Project Manager User Guide

Table Of Contents

Introduction & Overview
Logging on
Web Interface Overview
Add New Task
Add New Project
Add New Customer
Modify Project
Modify Task
Delete Task
Import Customer List
Modify Customer
Complete/Resume Project
Complete/Resume Task
Inactivate/Reactivate Customer
Delete Customer
Delete Project
Project Statistics
WebAsyst Windows Client
   Installation and Logging On
   Login to Your Account on the WebAsyst.net Server
   Login to WebAsyst Installed on Your Web Server

Introduction & Overview

WebAsyst Project Manager gives you a web-based tool which allows you to manage customer, project and task lists online. For any customer you can create multiple projects, defining the scope of work for each project and assigning personnel.


With Project Manager you can:

  • Create online customer and project lists, outline scope of tasks for each project
  • Maintain up-to-date project information online, and have it always available to share with customers, team members, executives
  • Identify potential problem areas upfront, using the color-coded task bars and critical date statistics
  • Easily manage personnel assignments and project cost estimates
  • View multiple project statistics reports on one page
  • Create user groups and customize access rights for both individuals and groups
  • Access project information from anywhere, anytime with just a web browser

How Project Manager can be used:

  1. Hosting
    Sign up and use Project Manager on a monthly subscription basis. This is an excellent solution for small to medium sized organizations and businesses with minimal internal IT capability.
  2. Download
    If you are webmaster or software developer, you can download open source (PHP) and have it installed on your web server. It gives you certain advantages: full control of your database and permissions, ability to create as many working databases as you need etc.

How Project Manager can be accessed:

  1. Browser
    Use standard browser to access Project Manager from anywhere.
  2. Windows Client
    A special program which can be installed on your desktop computer.


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Logging on

If you use Project Manager hosted on the WebAsyst server, please follow these steps:

  1. Open your browser and enter the address: http://www.webasyst.net/login.php. The WebAsyst Login page opens:

  2. Enter your Database Key, Login Name and Password which have been sent to you when you signed up for your account.
  3. Choose whether you want to use fast or secure (SSL) connection. Selecting SSL will provide extra protection of your data by using an encrypted connection to the WebAsyst server.
  4. Click Login button.

NOTE: If you purchased Project Manager open source and have it installed on your own web server, please contact your system administrator for login instructions.



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Web Interface Overview

Project Manager home screen displays the full list of tasks defined for selected project. Tasks are sorted by the Date of Start by default. There are three different display options for selected project: Gantt Chart, Details and Assignments.

Gantt Chart is useful to present an overview – the big picture – that shows where the project’s progress is in comparison to where it was planned to be.

Home screen: Gantt Chart display option
 

In the Gantt Chart diagram each task line may contain two bars:

  • Upper bar is Actual duration bar (appears in gray for incomplete tasks and in dark gray for complete tasks) displays the whole time period from the task start date to its end date (or today for incomplete task)
  • Lower bar consists of two adjacent parts: 1. Planned duration (appears in green) is a time period from the task’s start to its due date end. 2. Overdue (appears in pink) shows a period past due date.

Right column – Days – displays critical duration values for each task in the following format:

Actual/Planned/Overdue, e.g. 15/13/2,

Visible time interval fits to the whole project’s duration by default and is adjusted to the first day of first project month and the last day of last project month.

To customize visible time interval:

  1. Click View button in the tool bar panel.
     
  2. Select Define Visible Interval… in the pull down menu.
  3. Set start month and end month of your custom interval.
  4. Click OK button

Custom intervals are stored for further usage. They appear under Interval button in the pull down menu.

To delete recently defined intervals:

  1. Click Interval button in the tool bar panel.
  2. Select Define Interval… in the pull down menu.
  3. Check intervals in the Recently Defined Intervals section you want to delete.
     

     
  4. Click Delete button.

Details display option shows detailed list of properties for each task, e.g. start date, due date, etc.

Home screen: Details display option
  

Assignments display option displays a user assignments schedule for different tasks of the project.

Home screen: Assignments display option
  



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Add New Task

To add a new task:

  1. Select the project your want to add new task to.
  2. Click Add Task in the toolbar panel.
     

     
  3. In the Add Task screen fill in the following fields:
     
    •  Task summary – a brief task description
    •  Billable – turn on this checkbox if this task is billable for the customer
    •  Cost Estimate – enter estimated cost for this task implementation
    •  Cost Currency – currency ID for estimation cost (to add new currency refer to Administrator/Currency List in the main menu)
    • Start Date – the date when this task starts
    • Due Date – the date when this task has to be complete
  4. Select personnel to be assigned for this task implementation.
  5. Click Save button to return to the Task List.
  6. Click Save and Add Another button to save current entry and start adding new one.

NOTE: You must be a manager of the selected project to add new task.



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Add New Project

  1. Click Project/Project List item in the main menu.
     

     
  2. Click Add Project button.
  3. In the Project Information screen fill in the following fields and click Save button:
  • Description – enter brief project summary
  • Customer – select customer from the pull down menu; to add new customer refer to the Project/Customer List in the main menu
  • Project Manager – select user from the pull down menu; to add new user refer to the Administrator/User List in the main menu
  • Billable – turn on this checkbox if this project is billable for the customer
  • Start Date – the date when this project starts
     


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Add New Customer

To add a new customer:

  1. Click Customer List item in the main menu.
     

     
  2. Click Add Customer button.
  3. In the Customer Information screen fill in customer name, address and contact information.
     

     
  4. Click Save button.


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Modify Project

There are two ways to modify project information:

  1. In the Project Manager screen you can modify project only if you are assigned as a manager for selected project. Select project you want to modify and click Modify Project button in the toolbar to open Project Information form. 
     

     
  2. In the Project List screen you can modify any project. Select project you want to modify and click it to open Project Information form.
    Make changes in the Project Information form and click Save button.

     


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Modify Task

    1. Select project from the pull down menu.
    2. In the task list click a task you want to modify.
    3. Make changes.
    4. Click Save button.

NOTE:

  1. You must be a manager of the selected project to modify tasks.
  2. Task ID is an internal system integer ID assigned auto-incrementally and is not changeable.
     


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Delete Task

To delete a task:

  1. Click Project/Project Manager item in the main menu.
  2. Select project from the pull down menu.
  3. In the task list click a task you want to delete.
  4. Click Delete Task button.

NOTE:

  1. You must be a manager of the selected project to delete task.
  2. If a task is referred by dependant WebAsyst application (e.g. Issue Tracking or Time Tracking system) you are likely to get an error message to prevent logical integrity violation.


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Import Customer List

You can import your customer list from any valid text file with comma separated columns - .CSV file. To do so:

  1. Click Project/Customer List item in the main menu. 
  2. Click Customer…button in the toolbar.
  3. Select Import… item in the pull down menu.
     
     
     
  4. Select file you want to import customer list from.
  5. Set column correspondence between imported file and WebAsyst Customer List. Customer Name column is required.
  6. Turn Import first line of the file = ON if this line contains valuable information. Turn this checkbox OFF if you have just column titles in the first line of imported file.
  7. Click Import button.
     


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Modify Customer

    1. Click Project/Customer List item in the main menu.
    2. In the Customer List click a customer you want to modify.
    3.  Make changes.
    4. Click Save button.
       


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Complete/Resume Project

To complete/resume project from the Project Manager screen:

  1. Click Project/Project Manager in the main menu.
  2. Select project you want to complete or resume.
  3. Click Modify Project button in the tool bar panel.
  4. In the Project Information form click Complete Project or Resume Project button.
  5. If you complete project you will be offered to enter completion date.

To complete project from the Project List screen:

  1. Click Project/Project List in the main menu.
  2. Select project you want to complete.
  3. In the Project Information form click Complete Project button.
     

     
  4. Enter completion date and click OK button.

To resume project from the Project List screen:

  1. Click Project/Project List in the main menu.
  2. Click Complete Projects tab.
  3. Select project you want to resume.
  4. In the Project Information form click Resume Project button.
     
     

NOTE: You must be manager of the project you want to complete/resume.



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Complete/Resume Task

To complete task:

  1. Click Project/Project Manager in the main menu.
  2. Click task you want to complete. You can choose from open tasks only.
  3. In the Task Information form click Complete Task button.
     

     
  4. Enter completion date and click OK button.

You can resume any task you have previously completed. To do so:

  1. Click Project/Project Manager in the main menu.
  2. Click task you want to resume. You can choose from complete tasks only.
  3. In the Task Information form click Resume Task button.

NOTE: You must be manager of the project for which you want to complete or resume tasks.



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Inactivate/Reactivate Customer

You can inactivate customer if it does not have open projects.

  1. Click Project/Customer List in the main menu.
  2.  Select customers you want to inactivate.
  3. Click Customer… button in the toolbar panel.
  4.  Select Inactivate Customer(s) item in the pull down menu.
     

NOTE: You can also click a customer in the list to open Customer Information form and click Inactivate Customer button.

To reactivate customer:

  1. Click Project/Customer List in the main menu.
  2. Select Inactive Customers tab.
  3. Select customers you want to reactivate.
  4. Click Customer… button in the toolbar panel.
  5. Select Reactivate Customer(s) item in the pull down menu.

NOTE: You can also click a customer in the list to open Customer Information form and click Reactivate Customer button.



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Delete Customer

You can permanently delete customer if it does not have open projects.

  1. Click Project/Customer List in the main menu.
  2. Click Inactive Customers tab if you want to delete an inactive customer.
  3. Select customers you want to delete.
  4. Click Customer… button in the toolbar panel.
  5. Select Delete Customer(s) item in the pull down menu.
     

NOTE: You can also click a customer in the list to open Customer Information form and click Delete Customer button.



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Delete Project

You can permanently delete either complete or open project even if it has open tasks.

  1. Click Project/Project List in the main menu.
  2. Click Complete Projects tab if you want to delete a complete project.
  3. Select project you want to delete.
  4. In the Project Information form click Delete Project button.
     


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Project Statistics

Project statistics have 3 screens that are useful to track the progress of all your projects.
To view project statistics, click Project/Project Statistics in the main menu.
 

Task Count screen allows to see the amount of tasks for each project and their progress:
 

 
Estimated Cost screen shows the costs of all projects and calculates the total:
 

 
Assignments screen shows you how many tasks are assigned to each user:
 



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WebAsyst Windows Client

WebAsyst Windows Client program is an alternative way (in contrast to web-browser client) to access WebAsyst from your desktop computer. WebAsyst Windows Client features standard GUI interface, uses SOAP+XML to communicate to WebAsyst Server and provides faster access than browser client.



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Installation and Logging On

To install WebAsyst Windows Client on your computer, please go to the Download section of our site: http://www.webasyst.net/downloads.php. Download and run installation program.

Once you have successfully completed installation and run WebAsyst Windows Client on your computer, the Login form opens.



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Login to Your Account on the WebAsyst.net Server

    1. Leave default host address in the Host field: www.webasyst.net
    2. Enter your Database Key, Login Name and Password as specified in your signup email notification.
    3. Select SSL if you wish to use secured connection.
    4. Click Login button.
       


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Login to WebAsyst Installed on Your Web Server

If you have purchased WebAsyst Open Sources and installed WebAsyst Server on your local network, you must setup Host address of your WebAsyst Server. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Click Host Setup button in the Login form.
  2. Click New button in the WebAsyst Host List form.
  3. In the Host name field in WebAsyst Host Settings form enter a reference which will appear in the Host menu in Login form (e.g. My WebAsyst Server).
  4. In the Host address field of the WebAsyst Host Settings form, enter URL of the computer in your network or the Internet address where you have WebAsyst Server installed, e.g. http://yourdomainname.com/webasyst

NOTE: To enter correct address of WebAsyst host computer, please check with your system administrator.



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