Introduction to Planning

To view your Strategic Plan (or any other plan), simply select the ‘View/Edit Plan’ icon located just under the ‘Home’ icon located in the top left-hand corner of your Homepage.

 

By default, you will be taken to the ‘Map View’ which allows you to view, create and edit planning elements for any level of your plan. There are two different views - the ‘Map View’ and the ‘Gantt View’. You can switch between these by selecting the icon near top right-hand corner the page. 

Map View

This view shows a cascade style view of your plan that is easy to navigate and understand. This view will show you with the top level of your plan first. These are often called ‘Goals’ (the naming convention can be changed to something that is more relevant to your Organization). Plan elements can be reordered with a level by selecting the three ellipses and choosing 'Reorder'.

Gantt View 

The 'Gannt view' (shown above) is another view that is often used by users who are used to working in Project Management and want to see how their Plan is progressing over a period-of-time. The Gantt View is a great way for all users to view their plan's progress in a timeline view on one page. The Gantt View allows users identify where resources or additional Actions might be required to ensure the achievement of Strategies. Check this article for more information on Gantt charts.

Understanding your Plan Elements

When navigating through the Map View you will find these common elements present throughout:

• The circle icon, with either initials or a users picture, showing the owner of the planning element.
• A bar chart icon shows the number of analytic visuals that are tied to the planning element.
• The tag icon denotes the number of tags on that plan element. Hovering over will show the assigned tags
• The information icon shows additional details about the planning element for those who do not have the ability to edit the plan element.
• The pencil icon allows you to edit the details of the planning element (Permission dependent)
• To navigate to next level of the plan, on the bottom right portion of the card a double arrow will open the next level. 

Top Level of Plan (Goals)

When you select the ‘Map View’ you are first presented with the top level of your plan. These are often called ‘Goals’

Mid Level of Plan (Strategies)

To cascade down to the mid-level of the plan (often called Strategies), click the double arrow on the bottom portion of the Goal plan element. Again, the naming convention of the Mid-level plan can be changed to something that is more relevant to your Organization. 

Arrows will appear to the left and right of the Goal in this view to make switching between Goals easier to see the Strategies without needing to navigate back up to the Goal. 

Lowest Level of Plan (Actions)

To cascade down to the lowest level of the plan (often called ‘Actions’) click the double arrow again on any of the mid-level planning elements. Again, the naming convention can be changed for any of the plan levels.

 

The lowest level planning elements (‘Actions’) may include additional informational icons such as:

• Checklist (box icon with a list) - a series of tasks which need to be completed in order to complete the progress of the ‘Action’
• Cloned icon (icon with 2 overlapping boxes) – an ‘Action’ which has been cloned from another ‘Action’ (either from within the same plan or from another plan).
• Due Date: the date at which the ‘Action’ is expected to be completed.
• ‘Progress’ completed shown as a percentage.
• Orange Stopwatch icon indicates if an ‘Action’ is overdue.