Steelray News

Steelray Project Viewer 3.5 is Released

Steelray Project Viewer 3.5 is now available.

If you've used previous versions, you'll notice two significant improvements in version 3.5:

• The look and feel is much nicer and more "modern."
  
• The performance is significantly improved for large files.  If you work with large files, you'll notice that this version of hundreds of times faster for operations like scrolling in the Gantt view.

Links:

Product page:  http://www.steelray.com/spv.php

Download: http://www.steelray.com/download.php?prod=spv

Steelray Project Analyzer 1.4 is Released

Steelray Project Analyzer 1.4 is Released today. 

What's New in 1.4.0:

• NEW FEATURE: support for two or three color scales.
• NEW FEATURE: Score only, No grade. It is now possible to have a score only.
• NEW FEATURE: You are no longer limited to thresholds between 0 and 100.
• NEW FEATURE: Compliance Criteria. These are criteria that will simply return a true or false condition.
• NEW FEATURE: The grading screen is now much easier to use and supports the features above.
• NEW FEATURE: Global Pre-Filter. You can specify a filter, from the project file or a "quick filter", and all scores will be computed from that filtered set of tasks.
• NEW FEATURE: There is a Cancel button that can be clicked while scoring.
• IMPROVEMENT: Criteria reviewed and adjusted based on new capabilities.
• IMPROVEMENT:  Performance is greatly improved on scoring and filtering.
• KEY BUG FIXES:                      
  • 1240: All criteria in the criteria library are now loaded by default in the .spa file.
  • 1903: Icons now show up on buttons in Project 2007.
  • 3156: Exception when using prerequisite criteria in certain cases.
  • 3208: Adding new criteria from library now uses correct defaults.
  • 3307: Cancel scoring is handled better.
  • Field Mapping Tool now includes Text21-Text30 fields.
  • Changed the way predecessors and successors are found to correct potential problems with scores.

Links:

Product page:  http://www.steelray.com/spa.php

Release Notes: http://www.steelray.com/spa_1_4_0.php

Download: http://www.steelray.com/download.php?prod=spa

Steelray Project Analyzer: 1.3.0

Steelray Project Analyzer version 1.3.0 is released.

New in this release:

• Added support for Prerequisite criteria. Prerequisite criteria are associated with regular criteria, and impose a requirement that must be satisfied before we will assign a grade (score and color) to a criteria. For example, we might have a criteria called "Summary Tasks" which requires there to be more than zero summary tasks in the schedule. Another criteria, "Summary Tasks with Successors," makes sure that Summary Tasks have no successors. In a project with no summary tasks, "Summary Tasks" would be red and "Summary Tasks With  Successors" would be green. If "Summary Tasks" is red, we shouldn't score the second criteria at all.
   
  In the example, we would assign a prerequisite criteria to "Summary Tasks With Successors": Summary Tasks is Green. If Summary Tasks is green, we run the score and grade as usual. If Summary Tasks is not green, we would not run the score -- we simply display the LED in the score bar as gray, because the prerequisite criteria was not met.
   
• Standalone Field Mapping Tool. With this tool, the user can create a mapping between PM fields and specific locations in Microsoft Project. In the future, other applications may be supported. For example, the tool will allow an organization to define an alternate location (e.g. Text2) for the WBS column. The tool can be launched from the Program Groups SPA menu (Start Menu).
   
• Support field mappings (see previous item) in SPA.
   
• Break out CPI and SPI into their own criteria. Leave Performance Criteria for other custom indexes.
   
• Fixed cases where "All Tasks" filter may not exist in Project.

Steelray Project Viewer: 3.2.1

Version 3.2.3.0 is released (English only) for all platforms.

• FEATURE: SPV now reads Resource Pool files.
• FEATURE: SPV now displays bar text in the Gantt Chart above, below, right, left, and in the middle of bars if "Display Saved Gantt Chart" is checked.
• CHANGE: Gantt Task Bars have a new look.
• CHANGE: Added "Filter By:" on filter bar to clarify the purpose of the filter bar.
• FIX: Column Aliases should display correctly now.
• FIX: SPV now reads Steelray for Excel files correctly if there is only a space in the Resource Name (no other text).
• FIX: Subproject file tasks no longer expand upon the opening of another subproject file.
• FIX: The "In Progress Today" filter now works as designed.
• FIX: Scroll Bars should now appear on the Task Sheet View.
• FIX: Page numbers now print correctly.
• FIX: Some Help files have been updated.

Steelray Project Viewer: 3.2.1

SPV 3.2.1 has been released.  Included in 3.2.1:   All new translations for German, French, and Spanish; A new MSI installer, including all foreign languages; bug fixes for subproject issues.

Steelray Software Adds Schedule Analysis and Security to Microsoft Project

Atlanta, Georgia -- February 26, 2007 -- Steelray Software, maker of the leading Microsoft Project Viewer software, announces the release of two new Microsoft Project Add-In products. Steelray Project Analyzer is a schedule analysis and scorecard tool that plugs into the desktop versions of Microsoft Project. Steelray Project Protector is a low-cost security and access control solution for sharing Microsoft Project files.

 

The patent-pending technology at the core of Steelray Project Analyzer was developed at a leading Aerospace and Defense company and licensed to Steelray Software. Using statistical analysis, a team of project managers at the A&D company analyzed project schedules spanning several years to derive a set of common characteristics of the project schedules that were considered successful. Steelray Project Analyzer uses a built-in set of criteria to generate an easy-to-read scorecard and helps the project manager improve their schedule.

 

Steelray Project Protector was born from a need that Steelray's Microsoft Project viewer customers requested. "Our customers asked us for a way to share certain parts of project files, " said Brian Leach, Managing Director of Steelray Software. "With Steelray Project Protector, we're delivering an easy, low cost solution to that problem." With password-based protection, the project file is protected or exposed in its entirety (all or nothing). Steelray Project Protector is a big improvement because it offers filter-based protection, which allows the project manager to specify exactly which parts of the project file may be hidden or shared.

 

For more information on Steelray Software, or to download a free trial of any Steelray product, visit www.steelray.com.

 

About Steelray Software

 

Steelray Software is the leading provider of Microsoft Project Viewer software and offers easy, low cost project management software solutions. Steelray Software is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

Contact Information

Ray Paseur

(404) 806 0160 x1

ray.paseur@steelray.com

SPV Version 3.0.1

Steelray Project Viewer Version 3.0.1.0 is released (English only) for all platforms.

• FEATURE: Added "Early Start", "Early Finish", "Late Start", "Late Finish" columns to the Gantt Chart.
• CHANGE: Added a "default" button to some dialogs so that pressing Enter/Return activates the "OK" button.
• FIX: In Mac OS X, the Gantt Chart's table will no longer "disappear" when Hiding a column.
• FIX: Custom Text filtering should work in all cases now.
• FIX: The saved filter will be applied to a custom view when the preference "Display saved Gantt View" is checked.
• FIX: MPP files will now open if a resource with no defined name is assigned to a task.
• FIX: XLS files will now open correctly even if an Outline Number is not specified.
• FIX: In XLS files, Milestones are now set properly when using the Milestone column.
• FIX: Clicking on a blank Date or Resource Name field will no longer display a blank detail view.
• FIX: Summary field now works for XLS files.

Steelray Project Analyzer 1.0 is Shipping

We are pleased to announce that our first version of Steelray Project Analyzer (SPA), our project analysis and scorecarding application, is shipping today!

SPA is a Microsoft Project plugin that checks your project schedule for a list of problems and generates a colorful scorecard showing you how to improve your schedule.  You can find more information about SPA at the SPA product web page, and download it here.

Version 3.0

Version 3.0 is here!

With 3.0, Steelray Project Viewer (SPV) now supports custom filters and custom views! If the Microsoft Project file contains custom filters or custom views, you'll be able to see those in Steelray as well.

Filtering has always been easier to do in Steelray than in Microsoft Project or other viewers, and now SPV offers even more filters.

New Product: Steelray Project Analyzer

I'm pleased to announce the beta release of a new plugin for Microsoft Project: Steelray Project Analyzer (SPA).

 

SPA is an easy to use plugin that analyzes your project file and provides a scorecard on the quality of your project schedule. You can use our criteria or create your own criteria for what makes a project schedule "good." For individual project managers, SPA can help you improve your schedules. For larger organizations, it can be a great tool for assessing the health of a project and quality of the project schedule.

 

For more information and to download the beta, visit http://www.steelray.com/spa.php