Master Data Entry in PLANTA project

Attention

• As the documentation for PLANTA project is only partially available in the English language most of the links in this topic will lead you to the German documentation topics.

Information

• Master data needs to be entered in PLANTA project so that projects can be planned and controlled. Master data comprises the following:
  • Create persons, person resources, users and roles
  • Create resources that are not people, e.g. cost, machine and department resources (if required)
  • Define a calendar
  • Create checklist templates
  • Enter listbox values
  • Create values
  • Create skills
• If it is intended that planning objects (projects, ideas, plans and requests) should be planned and controlled in a process-oriented way then process model templates also have to be created and process rules may also need to be defined.
• Depending on the planning requirements the following data may have to be entered as well:
  • Cost master data
    • Cost centers
    • Cost types
    • Cost type groups
    • Conversion factors
  • Load profiles

Create A Person, A Person Resource, Users And Roles

Procedure

Create A Resource

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Resources Resources

Procedure

• Click on the New button at the bottom of the module.
• The Resource Data Sheet module is displayed. Here, a new resource can be created and the required resource parameters can be defined.

Notes

• Creating new resources in the Resources module is only recommended if these resources are not a person resource.
• Person resources should be created in the Persons module in order to avoid inconsistencies between persons and the corresponding person resources.

Define A Calendar

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Calendar

Procedure

• Insert a new data record by pressing on the Insert button or by right-clicking and selecting Insert Calendar.
• Fill the Calendar and Calendar name fields.
• Define the Start and End period.
  • In the Copy from: calendar field the delivered basis calendar which is used as copy template is set by default.
  • After creating further calendars they can be used as copy templates, too.
• Save.
• Press the Reset/Close button or F7.
  • The newly created calendar and the corresponding periods are displayed.
• Expand the tree structure of the calendar week data records and activate or deactivate the Work checkbox for each work day.

Define which days are standard work days (only required for Microsoft Project exports)

• By activating the corresponding checkbox in the Standard work days of the calendar area it is possible to specify which week days are work days. This will then be applied for all weeks of the calendar by default.
• The settings are only relevant when exporting to Microsoft Project.
  • Only the deviations to the defined standard work days are exported so that the file size is kept as small as possible.

See also: Microsoft Project Interface, Assign calendar to tasks

Create Checkliste Templates

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Checklists

Procedure

• By pressing the Insert button in the toolbar or by selecting the context menu command Insert Checklist a blank data record is inserted.
• Enter the Checklist name.
  • Simultaneously, in the Checklist field, the number will be automatically generated.
• Select the Subject area from the listbox of the same name.
• Select Insert--> Checklist item from the context menu to enter the checklist's individual elements.
• Enter the text in the Checklist item field.
• Add further items if necessary.
• After saving, the new checklist can be used.

See also: Assign checklist template to open item, Assign individual checklist items to open item

Enter Listbox Values

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Miscellaneous Listbox Values

Create/edit listbox values

• Select the required listbox category from the listbox in the Listbox category name field.
• Change the listbox value concerned or create a new listbox value by right-clicking and selecting the context menu command _Insert Listbox values or Listbox values (old).
• Save.

Create Programs

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Programs

Procedure

• A blank data record is inserted via the Insert button or the context menu command Insert Program.
• In the Program field, enter an ID for the new program.
• Enter a program name in the Program name field.
• Fill the Person responsible name and Budget for program fields.
• Save.

Create Skills

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Skills

Details

• Skills are qualifications that can be assigned to resources.
• This makes it possible to assess which of the available resources have the qualification that is currently required, and their level of utilization in other projects.

Create skills

• Insert a new data record by pressing the Insert button or by clicking on the Skill field and selecting the context menu command Insert Skill.
• Fill the Skill and Skill name fields.
• Save.

Note

• In the Resource Data Sheet module skills can be assigned to a resource.

Create Process Model Templates

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Process Model Templates Process Model Templates
• Request Management Master Data Process Model Templates Process Model Templates

Create A Process Model

Procedure

• Press the Insert button (if no process model has been created yet) or right-click on the already created process model and select the context menu command Insert Process model.
• A blank data record is inserted.
• Enter a name for the model in the Process model field.
• In the Object type field define for which planning objects the model should be applied.
• In the Comment field a comment regarding the process model can be entered.
• Save.

Assign And Define Phases

Procedure

• Right-click on the newly created model and select the context menu command Insert--> Phase.
• Enter the phase name in the field of the same name.
• In the Comment field a comment regarding the phase can be entered.
• Assign further phases.
• Save.

Details

• The order of phases within a model is defined by means of the number shownin the Order field.
• Process rules can also be created that carry out a series of actions when a project moves from one phase to another, e.g. a status change or the production of a report.
  • Process rules are defined in the Process Rules module.

Assign And Define Process Steps

Information

• There are two types of process steps:
  • Project-specific process steps: These are project activities.
  • Submission/Approval process steps: These process steps, process steps can be used to check and approve the process steps of each phase.
• Each phase needs to contain at least one project-specific process step, a submission and an approval process step.
• The process steps of the class Submission and Approval have to be the last process steps of a phase.
• Between Submission and Approval no project-specific process step is allowed to be defined.

Procedure

• Right-click on the phase and select the context menu command Insert--> Process step.
• A blank data record is inserted.
• Fill the Process step name and possibily the Comment fields.
  • Project-specific process steps are created first.
  • Submission and approval process steps are created last.
  • The order of process steps within a phase is defined by means of the values in the Order field.
• It is a requirement that for the submission and approval process steps the corresponding entry from the listbox is selected in the Class field.
• Save.

Details

• For each process step it is also possible to define what action ought to be performed when selecting the context menu command Focus task or clicking on the arrow button beside the process step name in the Process Status module. There are the following options:
  • Focus the module.
    • Enter the Python ID of the required module in the Module field.
      • The Python ID of the required module can be found in the Global Settings module in the Python ID field.
  • Focus the module and scroll to a data area.
    • Enter the Python ID of the required module in the Module field.
    • Additionally, enter the Python ID of the required data area in the Data area field.
      • This field can be found in the Data Areas module in the DA-Python-ID field.
  • Focus the module and set the focus on a particular data field.
    • Enter the Python ID of the required module in the Module field.
    • Additionally, enter the Python ID of the required data field in the Data field field.
      • This field can be found in the Data Areas module in the DA-Python-ID field.
• If a check after each process step is required the corresponding process rule can be stored in the Process rule name field and the Rule parameter can be defined. Process rules are defined in the Process Rules module.
  • For process steps that are not performed via the software the check is not required.
• In the Process action name field it is possible to define what process step actions should be executed when selecting the context menu Execute Process Step Action on the process step in the Process Status module. Process actions are defined in the Process Rules module.

Approve A Process Model

Information

• A process model can only be used for planning when it has been approved.

Procedure

• For the required process model activate the checkbox in the Release field.
• Save.

Define Process Rules

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Process Model Templates Process Rules
• Request Management Master Data Process Model Templates Process Rules

Procedure

• Right-click on an already existing process rule.
• Select Insert Process rules from the context menu.
• A blank data record is inserted.
• Enter the process rule name in the field of the same name.
• Fill the Rule type, Class, Object type fields.
  • These fields are required as long as they have not been filled is not possible to save the module. Define the required rule in the Rule field.
  • Is the rule written in Python you can change into the window for macro editing via the Open Python macro editing button. Here, the rule can be defined. The button can be found beside the Rule field.
• Save.

Cost Master Data

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Cost Master Data

Information

• Depending on the planning requirements the following cost master data need to be created so that projects can be planned and controlled in PLANTA project:
  • Cost centers
  • Cost types
  • Cost type groups
  • Conversion factors

Cost Centers

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Cost Master Data --> Cost Centers

Information

• Some companies have complex organizational structures. Here, two fundamental aspects need to be clarified.
  • Which projects belong to which organizational area (cost center)?
  • Which resources are involved?
• In the Cost Centers module the cost center (organizational) structure is reconstructed.
  • By this structure, the access rights on projects are determined.

Create cost centers (organizational units)

• Insert a blank data record.
  • If no cost centers are available press the Insert button.
  • If some cost centers already exist activate the required cost center and press the Insert button or select the context menu command Insert Cost center by right-clicking.
• Fill the Cost center name and Cost center fields.
• Fill further data fields.
• Save.

Note

• Unlike cost types or conversion factors, cost centers are not considered when it comes to cost calculations. They are only used to get certain cost analyses and to control project access.

Cost types

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Cost Master Data --> Cost Types

Information

• Cost types are used to breakdown, summarize and calculate costs. You can define a structure for cost types.
• Cost types correspond to the normal types of costs or activities.
• By specifying a parent (higher level) cost type, the structure can be defined for a summarized representation of costs.
• Before cost types can be created the following decisions have to be made:
  • How deep is the cost recording supposed to go?
  • Should conversion factors be assigned to the cost types?
    • Cost types that have no conversion factor are exclusively used for summarizing costs.
    • Cost types that have a conversion factor are applied when it comes to cost calculation.
      • The P/A/R loads are multiplied by the conversion factor. If a conversion factor has also been entered against the resource, the factors have an additive effect.
• A cost type can be specified for the resource assignment and in each individual load data record.

Create Cost Types

Procedure

• Insert a blank data record.
  • If no cost types are available press the Insert button.
  • If some cost types already exist activate the required cost type and press the Insert button or select the context menu command Insert Cost type by right-clicking.
• Fill the Cost type name and Cost type fields.
• Fill further data fields.
• Save.

Note

• When selecting revenue cost types no cost type group is assigned in the Cost type group name because
  • all resource type data is summarized in column 0-4 (cost type group column).
  • the revenue resource data (resource type = 8) is not summarized in this group, but treated as an independent one in the Column field the value 0 is automatically entered so that revenue resource data can be summarized in this independent group.

Assign A Cost Type To A Resource

Procedure

• In the Resource Data Sheet module, select the required resource and in the Default cost type field select the cost type which will be automatically applied when the resource is planned.
• Save.

Cost type groups

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Cost Master Data --> Cost Type Groups

Information

• Cost type groups are used to structure cost types.

Details In the system, five cost type groups are preset by default:

• • Internal personnel and
  • External personnel
    • Personnel costs of internal and external staff (resources). Personnel costs are calculated by multiplying the planned effort of individual resources within the effort estimate and the corresponding conversion factor.
  • Material costs
    • Material costs embrace all (consumable) materials (for example building material, raw material for producing prototypes, printing and paper costs for producing a brochure) that need to be bought so that a task can be processed.
  • Investments
    • Investments are costs for the purchase of equipment (for example a new buiding machine, measuring instruments, a new computer or software) to support the project. Since this equipment is usually used beyond the end of the project it would make sense to charge the purchasing costs to the project budget proportionally.
  • Miscellaneous
    • Miscellaneous costs cover all costs that cannot be assigned to the four other categories, for example travel costs, costs for gifts etc.

Note

• The database model provides the option to summarize to more than five cost type groups on the main project level. The extension of the overall model to more than five cost type groups is realizable via customizing.

Create cost type groups

• Press the Insert button or right-click on the already created cost type group and select Insert--> Cost type group from the context menu.
• Fill the data fields.
• Save.

Note

• The Column field is required for capacity scheduling in order to assign the costs to the right cost type group. The field defines the order of cost type groups displayed in application modules such as the Budget module.

Conversion factors

Acces path

• Project Administration Master Data Cost Master Data --> Conversion Factors

Information

• In the Conversion Factors module conversion factors for the monetary evaluation of effort can be created.
• You can assign to every conversion factor two different basic factors (internal and external).
  • Furthermore, there are 3 variances of basic factors: actual, planned and remaining ones.

Create conversion factors

• Insert a blank data record.
  • If no conversion factors exist press the Insert button. If some conversion factors already exist activate the required conversion factor and press the Insert button or select the context menu command Insert Conversion factor by right-clicking.
• Fill the Conversion factor name and Conversion factor fields.
• Right-click on the newly created conversion factor and select the context menu command Insert Conversion factor position. A blank data record is inserted.
• Enter the time limits for validity in the Valid from field and the hourly rate in the Factor planned+remaining costs internal, Factor planned+remaining costs external, Factor actual costs internal and Factor actual costs external fields.
• Save.

Details

• When it comes to capacity scheduling the factors based on the cost calculation are entered in DT472 Load.
• Both internal and external costs (planned/actual/remaining/total) are calculated.
• They are summarized in DT463 Task and DT461 Project via DT466 Resource assignment.

Note

• Conversion factors can be assigned to resources in the Resource Data Sheet module and to cost types in the Cost Types module.

Load Profiles

Access path

• Project Administration Master Data Resources --> Load Profiles

Information

• In the system, a distinction is made between:
  • Real load profiles, which distribute loads on a percentage basis
  • Pseudo load profiles which, when they are used, apply a different methodology for the calculations
• Load profiles are specified with the resource assignments and can be preset as default value for a resource.

Create Load Profiles

Procedure

• Right-click on the Load profile field and select the context menu command Insert--> Load profile or press the Insert button.
  • A blank data record is inserted.
• Define the load profile and save.

Assign A Load Profile To A Resource

Procedure

• Open the required resource in the Resource Data Sheet module.
• Select the load profile via the listbox in the Load profile field.
• Save.