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Documentation

March 2013

English

xPlan
for Mac

Welcome!
Thanks for choosing xPlan !
Its the most easier Project Management app for Mac.
We hope that you will enjoy using this product. It has been specifically designed
to help everyone successfully plan and complete the projects in their lives, from
buying a new home to managing team projects at work.
xPlan is also available for iPhone and iPad.
adnx Team

Table of contents

xPlan
for Mac

1. User interface.................................................................. 4 6. Import and export.............................................. 25


Navigation................................................................................................ 5
Calendar..................................................................................................... 6
Toolbar........................................................................................................ 7

Import or export an XML document..................................... 25


Send task to a resource per email........................................... 25
Share a project.................................................................................... 26
xView service........................................................................................ 27

2. Manage human and material


resources.......................................................................................... 8 7. Project Settings........................................................ 28
Create new resource........................................................................... 8
8. xPlan Shortcuts........................................................ 29
Import contacts..................................................................................... 9
Manage costs....................................................................................... 10

9. Inspectors............................................................................ 30

3. Manage tasks............................................................... 11 10. Print from xPlan.................................................. 31


Create a simple task......................................................................... 11
Fill a task form...................................................................................... 12
Create a process................................................................................. 13
Create links between tasks.......................................................... 14
Create a milestone............................................................................ 15
Create a to do...................................................................................... 16

11. Specific features on Lion.................... 32


12. xPlan for iPad and iPhone............... 33
13. Share projects......................................................... 34

4. Manage Events.......................................................... 17
Create an event.................................................................................. 17
Days off.................................................................................................... 18
Manage documents........................................................................ 19

5. Views and reports................................................... 20


View by Tasks (Gantt)...................................................................... 20
View by Resource.............................................................................. 21
View Global report........................................................................... 22
View Report by resource............................................................... 23
Advanced features............................................................................ 24

1 User interface

xPlan
for Mac

a
b

c
a

Navigation List

Located at left of the main window,


this area helps you to navigate
in your project.

Calendar

Showing the Calendar with assigned Tasks,


Processes, Events and Milestones.
View your project in differents ways!

Toolbar

All necessary tools are located here to


handle your project content.
A progress bar gives you an idea about the
completion level.

1 Navigation

User interface

xPlan
for Mac

Located at left of the main window, the Navigation area includes 4 sections:

a Settings

The application settings are adjusted here.

b Views

Choose your favorite view to see your project data:


by resources ou by tasks (Gantt).

c Items
d

All items of your project are regrouped here.


By selecting one, you can view details in the main
window.

Reports

Two reports views are available for your project:


global or tasks by resource.

Calendar

User interface

xPlan
for Mac

This part of the main window is called Calendar. Tasks, milestones, events or processes are displayed here. xPlan allows you use two ways
to show the data: by resources or by tasks (Gantt).

by resources

by tasks (Gantt)

This view allows you to view your project organized by resources.


Down the left side of the calendar are listed the various resources of your
project.

This allows you to view your project and tasks within it. This allows you to
view the overall project, including tasks that are not assigned to a specific
resource.

For each ressource on the calendar, you can see the tasks assigned to it.

Tasks are listed in the left Task List. Where they fall on the Calendar is
shown in the Calendar Window. The left-hand Task List also show the
Processes, and Tasks associated with a Process.
6

Toolbar

User interface

xPlan
for Mac

This bar contains all the tools necessary to manage your project and monitor its progress.

b
c
d
e

Project progress

Progress bar provides you an indication of the progress


of the project and your tasks.

New Task

Create a new task.

New Milestone

New To Do

Delete

Edit

Critical Path

Create a new milestone.

New Process

Create a new process.

Create a new to do task.

To delete a task, a milestone, an event or a process.

To modify a task, a milestone, an event or a process.

To show the critical path.

New Event

Create a new event.

2 Manage human and material resources

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan can manage both human and material resources. Each resource can be linked to a series of tasks or with other resources.
To create a resource in xPlan, go to section Resources in the left sidebare a then click on New resource button b .
When you create a new resource, you can assign it multiple parameters c like group, kind of resource, cost (per hour, per day or global) and
personal data (name, phone number, email and photo).
To create a group, do the To create a group, simply perform the same operation as when creating a resource by clicking on the New group
button. Drag and drop the desired resource in the group you want or specify it in the edit dialog.

a
c

Import contacts

Manage
resources

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan allows you to import contacts from Apple Address Book. The operation is simple and use drag and drop.

Create a resource from Address Book


Create a new blank resource to drag and drop contact from Address Book in resource window. xPlan imports name, phone number and photo if the
contact includes one..

Our advice

Import or export resources to and


from another project with these
icons in the toolbar!
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Manage costs
xPlan allows you attribute a cost to a resource
in the reports b .

Manage
resources
a

xPlan
for Mac

. This amount will be used to calculate the global cost for a task as you can see, for example,

Example:
If you assign a hourly cost of $ 55.00 to your designer, the total cost of creative project which you are scheduled 29 days of work will amount to $ 1,740.00. If
you add other human resources, the total cost will conside the individual cost for the total result.
The cost can be specified by hour, day or globally (ideal for a material resource).

a
b

To change the
currency used, go
to the settings
of your project.

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3 Manage tasks

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan lets you manage simple tasks or sets of tasks, also called processes, which contain sub-tasks.
Each task can be attributed to one or more resources.
xPlan is a complete software that also offers management of milestones, which can helps you to structure your project, and to-do.

Create a new simple task


To create a new task, select Tasks tab a in Items section in left sidebar. Click on New task button b in toolbar. A pop-up window (the inspector)
opens a new task c .
More simply and quickly, you can also create a task using the mouse in the calendar views (Gantt or resources) without using the create button.

b
11

Fill a task form

xPlan
for Mac

A simple task is used to complete a variety of parameters. In addition to standard information (resource assignment, start date, end date, cost...),
xPlan allows you to attach documents or take notes.

a
b
c
d

Task name

Name your task.

Task appearance
To identify your task.

Start date

Specify a start date for this task.

Duration

End date

Working schedule

Lock

Cost

Specify a end date for this task.

g
i

Assigned resources

Attached documents

Notes

Assign as many resources as


needed to this task.

Specify a duration for this task.

Completion

Indicate the completion rates


for this task.

Assign as many documents as


needed to this task.
Take notes for this task.

Specify cost for a task.

The icon offers access to


a mini calendar to select
quickly a date.

Move or resize a task

To move a task or group of tasks in a view, select it and drag.


To enlarge or reduce it, click and drag one of its extremities.
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Create a process

xPlan
for Mac

A process is a task that may contain subtasks. Its really easy to create it.
To create a new process, select Tasks tab
(the inspector) opens a new process c .

in Items section in left sidebar. Click on New process button

in the toolbar. A pop-up window

Create a sub-task

To create a sub-task, simply


select the process that will
contain the before clicking
the button New Task.

13

Create links between tasks

xPlan
for Mac

In xPlan, each task can be linked to one or more other graphically. This link allows you to follow automatically a task moved to the future by linked
tasks. To create a link, select a task and click the small circle at its right end a and drag to the left circle of the target task. At this point, the link
inspector appears b .

The links created can be customized in different ways: style (curve, segments...), pattern (plain, dot), thickness (thin, thick...) and color. You can also
specify or not to display an arrowhead.

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Manage milestones

Manage
tasks

xPlan
for Mac

In a project, there are still important steps. With xPlan, you can easily create these steps as a task. They helps you to identify effectively and quickly
the different stages of your project.
Tout comme avec une tche, vous pouvez attribuer une ou plusieurs ressources une tape importante.

Create a milestone
To create a new milestone, select Tasks tab a in Items section in left sidebar. Click on New milestone button
window (the inspector) opens a new milestone c .

in the toolbar. A pop-up

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Manage to do

Gestion
des tches

xPlan
for Mac

In parallel with a project, there are often small tasks to perform: invite a partner to lunch, remember a detail or perform another activity.
XPlan with no need to use additional software, to-do management is included!
Note that the to-do not appear in the calendar views.

Create a to do
To create a new to do, go to To Do tab a in the Item section in the left sidebar. Click on Add button
A pop-up window (the inspector) opens a new to do c .

in the toolbar.

a
c

b
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4 Manage events

xPlan
for Mac

A project is often composed of events not to be missed. These events may signal meetings, conventions or other special events.
xPlan offers you to manage them in your project.

Create an event
To create a new event, go to Events tab
A pop-up window opens a new event c .

in the Items section in the left sidebar. Click on New event button

in the toolbar.

Tip

Events are always shown


in the upper row of the
calendar.

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Manage days off

Manage
events

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan allows you to consider holidays and days off in each project. Their setup is very simple.

Add a day off


To add some days off, go to Days off a tab in Settings section in left sidebar. Click on + button
and make it repetitive. Its awesome for recurring holidays as Christmas or New Years day c .

. A new entry is created. You can edit this item

a
c

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Manage linked documents

Manage
events

xPlan
for Mac

A project may need to keep handy some documents (expense reports, bills ...). xPlan allows you to link these documents, of any type* to tasks.

Link a document to a task


To link a document to a task, select the desired task and click on the Attached documents tab
Use + and - buttons to add or detele documents. You can also drag and drop files from Finder
Documents tab in Items section on the left sidebar c .

in task inspector.
b . These documents are available from

OR

Tip

A linked document is
located in the project.
This copy is not an alias
and no longer depends
on the original file.

*The file type is not important because you will use the appropriate application to open it.

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5 Views & reports

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan can display your project in several ways: by tasks (Gantt chart), by resources or as a report.

View by tasks (Gantt)


To show Gantt View, click on By Tasks (Gantt) tab a in the left sidebar. The first part of window show you all tasks and events of your project and
can be edited here b . The right part of the window displays the Gantt chart that graphically represents your tasks c .

b
c

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Views and reports

xPlan
for Mac

View by Resources
To show View by Resources, click on By Resources a in the left sidebar. The first part of window b show human and material resources of
your project. Theses resources can be edited here, like in the Gantt View. The right part of the window displays the diagram that graphically
represents your tasks c .

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View global report

Views
& reports

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan allows you to create a report of your project in two different ways: global or by resource.

Show global report


To show a report by Resource, click on Global tab a in Reports section in left sidebar. The global report displays the tasks and related
resources b . To insert your company logo c in the report, import your image from preferences.

Customize your report with


your company logo !
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View by Resource

Views
& reports

xPlan
for Mac

The report Tasks by Resource allows to synthesize the tasks and costs for a resource of human or material after a period of time.

Show report by Resource


To show a report by Resource, click on Tasks by Resources tab a in Reports section in left sidebar.
This report b show tasks and cost from a resource c . You can specify a period of time to refine result d .

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Advanced features

Views
& reports

xPlan
for Mac

Show by time periods


xPlan displays your project in the period of time you choose: Day, Week, Month, Year
Two arrows let you move from period to period depending on your choice c .

or Project

b.

Search

Zoom

The search field is available from


By Resources and By Tasks (Gantt)
views. xPlan search throughout
your project and allows you to
identify, at a glance, the type of
search results.

Zoom lets you to enlarge


or reduce the preview
of a time period of your
project.

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6 Import & export

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan can import Microsoft Project XML files but also share a lot of data in several formats.

Import or export a XML document

Send task to a resource by email

xPlan can import a Microsoft Project file as XML. This file format helps
you to exchange tagged content (trees, hierarchy...).
The operation works in the other direction since xPlan may export its
projects in Microsoft Project XML format.

To send task (linked with a resource) to email, go to Tasks by Resource


tab in Reports section in left sidebar. Report can be can be refined for
the desired resource and period of time.

To import a project in XML format, select Import in File menu then


choose Microsoft Project XML.
To export a project in XML format, select Export in File menu then
choose Project to Microsoft Project XML.

Once your report customized, click on Send by mail button on the


bottom right of the window to send it in your email application where
a new message will be created.

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Import
& export

Share a project

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan can share projects in different ways and formats. Go to Export menu item in File menu, you access to:

c
d
e
g

JPEG Format

PDF Format

xView

Selected item to iCal

CSV Format

iCal Format

Microsoft Project XML Format

Current view is exported as image with several settings.


Current view is exported as PDF with several settings.
Current view is exported to xView online service. Link to
file is created. More info on the next page.
The selected task is seni to iCal as an event.
A CSV file contains tabular data which can be reused in
any compatible application.
Project is exported to iCal format.
Project is exported to XML format (see previous page).

Tip

When exporting, xPlan offers a preview


of the project and many customization
possibilities: dates, extension, time scale,
header, footer...

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xView Easy way to publish content to internet

xPlan
for Mac

Our new sharing service is included in xPlan. It allows you to share schedules automatically to internet as an
image. Its simple to work with it. Just export your schedule to xView.

Select Current view to xView online service


in Export menu from File menu.

Your favorite web browser is opened with your image and its link.
You can now share your schedule!

Manage your shared views


To manage shared views, simply open the Published
files... window from the File menu in xPlan
application. From this window you can view or delete
shared items.
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7 Project Settings

xPlan
for Mac

To show settings of your project, click on Projet tab a in Settings section in the left sidebar.
You will find here all necessary settings for your project as its budget b or week format c .

a
b

Our advice

Use the small magnifying


glass icon to locate, when
clicked, the file of your project
in the Finder.

Week format

This setting strongly influences the display of weeks in


your project. Depending on your choice, U.S. or European
(ISO), will display differently xPlan week numbers in the
calendar.

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8 xPlan Shortcuts

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan has many shortcuts allowing you to work efficiently and quickly: you are more productive!

Creation Shortcuts

New task

From Resources tab

From Tasks tab

New to do

M
P
E

New milestone

New process

New event

1
2
3
4
5

Go to Tasks tab

Zoom In

Zoom Out

By Tasks (Gantt)

Tabs Shortcuts

New resource

By Resources

R
G

New project

Views Shortcuts

From To do tab

Reports Shortcuts

Show
Global Report

L
Show

Tasks by Resources

Go to Resources tab
Go to To Do tab
Go to Events tab
Go to Documents tab

Date Shortcuts

Show by day
Show by week
Show by month
Show by year

Enter/Quit
F full screen

<

1
2
3
4
5
T

Show full project


Go to today
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9 Inspectors

xPlan

Each item (resource, event, task and to do) have their own inspecto. Task inspector is detailled on page 12.

Resource inspector

Event inspector

Group resource

Resource kind

Cost

a
b

e
To do inspector

b
c

Put your resource in a group.


It can be human or material.
Specify kind of cost: hourly, daily or global.

Info on the resource

Photo

for Mac

Name, email and phone number.


Attribute photo to a resource.

Event name

Specify a name and a colour for event.

Begins

Duration

This is the begin date of the event.


Specify a duration for event.

Ends

Notes

This is the end date of the event.


Take some notes about event.

Due date

No due date

Note

Scheduled end time of task.


Check this option if you dont want due date.
Take some notes about to do.

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10 Print from xPlan

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan allows you to customize the printing of your project with several parameters.

c
d
e

Preview

Dates

Live preview your project.

Choose the time period displayed: current


calendar view or a custom period.

Zoom

Header and footer

Print options

Zoom in and out

Zoom on the project on the page when


printing.

Display or not the time scale and / or column


of resources.

Add a header and / or a footer to your


printed project.

Enlarge or reduce the project screen preview.

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11 Specific features on Lion

xPlan
for Mac

xPlan include features specific to OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Differents versions

xPlan is compatible with Versions feature


of Mac OS X Lion a , allows you to
navigate through differents versions of a
project b .

Show in full screen


xPlan is fully compatible with the full screen function
of Mac OS X Lion. Simply click on the small arrows
icon in the title bar of the application a or use
Ctrl - Cmd - F shortcut.
To return to a standard view, click the icon that appears
in the menu bar b when you fly over it or use again
Ctrl - Cmd - F shortcut.

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12

xPlan for iPad and iPhone

Available on the

App Store

xPlan
for Mac

A version of xPlan is available on the App Store for iPad and iPhone. You can share projects with the Mac version.

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13

Share projects
Its easy to share xPlan documents between your
Mac and the iOS version. Heres how to:

xPlan
for Mac

1. Connect your iPad or iPhone


2. In iTunes, click on the iPad or iPhone icon in
the Devices section a .
3. Then choose Apps category
view in iTunes.

in the sync

4. In the bottom of the window, select xPlan in


the Apps list in File Sharing zone. Drag and drop
c the xPlan document you want to copy on your
tablet in xPlan Documents zone.
5. You can now use this document on your
mobile!
You could copy a xPlan document from your
iPad or iPhone to your Mac too. Simply select
document in xPlan Documents zone and drag it
to your desktop.
The iTunes File Sharing allows you to share
documents in the same way with any application
listed in Apps list.

NOTE : With version 3.5, you can also use


iCloud and Dropbox online services to exchange
projects between a Mac and the iOS versions.

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xPlan
for Mac

Do not forget to regularly update your application


to take advantage of all the improvements and new features!

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