Deliverables, Milestones (v10.xx)

Deliverables, Milestones (v10.xx)

The deliverable generally marks the end of a project phase and allows for the approval of the project's key elements. The deliverable can have a material existence (file) or not (meeting), but it is a mandatory checkpoint that requires approval in order to proceed to subsequent phases and tasks. It is the equivalent of a milestone. The deliverable can be converted into a record of any type as defined in the "Keywords & Labels" setup document, while still being identified as a deliverable.

Create a deliverable


A deliverable is typically created as part of a Gantt chart (Cerri Planner), but it is also possible to manually create a deliverable, independent of a Gantt, and promote it to the project’s Gantt chart at a later time.

To create a new deliverable:
  1. Navigate to the [Projects] tab
  2. Click [Create] and select "Deliverable" from the drop down list
  3. A dialog box will open where you need to specify the project and phase the new deliverable belongs to
  4. Click Create to confirm



Deliverable header





Record type

Deliverable or any other type of document the deliverable may have been converted into. In the example above, it is a "Contract".

Deliverable name

The title of the deliverable. Mandatory. Not editable when the deliverable is created from the Cerri Planner; in this case, it is defined directly within the Gantt.

Code

Optional code for this deliverable. Depending on the application setup, it can be automatically computed.

Project

The name of the project the deliverable belongs to.

Phase

The phase the deliverable belongs to.

Project leader

The main project leader of the project the deliverable belongs to.




Status

Visible if the deliverable has an associated workflow. Displays the current status of the deliverable.

Since a deliverable can be converted into any type of generic document, it automatically inherits the workflow of the document type it was converted to.

A standard deliverable also has a default workflow, which can be modified by the application manger according to the organization’s processes.



...

A list of the possible actions to take as part of the applied workflow for the document. Buttons such as "Approve" or "Deny" are dynamically displayed by the system according to the workflow.

Once a user clicks on one of the buttons, a dialog box will open where the status can be changed.

 Workflow
Dropdown list with workflow status

Deadline

Visual indicators:

  1. Red: Deadline passed.
  2. Orange: Deadline will not be met based on remaining workload.
  3. Green: OK



Scheduling a deliverable - [Description] tab


The description of a deliverable varies depending on whether it is a standard deliverable or one converted into a generic document. However, in all cases - excluding costs - the planning section is present.














Delivery date

Initial

Visible only if the deliverable originates from Cerri Planner (Gantt). Displays the initially planned delivery date. Computed.



Planned

The planned delivery date. Mandatory. Can be modified:

  1. If the deliverable was created from a planning tool. In this case, it is defined directly in the planning tool.

  2. If the deliverable has a status of "Completed".
  3. If the deliverable has a status of "Cancelled".

Current

If the deliverable is pending: Current date = Planned date.

If the deliverable is NOT pending: Current date = Actual date.






Actual

The actual delivery date of the deliverable.

Editable only if the status is "To be approved", "Denied" or "Approved," and the option "Possibility to modify the actual dates of the deliverables" in the General setup document is not set to "No".

If the option is set to "Yes", it is automatically set to the current date when the status of the deliverable is set to "To be approved".

If the option is set to "Manual", the field becomes editable when the status of the deliverable is set to "To be approved".



Approval date


If an approval workflow is attached, approval dates are driven by the workflow. They are not directly editable.

Planned

The expected approval or validation date. By default, same as the planned delivery date.

Current

If the deliverable is pending: Current date = Planned date.

If the deliverable is NOT pending: Current date = Actual date.


Actual

Date of the approval, according to the workflow.




Plan




Plan

If the deliverable was created from a plan, the title of the plan is displayed, and the field is a shortcut that opens the corresponding Plan document.

Otherwise, the field label is "Upload into", and the field value is "- Select a plan –", which is a hyperlink allowing for the selection of the "Plan" the deliverable should be uploaded into. Until the upload has been done, the label "Upload into" remains a shortcut allowing for the cancellation of the upload.


Attaching files to a deliverable - [Attachment] tab


This section allows users to attach external files to the deliverable form. See "Manage file attachments" for more details.
Users can attach files to the deliverable form to store any additional information that applies to it. However, it is recommended to store each significant file attachment as a seperate document in Cerri Project. This allows users to distribute, publish, or manage access rights for any particular attached file independently.




[Other deliverable] tab


The [Other] tabs in the deliverable form are determined by the type of the deliverable. The standard deliverable form includes a [Contents] tab with a rich text field for describing the deliverable.



Assign Deliverables



The assignment shown in the Gantt chart is always the author of the deliverable. The Assigned To field is always driven by the workflow only.


Send by E-Mail


To send a Deliverable by e-mail, click "Action" on the menu bar and select "Forward".


The Editor opens. Enter the recipient in the "To" field and write a comment in the "Contents" field.


Approve, review and Manage deliverables



The basic life cycle of a deliverable can be described as follow:

The project leader must plan the deliverables, possibly link them, and then follow-up on them. Each individual responsible for a deliverable must ensure it is completed by the planned date. A deliverable can be converted into any type of generic document and will still be identified as a deliverable. The deliverable approvers must confirm that the deliverables corresponds to what was expected. The project leader and deliverable approver can be the same person.

This describes the standard default workflow for deliverables. This workflow can be modified as needed. If the deliverable has been converted into one of the "Generic documents", it inherits the workflow of that document type. The deliverable revision and approval process is managed using Cerri Project’s standard workflow engine.

There are two ways to change the status of a deliverable:
  1. Within Cerri Live! (see the chapter on Genius Live! for more information)

  2. From the deliverable itself. If the active user has the authority to change the deliverable status according to its workflow, a button will be visible in the deliverable header corresponding to the next workflow status. The user can take action directly from there.






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