Project Planning

Allegra allows you to plan and execute projects. The planning includes a time planning and, optionally, a resource planning.

The planning process is as follows:

  1. You create a project structure with all known items and collective activities without dates (see Work Breakdown Structure).

  2. You create a schedule with the scheduling of the items and the consideration of dependencies (see Enter Work Breakdown Structure).

  3. You optionally plan the effort for the items (see Cost Centers and Accounts).

  4. You optionally allocate resources and make sure that none is overloaded (see Plan Resources).

Scheduling and resource planning usually have to be created iteratively in several cycles since there are dependencies between them. If, for example, a resource is not available, this can have effects on the time schedule.

  • Prerequisites for Project Planning

    Project planning can become very complex. It is therefore important to know the model underlying a planning process.

  • Work Breakdown Structure

    The work breakdown structure is the basis for any project plan.

  • Enter Work Breakdown Structure

    In Allegra, the easiest way to enter the project structure is in the Gantt chart or in the Task Navigator (Hierarchical View).

  • Create Schedule

    For the schedule, add dependencies and dates to the structure plan.

  • Plan Efforts

    In Allegra, the duration of an item and its planned effort are initially decoupled, so there is no calculation of one value from the other. The coupling arises in Allegra in the Occupancy View.

  • Plan Resources

    In Allegra, the items are first planned with their durations and efforts. Then, iteratively, the assigned resources are matched in the Occupancy View.

  • The Earned Value Method

    The earned value method, or EVM, is a technique for objectively measuring project progress. In Allegra, EVM is used in such a way that you can always get a conservative but very reliable indication of deviations from planned effort and schedule.

  • Cost Centers and Accounts

    The Allegra system can manage efforts in terms of “work” and “costs”. Efforts are assigned to accounts, which in turn belong to “cost centers”.

  • Working with the Gantt Chart

    The interactive Gantt chart is well suited for displaying and editing the chronological progression of a plan, mapping dependencies, and visualizing the progress of a project. The Gantt chart can display both the plan and the baseline plan.

  • Working with the Allocation View

    The Utilization View allows you to see and manage the use of your resources (people, rooms, equipment, and skills) over time.