sutanu ghosh, pmp®, mcts

Sutanu Ghosh, PMP®, MCTS

Talking Points

Why Visio ? – What makes Visio unique ? – Using Visio templates

Visio and Agile – Using Visio in Lean, Kan-ban, Information Radiator and

other Agile techniques – Visio's recent popularity in "Wireframe Diagrams",

Database schema

Visio and Traditional Project Management – Making Schedules with Visio – Creating Ishikawa fishbone diagrams

Building Visio PivotDiagrams

© Sutanu Ghosh, June 2010 Slide 2

Why VISIO?

Integrating Data with Visual Objects – Create complex, collapsible diagrams

• Hide the data when you need to see the visuals, display the data when you need details

– Lightweight technical drawings • Floor-plans, wiring diagrams

Low-end CAD – Rich library of standardized shapes – ensures consistency and facilitates easier

validation • Flowcharts, network diagram templates

– Built-in intelligence – e.g., alignment

Integration with Other MS Office SW (Microsoft “Entrenchment”) – MS Excel, MS Project

– Sharepoint workflow (2010)

Competition – SmartDraw, AutoCAD, eDraw

– Prices are comparable, but training and support can be a problem


Visio Over Excel and PowerPoint

Evaluate your needs – Simple org charts,

timelines and process flows and even timelines can be done in PowerPoint using “SmartArt”

– Thermometer dashboards can be made using the REPT function in Excel

The Visio Difference – Pivot Diagrams

– Swim-lane diagrams

– Network diagrams

– Cause-and-Effect diagrams

– Brainstorming

– Maps and floor-plans


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Templates

Microsoft (Free) Templates – “Getting Started” probably has

all you need as a project manager

– Don’t forget to use the free MS resources

• http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio-help/

Microsoft Partners and Vendors – Check out Visiotoolbox

• http://visiotoolbox.com/2010/templates.aspx

– Microsoft partner downloads


http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio-help/






http://visiotoolbox.com/2010/templates.aspx




Shape Data

Visio Shapes Can Encapsulate Data

– Each Visio “shape” is an “object”

• Data with respect to shape, location, size, font, etc.

• “Meta Data” – numeric data that pertains to the shape, but is not related to other shapes – cost, duration, etc.

• “Connection” – or information that ties an instance of a shape with other instances (same or other shapes)

Default Data

– Some shapes contain pre-defined data fields (e.g., “process”, “decision”, “timeline”

– Some shapes do not contain pre-defined data fields (e.g., “on page reference”, “connector”, etc.)

– However, in either case, custom data can be defined

Data Types

– String, Boolean, Number

– Date, Duration, Currency

– Lists (Fixed and Variable)


Shape Data – Lists

Fixed List – No data can be

entered that is not defined in the list

Variable List – Choices are offered,

but the actual value in the field may be something that is not defined in the pull-down

Create Lists – Use the format field

to define the choices • Must be separated

by a semicolon

Display Shape Data – Edit Data Graphic…


Insert Tab

Annotation – Visio allows

annotations (strings) to be displayed as a screen-tip

– Use the Insert Shape ScreenTip

Hyperlinks – Insert Hyperlink – Multiple hyperlinks per

shape

Formulae – Insert Field

Formula


Reports

Why Reports? – Shape data entered may

need to be collated and grouped in a meaningful way

Report Types – Excel – XML – VISIO – HTML

How To – Review Shape Reports


Flowchart Report Master Name Displayed Text Resources Cost Duration

Decision IF Count 1 Total

Document Document 1 NONE $10.00 0

Count 1 1 Total $10.00

Process Process 1 Res A $100.00 24 eh. Process Process 2 Res B $200.00 48 eh. Process Process 3 Res C $300.00 96 eh. Process Process 4 Res A $500.00 192 eh.

Count 4 4 Total $1,100.00

Grand Total $1,110.00

Making Flowcharts

What is a Flowchart? – A flowchart is a visual means to show a sequence of

activities – Has a definite start and definite end point(s) – Each activity in the sequence of activities has one or more

predecessors and one or more successors • Start point has a NULL predecessor

• End point has a NULL successor

What is the Difference Between a Flowchart and a State Machine Diagram? – State machines depict the transition (or result) of the

activity performed, not the sequence of all activities that need to happen


Using VISIO In Agile Environments

Information Radiator – Is large and easily

visible to the casual, interested observer

– Is understood at a glance

– Changes periodically, so that it is worth visiting

– Is easily kept up to date

Use Simple Flowchart Shapes – Use shape data to drill

down and produce reports as necessary


Agile Environments – Task Board

Task Boards

– Easily implemented using “Swim Lane” diagrams


Agile – Value Stream/Lean/Kanban

Value Stream Mapping/Kanban – Visio offers a the

whole gamut of relevant symbols, but only a few may be relevant for SW Kanban

– Use swim lane diagrams

– Use shape data and display WIP and WIP limits


Agile – Visuals For PMI-ACP

Charting – Visio uses the same charting mechanism as Excel;

Burn Up/Down charts, cumulative flow diagrams are easily produced

– However, the charting menus/chart types may be more visually appealing, but may have deficiencies • No shape data

• Restrictions – e.g., bar count = 5 (max), pie slices = 10 (max)

– Home Business Charts


VISIO – Software and Database

Templates

– Many powerful templates

– Recommended

• Conceptual Website

• Data flow diagram

• Program Structure

• Website Map

• Wireframe Diagram


VISIO – Software and Database

Web Diagram/Site Maps

– More Shapes Software and Database Web Diagram

– Very powerful, but few know about it

– Create “visual specs” and designs

Software Shapes

– More Shapes Software and Database Software

– Create powerful wireframes using Common Icons, Toolbars, Dialogs, etc.


Making Schedules With VISIO

Timeline Template – VISIO offers a very powerful way to represent a

schedule using a (horizontal) timeline studded with milestones

• This feature was sorely lacking in MS Project until MS Proj 2010

– You can create nested timelines – e.g., to expound on the QA cycle in the overall release timeline

Gantt Chart – This feature is at primitive – Use only if you do not have access to MS Project

Org Chart – You can add custom data to the WBS nodes (see earlier

example) – e.g., Start, Finish, Actual Start, Actual Finish – However, this produces a “network diagram” and not

necessarily a chronological map of activities

Calendar – Schedule Calendar – Not very useful to PMs due to lack of automation

PERT Chart – Schedule PERT Chart – Not very useful to PMs due to lack of automation


Schedules – WBS

What Before When

– Good practice dictates we make a WBS before scheduling work

Making WBS in VISIO

– Org Chart (previous demo)

– PERT

Summarization Structure

– No default shape data

• Suggested – WBS, Name, Duration, Cost


VISIO – Schedule – PERT

PERT Shape Behavior – These are simple boxes on

which you can type

– There is no mathematics built into the shapes!

– However, you can define custom shape data, but these cannot be displayed directly on to the shapes; you can only run a VISIO report

PERT Shape Types – “Planning” shape to

calculate critical path and slack

– “Tracking” shape to enter Actual Start/Actual Finish


VISIO – Schedule – Gantt Chart

Why Use Visio?

– If you do not have MS Project, and all your data is in MS Excel, you can use this feature to draw rudimentary Gantt Charts

Gantt Chart Fields

– Same nomenclature as MS Project

– Very few fields; missing fields include work and dependency type

– Some calculation of dates

• Lag is supported


Schedules With VISIO – Timeline

Timeline Basics

– Use “Configure Timeline” menu to adjust the length and scale of the timeline.

• Similar to MS Project, you can configure the starting day of the week

• “Fiscal Year Starts On…” is a nice touch

• In the “Time Format” tab, make sure that the “Automatically update dates when markers are moved” is checked

– Use “Change Date and Time Formats” dialog box to make the data precise and readable – similar to MS Project


VISIO – Schedule – Timeline Shape Data


Timeline Default Data – Timeline Type (Fixed List)

– Start, Finish (Date)

– Be careful not to delete these fields!

Timeline Custom Data – Similar to any other shape –

you can define custom fields of type String, Number, Currency, Date, Duration, Boolean and List

Milestone Data – Default data is simple but

sufficient

– Custom data is the same as any other “shape data”

VISIO – Schedule – Rich Timeline


Use a convention – e.g., external deliverables on top, inflexible constraints as diamonds, flexible as “double” triangles

Use expanded timelines

Show overlapping tasks

Always show “Today” and elapsed time

VISIO – Schedule – Multiple Timelines

Multiple Timelines

– Use multiple timelines to show separate (perhaps related) projects

– To simply “zoom in” – use “expanded timeline” feature (previous slide)

Synchronize

– Milestones

– Intervals


VISIO – Schedule – Exporting Timeline

Command

– Timeline Export Timeline Data

– This command appears ONLY if you have Microsoft Project installed

– Cannot export to Excel directly!

Export as MS Project Format

– Timelines can be exported as .mpp files

• Don’t know why anybody would do that, since MS Project 2010 has a timeline function

Import

– You can import any .mpp file to recreate a timeline diagram

• Vast improvement over VISIO 2007


Pivot Diagram

Pivot Diagrams – VISIO Professional Only!

– Available in the business section templates

Role of Shapes

– Each shape represents a field in the pivot table


Pivot Diagram – Demo


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Pivot Diagram – Demo (2)


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Odds And Ends – Create Background


1. Create New 2. Background Page

3. Insert Graphics

4. Page Setup of Foreground Page

5. Select Background Page

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Q&A



BACKUP SLIDES

Business Graphics – Fishbone Diagram

Use Standard (Out-of-the-Box) Template

Shapes Include – Effect

– Category

– Primary Cause

– Secondary Cause

– Caveat – Each Secondary Cause may have its own primary and secondary causes

Shape Data – No default shape

data


Business Graphics – Brainstorming

“Tree” Structure – Similar to an Org Chart, a

brainstorming diagram is a mathematical “tree”

– You can add an “association line” (similar to dotted line report in org chart)

Shapes and Shape Data – You can change the shape

(form) to associate a meaning – similar to an org chart

– Shape data is fully customizable – and can be reported against – as in any other form of flowchart

– No default shape data


Network Diagram

Rich Palette of Shapes

– Use “Computers and Monitors” and “Network and Peripherals” libraries

Default Shape Data

– Very rich

– Varies by shape


Office Space Layout

Rich Palette of Shapes

– Use “Cubicles”, “Office Accessories”, “Office Equipment”, “Walls, Doors”,

Default Shape Data

– Very rich

– Varies by shape


VISIO – Schedule – Calendar

“Cute” – Many cute graphics

– May be suited for social/personal events, but not vey useful for Project Managers

Shape Data – Default Shape Data

• Calendar

• Month, Week, Multiple Week, Day…

• Multi-Day Event

– No default Shape Data for

• Reminder

• Clock

• Attention

• Note

• To Do


sutanu ghosh, pmp®, mcts

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