Why Micro Planner X-Pert

How it works

Planning is a vital part of project management but it is important to understand where the planning process finishes and the control or management process takes over.

The disciplines which differentiate serious management from simple planning are those concerned with:

• Setting Cost, Resource and Time baselines.
• Monitoring progress against those baselines.
• Taking remedial action and rescheduling.
• Reporting and communicating management intentions.

Micro Planner’s strengths in handling these disciplines is what sets X-Pert apart from ordinary planning packages.

General Benefits

• Better control of time and resources saves money and increases margins.
• Delivery dates or other deadlines can be reliably forecast — and met.
• Increased communication from easy-to-read reports helps to avoid confusion.
• Confidence is enhanced as risks are reduced.
• Excellent value for money: low cost for a complete system when compared with similar functionality elsewhere.
• Opportunities for greater involvement of the whole project team in the actual planning process.
• Ability to manage in a multi-project environment (programme management).

Ease of use without compromise

Although it has arguably the most powerful and sophisticated analysis engine on the market, X-Pert is designed for ease of use - to be flexible and responsive to your requirements. After all, you need to be in control of your project right from the start - not wrestling with the software!

The X-Pert approach is to confront the complexities of project scheduling in order to focus on solutions. Rather than simplify the techniques it creates an intuitive graphical environment which provides a unique overview of your project data.

X-Pert embodies a disciplined approach which enables you to use it as the cornerstone of your Project Management quality procedures. It does not duck out when the going gets tough.

Beginners can use the software at a simple level - to “hit the ground running”. The more sophisticated features can remain out of sight to avoid confusion but as your knowledge of the package increases, you will not run out of power to tackle the most complex projects.

Graphical Visibility

X-Pert provides a unique “desktop” approach to the management of your projects. The desktop window is laid out with icons and “folders” providing mouse access to all the information in the project.

In addition to the first Subproject icon, Work Breakdown icon and five folders provided in a new project, you can create new subprojects, new folders and icons, name them to suit your needs, and even nest folders inside other folders. Naturally, since folders are used for filing information about your project, you can decide where you wish to store items - networks, calendars, resources, reports etc.

The Custom Menu folder provides a quick and easy method for selecting frequently used items, such as a weekly status report that you may have designed yourself. Items stored in this folder appear as a Custom Menu item accessible from the View menu.

X-Pert gives you a unique overview of your project, empowering you to experiment with alternative schedules and adapt your schedule to accommodate the most unex- pected circumstances.