When using the Cost Breakdown Structure form to modify the WBS used in a previous project so it can be used in my next project, it would be easier if the Move function employed drag-and-drop rather than the present method of typing out destination numbers
Early versions of Mandrel used drag-and-drop, but our beta testers told us it was too easy to lose items if they were accidentally dropped in the wrong place in a complex structure, so we changed it to the present system. The problem with drag-and-drop is that, because Mandrel automatically reconfigures the cost breakdown structure numbering whenever a move is made, it's not always easy to find where an item was dropped if you do so accidentally.
Why does Mandrel use the term ‘cost breakdown structure’ when most people I know use the term ‘work breakdown structure’?
Work breakdown structure is specific to project management, and implies that the cost items in the structure refer to work to be done. However, Mandrel is a multi-purpose tool that can be used for several purposes, including such things as estimating the revenue from a completed project or from an investment program, so we use the more generic term cost breakdown structure. But in terms of costing a project, cost breakdown structure means the same thing as work breakdown structure.
Will I need an IT specialist to set up a new report for me, using one of the report designers?
No! The report designer system has been designed specifically for non-specialists to use. Parts of the designers look complicated simply because there are a lot of things that you may need to decide when designing a report, but none of the functions they control need specialist knowledge. If you need help, just click the Help button or one of the information (i) buttons on the designer form.
When I start Mandrel, a notice comes up saying ‘Microsoft Office has detected a potential security concern’. Why is this, and what do I do about it?
Mandrel is perceived by Excel as a large macro, and Microsoft Office products are programmed to query all macros in case they are viruses. To start Mandrel, just click on the Enable Macros button at the bottom of the notice. To prevent this notice coming up in future, you must add Mandrel to the list of trusted locations for Excel:
- Open Excel (without Mandrel).
- Excel 2007: click on the Office button at top left of your screen, then select Excel Options at the bottom of the form, or
- Excel 2010: click on the File tab at top left of your screen and select Options from the list on the left hand side.
- Select successively Trust Center / Trust Center Settings / Trusted Locations.
- Click on Add new location, then use the browse button to locate the directory in which Mandrel has been installed. Typically this will be C:\Program Files\Davion\Mandrel for Excel 2007, or C:\Program Files (x86)\Davion\Mandrel for Excel 2010.
- Close Excel, then open Mandrel in the usual way.
If Mandrel uses Excel as a base, doesn’t that mean there are a whole lot of spreadsheet formulas in it that could get tangled up by an unwary user?
There aren't any. Everything is done using compiled modules. We use Excel because it provides a robust, reliable platform, but we don't use its spreadsheet formula capability.
