ProjeXTM Documentation
======================
Version 1.04b for Microsoft Excel
Copyright Mike Witcombe 1997


Purpose
=======
	ProjexTM is an Excel add-in that replaces some of the functionality of Microsoft ProjectTM when tracking projects using Gantt charts. The user does need to spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of complex software when instead ProjeX can quickly and simply track progress using Gantt charts and  Excel's standard functionality.


Introduction
============
	Most projects in the workplace today could benefit from improved project planning and progress tracking. Microsoft and others have introduced a cornucopia of software tools aimed at helping managers complete tasks on time. These programs frequently cost hundreds of dollars (because they are aimed at the business market), occupy large amounts of disk space and require a lot of time and effort to set up projects prior to tracking. ProjeXTM gives the user the ability to :

* Build task lists for a project.
* Assign starting dates and durations for each task.
* Link tasks to start on completion of other tasks.
* Produce colour coded Gantt charts showing % completion.
* Highlight overdue tasks.
* Allocate milestones.

All of this functionality is available within the Excel framework, so there is no need for the user to learn a complex new software package.

What's New with ProjeX 1.04
===========================
The new version has :

* The ability to define the time axis of the Gantt charts as either days, weeks or months.
* The ability to not include weekends as part of a task's duration.
* The worksheet reset option has been improved so that the end date is reset according to a task's duration and start date.
* Some small bugs have been removed.

Installing ProjeX
=================
	The following files are included in the compressed file :

ProjeX.doc		-	This file
projex.txt		-	A text copy of this file
Proj1_04.xla		-	ProjeX Excel add-in


1. Copy the ProjeX add-in file (Proj1_04.xla) to your Excel library sub-directory, for example c:\msoffice\excel\library.
2. Start up Excel and go to the 'Add-ins' option under the 'Tools' menu.
3. Select the Browse option  and move to the Excel library in the window that appears.
4. Select "Proj1_04.xla" from the available add-ins.
5. The Add-ins option can now be closed with ProjeX installed on the Toolbar.

Successful installation of ProjeX will result in the ProjeX menu appearing between Window and Help.


Using ProjeX
============
	There are four options available under the ProjeX menu :

ProjeX Properties
Produce new ProjeX Sheet			-	Alt P
Generate ProjeX Gantt chart			-	Alt G
Reset Data sheet				-	Alt R

ProjeX Properties Option
========================
Gantt Chart Display Properties - This option is used to set various display options when building Gantt charts as Excel sheets. The menu options are :

* Dates to not include on Schedule - not implemented in this release
* Time Axis Scale - the time axis of the Gantt chart can be set to day, week or month.

Produce new ProjeX Sheet Option
===============================
ProjeX requires the task data to be laid out in a particular format, so a new ProjeX sheet should always be generated before entering any task information. This can be done by selecting the first option from the ProjeX menu. The example dataset (see Figure 1) that is generated overwrites whatever was in the current active sheet before so it is a good idea to generate a new sheet before entering any data. 


The task descriptions can be edited in the normal fashion for Excel, with tasks being inserted or added to the bottom of the list as required using Excels standard 'Insert' functionality. The starting and ending dates must be consistent with the number of days the task is scheduled to last. Note that a straight difference between the starting date and ending date does not give the total number of days, one needs to added. The percentage completion for the task can be any number between 0 and 100. The project start and end dates at the top of the sheet are automatically generated from the task list along with the present date which is automatically updated. A milestone is defined as having a duration of 0 days.

Task titles can now be added to the list. All fields except the task description column must be left blank for ProjeX to recognize that it is a title. When the chart is produced, the titles will be displayed in bold for printing.

Generate ProjeX Gantt Chart option
==================================
There are three option under "Generate ProjeX Gantt chart" to generate the charts. They are :

Gantt Chart on same sheet
Gantt Chart as new sheet
--------------------------------
Gantt Chart as new chart

The first option attaches the generated Gantt chart to the side of the existing task sheet. 

The second option produces the same sheet layout but on a separate Excel sheet. This way the user can keep track of a project as it develops.

The completed part of a task is coloured dark blue, an overdue task coloured red, a task not overdue as light blue, and a milestone as a black diamond.

The third option produces an Excel chart as a separate 'sheet'. This option generates the chart faster than the sheet approach but is limited by the what can be displayed as an Excel chart.

If the user requires the chart to be reset to a list at some point the third option on the main ProjeX menu can be used.

Separate projects can be copied or linked to other ProjeX sheets to allow detailed Gantt charts for a group or department to be constructed. There is no limit to the number of ProjeX sheets per workbook but it is suggested the user keeps to one per workbook and then uses Excel's 'Paste Special' to produce composite task lists and Gantt charts

Reset Data sheet Option
=======================
	If the user requires, the Gantt chart details can be removed from the side of the sheet using the last of the main menu options. This option also redraws the box around the task list.

	The end date is reset to be consistent with the start date and the number of days the task is due to take. This is required because of the ability of ProjeX to not include weekends as part of a task.

About ProjeX
============
ProjeXTM was written by WAA, for the latest release of the software please go to :

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/1143/index.htm. 

The program is freeware and can be used and distributed accordingly as long as it is not altered and the credits are kept. You are not permitted to sell it without written permission.

WAA
===
	WAA is a small software company specializing in producing Visual Basic applications for Microsoft products for the business person on the move. If you have any comments on ProjeXTM or suggestions for future applications please email us at waa@juno.com.

Revisions/Bug fixes for Version 1.04
====================================
* When initializing a new ProjeX sheet all drawn objects are now removed from the sheet.
* The print page is now set correctly for week and month axis plots for small sheets that fit on one page.
* The page set up for printing of a new Gantt sheet has been implemented.
* A previous bug when drawing the current date line in weekly mode has been corrected. This caused ProjeX to crash if the Gantt sheet did not include the current date.

Future Developments
===================
* Implement communications between a project sheet and the ToDo list of Schedule+
* Speed up the generation of Gantt sheets.
* Provide online help documentation.
* Provide sub group functionality and grouping for tasks.
* Add resource tracking.
* Add a vacation planner to track when resources are available.
* Add email capabilities for meeting scheduling.
* Add wizard to generate different types of schedules
* Improve plotting functionality for Excel chart option.
