When we looked at a beta version of KeyPlan last October, we called it an intuitive project-management program with a strong outliner. KeyPlan is now shipping, and it lives up to expectations. This is a good combination outliner and project planner that's ideal for managers or planners who don't need or want the complexity of more-powerful programs such as MacProject II.
WHAT IT IS According to KeyPlan's documentation, the outliner “acts like most other outlining programs.” and that's about all that need be said about the outliner. It looks, feels, acts, and works like any standard outlining program.
The project planner is a little different, though. Driven by the outliner's three levels—task, milestone, and subplan — KeyPlan can create network diagrams, Gantt charts, and project lists. KeyPlan's network diagrams show order of precedence, but no summary statistics such as start date or slack times are displayed on the chart. These statistics are reserved for a window at the bottom of the screen called the Task Info window. The window can be “rotated,” to show the layers of detail supporting the summary statistics, or kept at a nominal size to show only summary information.
KeyPlan calculates a project's critical path. The critical path is graphically identified by a double-thickness line (or by a red one on color systems).
Editing a network diagram makes good use of the Mac interface. With that interface, tasks are easily created, dependencies established, and schedules accommodated. KeyPlan is smart enough to catch dependency conflicts as you change tasks, and it warns you when such conflicts occur. Conflicts can then be adjusted or overridden.
To size a network diagram, KeyPlan uses a unique graphic system that depicts the size and orientation of charts. In essence, you view the charts from above, superimposed on a size grid. This approach ensures that you won't print charts that are loo big, and it lets you reorient your work so you can see it in full-screen views.
You enter and manipulate overhead costs using a distinct view,or window, that resembles the List, or tabular-data, view. The Overheads and Resource views are used to enter the details of any ongoing costs that are not specific to a single project. The Resource view can also he used for recording details of costs and Income anticipated as a result of a project. Lists can be sorted and printed for selective reporting.
Sitting in the background, like a watchful eye, is the base calendar. The base calendar is the time system from which all the project timings are generated. A nicely designed dialog box lets you customize for days and time. KeyPlan can plan time in increments of minutes, hours, days, and weeks.
Calculations can run every time a change is made or can be driven manually. During calculation, report-date conflicts can automatically be brought to the surface, the calculation suspended, and the pertinent information displayed to help you resolve the conflict.
To run a master plan, KeyPlan uses a subplan scheme in which individual project, or subplans, are all rolled together into a single large plan. The linking and reporting using subplans works quite well. You can use the Select command to query KeyPlan interactively, displaying only those elements of a plan that you warn to review, such as tasks with no float time.
Plan (Network), Bar (Gantt), and Graph views can be annotated with text, frames, or lines to highlight information or make a point. Graphics can also be imported via the Clipboard. As you would expect from a Symmetry product. KeyPlan can import and export Acta files. KeyPlan also offers standard file export to spreadsheets and databases,
KeyPlan’s printing subsystem is also pretty smart. Recognizing that components of large plans have to be joined together when printed, the designers incorporated a system that leaves an adequate margin around each page so that multiple pages can be taped together easily. The printing system also allows you to position the network-diagram graphics anywhere you want on multiple sheets of paper. KeyPlan supports color and PostScript fonts.
KeyPlan is a snazzy system. The on-screen presentations are crisp, the on-line help is helpful, and the documentation is good. The program is a great tool for project managers who want to use a project planner as an adjunct rather than as the single point of information, planning, and job tracking.
THE BOTTOM LINE KeyPlan is flexible and fast and should be a hit with project managers and executives who want to use their Mac to help them think. With its outlining metaphor, KeyPlan doesn't require the esoteric knowledge of project management that some bigger programs, such as Micro Planner, demand. But for serious project management, users will gravitate toward higher-end packages that offer accounting, variance reporting, and stronger information management.
Landis, Ken. (April 1990). KeyPlan. MacUser. (pg. 59).
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KeyPlantm.sit_.hqx
Emulating this? It could probably run under: 
Mini vMac
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