Deliverables and Activities
For an organization to organize its projects effectively, it must clearly define work in a way that the overall objectives of the project are met. This is done very effectively in Communigram by defining clear-cut deliverables for each subproject and activity of the project. The white rows of the Communigram represent these deliverables and the activities which are carried out to produce them. These deliverables are then transferred to other people in the project, as indicated by the arrows in the Communigram.
- Defining Work in the Column "Activity"
Adding Deliverables (Rows)
For each deliverable or task, a new row is added by clicking on the button "Add Deliverable (Task)" clicking the right mouse button and selecting "Add" (the first one on the toolbar) or by using the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+I).
- By clicking on the right mouse button, a context menu is opened in which you can select "New Deliverable (Task)"
Advanced Definition of the Deliverable using the "Deliverable" and "Description" Fields
In Communigram, required deliverables may be defined in more or less detail, depending on the specific requirements of the particular project. In the "Deliverable" column of the Communigram, the deliverable may be defined in brief (max. 255 characters).
If you need to describe a deliverable in more detail, simply click in the column that is shown in Communigram with a small "Target" icon. A new window titled "Objective Deliverable of ..." opens, displaying the brief description of the deliverable ("Short description"), and a second (larger) field in which the deliverable can be described in more detail ("Deliverable (Output)").
If your organization has specific documents which already define the needed deliverable in much detail, you may also define links to these documents in the table below the description. In a similar manner, you may add further documents which are needed for the fulfillment of the objective, such as templates. To do so, simply click the "+" button in the Documents section to create a new document.
It is also possible to define the requirements needed to produce this deliverable by clicking on the tab "Requirements (Input)".
If information is entered into any of the detailed deliverable description fields (long description, documents, input), it does not appear directly in the Communigram, yet it is indicated by a small "Target" icon. The longer description of the objective appears when you move your mouse over the icon.
- The Detailed Description of the Deliverable along with Attached Documents Appears when you Move the Mouse over the Target Icon
Defining Work To Elaborate Deliverables
After having defined the deliverables to be elaborated, the work necessary to do so is briefly described in the column "Activity". This means that pairs of target deliverables and activities describe the work of the entire project.
Defining Durations
Apart from describing the work to be done to produce the deliverable, it is necessary to estimate how long its elaboration will take. This is what the column "Duration" is for, in which the estimated duration in workdays is entered.
- Estimation of Time Needed to Elaborate a Deliverable
- Changing the Time Units for the Column "Duration"
If needed, the units for the time duration can be set from the default setting of days, to hours or even minutes by double-clicking on the column head of "Duration".
Duration Confirmation
To have the estimated durations of each deliverable confirmed by their respective responsibles, simply select the lines and click on "Request Duration Confirmation". This is indicated by a small triangle in the duration cell. Depending on whether the responsible confirms the estimate or not, the cell will be colored green or red (see "myCommunigram").
- Duration Confirmation: the Responsible "Mayer" will be requested via myCommunigram to confirm (or refuse) the duration estimate
Fine-Tuning the Workload for a Deliverable
Once you have added participants to your project (see "People, Departments and Competencies"), the system calculates a number of work hours for each deliverable and participant. By default, this is the number of work hours per day multiplied by the estimated duration in days. This can however be inaccurate, particularly when certain people work on several deliverables at the same time in parallel. In order to define the number of hours precisely, you can use the "Workload" button 
.
In the example below, the second person will work only half time on the elaboration of the deliverable:
- The Workload Can Be Defined to Differ From the Default Settings Using this Dialog