How to run HCP-Go and analyze your MS Project schedule?
Do it yourself guide. See this video:
If you have received a new schedule also called Gantt chart or you have created a new schedule and you want to understand what’s inside of it, the simplest way is to run HCP-Go analysis.
How do we run HCP-Go?
First download HCP-Go from www.hcp-consulting.com to your project.
After downloading the HCP-Go you can find it here in the taskbar, click “Go” ->”Run Analysis”.
Clicking “Run Analysis” saves the schedule to xml and we continue to the app.
Now, you can change these values. Choose your report language and select the date format check that your logo is there and click on “Next” to continue to step three.
In step three we define how to run the analysis.
First, choose the starting point. Would you like to start from today from the beginning of the project date or from any other date?
Then choose the end point. Would you prefer to analyze the project till the end or just to a certain task?
Define the data date the update date of the schedule, and lastly choose if you want “Network Analysis” which consists of the executive summary and schedule integrity analysis report only or the “HCP Analysis” which includes the network analysis and the HCP critical path analysis.
We’ll click on the hcp analysis and it’ll run calculating all the critical and hidden critical paths and preparing the report, and done.
Now you have the option to upload the HCP data information back to the game and of course it’s recommended to do so.
The upload contains two fields:
- Flag
- Text field
The first says whether it is an HCP task, and the second consists of what is its HCP slack.
You can rename the tasks and you can rename those fields.
Now, let’s return to MS Project.
In our project we can immediately see that the HCP tasks have been marked with an asterisk.
We can now add the HCP Slack column and then you can immediately sort and see the longest path or paths according to the HCP analysis.
Then you can locate any other hidden critical paths .
Other than that, in the HCP-Go ->”Load HCP data” is for uploading the data we have already uploaded before the “Open HCP Report” button opens the report.
There will be another video on the report itself but in a nutshell at the top there are tabs with table of contents, executive summary, schedule integrity analysis and HCP critical path analysis.
Everything is here.
Let’s return to the project.
Click on save report to and save the report by default. You can save it next to the schedule.
The HCP-Go will keep only your last report per schedule so it is important to save each report and keep the past schedules analyzes organized.
And the next thing is print the report in pdf.
Click on “Open Printable HCP Report” and the report is opened in your browser.
Click ctrl + p on your keyboard and check the report. If the colors were lost in the project success expectation map add them back by selecting background graphics and deselecting headers and footers.
Click “Print”, and you’ll have the report in pdf as well.
