MANAGING YOUR PROJECTS ............................................................................................... 1
ADD A PROJECT ........................................................................................................................... 1 PROJECT STATUS ......................................................................................................................... 2
MANAGING YOUR DOCUMENTS .......................................................................................... 3
PREPARING THE DOCUMENTS ...................................................................................................... 3 Scanning Documents ............................................................................................................... 3 Processing Specifications and Small Format Drawings ........................................................ 3 Processing Large Format Drawings ...................................................................................... 4
POSTING YOUR DOCUMENTS ....................................................................................................... 6 RE-SEQUENCING FOLDERS AND DOCUMENTS .............................................................................. 7
DELETING A FOLDER OR DOCUMENT ........................................................................................... 7 RENAMING FOLDERS AND DOCUMENTS ....................................................................................... 7
UPDATING THE PAGE SIZE, PERMISSION LEVEL, RECEIPT REQUEST, COLOUR OR TYPE .............. 8 SEND NOTIFICATION .................................................................................................................... 8
TEST THE DOCUMENTS ................................................................................................................ 9
MANAGING YOUR DATABASES ............................................................................................ 9
POPULATE YOUR COMPANY DATABASE ....................................................................................... 9
Trade Registration .................................................................................................................. 9 Company Import ................................................................................................................... 11
Add a Company ..................................................................................................................... 13 POPULATE YOUR USER DATABASE ............................................................................................ 14
Add a User ............................................................................................................................ 14
COMMUNICATION CENTRE ................................................................................................ 15
SEND AN INVITATION TO BID ..................................................................................................... 15 Select Companies .................................................................................................................. 15 Send The Invitation ............................................................................................................... 16
SEARCH FOR A COMPANY .......................................................................................................... 17
Basic Company Search ......................................................................................................... 17
Advanced Company Search .................................................................................................. 17
SEARCH FOR A USER .................................................................................................................. 18 Basic User Search ................................................................................................................. 18 Advanced User Search .......................................................................................................... 18
SEARCH FOR A PROJECT ............................................................................................................. 18 Basic Project Search ............................................................................................................. 19
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Managing Your Projects Add a Project Each project file in your planroom will contain folders used to organize and manage your project documents and provide easy access to all pertinent information to your colleagues and external users. You will naturally have plans, specifications and addenda posted in the project file, but you can also post any other kind of document you may require for the project: minutes of meetings, special instructions, site photos, progress photos, RFI‟s, change orders, etc.
1. To create a new project in your planroom, click “Admin” on the top menu bar.
2. Click “Add Project” in the Project Management menu.
3. Enter the general project information in the form.
4. A project number will be automatically generated by the system once you save this
page, but the Reference # field can be used to enter your own Project number as reference.
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5. Click “Save”. Once the information is saved, some or all of the following tabs will appear in the project file depending on your planroom setup: Status, Mail and Documents. You can now enter additional information about this project in these tabs.
Note: Make note of the “Project Key” that appears above the tabs of the project file. This Project Key will be used to direct your trades through Registration for your project.
Project Status By default the project status will be set to „Open‟ or „Bidding‟ or a similar setting meaning the project is active. This can be changed in the Status tab of your projects.
1. Click on the dropdown menu next to Status to select a new status.
2. Some typical options for a project status are: a. Open b. Closed c. Cancelled d. Awarded
3. These options are all changeable to suit your
organizations needs.
4. We recommend „Open‟ while your project is active.
5. Once the project is complete, you can change the status to Closed to remove access from all users except Admin.
6. If you are using the Bid Calendar on your Main Page, the checkbox at the bottom of the Status window will allow you to not publish this projects information on the calendar.
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Managing Your Documents Your project documents are stored in folders under the “Documents” tab of the project file. The concept is exactly the same as your paper filing system. PlanSource is your virtual filing cabinet. You created a project file to put into the cabinet and now you need to create folders to separate the different types of documents you want to put into your file.
Preparing the Documents It is very important to take a little bit of time to ensure that your documents are ready for online use before you post them. This will make your users experience better.
Scanning Documents If you receive paper documents for your project, they will have to be scanned before they can be posted to your planroom. If you have a scanner appropriate for the size of paper documents you have, follow the steps below. If you don‟t have the equipment or time to scan them yourself, you may also send the documents to Infinite Source System Corp. and we will do the scanning and posting for you. Call 866-294-6557 for more information and pricing.
Processing Specifications and Small Format Drawings 1. When preparing a spec book or other small format or text documentation for posting,
it is important to make the text searchable to allow your users to take full advantage of the tools available to them.
2. If the documents were scanned from paper, running the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program within a full version of Adobe Acrobat will allow the text in a scanned document to be searched.
i. This is unnecessary if the documents were created digitally and not scanned. With the PDF open in Acrobat, press „CTRL‟ + „A‟. If the text highlights, your document is searchable.
3. Specifications should be split into multiple documents for easy navigation to the
different parts of the document.
i. For example, you should post one multi-page document for each MasterFormat Division represented in your spec book.
ii. Your documents should not exceed 5Mb to accommodate users with slower internet connections. Therefore if you have a large division that exceeds this amount, split it into Part A, Part B, etc ensuring that one paragraph does not span two documents.
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4. If the specification has varying page sizes, the alternately sized pages should be extracted into separate files, but kept in sequence for easy navigation.
5. Saving your PDF documents as „Fast Web Enabled‟ allows them to open more
quickly when viewing online.
i. This function is found in a few different locations within Acrobat depending on your version. Generally it can be found in the File or Document menus.
ii. Looking at the Document Properties (in the File menu) will tell you whether or not your document has been enabled or not.
Processing Large Format Drawings 1. Whether scanned or digitally saved to PDF, large format drawings (anything over
11x17) should be posted to your planroom as individual pages. This allows your users to quickly navigate from one drawing to another and is faster for those with slower internet connections.
2. Just like the specifications, drawings should be „Fast Web Enabled‟ and have their file size reduced to increase their performance online. This is can be done to all documents at once, or one page at a time.
i. Saving your PDF documents as TIF‟s will do all the document processing for you in one step as well as separate your multi-page document into single page documents. TIF documents are the same as PDF‟s, but perform much faster in online applications. We highly recommend using TIF instead of PDF for all Drawings. This can be done through Abode Acrobat‟s „Save As‟ function.
Adding Folders
1. In Project Information, click the “Documents” tab.
2. Click the “Manage Documents” icon at the top of the page.
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3. The File Manager will open in a new window
4. Your system files will be visible on the left hand side
5. The Project Document tree will be visible on the right hand side
NOTE: If you have your documents in a folder structure on your hard drive or network, skip to Posting your Documents. If you need to create your folder structure from scratch within the project, continue with step #6. 6. From the top toolbar of icons, select the „New Folder‟ icon
7. In the pop-up window, select the destination folder for the new folder you are creating.
8. Type in the name of the new folder and select the appropriate permission level
9. Click Create. Repeat this process for each new folder you need in your project then move on to the next section, Posting your Documents.
System Files
Project
Document
Tree
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Posting Your Documents
1. With the File Manager open, expand the drives and folders in the left hand window to find the project files to upload.
2. Select your folders and documents from the left (system files)
3. Drag them over to the right (project tree) into the appropriate destination folder.
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4. If folders are selected from the left and brought to the right side, they will be copied as well as the folders and documents that are inside it. If you created a folder structure in the project using the Add Folder icon, drag and drop your documents into these folders.
5. Click the “Upload” button in the top toolbar.
6. Once all the documents have been uploaded, the File Manager will tell you „Upload Successful‟ and you can move to the next step.
NOTE: While the files are uploading, you must keep PlanSource and the file manager open, but you can minimize them and continue working on something else while you wait.
Re-sequencing Folders and Documents
1. To move folders or files, highlight the one(s) you wish to move and use the up and down arrows at the top left of the toolbar
2. You can also drag and drop documents from one folder to another by selecting the document(s) and clicking and dragging them into the new folder.
3. To arrange folders and/or documents in alphabetical/numerical order, place a check
mark in the box next to them and click on the „A-Z Sort‟ button in the toolbar. 4. Click „Upload‟ to save your changes.
Deleting a Folder or Document
1. Place a check mark in the box to the left of the folders/documents you want to delete
2. Click on the in the tool bar at the top
3. Click “Delete” – You do not need to click upload to save these changes. Deleting is an immediate, permanent action and cannot be reversed.
Renaming Folders and Documents 1. Place a check mark in the box to the left of all the folders/documents you wish to
change. Click on the in the tool bar at the top and a new window will appear.
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2. Click on “Old Description” to arrange the names in alphabetical order
3. Type in the new names in the “New Description” column, or copy and paste an excel column.
NOTE: you cannot right click to paste, you must use the key command: ctrl+v
4. Click “Upload” to save your changes.
Updating the Page Size, Permission Level, Colour or Type
1. Place a check mark in the box to the left of all the folders/documents you want to update.
2. Click on the in the tool bar at the top and a new window will appear
3. Go through the options and drop-down lists to update the applicable information
4. Click “Upload” to save your changes.
Send Notification If you have added new documents to a project (ie: an addendum or new version of an existing document) it is important to keep your users up to date with the latest changes. Send a quick notification through the Communication Centre telling everyone of the new documents you posted.
For full details on how to send notifications see the Communication Centre section of this guidebook.
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Test the Documents
1. It is very important to test your documents once you have finished uploading them.
2. Launch the viewer and look at a few of your documents, try zooming etc, to make sure that they work well and that their reaction time to your commands is acceptable.
3. If your PDF documents are taking a very long time to open or don‟t open at all, try posting TIF documents instead, or call Tech Support at 866-294-6557 for further assistance and trouble shooting.
Managing Your Databases Populate your Company Database Having a comprehensive database will help you to take full advantage of all the features PlanSource has to offer. Our import feature will assist you in adding a large amount of company information all at once if you have a clean database ready for import, or you can add to your database one project at a time letting your trades do their own administration.
Trade Registration If you do not have a company/trade database to import into your planroom, you can continue to use your current (old) method of inviting companies to your projects and have them populate your database for you. Once you have done this for a few projects, you will have a large database and can use the built in Communication Centre to invite and notify your users.
1. Alter your current invitation letter to include instructions for accessing your online planroom and how to register for your project. Below are a few samples you may use to write your own instructions.
Sample Text #1
To access documents go to www.GerryEnns.Plansource.ca and enter your login and password. If you do not have a login and password click on the "Obtain a Login & Password" link and enter your information. Once you have logged in, enter the following Project Key XXXXXXXX in the registration box and a blue Project Authorization link will appear on the left hand side of the Main Page.
If you have any questions please call 604-294-6557 ext 101.
Sample Text #2
1. To access project documents go to www.GerryEnns.Plansource.ca 2. To access the site click on the "Obtain a login & password" link and complete the
forms. 3. Once the form is complete click on the "Go to Login" button. 4. Enter your login and password then enter the following Project Key XXXXXXXX in
the registration box on the right side of the main page.
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5. Once you enter the project key, a blue project link will appear on the left side of your main page. Select this link to visit the project file.
6. If you have any questions please contact customer service at 1-866-294-6557 ext 101.
2. In order for your trades to use the self registration to populate your database, you have
to provide them with a selection of MasterFormat Divisions and Sections to choose from for their area of work. This will allow you to organize your database by trade when necessary.
a. Click Admin in the top menu bar of your planroom
b. Open the Admin Management Menu and select Trade Divisions
c. Your planroom will come with the Divisions already created from either
MasterFormat 1995 or 2004 based on your preference.
d. You are able to take the provided list and add, remove or edit divisions to reflect your work processes.
i. Add – Click on the and enter the appropriate information in the window ii. Edit – Click on the and change any field necessary
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iii. Delete – Click on the .
If a company is assigned to this division, you will not be allowed to delete it.
e. You will have to add the appropriate sections to suit your needs.
f. Still in Admin Management, click on Trade Sections. The first time you come
here, there will be no sections entered
g. Click on the Add Section button and enter the information in the window.
h. Add as few or as many sections as you would like to categorize your company
database into.
i. As a start, we suggest adding at least one section for each division
ii. From here, add any additional sections you feel necessary to maintain an accurate database.
Company Import If you have a database of Companies that you use on a regular basis and would like to access them in your planroom, you can use the import tool to add them all at once
1. Create a .csv file with all of the company information that you have to be imported into your online planroom
a. Remember: only COMPANY information will be added to your database, any user related information imported will be grouped in a text field, but will not create the users profiles.
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2. Divide all of the company information into separate columns including, but not limited to: a. Company Name, Address, City, Prov/State, Postal/Zip Code, Country, Phone,
Fax, Email Address, MasterFormat Section Names and Numbers b. Mandatory information is Company Name, Fax # and MasterFormat Section
Names and Numbers
3. Your spreadsheet should look similar to this:
4. In your planroom, click „Admin‟ in the top menu bar and select „Company Importer‟ from
the Company Management menu.
5. Read through the instructions and scroll down to the bottom of the page
6. Click on the „Data Wizard‟ button. This will walk you through a field matching exercise to
prepare your .csv for import.
7. Click Run in the security warning and click Next in the Infinite Source window.
8. Follow the instructions to browse for and upload your .csv file
9. In the field mapping window, click on the column header in the yellow row and select the
appropriate name in the pop-up window.
10. Once all columns have been named or labeled as „Ignore It‟, Click Save to create a new
.csv spreadsheet with the mapped headings.
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11. Click Exit to return to the Company Importer home page.
12. Click on the „Import Wizard‟ and browse for the mapped .csv file
13. Click Import and the process will start, showing you the progress as it goes and a final report once finished.
Add a Company In a situation where you only need a few companies added to your database, you have the option to add them one at a time rather than using the import tool.
1. Click „Admin‟ in the top menu bar and select Add Company in the Company Management menu on the left.
2. Fill in the form with all of the known Company information
a. Company name, all address information and phone and fax numbers are mandatory.
3. Choose the appropriate category, type and notification preference.
4. Place a checkmark in the Approved box.
5. Click Add Company to save.
6. Once saved, view the company profile again and click on the Trades tab. Here you will
determine the area of work for this company based on the MasterFormat Divisions and Sections you have entered into your database. (Detailed instructions on how to add these to your database can be found under #2 of Trade Registration)
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7. Select the Division and Sections from the table on the left and add them to the table on the right to assign them to that company.
Populate Your User Database Once you have companies in your database, it is time to populate the user database. Using the TRADE REGISTRATION from the previous section will allow your users to add themselves to your database without any administrative intervention from you, or you can add your users in manually using the Add User function.
Add a User
1. Click „Admin‟ in the top menu bar and select Add User in the User Management menu on the left.
2. Fill in the name and position.
3. Click on Copy Company Address to automatically fill in all company information.
a. These fields are editable and can be changed if the individual has different contact info than the company.
4. Enter in the email address.
5. Leave the permission level at PUBLIC for all users except for admin users.
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6. Use the Auto button to automatically generate a username and password.
7. Enter the expiry date for the user. As they get close to the expiry date, if they are an active user, the date will be automatically moved ahead.
8. Place a checkmark in the approved box.
9. Select the appropriate default notification type (fax or email).
10. Click „Add‟ at the bottom of the page. You will get a User Successfully Added window. From here choose View User.
11. By the Login and Password fields, under the Auto button used previously, there is now a „Send Login‟ button. Clicking on this button will email the user their login information as well as your website address to access your Planroom.
Communication Centre The Communication Centre is where you will select companies to access your project, send faxes and emails and track your users Bid Intentions. In your first few projects, you may not have a database complete enough to use to send your invitations to bid, but you will be able to send notifications to your users once the project is underway and track who is planning on bidding your project.
Send an Invitation to Bid
Select Companies 1. Open the Communication Centre from inside the project you are working on. Click on
the Comm. Centre button in the top icon menu.
2. The first tab is Select Companies. Here you have your entire company database on the
left side and you will move the invited companies to the right.
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3. Select the companies you would like to give access to your project. To select multiple at once, use the Shift or Control key on your keyboard.
4. When you have all the invited companies on the right hand side of the window, click
Save at the bottom and move to the Send Fax and Email tab.
Send The Invitation 1. The subject line is automatically generated, but it is editable.
2. The next box down is the body of your message. You can write a message to your
users here or a simple line or two and upload an attachment below.
3. Once you have uploaded an attachment to send, you must place a checkmark in the box
to the left of it for it to be included in your communication.
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4. Now choose your recipients. Since this is your first communication with your invitees, you will have only companies listed here. Once individuals have accessed your project, their contact information will automatically be added to the list as an option for communication.
5. Once all your recipients have been selected using the check boxes adjacent to each company name, select the appropriate message type from the drop down list and click „Send‟ at the bottom of the page and your message will be sent and a copy will be stored in the mail tab of your project.
Searching With such large amounts of information stored in your online planroom, the built-in search functionalities will be the key to finding the information you need quickly. All of the follow searches are found in the Admin section of your planroom.
Search for a Company In the Company Management Menu, there are 2 options for searching our company database:
Basic Company Search
1. Click on Basic under Company Search in the Company Management Menu.
2. This search will allow you to search by company name, host and approval.
3. Enter any relevant information in the form to the right and click search.
4. A list will populate of all companies that matched your criteria.
Advanced Company Search 1. Click on Advanced under Company Search in the Company Management Menu.
2. This search will allow you to search for any field found in the company information.
3. Enter any or all relevant information in the form to the right and click search.
4. A list will populate of all companies that matched your criteria.
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Search for a User In the User Management Menu there are 2 options for searching your user database:
Basic User Search 1. Click on Basic under User Search in the User Management Menu.
2. This search will allow you to search your user database by company name, user name,
permission level, host and approval.
3. Enter any relevant information in the form to the right and click Search.
4. A list will populate of all users that matched your criteria.
Advanced User Search 1. Click on Advanced under User Search in the User Management Menu.
2. This search will allow you to search by any of the fields in the user information.
3. Enter any or all relevant information in the form to the right and click search.
4. A list will populate of all users that matched your criteria.
Search for a Project In the Project Management Menu there are 2 options for searching your Project Database:
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Basic Project Search 1. Click on Basic under Project Search in the Project Management Menu.
2. This search will allow you to search by Project Description, Number, Type, Host Status
or General Close Date.
3. Enter any relevant information in the form to the right and click search.
4. A list will populate of all projects, current or archived, that match your criteria.
Advanced Project Search 1. Click on Advanced under Project Search in the Project Management Menu.
2. This search will allow you to search by any of the fields in the project information.
3. Enter any or all relevant information in the form to the right and click search.
4. A list will populate of all projects, current or archived that match your criteria.
Reports One of the many benefits of having your own PlanSource planroom is the full audit trail of all activity in your projects.
Activity Report
1. Open the project that you are running the Activity Report for.
2. In the top icon menu, click on Activity Report located on the far right side.
3. In the new window, place checkmarks in all the fields you would like included in your
project activity report. Play around with the settings to see exactly which search will provide the information you need.
