Blog PlanningPME

Selection and Creation Mode

These modes have been designed to make tasks management easier.

Creation mode

This mode allows you to create tasks on the schedule drawing a rectangle or double clicking.

Selection Mode

This mode allows you to select several tasks at the same time and to move them on the scale time.

By default, you are in a creation mode. For the selection mode, right click on your mouse and choose "Selection Mode".     
You can select several tasks at the same time drawing a rectangle grouping several tasks or selecting them one by one with the touch CTRL pressed on.
Move you tasks along the scale time, dragging one of the selected tasks.
In this example, 3 tasks were moved to the next day at the same time.

If you made a mistake, you can cancel the last operation pressing the keys CTRL + Z.
You can also delete several tasks proceeding the same way or paste several tasks.

Careful: In the "Task",  "Client" or "Project" view, you can move your tasks along the time axis but not along the y-axis.
To be back to the creation mode, right click on the schedule and choose "Creation Mode".

How to lock task on the planning?

You can lock your tasks by two different ways:

• You can forbid creation and modification of tasks prior to the present day;
• Tasks can be locked one by one.

Forbid creation and modification of tasks prior to the current date
From PlanningPME, go to the menu “Tools” -> “Options…”

 
On the tab « General », the following window appears:

Ticking on this box, past tasks to the current date will not be allowed to be modified.
 
Task locking

You can fix some tasks in order no one to modify them without your agreement.
First of all, to have access to this option, you must enter the schedule with users rights. 

Then, double clicking on the locked task, you will see the name of the user who locked the task. Here, David.

Only the person responsible for the locking or the administrator will be authorized to unlock the task selecting “unlock”.

How to assign a duration to the task in hours or days?

When you affect a length to a task, PlanningPME will calculate cleverly the ending date taking into account your resources slots : slots and non working days. You can also indicate a break.
How to use task time feature?

First of all, create a task on your schedule. The “task” window then appears.

Careful! A task with a duration can only be assigned to one resource.
NB: Ticking on "All day" you can enter a length in days.
Ticking off "All day" you can enter a length in hours.

Let's see this task management feature with a practical example

We are going to assign a 4 days length task to the resource « Pedro ».

PlanningPME is going to take into account non-worked days such as Saturday and Sunday on this example. So, the task will end the 9th of August!

This function is interesting when you know the length of your task but not the ending date.

Assignment of a task status or category

For each single task created on your schedule, you can assign a category.

As an example, you can tell whether a task is important or not, if a booking is confirmed or not...
Then, you can filter the schedule to have tasks of a certain category displayed.

How to create a new category?
From PlanningPME, go to the menu "Data" -> Task category"

The “Task Category” window appears.
To add a status, type a label, then select the text and background colors and press the button  “Add”.
You can also select hatching for the category.

NB: Each task created on the planning will be by default of the first category of the list.  For example, “Not Confirmed” in the example below.

If you have added some hatchings to your category, you will see them directly on the planning:
Here, you have a double information: The yellow color is the color selected for the label “training” and the green horizontal lines represent the category of this task.

How to assign a category to a task?

Just select it from the drop down list chile creating a task:

How to filter the planning underlining the task status?

You have a filter at the right top side of the planning board:

How to have the colors displayed on the schedule with this category?

You can display tasks in function of the color of the category on the screen from the menu "Tools" -> "Options" -> "Task".

The color of the task will then be the color of the category of the task.

Related Posts:

Tasks management within PlanningPME : All the functions available for an easy tasks management within our planning software.

How to define a task list and have a drop down list

while creating a task?

While creating a task on the planning, you can either type it or select it from a list as shown below.

How to have a predefined list of tasks?

From PlanningPME, go to the menu “Data” -> “Task”. The windows below appears.

From here, you can find all the labels already created. You can add new labels, delete some and really customize fully the scheduling software PlanningPME with your own words.

Then, you have several options available to customize your tasks.
-    Change the text and background colors
-    Assign skills:  "Skills" button
-    Assign hours: "Hours"

Related Posts:

Tasks management within PlanningPME : All the functions available for an easy tasks management within our planning software.

Tasks management within our scheduling software

A task can be a booking, a training, an installation or any mission you need to assign to your employees. They are represented by a coloured box on the planning board. You can create as many tasks as needed and really customize the planning with your own data and jobs specific to your activity.

Find out more below about the features you will benefit from our planning software PlanningPME:

- Task setting: How to create a task on the schedule?

- Recurring task: How to create a recurring task?

- Task list: How to define a list of tasks and have a drop down list while creating a task?

- Task allocation: How to create a task for one or more available resources?

- Task status: Assign some status or categories to your tasks and filter the planning underlining this parameter.

- Task time: Assign a duration or a time slot to your tasks in order to save time while creating your schedule

- Lock task: How to lock a task on the planning?

- Creation Mode: How to switch from the creation mode to the selection mode?

- Task Tracking: How to track the tasks knowing who created or modified it?

Software for garage planning

Manage your technicians, your maintenance tasks, your cars rentals with an accurate garage planning software.

Many clients such as Mercedes or BMW car dealers already use PlanningPME to manage their garage.

Have a look at our garage planning example below:

- Human and material resources view ( Cars and technicians)

- Clients view

And have access to those features:

- Assign several jobs to a technician on the same day
- Control your car rentals
- Avoid double booking
- Book your appointment
- Create reports and statistics

Try our garage planning example today! How?

1- Download the trial version of PlanningPME

2- Download the garage schedule example

It is always a tough work to create a planning to manage the cleaning activity of all your employees.

Manage recurrent jobs, holidays, illness, part-time and all non expected events of your employees current life is never an easy task.

Change your complex and boring Excel planning and choose an easy-to-use planning software.

Have a look at our cleaning planning example below:

And have access to those features:

- Manage your employees tasks
- Plan their daily jobs
- Create specific contracts
- Manage recurring bookings
- Avoid double booking

Try our cleaning planning example today! How?

1- Download the trial version of PlanningPME

2- Download the cleaning schedule example

Planning PME is the must-have planning application for windows. It allows to create quickly a planning and to share it with your colleagues on network.

Whatever your activity sector or use (technicians, training, vacation tracking), this planning application fits to your needs:

- Planning PME 2009
- Planning PME Web
- Planning PME HTML

With its fancy ergonomics whatever your Windows version, Planning PME will help you through your planning job as the reference among planning softwares.

Download the trial version of planning PME today.

Do not hesitate and ask for an online demo.

How to activate a calendar reminder within PlanningPME?

Instead of having a drop down menu like in Outlook to activate an alarm before the beginning of a task, you can activate a reminder via a calendar.

- Standard reminder in PlanningPME: Activation of the alarm before the beginning of the task as in Outlook ( 15 minutes, 1 h or more)

- Activation of the option to have a calendar reminder

Go to the menu Tools -> Options and select "Task reminder using a date"

- The reminder is now a calendar where you can select a date and time at your convenance

- Visualisation of the reminder message you get