Get to Know Us Better: Frequently Asked Questions about Epicflow

We’ve gathered the questions that our users most frequently ask about Epicflow. Read further to find out how the system works, learn more about Epicflow’s features, find answers to the questions coming from the experience of working with Epicflow, and other important information about our product.  

How Does Epicflow Work? 

How does Epicflow set priority between projects?

The priority system monitors the tasks in the critical path and gives them the highest priority by means of attributing a specific number. This number informs you about the current state of things. If the number of the critical path is 100, it means you don’t have any extra time left, so you can’t afford any delay. But if the number is 80, it means you have 20% buffer time against the delivery date. On the other hand, if the number is 107, you’ll be seven days late no matter how hard you work. The critical path has a seven-day delay. This is how the system works. Knowing the status of the project is extremely important for everybody involved in project delivery.

How do I know which project has the highest priority?

In the Pipeline, all the projects are sorted by their priority, so the most important project will always be on the top. The order of projects may vary depending on the changes made in your project environment. The project priority is calculated on the basis of CCPM principles. 

Does the system assign resources based on the number of bodies available or by a person?

Epicflow calculates and displaces Resource overload/underload according to the Resource Capacity and the number of assigned tasks according to the calendar. This information is represented in the Future Load Graph by a resource/a group/total.

What are UCLT groups for?

UCLT stands for un-compressible lead time. This feature serves to record the time that is required for a certain action as part of a project task that cannot be sped up by assigning more resources. For example, concrete needs some time to become solid, and no one can change the time needed for it. So you can log these hours in the system and create UCLT groups for such ‘tasks’. 

How do I know that the task is assigned to me?

The Epicflow system provides each resource with the list of the tasks sorted by their priority. So you always have an up-to-date list of tasks ordered by priority without having urgent ones.

What are Graphs for?

Graphs are an essential part of the Epicflow system. They provide a project manager with analytics based on the data retrieved from Jira or MS Project. Currently, Epicflow has the following four types of graphs:

• Historical Load graph presents group performance, capacity, load, and output over time.
• Future Load graph assists in taking control of resource planning and predicting the impact of additional projects on the resource load.
• Burnup Chart shows how much work has been completed by the teams, and the total amount of work. ‘The remaining weeks’ graph shows the amount of work left for each resource group.

What Opportunities Do Epicflow’s Features Provide?

How do I manage material resources?

First, in Unit Pool you can register the equipment required to accomplish a certain type of project work. An existing user can be converted into a unit pool or you can create the new one. Any unit pool can be assigned to tasks like any other resource. Secondly, you can create a special Material Group which is aimed at controlling and managing activities associated with the production and consumption of materials. In addition, you can record the use of materials upon task completion by means of assigning this task to a Material Group. 

What tools does Epicflow provide to track team’s progress?

• Burnup Chart demonstrates the amount of work that has been completed and how much is left.
• Choosing project view in the Bubble Graph enables you to see the workflow regarding time constraints (buffer time): it shows the number of remaining work hours required to complete the project along with the types of related tasks.  
• One of the options provided by Historical Data is demonstrating output – the amount of work performed by the team. Output is divided into subgroups that show the status of the tasks marked with colors: blue – the task is on schedule, green – the task requires attention; yellow – the task is urgent; red – the task is overdue.
• Timesheet provides a detailed overview of output produced by the team on the historical timeline. 

What resource management tools does Epicflow offer?

Resource management is an essential part of Epicflow. 

• Our users can create and manage employee resource groups (which can be done either directly in Epiclow or linking the existing groups from an external system). 
• Also, you can create Multigroups containing several groups or specialists with different skills and analyze different groups of resources. 
• You can create various types of resources, specify their price, hourly rate, measurement unit, risk factor, and other settings. 
• With Competence Management you can add skills to project tasks and assignments, change them and associate with the resources in the system. Therefore, you can find a perfectly matching resource for completing a task even if he/she is from the other group. In addition, the system shows you the level of employee’s skill development.

How do I manage the tasks?

There are the following task management features:

• Task List presents the list of your tasks sorted by their priority, which is done automatically. Also, it shows the following information related to a certain task: task priority, project name, stage at which the task is, progress status, the name of the group/the resource to which the task is assigned, the number of remaining hours to accomplish the task, information about related material resources. 
• Task Card provides all the information about a single task in a structured way and allows you to interact with your tasks in the following ways: add estimates, update progress, assign/reassign/add/remove resources, select parameters for assigning a certain user, and others.

What features can be used for analyzing possible future bottlenecks?

Epicflow has two features for that purpose: Future Load and What-if analysis. The first one makes it possible to see how loaded your resources will be depending on current projects in your project environment. The second one makes it possible to simulate various scenarios of project development: you can change some of the variables and see what consequences it will have in the future. With both features you get an opportunity to take necessary actions to prevent future problems. 

Where can I view budgeting details?

Budgeting information is presented in:

• Dashboard, which includes budget view where you can see your budget utilization % in accordance with lead time % presented in man-hours; 
• Burnup Chart allows project managers to control the budget and flow of the project.

 Can I balance the load and capacity of my resources in Epicflow?

• Firstly, Competence Management will help you find a resource with perfectly matching skills for completing the task.    
• Secondly, your resources are unlikely to be either overloaded or underloaded if they work on the tasks with the highest priority, which are demonstrated in the Task List.
• Thirdly, Future Load graph makes it possible to see how loaded your resources will be in the future, so you can predict possible bottlenecks concerning employee’s load and take measures if necessary to fulfill your resources’ capacity to the full. 

Questions Coming From User Experience

Is there a mobile application for Epicflow?

Yes, there are iOS and Android versions of Epicflow mobile app, which are available on App Store and Google Play.  

What opportunities does Epicflow mobile app have?

• It has a User Card that shows your short name, email address, and the group(s) you belong to.
• Task List shows your current tasks sorted by their priority, indicates project delays in days.
• Manager Mode makes it possible to create milestones, summaries, and tasks; create and edit project phases; examine projects, summaries, tasks and change them; manage task resources. 
• Work Log page presents tasks and work hours logged for their accomplishment. 

What should I do if I’ve forgotten my login/password?

To reset a password, select “Forgot Password” option on the login page and specify your email (or any other user’s email). If a resource’s email is not available, submit a request to the Functional Application Manager. Then the email address will be changed and you’ll get a letter providing an opportunity to restore the password.

I can’t delete an empty group and get a message “Cannot remove group with tasks assigned”.

Even if you can’t see the assignments in the system associated with this group, check out the Modular Library. The groups located there are considered active in the system so you can’t delete them.

If I delete an inactive project in the Pipeline overview, can I still add that project to Epicflow later?

Yes, you can. Removing a project from the environment doesn’t affect the original data source. In the future, you will simply need to re-add the project to the import page manually.

How do I add tasks?

You can create tasks in MS Project and upload them to Epicflow or create an internal project in Epicflow directly.

What is Max% is User Menu?

Maximum% indicates the degree of involvement of the resource in the group tasks.

How to move resources from one task to another?

Go to the Task List, choose a resource for a specific task, then click on the resource with the right button and Change Resource for this task (assign to the resource or multiple groups).

How do users view their own task lists?

1. In the web application, you can create a user and send an invitation to log in to the system. Then this user can filter the tasks assigned to him(her)/ assigned by the project/ by the group.
2. In the mobile application, users can see only the tasks assigned to them specifically and upload the information about the remaining/total hours which will be synchronized on the spot with Epicflow and MS Project.

For more information on technical support, follow this link: https://wiki.epicflow.com/faq/

Miscellaneous

Can I transfer the data from other PM software to Epicflow?

Yes, you can. We at Epicflow have designed integrations with other PM tools like Jira, MS Project, and Oracle Primavera, so your data is easily and safely integrated with our system. If you’ve used other software, we offer an opportunity to develop custom integration on your demand. Therefore, you can improve your project outcomes with Epicflow’s key features and work in the environment you’re familiar with at the same time.   

Another important thing here is integration of Epicflow with your resource management systems. For example, if your employee needs a day off, which is marked in your resource management system, Epicflow will automatically mark him/her as unavailable on this day.   

Does the Epicflow system use artificial intelligence?

Yes, Epicflow is subsidized by the Dutch government for AI investigations, so our researchers do their best to study AI and implement it into the system. Epicflow uses machine learning and predictive analytics capabilities to ensure smooth project flow and detect real and potential constraints before they threaten your projects. 

How do you protect users’ personal information?

Our users’ personal information is guarded within our secured networks. Only a limited number of people who have special rights, and bound by NDA, Law restriction and additional Security organizational and technical measures, can access this information and will keep it confidential. At Epicflow, we maintain the safety of your personal information by security measures after you submit any information. No stored data will be transferred, backed up and/or recovered outside the European Union, except for those technologies where it is not possible.

Who are Epicflow’s clients?

Our clients are fast-developing, mainly engineering-driven companies from various industries: aerospace, satellite, telecommunication, energy, shipbuilding, rail transport, financial, manufacturing, and others. Here are some of our clients:

• BiC, French manufacturing corporation;
• Pilz, the global supplier of automation products, systems and services based in Germany;
• KPN, the Dutch landline and mobile telecommunications company;
• Eekels Technology, the Dutch company specialized in the installation of custom electrotechnical systems in superyachts; 
• Machine building companies like Flier Systems, Fancom, Paques, Sanimatic. 

Can I use Epicflow for managing a single project?

Yes, of course. Despite the fact that Epicflow is multi-project management software, it is equally applicable for managing one small project. It’s a multi-purpose tool that can be used either by large enterprises or small companies to manage all kinds of projects they create. 

Hopefully, the article was helpful for you to get the information you needed. If you still have any questions regarding any aspect of the Epicflow system, feel free to contact us and ask them.