S2 // Diagnostics Tab

Use this tab to, for example, analyze a single project, compare multiple projects within a program/portfolio, and run trend analysis of a single project over time.

This tab includes ribbons and phases, an activity browser, and ribbon and phase analyzers.
  • Ribbons are groupings of activities based on a given criteria.
  • Phases are user-definable 'segments' of time against which a Fuse Analysis is run.
  • Use the Activity Browser to report specific activities based on a given criteria.
  • The Acumen Fuse analysis engine uses a combination of ribbons and metrics to run project analytics.

Using Metrics to Analyze Projects

Acumen uses libraries of metrics to analyze projects. Standard metric libraries are included with your Acumen installation.

A metric is a standard or measure for use in determining how well a project is planned and executed. Metrics are defined using either basic filters or more advanced formulas that are of the same syntax as those found in MS Excel. Metrics contain formulas, weightings, and tripwires (thresholds).
  • Formulas are used to calculate results as part of an analysis.
  • Tripwire thresholds are used to flag and filter activities that exceed given levels.

By default, the S2 // Diagnostics tab is automatically populated with multiple sub-tabs containing separate views for each of the metric libraries. You can edit each of these views (for example, adding/removing metrics) for the three analyzers (ribbon, phase, intersection).

Acumen considers each metric category (activity, control account, and work package metrics) during scoring. If there are no metrics for a particular category, that data type is not included as part of the score. For example, if there are no activity metrics, activities are not included in the score.

When none of the metrics in a group have tripwires, the ribbon and phase scores display as N/A.

You can use the Metrics tab to edit and maintain metrics and metric libraries and to create custom metrics. You can then apply those metrics on the S2 // Diagnostics tab to one or more of the analyzers and export the data to various reports.

Include or Exclude Metrics from Analysis

By default, each metric is available in all three analyzers (ribbon, phase, intersection). Metrics can be excluded from a particular analysis (for example, phase) if, for example, the context is not valid.

On the Metrics tab, use the Applies To check boxes to include or exclude metrics from each of the three analyzers.

Metric Reporting

Use the Publish menu to publish or export diagnostic results. This allows you to customize reports based on your audience or analysis needs.

Related Topics:

  • S2 // Diagnostics Tab Procedures
    Use these procedures when working with the S2 // Diagnostics tab.
  • S2 // Diagnostics Tab Views and Commands
    This tab includes ribbons and phases, an activity browser, and ribbon and phase analyzers.
  • Ribbons Overview
    Ribbons are groupings of activities based on a given criteria.
  • Phases
    Phases are user-definable 'segments' of time against which a Fuse Analysis is run.
  • Activity Browser
    Use the Activity Browser to report specific data based on a given criteria.
  • Project Analysis
    The Acumen Fuse analysis engine uses a combination of ribbons and metrics to run project analytics.
  • Metric Benchmarking
    In addition to calculating metric results in the three analyzer windows, you can also benchmark metric scores against other scores.
  • Logic Trace (S2 // Diagnostics Tab)
    Logic analysis traces the path(s) of activities to and from a given activity.
  • Driving Logic on the S2 // Diagnostics Tab
    Use Driving Logic to analysis only those path(s) that are driving the schedule through to completion. This allows you to pinpoint the key activities in a schedule.
  • Reporting Diagnostics Results
    Use the S2 // Diagnostics tab Publish menu to publish or export diagnostic results. This allows you to customize reports based on your audience or analysis needs.
Related Concepts