Project Tracking Software
TrackStar's Project Tracking module is used to plan, schedule, track and cost projects. It can be used by itself, or combined with the Time Tracking, Expense Tracking, Item Tracking and/or Skills Tracking modules for a more comprehensive solution. You use TrackStar to store data about every project your organization works on, to provide a common repository for reporting, tracking and analysis.
A centralized repository for project tracking is very different. Instead of individual managers having project data on their individual workstations, the central repository is used to track costs, expenses and labor in a centralized way. You can get overall project view, but also get overall resource views not available before.
Projects are created using a wizard interface that walks you through the creation steps. You can setup TrackStar so that projects require approval from management, or can be automatically approved. Once approved, projects become available for time, expense and item tracking described below.
Projects can be defined as simple activity based projects, or can include a detailed work breakdown structure, or project plan. The project plan can be imported from Microsoft Project or created using the included interface. You are able to assign people to projects for multiple date ranges and allocation percentages, to specify employee utilization. Once employees are assigned, they can be assigned tasks within the project plan itself. TrackStar will create schedules, and estimate project completion and costs.
Material costs can be related to projects by identifying individual items and their cost. This provides the cost component of the overall project financial plan. When combined with labor and expenses, the Project Manager has a handle on overall costs.
You can attach documents to TrackStar to store project related documents in one common place. Documents, such as requirements or budget estimates are stored in the database making them available to those having authorization 7x24, worldwide.
The Time Tracking module uses projects to "bill" time. Employees can either bill time at the project level (by specifying an activity), or at the task level by selecting a detailed task. The Expense Tracking module also uses projects. Employees who have travel expenses can relate those expenses to projects, thereby giving a project manager a total view of project costs. The Item Tracker module uses projects to relate items. In an IT environment, items might be enhancement requests, bug reports, or customer issues. Again, the linkage of these modules gives the project manager a comprehensive overall view of his project.
The Project Tracking Software is a comprehensive and affordable system for managing and tracking projects. The system is 100% web based, and can be deployed as an in-house solution, or hosted by Internal Systems. Either way, all you need is a browser to run the software!
TrackStar Project Tracker can be used as a stand-alone solution, or can be integrated into a more robust Time, Expense, Item and Skills Tracking system. ISC makes it easy to add additional modules or users later. A link at the bottom of this page will take you to other product description pages.
The sections that follow describe features of the Project Tracking module and show sample screens to help you understand its’ capabilities.
Getting Started Managing Projects Editing Project Information Managing Project Costs Assigning Resources Tracking Items Managing Projects Documents Project Plans and Schedules Time Analysis by Project Employee Allocation Summary Administration Tools Outstanding Support Project Tracker Attributes Project Tracker Features Technology Benefits/Justification Licensing Options TrackStar Pricing Next Steps
You access TrackStar by clicking on a browser link. The system provides multiple levels of security and encryption, so your data is safe and secure.
Each employee logs on to TrackStar using their unique ID and password. Once signed on, a menu system is presented that reflects the capabilities that have been granted each user. Though simple to use, multiple levels of help are provided to assist users if needed.
The Project Tracker is used to create an entry for every project your company works on. It is a centralized repository for all project information.
The selection form is customizable, sortable, and searchable providing a convenient view to manage and maintain projects. Access is given only to those people who are granted access at the system and project level.
You can import projects either from Microsoft Project (to include a work breakdown structure), or from Excel for simple projects.
The Project Summary form is used to define the name and description of a project, as well as many other "grouping" fields. Projects can be defined by "Activity" or by "Task". Task based projects include a work breakdown structure of the project, including resource assignment and task duration. Fields are provided for entering budget information, and a variety of other filing codes. You can add user defined fields if needed.
You can associate projects with customers, define priorities, and project types.
Often there are material costs associated with projects. TrackStar includes the ability to record these items, which provide a comprehensive view of project costs.
Employees are assigned to a project from the employee pool. A start and end date for the assignment is specified, along with an allocation percentage. Employees can be assigned to multiple projects and tasks with different percentages. A resource rate specified here can override the default billing rate for an employee.
When doing project planning, you can use roles instead of actual employee names. This helps to understand the types of resources that are needed, without assigning them until planning is complete.
The project folder includes an Items tab to list items that are associated with the project. Items are created using the Item Tracking component of TrackStar, and are often used to record issues, errors, or to-do items for projects. See www.ItemTracking.com for more information on this module.
Clicking on an item jumps you to the one selected, for review, editing or status changes.
Documents of any type can be linked to projects. You simply browse to a file, and then click Add to include it. Documents are saved in the TrackStar database, making them available to anyone having TrackStar access.
Clicking on a document link will open the document with the appropriate program (word, excel, etc.)
Projects can be broken down into a work breakdown structure, called tasks. Each task is given a name and duration, and is assigned to an employee. When used with the Time Tracking module, employees are able to bill time at the task level, giving project managers the in-depth information they need to manage and monitor projects.
The system includes a scheduler that can be used to generate task dates based upon scheduling rules.
Numerous reports are provided to assist in managing resources across multiple projects.
This report shows a sample of how time is recorded to projects, and how many hours each employee spent on each project. This makes it easy for managers to understand project costs, and to drill-down to find the detail behind them.
This report, as well as most others, can be filtered by date range, by project, by employee, and other keys. You can obtain the view you need in seconds!
Also, all reports in TrackStar are exportable to excel, making is easy to pull data our for further analysis.
This is one of the resource management reports. This report derives its data from employee assignments to projects. It gives a weekly view of employee allocation to projects, which can be used to locate available people for new projects, or to view allocation rates and issues.
A complementary Employee Allocation Detail report is provided that shows the detail behind the summary for selected employees. You can understand who is working on what and when.
TrackStar includes a robust set of administration tools to help you configure and tailor the system. You use the admin tools to load and maintain employee, department, and various other data tables in the system. It also includes a scheduling tool that can be used to generate background jobs or tasks, such as data extracts and reports. For example, you can setup a job so that balance information is automatically sent to your payroll vendor monthly.
Tool
Use
Report Maintenance
Used to create custom reports.
Schedule Maintenance
Used to setup jobs to run at preset intervals.
Security Maintenance
Used to define employee access to system functions.
System Preferences Maintenance
Used to setup operational preferences.
User Field Maintenance
Used to define custom fields to extend TrackStar.
User Code Maintenance
Used to enter coded fields for choice lists.
ISC provides world-class support for its software. When you have a question or problem, our staff provides the answers you need, when you need them. For ASP customers, the support fees are built-in to the monthly fee. This includes updates, bug fixes, and periodic enhancements. For in-house customers, our support plan is required in the first year and optional thereafter.
TrackStar Project Tracker is priced on a per Active user basis. An active user is one who has been entered in to the software and has the ability to log on. Employees who terminate can be marked inactive, and no longer consume one of your licenses.
Project Manager licenses are typically added to an existing Time, Expense, Item or Skill Tracking installation. The cost table can be added to other licensing costs to arrive at a final cost.
Project Users
Monthly ASP Price
One Time In-house Price
1
5
10
20
50
A one-time setup fee of $1,000 is required for all configurations.
All prices are subject to change without notice. Please ask for a quote on your specific configuration.
1. Fill out an information request form by following the Request Information link. A sales representative will contact you and can provide additional information, and pricing specific to your configuration.
2. Request demonstration access so you can experience the system first hand. ISC will guide you through the system, and point out its features and capabilities.
3. Confirm configuration, pricing and obtain approvals.
4. Review and execute our standard ASP or License agreement.
5. Begin using TrackStar!
ISC makes getting started fast and easy. A complete planning guide is provided to assist you with your data collection and policy definition tasks. Once information has been gathered, you use the administration functions of TrackStar to enter/import data. Excel templates are provided to help you organize your data and to simplify import. You can be up-and-running in a few days!
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