Category Archives: TimeControl Project

TimeControl Project

TimeControl Project 8.6 includes some impressive new features

With the upgrade of all TimeControl Online users to version 8.6, those with access to TimeControl Project can enjoy some significant new features.

Resource Capacity Planning enhancements

Resource Capacity Planning, TimeControl, TimeControl Project, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter Vandersluis
This Resource Capacity Portfolio View shows total effort and availability with both the schedule and resource load showing.

It’s the most commonly asked question about all project systems, “Can you help me figure out what the future looks like for our projects?”

In TimeControl Project 8.6, we’ve changed how resources are defined and allocated in two ways: First, you can now define a level of resource availability in the Resource Table.  You can work in person-days or hours per day or FTE or whatever units of measure are appropriate for you.  In the Task detail screen from the GANTT or Board Views, you can make an assignment also with a level.  The second feature change is that not only Labor resources can be used but also Role resources.

This shift to allowing resources that are not individuals is huge for portfolio views.  Now you can define in a unit of measure both the availability and the requirement for the resources in question and, using a task-based view with one-task per project, you can create a GANTT view showing resource capacity with under/over loads.

Update timesheet from task details view

The most requested new feature for TimeControl Project Agile Board users.  While working on a task taken from an Agile Board, users asked if there was a way to update their timesheet directly from that view.  Many tactical level users, spend all day with a TimeControl Agile Board View open so they can see their list of tasks and priorities.  With previous versions of TimeControl Project, when the end of the day arrives, the user would need to close that Board View, open their timesheet and transpose the times from whatever tasks they were working on into the timesheet lines.

Now, the timesheet can be updated right from a task detail view by clicking update timesheet.  If the View is “task” based and the task is associated to a charge code, then the timesheet will appear and a line will have been automatically added with the charge code identified and a column with the relevant task number shown.  That line plus any others can be updated at the same time.  The user can then return to the task detail view and move on with their day.

There is an article that may be of interest on this subject in HMS Software’s President, Chris Vandersluis’ EPM Guidance Blog.  It is entitled: Whatever happened to resource leveling?

 

TimeControl Project

TimeControl Project tips

Did you know that TimeControl Project security extends past that of TimeControl itself?

It’s true.

TimeControl Project has security that is much more granular than TimeControl, allowing those who have permission to create a View to include anyone that they have access to either as a profile or by name.

This allows a project manager to easily include his or her team in the View of task or charge-code based Board Views or GANTT Views and both the View and the data are related in that security.  In this View we can see that the User Profile “Project Managers” has been given access along with Joseph and Tom.  Below you can see that they have all been given modify rights.  Even more, if they don’t have rights to modify the View, we can further restrict the access to that person to only show tasks that were assigned to them.

Of course TimeControl’s extensive security model is still running in the background.  The security listed here won’t accidentally give users access to data they haven’t been given access to.

For those who haven’t seen it yet, TimeControl Project is part of a premium version of TimeControl Online and TimeControl Industrial Online.  You can find out more at TimeControlProject.com.

TimeControl Project

Updates to the TimeControl.com website for TimeControl Project

We’ve made numerous updates on the TimeControl.com site to accommodate our exciting new premium version of TimeControl Online.  TimeControl Project.  The main area TimeControl Project is at Project.TimeControl.com. You’ll find links there to the updates of many different kinds of collateral including:

TimeControl Project Webcast
This 15 minute video shows TimeControl Project in action and explains the basic concepts and advantages of this remarkable evolution in project management systems.

TimeControl Slides and screenshots
This PowerPoint presentation is what we use to showcase TimeControl Project and includes numerous screenshots and explanations of the TimeControl Project concepts.

TimeControl Factsheet
This 4-page factsheet is an overview of TimeControl project that is suitable for sharing with anyone who is interested in the system.

TimeControl Project Online Training
We have added a new section to our online training guides specifically for TimeControl Project and we are adding to it constantly. You’ll find here short 3-5 minute videos showing how to use basic functions in TimeControl Project.

This is, of course, only a fraction of the resources for all of TimeControl of which TimeControl Project is a part. See the Resources area of the website or the TimeControl Blog for even more collateral or, contact HMS with any questions.