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Microsoft Project Tools

IPM Utilities

OPDEC’s IPM Utilities add-in, a free tool, installs directly into Microsoft Project to facilitate schedule analysis

The IPM Utilities add-in is free software that installs directly into Microsoft Project. The software is divided into two primary sections: IPM Utilities and Other Utilities. IPM Utilities is dedicated to facilitating interactions between OPDEC’s Integrated Program Manager (IPM) and the schedule. The Other Utilities are helpful to all Project users, designed to enhance schedule analysis and improve efficiency

IPM Utilities & other utilities

The IPM Utilities communicate data from the schedule to IPM. These utilities include importing IPM status into your schedule, exporting performance to the cost system, exporting BCR data to IPM, and more.

The other utilities area contains some additional, general tools to assist planners such as the Inspect Schedule and Navigate Tasks utilities.

The Inspect Schedule utility contains a series of schedule health checks broken into three categories: DCMA 14-Point, DECM, and IPM. It performs the DCMA 14-Point Assessment and the schedule related DCMA EVMS Compliance Metrics (DECMs) in accordance with DCMA’s requirements. The IPM checks identify other potential schedule health issues as defined by OPDEC. After the tool runs, each check can be selected to filter your Project file to show the impacted tasks.

See blog article on Inspect Schedule Utility

DCMA EVM schedule compliance metrics DECM checks results in IPM
DCMA 14-Point assessment results in IPM
IPM MS Project Schedule inspection results
Review of relationships of schedule tasks in Navigate Tasks Utility

Navigate Tasks Utility

The Navigate Tasks Utility improves the user’s ability to traverse logical paths within their schedule. The selected task in Project will be displayed on this form along with the task’s predecessors and successors. Clicking on the related task links will move the Project task selection, and current task display switches to show the newly selected task information. Other helpful information is shown including constraints, relationship types, and out of sequence checks.

See blog article on Navigate Tasks Utility

Click here to learn more about all of the capabilities offered by IPM Utilities