Getting started
Although our Form Help pages provide in-depth guidance, just getting started with such a feature-rich product can sometimes be a little daunting. This page will take you through a series of exercises to familiarise you with the most important PlanChest functions.
Contact Management
To understand the way in which PlanChest combines Project, Company, and Contact information, we suggest that you go through the processes necessary to create a printed Project Directory for a typical project in your office, preferably one that is in the construction stage. Remember that you can get object-sensitive online help direct from the Form Help button at the top of every PlanChest form.
Create the 'new' Project using the Project Form. Add as much information as you can, but ignore the 'Principal' field and don't try printing any reports at this stage.
Create the main Companies and Contacts working on the Project, including your own company, using the Office Directory. Once again, ignore the 'Contact Principal' field. Don't add every Contact at every Company at this stage, you can always return later to add more. You will understand, more quickly, how PlanChest works if you add fewer Companies and Contacts but include as much information as possible about the ones that you do add.
Add the Companies and Contacts to the Project, also using the Office Directory.
View the newly-created Project Directory. Don't worry about getting all the Project Company information correct but do ensure that you assign a 'Key Project Contact' for each Project Company.
Click the Reports button, select 'Project Directory (all)' and Print. You should now have the basis of the Project Directory for this test project.
Document Management
To understand just some of the principles of PlanChest's powerful document management software, we suggest that you go through the processes necessary to create and print a Drawing Issue. Remember that you can get object-sensitive online help direct from the Form Help button at the top of every PlanChest form.
Prepare a basic Project Directory, as explained above, ensuring that your Company, and the Companies and Contacts to whom you wish to issue the Drawings, are included.
Add the Drawings you wish to issue to the Drawings List.
Create a Drawing Issue and print out using the 'Issue Sheet Only' option.
This is just a start. For more information, refer to the various drawings-related Form Help pages.
Schedules + Workflow
Take the pain out of scheduling with PlanChest's integrated suite of Doors, Finishes, and Ironmongery Schedules. Start by creating a basic Finishes Schedule, adding just enough information to understand the principles before you view or print the results. Then immediately start the Door Schedule and you will see how PlanChest inserts room information from the Finishes Schedule into the Door Schedule. Remember that you can get object-sensitive online help direct from the Form Help button at the top of every PlanChest form.