlanBee Pro after expiry of the trial period:

Resource Allocation and Leveling

Costing Functions

Web page output

Administrative Detail Editing

•	Notes assigned to tasks

•	Cost Account Codes

•	Manager Names

•	Unique Key (for use in exporting to external databases)

Choice of Language for Dates

•	Language of current version of Windows (the default in "basic")

•	English

•	French

•	German

•	Spanish

•	Roman Numerals

•	User Defined

Automatic Emphasis (an aid in selecting exporting details)

Hiding and Inactivating Dependency Links Grouped into "Families"

Specifying "Marginal" Criticality

For details about upgrading to PlanBee Pro click here.


About PlanBee Pro

The basic PlanBee contains all that you need to produce simple plans.  However, for large, complex plans and for use in a corporate environment additional features are frequently necessary. These extra features are marked:   feature, both on the screen and in the help file.

The Pro features are available in all copies of PlanBee for the first thirty days after initial installation.  After that evaluation period they are only available in PlanBee Pro.

Purchasers of the basic PlanBee licence may easily upgrade later if they discover that they need Pro features.  The paid-up basic version has an Upgrade link which allows the user to buy a licenced copy of PlanBee Pro at a reduced rate.


Special PlanBee Pro Price for ParseRat

PlanBee is starting your Internet browser to connect to http://www.guysoftware.com/planbeeorderparserat.shtml so that you may order ParseRat at the special price of $29.95 (regular price $49.95).

ParseRat Details

ParseRat  v2.0 Parses, converts and restructures files.

•	Reads most files including XML, web pages and tables,  page image print files and other multi-line data blocks from other processes, fixed format, delimited, dBase, structured binary, etc.

•	Can import from system clipboard. Valuable for extracting data from legacy processes or those where data can only be exported as printed reports.  Reads ASCII and EBCDIC.

•	Intelligently parses and converts dates (including Julian and Y2K), names and addresses into components, genderize names, etc. can generate Soundex and perform intelligent DeDuplication.

•	Restructure names into different element sequence (e.g. from "phonebook" format to "mailing list" format including elimination of noise words like "fax line" or "residence").  Generate titles (Mr, Ms. etc) from first names.

•	Convert addresses into standard (user defined) formats. Automatically recognize and extract URL or EMail addresses from input records.

•	Convert string output to UPPER CASE, lower case, Proper Case (Mixed Case - with intelligent handling of capitalization exceptions like McDonald, O'Rourke WordPerfect).  Convert numeric information from decimal, hex or scientific to decimal, hex or scientific notation.

•	Convert measurement units and perform arithmetic on incoming fields.

•	Output as XML, fixed format, delimited, mailmerge or dBase. Can export to system clipboard for pasting into other programs and databases.

•	No "Language" to learn, all done by point-and-click in Windows.

•	Standalone less than two megabyte executable which does not rely on the presence of the database engines of other products.


Planbee Order Form/Invoice
 	CASH  INVOICE

Name:  _________________________________________	Supply of  the PLANBEE System as below

PlanBee basic licence one user by download	$29.98

Address:  _______________________________________	PlanBee Pro licence one user by download	$69.98

PlanBee basic licence six users by download	$129.98

_______________________________________________	PlanBee Pro licence six users by download	$299.98

Add for CD with printable manual on the CD	$10.00

_______________________________________________	Add for mailed disk with printed manual 	$20.00

Payment Enclosed (US Funds):.	$______________

_______________________________________________	For electronic download registration,

please give Email  or Fax address  ____________________

to send registration code

Cheques/Money Orders must have a US Bank named on the face.

Fold here first

AFFIX
POSTAGE

GUY SOFTWARE

1752 Duchess Avenue

West Vancouver

British Columbia   V7V 1P9

CANADA

Fold Here second and then tape edges


			Public software Library	Credit Card Orders Only

You can order with MC, Visa, Amex or Discover from Public (software) Library - a Digital River company - by calling 800-2424-PsL extension 16027 or 713-524-6394 extension 16027.  You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at PO Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705.    In all cases please include the name exactly as on the card and the expiration date, in addition to the card number and your name and address (please include also the card billing address if different - this is a bank requirement).  For Email orders please include the word order  in the subject line.  For electronic registration, please remember to include your Email or Fax address for the registration code to be sent to.  On the World Wide Web you may click here to use PsL's online DigiBuy order screen http://www.digibuy.com/cgi-bin/order.html?102037+93329965324   or link to it from http://www.guysoftware.com/planbee.htm

The above numbers are for orders only.

Please quote item/product code # 16027

Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses etc. must be directed to:

	1752 Duchess Avenue West Vancouver BC   Canada    V7V 1P9 (604)926-1370         sales@guysoftware.com

To ensure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship directly to you.


SWREG Fax order for PlanBee (#93016689571)

Ship-To Name & Address:

First/Middle Name:	Last Name:
Company name:

Address line 1:

Address line 2:

City:	State/Province     --U.S. & Canada only:
Zip, Country:	Phone:	Fax:
Your email address:

Credit card number (MC, Visa, Amex, Discover, Switch, Delta, Eurocard, Diner's):	Expiration- Month/Year: Issue Number (Switch) Start Date (Diner's):

Credit Card Holder's Name & Address for verification: Do NOT enter the BANK's name or address in the fields below. Enter the address where the cardholder receives the statements. (Only fill out the spaces below if the credit card holder's name or address is DIFFERENT from the Ship-To name and address entered in the spaces above.)

Name on the card:	Company name:
Address line 1:

Address line 2:

City:	State/Province:	Zip, Country:

Order Details

Item	Price	Number	Subtotal
Electronic registration of PlanBee (URL download code only)	$29.98	_______	_____________
Regular registration, includes manual and latest version	$39.98	_______	_____________
Network license, up to six simultaneous users on network	$129.98	_______	_____________
Additional users on network	$10.00	_______	_____________
Shipping and handling outside Canada and USA (not applicable to "URL code only")	$10.00	_______	_____________
Fax Handling Fee	$3.00	1 _______	$3.00 _____________
		Total: US Dollars	_____________
	Signature: __________________________________
To order by fax using a credit card, please print out this document, complete it and fax to SWREG at one of the numbers below. All are toll free unless marked with a *. If your country is not listed please fax to the USA number +1(978) 336-0331

Australia 1800 013971 Canada (866)723-3438 Finland 0925 360011 * France 0800 917034 Germany 0800 1808295	Ireland 1800 509147 Italy 800 781703 New Zealand 0508 555300 Portugal 800 844030	Spain 900 95 8968 Sweden 0207 94125 Switzerland 0800 835132 UK dial 01297 553366 * USA (866) 219 9380


DISCLAIMER
DISCLAIMER: The supplier and author bear no liability to the licensee or any other person or entity for any damage or loss, including special, incidental or consequential damages caused by this product directly or indirectly.  The software is supplied "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Warranties of merchantability or of fitness for any purpose are specifically disclaimed.


This Help File
	The help file author tool for WinWord

This Help file was produced by the HELLLP! file authoring system.

HELLLP! is a user-friendly system to aid in the production of Windows help (HLP) files. It requires a 32 bit Microsoft Word for Windows (Word version 8/Office 97, Word 2000 or Word 2002/Office XP).

HELLLP! is available as shareware from many sources and is always available from links on http://www.guysoftware.com/helllp.html at which site the author and distributor may also be contacted.


About Shareware:

Shareware is copyrighted software that is distributed by authors through bulletin boards, the Internet, on-line services and CD-Rom vendors.

Shareware allows you to try the software for a reasonable limited period.  If you decide not to continue using it, you throw it away and forget about it. You only pay for it if you continue to use it. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You benefit because you get to use the software to determine whether it meets your needs, before you pay for it.

The shareware system and the continued availability of quality shareware products depend on your willingness to register and pay for the shareware you use. It's the registration fees you pay which allow authors to support and continue to develop our products. Please show your support for shareware by registering and paying for those programs you actually use.


	EGISTER HERE

PlanBee has been made available to you on a 30 day free trial.

According to our records that period has now expired and the Save function is now unavailable.

You may legally continue to use the product while your payment (click here for pricing details) and registration is being processed, but otherwise you should cease its use and remove it from your machine.

You may make your payment by any of several methods:

Click the Buy Now button on the PlanBee toolbar to buy online (you will need an internet connection).

Click here to pay by Cheque or Money Order by Mail

Because of advancing technology in electronic commerce, other payment options in addition to those listed above may be available when you read this. These will be accessible via http://www.guysoftware.com/planbee.htm

Clicking on this link will connect you if you have a recent browser and an Internet connection.


	EGISTER HERE

PlanBee has been made available to you on a 30 day free trial.

According to our records that period has now expired and the Save function is now unavailable.

You may legally continue to use the product while your payment and registration is being processed, but otherwise you should cease its use and remove it from your machine.

Click the Buy Now button on the PlanBee toolbar to buy online (you will need an internet connection).


Upgrades & Fixes
Updates & Fixes

Any upgrades, maintenance releases and frequently asked questions will be posted at http://www.guysoftware.com/planbee.htm

Clicking on this link will connect you if you have a recent browser and an Internet connection.


Uninstalling PlanBee

The standard PlanBee installation routine sets up an uninstall facility.  To use it, select MyComputer [image],  ControlPanel [image], Add/Remove [image] then select PlanBee and click Add/Remove.

Some installations may also have an Uninstall function in the PlanBee folder on the Start menu.

Please note that if you have created new plans the uninstall process will not remove them.


Reinstalling or Transferring PlanBee

If you wish to reinstall a registered copy of PlanBee or transfer it to a new machine or hard drive, you may do so as follows.

Immediately before the transfer:

Click on the Help menu within PlanBee and select Registration Details.  Write down the user name and registration code number which appears.

Transferring your licence:

If you are restoring all of your hard drive files via a backup utility, no further action is required.  Your licence is transferred automatically.

If you are installing from a new downloaded copy and you have retained a previous key file which had been emailed to you, process it as originally instructed and your licence will be installed automatically.

If none of the above methods applies, enter the user name and registration code number (which you wrote down before commencing the transfer) in the registration dialog box within 28 days.


Version History

1.0	First public release.
1.0a	Added "confirmation" on exit. Added "Search for help on" to help menu. Fixed bug which gave false "Late Finish" to a task which had nothing dependent on its finish but tasks dependent on its start. Updated ordering information to reflect PsL merger with Digital River.
1.0b	Fixed bug which allowed heading rows to be offered as available precedents. Added command line option to open a file. Added "Recently Used" list to Files menu. Added ability to start program by double click on PLB files in Explorer.
1.0c	Corrected problem with multiple-copy printing with some printer drivers. Corrected problem which sometimes lost "percent completed" data.
1.0d	Added warning before adding new task row at bottom. Added option to calculate float as working days or calendar days. Check for file name validity before suggesting new filename.
1.0e	Added ALT option to INSERT key to make the new task dependent on the task above it. Cosmetic compatibility with Windows XP. Can now show critical tasks in red on charts. Will now work with no printer driver selected.
1.0f	Added ability to import task lists from a file or from the clipboard. Improved file sharing strategies in network use.
2.0	Choice of columns for clipboard export. Windows positions saved between sessions. Enhanced navigation for large plans.   features Administrative detail functions. Resource assignment, cost and leveling functions. Marginal criticality functions. Choice of language for dates. Hiding and Inactivating Dependency Links Grouped into "Families" Automatic Emphasis for selective export of task details
2.0a	Trial period restarts if new version installed. (This also permits paid-up users of a previous version to try the new "Pro" features - they get a free upgrade to version 2.0 "Basic"). Corrected error in converting resource counts from version 1 files.
2.0b	Added duration and float to PERT chart Tidied up date grid on very compressed Gantt charts. Added "Tip of the Day" function.
2.0c	Added import ability for more task details. Added Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) export and import. Added ability to export data to a web page. Added ability to export report to a Rich Text File (RTF)


Welcome to the World of PlanBee

This help file topic has been displayed automatically because this is the first time that this version of PlanBee has been run on this computer (if you were using a 30 day trial copy of a previous version, your trial period has been re-started).  In future, you may display the help file any time you wish by clicking the [image] button on the program toolbar (click it here to display the help file table of contents).

You may change many of the options (e.g. the colours) by using items on the Options …  menu item.

You may uninstall PlanBee easily if you decide that you do not wish to keep it on this computer.You will find more information, including a printable manual available for downloading at http://www.guysoftware.com/planbee.htm.

To gain familiarity with PlanBee, you should experiment with the sample plans included with this system.  To access them, select the File  Open  menu selection or click on the [image] button.

Quick Start

If you want to start a project quickly - without worrying about theory, follow these steps (you might want to print this topic).

1)	Click the "New" icon (the one at the left of the toolbar) or select File…  New… and enter your project's basic details in the panel which appears.  You may also set a start date in that panel. Then click the OK button.

2)	Enter your first task's name and duration in Row 1 and press the [DOWNARROW] key on your keyboard.

3)	Repeat to enter task 2 in row 2.

4)	Repeat for all tasks.

5)	Now it's time to enter "precedent dependencies".  If you are laying a pipe, you must dig a trench first - you will have situations like this in your project.  Select the row with the dependent activity (e.g. "Lay the Pipe") and click the "Add Precedent" button - a panel will appear with the other tasks listed.  Select the "precedent task" in that list (e.g. "Dig the Trench") and click OK.

6)	Do this for all tasks which depend on other tasks.

Congratulations, you have a plan.


Status Number

If you are not a programmer you should probably ignore the Status Number on the export panel.  It is an integer which carries some of the attributes of a task grid row on a "bit map" basis.

Number contains bit for:	Row Attribute
1	Header Level 1
2	Header Level 2
4	Header Level 3
8	Duration is calendar days
16	Task has fixed finish date
32	Task is emphasized
64	Internal use only
128	Internal use only
256	Task is associated with selected resource
512	Task has constrained early start


Click on the [image] button on the program toolbar to display the main help file.


ParseRat, File Parser Converter and Restructurer

http://www.guysoftware.com/parserat.htm

Most products are able to import data either from the system clipboard, or from a tab-delimited or comma separated file and these are provided directly by PlanBee.

If you need the fields arranged in a different sequence, or if you need the data in a different file format (e.g. DBF or XML), then ParseRat may be what you need.  You may download a free evaluation copy by clicking on the picture above or by entering the web site into your browser.

Buyers of PlanBee Pro may buy ParseRat (a $49.95 value) for $29.95.  The special price is available from a link which will be activated on the PlanBee Task Detail Export panel once you have paid for PlanBee Pro.

ParseRat Details

ParseRat  v2.0 Parses, converts and restructures files.

•	Reads most files including XML, web pages and tables,  page image print files and other multi-line data blocks from other processes, fixed format, delimited, dBase, structured binary, etc.

•	Can import from system clipboard. Valuable for extracting data from legacy processes or those where data can only be exported as printed reports.  Reads ASCII and EBCDIC.

•	Intelligently parses and converts dates (including Julian and Y2K), names and addresses into components, genderize names, etc. can generate Soundex and perform intelligent DeDuplication.

•	Restructure names into different element sequence (e.g. from "phonebook" format to "mailing list" format including elimination of noise words like "fax line" or "residence").  Generate titles (Mr, Ms. etc) from first names.

•	Convert addresses into standard (user defined) formats. Automatically recognize and extract URL or EMail addresses from input records.

•	Convert string output to UPPER CASE, lower case, Proper Case (Mixed Case - with intelligent handling of capitalization exceptions like McDonald, O'Rourke WordPerfect).  Convert numeric information from decimal, hex or scientific to decimal, hex or scientific notation.

•	Convert measurement units and perform arithmetic on incoming fields.

•	Output as XML, fixed format, delimited, mailmerge or dBase. Can export to system clipboard for pasting into other programs and databases.

•	No "Language" to learn, all done by point-and-click in Windows.

•	Standalone less than two megabyte executable which does not rely on the presence of the database engines of other products.