Professional
ChainLink Professional has all the features of the Standard version and adds further functionality to Data manipulation and Chart enhancement together with a Scheduling utility to run 'What If' scenarios.
Data
When importing data using an XER or MPX file Links and Resources can also be imported.
In addition to entering data manually onto the Task table or importing from your favourite Project Management software, data contained in the Tasks , Labels , Text and Graphics tables can be shown on the screen in its Chart format and manipulated by using the mouse. New data can be added by drawing directly onto a chart or existing data moved around the chart or stretched, both in Time and Location.
To allow more precise positioning of the Data the Chart screen can be enlarged up to four times it size.
The Tasks, Labels and Graphics have only a single Chart screen, however, Text has three screens dependent on the type of Text selected.
In addition Tasks has a second graphic screen which shows the Logic for a single Task, which has limited edit/delete functions. The user can scroll through the Logic by clicking on a Predecessor or Successor.
Task Details - The Task Details pane has three additional tabs, Links, Profile/Progress and Resources, which hold data not shown on the Task table, and the Links tab has two layouts dependent on the Task Type.
Profile/Progress - The Profile/Progress tab contains the Profile allocated to the Task together with a which graph compares the Baseline Profile with the Progress Profile. It also contains the Progress table which allows up to ten steps of Progress data to be allocated to a Task.
Resources - The Resources tab contains the details of the Resources allocated to the Task.
Links - The Links tab now contains two tables which hold the data for the Links (Predecessors and Successors) which connect the Tasks, or the Summary Tasks table from the Standard version, dependant on the Task Type currently selected. These links can be shown on the Chart and are used by the Scheduler to calculate Early and Late Starts and Finishes and Total Float.
Libraries
Two additional Libraries are available Profiles and Resources.
Profiles - A set of tabulated Profiles which define the shape of a bar as it appears on the chart.
Resources - A coded list of Resources with their units, colour and hatching.
Conflicts Detector
On the Time Location Chart there may appear to be a conflict where two or more Tasks occur at the same time and locations, however, this may not be the case as the Tasks may be separated by a Safe Working Distance by their C/L Offsets.
As the chart is only a 2D image, it may not be possible to determine if there is a Safe Working Distance between the Tasks by checking the C/L Offsets of each Task, especially if the conflict is not at the start or finish of the Tasks.
The conflict may be checked by running the Conflicts Detector, however, on large projects this may take several minutes and reports on all selected Tasks not just a group of 2 or more Tasks being interrogated.
To overcome this issue ChainLink has a 3D Viewer, which allows a single Task to be viewed in a 3D diagram together with any other Tasks which interact with the selected Task.
The utility is accessed from the Tasks Chart format screen.
Scheduler
A Scheduler utility is provided in this version of ChainLink, however, it is not designed to replace the existing Project Management software but allow 'What If' scenarios to be run without the need to return to the PM package.
Whilst providing a logic check and a full forward and backward analysis the Scheduler has been designed to handle partial networks (fragnets) without the need to impose dates on the start and finish dangles of each fragnet or isolated Task.
This maintains compatibility with the main project, whilst preserving the existing ability to only import the sections of the project required to produce the Time Location chart.
Charts
The Chart can show a Resource Diagrams at each side of the Chart along the Time axis and at the top and bottom of the chart along the Location axis. These diagrams may be based on Labour, Material Quantities or Financial Values which are stored in the User Fields for each Task.
The Time axis diagrams can show Period Averages, Period Totals or Cumulative Total as Tables, Histograms or Line Graphs.
The Location axis diagrams can show Quantity/Location Units or Total Quantity as Area or Line graphs.
It is also possible to show the Links between Tasks on both the Time Location and Gantt charts.
An additional options tab is provided for selection and format of the resources.
