Invoicing Tasks Project Management
19.3 Planning to Improve Leadership
Planning in a company often takes the form of regular meetings between the different teams. Each team has a certain number of projects and objectives that they must organize and establish priorities for. Ideally, these planning meetings should be short but regular and systematic. They can be weekly or monthly depending on the type of activity. A planning meeting often runs in three phases: 1. Minutes of the preceding period, and analysis of the work done compared to the planned work. 2. Introduction of new projects. 3. Planning the next period. The planning function covers several objectives which will be described in this section: • planning live projects against the commitments that have been made to clients, • determining staffing HR requirements in the coming month, • setting work for each employee or team for the periods to come, • analyzing the work done in the preceding periods, • passing the high-level objectives to lower levels in the company’s hierarchy. Tip: The social role of planning Some project managers think that they can manage planning on their own. They are commonly overworked and think that meetings are a waste of time. Even if staff really can manage their work for themselves, you should recognize that this regular meeting is also aimed at reassurance. Without it you can get into unduly stressful situations from: • feelings of overwork because they have lost sight of their priorities, • lack of feedback and tracking of the work actually completed, • an impression of poor organization if that has not been made explicit. So the social role of planning should not be neglected. We have often experienced a background of stress in a company stemming from a lack of communication and planning. 19.3.1 Planning by time or by tasks? There are two major approaches to enterprise planning: planning by task and planning by time. You can manage both with Open ERP. In planning by task, the project manager assigns tasks from the different projects to each employee over a given period. Employees then carry out precisely the work they have been assigned by the project manager. Planning 237 by time consists of allocating, for each employee, some time on each of the different projects for the period concerned. The tasks for each project are ordered by priority and can be directly assigned to a user or left unassigned. Each employee then chooses the task that he or she will do next, based on the plans and the relative priorities of the tasks. Figure 19.10: Monthly planning for work time of each employee The figure Monthly planning for work time of each employee shows a monthly planning session where plans are being made for each employee to spend a number of days’ work on various different projects. In this time-focused planning approach, clients’ priorities do not feature in the planning any more, but are explicit in the task list instead. So this approach helps you separate the planning of human resources on projects from the task prioritization within a project. Note: Comparing the two planning methods To illustrate the difference between planning by time and planning by task, take the case of an IT project that is estimated to be around six months of work. This project is managed by iterative cycles of development of around a month and a presentation is made to the client at the end of each cycle to track the progress of the project. At this meeting you plan what must be carried out for the following month. At the end of the month the account manager for the project invoices the client for the work done on the project. Suppose that the project encounters a delay because it is more complex than expected. There are two ways of resolving the delay if you have no further resources: you can be • late in your delivery of the planned functions, or • on time, but with fewer functions than planned. If your planning is based on phases and tasks you will report at the client meeting that it will take several weeks to complete everything that was planned for the current phase. Conversely, if you are planning by time you will keep the meeting with the client to close the present development phase and plan the new one, but only be able to present part of the planned functionality. If the client is sensitive to delay, the first approach will cause acute unhappiness. You will have to re-plan the project and all of its future phases to take account of that delay. Some problems are also likely to occur later with invoicing, because it will be difficult for you to invoice any work that has been completed late but has not yet been shown to the client. The second approach will require you to report on the functions that have not been completed, and on how they would fit into a future planning phase. That will not involve a break in the working time allocated to the project, however. You would then generate two different lists: a staffing plan for the different projects, and the list of tasks prioritized for the client’s project. This approach offers a number of advantages over the first one: • The client will have the choice of delaying the end of the project by planning an extra phase, or letting go of some minor functions to be able to deliver a final system more rapidly, • The client may re-plan the functions taking the new delay into account. • You will be able to make the client gradually aware of the fact that project progress has come under pressure and that work is perhaps more complex than had been estimated at the outset. • A delay in the delivery of several of the functions will not necessarily affect either monthly invoicing or project planning. Being able to separate human resource planning from task prioritization simplifies your management of complex issues, such as adjusting for employee holidays or handling the constantly changing priorities within projects.Parts
» Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Why this book? Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Independent Installation on Windows
» Installation on Linux Ubuntu
» Creating the database Database Creation
» Extending Open ERP New OpenERP functionality
» Database creation Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Preferences toolbar To connect to OpenERP
» Configuring Users Managing partners
» The Configuration Reconfigure wizard
» Installing an application module from the Modules list
» Installing a module with its dependencies
» Installing additional functionality Installing new functionality
» General Features What’s new in OpenERP
» Business Application-related Features What’s new in OpenERP
» Basic Concepts Getting started with OpenERP
» Boost your Sales Getting started with OpenERP
» Manage your Books Getting started with OpenERP
» Drive your Projects Getting started with OpenERP
» Driving your Sales Getting started with OpenERP
» Driving your Purchases Getting started with OpenERP
» Organise your Warehouse Getting started with OpenERP
» Measure your Business Performance Track your Process Flows
» Business Example Basic Settings
» Get your Database Up and Running with Demo Data
» Fit your Needs Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Configuring Accounts Database setup
» Configuring Journals Configuring the Main Company
» Creating partner categories, partners and their contacts
» Creating products and their categories
» Stock locations Database setup
» Setting up a chart of accounts
» Make a backup of the database
» Purchase Order Driving a Purchase Sales Flow
» Receiving Goods Driving a Purchase Sales Flow
» Invoice Control Driving a Purchase Sales Flow
» Paying the supplier Driving a Purchase Sales Flow
» From Sales Proposal to Sales Order
» Preparing goods for shipping to customers Invoicing Goods Customer Payment
» Terminology What is in it for you?
» Filtering your Partners Contacts Addresses Partner Categories
» Fetchmail Advanced Customer Relations
» Automated Actions Advanced Customer Relations
» Profiling Advanced Customer Relations
» Report Designer Advanced Customer Relations
» Helpdesk Calendars Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Analyzing Performance Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Automating actions using rules
» Installation and Configuration Using the e-mail gateway
» Creating and maintaining cases
» Supplier relationship management Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Establishing the profiles of prospects
» Using profiles effectively Profiling
» Installing the Outlook plugin
» Configuring the Outlook plugin
» Installing the Thunderbird plugin
» Configuring the Thunderbird plugin
» Using the Thunderbird plugin
» Automate your leads with Marketing Campaigns
» Defining a Marketing Campaign in OpenERP Guidelines for creating a campaign
» Customer Receipts Supplier Vouchers
» Draft Invoices Accounting Workflow and Automatic Invoice Creation
» Reconciliation and Payments Accounting Workflow and Automatic Invoice Creation
» Cancelling an Invoice Invoices
» Credit Notes Refunds Invoices
» Managing Bank Statements Accounting Entries
» Manual entry Accounting Entries
» Import Invoices Accounting Entries
» Cash Management Accounting Entries
» Reconciliation Process Accounting Entries
» How to Manage your Payment Orders?
» Financial Analysis of Partners
» Taxation Statutory Taxes and Chart of accounts
» General Ledger and Trial Balance
» The Accounting Journals Statutory Taxes and Chart of accounts
» Management Indicators Company Financial Analysis
» Good Management Budgeting Company Financial Analysis
» The Accounting Dashboard Company Financial Analysis
» Using a Preconfigured Chart of Accounts Creating a Chart of Accounts
» Payment Terms Opening Entries
» Case 1: Industrial Manufacturing Enterprise
» Case 2: Law Firm To each enterprise its own Analytic Chart of Accounts
» Case 3 : IT Services Company
» Setting up the Chart of Accounts
» Creating Journals Putting Analytic Accounts in Place
» Integrated with General Accounting
» Manual Entries Analytic Entries
» Analysis per account Financial Analysis
» Key indicators Financial Analysis
» Management of staff Managing Human Resources
» Contract Management Managing Human Resources
» Entering timesheet data Timesheets
» Managing by department Timesheets
» An integrated process Employee Expenses
» Recruitments Hire New People
» Assessments Inspire your People
» Holiday Management Inspire your People
» Fixed Price contracts Managing Service Contracts
» Cost-reimbursement contracts Managing Service Contracts
» Fixed-price contracts invoiced as services are worked
» Contracts limited to a quantity
» Creating Projects and Related Tasks
» Managing tasks Project Management
» Invoicing Tasks Project Management
» Priority Management Project Management
» Delegate your Tasks Project Management
» Project Phases Long Term Project Planning
» Scheduling Long Term Project Planning
» Planning by time or by tasks?
» Not everything that is urgent is necessarily important Organizing your life systematically
» Understanding Double-Entry Stock Management
» Product Types From Supplier to Customer
» Procurement Methods – Make to Stock and Make to Order Supply Methods
» Units of Measure From Supplier to Customer
» Receipt of a Supplier Order by Purchase Order
» Receipt of a Supplier Order by Product Customer Delivery
» Customer Delivery by Product
» Stock Locations Basic Logistics Configuration
» Location Types Basic Logistics Configuration
» Location Addresses Basic Logistics Configuration
» Accounting Valuation in Real Time
» Linked locations Basic Logistics Configuration
» Structuring locations Basic Logistics Configuration
» Handling Customer Orders Basic Logistics Configuration
» Linked Production Basic Logistics Configuration
» Push Flows Logistics Configuration in a Multi-Company Environment
» Pull Flows Logistics Configuration in a Multi-Company Environment
» Stock Rental Locations Import Export
» Automatic Procurement Minimum Stock Rules
» Stock Moves Management of Lots and Traceability
» Lots Management of Lots and Traceability
» The different journals Management by Journal
» Using the journals Management by Journal
» Requirements Calculation Scheduling Just in Time
» Planning Managing Partial Deliveries Receiving Supplier Products
» Manual Data Entry of Goods Receipt
» Confirming pre-generated Goods Receipt Documents
» Confirmation by Selecting Products Waiting Product Routing
» Management of production Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Configurable Bills of Materials
» Manufacturing Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» The customer order Workflow for complete production
» Producing an Intermediate Product
» Manufacture of finished product Delivery of product to the customer
» Invoicing at delivery Workflow for complete production
» Security days Calculation of lead times
» Definition of concepts Operations
» Routing Impact on the production order
» Work operations Management of operations
» Subcontracting manufacture Events and barcodes
» Scheduling Treatment of exceptions
» Entering data for a new repair Repair workflow
» Invoicing the repair Management of repairs
» Manual procurement Management of waste products and secondary products Sales Quotations
» Packaging Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Alerts Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Order Configuration Control Deliveries and Invoicing
» Picking Mode Control Deliveries and Invoicing
» Tariff Grids Management of Carriers
» Delivery Modes Management of Carriers
» Delivery based on Ordered Quantities
» Margins by Product Keep Track of your Margins
» Margins by Project Keep Track of your Margins
» Creating Price Lists Example
» Rebates at the End of a Campaign
» Open Orders Layout Templates
» Price Request from the Supplier
» Goods Receipt All the Elements of a Complete Workflow
» Control based on Goods Receipt
» Tenders Price Revisions All the Elements of a Complete Workflow
» Elementary Statistics Purchase Analysis
» Analytic Accounts Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Examples of Process Process Integration in the Management System
» Using processes effectively Workflows and User Processes
» Defining your own user processes
» The importance of good document management
» Classic document management solutions
» Getting Started The OpenERP Solution
» Internal and External Access using FTP
» Mapping between OpenERP Resources and Directories
» Standardizing Structures Searching for documents Working with users’ changes Version Management
» OpenERP Server Setup Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» DNS Server Setup Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» SSL Setup Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Calendars on iPhone Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Prerequisites Calendars on Android
» How to configure? Calendars on Android
» Calendars in Evolution Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Prerequisites Calendars in SunbirdLightning
» Configuration Calendars in SunbirdLightning
» Creating a Configuration Module
» Changing the menu Configuring the menu
» Personalizing the welcome page for each user Assigning default values to fields
» Changing the terminology Configuring the menu
» User Login Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Managing access rights Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Modification history Groups and Users
» Configuring workflows and processes
» Managing statistical reports Configuring reports
» Managing document templates with OpenOffice.org
» Creating common headers for reports
» Exporting Open ERP data to CSV
» Importing CSV data to Open ERP
» The CSV format for complex database structures
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