NRP = Network Resource Planning: operational software for open value networks and other next-economy organizations. This tutorial explains the NRP planning functions.
Setup Organization Plan Work Purchase Inputs Contribute Funds Distribute Income Coordinate Work Create Recipes Setup Resource Types Exchange Resources Create Resources Planning the work is not absolutely required in the NRP system….. but you really should do it! ● It makes it a lot easier for everyone to log their work ● It makes it a lot easier for everyone to coordinate their work ● It makes it a lot easier to know what inputs to purchase ● It makes it possible for people to see where they can plug into the network’s work Planning fits into the NRP here...
NRP has 3 levels...and they go together like so Reality Plan Recipe Input Event Output Event Resource Input Event Resource Process Planned Input Planned Output Planned Input Process Process Type Input Type Output Type Resource Type Input Type Resource Type Process Type The Plan level depends on Recipes and prepares for Reality.
Planning in NRP has the following purposes: ● figure out and explain what needs to be done ○ resources to be created ○ work to do ○ resources that are needed ● lay out process flows as a framework for coordinating work ● provide signals of work to do, resources that have been created or need to be obtained, problems that have arisen, and potential solutions to those problems ● and provide clear and easy ways for people to log their work. In other words, if you plan effectively, nobody should ever need to go looking for what to do. It should just come to them. And they will always be able to see the context and how they fit in. Planning Overview
Also, don’t think of planning as some top-down command-and-control situation. The plans offer opportunities for people to work. The people choose what to do. The plans themselves can be created by individuals or groups (as in meetings) or generated automatically from signals of demand. There are some things that may seem complex in this tutorial, coming from the ways that networks do different kinds of work. And there are multiple paths through the system for planning in different situations. But planning follows the same basic pattern and all paths lead to the same place. We can’t emphasize enough that your lives will be a lot easier if you create recipes to use in your planning. Recipes define how various tasks or types of work are done. They are used to create the plans. Recipes hide a lot of the complexity in plans, and they only have to be defined once. (See the NRP Recipe Tutorial for more details.) Planning Overview
Planning Overview Different plans follow different patterns of work based on the type of recipe. These can be: ● Manufacturing / assembly plans: a tree-like structure of processes held together by their inputs and outputs, where the output of one process is the input to another, leading to the final product or resource ● Workflow plans: one product or resource going through multiple stages before it is complete, each stage being a process that adds value to the resource ● Resource type list plans: a group of recipes that create different products or resources and can be executed in parallel, but are all part of one goal Plans can also be created without recipes: ● Single process plans ● To-do’s
● Back-scheduling a plan from a Recipe: ○ Start with end items and a due date, generate the plan from the end item to its inputs, to the outputs leading the inputs, to their inputs, etc. ● Forward-scheduling from a Recipe: ○ Start with the inputs with no predecessors and a start date, generate the plan from the inputs to their outputs, to the inputs that want the outputs, etc. ● Forward-scheduling from a Resource: ○ Start with a Resource and generate the plan based on its recipe. ■ Translation: start with a source document ■ Auto repair: start with an auto that needs repair. Scheduling Concepts
Plan from the Demand page From the Demand page, you can ● create a customer order, which will also generate a plan for each item ordered ● plan a single process with inputs and outputs (creates a work order) ● plan work using a recipe to generate the plan (creates a work order) Work orders are groupings of deliverables that people want to manage together. They contain anything not directly related to fulfilling a customer order.
Plan from a Resource Type page From any resource type page, you can: ● create a plan (work order) to make a resource of this type without a recipe, one process at a time ● create a plan (work order) to make a resource of this type with a recipe, which creates all the required processes (For more info on resource types, see the NRP setup tutorials.)
Plan from the All Work page From the All Work page, you can ● plan a single process with inputs and outputs, creating or adding to a work order ● plan related work using a recipe to generate the plan, creating or adding to a work order ● create a to-do, which is a request for somebody or reminder for yourself to do something
Plan from the My Work page From the My Work page, you can ● plan a single process with inputs and outputs, creating or adding to a work order ● create a to-do, which is a request for somebody or reminder for yourself to do something
Planning creates processes, inputs and outputs No matter where you start, your plan will end up as processes to be done, and define the expected input(s) to and output(s) from the processes. These processes might be connected, where the expected output from one is the expected input to another. Or they may not be directly connected, but may be logically grouped because they are items on the same customer order, or because you want to manage them together. Processes are grouped under a customer order or a work order. (The work order gives you a way to manage a body of work together without a customer order.) For example: Process Planned Input Planned Output Process Planned Input Planned Output Process Planned Input Planned Output Order 1, Item 1 Order 1, Item 2 Planned Input You can see and refine your plan on the Order Schedule page, which can be accessed from the Demand page…..
Order Schedule Page This order has one deliverable. Note more deliverables (order items) can always be added up at the top. This deliverable was created using a manufacturing / assembly recipe. The name and dates can be changed for these processes, using the Change Process Plan button. But everything else is fixed, since this involves making components and then using them to make the final product.
Order Schedule Page This deliverable was created using a workflow recipe. The recipe defines a generic set of processes that occur in sequence, adding further value to the one deliverable. Each process represents a stage. These processes can be changed or deleted. A new process can be inserted, and the before and after processes will adjust for it. The project and the quantity can both be changed for the whole set of processes.
Order Schedule Page Note that a recipe can be used to document processes, transmitting collective understanding into the plan, to help the contributors who will work on them.
Order Schedule Page You will always be notified if a process is behind. If you want, you can reschedule the process and all subsequent processes forward from today. This plan was created from a resource type list, which collects together multiple recipes and creates a deliverable for each one. Use this if you have several things that must be done to accomplish a goal, but that can be done in parallel because they have no dependencies.
Order Schedule Page This is a customer order where 3 items were ordered. You might see something like this if the ordered items are already onhand. In this case, no planned processes were created. You would deliver or ship from inventory.
Order Schedule Page If you include something in an order that does not have a recipe, you will get the opportunity to create a process by hand to fulfill that deliverable. You will need to create the process here, and add the planned inputs and outputs on the Process Logging page or the Change Process page. So much nicer to have a recipe, especially for something complicated!
Planning creates a context for working The planning effort has created a very specific framework and context for people to log and coordinate their work. Instead of people logging on a blank sheet and having to figure everything out, most selections are already defined, and people can log the details of the work with minimal effort. People can also change the plan in this context, before or during the work.
Planning creates requirements for purchasing This report on the Supply page shows items that ● are planned but not yet used or consumed in a process ● are not already in inventory ● are not already on order
Evolving the Plan Once people start working on a process, things can change, of course. People working on a process can add, change, or delete the input and output elements of the plan on the same page as they do their logging of the work. The process itself can also be changed.
Evolving the Plan Note no assignments were made in the planning. People can “Take this task” based on their own desire to participate. They can change the dates and estimates based on their situation and estimate. Taking a task adds the “who” to the planned work. People can also invite others to collaborate on the process.
The All Work page can be used to manage the planned work for a group who is coordinating their work. It is especially useful for status meetings or scrums. You can record group notes, change process dates, people can take tasks. Visualizing Your Plan
Visualizing Your Plan On the My Work page you can see what you are working on, what you have committed to do, and what open tasks are available for you to choose to work on. It is a jumping off point with just your information, where the All Work page gives an overview of everyone’s work and its interconnections.
Visualizing Your Plan The people working on this process coordinate with the people working on that process We are working on other ways to visualize your plans, such as networked gantt-like visuals. This is a start, but is not ready for use yet.
If you have any thoughts, questions, or suggestions about network planning or this tutorial, we’d love to hear from you. http://mikorizal.org/contact.html
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