PlanIQ guides

Quick start getting-started

PlanIQ adds a ribbon tab to Excel. Every tool follows the same three steps:

1. Choose a source — an XER export or a P6 Professional database (see Source).
2. Select the project and data date. PlanIQ reads the data date from the project; you can override it with the calendar picker.
3. Run the tool. Output lands on a new, formatted PlanIQ sheet — your source data is never modified.

Install & enable install

Install

1. Download the latest ZIP from Updates and extract it to a permanent folder, e.g. C:\PlanIQ\ (not Downloads).
2. Right-click PlanIQ64.xll › Properties › tick Unblock › OK. Windows blocks files downloaded from the internet until you do this.
3. In Excel: File › Options › Add-ins › Manage: Excel Add-ins › Go › Browse, select PlanIQ64.xll, and make sure it is ticked.
4. Restart Excel. The PlanIQ tab appears on the ribbon.

Which file?

Match Office, not Windows: check File › Account › About Excel. Use PlanIQ64.xll for 64-bit Office and PlanIQ.xll for 32-bit.

Source: XER or P6 database data-source

Every PlanIQ tool opens with the same source selector.

Tips

• Schedule (F9) in P6 before exporting — PlanIQ reports the dates and float exactly as stored.
• For baseline comparisons from XER, export the baseline project in the same XER or as a separate file.
• If the database is locked, close the project in P6 or copy the .db file and point PlanIQ at the copy.

Calendar picker calendar-picker

Every date field in PlanIQ uses the same picker: month view on top, time below.

• Click the month title to jump by month; use the arrows or PgUp/PgDn.
• Today sets the current date; Data date sets the project's data date.
• Time defaults to the project calendar's start of day (e.g. 08:00). Change it when your data date is mid-shift.

Schedule Health Check schedule-health

Runs a 14-point quality check modelled on the DCMA 14-point assessment. Thresholds are defaults — change them in the tool's settings if your contract specifies others.

Reading the output

• The summary sheet shows pass/fail per check; each failing check has its own sheet listing activity IDs, names, WBS and the offending value.
• Milestones and LOE/WBS summary activities are excluded from duration and float checks by default.
• Run it before every submission and attach the summary to your schedule narrative.

Lookahead Generator lookahead

1. Pick the source and project, then set the window: 2, 3 or 4 weeks from the data date.
2. Optionally filter by WBS, an activity code (area, discipline, subcontractor) or responsibility.
3. Choose what to include: activities starting, in progress, or finishing within the window. Completed activities are excluded.
4. Run. The sheet groups by your chosen code and shades critical (TF ≤ 0) and near-critical (default TF ≤ 10d) activities.

Baseline Compare baseline-compare

Compares the current update with a baseline project, matched on Activity ID.

• Variances reported: start, finish, original/remaining duration, total float, and logic changes (added/deleted relationships).
• Activities in the update but not in the baseline are flagged Added; the reverse is Deleted.
• Sort by finish variance to find what's driving slippage; filter on TF erosion to see which paths are losing float fastest.

EVM & S-curve evm-s-curve

Builds planned value (PV), earned value (EV) and actual cost (AC) by period from resource/cost loading.

• Choose period: weekly or monthly, and units: cost or labour hours.
• PV comes from the baseline you select; EV from the current update's performance % complete; AC from actual units/costs.
• Outputs: cumulative and period curves, SPI = EV/PV, CPI = EV/AC, SV and CV.

Float & Driving Path float-path

1. Select a target milestone or activity.
2. PlanIQ traces driving predecessors backwards to the data date and lists the driving path, then the next paths by float.
3. Total float and free float are shown side by side so you can see where float is shared.

Use this for interim milestones where the project-level longest path doesn't tell you what is driving that milestone.

Update Manager update-manager

PlanIQ checks planiqtool.com for new versions so you always have the latest features and fixes.

How it works

1. Once a day when Excel starts (or on demand from PlanIQ › Help › Check for Updates), PlanIQ reads the latest release information from the website.
2. If a newer version exists, a window shows the version, date and what changed. Each new feature links to its guide here.
3. Click Download & install. PlanIQ downloads the package, verifies it, and asks you to close Excel to finish.
4. Click Remind me later to skip until the next start-up, or Skip this version to ignore it.

Required updates

Occasionally a release is marked required (e.g. a calculation fix). PlanIQ will still open, but shows the update prompt each time until installed.

Troubleshooting troubleshooting

Still stuck?

Email support@planiqtool.com with your PlanIQ version (PlanIQ › Help › About), your Excel version, and a screenshot of the window. For schedule questions, attaching a small XER that shows the problem speeds things up a lot.

Help topic IDs topic-ids

Reference for developers: each PlanIQ window opens https://planiqtool.com/help/?topic=<id>. The live list is published at /api/help-topics.json.