Automating a Schedule Using Scope Management
The Schedule Manager includes a schedule automation feature called "Scope Management" that you can use for those projects that can "self-manage" themselves. Scope Management creates project deliverables, assigns resources to the deliverables, and drives the coordinated completion of the deliverables. It initiates the activities that produce the deliverables based on fixed durations and the completion of dependencies; routes the activities to the responsible person or group; monitors their completion; and updates the activity's status automatically.
Note: You can use Scope Management on any schedule, including a master schedule.
Any project, large or small, can benefit from scope management if it uses a set of discrete, standardized deliverables and dependencies which must be produced within specific, predictable durations. The typical volume of these projects can be in the hundreds or thousands; they might use 10 to 30 roles or participants on each project; and there are typically 10 to 1,000 deliverables per project.
The design of Scope Management particularly suits high-volume, quick-turnaround projects, such as constructing a chain of coffee houses, or installing wireless cell towers or commercial security systems. These projects typically:
- Are shorter in scope
- Have the same deliverables
- Follow activities of fixed duration
- Use the same roles and participants
In operation, Scope Management automatically creates a business process record from any activity on a schedule sheet that is set for scope management. In Unifier, users link the activity to a business process, select the users or groups that should work on the tasks, and specify what conditions the activity must meet before Scope Management can declare the activity complete. The activity BP proceeds through the workflow, where team members work on each task in the activity, and the Scope Management feature automatically sends the task to the next assignee and updates the activity status on the schedule sheet.
Note: In schedule automation, a single activity can be linked to only one BP record at a time; no two activities can share the same record.
To prepare scope management for a project:
The uDesigner user must: | The Unifier administrator must: |
|---|---|
| Set up the scope management in the schedule template by:
|
To function in Unifier, Scope Management:
- Obtains the name of the BP to launch from the activity's setup in Unifier
- Creates the BP record and copies the Forecast Duration value into the new Record Duration
- Auto-populates the appropriate data elements (fields) on the BP, including the activity's actual start date and record number
- Sets the activity's status to "In Progress"
- Sends the BP to an "initiation" step before the beginning of the workflow for assignment to the users or group responsible for its completion (For information on the initiation step, see Auto-Creating a Record or Line Item from a Form.)
Scope Management Activity Statuses Scope Management activity statuses are pre-defined and cannot be changed or added to. These statuses are attached to activities as they proceed through the Scope Management workflow. They are: | |
|---|---|
Not Started | All activities are in this status by default. This status means that a BP has not yet been launched for this activity. |
In Progress | Scope Management sets the activity status to In Progress when all predecessor activities have been completed and the current activity is Not Started. When this occurs, a new BP record is created and linked to the activity. |
Complete | An activity is Complete when the BP linked to the activity is complete, based on the completion conditions that were specified for the activity. |
Not Applicable | This status is only available if the activity has been switched to manual mode. If a user takes the activity off "auto-update" and specifies a Not Applicable status, the Schedule Manager will ignore this activity when it evaluates predecessors and will set its successor activity to In Progress. |
Assuming Manual Control
In Unifier, users can take manual control over an activity at any time by deselecting the Auto-update Activity Data check box on the activity's Properties window. If they do this:
- The link to the BP record (if any) and the activity's current status are both retained.
- Unifier continues to enforce the Scope Management update rules for the activity's status; however, the user must manually attach the status to the activity.
- The user must manually enter the actual start date, the actual finish date, and the completion date, for an activity because the system does not track those dates.
Subsequently, the user can return the activity to Scope Management mode by selecting the Auto-update Activity Data check box on the activity's Properties window. To resume Scope Management, Unifier:
- Updates the BP record status for the activity
- Checks the record for "complete" conditions
- Sets the appropriate status of the activity (either In Progress or Complete)
If an activity is not linked to a BP, then the system checks the internal scope conditions.
- If the internal scope conditions are satisfied, the system launches the appropriate BP, and sets the activity status to "In Progress."
- If the internal scope conditions are not satisfied, the system sets the activity status to "Not Started."
Last Published Monday, June 3, 2024