SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project What’s New for Version 2.0.10 This release of SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project contains an update to DPI setting to handle high DPI machines.

What’s New for Version 2.0.9 This release of SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project contains fixes and a new feature.

New Feature The option “Specify Enterprise Database” in Options menu allows a user to enter a default SEER Enterprise Database DSN so that it would connect to the specified database by default on importing a SEER-SEM project from SEER-DB.

Fixes 

The labor rates assigned to labor categories in Microsoft Project calculated to be weighted average of labor rates provided by all imported program elements if the whole SEER-SEM project is imported. If SEER-SEM project is laid out with only project-level template, then the project’s labor rates are used

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Fix for handling COTS elements when template has repeated tasks

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Fix for MS Project 2013 - copy/paste for work column was not working as expected

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Changes to handle different date formats 1

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes 

The installer has a fix to handle an installation on 32-bit MS Project 2013

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The installer for 64-bit MS Project versions has a fix to create 64-bit DSNs required to run SEER-SEM Integration to MS Project

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The installer handles a silent installation

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The installer now handles installations on MS Project 2016

Resolving the Known Issues 

Update for Microsoft Project 2010 (KB2589387) introduces a MS Project bug that causes “A pasting error occurred on ID XXX in the Successors column” error at the time of the lay out. The bug has been reported to Microsoft. Uninstalling the particular update resolves the issue

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When using SEER-SEM Integration to MS Project with currency setting other than US Dollar, the MS Project templates installed with the application need to be resaved with the desired currency to avoid the messages about the currency conflict at the time of the plan lay out. The messages do not affect the plan however

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If for any reason MS Project 2010/2013/2016 crashes while running SEER-SEM Integration to MS Project, the add-in may become disabled at restart of MS Project. The user can re-enable the add-in from File Menu->Options->Add-ins->Manage Disabled Item. Please contact tech support if you need assistance

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SEER-SEM Integration to MS Project may crash on 32-bit MS Project on 64-bit OS when using “Import from SEER-SEM Project” option. We have worked with Microsoft on the issue and at this point there is only a workaround available. The crash is caused by connecting to and reading from the configuration database only on 32-bit MS Project on 64-bit OS. The workaround is to open MS Project, click PLAN button to launch SEM Integration to MS Project, close SEERSEM Integration to MS Project and click PLAN button again to launch SEER-SEM Integration to MS Project the second time.

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If there is a failure installing MS Project Buttons, please refer to 2

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes “Configuring the PLAN button in MS Project 2010.pdf” to create the button manually. The pdf file is located in the documents folder for SEM Integration to MS Project.

What’s New for Version 2.0.5 This release of SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project contains fixes. In addition, the COTS elements are now handled as components at the time of a plan layout.

What’s New for Version 2.0.1 This release of SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project contains two new features.

New Features User may lay out a plan on the project level only with the use of a new allocation scheme - PR. Existing SEER-SEM project can now be imported from .PRJ file as well as from SEER Enterprise Database

What’s New for Version 1-5-42 This release of SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project contains fixes for known issues as well as the improvements.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

Fixes and Improvements for This Version 

If SEER-SEM project is open at the time of the layout, SEER-SEM Integration to MS Project works with read-only project to import the data without an error message.

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Labor Categories in resource allocation are updated to the newest terminology in SEER-SEM.

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Fix for writing to configuration database on 64-bit OS.

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Fix for plan update in MS Project 2010.

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Knowledge Base Configuration tool is updated to work on both 32- and 64-bit installations of SEER-SEM Integration to MS Project.

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Fix for the projects created with SEER-SEM Integration to MS Project when the user selects a component’s sizing method to be Function Point, Function Based Sizing or Fast Function Points

What’s New for Version 1-5-39 This release of SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project contains changes related to the differences between MS Project 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2010.

Other Improvements for This Version 

Labor allocation scheme now produces correct results.

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Users are no longer required to create a separate version of the template files with extension “- 2007 version” or “- 2010 version” for the specific version of MS Project.

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An error produced due to EditCopy and EditPaste methods in MS Project 2007 when laying out a plan on some machines has been resolved.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes

What’s New for Version 1-5-37 This release of the Microsoft Project Integration for SEER-SEM contains numerous enhancements, the most visible of which is a full menu bar:

A wide range of other fixes and changes have been made.

Silent Invocation A mechanism has been developed for externally calling the MSP Integration, silently (with the user interface enabled) passing it necessary parameters, and thus causing it to automatically lay out a project plan, save the plan, and return control to the calling application. Specifically: • An external application first requests invocation of the MSP Integration using COM. • Without displaying either the Client user interface or the Project interface, all relevant inputs are passed including: 

The SEER project’s file name and location. The SEER project must already exist, having been created beforehand.

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A life cycle process, chosen from those available.

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A resource scheme, again chosen from those available.

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The name of the MS Project file in which the outputted plan will be saved. A full path may be specified, or by default it will be saved in the same folder and with the same name as the SEER project file.

• The automatic generation of an MS Project plan is completed. Additional user confirmations or selections, resulting in interruptions to an otherwise automatic process, are minimized. MS Project macro security warnings cannot be controlled and the user will be required to simply confirm their execution or, if possible, disable them in advance.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

Other Improvements for This Version 

If SEER-SEM is not reachable, previously, this could have caused Project to seize. Now a message will be given, “SEER-SEM is either not available, or cannot be reached” and control will be returned to the MSP Integration interface.

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The license file has been renamed with product-specific information.

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Improvements have been made to the Template Creator so that it produces “cleaner” results.

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Component names are longer given the ‘Untitled’ default name.

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Project name and start date inputs are now automatically taken from an imported SEER-SEM project’s file name and start date.

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Certain information messages have been removed or placed at a different point in the execution process. This includes the “Multiple sets of labor rates” and “Inputs have been disabled” messages upon SEER-SEM projects being imported.

What’s New for Version 1-4-31 With this release, the SEER-SEM Client has been rechristened as the “SEER for Software Microsoft Project Integration” (or “MSP Integration”) which more clearly reflects its functionality and heritage.

This release contains a range of refinements and fixes.

User-Defined Task/Resource Association With this feature, you have even greater flexibility in how plans from SEER for Software (SEER-SEM) are translated into projects. User-defined task/resource association permits the resource assignment scheme to be bypassed in favor of precise, fully customized associations between tasks and user-defined resources. This feature is automatically enabled. When a task within a lifecycle template 6

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes already has a resource assigned to it, that resource continues to be used. In this case, the normal resource assignment process is not used. Instead, the resource assigned to the task receives all the effort the task has been assigned. If there is more than one resource assigned to a task, effort is allocated in proportion to their assignment to the task. For example, if a task has resource A (50%) and B (100%) then B gets 2/3rd of the effort allocated to the task. When a task is set to automatically repeat, resources in the repeated task also get repeated. In this example, the Design-Code-Test template uses the standard SEER for Software resource scheme:

When replaced with specific task/resource associations, this could be an alternate result:

Other Improvements for This Version 

The Options button has been moved from the window pane to a toolbar.

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All lifecycle selections now remain available during SEER for Software project import.

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The repository retrieval dialog has been enriched with many more retrieval options.

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Compatibility with Microsoft Project Server has been improved, chiefly by the addition of RBS codes to Project’s Resource Sheet, and by adding a Generic setting of ‘Yes’ to resources.

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The Help system is now browser-based, assuring its compatibility with Windows Vista.

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The installer has been made compatible with Windows Vista.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

What’s New for Version 1-4-14 This release of the SEER-SEM Client supports COTS components in SEERSEM and introduces a new repository format that is connected with other SEER programs, including AccuScope and SEER-SEM. The new SEER Repository Administration Application (SEER-RAA) lets you easily maintain and import entries into this new repository, known as the SEER Repository Database (SEER-RDB). Another major introduction is the Template Creator, which permits the user to create new lifecycle process templates from preexisting plans.

Support for SEER-SEM COTS Components SEER-SEM COTS components capture the effort involved in integrating commercial, off-the-shelf software components. They are added as children of program work elements in SEER-SEM.

When output into Project using the SEM Client, a special set of tasks are used to represent the work involved in its integration.

You may customize these tasks.

Template Creator You can use the Template Creator to quickly and easily create new lifecycle templates. Your own previous plans can serve as models for future plans, perhaps further modified to reflect a planning ideal. O nce installed – the Template Creator is optional and so must be installed by the user – the process of template creation is begun by first loading your ‘ideal’ plan and then clicking on the ‘Make’ button: 8

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes

The Template Creator then permits you to base task effort and duration assignments either on the effort or duration assigned into the ideal plan. Once your customized lifecycle process template has been created, it must be added to the list of processes available to the user from within the SEM Client. This is done using the Knowledge Base Configurator, located in the SEM Client program directory.

Other Improvements for This Version 

The Client has been extensively tested for compliance with Project 2007.

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Should you be working with several repositories, an alternate one may be chosen from within the Client.

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The interface has been slightly updated.

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An ISO 15288 software lifecycle template has been added.

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The SEM Client can easily coexist with the upcoming SEER-H Client for Microsoft Project.

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An automatic workaround has been implemented for failures in the ConsolidateProjects method, a rare occurrence attributed to Microsoft code.

Data Sources and Access Unified Repository The previous repository of past projects has been replaced with the SEER Repository Database (SEER-RDB). This new database permits a very rich amount of information to be shared between all SEER tools, including SEER-SEM, the SEM Client, AccuScope, Scatterplot and CriticalMass. This repository may be installed either on a client machine or a shared server. Both Microsoft Access and SQL Server are supported in native format. 9

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

Repository Administration Application A new standalone application has been developed for maintaining the SEER-RDB and also analogies.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes

New Samples The SEER-RDB now comes delivered with a comprehensive set of sized reference items, obtained from the open source community and SEER products themselves. Items ranging from small components to large programs have been included, each with full descriptions and links to project home pages when available.

Notes Macro Security Level and Installation into MS Project The Client installs Visual Basic macros into Microsoft Project and these macros have been digitally signed to verify their authenticity. In order for the macro installer to run, your security settings in Project should be set to High or lower. To set the security level, open Project and from the Tools menu select Macro / Security. Project 2003 Requires Service Pack 2 Errors in project layout may occur unless users of Project 2003 have installed Service Pack 2. User created templates should follow a specific linking method If you plan on creating a template of your own, please note that rollups should be linked only with other rollups and that tasks are ideally linked only within a given rollup. This is shown in the example below:

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

What’s New for Version 1-3-7 This release addresses several potential failure conditions and Windows usage scenarios. Support for the Japanese language has been added, including both Windows and MS Project. An error has been fixed whereby more recent SEM installations caused the Import SEM Project feature and SEM estimating to not occur. A workaround has been implemented for rare cases where the ConsolidateProjects method within MS Project fails, in turn causing projects to not be laid out. An error message was fixed for the "RUP Full" template.

What’s New for Version 1-3-6-1 This release addresses a variety of installation and Windows usage scenarios.

Change to Data Source Locations All databases are now stored in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SEER, which is Windows’ new standard location for writeable file storage.

Change to Temporary File Locations All temporary files are now generated in C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Temp, which is Windows’ standard location for temporary file generation. This change affords improved usability in restricted user profiles.

Multiple Language Support The Client can now be used with foreign language versions of Microsoft Project, starting in this release with built-in support for Italian. Other 12

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes languages can be added to this list by editing the relevant database records.

What’s New for Version 1-3 This release of the SEER-SEM Client includes a major improvement in the Project task layout algorithm, more robust task planning, several minor bug fixes and improvements, much expanded documentation and several standalone applications that improve Client administration. Following are details of the more significant changes.

Improved Layout in MS Project Two different layout schemes are now used, depending on whether you have specified that a project be completed in Minimum Time or with Least Effort. This setting can be made via the Staffing input of the Client’s Goals and Constraints tab. In the descriptions and pictures below, note that tasks are blue lines while components are black lines which group sets of tasks. Optimal effort Projects plans intended to economize on effort should have components scheduled serially, essentially one at a time, so that developers can learn over time and thus become more productive. In laying out any project plan the challenge is to insure that each t ask has a suitable length, neither too brief to be done nor longer than required. For each task, the formula that determines its length takes into account: 

The component’s share of project scope; task lengths are allocated proportionally based on the size of components of which they are a part.

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The proportion of effort and duration allocated from the component into each task.

When more than one component is being developed in a project, work on them must almost always overlap in order to be fit into the project’s overall duration. Overlapping makes sense since different types of work take place at the beginning and end of components’ construction. 13

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes It also more closely approximates actual development tasking in which development activities naturally do overlap, with some jobs beginning while others are near completion. 

The extent to which tasks overlap depends on the length of each, how many there are and the project’ estimated overall duration. Overlapping is made according to the need for tasks to be fit into overall project duration.

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With overlapping enabled, tasks durations can now be made to be more realistic. This greatly improves the accuracy of intra-project schedule tracking.

Task plan using optimal effort layout scheme – tasks are overlapped to a lesser extent and project duration is lengthened Minimum time Projects planned for completion in minimum time rely on the “longest pole in the tent” meaning, whichever component takes longest to complete determines the overall length of the project. All other components are then scheduled to be done within the time it takes for the longest component. More labor is required to satisfy a minimum time project scenario. There are two reasons for this. First, with work on different components being undertaken in parallel, less learning over time occurs among the project’s team members. Less learning will result in somewhat less efficient 14

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes developers. In addition, with many tasks being undertaken in parallel, coordination costs increase. Therefore, In the picture below, keep in mind that components (the black rollup lines) may each contain one or more tasks (the blue lines). There are three components in the sample project below, each having three tasks. As seen below, the longest component is given a duration equal to whatever is necessary (when non-repeated tasks, as seen at the beginning and end of the sample plan depicted below, are subtracted) to satisfy overall project duration. Lesser components are then “fit” into the duration of the longest component. The rationale behind this scheduling scheme is that, while you cannot speed up the component which takes the longest to do, you can parallelize all other components so they are built while the major component also is underway. While the longest lead time component basically absorbs whatever duration is available (given overall project length) other components actually require more elaborate scheduling. The optimal effort scheduling scheme is used for these shorter length items, so they are each given proper durations and overlapped to fit into the available schedule.

Task plan using minimum time layout scheme – tasks are overlapped to a greater extent and project duration is shortened 15

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

Planning Improvements and Fixes 

Implemented a feature allowing the user to re-configure the Client’s use of MS Project fields. This is useful when fields normally used by the Client are used for other purposes.

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Optimized speed of layout for large projects in MS Project. This improvement is particularly noticeable for very large projects, such as ones imported directly from SEER-SEM.

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Increased the maximum number of permissible components & programs, enabling the user to create larger plans in the Client. Very large SEER-SEM projects, with hundreds of programs and subunits, can be imported into the Client.

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Improved the “Import from SEER-SEM” feature so that the import engine is more robust, able to handle larger and more complex SEERSEM project files.

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Corrected accounting for COTS components during import.

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Fixed problems with module sequencing.

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Fixed problems dealing with collapsed trees in Project.

Data Sources and Access Unified Repository The Client now shares a common repository of past projects with other SEER products, notably AccuScope. This repository may be installed either on a client machine or a shared server. Both Microsoft Access and SQL Server are supported in native format, while other ODBC compatible data sources also may be used.

Repository Administration Tool A standalone application has been created for updating the common repository of reference items and analogies used in Size By Comparison.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes

Knowledge Base Configurator A standalone application has been created for maintaining all aspects of Client Master knowledge bases. The Client database no longer needs to be edited directly.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

Other Data Access Changes 

The use of both shared and local data sources is now transparent to the user; the Client automatically switches to the local data source if the shared one is not available.

New Documentation The Client is now accompanied with an exhaustive and well-organized administration guide. This guide provides detailed instructions for Client administrators and persons responsible for its configuration. Also delivered with this new release of the Client are a series of Excel templates which ease the tasks of defining new process templates, creating sets of analogies, and defining labor schemes.

Other Changes 

Used with Windows XP, the Client now has an XP “look and feel”.

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Improved international support. Added support for different List Separators values according to Regional Options/Setting. Date handling has also been improved.

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Improved cleanup of stderr.txt files for Client. Only one error file is kept and recycled in the Client directory, to aid in technical support.

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In Size By Comparison, pairs of items both having size are now automatically compared. From the user’s perspective, they are skipped, thus saving time.

Notes Macro Security Level and Installation into MS Project The Client installs Visual Basic macros into Microsoft Project. To do so, it requires that your security settings in Project be set lower than High. This is because the Client does not use a ‘signed’ or certificated project verified by a trusted source. To set the security level, open Project and from the Tools menu select Macro / Security.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes

What’s New for Version 1-2-1 The auto-calibration mechanism has been modified. Rather than working through Size By Comparison, it now employs a weighted average of prior projects’ calibration factors. This change improves the performance of auto-calibration under certain circumstances. Size By Comparison has now been made metric-specific. Previously, all estimates were translated into function points. Now, if all items are in SLOC or in a function point-based metric, Size By Comparison will perform estimates in those native metrics.

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

What’s New for Version 1-2 This new release includes a great variety of new features and improvements. Here are some of the more significant changes:

Throughout Look and feel 

Relocated Cancel and Help buttons throughout the Client

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Several new icons: ‘Delphi’ icon on Description tab, boxes on Scope tab, people on Implementation tab

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Modified Goals and Constraints tab

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Slight modifications in Scope tab

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Renamed Options button

Support for SQL Server 

Databases may be sourced in either Access or SQL Server

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Automatic synchronization between local and shared DBs, either or both being Access or SQL Server, permitting user to work in ‘offline’ and ‘online’ modes

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Installer has been expanded to meet the requirements of dual Access / SQL Server installation

Description tab Development processes 

Removed MS Project and full RUP templates

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Added RUP Lite template

Scope tab Size by comparison 20

SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.10 Release Notes 

Converted metrics display on Scope tab to unadjusted function points (UFP)

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Metrics-related changes to SBC as a result of changeover to UFP

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Added matrix auto-collapse feature, which will produce more accurate estimates should the user choose not to make all potential comparisons

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Added auto-ratios feature, improving accuracy of comparisonbased sizing

Repository retrieval 

Changes to edit list of comparison items

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Moveable columns and sorting in repository retrieval output

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Miscellaneous other changes to formatting

Improvements to metric handling in the Client's "Items" software repository; permitting more efficient calibration

Implementation tab Added a custom resource assignment dialog

Feedback tab Changes to display of effort and duration outputs

Options button Added direct import and processing of SEER-SEM projects; create a project in SEER-SEM, export it to Project using the Client Added Save Current Selections to Defaults feature; makes getting into Client sessions more efficient and rapid Added Output to Word feature; another way of sharing of Client projects for review, etc. Added SEER-SEM and Client program paths display in Help / About

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SEER for Software Integration to Microsoft Project Version 2.0.9 Release Notes

More Added Cancel dialog, invoked should user choose to press Cancel from the main Client tabs Added a standalone version of the Client, which can be called as an independent executable; great for obtaining quick estimates without having to invoke Project Added automatic rescaling of available resource quantities in project, to suit maximums required for each resource; this eliminates the apparent over-allocation of resources in planned projects Added support for a flexibly named SEER-SEM, to support newer versions; the Client is compatible with all released and to-be-released versions of SEER-SEM Improvements in Client Help, chiefly more topics, in addition to expansions and corrections Added option to turn on/off the output of estimate.txt

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