Milestones Simplicity 2010 User Manual i
Copyright ©Copyright KIDASA Software, Inc. 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form without the written permission of KIDASA Software Inc. Trademarks Milestones Professional® and Milestones Simplicity® are registered trademarks of KIDASA Software, Inc. Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................
Toolbox “tools” 2-5 Add Symbols and Bars using the Toolboxes 2-6 Which toolbox should you use? Add a task bar with start and end symbols using the Combo Toolbox Add a single symbol using the Combo or Standard Toolbox Add a bar and symbol to an existing symbol using the Combo or Standard Toolbox Add a bar between two existing symbols using the Combo or Standard Toolbox Vertical Links 2-6 2-6 2-7 2-7 2-7 2-8 Add a vertical link using the Combo or Standard Toolbox Move an Existing Symbol on your Sched
Chapter 3: Customizing the Toolbox and Sidebar ................................................................
Remove a single vertical link Remove vertical links from all symbols on a single task row Remove vertical links from all symbols, selected task rows Remove selected vertical links from a single symbol 5-6 5-6 5-7 5-7 Chapter 6: Formatting and Layout ..........................................................................................
Charts and Templates 9-1 Format a blank schedule with a selected template Format an existing schedule with a selected template Setup Wizard templates Create and save a template Patterns and Gradient Fills 9-2 9-2 9-3 9-3 9-3 Patterns Gradient fills 9-3 9-4 Task Gridlines and Shading Formatting 9-4 Horizontal gridlines and shading for entire schedule Gridlines and shading for selected task rows 9-4 9-5 Column and Column Heading Shading and Text 9-6 Column text and shading Column text color over
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Chapter 1: Introduction Easy-to-use, Basic Scheduling Milestones Simplicity makes planning and communicating your projects fast and easy. Designed for anyone who needs to create basic Gantt charts, Milestones Simplicity makes fast work of your scheduling efforts. Click-and-drag to build schedules If you know how to use a mouse, then you can use Milestones Simplicity. That’s because Milestones Simplicity uses the same simple click-and-drag technique you’re already familiar with.
Make changes in seconds With Milestones Simplicity, you’ll find that it’s a breeze to update and change any existing schedule in seconds! Use to change a date, move a task row, and more. See Chapter 2 for more information. Below, a column is being dragged from the left side of the schedule to the right. Organize your schedule with outlining Milestones Simplicity offers an easy-to-use outlining capability. Organize projects into steps and sub-steps.
Easily show progress The Fill to Status Date feature is an easy way to show progress. When this option is turned on for symbols and/or Bars, the fill color will automatically change after the current date, as shown here. The fill color that appears after the status date is white. See Chapter 2 for more information.
With dependency mode turned on, when the start or end point for the “Primary” bar is moved, all the other bars will move by the same amount of time. SmartColumns Any of the schedule’s 20 possible columns can be a SmartColumn. These are columns that you designate for a specific use.
Calendar view A monthly calendar view of important events can be generated for any schedule. The schedule title and symbols, along with the text associated with the symbols, are displayed. See Chapter 2 for more information.
Publish Internet-ready schedules The Internet Publishing Wizard will guide you through producing an HTML file perfect for publishing on the Internet or your company Intranet. The HTML document contains a picture of each page of the schedule and, optionally, a table of schedule data. Or, just choose to create a picture of the schedule for distribution. See Chapter 10 for more information.
Free Milestones Viewer For those who need to view and print a Milestones Simplicity schedule without making changes to it, the Milestones Viewer is the perfect solution. A free Viewer is distributed with every copy of Milestones Simplicity. The viewer can be freely distributed to others who have a need to view schedules produced with Milestones Simplicity. The Viewer can also be downloaded from KIDASA’s web site at www.kidasa.com. E-mail your schedule as an attachment or keep schedules in a shared folder.
Extensive Text Entry and Graphics Options Symbol text Symbol notes Enter up to three lines of symbol text. This text moves with the symbol. Position the text anywhere around the symbol or center it on the bar. Enter up to 10,000 characters in the symbol notes field. This text is embedded in the symbol, and appears when the cursor hovers over the symbol. Optionally, a separate notes page prints with the schedule Freeform text Column text Type text anywhere on the schedule.
Graphics Paste graphics anywhere in the schedule. Include up to 5 graphics in a template. Graphics can show on top of the schedule, behind the schedule information, and on all pages. Graphics can be pasted in (via the Windows clipboard) or inserted from a file using one of these formats: JPG, JP2, PNG, DXF, EPS, IMG, WPG, PCX, TGA, WMF, TIF, and GIF. See Chapter 2 for more information.
Flexible Symbology Toolboxes The Milestones Simplicity toolbox contains 3 tools, 32 symbols, 16 horizontal Bars, 8 Vertical Links, and 3 drawing tools to quickly build any schedule using the click-drag-and-drop method. The Plus, Arrow, and Text tools exemplify the intuitive nature of Milestones Simplicity: Need to add a symbol or Bar? First click the Plus tool. Need to move a symbol on the schedule? First click the Arrow tool. Need to type text? First click the Text tool.
Wide assortment of symbols The flexibility and customizability of Milestones Simplicity symbology is second to none, with over 120 symbol shapes filled with any color. Symbols can have any one of nine symbol “marking” patterns such as these: Symbols can have a small, medium or large shadow of any color. More formatting choices: User-defined symbols Not enough symbol shapes? Milestones Simplicity has a built-in Symbol Maker that lets you design simple or multi-part shapes.
If that’s not enough, you can insert any bitmap symbol. Custom symbols can be embedded in the schedule, making distribution of the schedule easier. Helicopter Hazard Rocket Pinwheel Shamrock Cowboy Boot Falcon Launch Atom Pencil Arrow Steps Truck Oil Rig Airplane Bulldozer N-S-E-W Space Shuttle Battleship Multiple independent milestones As many as 500 milestones can be added to any task row on your schedule.
Huge variety of horizontal bar shapes In addition to the many possible built-in symbol shapes, a large variety of horizontal bars and vertical links are included. Three-level symbol and bar positioning Symbols can be positioned at an upper, middle, or lower level on one task row. The bars automatically follow the positioning of the symbols. In the example below, an otherwise dense and cluttered schedule is distinct and clear with three symbol positions and a variety of symbol date and text positions.
Further customize bars with the “Always on top” setting to control which bar appears on the surface, as shown below: See Chapter 3 for more information on symbol and bar positioning. Flexible Formatting You completely control the size and format of your schedules, including the physical page size of the schedule, the number and width of the columns, the number and height of the rows, the size of the optional legend, margin sizes and more. See Chapter 6 for more information.
Many time-scale options Schedules can show standard time scales ranging from minutes to years, and custom, user-defined periods. Choose minutely, hourly, or daily for symbol placement; top and/or bottom of the schedule for date heading placement; and any period frequency (e.g. every 5 years).
Full international support If English is not your language of choice, or if your preference is the metric measurement system, Milestones Simplicity can support you. It provides the capability to set up custom language templates for any language. Milestones Simplicity also picks up your date format and measurement type choices directly from the Windows Control Panel Regional Settings. ISO week numbering Milestones Simplicity supports the International Standards Organization’s standards for week numbering.
Weekend shading Saturdays and Sundays can be shaded in user-chosen colors. Valley Commercial Construction Smith Interior Remodel 2004 4745 Palm Ave. • Fullerton, CA Job No.: 980045.05 • Cmpl.
Introduction 1-18
Chapter 2: The Basics This chapter contains valuable information concerning the basics of Milestones Simplicity- the layout of the screen, essential terminology, and some of the fundamental operations of the program. More extensive and interactive documentation on these topics can be found in the Help menu under Help Files | Help Topics.
The Milestones Simplicity Window While using Milestones Simplicity, you will see a screen similar to the one below: • The Enhanced Toolbar is used to access frequently used options. • The schedule Title Area can be used to provide your project title. • Choose from dozens of Date heading styles from minutes, years, or custom entries. • The SmartColumns automatically fill according to schedule data or entered data • The Schedule Area is where task bars, milestones, and vertical links can be added.
Sidebar The optional sidebar is an extra toolbar anchored to the left or right side of the Milestones window. The sidebar contains the toolbox and a user-defined list of shortcut buttons for a variety of activities including moving from page to page, creating web pages, filtering, applying a color theme, creating a master schedule, and much more. Sidebar options Under the Tools menu in the Customize section, choose Sidebar Options to make changes to the sidebar.
Toolboxes Milestones Simplicity offers two types of customizable toolboxes. Both types contain the same schedule buildingblocks for creating gantt bars, milestones, and task dependencies. Toolbox settings are unique to each schedule. To choose where the toolbox is displayed within the schedule, right-click the toolbox and choose Sidebar Options. Choose to show the sidebar on the left or right side of the schedule; otherwise, the toolbox will be free-floating.
Standard Toolbox The Standard Toolbox makes it easy to add symbols and bars in separate steps. About the Standard Toolbox: • Double-click a symbol or bar in the toolbox to change its shape, color, and other properties. Drawing tools • Each of your schedules can have a different toolbox, customized with different symbols and bars. Symbols • A Standard Toolbox can have up to 32 symbols, 16 horizontal bars, and 8 vertical links.
Add Symbols and Bars using the Toolboxes Horizontal bars show the time span of a task for an activity in your project. A symbol must be on each end of the horizontal bar. Symbols can also be added individually, independent of a bar. Which toolbox should you use? Using the Combo Toolbox, you can add a task bar with start and end symbols in one click-drag-and-drop movement of the mouse. Using the Standard Toolbox, you must first add a symbol, and then add the bar and another symbol to the end of the bar.
Add a single symbol using the Combo or Standard Toolbox 1. In the toolbox, click once on the big Combo Plus tool, then once on the symbol you want to add. Standard When you click in the toolbox, notice that the selection is sunken and highlighted. 2. Move the cursor to a task row in the schedule area. Notice that the cursor is a “crosshairs” cursor. 3. Next, click and hold the mouse, drag to the right or left, then release at the date you want.
Vertical Links Vertical links are used to show a relationship or predecessor/successor link between schedule activities. The toolbox provides up to eight vertical links for use on the schedule. Change the shape, line pattern, color, and other properties by double-clicking on a vertical link in the toolbox. Choose from more than 15 link shapes. Up to five vertical links can originate from a single symbol on the schedule. Add a vertical link using the Combo or Standard Toolbox 1.
1. Click . 2. Single-click on the symbol. 3. Hold the Shift key while using the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard. -or1. Click . 2. Single-click on the symbol. 3. Choose Ctrl+E on the keyboard. 4. Key a new date in the dialog box that appears. Delete Symbols, Bars, and Links from your Schedule Delete a symbol 1. In the toolbox, select the arrow tool. 2. On the schedule, click on the symbol and press the Delete key on your keyboard. Delete a horizontal bar 1.
Add a note to a symbol Enter up to 10,000 characters in the symbol notes field. This text is embedded in the symbol, and appears when the cursor hovers over the symbol. Optionally, print symbol notes with the schedule. Choose File | Printing | Printing Include Symbol Notes Page. Options | 1. Select the tool in the toolbox. On the schedule, click once on the symbol that will contain the notes. 2. Select the Notes tab in the toolbar and enter the text. Press the Apply Text Changes button.
Customize a Horizontal Bar in the Toolbox Any horizontal bar in the toolbox can be changed to another shape, color, and pattern. A variety of other attributes can also be applied. Double-click a horizontal bar in the toolbox to make changes. When a bar in the toolbox is changed, all occurrences of that bar on the schedule also change. See Chapter 3 for more details about horizontal bar formatting.
Columns, Column Headings and Task Rows Display as many as ten columns on the left side of the schedule and ten columns on the right side of the schedule. Columns can easily be inserted, deleted, moved or resized. The column heading contains many formatting controls, including the column and column heading formats, and SmartColumn settings. See Chapters 6 for complete coverage of formatting columns and rows. Display 2 to 300 task rows per schedule page. Row heights can be adjusted individually.
• To change an existing column to another column type, click the column heading once, choose Switch to Column from Current Object: Column Heading section, then use the drop-down menu in the Column Type and Format section to change the SmartColumn Definition. To edit an existing SmartColumn’s properties, click the column heading once, choose Switch to Column, then click Column Type and Format | Properties.
Bookmark Task Rows Add a bookmark name to any task row and then jump to that task row by choosing the bookmark name from a list of bookmarks. Especially helpful in large schedules, this feature allows the user to quickly jump to specific schedule areas. Bookmark a task row 1. In the toolbox, click the arrow tool . 2. Right-click once on the task row to be bookmarked. Bookmarks in the right-click menu. 3. Choose 4. Select Create a new Bookmark. 5.
Change the amount of days by which the scroll buttons move through the calendar by going to Dates | Start and End Dates | More Settings... | Yearly/Monthly/Fiscal Year Settings | Calendar Range Scrolling | Working days to scroll with Shift+PgUp/PgDn. , you’ll find other Schedule Details By clicking on Dates | Start and End Dates | More Settings options, including a place to change fiscal year formatting, shade weekends, and allow hourly detail.
The Date Headings Display up to four date heading levels with formats ranging from minutes to years to custom entries. 1. To change the date heading display, click once on the date heading within the schedule. This will display the Selection menu. Optionally, choose Dates | Date Headings | Date Headings Full Dialog 2. For each level, choose from more than 35 Heading Types (yearly, monthly, etc.). 3. Align each heading’s text. 4. Choose a Start number for the heading.
World-Wide Airways Corp Maintenance Planning Forecast 2002 Aircraft January February March April C Check/Paint K202TZ-B737-2A5 4/7 (202) 2/21 1/22 May June 7/30 C&Q Check K208TZ-B737-2A5 2/22 July C Check Pheonix (208) 3/23 6/3 August September October November Rem #1 Eng s/n 72908 Install Eng s/n 72910 11/17 December (202) 12/8 #2 Eng s/n 78478 Install #2 78489 C Check K221MA-B737-4D2 3/24 (221) 4/18 K235MA-B737-31Z 4/19 K204TZ-B727-34F 2/8 #3 Eng s/n 74869 Rework (TX) (235
Pressing this key… Causes this action… Ctrl+W Change vertical link coming from selected symbol to type currently selected in toolbox Alt+Spacebar Select next task row Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar Select next column heading Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar Select next Date heading Alt+Shift+F7 Displays a screen which enables you to selectively reset symbol settings for all symbols. Ctrl+Alt+*(on number pad) Show all task rows.
Right-Click “Context Sensitive” Menus A right-click on any part of the schedule will display a shortcut menu with a list of options. Right-click a column heading to hide it, show all column, access column properties and more. Right-click the toolbox to change its properties, access the sidebar options, and more.
Schedule Setup Wizard To launch the Milestones Simplicity Setup Wizard, choose File | Files and Templates: Open and Save Options | Wizard. This wizard will walk you through the setup of your schedule step-by-step or guide you through using a pre-designed template. Follow the Wizard’s prompts to successfully complete the desired layout for your new schedule. Choose the formatted.
Viewing Options Gantt views A Milestones Simplicity schedule can be toggled between two Gantt chart view modes. To switch from one Gantt view to another choose View | Viewing Options | Chart Type. Gantt - Calendar View You can show any schedule in Calendar View. Choose View | Viewing Options | Chart Type | Gantt - Calendar View. Milestones and symbol text in the schedule area are displayed in Calendar View.
Views by Time Period Instantly switch the time period displayed in the date headings to a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly view. For example, expand the viewable schedule area to a large time-frame (Yearly View) or contract to a small-timeframe (Daily View). Simply right-click the date heading and select a view, including your original view.
Chapter 3: Customizing the Toolbox and Sidebar The toolbox contains the building blocks of your schedule: symbols, horizontal bars, and vertical links. Any of these symbols and bars can be changed to a different shape, size, type, color, or pattern. All of the toolbox settings are unique to the current schedule. Thus, if you make a toolbox change in one schedule, it does not affect any of your other schedules.
Combo and Standard Toolboxes There are two versions of the toolbox. The Standard Toolbox groups the symbols and bars separately, while the Combo Toolbox combines two symbols and one horizontal bar on each row for symbol/bar/symbol combinations. The Plus tool, Arrow tool, Text tool, drawing tool, and vertical link sections are the same: Combo Toolbox Standard Toolbox Add, move, and text tools. Click to select. Drawing Tools. Click to select. Double-click to change default settings.
Set Toolbox Size and Type Since the toolbox can take up a significant amount of screen space, you can customize it to remove rows of tools, symbols, and bars that you do not need for the schedule you are working on. 1. Right-click the toolbox and choose Toolbox Properties. 2. Choose Use Standard Toolbox or Use Combo Toolbox. 3. For the Standard Toolbox, select the number of symbols and horizontal bars that should display.
Display the toolbox within the sidebar 1. Choose Tools | Customize | Sidebar Options. 2. Select either Show Sidebar on left or Show Sidebar on right. 3. You must close and restart Milestones for these changes to take effect. Sidebar Freefloating toolbox Set Drawing Tools Defaults The default settings for lines, boxes, and circles that you add to a schedule are black for color and lightweight for line type.
Circle drawing tool Change the Border Color, Border Pattern, and Background Color. To add any of these shapes to your schedule, click once on the tool, then click-and-drag in the schedule area to draw. Once placed on a schedule, lines, boxes, and circles do not move unless dragged with the arrow tool to a different location. You can customize the attributes of any line, box, or circle that is already on your schedule by double-clicking directly on the object.
Choose symbol color, pattern, marking, after status color, shadow To set a symbol’s defaults: 1. Double-click a symbol in the toolbox. 2. Click the Color/Pattern/Size/ Shadow tab. 3. Click a drop-down menu options. to view the The Sample Symbol changes to match your selections, as you make them. Choose the Line Pattern and Outline Color that encompasses the symbol. Choose a Fill Pattern and Fill Color that fills the inside of the symbol.
Set the Date Placement as Above, Middle, Below (vertical positioning); and Left, Center, Right (horizontal positioning). Optionally, Hide the date. Set the Text Placement as Above, Middle, Below (vertical positioning); and Left, Center, Right, or Bar (horizontal positioning). Optionally, Hide the text. For Date Background and Text Background: » Opaque causes a solid background to appear under the text to keep underlying lines from going through the text.
Choose default symbol text Assign up to three lines of text to each symbol in the toolbox. When a symbol with Default Text is added to the schedule, both the symbol and the text appear. The text is based on user-entered text or text from a selected column. To set a symbol’s defaults: Text 1. Double-click a symbol in the toolbox. 2. Click the Default Text tab. 3. Click a drop-down menu names. to view column Enter up to 56 characters for each default text line.
Override symbol text color and styles, line-by-line Each symbol can have three lines of symbol text. Each of those text lines can be individually formatted, as an override to the default symbol text settings. 1. Click the tool. 2. Click once on the symbol on the schedule. The Selection menu in the toolbar is now displayed. 3. In the Text tab, click the Text Overrides button for a symbol text Line. 4. Set color and text attributes, including bold, italic, and underline. 5.
Set Horizontal Bar Defaults To change the attributes of a horizontal bar in the toolbox, double-click on the bar in the toolbox. Any changes to the bar in the toolbox will affect all occurrences of that bar on the schedule. Change bar shape, pattern, colors, fade effect, and shadow To set a bar’s defaults: 1. Double-click a bar in the toolbox. 2. Click a drop-down menu the options. to view The Sample Bar changes to match your selections, as you make them. Choose from more than 40 Bar Types.
5. For 2nd Bar Color, click the box to the right to choose a color Below, the top bar is the 1st bar, since it was added first. “Always on top” bars This feature controls which bar appears “on top,” when two bars overlap. Before To change, for example, the longer, thinner bar to be “on top”: 1. Click the tool. 2. On the schedule, click once on the left-most symbol to which the bar is attached. In this example, the leftmost symbol would be the purple circle. 3.
Customizing the Toolbox 3-12
Chapter 4: Working with an Outlined Schedule Outlining is useful for organizing your schedule at different levels. Usually you want to outline your schedule to enough levels so that at the actual task level there is a clear, definable item of work that can be identified, assigned, and tracked.
Outlining Tools and Formatting To create an outlined schedule, at least one of your columns should display indented text in order to see which tasks are outlined to which levels—as in the “Projects” column on the previous page. Set the indentation amount for column text 1. Click once on the column heading with the arrow tool. This will display the Selection menu. 2. Under Current Object: Column Heading, choose Switch to Column. 3.
Outline existing tasks If the task names are already entered, you can outline those existing tasks. 1. Click the tool in the toolbox. 2. Hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard. 3. In the task column, click once on all tasks that should be indented (below left). 4. In Selection | Task Row Settings, Click the (below right). button.
Working with an Outlined Schedule 4-4
Chapter 5: Dependencies and Vertical Links Milestones Simplicity’s dependency (predecessor/successor; parent/child) capabilities enable you to link task dates so that when one date changes, the dates that are dependent upon that date also change. Within any one schedule, symbols on different task rows are linked using vertical links, as shown in the example below. Any of 15+ vertical link shapes can be used. Any symbol can have up to 5 vertical links extending from it.
Turn Dependency Mode on and off Dependency Mode is either on or off for the whole schedule. It is a global setting. Dependency Mode. • Choose Dates | Date Related Settings | • A check mark by Dependency Mode indicates that it is on. - or 1. Click the tool in the toolbox. 2. Right-click any symbol. 3. Choose Turn On Dependency Mode or Turn Off Dependency Mode. • Even though you only selected one symbol and turned the dependency mode on or off, this setting applies to the whole schedule.
If the February 8th symbol is moved to the right, the triangle symbol will move an equal amount. The 2/3 symbol will not move because it is to the left of the 2/8 symbol. Thus, the 2/8 symbol is the parent symbol, and the 2/15 symbol is dependent on its movement. The vertically linked symbols are also dependent symbols. Here, the 2/8 symbol is moved 10 days to the right, as shown in the tooltip box that appears as the symbol is moved.
With Always move dependent symbols based upon duration, moving the start date forward by one day would result in the end date moving ahead one day, to the next day regardless of working/non-working days, as shown to the right. The duration would change to four days if weekends are non-working days.
Add a vertical link using the toolbar Use this method if you would prefer to use the toolbar rather than the plus tool to create a single vertical link. This method is best when you want no more than one link extending from each symbol. and once on the parent symbol of the vertical link you wish to add. This will 1. In the toolbox, click once on display the Selection menu for that symbol. 2. Go to Selection | Vertical Links | Create New Vertical Link. 3. Press the Set button on the From Symbol line.
This is the result of a Finish-to-Start choice: Edit an existing vertical link Chapter 3 discusses how to change the default settings for vertical links. Here is how to change a single vertical link that is already on the schedule, from one type to another. 1. In the toolbox, click the tool. 2.
Remove vertical links from all symbols, selected task rows 1. In the toolbox, click the tool. 2. Hold the Ctrl key and click once on each task row (in the column area) that contains parent symbols whose vertical links you wish to remove. This will display the Selection menu. 3. Choose Selection | Task Row Settings | More Task Row Options | Clear Vertical Links. Remove selected vertical links from a single symbol 1. In the toolbox, click the tool. 2.
Dependencies 5-8
Chapter 6: Formatting and Layout Milestones Simplicity offers the most complete and flexible layout of any project management package available. You have complete control over page size, rows per page, individual row height, and all other layout aspects of your schedule. Layout In the new Enhanced Toolbar, choose the Layout tab to access formatting choices such as page size, legend size, row size, and symbol size. Change the chart size and margins 1. Choose Layout | Page Size. 2.
The yellow border surrounding the sample chart (seen here or in the File | Printing | Print Preview screen) shows the unusable area of the paper where the printer cannot print, as reported by your current printer. You should keep the margins large enough so that no part of the sample goes into the yellow area. Change the number of columns Milestones Simplicity allows for up to 20 columns—10 on each side of the schedule. Columns may contain text, dates, values, and symbols. 1.
You can access the full legend properties in two ways. The first is to stay within the Page Layout dialog box as depicted on the previous page. Choose the Legend tab to edit its properties. The second way is described below. 1. Choose Layout | Legend Size. Next to Enter Legend Height, enter a value in inches. 2. Choose the Apply Legend Changes button. 3. Choose the Full Legend Settings button to access more Legend options. This will display the Selection menu for full legend properties.
Legend entries The Legend height should be large enough to hold the number of entries that you plan to have. Legend entries are placed left to right, in the order in which they are created. Once created, these entries can be edited, moved, or deleted. Add a legend entry 1. Choose Insert | Picture, Legend | New Legend Entry. 2. Next to Line 1 and Line 2, enter the Legend Text. Press the Apply Text Changes button. 3.
Columns You can use the Columns and Rows tab in the Full Page Layout Dialog box to insert columns by simply changing a width from 0.0 to some other value, but the easiest way to insert columns is to simply use the Insert menu. Insert a column To insert a column next to the schedule area (then you can move it): • Choose Insert | Rows, Columns | New Column and select from the list of column types. The column will appear closest to the schedule area, on the left side.
Right-click to edit column When the cursor turns to an arrow for selection of a column and you right-click, the menu display offers many editing choices. Choose Clear Column Text to delete text in the column cells without deleting the column. Choose Reset Column Font and Font Colors to Default to revert to default column text font, color and size settings in the selected column. Color themes do not override a column’s cell-by-cell settings.
Date Headings You can have up to 4 levels of Date Headings on your schedule, shown above the schedule area, below the schedule area, or both. The Date Headings are used as a reference point for the symbols and bars on your schedule. You should select headings that are appropriate for the time span of your schedule and the amount of horizontal space over your schedule area. For example, daily headings in a schedule displaying one year would not be appropriate for an 8.
This is the result of this date heading in a one-year schedule: For a countdown heading, enter a negative Start number, such as –12 instead of 3: Date heading Frequency number Any of the standard heading types can have the Frequency altered. For example, for a schedule that covers fifty years, you might want to set the frequency to 10, so that on a yearly heading, only every 10th year is displayed, such as 2000, 2010, 2020, etc.
Chapter 7: Printing With Milestones Simplicity you can print stamp-size to wall-size schedules using a variety of printing options. Print Preview Use the Print Preview feature to see a sample of how the schedule will print. 1. Choose File | Printing | Print Preview 2. Click the Prev and Next buttons to move from schedule page to page. 3. Click Printing Options for output format selections (addressed in the next section). 4. Click Page Layout to change the chart size, margins, and rows per page. 5.
Printing Options To format the printing output of your schedule, choose File | Printing | Printing Options . General tab • Symbol Notes and Collapse/Expand Indicators • Color • Specify Output Size Within these options, you can choose to: Include Symbol Notes Page to print a separate page containing the Symbol Notes entries. These will be numbered according to the numbered symbols on the schedule, so that you can match the notes to the symbols.
Print tab Choose to print the entire schedule date range or a specific date range portion of the schedule. Print Entire Date Range to print the schedule from start date to end date as set under Dates | Start and End Dates. Print Date Range Below Only to specify the start and end date range to be printed. Enter a Start Date and End Date, or click the calendar icons to choose each date. Print Using the Time Periods Below to select a time period to be printed on each page.
Default printer The Default Printer tab is useful if you normally use a different printer for Milestones than the printer you have set as the default on your computer. If you check Use this printer as the default, then each time Milestones starts, it pre-selects this printer as the current Milestones printer.
Chapter 8: Working with other Applications Milestones Simplicity interacts with other applications in several ways. You can copy and paste a Milestones Simplicity schedule into another application such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The schedule can be a picture or an embedded or linked object. You can also copy and paste information from another application, such as an Excel spreadsheet, into Milestones Simplicity.
Copy and paste text into column cells below existing text If you have a column of cells or a single cell in another application, such as Excel, you can easily paste that data into any Milestones Simplicity schedule column, below existing column text. 1. In the other application, highlight and copy the column of text, as shown to the right. 2. In Milestones Simplicity, click the tool in the toolbox. 3.
Paste Text and Values into Multiple Columns and Rows Milestones Simplicity allows you to paste cells from a spreadsheet directly into the Milestones Simplicity column cells, across many rows. 1. In the other application, highlight and copy the cells, as shown below. 2. In a Milestones Simplicity schedule that is prepared to accept this specific data (i.e. the columns match the information in the spreadsheet), click the tool in the toolbox. 3.
The results for this example are below: Link and Embed Schedules in other Applications Because Milestones Simplicity is an Object Linking and Embedding server, it is possible to paste entire schedules into other OLE compliant applications, such as the Microsoft Office applications. Once embedded or linked, you can launch the schedule from that application, by double-clicking the schedule. Embed a schedule in another document An embedded schedule becomes a part of the document in which it is embedded.
3. Under the Create from File tab, click the Browse button. 4. Locate the schedule, click once on it, and then click the Insert button. 5. Link to file and then OK. [Go to Step 9.] -or6. In Milestones Simplicity, choose Connections | Clipboard | Copy Schedule to Clipboard. 7. In your other Windows document (Word, Excel, or any other OLE application), click Edit | Paste Special. The document’s Paste Special dialog box appears. 8.
Copy all Pages to PowerPoint In addition to copying and pasting single metafiles of schedule pages, it is possible to copy all pages to a PowerPoint presentation with one click. PowerPoint 2000 or later must be installed. 1. Choose Connections | Microsoft PowerPoint | Copy all pages to PowerPoint. 2. You will be prompted to choose whether or not you would like the Milestones pages to be pasted in a new PowerPoint presentation or after the selected slide in an active (open) PowerPoint presentation.
Chapter 9: Custom Formatting for Presentation One of the key strengths of Milestones Simplicity is its excellent customization and presentation capability. Virtually every aspect of your schedule, including background colors, shading patterns, special fading effects, symbol colors, bar colors, and chart size can be customized. Apply a template to quickly change the look of the schedule.
Bookmarks Number and currency formats Freeform text Schedule title Graphics files that are not embedded Hidden menu items (this is a global setting applied to all schedules) Sidebar and toolbar shortcut button list (this is a global setting applied to all schedules) Symbols and bars on the schedule Task names on the schedule and any text entered into columns Lines, circles or boxes drawn with the drawing tools Format a blank schedule with a selected template
Setup Wizard templates When starting a new schedule using the Milestones Setup Wizard, choose from dozens of ready-to-go schedule templates. 1. Choose File | Files and Templates: Open and Save Options | Wizard. 2. Select Predesigned Template 3. Under Templates in current template folder, select a template. 4. Choose Next, then enter a schedule title. 5. Choose Next, then select a schedule start date. 6. Click Finish. Most templates have basic instructions on how to use the schedule.
Task Gridlines and Shading Formatting Milestones offers many task row gridlines and shading options, including: • Default gridline and shading settings for all, only odd, or only even task rows. These settings are accessed in Format | Gridlines | Horizontal Gridlines and Shading... • Override individual gridline and shading settings for selected task rows. These settings are accessed by selecting the rows to be overridden and using the Selection tab of the enhanced toolbar.
Graph/Schedule Area - the area in which the symbols and bars are located Right Columns - all columns to the right of the schedule area 3. Under Left Columns, Show Gridlines to display gridlines between tasks 4. Under Line Type, choose a gridline pattern. 5. Under Line Color, click the Change button and choose a gridline color. Horizontal task row shading 1. Click the Shading tab.
Column and Column Heading Shading and Text Set the shading and text properties for the columns and column headings. Column text and shading Change the default setting for text and values displayed in all columns (not column heading text) under Format | Default Text | Column Text. To override the default column text and background settings for an individual column: 1. Click once on the column heading whose column properties you wish to change. This should display the Selection menu.
Column heading text and shading 1. Click once on the column heading whose properties you wish to change. This should display the Selection menu. 2. In Selection | Column Heading Text, enter up to two lines of text. Press the apply button. 3. In Selection | Column Heading Text Display Settings, make selections for Text Style, Horizontal Alignment, and Vertical Alignment Apply Changes to all column headings to apply the format settings to all other column headings. 4. Choose a Text Color. 5.
Custom Formatting for Presentation 9-8
Chapter 10: Distribute and Present Schedules Milestones Simplicity schedules can be presented and distributed in a wide variety of methods and formats: • Quickly format a schedule for presentation by applying a template (see Chapter 9). • Print a wall-size schedule for viewing (see Chapter 7). • Copy and paste a schedule to other Windows applications (see Chapter 8). • Create Internet-ready documents containing your schedules.
Create a graphic only of each schedule page With the Internet Publishing Wizard, create a picture (bitmap) of each page of the schedule. 1. Choose Connections | Other | Internet Publishing Wizard. 2. Choose 3. Graphic File Only, then Next. Create a bitmap for each page of the schedule to create a graphic file for all schedule pages. create a graphic file of the first page only. to 3. See Graphics Output and Bitmap Options on page 10-1 for choosing Graphic Output Options. Choose Next. 4.
8. Choose Browse to select the file name and location for the HTML and graphics files.HTML files or images created that are based upon filenames that have blanks, will have underscores where the blanks were. This is done because some browsers cannot handle blanks in filenames. Exclude File Name from HTML File to exclude the name of the Milestones file from the • HTML file.
Save to PDF The Save option Save As PDF enables Milestones Simplicity to directly save to a PDF file. Users can create PDF files from a schedule without needing a PDF printer such as Adobe PDF®. Simply select File | Files and Templates: Open and Save Options | PDF and enter a filename; then, when the file has been created, click OK to view the new PDF. Milestones will attempt to launch the file using the default PDFviewer.
Appendix A: Quick Reference Tables Scheduling Basics TO ADD OR SET: DO THIS: Project step or other column text Using the typing. Symbol tool, click once on the symbol in the Using the toolbox to add, click and hold down the mouse in the schedule area, and drag. Horizontal bar between two symbols Using the tool, click once on the left-most symbol. Click once on the bar type in the toolbox. Then, click once on the right-most symbol. Vertical link Using the tool, click once on the “from” (top) symbol.
Fiscal year starting month Choose Dates | Start and End Dates | More Settings. Then click the Yearly/Monthly tab. Page number format Click the tool. Click once on the page number at the top left part of the schedule. If the page numbers are not displayed, choose View | Optional Items | Page Number then repeat the above steps. Adding Graphics, Text and Legend TO ADD: DO THIS: Title Select Insert | Title | Insert/Edit Chart Title. Freeform text Click the tool.
Page to a schedule Choose Insert | Page | Insert a New Page before Current Page or Insert a New Page After the Last Page. Column Choose Insert | Rows, Columns | New Column. Background color or frame options Choose Format | Frame, Highlights | Background color, border, frame corners. Margins Choose Layout | Page Size | Margins. Column width tool, click and drag on the column edge Using the with your mouse. Date format for symbol dates Choose Dates | Date Related Settings | Set Symbol Date Format.
Dates of all the milestones on your schedule Choose Dates | Date Range Tools | Shift all task dates to shift all symbol dates forward or backward by a specified number of days. Text size of an individual symbol Click the tool. Select the item to be changed. Next, choose the Text tab and change the Size or Color. Individual symbol color Click the tool. Select the symbol on the chart. Next, choose the Size/Color tab and change the Symbol Fill Color. The date of a milestone symbol tool.
Click File | Files and Templates: Open and Save Options | Save As... Next, click Standard Template. Save the schedule with the name default. mtp. From now on every time you click New, a blank schedule template using your format and toolbox settings will be displayed. The default file locations Choose Tools | Program Options | Folders. Click the Browse button to set the default locations. A bar in your toolbox Double-click on a horizontal bar or vertical link in the Toolbox.
Scale your schedule by horizontal and vertical scaling factors you set In the Printing Options dialog box, choose Use Custom Scaling Specified. Next, enter a scaling factor for Horizontal and Vertical. Print color schedules on a black and white printer In the Printing Options dialog box, Shades of Gray. Print all open schedules Choose File | Printing | Print All Pages.
Appendix B: Support and Where to Get More Information Help Reference Information Milestones Simplicity offers extensive reference information in an easy-to-use manner. In fact, the Milestones Simplicity Help Topics contain more detail than this manual. To access the reference information, just choose Help | Help Files | Help Topics. Browse the Contents, or search for keywords under the Index tab. Help is well organized and extensive, giving you precise answers and instructions.
Support B-2
Index A add columns 6-5 graphics 2-16 horizontal bar 2-6, 2-7 SmartColumn 2-12 symbol+bar 2-7 symbols+bar combination 2-6 task bar 2-6 text column 2-12 text, options 2-9 text to column 2-12 vertical links 2-8, 5-4 allow hourly detail 2-15 applications interaction with other applications 8-1 arrow tool 2-5 B bars.
symbols 2-8, 2-9 Dates SmartColumns 2-8 default printer 7-4 default symbol text 3-8 delete bars 2-9 column 6-5 symbols 2-9 vertical links 2-9 dependencies 2-8 show/hide 5-2 dependency mode 5-1 movement rules 5-2 distribute schedules 10-1 distribution publish to Internet/HTML 10-2 Save to PDF 10-4 Viewer 10-3 drawing tools 2-4 customize 3-4 E pattern 3-10 shadow 3-10 hourly detail allow 2-15 I import single column 8-1 indenting 4-2 shortcut 2-17 indenting tasks 4-2 insert column 6-5 internet publishing cr
outlining 4-1 entering tasks 4-3 green arrows 4-2 indent/outdent 4-2 Outline Level SmartColumn 4-3 tab key 4-2 tools 4-2 overrides horizontal bar 3-10 select items to change 3-7 symbol 3-8 P page layout 6-1 page Margins, 6-1 page size 6-1 paste column text 6-6 graphics 2-16 into PowerPoint 8-6 multiple column cells 8-3 schedule as a graphic 8-6 single column 8-1 single column cell 8-2 PDF Save as 10-4 pictures insert 2-16 Plus tool 2-5 PowerPoint copy all pages to...
adding 2-6, 2-7 changing date 2-8, 2-18 default settings 3-5 default symbol text 3-8 delete 2-9 embedded 3-5 fill color 3-6 formatting 2-10 letter marking 3-5 override default settings 3-8 override text color 3-9 positioning 3-7 shape 3-5 size override 3-6 text 2-9 text and date positions 3-6 text background colors 3-6 type 3-5 user defined shapes 3-5 symbol text add 2-9 based on column text 3-8 default symbol text 3-8 draw at angle 3-7 hide all 3-9 override colors 3-9 transparent 3-7 T task row bookmarks
Index C-5
Index C-6
