Quick Guide to using Prompter

1. Setting up the project

When Prompter is started, after the introductory panels disappear, the main prompter screen is displayed like this:

 

In the main Prompter window, select File | New Project Workspace | Select an Abstract Project Model.

 

This presents you with 9 basic types of projects – 3 levels of size combined with 3 levels of complexity. Prompter calls these project types "Abstract Project Models" (APMs). Choose the most relevant one. This pre-selects a set of default values for the project details. [Alternatively you can define your own starting point by selecting the Blank Model menu option – this has no pre-defined values – this is only recommended for more experienced users.]

 

Where a project has been defined and saved previously, it can be re-loaded using the File | Open menu. Note that the term "Project Workspace" refers to the full set of project information contained in all the scenarios associated with a particular project definition.

 

2. Defining the project details

After selecting the appropriate APM, Prompter sets up the relevant default values for the project, and then opens the scenario window, to allow you to further refine the project details.

This is where you specify the details about what type of project you envisage. There are five areas or 'domains' in which information can be specified, and choices made. Each domain is represented by a separate panel, which can be selected either from the main menu or by using the toolbar buttons provided. Depending on the APM selected, many of these choices will be already selected with initial default values (any of which can be changed if required). These domains are shown on the toolbar, and in the menu list, in the order that probably makes most sense to deal with the issues - as outlined in the Handbook. The five domain panels are:

 

This allows the basic characteristics of the project to be defined. This is done by examining the checklist shown for each sub-area (selected by clicking on the item in the left hand list). The areas covered are:-

This domain covers matters connected with the nature of the project itself. The sub-areas dealt with are:-

This panel asked questions concerned with quality systems in the organisation, quality characteristics relevant to a planned product, or specified by the customer. The sub-domains are:-

  • Organisation
  • Product
  • Customer

     

 

Selecting this panel initially starts up the life cycle wizard.

- Select a life cycle and specify key plan details

There are four basic types of life cycles outlined, with guidance on the nature of each. Select the one most appropriate for the planned project. You will then be presented with a list of standard stages making up that life cycle, and asked to specify some plan details about each.

Each of these stages can then be further divided, if required, into sub-stages to allow for a finer degree of management of the project.

- Building your own Life Cycle

If you do not want to use one of the standard life cycles, but rather design your own, then this can be done by selecting the nearest to your needs, and then tailoring it to your requirements. This feature can be useful, for example, in situations where only a part of a life cycle is being considered. This could arise when design and implementation was being treated as a separate project from the requirements and architecture, or for other reasons unique to a particular organisation.

 

Given the APM which has been selected, this panel gives some recommendations for a minimum set of metrics for your project

 

3. Getting advice

When the basic parameters of the project have been selected, these can subsequently be changed at any stage in order to see what different advice is generated. This allows for a form of 'what-if' analysis. In addition, at any point, the currently defined values can be saved as a scenario for future use.


When the relevant values on any section of the project definition (i.e any panel) have been selected, then, by clicking on the "Send Advice" radio-button the tool will evaluate whether it can offer any advice at that stage. The "Send Advice" selector then becomes unavailable until one or more of the values on that panel is subsequently changed.

The tool will then interrogate its knowledge base, using the parameters defined on this panel. If it can generate any advice then the count of advice shown on the bottom right hand corner of the main Prompter window (i.e. the window which was load when the tool started) will increase, depending on the number of new advice items which are generated. The count shows the number of read items, and the total count of generated advice items.

The details of each of these items of advice can then be selected for display. In addition, an advice report can be printed out if a hard copy is required.

This process is repeated for each panel – i.e. for each area of project planning which is defined by the tool. This gives the total picture for the planned project.

It should be noted that advice is only given if the tool can detect something where it is believed that a risk exists, or where some "good practice" recommendation can be made. Thus where no advice is given, this could be either because

In either of these situations, Prompter gives an indication as to which reason applied, when no active advice is given.

An example of the advice text generated is shown below:

 

4. Managing projects & scenarios

Using Scenarios

An important feature of Prompter is its ability to manage a set of 'scenarios' associated with each project. Each scenario is a "snapshot" of the set of defined values for the project at the time the scenario was saved. It is possible to build up a complex tree of scenarios as you explore different parameters and sets of characteristics for the project. Prompter maintains the relationship between these scenarios. By selecting the File | Open Scenario menu on the main Prompter window, you can select any of these scenarios to examine and refine further. As advice is generated based on the currently loaded scenario, this allows for a complex set of "what if" analyses to be undertaken.

 

Scenario Tree / Navigating between Scenarios

 

When the scenario hierarchy is displayed, by selecting the File | Open Scenario menu to open the scenario manager, the list of all known projects is displayed. For each project, the hierarchy of scenarios in each project workspace can be displayed in the usual outline format, by clicking on the "+" to expand the list or "-" to contract the list. This allows navigation between projects, and between scenarios within projects as required. Highlight a project and scenario and click open to display its details.

Saving the project definition and scenarios

Selecting the File | Save menu open updates the saved copy of the current project workspace (including all scenarios) in its existing location.

Selecting the File | Save as menu allows you to save a copy of the current version of either the full project workspace, or just the current scenario, with a new name. When saving a scenario, it is saved as a new 'child' scenario of the currently open scenario. By appropriate navigation, therefore, a complex hierarchy of scenarios can be created within each project, if required.

 

5. Exporting data to other tools

After you have evaluated all the scenarios required for your project, and decided the best structure for your planned project, then you can export the key scheduling and structural data to other tools.


This allows the critical data to be passed directly into whatever tool is being used for detailed scheduling and monitoring of the project.


In particular, Prompter allows this data to be exported to a file in MPX format which can then be read directly by MS Project. Use the File | Export menu on the scenario window. This can then used as the starting point for more detailed scheduling.

This format is also recognised by most scheduling tools, but might need to be defined using the Import or Insert function, depending on the selected tool

To download an evaluation copy of Prompter see www.catalyst.ie