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Creating a new Issue

The Issue needs a brief description, further detail if required can be included in the comment tab.  There are then a number of mandatory fields which must be created as follows:

Type - select from the list, if this hasn’t been locked by the template creator you can add additional items to it if you need in File - Manage Lookups form.

Three types are usually provided as follows:

RFC - Request For Change

OS - Off-Spec

P - Problem (general other type item)

Decision - Note of a formal decision taken

Action - Note of an action placed

Raised by and Owner - either select a name from the pick list or type a new name into the space. (This resource list is shared with the Task and Risk tabs).

Priority - How important is this issue? Select from slider of Low to Urgent terms.

Severity - how substantial is this issue? Select from slider on scale 0 to 10.

Other fields are optional

Updating an Issue and Responses

As understanding and management of the Issue develops the item will need updating, this can involve changing allocated roles Priority and Severity information as well as including comments.

In a more sophisticated formal environment you may choose to use the resources tab to create and manage the responses associated with addressing a particular issue.

RAID log mode

Often when a different Planning tool is being used then a Planner file serves the purpose of a RAID log.  Here only the Risk and Issue tabs are active and the Issues tab has types of Decision and Action included so that all Issues, Decision and Actions are listed there.  Views can be used to narrow the ‘Issue’ list to consider just one of those aspects or all three can be taken in conjunction.

Items can be moved between the Issue list and the Risk list in either direction by right clicking on them.

What can I do with my issue data?

If you are using Planner standalone or as a template from Community Edition then you can analyse your risks using views and export or print your results as required.

If using a PIAB commercial product your data will be available to be shown at project, programme or portfolio level combined with riskn information from other projects.

If using Small Team or Enterprise Editions you will be able to generate risk lists based on your chosen criteria and accumulated across all plans in the system as well as send people reminders based on the status and content of their risks by email.

‘This basic scheduling and risk management package provides all of the functionality that many users require.  And its free!’

Steve Cotterell, Project Manager Today

Read the full review here: PMT July 2012

The perfect companion planning tool simple to layout, schedule your projects and even resource them. Then share the files with anyone you want.  Easy to pick up and use even if you haven’t used MS Project before...if you have..well it’s like MS Project made easy.

Simple Plan Features

It does the following for free!

• Transfer your plan from MSProject
• Transfer your plan to MSProject
• Task name and further details
• Unique duration setting by fixed dates, start plus days or predecessor plus dates
• Add resources and allocation %
• Creates project resource list
• % complete by task
• Group tasks into summaries
• Auto calc  summary dates and %
• Task budget and cost control
• Task colours, comments and tags
• Move and copy tasks
• View interactive Gantt
• Click to edit and custom order tasks
• Alter display time frame
• Gantt as image in one click
• Save your plan and share for free
• Bundled with Community Edition
• Upload into PROJECT in a box to integrated into organisation wide resource and task management
• Risk logging, management, analysis and communications
• Issue logging, management, analysis and communications
• Import or export risks via Excel
• Completely FREE!

Or view full PIAB product matrix