How to Use Al-Asr Planner

Practical guide for planners, engineers and project managers new to Al-Asr Planner.

Hierarchy at a glance

Enterprise
 → EPS Level 1
   → EPS Level 2 / Line of Business
     → EPS Level 3
       → EPS Level 4
         → Project
           → WBS
             → Activity

1. Understanding the hierarchy

Al-Asr Planner uses a familiar structure: Enterprise → EPS levels → Line of Business → Project → WBS → Activity. You do not need to use every level.

2. Creating EPS levels

In the workspace, use the toolbar to add EPS nodes under the Enterprise root, up to four levels deep.

3. Creating a project

Use the New Project button. Provide a code, name and planned start date.

4. Creating a project calendar

Each project uses a calendar to determine working and non-working days. The default is a 5-day workweek.

5. Creating the WBS

Add WBS rows to group activities by discipline, area or phase.

6. Adding activities

Add task activities under WBS rows. Set the duration in working days and a planned start.

7. Adding milestones

Add a milestone for key events. Milestones have zero duration and appear as a diamond in the Gantt chart.

8. Setting dates and duration

Type the start date and duration; finish is calculated using the project calendar.

9. Updating activity progress

Edit % Complete inline. Status updates automatically (Not Started, In Progress, Completed).

10. Predecessors

Open the details panel and add predecessors using the FS, SS, FF or SF relationships with optional lag.

11. Using the Gantt chart

Bars appear alongside every row. Selected rows highlight. Milestones show as diamonds.

12. Expanding and collapsing

Click the caret on WBS rows to hide or reveal descendants.

13. Adjusting the timeline scale

Use the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons to change the day width.

14. Exporting CSV

Use the Export CSV button to download the activity list.

15. Exporting landscape PDF

Use the Export PDF button; your browser's print dialog opens with landscape A3 layout applied.

16. Backing up and restoring

Use Backup JSON to download all planner data, and Restore to load it later.

17. Local browser storage

Version 1 stores everything in this browser. Clearing browser data may remove your projects — download a backup regularly.

Glossary

EPS: Enterprise Project Structure — a hierarchy that groups projects.
LOB: Line of Business — a grouping used inside the EPS.
WBS: Work Breakdown Structure — a hierarchical decomposition of a project's deliverables.
Activity: A single scheduled task with a duration, start and finish.
Milestone: A zero-duration marker for a significant event.
Duration: The number of working days an activity takes to complete.
Predecessor / Successor: Activities that must precede or follow another activity.
Baseline: A snapshot of the schedule used for later comparison.
Data Date: The date up to which progress has been recorded.
Gantt Chart: A time-scaled bar chart of activities.