Did you know that OnePager can automatically remove inactive tasks from your report, even if you still have them flagged for import in Microsoft Project?
Let’s start with a simple Microsoft Project schedule. Notice that all five tasks are active, and all five tasks have “Flag 20” set to “Yes”:
We posted a video about this feature back in January, but wanted to make sure everyone clearly understands what this means: OnePager users no longer need Microsoft Project on their desktop in order to create OnePager visuals using their data on Project Server or Project Online!
We recently discovered a smart psychiatrist named Jon Leiff, during our reading of “Good Charts” by Scott Berinato. (Good Charts is a treasure trove of information, if you’re interested in learning more about making better charts…a must read for any business professional).
Dr. Lieff inked a blog post back in April of 2015 titled “How Does Expectation Affect Perception.” In it, he digs into how our brains are programmed to take information in, and how that programming impacts our interpretation of that information (a gross oversimplification).
In presenting Gantt charts and other plan communications, setting expectations is very important in ensuring that our audience can absorb the information they require as quickly and easily as possible.
From the outset of anyone’s career in project management they will hear that good communications are critical to success…your own, in your role as a project manager, and to the initiative itself. This makes inherent sense, right? So why hasn’t there been any significant work to help us understand how to communicate better when it comes to the world of planning?
At OnePager, we’re doing research into how people best absorb visual information, and working to translate that into best practices for plan communications. Our hope is that our work on this subject and the knowledge we’re passing along will help our OnePager users make better Gantt charts, and be the best communicators they can be.
It seems like whenever we say the words “Gantt Chart” those within earshot throw up in their mouth a little.
But why?
In today’s connected world, it’s increasingly common for project and portfolio managers to collaborate with teams across multiple countries and cultures.
In some ways, working globally is a great thing. Talent can be acquired and nurtured wherever it’s found, marketplace efficiencies can drive bottom-line benefits, and diverse viewpoints often lead to superior finished products and processes. But there are certainly challenges, too – and few see them more keenly than the project manager.
Keeping individuals and departments on the same page (and the same timeline) when they’re divided by distance, language, and culture can be difficult. As a result, many project and portfolio managers are turning to project visuals, like Gantt charts and “birds on a wire” timelines, to effectively communicate globally. Here’s why.
Critical Path comes up frequently in our interactions with our customers. Most executives we speak with still use the term Critical Path to describe “the most important stuff.” But those of us who are trained project managers and schedulers know that’s not exactly right.
We often receive this question within our support interactions: “Why doesn’t my % Complete bar match today’s date?”
The answer is simple.
OnePager is data-driven. Ever wonder why that matters? The answer to you may be obvious, but based on our conversations, it’s not something everyone has thought about.
To help, we’ve created a guide that discusses the importance of data-driven visuals in the realm of project management. We hope you find it informative and useful. Just click on the image below, or here, to read-on.
