Category Archives: Help

Getting familiar with each view

Getting familiar with each view

Getting Familiar with Each View

 

Objectives and Scope

Introduction

This view provides a series of pages in which to display information related to the project�s scope. Seven categories of information can be displayed:

  • Objectives;
  • Key Questions (i.e. questions or issues the project needs to address);
  • Deliverables;
  • Success Metrics;
  • Budget;
  • Scope In / Scope Out;
  • Comments

The content you create can be viewed either with a summary page displaying 2-3 categories of information and 4-5 pages covering one category each, or over 7 pages with each category having a page of its own.

The main bullet points in each category of information (except Scope In/Scope Out) can be seen in the page header section of other views if desired. (Note: indented sub-bullet points cannot be seen in the page header section of other views, as the page header is designed for the display of high level information only).

 

When to use this view

  • For your own thinking about what needs to get done
  • For project scope / charter documents
  • In meetings to discuss or review project scope or progress
  • For communication with the project team, with senior management, stakeholders etc

 

Examples

Below is an example summary page showing the following categories of information: Objectives, Deliverables and Success Metrics:


Note: you can select which two or three categories of information to show in the summary page through using the Page Body Format dialogue

Example page showing a single category of information in this case Key Questions (i.e. to list the key questions or issues that the project needs to address).

Click here for more information about the Objectives and Scope view.

 

Timeline

Activity Group Summary

Activity Group Detail

Action List

Action List over Time

Contact List

Issue Log

Getting familiar with the screen

Getting familiar with the screen

Getting Familiar with Swiftlight – A Guided Tour of the User Interface

 

Swiftlight User Interface – Timeline View Example

 

  1. A key design principle behind the user interface is "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG). The main working area of the screen looks like a page on a grey background, and this page is what you will get when you print, or when you export a view to Powerpoint or PDF. (The mental model is more like Microsoft PowerPoint than Microsoft Excel). Note that if there is more than one page in a view you can scroll or page down to see the other page(s).
  2. The main "Page Body" is the lower section of the page. In this case it contains the Timeline dates, Key Meetings, Key Milestones and the Activity Groups.
  3. The "Page Header" is the top section of the page, containing the project title, and in this case bullet boxes for Objectives, Deliverables and Success Metrics.
  4. At the top of the screen are standard menu functions and toolbar shortcuts for formatting and switching between views.
  5. The toolbox contains objects which can be picked up and dragged and dropped on to the working area of the page.
  6. Clicking on the small buttons with white arrows, open up dialogues which allow you to format the page header and, separately, the page body.
  7. Clicking on the view icons allows you to move to one of the other views.
  8. In general, double clicking on something in any view will show you more detail (if it is available). In this timeline example, double clicking on one of the Activity Group arrows takes you to the Activity Group Detail for that particular activity.

 

Adding / Editing Data in each View

Data entry is highly intuitive. For areas of text you can click and type (for example in the page header) to add content. To add other objects, such as Meetings or Activity Groups, you can simply drag and drop them onto the page from the toolbox (alternatively you can use the right click menu > add … ).

To edit items either click on the text, or select the object and move it, or use the right click or main menus. Double clicking on items will show more detail on that item, if it is available. Editing something in one view of the application automatically updates it everywhere else (e.g. if you change the name of a milestone in the timeline, it automatically updates itself in the Action List, Activity Group Detail, and Action List over Time).

 

Formatting

As you add or edit data on each view, a Dynamic Formatting Algorithm (patent pending) automatically sizes and formats the content, within certain constraints, to optimize its display on the page. For example, you can insert a new row for Activity Groups in the timeline, and the other rows will shrink to allow space for it, provided this can be achieved within the constraints. This allows you to think about and create / edit your plan without having to worry about the difficulties of formatting it and making it look good.

In order to fine tune the automatic formatting, you can access and edit the pre-set constraints which affect both sizing (i.e. height and width of objects) as well as formatting (i.e. what gets displayed, font sizes etc), through the Page Layout menu, the Page Format dialogues, as well as with the toolbar.

 

Where to Go Next

For more information on the other views why not check out the following help topics to help you to get started using Swiftlight for your projects and initiatives:

If you can’t see what you are looking for here, please see the Help Menu topics for more ways to get help with Swiftlight.

 

Interface Overview

Interface Overview

Swiftlight Overview

 

Introduction

Swiftlight offers a broad and powerful set of project management tools in a simple, very easy to use way. Swiftlight provides eight "views", each of which provide you with a different perspective on your project and give you outputs and functionality to help you drive it from initiation right through to completion (see Using Swiftlight in Project Management).

The 8 views are:

  • Objectives and Scope
  • Timeline
  • Activity Group Summary
  • Activity Group Detail
  • Action List
  • Action List over Time
  • Contact List
  • Issue Log

In addition to these views, Swiftlight’s functionality includes: export to PowerPoint / PDF / GIF files; export to Excel (CSV), status reporting; easy copy and paste of text or tables to Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint et al, and the ability to export reminders to Microsoft Outlook.

The eight different views in Swiftlight are related in a simple but effective way, with some views providing "high level" or "big picture" perspectives on the project, and other views providing more "lower level detail", as illustrated below (see Overview of Swiftlight – Getting Familiar with each View for a more detailed explanation of each view).

 

The information in each of these views is inter-related so that whenever you update information in one place, it carries through to all the other views. For example:

  • Information in the Objectives and Scope view can also be viewed or created / edited in the page header section of the other views;
  • Meetings and Milestones in the Timeline view can also be viewed or created / edited in the Activity Group Detail, Action List and Action List over Time views (and vice versa).
  • The information in the Activity Group Summary is can also be viewed or created / edited in the Activity Group Detail (and vice versa).

The flexibility and power offered by these different views, and the way they are linked together gives, you the freedom to use Swiftlight in multiple ways, tailoring your use to your working style or the needs of a particular project. Information in the following sections will help you become familiar with the user interface and the content of each view.

 

Where to Go Next

For more information on the user interview and all the other views why not check out the following help topics to help you to get started using Swiftlight for your projects and initiatives:

If you can’t see what you are looking for here, please see the Help Menu topics for more ways to get help with Swiftlight.

 

Building your first plan

Building your first plan

Building Your First Plan

 

Building your first plan is simple. The following four steps will get you going with Swiftlight and help you develop a high level or “big picture” plan:

 

Step One: Enter the Project Name and its Objectives in the top section of the Timeline view

When you open Swiftlight you will start with the Timeline view. The project title "New Project" will be highlighted ready to be replaced with your own project name. Type your project name in this space.

 

Next click where it says "Click here to add text" under each of the Objectives, Deliverables and Success Metrics headings and type to add the purpose and the expected outputs of your project.

Defining and getting agreement to specific objectives, deliverables and measures of success is an important driver of project success. The top section of the Timeline view is intended to help you capture and communicate this information at a high level.

To control the amount of space in this top section, you can expand (or shrink) it by grabbing (clicking and dragging) the splitter bar just on top of the blue label row and moving it up or down as required.

 

Step Two: Set the Date Range for the Plan in the Timeline view

When you open Swiftlight you will start with the Timeline view showing 8 weeks from the current date as shown below:

 

You can expand or contract the time period displayed to the required length by either 1) using the buttons on the blue Timeline label row above the main body of the page

 

Or 2) Opening the Page Body Format dialogue by clicking on the white arrow icon (2), selecting the date range tab (3), and directly selecting the start and end dates (4).

Select the right time range for your new project using one of these controls.

 

Step Three: Add Key Meetings, Milestones and Activity Groups to the Timeline

Drag and drop Meetings, Milestones and Activity Groups from the toolbox (5) to the relevant section of the page (6).

Once you have the Meetings, Milestones and Activity Groups at the correct dates add text to give them an appropriate name.

The length of Activity Groups can be changed by grabbing the ends of the arrows and dragging them to the required length. You can tell that you are able to grab the end of an Activity Group arrow when the mouse cursor turns into a line with an small arrow pointing away from the Activity Group.

 

If Swiftlight sees that items will be overlapping in the Timeline view, the program automatically formats the content to optimise its display (within certain constraints). For example you will find:

  • That when you position a meeting, milestone or Activity Group in a way that overlaps with another one, the application will insert a new row;
  • That the application tries to keep the content on one page if possible, by, for example, shrinking row heights when new rows are inserted.

If you decide you need more (or fewer) rows for Activity Groups than the six that are there as the default, then you can use the right click menu (7) to add or delete rows at the point you right click. Alternatively, you can use the Page Body Format dialogue (8), select the Activity Group Rows tab (9), and set the number of rows for page 1 and the Timeline overall (10).

 

Step Four: Tidy it up and you are done!

Now you can step back, look and your plan and make edits.

You can colour Activity Groups differently by selecting an Activity Group and then clicking on the colour you want in the legend at the bottom of the page.

Making other formatting changes can be done using the Timeline Page Body Format dialogue.

 

Now you are done! You now have a good "high level" or "big picture" project plan which you can use as the starting point for your project.

 

Where to Go Next

From this starting point you can, if appropriate, go on to develop a more detailed project plan using the Timeline and the other views in Swiftlight. For example, the next step might be to add more detail behind each of the Activity Groups so that you get to grips with the nitty-gritty of "who needs to do what by when".

For more information on the Activity Group Detail and all the other views why not check out the following help topics to help you to get started using Swiftlight and become comfortable with the interface:

If you can’t see what you are looking for here, please see the Help Menu topics for more ways to get help with Swiftlight.

 

Getting Started

Getting Started

Getting Started and Installation of Swiftlight

 

Thank you for choosing to use Swiftlight!

Swiftlight is designed to bring ease and clarity to the planning, communication and implementation of projects and initiatives.

With an intuitive user interface, professional outputs that facilitate communication, and a smart structure that supports the fundamentals of project management, Swiftlight will save you time and increase your effectiveness, helping you and your teams to succeed.

 

System Requirements

To run Swiftlight, your computer must meet these specifications:

  • Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, XP or 2000 need to be installed and configured (preferably with the latest service packs and updates )
  • Microsoft Office 2010, 2007, XP or 2003 need to be installed and configured if you want to use the functionality that exports elements from Swiftlight to PowerPoint or Outlook
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later must be installed
  • 700MHz Processor or faster
  • 256MB of RAM (512MB or more recommended)
  • 27MB of free hard disk space

 

Installation

Please contact Torridon Solutions at support@torrridonsolutions.com for help with any aspect of installation. We are very happy to provide support for enterprise deployment of Swiftlight.

 

Where to Start

The following topics will help you to get started using Swiftlight and become comfortable with the interface:

If you can’t see what you are looking for here, please see the Help Menu topics for more ways to get help with Swiftlight.

 

Welcome to Swiftlight

Welcome to Swiftlight

Welcome to Swiftlight Help

 

 

Thank you for choosing to use Swiftlight!

Swiftlight is designed to bring ease and clarity to the planning, communication and implementation of projects and initiatives.

With an intuitive user interface, professional outputs that facilitate communication, and a smart structure that supports the fundamentals of project management, Swiftlight will save you time and increase your effectiveness, helping you and your teams to succeed.

 

The following topics will help you to get started using Swiftlight and become comfortable with the interface:

If you can’t see what you are looking for here, please see the Help Menu topics for more ways to get help with Swiftlight.

 

We hope you will enjoy using Swiftlight.

 

Regards from Everyone at Torridon Solutions

www.torridonsolutions.com
www.swiftlightsoftware.com