Take control of your project methodologies

With Method Manager you can manage and modify the project templates for PROJECT in a box yourself. Scale PRINCE2™, create PMBOK, set up ITIL, or any other methods including your in-house ones, the choice is yours.

Use project management processes that match your business needs

The PROJECT in a box family of products enable you to use any process based methodology to deliver your projects or other business activities. PROJECT in a box comes pre-populated with the Authentic PRINCE2™ methodology and our additional P2ABC methodologies which provide pre-scaled methods more suitable for an organisations small and mid sized projects. PROJECT in a box is fully flexible in this regard and will allow users to have any number of projects from different method templates delivered from the same system and even included in the same portfolios.

The method template structure is an open standard produced in xml and uses a collection of .jpg images for navigation backgrounds and template files of any sort for launch content. This is very powerful and puts you the user in full control of your methods which should lie at the heart of your project management culture and able to react quickly and appropriately to the needs of your business.

Traditionally users had manipulated these templates by hand but this relied on a degree of XML knowledge which was not always available and hadn't encouraged the organisation to treat their methods as 'live' resources and tailor and tweak them based on post project reviews or lessons learned. Since the release of Method Manager though, that has all changed.

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Method Manager for flexible and expert method management

Method Manager gives the user a graphical user interface enabling them to manage and modify their method templates without ever needing to view the xml. Here are just some of the high value activities users can undertake with Method Manager:

Modify the standard PRINCE2™ method template to provide your organisation's own flavour of PRINCE2™;
Provide your organisation with multiple different flavours of PRINCE2™ for typical common project types each with different template files, processes, menus and colour schemes;
Generate templates for different methodologies which are used in other parts of your organisation i.e. a method template in French for your French PMs to use or a PMBOK based template for your US colleagues;
Manage other business processes from PROJECT in a box by creating method templates for your quality, purchasing and EHS management systems;
Define method templates for a formal bid or tender management system which can then be managed within PROJECT in a box.

In fact, using Method Manager to create method templates and PROJECT in a box with its powerful multi user, portfolios and reporting capabilities you could do any combination of these all at the same time. Our unique system of hosting method templates in PROJECT in a box enables projects and process activities of all different types to sit alongside each other in the same system with access controlled by a powerful permissions model. These different projects and processes can even be included in the same portfolio and managers can report on progress and performance across these seemingly diverse activities.

Method manager truly gives you back the power of project management in your organisation with a flexibility and cost effectiveness that you just won't believe.

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Using Method Manager

Method Manager gives you full control over the method template including all the following area:

Insert your own process diagrams to form the back drop of the navigation
Add your own rectangular click areas and select the resulting action
Define your own processes
Define your own sub-processes
Define which documents (folders) appear in each sub-process
Define and include which template files are included in each document

you can include any file type there is no restriction to file type supports all MS office, MS Project, Open Workbench, Primavera, Star open office, Autocad and all other file based applications;
define a URL (or Windows shortcut) to an externally held reference document and include this in your template (i.e. the quality manual on the company intranet) and when the project is launched in PROJECT in a box opening this file type will take the user straight to that page.

Assign documents to Core Project (once per project) or Stage (multiple times per project) branches to allow for parts of your project or processes that are repeated or multiplied during delivery
Set up your own multi level menu navigation structure which is adopted by PROJECT in a box
Provide the State status questions to be used for RAG reporting against
Provide Aliases for the Project and Stage name elements
Determine the attributes to be set or questions to be asked in the Extended Properties areas for the Project, Stage and Process
Select the colours to be used in the document and file navigation areas of the file explorer including link colours
Set up and manage the set of Blank templates to be provided to users as the template library once the project is live (for files which are used multiple time sin a project e.g. RFI)
Title your navigation windows

The Copy and edit capability is very powerful enabling the organisation to centre on a methodology and then tweak aspects of its delivery for different parts of the organisation.

Explorer Navigation Method Manager uses the same powerful explorer system so well understood and liked in other PROJECT in a box products but expands this to include the other parts of the method template structure such as menus and process images.
Ease of Use The Explorer has been cleverly colour coded and segmented for ease of use. The Explorer also auto refreshes and checks itself so as you change a process in one area it makes many of the required changes and warns you of other potential impacts in the errors tab
Process Images With Method Manager you can define or revise the navigation interface for each individual method template. This is completely unique amongst project management systems and you would usually have to go back to the developers for expensive modifications to achieve the same results. Our P2ABC system shows the power of this but I bet you never thought you could do it yourself!
All you need is MS Paint or something similar to generate the background image then drag on your click areas and assign an action, it really is as easy as that!

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Costs

Method Manager is provided free with each copy of PROJECT in a box Server you purchase (£500 each). When customers are undertaking extensive modifications to their Method Templates we recommend that a separate server is set up with Method Manager on to provide a test environment allowing the effect of changes to templates to be assessed in a controlled environment prior to launch on to the operational server.

You may like to consider some one to one training on Method Manager and this can be arranged either on-site or as a web meeting to make sure you get the most out of personalising or customising your methods.

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Other Available Method Templates

Method Manager is most often used by clients looking to customise their materials if you are looking for a standard methodology then why not ask us as w might have already created a method template of it for other users previously.

The Method Templates page provides the list of standard method templates available to buy off the shelf and also details on our plans for developing new method templates and their expected release period.

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Next Steps

Check out the Tours section of the website then sit back, relax, listen and watch how method manager can help you. Alternatively download our Method Manager factsheet (0.4mb).

If you want more information or to place an order you can call us on +44(0)1993 810425 or email us at enquiries@projectinabox.org.uk with your questions or to arrange a demonstration.

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