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Collected PowerOpI Posts on Silicon Valley Project Management
PowerQueryToolRichard Bixler
Summary: In previous posts I've mentioned that I'll make available a tool that implements the quantitative methodologies I've described. This tool makes practical continuous quantitative planning, and execution to meet objectives, enabling
agile-mindset management of complex projects.
Published originally on svprojectmanagement. PowerQueryToolYou need to download and install two components:
What's in PowerOpI PowerQueryToolThe files provided include a small demo project built on the tool elements, illustrating table structures for project material allocation, product structure BOM, project dates, and product element data. The Framework methodology isn't tied to any particular project; it's a framework for simplifying and building tables that can be JOINed to represent many expansions and views of an overall effort. My own efforts have applied this to managing projects for electronic hardware and software, including chip design: semiconductor wafer design, validation, fab, verification and Qual; telecommunications and audio/video compression and streaming hardware and software design, qual and productization; and enterprise class storage hardware and software development, prototyping, system development, and qual. The Framework has evolved in ways to handle these project sizes and complexities; and handled each without encountering limits to size or complexity. For reference in descriptions below, Framework elements can be used for several configurations. These can be illustrated as Standalone, Data Source, and Client configurations. Standalone contains Data Source, QUERY, and Report elements. These can be split many ways to provide Data Source and Client instances, to support distributed use with centralized maintenance and security; particularly with SQL Server and MS Access. PowerOpIPowerQueryTool_XL.zip ComponentsToolSource.xlsm (Reference: ToolSource) This is core functionality of PowerQueryTool. This file is set up as a Standalone configuration, and can also be used as a Data Source for ToolClient.xlsm. Walking through what's in this file:
ToolClient.xlsm (Reference: ToolClient.xlsm) This file is just like ToolSource.xlsm, but with all Source Data Tables in external ToolSource.xlsm file(s), with QUERYs in ToolClient.xlsm configured to access them. PowerOpIPowerQueryTool_MPP.zip ComponentsP0001_Rollup.mpp (Reference: P0001_Rollup.mpp) This is a normal MS Project plan for the Demo project, with added VBA to provide Export capability to an xls file named after it, and an associated external Resource file. Several sub-projects (M0004.mpp, M0005.mpp) are rolled up into P0001_Rollup.mpp, to interconnect dependencies and deliverables among the sub-projects. The exported file P0001_Rollup.xlsx includes the connected sub-projects. P0001_linked_tables.vsdm (Reference: P0001 VSDM) This is a normal MS Visio image, with added VBA to size and position graphical objects to a Timeline object on the Image illustrating flow of the Demo project. Implementing Your Project: Updates and Duplication: (Reference: Implementing Your ProjectAll a mouthful, I know. Install the tool files, configure them, poke around. Change some data, Refresh DATA via button and see how Reports update to show your change. Add a product Element to the project. Add a Table, add it to a JOIN or create a new JOIN, and drive a Pivot Report with that JOIN. Then try a small project, cloning from the objects in the distributed files. Check out schedule updates rippling through, and Visio Images updating to reflect schedule changes. Increase project size and complexity as you become familiar with the methodology. Once the tool is set up and your project and product structure are represented in Source Data Tables and JOINed, concentration shifts to managing the project using and updating Table data; and the tool fades into the background: Project and Product data updates frequently, and structure updates occasionally. Setting up a second project is much more straightforward: your first project is the working path using PowerQueryTool in your file structure, organization structure, and product structure, that you can modify and extend; and also provides a record of Actuals available for estimates going forward. As you develop this infrastructure, and especially as you distribute the expertise, each project gets better than the last.. It's much more complicated to read and write about these actions, than it is to do them. Remember the PowerOpI website and support links above. Credits Base Images licensed from www.shutterstock.com My website: www_softtoyssoftware_com Copyright © 2020 Richard M. Bixler All rights reserved |