This article describes how projects are ranked and how to determine the ranking based on the project score in the project section of the Portfolio Designer view in Meisterplan.
Project Rank
In Meisterplan, each project and each program has a scenario dependent rank. The rank corresponds to the order of projects and programs in the Projects by Priority list:
Projects in programs inherit the program's rank, followed by their position in the program (e.g., the first project in a program ranked first has the rank 1.1).
To change the rank of a program or project you need at least the access level User as well as the Change Project Rank editing right. Administrators can select editing rights under Manage > Users.
Rank in the Portfolio Designer
The rank determines in which order workload is assigned to roles and resources allocated to projects. Allocations to projects with a higher rank come first and are on a lower level of the allocation stack than projects with a lower rank.
In the project or program hint, the Rank field displays the project's or program's current rank. When working with a scenario and comparing with another scenario or the plan of record, the rank in the compared scenario or plan of record will also be displayed in brackets, counting only projects and programs that also exist in the active scenario.
Rank in the Project List
You can add the project rank as a column in the Project List. The columns always show the current rank of a project in the Portfolio Designer.
Rank in Imports
When projects are imported with the Sort projects by priority option, they are ranked based on the Priority field in your import data source.
Once the project data is available in Meisterplan, you may change the ranking of projects via drag-and-drop.
Project Score
Instead of ranking projects manually, you may also use the project score to rank projects. It is composed of individual project score values associated with lookup values. The project score is displayed in project hints in the Portfolio Designer as well as in the Project List, if you added the column to your view.
Project Score Values
Project score values may be assigned to lookup values of the Status field and to lookup values of any custom project field of the Lookup type.
The project score of a project is the sum of all project score values of its lookup values.
Project score values must be entered for lookup values in the Fields view under Manage. This requires the Administrator access level.
Project scores will be displayed when at least one project score value has been defined for any lookup value.
Project Score in Hints and in the Project List
The project score is displayed among the default fields in project hints:
Project Score in the Project Details
In the Project Score section of the project details, you can find the following project score details:
- Current Rank: the project's actual rank in the Portfolio Designer
- Project Score: the project's actual score, composed of the values of fields relevant to the project score
- Rank by Project Score: the project's rank in relation to all other projects. This may, but doesn't have to be, the same as the project's actual rank.
- Move Project to Rank...: click this button to move the project to its rank based on its project score. If the project already has that rank, the button will be disabled.
- Composition of Project Score
- Project Score: the actual score, composed of the individual score values for lookups.
- Individual Lookups: below the score, the individual lookups with values contributing to the score are listed. You may edit these values here just as on the General tab. When you do, the rank and score will be recalculated, if necessary.
Project Score for a Program
A program will automatically assume the highest project score among the projects it contains.
That project score will be displayed in a program's hint and will define the program's rank among projects and other programs when the list is sorted by project score.
Sorting a Single Project or Program by Project Score
Via the Sort by Project Score context menu option, you may assign a single project or program its rank by project score, which is displayed in the Project Score tab of the Edit Project window.
This is always available but only takes effect when the selected project or program doesn't already have the rank derived from its project score.
Sorting the Projects by Project Score
Users that have actively been assigned the Sort Projects by Project Score right in addition to the Change Project Rank right in the Users view under Manage may automatically have part or all of the list sorted by project score:
Please note that all users start without this right, so it must be actively set by a user with the Administrator access level (which is required to access the Users view under Manage.)
Additionally, users need to have at least the User access level as well as edit rights for the active scenario or plan of record, all of which can also be assigned in the Users view under Manage.
Once the right has been assigned to a user, he has access to the Sort by Project Score option in the More Actions menu of the toolbar for the Portfolio Designer view.
Just as when using the Auto-Schedule feature, a selection of projects may be applied as a starting point for the operation. As the default option (or the only option when no project is selected), it is still possible to sort the whole list by project score:
The projects will be sorted by scores, starting with the first or first selected project (depending on the selected option) and including projects below the cut-off line.
If two projects have the same score, then sorting takes into account the previous rank.
Please note that this operation cannot be undone automatically.
Deactivate Project Score for all Users
You must have the Administrator access level to deactivate the project score.
If your organization does not work with project scores, you can disable this function for all of your Meisterplan users. Simply remove the Project Score section from your project settings. See the Configuring Project Settings article for details.
If there is a project score value in a project field, the words "Project-Score Relevant" are added to the project field name:
To remove this, delete all project score values for project fields of the Lookup field type:
Step 1: Click Manage on the left sidebar, and then select Project Fields:
Step 2: Click on the pencil icon that appears when you move your cursor over an entry in the field list:
Step 3: Click on the pencil icon that appears when you move your cursor over an entry in the list of Lookup Values:
Step 4: Delete the value in the Project Score Value field and confirm by clicking OK:
