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How to Work with Next Planning in Next Project

Web Browser

Next Planning is developed with the latest technology and tested for the latest web browsers: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Firefox, etc. In addition to these, Next Planning works with most other web browsers. For a truly fast user experience, we recommend using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

Basics

Create a New Schedule

To create a new schedule, click on "New project" in the main menu.

Change Project Name

To change the project name, open the project, and then click on the pencil icon to the right of the project name. Then, enter a new project name and press ENTER or click on the save icon to the right of the project name.

Duplicate an Existing Schedule

To duplicate an existing schedule, go to "My projects," then click on ⋮ More and select "Duplicate." This will create a copy of your project. TIP: Many users choose to create template projects by naming them, for example, TemplateRoadContract or Template-ROT-project. Then, they duplicate the template project to save time when setting up new projects.

Merge

To merge multiple projects into a larger schedule, go to "My Projects," then click on "New Overview Project." You can then select up to 5 projects to merge into one large project.

Delete a Schedule

To delete a schedule, go to "My Projects," then click on the button [ ⋮ More ] and select "Delete project." Please note that you cannot recover a deleted project.

Activities

Main Activity & Sub-Activity

A main activity can have one or more sub-activities, functioning as a project within the project. The length of the main activity automatically adjusts to the underlying activities. You can move all activities simultaneously by moving the main activity.

Create New Activities

To create a new activity, click on + Create New Activity, then enter the activity name and press ENTER.

Create Sub-Activity

To create a sub-activity, click on the blue plus sign to the right of the activity name, then enter the sub-activity name and press ENTER.

Move and Change the Duration of an Activity

Click and drag the ends of an activity to adjust the duration. You can also double-click on an activity to select the date and duration.

Edit an Activity To edit an activity, double-click on it to open the settings window, where you can:

  • Change the name

  • Modify times

  • Choose color, background color, and pattern

  • Delete the activity

  • Add notes

  • Upload files

Insert Free Periods

To insert free periods, click on the Free tool. Select the period and drag the ends to make it longer or shorter. You can also move the period as you wish by clicking and dragging it. You can have as many free periods as you want, and you create additional periods by clicking on Free again. Delete a free period by clicking on it and then selecting Delete.

The red-highlighted days indicate free periods, such as vacations or holidays.

Baseline

You can create a baseline by clicking on the Baseline tool. Move the entire baseline by clicking and dragging the date flag, and you can adjust the line for each activity row.

To delete a baseline, click on the flag. A button with the text Delete will appear to the right of the flag. Click on it and confirm.

Part-Time and Milestones

Display important milestones such as contract milestones, completion times, etc.

  • Insert a part-time by clicking on the Part-Time tool.

  • Move the part-time by Clicking and dragging the flag.

  • Click on the flag to change the name or color.

Show Activity Progress

You can display an activity's progress by hovering over an activity and then clicking and dragging the triangular button on the left side of the activity. Drag it to the right to increase the length of the red field that shows how far the activity has progressed.

Relationship Arrows Show relationships between activities with relationship arrows. A relationship arrow indicates that the latter activity cannot start until the previous one is completed.

Hover over an activity to display circles on each side of the activity.

Click and drag the circle to draw the relationship arrow and release the arrow in the circle on the activity you want.

Note: Make sure the Relationship Arrows/Links setting is enabled in Settings, which you can find in the upper right corner.

Show Columns to Display

To turn on or off columns (highlighted in blue in the image), you can use the column settings. Press Settings in the upper right corner, and you will find the Select Columns to Display section (highlighted in red in the image). Here, you can enable/disable columns.

Tips: Use these settings to make your workspace less cluttered.

Collaboration and Sharing

With Next Planning, you can collaborate in schedules with your colleagues quickly and easily.

Invite Colleagues

Click Add Colleagues and enter the email address(es) of one or more colleagues, write a message, and click Send Invitation. Your colleague will then receive an email with a collaboration link to the schedule.
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Manage Collaborations

The invited colleagues are displayed to the right of the toolbar, and if you click on a colleague's initials, you will see the full name and the status of the invitation. Here, you can also choose to resend the invitation or choose to cancel the collaboration.

Share Online Version

You can share a link to an updated version of the schedule even with external users who do not use Next Planning. Click on Settings and activate Share Schedule Online. Then copy the link and give it to those you want to have access to the schedule. NOTE: This online link provides read-only access. To share the schedule with a colleague, use the collaboration feature instead.

Save to PDF

To save your schedule to your computer, click on the PDF tool, which opens a side menu with a series of settings. Read more below.


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