Page 8 - Unanet AE: Using Project Management

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LESSON 1: PROJECT PLANNING

Learning Objectives

Explain how to create a project plan.

• Recall how to create a Resource Group.
• Summarize how to set project preferences.
• Explain how to create a new project plan.
• Explain how to create a Work Breakdown Structure.
• Describe how to perform basic budget setup.
• Summarize how to use Resource Scheduling.
• Explain how to add allocations.
• Explain how to schedule resources on projects.
• Recall how to budget expenses.
• Summarize how to run Project Planning reports.

Overview

Project plans are a project with a particular charge type. Unlike some systems, there is
no disconnect between planning and actual projects. The Project Planning applet
allows Project Managers to plan, schedule, and allocate resources to their projects.
Typically, projects begin as a plan and then migrate to an opportunity or billable
(Projects > General Tab > Contract Type) state. When in the planning and opportunity
stages, the Project Manager has complete control of the project plan. Work Breakdown
Structure (WBS) nodes can be added and removed, and budgets can be revised.

Once the project has been changed to a billable or indirect project, the Project Manager
can no longer alter budgets (unless they have special permission) or WBS nodes. The
moment a project is changed to billable or indirect the current budgets are saved as the
baseline budget. These can be used in project management reporting for performance
analysis.

Changes to the budgets at this point must go through the Change Order process.
Moreover, when the project is changed to billable or indirect, the Project Manager WBS
Lockout can be set in the Projects applet. This restricts the Project Manager’s ability to
add or remove WBS nodes to below the level defined in the lockout. The concept for the
lockout is to give the Project Manager the freedom to alter the WBS structure at a level
lower than any that would affect accounting.

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