Use Cases

The first version is focused on visualizing an existing schedule. We want to enhance schedule review capabilities, enabling users to understand, trust, and confidently interact with their imported schedules. 

Overview Video

Functionality Summary

• Setup
  • Import Schedule
  • Import Drawings
  • Generate blocks from the schedule
  • Lay out blocks based on sequence and/or location
• Inspect
  • Display arrows to represent existing sequence
  • Add or modify arrows to add new logic
  • Double click arrows to review logic and/or delete preferential logic
  • Play timelapse to understand sequence
• Share
  • Print diagram to PDF and distribute to team
• Update
  • Refresh diagram based on new schedule update (via Schedule Sync)
  • Import new drawings

Canvas (Spatial Diagram) View

To switch from the Gantt view to the Canvas view, use the View tab at the top left side of the screen. 

Canvas Navigation

1 - click Hide table to see fully spatial diagram space (possible to bring the table back by clicking on Show table)

2 - default selection mode

3 - click or drag and drop rectangle, ellipse or triangle icon to create new block in the space

4 - click on the New text icon or drag and drop to create new text

5 - click on the New image icon to add image or PDFs

Additional Navigation: 

Ctrl + wheel: zoom in or zoom out the space

Double left click on the canva: zoom in

Pan with wheel / right click: move the space

Window selection / Ctrl + left click: multiple elements selection

Drawing(s) Upload

To upload the drawing(s) to ALICE, click on the New image icon in the bottom right corner or drag and drop the file into the spatial diagram space. If uploading a multi-page PDF, ALICE will import up to the first 10 pages of the document.

Once the drawing is uploaded, it is possible to adjust the drawing size by dragging its corners. Multiple drawings and even multiple different instances (drawings, blocks, texts) can be resized simultaneously.

Blocks Generation / Creation

There are two ways that blocks can be generated or created: automatic way to generate the blocks by WBS level or custom property and manual way.

Automatic approach: 

To create blocks with the tied activities to the blocks automatically, right click on the schedule → select Visualize schedule → Create new block(s)

Select either option to visualize by WBS level and select respective level or choose to visualize by custom property and select respective custom property in the list. It is also possible to visualize blocks with relationships between them or without relationships at all. IIf the first option is chosen, relationships will reflect the current dependencies between activities in the Gantt chart. 

Visualizing by WBS

Visualizing by Custom Property

From the dropdown list, select how the block should be placed: top to bottom, bottom to top, left to right, or right to left. The first two options are particularly useful for projects like building construction, while the latter two are more suited for linear projects.

If blocks for the same WBS levels were not generated simultaneously,  but in multiple instances, relationships between the blocks generated on the first time will not be shown to the blocks generated on the second time. In future this should be fixed when the user hits re-schedule. 

The same thing will happen if there were multiple autogeneration of blocks for different WBS levels or different custom properties.

Manual Approach:

To create a new block, click the corresponding icon in the bottom right corner and position it on the drawing. Once placed, assign an appropriate name to the block. You can also adjust its order by selecting Bring to Front or Send to Back and customize the block's color.

Once the block is created, it is possible to adjust the block size by dragging its corners. Multiple blocks can be also resized simultaneously.

Block(s) Modification

By right clicking on the block it is possible to do the following actions: 

Properties: Use this functionality to update the block name, change its order, or modify its color. You can also apply bulk updates to both the color and order of blocks and text simultaneously by right clicking or by selecting elements and using the gear icon in the bottom right corner.

Duplicate: Use this functionality to duplicate selected block(s) and text. Blocks and text can be also duplicated by selecting them and clicking the duplicate icon in the bottom right corner.

When duplicating blocks with the tied activities that are described in the next chapter, it is possible to choose if ALICE should also duplicate the tasks and relationships associated with those blocks.

Remove: Use this functionality to remove the block(s). Blocks and text can be also deleted by selecting them and clicking the bin icon in the bottom right corner or by pressing the delete key on the keyboard.

When removing blocks with the tied activities that are described in the next chapter, it is possible to delete just the block or delete the block along with the tasks tied to it by checking the box.

Tying activities to the block

Select activities or WBS level(s) and assign them to the desired block by right clicking on selected elements in the list and selecting Tie to block under the Visualize Schedule submenu, then select the block to which selected activities should be tied. Selected activities can be also assigned to the block by using the Tie to block icon in the upper left corner.

The block name will be automatically assigned to the selected activities in the Block column, helping to organize and control which activities belong to each block. If you need to detach specific activities from the block, simply select them and right-click to choose the Untie from Block option under the Visualize Schedule submenu.

Blocks with tied activities will display a symbol in the bottom right corner. To select all activities linked to a block at once, click the block and use the Select All Tied option in the bottom left corner of the screen, or right-click the block and choose Select All Tied from the context menu.

Block Relationships

There are two types of arrows that can be seen on spatial diagram: task precedence arrows (represented with the full line) and construction path arrows (represented with the dashed line). Visibility of both types of relationships can be controlled in the bottom of the screen with the icon show / hide autogenerated relationships and the icon show / hide custom relationships.

 

 

When you autogenerate blocks, task dependency arrows will be autogenerated based on the task dependencies in the schedule. Double-click on the autogenerated arrows to review the relationships between tasks assigned to the blocks. If needed, remove the relationship, for example, if it represents preferential logic and is not required.

 

If no task dependencies exist between two blocks, but you would like to add task dependencies to ensure that one block is completed before the other, make sure that you are in task dependency mode, select a block and drag its edge dot to the edge dot of the other block. ALICE will give you a preview of the task dependencies it would add to translate the block sequence you’ve drawn to the schedule. You will have the option to modify and accept the changes. 

If you would like to add arrows that do not impact the schedule, use the construction path mode. These arrows will appear as dashed lines. This will convey that these arrows do not translate to task dependencies in the schedule. In the future, ALICE Optimize users will be able to use the construction path mode arrows to nudge ALICE’s algorithm when running what-if scenarios. It will part of the solution to teleportation. But it does not have an impact to the schedule on the Plan page. 

If you have overlaid your diagram over a drawing and want to highlight the relationship arrows, you can choose the “highlight relationships” setting.

 

 

Selection & Filtering

Tied tasks selection and filtering

To select or filter all tied activities to the block(s), select the block(s) and right click on them, then select the function select all tied.

       

 

Blocks Filtering

To filter specific spatial block(s), use the Select to Filter feature and choose the desired block from the list under the Block tab. 

Blocks can be also filtered by start and end date that can be defined at the top next to the Select to filter functionality. Blocks that have tied tasks happening during the selected timeline will be filtered to respect the dates filtering.

Blocks matching the filter selection will be displayed in full color, while non-matching blocks will remain visible but with 20% opacity. Other filters (by tasks, crews, etc.) affect the blocks in the same manner.

PDF Print

Spatial diagram space with the drawings and blocks can be exported to PDF. Click on the Export icon at the top right corner and select the PDF file (.pdf), then choose the appropriate paper size and continue with the Print Preview.

 

Timelapse

The Timelapse feature provides a dynamic and animated representation of construction schedule and will help to understand what is happening and when. Timelapse is implemented in the separate view, which can be found in the dropdown list on the top left corner. 

Once in the Timelapse view, a slider will appear at the bottom, where it is possible to select the time interval (Month, Week, Day, etc.) and click the Play button to run the sequence or use the arrows to manually review progress.

The current and end dates are displayed on the right side of the timelapse. Completed blocks will remain visible on the screen with the reduced opacity.

Submit Feedback

To submit your feedback related to spatial diagram click on the red icon at the top right corner of your screen under the spatial diagram view.