This section contains the following topics:
The Differences Between Projects and Programs
Open Programs in Open Workbench
Cancel Programs Marked for Deletion
Programs are top-level projects that serve as the parent or umbrella project to one or more child projects. Master projects serve as parent projects to child projects. Use programs to view combined actuals and effort for all of the projects contained within them. In this way, programs provide an important top-down summary view of an organization goals and the plan to meet them.
Though a program is a project and shares some of the same functionality, it also differs in a few significant ways. For example, you cannot create nonmilestone tasks at the program level, nor can you staff a program. And while you cannot financially enable a program, you can create a financial plan for it and view plan data in a graph format. In addition, you can view the combined actuals and other totals for all of the projects in a program.
It is important to understand the differences and similarities between programs, master projects, projects, and subprojects. The following table provides a summary of the differences and similarities:
|
Attribute or Ability |
Program |
Master Project |
Project |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Displays sum of values from subprojects |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
You can view the combined actuals and effort for all of the projects in a program. You cannot do from master projects. |
|
Assign Staff Members |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
You cannot assign staff at the program level. The roles that display on the program team staff page are read-only and are aggregated from the program subprojects. The project role assigned to a team member is displayed. If a resource does not have an assigned team member role, then their name appears individually in the list. You cannot edit this list. |
|
Add Participants |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
You can add participants to programs, master projects, and subprojects. |
|
Create and apply a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Because you cannot staff or add nonmilestone tasks to programs, you cannot create and apply a WBS to programs. |
|
Use Tasks |
Milestones Only |
Yes |
Yes |
You can add milestones to programs, but you cannot add key tasks or task estimates. |
|
Use Planning features |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
You can create budgets and forecasts for programs and projects. |
|
Connect to Scheduler |
Read-only |
Read/Write |
Read/Write |
As it does not contain actuals of its own, a program can only be viewed as read-only in a desktop scheduler. For example, Open Workbench and Microsoft Project. |
To access programs, select Programs from the Portfolio Management menu. The programs list page appears, displaying all the programs you created and have access to.
You can do the following from the programs page:
After creating a program and defining its properties, you can use the other program menus to do the following:
Programs, like projects, are created in two stages:
You can create new programs, or use an existing program template. This section explains how to create a program in both the ways.
Follow these steps:
The programs page appears.
The create page appears.
Specifies the pool of resources allowed when assigning resources to programs.
Values:
Default: Resource Pool
Required: Yes
Required. Enter a unique name for the program.
Limit: 80 characters
Required. Enter a unique ID for the program.
Limit: 20 characters
Enter a description of the program.
Limit: 254 characters
This fields defaults to the name of the user creating the program.
Required. Select the Dashboard layout to view project or program data.
Values:
See the PMO Accelerator Product Guide for more information.
Select or enter the date of starting the program.
Select or enter the date of completing the program.
Defines the company-defined stage for the program.
Select a goal for the program.
Values: Cost Avoidance, Cost Reduction, Grow the Business, Infrastructure Improvement, and Maintain the Business.
This field is only applicable if you plan to work with the project in Open Workbench. The number entered is a score for the importance of the project in relation to all other projects in your organization. This score controls the order in which tasks are scheduled during Autoschedule, subject to dependency constraints.
Values: 0-36, with 0 being the highest.
Default: 10
Select the program progress.
Values: Completed, Started, and Not Started.
Default: Not Started.
Select the program status.
Values: Approved, Unapproved, and Rejected.
Default: Unapproved.
Specifies the method to calculate the % Complete value for the project and tasks.
Values:
Summary Task % Complete = Total Detail Task Duration Complete / Total Detail Task Duration
Summary Task % Complete = Sum of Detail Task resource assignment Actuals / Sum of Detail Task resource assignment Effort Detail Task % Complete = Sum of resource assignment Actuals / Sum of resource assignment Effort
Default: Manual
Note: Set the % Complete Calculation Method at the beginning of your project and do not change this value.
In the Organizational Breakdown Structures section, define the OBS to associate with the program for security, organizational, or reporting purposes.
Defines the financial department associated with the program.
Required: No
Defines the financial location associated with the program. The location requires belonging to the same entity as the department.
You can convert an existing project to a program only when the following conditions are true:
Once converted, you can open the program and add subprojects, participants, or edit any of the available properties. Once you convert a project to a program, the Template field, which is used to designate a project as a template, disappears. You cannot use programs as templates because you cannot financially enable them, and because they cannot contain staff or key tasks.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The project is converted to a program and no longer appears in your list of projects.
You can define the same properties for a program as you do for a project.
Following are descriptions of the menus and options on the program properties page:
The default program properties page. From this page, you can use the following links on the properties menu:
Edit the basic properties you defined on the create page and define a few additional, general characteristics.
Define the program start and finish dates.
Rate the risk level for a number of program characteristics.
Define the program simple budget and forecast. You can use the program dashboard page to view program-level and subproject budget data. You cannot financially enable a program. However, you can use the page to create a simple budget.
Enable the program for transaction processing.
Add subprojects (that is, projects) to the program.
Identify dependencies between portfolio investments.
The properties page of the program is the default page you see when you open a program. The page displays all the fields defined when creating the program. The page also displays additional fields to edit and links that you can use.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
Required. Enter a unique name for the program (up to 80 characters).
Required. Enter a unique ID for the program (up to 20 characters).
Enter a description of the program (up to 254 characters).
This fields defaults to the name of the user creating the program.
Required. The page layout for the program.
The stoplight in the field indicates the program risk status, as you specify on the properties page and on the Risks/Issues/Changes - Risks page.
Values:
Note: If you do not complete the fields on the properties page and on the Risks/Issues/Changes - Risks page, this field does not display in color.
The stoplight in the field indicates the program alignment status.
Clear the field to deactivate the program. The program no longer appears in the list of active programs.
As you are currently in an open program, the field is selected.
Select the field to use this program as a template for other program.
Click this link to make the program available from the My Projects section of your Personal: General page. After you click the link and add the program, the link name changes to [Remove from My Projects]. Click the link to remove the program from the list in the My Projects section of the page.
Click the link to copy tasks, task estimates, and staff assignments from a template into the current project.
Use the link to associate a business unit, or security OBS with the project.
Click Go to open the project in Open Workbench.
You can define your program start and finish dates using the schedule page of program properties. The dates encompass the start and completion dates of all of the projects contained in the program. Be sure to set the dates of any program milestone tasks considering the program duration.
Note: The As of Date field does not apply to programs, which cannot contain task-level estimating.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The schedule page appears.
Defines the date of starting the project.
Defines the date of completing the project.
Specifies if the planned cost dates are synchronized with the investment dates. Selecting the option for a detailed financial plan does not affect the planned cost dates.
Default: Selected
Defines the date to include data in time and budget estimates. This date is used in Earned Value Analysis (EVA) calculations, such as Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS) and drives the calculations for costs. ETC for a project is not scheduled on or before the As of Date.
Indicates the level of work completed on project tasks. Use the following as a guideline:
Options: Completed, Started, and Not Started
Default: Not Started
If you are using CA Clarity PPM with Open Workbench, defines the relative importance of this project in relation to all other projects. The priority controls the order in which tasks are scheduled during Autoschedule. The priority is subject to dependency constraints.
Values: 0-36, where 0 is the highest
Default: 10
Indicates the project status.
Stoplight values:
Defines any comments about the project status.
To allow staff members to track time spent on project tasks on the timesheets, open the project for time tracking and select Clarity to track. The staff member profile also requires opening to enter time on project tasks.
To disallow a team member resource from logging time for a specific project, clear the Time Entry field.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The schedule page appears.
Indicates if staff members can enter time on their timesheets for this investment. Select the check box to enable the investment for time entry.
Important! Each staff member must also be enabled for time entry.
For more information, see the Basics User Guide.
Default: Selected
Indicates the tracking method used to enter time for this investment.
Values:
Default: Clarity
Select a default charge code to use for all project tasks. If you enter different charge codes at the task level on timesheets, the task-level charge codes override the project-level charge code.
You can define the project default staffing options in the Staffing section of the schedule page of program properties. The OBS you specify as the default staff OBS unit is used to more fully describe a staffing requirement. You can map roles with OBS units with resource managers. The staff OBS can be anything such as resource pool, a specific location, or a department. For example, you require a programmer (role) from Atlanta (staff OBS). Then, you can use the project default OBS value to route the role requisition to the resource manager responsible for allocating resources from Atlanta OBS.
The staff OBS you identify is also used during capacity planning. You can filter capacity and demand based on staff OBS. For example, use it to find out if you have enough capacity for programmers in Atlanta to fulfill the demand for programmers in that location.
For more information about managing resources, see the Resource Management User Guide.
You can also specify if resource requisitions require approval before they can be booked. When you select the Requisition Approval Required check box, the following rules apply:
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The schedule page appears.
Defines the set default OBS unit that is used when you add team staff members to this project. This OBS unit more fully describes a staffing requirement, and can be a resource pool, a specific location, or a department. By mapping roles with OBS units and resource managers, the roles can be filled more accurately. The default staff OBS unit is used during capacity planning for analyzing demand against your capacity using the staff OBS as filter criteria.
Example:
Use the OBS to find out if you have enough capacity for programmers in Atlanta to fulfill the demand for programmers in that location.
Specifies if requisitions require approval before they can be booked.
Though it is not required that you create a budget for a program, you can create a simple one. The budget applies only to the program, not to its subprojects. The financials page is not available for programs. However, you can use the planning page to create a detailed budget or forecast for the program.
For more information, see the Financial Management User Guide.
You can view program budget data, and budget data generated from its subprojects, on the program Dashboard page.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The budget page appears.
Select the currency to calculate the program budget and forecast values.
Enter a planned cost for the entire program. The value you enter is distributed between the planned cost start and planned cost finish dates.
Defines the start date for the budget. You have an option to use the program start date.
Defines the finish date for the budget. You have an option to use the program finish date.
Enter the anticipated financial benefit for this program. The value is distributed between the planned benefit start and finish dates.
Select the scheduled benefit start date.
Select the scheduled benefit end date.
The value in the field is calculated based on the following formula:
Planned NPV = Planned Benefit - Planned Cost
If you clear the Calculate Financial Metrics field, you can make the field available for data entry.
The value in the field is calculated based on the following formula:
Planned ROI = Planned NPV / Planned Cost
Note: If you clear the Calculate Financial Metrics field, you can make the field available for data entry.
The date and amount in this read-only field indicate the period and value at which the program becomes profitable.
Note: If you clear the Calculate Financial Metrics field, you can make the field available for data entry.
Specifies if the Financial metric fields (Planned NPV, Planned ROI, and Planned Breakeven) are loaded automatically using the formulas listed in the field descriptions. Clear this field to make the financial metric fields available for data entry.
Default: Selected
As with projects, you can rate a predefined list of risks for programs, and create and track risks, issues, and change requests. The only difference being performing actions from within the program instead of from within the project.
For more information, see the Open Workbench User Guide.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The program opens in Open Workbench.
Like the subprojects added to projects, data is not shared between the projects you add to programs. However, unlike master projects, programs generate and display combined actuals and estimates for all of the subprojects it contains. You can also view program and project-level budget information about the program dashboard page.
The projects you add to programs, retain all the data they contained as independent projects. The data includes complex planning and financial information and work breakdown structures, and staff. You can post vouchers and timesheet transactions to the project as usual. Projects contained in programs continue to be available from the projects list page.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The subproject properties page appears.
The select projects page appears.
The Total row on the subprojects properties page displays the total number of actuals and estimates accrued and entered for all of the projects in the program.
The cells in the Total row display the combined total of the data in each column. Thus, in the sample screen above, the combined actuals for all of the projects in the program are 1,138, while the total ETC is 1,556.
The following table provides descriptions of the columns and data displayed on the page:
Subprojects are allowed to have their own subprojects. The number in the Count column indicates the number of subprojects a subproject (or in the case of a program, a project) contains.
Displays the actuals that have been posted for the tasks in each project. The number in the Total cell reflects the combined actuals of all of the projects in the program.
Displays the Estimated To Complete (ETC) number for each of the projects in the program. The number in the Total cell reflects the combined ETC for all of the projects in the program.
Total effort is Actuals + remaining ETC. The cells in the column reflect the total effort for each project. The number in the Total cell reflects the combined effort of all of the projects in the program.
Displays the percentage of resource usage expended on this project. The value in the Total cell reflects the combined percentage for all of the projects in the program.
Displays the usage number for the project most current baseline. Usage is Total effort (actuals plus remaining ETC) to date.
This stoplight indicates if the project is approved (green), on-hold (yellow), or unapproved (red). The stoplight in the Total cell provides an overall at whether all of the projects in the program have been approved.
The stoplight indicates if a project is on schedule, or in danger of being delayed. In the Total row, the stoplight provides an overall view if most projects in the program are on schedule.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The subproject properties page appears.
The selected projects no longer display in the list of subprojects.
Like a project, a program is considered an investment in a portfolio. Other types of investments are assets, applications, and products. You can indicate dependency relationships that exist between investments in a portfolio using the dependencies page of program properties.
A dependency can occur when a task in an investment requires be completed before a task in another investment can begin. Or, if one or more of the projects in a program require to be canceled if a certain application runs significantly over budget.
Dependency information is used when creating portfolio management scenarios. You can view dependency connections from the Efficient Frontier page within scenarios. The scenarios include data from the investments you identify on the dependencies page of program properties.
You can create dependencies to other investments, or create a dependency on another program.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The dependencies properties page appears.
The dependency structure is designed according to your selections.
The select investments page appears.
The dependencies properties page appears, listing the project dependency.
The investments (by type) you have access to display in the list.
The investment displays in the list as a dependency on the dependencies page.
View a list of investments dependent on a program using the dependencies page of program properties.
You can also view dependency relationships from the Scenario: Efficient Frontier page within scenarios. The page includes data from the investments identified on the dependencies page of program properties.
For more information, see the Portfolio Management User Guide.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The dependencies properties page appears with the dependencies listing on the page.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The dependencies properties page appears.
The dependency no longer appears in the list of dependencies.
Releases represent new future deliverables. You can link releases to the project or program to track the release implementation effort. The association is established from the release. No limit to the number of releases that you can associate to a project or program.
For more information, see the Requirements Planning User Guide.
View a list of releases associated with your project or program using the release properties page.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The associated release properties page appears.
You can open the releases associated with your project or program using the release properties page.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The associated release properties page appears.
The release properties page appears.
You can unlink a release from the project to which it is associated using the release properties page. You can also remove the association: Open the release and unlink the release from the project or program.
For more information, see the Requirements Planning User Guide.
Follow these steps:
The properties page appears.
The associated release properties page appears.
The release is removed from the list on the release properties page and is unlinked from the project or program.
Selecting Program Layout as the layout option on the program properties page lets you view the Return on Investment (ROI) data on the program dashboard page. This applies if you create a program-level budget. You can view summaries of the total effort and actuals accumulated for all the program projects. Also, compare overall benefit information at the program level with combined benefit information for all the program projects.
Though it is named a program dashboard, you can also view projects on the page.
By default, the page displays the following portlets:
Add or remove portlets to customize the page. Your CA Clarity PPM administrator can customize using the program layout portlet page of Dashboard content from Studio.
Delete programs like you delete projects - the procedure for both is the same.
Cancel programs marked for deletion similar to canceling projects marked for deletion. The procedure for both is the same.
|
Copyright © 2013 CA.
All rights reserved.
|
|