Review Projects

Purpose

This screen is where you plan and review your projects. The screen is divided vertically into two parts. The left part is the project tree (explorer) and the right part displays the details of either a project/sub-project or an action depending on what is selected on the tree. When expanded the project tree shows sub-projects and actions under each project.

In the tree explorer, there are 4 tabs:

Navigation

To navigate in the project tree, you can use the mouse or the up and down arrows keys. To navigate in the detail part, you can use the mouse or the Tab, Shift+Tab keys. To navigate between the 2 parts, you can use the F5 key or the mouse.

Project Tree

Order
Initially the projects, sub-projects and actions are sorted in the order they were entered. You can change that order by:

Drag and Drop functionality
To move sub-projects and actions to a different project, you can drag and drop them using the mouse. You can also change a sub-project to be a stand alone project by dragging it under the All projects node. Similarly, you can drag a project under another project, changing it to a sub-project. If you drag a project or sub-project, all subtasks are moved too.

Add Action and Add Project

Add Action and Add Project operations work from anywhere in the 2 parts. The action or project will be added within the project the action or project previously selected is.

An action created under an existing project will take the priority of that project. A sub-project created under an existing project will take the priority of that project.

Project Operations

To perform all operations except Add Action and Add Project, you need to select the project node and either use the right-click menu or the Shortcut Key assigned to the operation. You can also use the Add Action, Add Project or Show/Hide Done buttons.

Except for Edit, Add action and Add project, all other operations can be performed to more than one project at the time. Just hold the Shift or Command key while selecting them.

Edit

Once you have selected a project, sub-project or action on the tree part, you can move to its description by using the Edit menu option or the Enter key. The cursor is then positioned at the end of the description.

The display of the following fields is configurable:

The following operations are possible:

Expand All/Collapse All: tree expansion
The project/sub-project expands and the subtasks are listed under the project/sub-project. You can expand all projects by selecting the top node "Projects". To perform the same operation, you can also click on the expansion symbol on the left of the project node.

Show Done/Hide Done
When you perform the Show Done operation, done actions and done sub-projets for the selected node are shown as well as the undone ones. Perform Hide Done to only see the ones to be done.

Add action
This operation adds an inactive action under the selected subtask. You can change the default status of that action under Project Preferences. The whole action description is selected to allow you to type directly the action description.

Add project
This operation adds a sub-project under the selected subtask. The whole project description is selected to allow you to type directly the project description.

Copy, Cut and Paste functionality
You can copy, cut and paste projects (and their actions) to a different project. You can also change a sub-project to be a stand alone project by cutting and pasting it under the Projects node. Similarly, you can cut and paste a project under another project, changing it to a sub-project. If you copy/cut and paste a project or sub-project, all subtasks are copied/moved too. These operations can be done between Tabs too.

Move project
You can move a project or sub-project by selecting it and using this operation to move it up or down within the project it is in.

Export Template
This function exports the selected project or sub-project into a separate file. You can then share this file with other TR users, within your team or with the TR community through the TR website. A file with the extension .trpt is created. This is the file the other users will need to import using the Import Project Template function.

Others
Change Topic: combo is displayed to select the new topic.
Delete: you can delete a project or sub-project. A confirmation is required.

Planning

To plan the project/sub-project, there are five recommended steps:
  1. Enter the purpose: this is the "why" you are doing this project/sub-project. By defining it, it will:
    • create decision-making criteria;
    • motivate;
    • clarify your focus;
    • expand options by getting you into creative thinking.
  2. Try to visualise the results: view the project/sub-project beyond the completion date (capture features, aspects, qualities you imagine in place);
  3. Brainstorming: just write all the ideas that come into your mind about this project/sub-project, you will analyse them and organise them later. In addition to capturing your original ideas, by brainstorming you will also have many new ideas. Don't ignore any idea, they might prove interesting or useful later on when you are developing your options. Also you will be more confident about your choices;
  4. Organising: a natural organisation will probably emerge during the brainstorming step. You need to:
    • identify the key steps;
    • sort them out by component, sequences and priorities;
    • detailed them to the right level.
  5. Next actions: during this step, you will create the actions or sub-projects required for this project/sub-project. You can either just enter the next subtask to get the project/sub-project starting or continuing, or enter as many next subtasks you can think of at the moment about this project/sub-project and decide which ones are active (i.e. to be done currently).
  6. Please note that there are no limits to sub-project nesting, i.e. a sub-project can include sub-projects, etc. but it is recommended not to use more than a few levels.

Action Operations

To perform operations, you need to select the action node and either use the right-click menu or the Shortcut Key assigned to the operation. You can also use the Add Action, Add Project, Reprocess or Convert to Project buttons.

Except for Edit, all other operations can be performed to more than one action at the time. Just hold the Shift or Command key while selecting them.

Edit

An action can be edited by selecting it from the project tree once the project/sub-project has been expanded. You can then:

Convert to project
Use this operation if you decide that this action should be decomposed into more than one action. A project (if single action) or a sub-project is then created automatically with the original action's description as the project/sub-project's description. The action's notes, topic, priority and due date are also copied to the project/sub-project. The original action is the first action of the project/sub-project.

Reprocess
The action will be sent back to the top of the unprocessed thoughts. If you select Reprocess Now, the application will navigate to the Process Thoughts screen with the initial thought for that action displayed.

Copy and Cut functionality
You can copy, cut and paste actions to a different project. These operations can be done between Tabs too. When you copy an action, the original thought is not copied across to the new action.

Add action
This operation adds an inactive action under the selected subtask. You can change the default status of that action under Project Preferences. The whole action description is selected to allow you to type directly the action description.

Add project
This operation adds a sub-project under the selected subtask. The whole project description is selected to allow you to type directly the project description.

Set Done
This function sets the action to done. It is very useful if you want to set multiple actions to done.

Postpone Action Date
This function increases the action date by the number of periods specified:

If the action did not have an action date, the action date is calculated as the current date plus the postponement.

Move action
You can move an action by selecting it and using this operation to move it up or down within the project it is in.

Others
Change Topic: combo is displayed to select the new topic.
Change Context: combo is displayed to select the new context.
Delete: you can delete an action. A confirmation is required.

Notes field

The possible operations are described below in the order of the buttons from left to right. When insertion occurs, it happens at the cursor position. Copy/Cut and paste of text can be done through the standard shortcut keys Command+C, Command+V and Command+P.