ConceptDrawOffice Manual

I ConceptDraw Office Manual MAC
Table of Contents
Part I Introduction 1
1 Welcome
...................................................................................................................................
to ConceptDraw Office 1
2 ConceptDraw
...................................................................................................................................
Office Overview 1
About ConceptDraw
..........................................................................................................................................................
PRO 1
About ConceptDraw
..........................................................................................................................................................
MINDMAP 2
About ConceptDraw
..........................................................................................................................................................
PROJECT 2
3 About This
...................................................................................................................................
Guide 2
4 Getting...................................................................................................................................
Started 3
System Requirements
.......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Installation .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Registration .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Technical Support
.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Part II ConceptDraw PRO 4

1 Introduction
................................................................................................................................... 5
2 ConceptDraw
...................................................................................................................................
PRO Overview 6
Templates .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
The Drawing Environment
.......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Libraries and Shapes
.......................................................................................................................................................... 7
3 Creating
...................................................................................................................................
Diagrams 8
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
Lesson 1: Getting
..........................................................................................................................................................
Started 10
Opening Templates
......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Adding Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Deleting Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 13
Lesson 2: Moving
..........................................................................................................................................................
and Resizing Shapes 14
Zooming In.........................................................................................................................................................
and Out 14
Moving Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 15
Resizing Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 18
Lesson 3: Adding
..........................................................................................................................................................
Text 19
Adding Text.........................................................................................................................................................
to Shapes 20
Adding Independent
.........................................................................................................................................................
Text 21
Moving Independent
.........................................................................................................................................................
Text 23
Formatting .........................................................................................................................................................
Text 24
Lesson 4: Connecting
..........................................................................................................................................................
Shapes 26
Connecting.........................................................................................................................................................
Shapes with the Connector Tool 27
Connecting.........................................................................................................................................................
Shapes with Connectors from Libraries 30
Adding Text.........................................................................................................................................................
to Connectors 31
Lesson 5: Formatting
..........................................................................................................................................................
Shapes 33
Formatting.........................................................................................................................................................
2-D Shapes 33
Formatting.........................................................................................................................................................
1-D Shapes 35
Changing Shape
.........................................................................................................................................................
Appearances with Control Handles 36
Lesson 6: Saving
..........................................................................................................................................................
and Printing Diagrams 38
Saving Diagrams
......................................................................................................................................................... 39
Previewing.........................................................................................................................................................
and Printing Diagrams 39
Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 40
© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

Contents II
4 Sharing
...................................................................................................................................
Diagrams 40
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 40
Lesson 1: Publishing
..........................................................................................................................................................
Diagrams to the Web 41
Adding Hyperlinks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to Shapes 41
Saving Diagrams
.........................................................................................................................................................
as Web Pages 41
Lesson 2. Exporting
..........................................................................................................................................................
Diagrams 42
Exporting to.........................................................................................................................................................
PDF 43
Exporting to.........................................................................................................................................................
MS PowerPoint 43
Lesson 3. Working
..........................................................................................................................................................
with XML for MS Visio 43
Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 44
5 Creating
...................................................................................................................................
Shapes, Libraries and Templates 45
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 46
Lesson 1. Creating
..........................................................................................................................................................
and Formatting Shapes 46
Opening a Template
......................................................................................................................................................... 46
Drawing Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 47
Formatting.........................................................................................................................................................
Shapes 49
Rotating Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 50
Copying Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 51
Lesson 2. Stacking,
..........................................................................................................................................................
Aligning and Grouping Shapes 53
Stacking Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 53
Aligning Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 55
Grouping Shapes
......................................................................................................................................................... 56
Lesson 3. Creating
..........................................................................................................................................................
Libraries and Templates 58
Saving Shapes
.........................................................................................................................................................
to Libraries 58
Creating Templates
......................................................................................................................................................... 59
Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 60
6 Creating
...................................................................................................................................
Other Diagrams 61
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 61
Lesson 1. Creating
..........................................................................................................................................................
Block Diagrams 61
Opening the.........................................................................................................................................................
Blocks 2D Template 61
Adding Blocks
......................................................................................................................................................... 63
Connecting.........................................................................................................................................................
Blocks 64
Lesson 2. Creating
..........................................................................................................................................................
Organization Charts 66
Opening the.........................................................................................................................................................
Organization Chart Template 66
Adding Shapes
.........................................................................................................................................................
to an Organization Chart 68
Lesson 3. Creating
..........................................................................................................................................................
Office Layouts 69
Opening the.........................................................................................................................................................
Office Layout Template 69
Adding Walls
......................................................................................................................................................... 71
Connecting.........................................................................................................................................................
Doors and Windows to Walls 72
Adding Furniture
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Accessories 74
Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 75
Part III ConceptDraw MINDMAP 76

1 Introduction
................................................................................................................................... 77
2 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
1. Creating a Business Plan 77
3 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
2. Embellishing the Business Plan 84
4 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
3. Detailing the Business Plan 89
5 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
4. Creating a Conference Report 93
6 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
5. Arranging the Conference Report 99
7 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
6. Planning a Picnic 102
II
III ConceptDraw Office Manual MAC
8 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
7. Planning a Website Project 113
9 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
8. Other ConceptDraw MINDMAP Features 118
Part IV ConceptDraw PROJECT 124

1 Introduction
................................................................................................................................... 126
What is a Gantt
..........................................................................................................................................................
Chart (Historical Reference) 126
About This Guide
.......................................................................................................................................................... 127
2 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
1. Quick Start - Creating Your First Project 127
Creating a Project
..........................................................................................................................................................
Document 127
Developing a..........................................................................................................................................................
Project 129
Adding Tasks
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Subtasks 129
Assigning.........................................................................................................................................................
Task Dates and Durations 131
Setting Deadlines
......................................................................................................................................................... 133
Making a Resource
..........................................................................................................................................................
Sheet 133
Assigning Resources
..........................................................................................................................................................
to Tasks 135
Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 135
3 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
2. Managing Projects and Resources 136
Document Viewing
..........................................................................................................................................................
and Editing Options 136
Using the Inspector
.......................................................................................................................................................... 136
Managing the..........................................................................................................................................................
Task List 137
Gantt Chart.........................................................................................................................................................
View 137
Editing Task
.........................................................................................................................................................
Names 138
Adding or.........................................................................................................................................................
Deleting Tasks and Subtasks 138
Adding New .........................................................................................................................................................
Tasks to the Example Project 139
Moving Tasks
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Subtasks 141
Changing.........................................................................................................................................................
Task Hierarchies 141
Showing and.........................................................................................................................................................
Hiding Subtasks 142
Linking Tasks ..........................................................................................................................................................
and Task Interdependencies 143
Using Task Notes
.......................................................................................................................................................... 147
Setting Date ..........................................................................................................................................................
and Time Parameters 149
Project Start
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Finish Dates 149
Setting Schedules
......................................................................................................................................................... 150
Changing.........................................................................................................................................................
Task Dates and Durations 153
Customizing.........................................................................................................................................................
the Gantt Chart Timescale 157
Milestones and ..........................................................................................................................................................
Deadlines 158
Milestones......................................................................................................................................................... 158
Deadlines......................................................................................................................................................... 161
Generating Network
..........................................................................................................................................................
Diagrams 164
About Network
.........................................................................................................................................................
Diagrams 165
Early Dates,
.........................................................................................................................................................
Late Dates, and Slack Times 165
Tracking the..........................................................................................................................................................
Progress of Tasks and Projects 167
Changing the..........................................................................................................................................................
Gantt Chart View 168
Filtering Tasks
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Resources 168
Sorting Tasks
......................................................................................................................................................... 170
Changing.........................................................................................................................................................
Chart and Task Colors 172
Managing Resources
.......................................................................................................................................................... 173
Creating and
.........................................................................................................................................................
Editing Resource Sheets 173
Adding Notes
.........................................................................................................................................................
to Resources 175
Assigning.........................................................................................................................................................
Resources to Tasks 175
Resource.........................................................................................................................................................
Calendar 178
Working with
.........................................................................................................................................................
Individual Resource Schedules 179
Calculating Costs
.......................................................................................................................................................... 179

Contents IV
Resource.........................................................................................................................................................
Costs 179
Baseline and
.........................................................................................................................................................
Actual Task Costs 180
Currency .........................................................................................................................................................
Settings 182
Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 183
4 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
3. Printing, Reports, and Sharing Documents 183
Printing Documents
.......................................................................................................................................................... 183
Quick Printout
......................................................................................................................................................... 184
Setting Document
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Printing Parameters 184
Print Setup......................................................................................................................................................... 188
Print Preview
......................................................................................................................................................... 188
Print ......................................................................................................................................................... 189
Reports .......................................................................................................................................................... 189
Current Activities
.........................................................................................................................................................
Reports 191
Assignments.........................................................................................................................................................
Reports 195
Overview.........................................................................................................................................................
Reports 196
Costs Reports
......................................................................................................................................................... 198
Export .......................................................................................................................................................... 201
Export to ConceptDraw
.........................................................................................................................................................
MINDMAP Outline 201
Export to MS
.........................................................................................................................................................
Project XML 203
Import .......................................................................................................................................................... 205
Import from.........................................................................................................................................................
ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline 205
Import from.........................................................................................................................................................
MS Project XML 205
Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 206
5 Lesson
...................................................................................................................................
4. Multiple Projects and Preferences 206
Working with..........................................................................................................................................................
Multiple Projects 206
Adding New.........................................................................................................................................................
Projects to Documents 206
Inserting Projects
.........................................................................................................................................................
from MS Project 207
Inserting Projects
.........................................................................................................................................................
into Projects 207
Sharing Resources
.........................................................................................................................................................
between Multiple Projects 208
Preferences.......................................................................................................................................................... 208
Interface Settings
.......................................................................................................................................................... 210
Part V Sharing ConceptDraw Office Data 211

1 Introduction
................................................................................................................................... 212
About ConceptDraw
..........................................................................................................................................................
Office 212
An Integrated
..........................................................................................................................................................
Solution for Knowledge Workers 213
About InGyre..........................................................................................................................................................
Technology 213
2 Creating
...................................................................................................................................
a Gantt Chart using ConceptDraw MINDMAP tools 214
Making a Task..........................................................................................................................................................
List 214
Organizing the
..........................................................................................................................................................
Task List Structure 215
Transferring ..........................................................................................................................................................
a Task List to ConceptDraw PROJECT 216
Editing a Gantt
..........................................................................................................................................................
Chart 217
3 Creating
...................................................................................................................................
a Mind Map From Your Gantt Chart Data 220
Creating a Mind
..........................................................................................................................................................
Map from All Project Data 220
Creating a Mind
..........................................................................................................................................................
Map from Selected Projects or Tasks 221
4 Copying
...................................................................................................................................
Data from ConceptDraw PROJECT to ConceptDraw MINDMAP 223
Copying Projects
..........................................................................................................................................................
to ConceptDraw MINDMAP 223
Copying Tasks
..........................................................................................................................................................
Copying Resources
..........................................................................................................................................................
5 Copying
...................................................................................................................................
Data from ConceptDraw MINDMAP to ConceptDraw PROJECT 226
Copying Mind
..........................................................................................................................................................
Map Topics to Projects 226
IV
V ConceptDraw Office Manual MAC
Copying Mind
..........................................................................................................................................................
Map Topics to ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt Charts 227
Copying Mind
..........................................................................................................................................................
Map Topics to ConceptDraw PROJECT Resource Sheets 228
6 eMailing
...................................................................................................................................
Project Tasks as Mind Maps 229
About Map Previews
..........................................................................................................................................................
and Task Participants 230
Communicating
..........................................................................................................................................................
Task Responsibilities to All Participants 231
Communicating
..........................................................................................................................................................
Selected Tasks Only 233
Communicating
..........................................................................................................................................................
Tasks to Selected Participants Only 234
7 Sending
...................................................................................................................................
Reports as Mind Maps 235
8 Using...................................................................................................................................
Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) 238
Creating a ConceptDraw
..........................................................................................................................................................
Office WBS 238
Editing a WBS.......................................................................................................................................................... 240
Making a WBS ..........................................................................................................................................................
Presentation 241
Printing and Exporting
..........................................................................................................................................................
a WBS 242
9 Creating
...................................................................................................................................
Dashboard Project Status Reports 244
Generating Dashboard
..........................................................................................................................................................
Reports from Templates 244
Editing Dashboard
..........................................................................................................................................................
Reports in ConceptDraw PRO 245
Creating Dashboard
..........................................................................................................................................................
Presentations 247
Dashboard Printing
..........................................................................................................................................................
and Exporting 248
10 Creating
...................................................................................................................................
Visual Reports in ConceptDraw Office 250
Generating Visual
..........................................................................................................................................................
Reports from Templates 250
Editing Visual
..........................................................................................................................................................
Reports in ConceptDraw PRO 252
Creating Visual
..........................................................................................................................................................
Report Presentations 252
Visual Report..........................................................................................................................................................
Printing and Exporting 254
11 Additional
...................................................................................................................................
ConceptDraw Office Data Sharing Options 255
Opening a ConceptDraw
..........................................................................................................................................................
PROJECT Document in ConceptDraw MINDMAP 255
Opening a ConceptDraw
..........................................................................................................................................................
MINDMAP Document in ConceptDraw PROJECT 256
Index 0

Introduction 1
1 Introduction
Welcome to ConceptDraw Office
ConceptDraw Office Overview
About ConceptDraw PRO
About ConceptDraw MINDMAP
About ConceptDraw PROJECT
About This Guide
Getting Started
System Requirements
Installation
Registration
Technical Support
1.1 Welcome to ConceptDraw Office

Welcome to ConceptDraw Office and thank you for purchasing our software. We appreciate your support
and interest in using our products.
Computer Systems Odessa is committed to providing you the finest software possible. We hope that
ConceptDraw Office meets or exceeds your expectations. Should you discover areas where the product
could better suit your needs, or you simply have ideas for changes or additional features, please send us
your comments. Registration and contact information is provided later in this guide.
1.2 ConceptDraw Office Overview

The ConceptDraw Office suite consists of three professional cross-platform business and personal
productivity applications: ConceptDraw PRO, ConceptDraw PROJECT, and ConceptDraw MINDMAP.
Each individual application is capable of exchanging information with its counterparts, and documents
created with both the Windows and Macintosh versions of ConceptDraw Office are interchangeable,
creating a very powerful combination of productivity tools. You can use the programs independently or
take advantage of the attributes you like best in each program, and then exchange data between them
for increased productivity.
Following is a brief introduction to each ConceptDraw Office application. More detailed descriptions are
provided in their respective sections of the guide.
1.2.1 About ConceptDraw PRO

ConceptDraw PRO is a powerful business and technical diagramming package for both MS Windows
and Macintosh.
It’s a great tool for creating a large variety of diagrams including business diagrams, flowcharts, network
diagrams, presentation components, software charts, technical drafts, office layouts, landscape plans,
floor plans, and more.
ConceptDraw PRO offers a wide choice of powerful yet easy-to-use tools for quickly creating all kinds of
charts and diagrams. Even if you haven’t used a drawing program before, it's very easy to create high-
quality professional drawings with ConceptDraw PRO. That’s possible thanks to the program’s intuitive
interface, comprehensive drawing capabilities, and an extensive collection of drag-and-drop shape
libraries. Templates, smart shapes, and smart tools help you quickly create professional looking
drawings.

2 ConceptDraw Office Manual MAC
Use ConceptDraw PRO to visualize and share information, create logos, prototype new ideas and
systems, and for a variety of other graphic oriented business solutions.
1.2.2 About ConceptDraw MINDMAP

ConceptDraw MINDMAP helps you organize and present ideas in a form that’s close to the way the
human brain works. The program implements a mind mapping theory that’s used by over 250 million
people world-wide. It lets you present ideas as visual maps taking full advantage of pictures, symbols,
text notes and colors to make documents easy to understand and remember.
ConceptDraw MINDMAP is an innovative tool for collecting and presenting ideas, creating training or
learning materials, planning project prototypes, developing marketing concepts, problem solving,
brainstorming, and much more.
Its ability to easily share information with the other ConceptDraw Office tools, such as ConceptDraw
PROJECT, makes ConceptDraw MINDMAP a valuable resource for speeding up the development of
preliminary project plans.
1.2.3 About ConceptDraw PROJECT

ConceptDraw PROJECT is the latest generation of project management solutions from CS Odessa. It
helps you manage the real-world constraints you encounter with your projects and helps you achieve
successful results in a planned, structured, cost effective way.
ConceptDraw PROJECT is a premier planning tool that assists you in planning and tracking projects,
organizing your business, and collaborating with associates effectively. Its robust feature set helps you:
· define project goals

· define projects as a set of manageable tasks
· assign necessary resources appropriately
· build an efficient team or teams to perform project work
· plan the work and allocate resources to the tasks
· monitor and control the execution of many projects
· follow the progress of project performance with comprehensive reports
· close down the project when completed
1.3 About This Guide

This quick start guide helps you get up to speed quickly with the main features and functionality of
ConceptDraw Office. The programs also have extensive built-in help systems you can use at any time to
augment the information provided in this guide.
The guide is divided into the following main sections:
· “ConceptDraw PRO” – describes how to use ConceptDraw PRO.

· “ConceptDraw MINDMAP” – shows how to use ConceptDraw MINDMAP.
· “ConceptDraw PROJECT” – explains how to use ConceptDraw PROJECT.
· “Sharing ConceptDraw Office Data” – describes how you can use the applications together.
For each application, you’ll find a series of hands-on lessons that describe their most commonly used
features. All lessons are conveniently arranged by relevant topics that are easy to find should you need
to review any of them later. As you work through the lessons, keep in mind that you can use the same
procedures described in the examples for your own projects.

Introduction 3
1.4 Getting Started

This section of the guide covers:
· System Requirements
· Installation
· Registration
· Technical Support
1.4.1 System Requirements

Recommended System Requirements:
OS: Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later

CPU: G4 or higher processor
RAM: 1024 Mb or more
HDD: 650 Mb (for installed applications)
DVD-ROM drive
1.4.2 Installation
To install ConceptDraw Office, place the ConceptDraw Office disc into your CD/DVD drive and follow the
onscreen instructions.
1.4.3 Registration
To become a registered user, please fill out the registration form on our website:
http://www.conceptdraw.com/en/Register/
Registration provides the following benefits:
· Free technical support for current product versions*;

· Free maintenance release updates when available*;
· E-mail notifications about updates, new components, events and special offers*;
· Discounts for upgrades and other products*.
Don’t forget to also signup for our free e-mail newsletter!
Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to be regularly updated on all ConceptDraw related news. To
subscribe, simply go to our website and enter your e-mail address in the box provided at the bottom of
any page:
http://www.conceptdraw.com
Once your e-mail address has been submitted, you’ll receive our newsletter with information on updates,
new products, new product libraries, useful downloads, special offers and events, and other useful
information related to Computer Systems Odessa products.
* Disclaimer: CS Odessa reserves the right to change its policies related to free technical support, free
updates, and other mailings or notifications at any time without prior notice, including the right to restrict
such services due to misuse.

1.4.4 Technical Support

We currently offer free technical support by e-mail to our registered users. See the Registration section
for information about how to register.
We are always happy to answer your questions and welcome your feedback. To send us a problem
report, request a feature, or provide a general comment, you can fill out the contact form in the Support
section of our website. Replies are normally sent within one business day.
2 ConceptDraw PRO
Introduction
ConceptDraw PRO Overview
Templates
Creating Diagrams
Overview
Lesson 1: Getting Started
Opening Templates
Adding Shapes
Deleting Shapes
Lesson 2: Moving and Resizing Shapes
Zooming In and Out
Moving Shapes
Resizing Shapes
Lesson 3: Adding Text
Adding Text to Shapes
Adding Independent Text
Moving Independent Text
Formatting Text
Lesson 4: Connecting Shapes
Connecting Shapes with the Connector Tool
Connecting Shapes with Connectors from Libraries
Adding Text to Connectors
Lesson 5: Formatting Shapes
Formatting 2-D Shapes
Changing Shape Appearances with Control Handles
Lesson 6: Saving and Printing Diagrams
Saving Diagrams
Previewing and Printing Diagrams
Summary
Sharing Diagrams
Overview
Lesson 1: Publishing Diagrams to the Web
Adding Hyperlinks to Shapes
Saving Diagrams as Web Pages
Lesson 2. Exporting Diagrams
Exporting to PDF
Exporting to MS PowerPoint
Lesson 3. Working with XML for MS Visio
Summary

ConceptDraw PRO 5
Creating Shapes, Libraries and Templates

Overview
Lesson 1. Creating and Formatting Shapes
Opening a Template
Drawing Shapes
Formatting Shapes
Rotating Shapes
Copying Shapes
Lesson 2. Stacking, Aligning and Grouping Shapes
Stacking Shapes
Aligning Shapes
Grouping Shapes
Lesson 3. Creating Libraries and Templates
Saving Shapes to Libraries
Creating Templates
Summary
Creating Other Diagrams
Overview
Lesson 1. Creating Block Diagrams
Opening the Blocks 2D Template
Adding Blocks
Connecting Blocks
Lesson 2. Creating Organization Charts
Opening the Organization Chart Template
Adding Shapes to an Organization Chart
Lesson 3. Creating Office Layouts
Opening the Office Layout Template
Adding Walls
Connecting Doors and Windows to Walls
Adding Furniture and Accessories
Summary
2.1 Introduction
In this lesson you learn:
· About the ConceptDraw PRO environment

· How to create and share diagrams
· How to create shapes, libraries, and templates
· How to make some common diagram types
For each lesson:

1. Refer to the screenshots to see the steps performed.
2. Follow the steps yourself to create the diagrams.

2.2 ConceptDraw PRO Overview

Templates
2.2.1 Templates
Typically you start a ConceptDraw PRO diagram by opening a template. A template opens one or more
libraries at the left side of the drawing page. The libraries contain the shapes you need to create
diagrams.
Templates include everything you need to create a diagram - shapes, styles, settings, and tools.
Templates also include all styles, settings, and tools you need to create a particular diagram type. For
example, when you open an Office Layout template, it opens a drawing page and libraries containing the
building shapes and equipment needed for your drawing.
2.2.2 The Drawing Environment

After you open a template, you see the ConceptDraw PRO drawing environment, which includes
toolbars, shape libraries, the drawing page, page navigator and floating panels of inspectors on the right
side of the drawing page.

ConceptDraw PRO 7
The ConceptDraw environment includes the drawing page, inspectors, libraries, page navigator, and
toolbars.
You create your drawings on the drawing page, which represents the printed page and includes a grid to
help position shapes.
You use the Inspectors to access various types of information and change shape properties such as fill
properties, patterns, and shadows. You can also switch between layers and change the behavior of a
shape. If you need help manipulating the dialogs, please refer to “Using the Inspector” in the
ConceptDraw PROJECT section of the guide.
ConceptDraw PRO menus and toolbars follow standard interface conventions. You’ll find all of the familiar
menu items for opening, printing, and saving your diagrams.
2.2.3 Libraries and Shapes

After you open a template, you can drag shapes from the libraries onto the drawing page to create a
diagram. The shapes in libraries are designed specifically for a particular drawing type, and many of
them are "smart"— they have built-in behavior that responds to the drawing context.

Libraries contain shapes you can drag onto the drawing page to create diagrams.
For example, you can:

· Attach text that moves with a shape.
· Add doors and windows that move with walls.
· Connect two shapes with a connector that changes its position automatically if you move one of
the shapes.
· Drag a control handle on an arc connector to change the arc shape.
· Specify the number of slices in a pie chart.
2.3 Creating Diagrams

Overview
Lesson 1: Getting Started
Opening Templates
Adding Shapes
Deleting Shapes
Lesson 2: Moving and Resizing Shapes
Zooming In and Out
Moving Shapes
Resizing Shapes
Lesson 3: Adding Text
Formatting Text
Lesson 4: Connecting Shapes

ConceptDraw PRO 9
Connecting Shapes with the Connector Tool

Connecting Shapes with Connectors from Libraries
Lesson 5: Formatting Shapes
Changing Shape Appearances with Control Handles
Lesson 6: Saving and Printing Diagrams
Saving Diagrams
Previewing and Printing Diagrams
Summary
2.3.1 Overview
In the “Creating Diagrams” section, while creating a basic flowchart, you

learn to:
· Start a diagram
· Move and resize shapes
· Add text
· Connect shapes
· Format shapes
· Save and print diagrams
Learn the basics while

creating a flowchart.

2.3.2 Lesson 1: Getting Started
In this lesson, you begin a flowchart and learn how to:

· Open templates
· Add shapes
· Delete shapes
2.3.2.1 Opening Templates
Typically you start a ConceptDraw PRO diagram with a template — a file that opens one or more
libraries containing the shapes you need to create your diagram. Templates also include styles,
settings, and tools appropriate for the drawing type.
Opening a Template
1. The Template Gallery opens automatically at startup. You can also open it from the File
\Template Gallery... menu.
2. Choose Flowcharts from the Categories list as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

ConceptDraw PRO 11
Step1
3. Double-click on the Basic Flowchart icon.

4. A new document opens as shown in the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2

2.3.2.2 Adding Shapes
Add shapes to your diagram by dragging them from libraries onto the drawing page.
Dragging Shapes from a Library

1. From the Basic Flowchart library, drag a Process shape onto the drawing page as shown in the
picture labeled Step 1
Step 1
2. Drag another Process shape and place it below the first Process shape.
3. Drag a Decision shape and place it below the second Process shape.
4. Drag a Predefined process shape and place it to the left of the Decision shape.
5. Drag a Terminator shape and place it below the Decision shape.
6. You should now see the flowchart shown in the picture labeled Step 2.

ConceptDraw PRO 13
Step 2
2.3.2.3 Deleting Shapes
Deleting a shape is easy. Just click on the desired shape and press the Delete key. You can also
delete a shape from the shape context menu by clicking the right mouse button on a shape and
selecting Delete from the popup menu.

2.3.3 Lesson 2: Moving and Resizing Shapes
In this lesson, you edit your flowchart and learn to:

· Zoom the drawing page in and out
· Move one shape
· Move multiple shapes
· Resize shapes
2.3.3.1 Zooming In and Out
If shapes in your diagram are too small to work with, you can zoom in closer. If you're working with a
large diagram (for example, a site plan or floor plan) you may need to zoom out to see the entire diagram
at once.
To zoom in on shapes in your diagram, click the Zoom Box tool from the Tool palette, and then drag
a selection rectangle around the shapes you want to “zoom in” as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

ConceptDraw PRO 15
Step 1
You can use the Zoom Box tool to zoom out for an overview of your diagram as well. Drag a selection
rectangle around the shapes you want to “zoom out” while holding down the Alt key as shown in the
picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
You can also use the other standard zoom tools, Zoom In and Zoom Out, to zoom your diagrams in or
out.
2.3.3.2 Moving Shapes
Moving a shape is easy. Using the Select tool, move onto the desired shape, hold down the left mouse
button, and then drag it to a new location. Notice that selection handles appear when you click a shape.
These are explained later in the guide.

Moving One Shape

1. With the Select (or Pointer) tool , click the Process shape to select it.
2. Drag the Process shape to a new location. If you resize the shape by mistake, just undo your last
action (on the Edit menu, select Undo).
Moving Multiple Shapes

1. With the Select tool, hold down the mouse button and drag a selection box around the desired
shapes to select them all as shown in the picture labeled Step 1. If you need to move shapes that are
not located close to one another in a diagram, you can click the first shape, and then hold down the
Cmd key while clicking one or more additional shapes to select them all.

ConceptDraw PRO 17
Step 1
2. Drag from any one of the selected shapes to move them all. They will retain their relative positions to
one another as shown in the picture Step 2.

Step 2
2.3.3.3 Resizing Shapes
You can resize a shape by dragging one of its corner, side, or bottom selection handles.
Note: ConceptDraw PRO shapes have other types of handles, such as rotation and control handles. You
will learn about these handles in other lessons.
Resizing a Shape
1. Using the Select tool , click the Process shape.
2. Move onto a side selection handle . The pointer changes to a two-headed arrow , which
indicates the shape can be resized as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

ConceptDraw PRO 19
Step 1
3. Drag the selection handle left or right to increase or decrease the size of the shape. You can use
corner selection handles to resize the width and height simultaneously.
4. You can resize multiple shapes at once by selecting all of the shapes you want to resize,
grouping them (Cmd+G), and then dragging one of the selection handles that appear on the
green selection rectangle that encloses all of the shapes as shown in the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
2.3.4 Lesson 3: Adding Text
In this lesson, you continue your flowchart and learn to:

· Add text to shapes
· Add independent text
· Move independent text
· Format text

2.3.4.1 Adding Text to Shapes
To add text to shapes, just click a shape and start typing. Refer to the following steps that add text to
your example flowchart.

1. Click the first Process shape on the drawing page, and then type the number “1” as shown in the
picture labeled Step 1. Alternatively, you can click the Text tool , click the shape, and then
type.
Step 1
2. Click the second Process shape, and then type “2”.

3. Click the Decision shape, and then type “3”.
4. Click the Predefined Process shape, and then type “A”.
5. Click the Terminator shape, and then type “B”.
6. Click a blank area of the drawing page or press the Esc key to exit the text mode. Your flowchart
should look similar to the picture labeled Step 2.

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Step 2
Deleting Text from a Shape

Double-click the shape and with the text highlighted, press the Delete key. You can also click the Text
tool , click the shape, highlight the text you want to delete, and then press the Delete key. If you
delete a shape by mistake, under the Edit menu, click Undo.
2.3.4.2 Adding Independent Text
You can also add text to a drawing that's not associated with any shape, such as a title or a list. This
type of text is called independent text, or a text block. You use the Text tool to add independent text as
described below.

1. Click the Text tool .
2. In a blank area, drag a box for the text and type “123” as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
3. Click a blank area in the document to exit text editing.

4. Your document should resemble the picture labeled Step 2.

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Step 2
Deleting Independent Text
To delete independent text, click the Select tool , click the text object, and then press the Delete
key.
2.3.4.3 Moving Independent Text
Moving independent text is the same as with any other shape: move onto it and drag it to its new
location.

1. Using the Select tool , click the text.
2. Move the pointer over the text. Crossed arrows appear , indicating the text can be moved (this
applies to any other shape as well).
3. Drag the text to the desired location as shown in the following picture.

2.3.4.4 Formatting Text
You can format text — italicize, underline, center it, and so on — the same way you format text in any
text editor. You can use options in the Text dialog box (on the Format menu).
Format text
1. Click somewhere above and to the right of the top Process shape and the diagram title, and then
drag a selection rectangle that encloses all of the shapes as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.
Everything within the selection rectangle is selected.

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Step 1
2. Increase the size of the text to 14 points using the Text\Bigger menu.
3. Your flowchart should resemble the picture labeled Step 2.

Step 2
2.3.5 Lesson 4: Connecting Shapes
Diagrams such as flowcharts, organization charts, block diagrams, and

network diagrams all have one thing in common: connections.
In ConceptDraw PRO, you create connections by attaching one-

dimensional shapes called connectors to two-dimensional shapes.
Connectors stay connected when you move the shapes. For example,
when you move a flowchart shape connected to another shape, the
connector moves to keep its endpoints connected to both shapes.
In this lesson, you continue your flowchart and learn to:

· Connect shapes with the Connector tool
· Connect shapes with connectors from libraries
· Add text to connectors

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2.3.5.1 Connecting Shapes with the Connector Tool
You use the Connector tool to create connections between objects.
Connecting Shapes with the Smart Connector Tool

1. Click the Smart Connector tool
2. Place the Smart Connector pointer over the connection point on the bottom of the first
Process shape. The connection point highlights with a red box , which indicates a connection
can be made at that point. Refer to the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
3. Hold down the mouse button and drag from the connection point on the first shape to the
connection point at the top of the second Process shape. The connector endpoint turns red
when the shapes are connected as shown in the picture labeled Step 2. Release the mouse
button.

Step 2
This is an important visual cue. If one of the connector's endpoints remains green , use the
Select tool to connect the endpoint to the shape. Both endpoints must be red if you want the shapes to
stay connected as shown in the picture labeled Step 3.
Step 3
4. Connect the rest of the shapes in the order shown in the picture labeled Step 4.
5. Select the arrow style by clicking the Line Ends button on the Tool palette located above
the main toolbar. Your flowchart should now resemble the picture labeled Step 4.

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Step 4
6. Using the Select tool , click the top Process shape to select it, move the shape left or right,
and then move it back. Notice that the text moves with the shape. The connector also reroutes
and remains connected to both shapes. The connector line reroutes because you used the
Connector tool to connect the shapes.
You can use two types of connections in ConceptDraw PRO: point-to-point and shape-to-shape. The
type of connection you use depends on how much control you want over your drawing layout. In this
lesson, you connected shapes using the point-to-point connection so the shapes stayed connected to
specific points on the shapes as you moved them. If you do not care about connecting to specific points
and you just want the connector to maintain the most direct connection between two connected shapes,
you can use shape-to-shape connections. When you use a shape-to-shape connection an entire shape
is highlighted red, rather than the connection point only.
Note: People new to ConceptDraw PRO often use the Line tool to connect shapes. Using the Smart
Connector tool is a better method. When you use the Connector tool, connectors reroute, or bend,
automatically when you move one of the connected shapes. When you use the Line tool to connect
shapes, the connectors do not reroute.

2.3.5.2 Connecting Shapes with Connectors from Libraries
You can also connect shapes with connectors from the libraries. For example, in a block diagram, you
can drag a connector from a library and connect it to the boxes.
Connecting Shapes with a Connector from a Library

1. From the Basic Flowchart library, drag the Dynamic connector to your flowchart as shown in the
Step 1
2. Refer to the picture labeled Step 2 and drag the top end point of the connector to the bottom
connection point of the Predefined process shape. The connector endpoint turns red when it is
connected to the shape. The other endpoint is still green because you have not connected it to a
shape.

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Step 2
3. Drag the other endpoint of the connector onto the connection point on the left side of the Terminator
shape. Both connector endpoints turn red when the shapes are connected as shown in the picture
labeled Step 3.
Step 3
2.3.5.3 Adding Text to Connectors
You can use text with connectors to describe relationships between shapes. Add text to connectors the
same way you add text to a shape — just click on connector and start typing.

1. Using the Select tool , click the connector between the Decision and Predefined process

shapes, and then type “A” as shown in the picture labeled Step 1. Don't forget to decrease the
font size.
Step 1
2. Click the connector between the Decision and Terminator shapes, and then type “B”.
3. Your flowchart should now resemble the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2

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2.3.6 Lesson 5: Formatting Shapes
In this lesson you continue your flowchart and learn to:

· Format 2-D shapes
· Format 1-D shapes
· Change shape appearances with control handles
2.3.6.1 Formatting 2-D Shapes
The type of formatting you apply to a shape depends on whether the shape is one-dimensional (1-D) or
two-dimensional (2-D). You can change the following formatting settings for any 2-D shape, such as
rectangles and circles:
· Fill color (the color inside a shape)
· Fill pattern (the pattern inside a shape)
· Fill texture (from the Texture Gallery)
· Pattern color (the color of the lines that form the pattern)
· Line color and pattern
· Line weight (the thickness of the line)
· Fill and line transparency
You can also add a shadow to a 2-D shape and control the amount of corner rounding.
To change the color of the Process shape, click on it, click the Fill Color button on the Main
toolbar, click the Shape Color button and then click Grey. Alternatively, click the Fill tab to use the
inspector.

To change the line color of the Predefined process shape, click on the shape, click the Line Color
button button on the toolbar and then click Red. Alternatively, click the Line tab to use the
inspector.

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2.3.6.2 Formatting 1-D Shapes
You can change the following formatting settings for any one-dimensional (1-D) shape, such as lines and
connectors:
· Line color, pattern, and transparency
· Line weight (the thickness of the line)
· Line end type (arrowheads)
· Line end size
· Line cap (whether the line end is square or round)
Formatting a 1-D Shape

1. To change the line pattern of the right-most connector, click on it, click the Line tab to use the
inspector to change the color, thickness, pattern, or ends.
2. Your flowchart should resemble the following picture.

2.3.6.3 Changing Shape Appearances with Control Handles
Some shapes have control handles you can use to change the shape's appearance. For example, a
control handle might rotate a shape, move the lines inside a shape, increase the size of a pie chart
slice, or change the location of the text associated with the shape.
Changing Shapes with Control Handles

1. Click the Select tool on the Tool palette.
2. Click the connector line between shapes “1” and “B” as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

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Step 1
3. To resize the connector, drag the control handle at the center of the line to the right.
4. Your flowchart should now resemble the picture labeled Step 2.

Step 2
2.3.7 Lesson 6: Saving and Printing Diagrams
In this lesson you learn to:

· Save diagrams
· Preview and print diagrams

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2.3.7.1 Saving Diagrams
After you finish a diagram, you can save it the same way
you save a file created in any program.
Note: It's a good idea to periodically save your diagram as

you work.
Saving a Diagram
1. Under the File menu, click Save As.
2. In the File name box, type "Flowchart" and then
click Save.
Save early and often.
2.3.7.2 Previewing and Printing Diagrams
Before you print a diagram, you can preview it to see if it will

print correctly. In the Print Preview window the gray boundary
indicates the drawing page margins and edge of the printed
page. Shapes that cross this page boundary will not print
completely. Either move them inside the boundary or adjust
your drawing page to include the objects. You can also
change printer settings to include the objects. Page
orientation, size, or margins can be altered. To adjust page or
printer settings, click Page Setup under the File menu.
Previewing and Printing a Diagram

1. To preview a diagram, select Print Preview under the
File menu.
2. To print a diagram, select Print under the File menu or
click the Print button at the top of the Print Preview
window.
3. At the Print dialog, click OK to initiate the printing.

2.3.8 Summary
Congratulations! You've created a basic flowchart and have

now completed the lessons in the Creating Diagrams
section.
In this lesson you learned how to:

· Start creating diagrams
· Move and resize shapes
· Add text to shapes and diagrams
· Connect shapes
· Format shapes
· Save and print diagrams
With these skills, you can create basic ConceptDraw PRO
diagrams.
2.4 Sharing Diagrams

Overview
Lesson 1: Publishing Diagrams to the Web
Adding Hyperlinks to Shapes
Saving Diagrams as Web Pages
Lesson 2. Exporting Diagrams
Exporting to PDF
Exporting to MS PowerPoint
Lesson 3. Working with XML for MS Visio
Summary
2.4.1 Overview
In the “Sharing Diagrams” section, you learn how to:

· Add files created in other programs to your diagrams
· Publish diagrams to the Web
· Send diagrams to FTP servers using ConceptDraw
PRO
· Export diagrams to popular graphic formats
The skills you learn in this section apply to sharing any
diagram.

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2.4.2 Lesson 1: Publishing Diagrams to the Web
In this lesson you learn how to:

· Add hyperlinks to shapes
· Save diagrams as Web pages
2.4.2.1 Adding Hyperlinks to Shapes
You can add hyperlinks to shapes and drawing pages in

your ConceptDraw PRO diagrams. These links can jump to
another page in the same diagram, a different diagram, any
other file, or a Web site. If you save your diagram as a Web
page, the hyperlinks will work in that format as well.
Adding a Hyperlink to a Shape

1. Using the Select tool click the second Process
shape in your flowchart.
2. Make a right mouse-click on it to open context menu
and select Hyperlinks.
3. Choose Edit... to open the Hyperlink inspector.
4. Enable the “File or application” option, click Browse,
choose one of the ConceptDraw PRO sample files.
5. Now, when you pause the Select tool pointer over
the Process shape a hand pointer appears ,
which indicates the shape contains a hyperlink.
Double-clicking the shape opens the sample
document you linked to it.
2.4.2.2 Saving Diagrams as Web Pages
Using ConceptDraw PRO, you can save diagrams as a Web pages. ConceptDraw PRO adds the HTML
tags that are needed to display your diagrams in a Web browser, so all you have to do is design their
appearance.
Saving a Diagram as a Web Page

1. Under the File menu, click Export and choose HTML...

2. Choose the name and location for the file and click Save.
3. At the HTML Export Wizard, select a template and enable the desired options.
4. Click OK to save the HTML file.
2.4.3 Lesson 2. Exporting Diagrams
You can export your ConceptDraw PRO diagrams to many

popular formats without any additional software. It is as
easy as saving a file.
In this lesson you learn how to export your ConceptDraw

PRO documents to the following formats:
· Export to PDF
· Export to MS PowerPoint

ConceptDraw PRO 43
2.4.3.1 Exporting to PDF
To prepare your diagrams for printing and sharing you can

export them to the PDF format. It is as easy as saving a
file.
Exporting to PDF
1. Under the File menu, select Print.
2. Click PDF button in the bottom part of the dialog.
3. Select Save as PDF...
4. Specify a location and name for the new file.
5. Click OK.
2.4.3.2 Exporting to MS PowerPoint
To create a presentation that includes your ConceptDraw

PRO diagrams you can export them to MS PowerPoint
format. It’s as easy as saving a file.
Exporting to Microsoft PowerPoint

1. Under the File menu, select Export.
2. Choose Microsoft PowerPoint ...
4. Click OK.
2.4.4 Lesson 3. Working with XML for MS Visio

You can work with MS Visio documents within ConceptDraw PRO. By default, MS Visio uses a closed
binary format for its documents. ConceptDraw PRO does not support importing MS Visio documents in
closed binary format, but you can work with documents saved in MS Visio XML format.
From inside MS Visio save your working document in XML format. If you just have a document in MS
Visio binary format only and do not have access to Visio, you can use our MS Visio file converter to
change it to MS Visio XML format free of charge. To use this service, send your MS Visio binary file to
[email protected]. The converted file will be sent back to you by e-mail.
Importing XML for MS Visio

1. Under the File menu, select Import.
2. Choose XML for Visio...

3. Click OK.
Note: The formula syntax for "smart" objects is different in ConceptDraw PRO, so these types of
imported MS Visio objects are displayed as ordinary objects in ConceptDraw PRO.
Exporting to XML for MS Visio

4. Under the File menu, select Export.
5. Choose XML for Visio...
7. Click OK.
By using ConceptDraw PRO’s XML import and export capability you can work with many of your MS
Visio documents. You can also share documents with your team members who use MS Visio and work
with MS Visio documents on the Macintosh.
2.4.5 Summary
You've now completed the “Sharing Diagrams” section of the guide and learned several ways to share
ConceptDraw PRO diagrams.
In this section, you learned how to:

· Publish diagrams to the Web
· Add hyperlinks to shapes
· Export diagrams to other file formats

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2.5 Creating Shapes, Libraries and Templates

Overview
Lesson 1. Creating and Formatting Shapes
Opening a Template
Drawing Shapes
Formatting Shapes
Rotating Shapes
Copying Shapes
Lesson 2. Stacking, Aligning and Grouping Shapes
Stacking Shapes
Aligning Shapes
Grouping Shapes
Lesson 3. Creating Libraries and Templates
Creating Templates
Summary

2.5.1 Overview
In the “Creating Shapes, Libraries, and Templates”

section, you can create a company logo, save it in a
library, and then create a template. This process can be
used to create a watermark also (see the “Creating
Templates” section).
In this section you learn to:

· Create and format shapes
· Stack, align, and group shapes
· Create libraries and templates
The basic skills you learn in this section apply to creating
any shape, library, and template.
Create a company logo, save it in a library,

and then create a template.
2.5.2 Lesson 1. Creating and Formatting Shapes

Opening a Template
Drawing Shapes
Formatting Shapes
Rotating Shapes
Copying Shapes
2.5.2.1 Opening a Template
If you are creating your own shapes, you can work with any template. However, if you want to modify a
shape in an existing library, it is a good idea to first to open the template that includes that library. The
template may contain needed styles.

ConceptDraw PRO 47
For example, if you want to modify a shape on the Drawing Shapes library, first open the Basic
Diagram template. If you want to create a flowchart, open the Basic Flowchart template first. Opening
the template also opens the Basic Flowchart library.
Opening a Template
1. Under the File menu, select Template Gallery… and click Basic Diagrams in the Categories
list.
2. Click the plane geometry template then click Choose.
2.5.2.2 Drawing Shapes
You can use the drawing tools to create your own shapes such as rectangles, squares, ellipses, circles,
lines, arcs, and freeform lines. To draw a shape, click a drawing tool then start anywhere on the drawing
page and drag a shape to the desired size.
You can hold the Shift key while dragging to constrain the drawing to perfect circles, squares, diagonal
lines, and so on. For example, hold down the Shift key while drawing an Ellipse to create a circle.
Drawing Shapes

1. To draw a square, click the Rectangle tool , then hold down the Shift key and drag the square
to size (see the picture labeled Step 1). Note that while you use the Rectangle tool the pointer is
a plus sign and rectangle . when you are within the drawing area. This visual cue indicates you
can draw a rectangle or square.
Step 1
2. Next, draw another larger square near the first square as shown in the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
3. Click the Ellipse tool , then hold down the Shift key and drag a small circle to size (see the
picture labeled Step 3). The pointer changes to a plus sign and ellipse . This visual cue tells
you that you can draw an ellipse or a circle as shown in the picture Step 3.

ConceptDraw PRO 49
Step 3
2.5.2.3 Formatting Shapes
You can format shapes that you draw the same way you format shapes contained in libraries. Simply
select the desired shape and choose formatting options under the Format menu or click the formatting
buttons on the Tool palette. The type of formatting you can apply varies depending on the shape type
and whether it is one-dimensional (1-D) or two-dimensional (2-D).
Formatting Shapes
1. Using the Select tool , click the second square you drew, click the Fill Color button on
the toolbar, click Shape Color and then choose the Grey color as shown in the picture labeled
Step 1.
Step 1
2. Click the first square you drew, click the Line inspector, and then select a thicker line.
3. Click the same square, click the Fill Color button on the toolbar, click Shape Color and then
choose Red for the color as shown in the picture labeled Step 2.

Step 2
4. Click the circle you drew, click the Fill Color button on the toolbar, click Shape Color and then
choose an Aqua color as shown in the picture labeled Step 3.
Step 3
2.5.2.4 Rotating Shapes
Similar to resizing shapes, you can use selection handles to rotate 2-D shapes.
Rotating Shapes
1. Click the Rotate tool on the Tool palette.
2. Click the large square and position the pointer over the upper left rotation handle . The pointer
changes to a circular arrow as shown in the picture labeled Step 1. This visual cue indicates
you can rotate the shape.

ConceptDraw PRO 51
Step 1
3. Drag the rotation handle toward the right to rotate the square 45 degrees until it looks like a
diamond as shown in the picture labeled Step 2. As you rotate the shape, the angle of rotation
appears on the Status Bar at the bottom of the document window.
Step 2
2.5.2.5 Copying Shapes
You can copy shapes in ConceptDraw PRO using conventional menu items similar to those provided in
other programs - click a shape then under the Edit menu, select Copy. You can paste copied shapes
into your drawing by selecting Paste under the Edit menu. ConceptDraw PRO pastes shapes or text in
the center of your drawing page.
ConceptDraw PRO also provides a shortcut that gives you more control over the placement of pasted
shapes. Select the shapes you want to copy, hold down the Cmd key, and then drag the shapes to the
desired location. When you drag while holding down the Cmd key, rather than moving the original
shapes, duplicates are copied to the destination.
Copying Shapes

1. Click the Select tool , then click the aqua circle to select it as shown in the picture labeled
Step 1.
Step 1
2. While holding down the Cmd key, move the pointer onto the selected shape and drag it
downward until you see a copy appear below the original shape. The pointer first changes to
include a plus sign as shown in the picture labeled Step 2. This visual cue indicates the
shape will be copied.
Step 2
3. When you are done, release the mouse button before releasing the Cmd key. If you release
the Cmd key before the mouse button, the shape is moved rather than copied. If you move a
shape by mistake, select Undo under the Edit menu and try again. As a practice exercise, use
the same technique to create two more copies of the aqua circles.

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2.5.3 Lesson 2. Stacking, Aligning and Grouping Shapes

Stacking Shapes
Aligning Shapes
Grouping Shapes
2.5.3.1 Stacking Shapes
ConceptDraw PRO saves the ordering of shapes that you draw or add to the drawing page from libraries,
giving each shape a unique ID. The first shape you add to your drawing is at the bottom of the stacking
order, and the last shape is at the top. So, if you draw three shapes (or add them from libraries), there
are three levels to the stacking order. The last shape is at the third level and at the top of the stacking
order.
When you drag shapes on top of each other, the stacking order may become important. Small shapes
can disappear behind larger shapes if they are lower in the stacking order. Or, overlapping parts of
shapes may disappear. To change the stacking order, click the Bring to Front button, which brings a
shape to the top of the stacking order. Alternatively, you can click the Send to Back button to send a
shape to the back (or bottom) of the stacking order. We’ll use the example from the prior lesson to
demonstrate how the stacking order affects shapes.
Stacking Shapes
1. Using the Select tool , drag the red square onto the grey diamond. It disappears behind the
diamond as shown in the picture labeled Step 1. You drew the red square before the grey diamond
so it is lower in the stacking order.
Step 1
2. With the red square still selected, click the Bring to Front button on the toolbar. Refer to the
picture labeled Step 2. The red square appears in front of the grey diamond again because you

brought it to the front, or top, of the stacking order.
Step 2
3. Next, drag the aqua circles onto the grey diamond corners, as shown in the picture labeled Step
3. All aqua circles appear on top of the grey diamond because you drew them after drawing the
diamond. They are higher in the stacking order.
Step 3

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2.5.3.2 Aligning Shapes
You can align shapes horizontally or vertically using the grid on the drawing page, or automatically using
the Align Shapes button on the toolbar. When you use the Align Shapes button, the first shape you
click becomes the shape to which the other shapes will align. The first shape you click is selected with
a green outline; subsequent shapes you click are selected with blue outlines.
Aligning Shapes
1. Using the Select tool , click the grey diamond then while holding down the Cmd key, click
the red square, the upper aqua circle, and the bottom aqua circle as shown in the picture labeled
Step 1.
Step 1
2. To vertically align the shapes, hold down the mouse button on the Align Shapes button
then move downward on the popup list of choices and choose the Align Center button.
3. Notice that the Align Shapes button always has the icon of the last used alignment button, which
is now Align Center .

4. Holding down the Cmd key, click the top and bottom aqua circles to deselect them. Then, while
keeping the Cmd key pressed, click the left and right aqua circles as shown in the picture labeled
Step 2.

Step 2
5. To align the circles horizontally, hold down the mouse button on the Align Shapes button and
move downward to select the Align Middle button .

6. Your document should now resemble the picture labeled Step 3.
Step 3
2.5.3.3 Grouping Shapes
Grouped shapes consist of two or more individual shapes that act as one unit. Grouping makes complex
shapes such as company logos, schemes, diagrams and charts easier to work with.
For example, if you group shapes, you can move the whole group at once instead of moving the shapes

ConceptDraw PRO 57
individually. You can also add text to a group or align a group with other shapes.
Note: You can modify individual shapes in a group by first clicking the group, and then clicking the
individual shape you want to modify.
Grouping Shapes
1. Use the Select tool , to drag a selection box around all of the shapes in the example drawing
to select them all as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
2. With all of the shapes selected, click the Group button on the toolbar.
3. With the group selected, type “LOGO” as shown in the picture labeled Step 2, and then click a
blank area on the drawing page to deselect the group and exit the text mode.
4. Now you can drag the whole logo as a single shape.

Step 2
2.5.4 Lesson 3. Creating Libraries and Templates

Creating Templates
2.5.4.1 Saving Shapes to Libraries
You can save shapes that you draw to a library so you can use them again in the future.
Saving a Shape to a New Library

1. Under the File menu, select Library\New. ConceptDraw PRO creates a new blank library.
2. Drag the shape you finished in the previous lesson to the new library window pane. A copy of the
shape appears in the library while the original remains in your drawing.
3. Right-click the shape in the library and select Properties on the shortcut menu.
4. In the Properties dialog, type “LOGO” for the item name then click OK.

ConceptDraw PRO 59
5. Right-click on the library title bar then click Save button on the library header as shown in the
picture below.
Step 2
6. In the Save As dialog, choose a location to save your library.

7. Type “LOGO” for the file name then click Save. To open a library you saved, click Open under
the File menu, find and select your library, and then click the Open button.
2.5.4.2 Creating Templates
When you create your own template, you can specify parameters for it such as page settings and which
libraries to open. Any libraries that are open when you save the template will reopen when the template
is opened. You can also place shapes on the drawing page and when the template opens, the same
shapes will appear on the drawing page.
Note: To close any libraries you don't want to include with your template, right-click the library title bar
and click Close on the shortcut menu
Creating a Template

1. Drag the LOGO shape from the LOGO library you created in the prior lesson into the upper right
corner of the drawing page.
2. Under the File menu, select Save As Template.
3. In the Save As dialog, choose a location to save your template.
4. Type “LOGO” for the file name then click Save.
5. Under the File menu, click Open.
6. In the Open dialog find the LOGO template you saved, and double-click it to open it. All of the
libraries that were opened when you saved the template reopen and the drawing page with the
company logo appears.
2.5.5 Summary
Congratulations! You have now completed the lessons in

the “Creating Shapes, Libraries and Templates” section
of the guide. You've learned the basic skills you need to
create your own shapes, libraries and templates.
In this section you learned how to:

· Create and format shapes
· Stack, align, and group shapes
· Create libraries and templates

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Use the skills you learned while creating this

shape, library, and template to create your
own.
2.6 Creating Other Diagrams

Overview
Lesson 1. Creating Block Diagrams
Adding Blocks
Connecting Blocks
Lesson 2. Creating Organization Charts
Lesson 3. Creating Office Layouts
Adding Walls
Summary
2.6.1 Overview
You can use the skills you learned in prior lessons to build
many types of diagrams. For example, to create a block
diagram you work with connector shapes, a skill you
learned previously that applies to any diagram. The
following lessons build upon the skills you learned earlier
to create other types of diagrams.
In this section you learn to:

· Create block diagrams
· Create organization charts
· Create office layouts
2.6.2 Lesson 1. Creating Block Diagrams

Adding Blocks
Connecting Blocks
2.6.2.1 Opening the Blocks 2D Template
You can use the Blocks 2D or Plane geometry templates to create block diagrams and process
flowcharts, and many diagrams that do not fit into other categories, such as conceptual diagrams, data
structure diagrams, and so on.

The Blocks 2D template opens several libraries including the Blocks library, which contains two-
dimensional (2-D) boxes, circles, diamonds, arrows, and other useful basic shapes.
Opening the Block Diagram Template

1. Under the File menu, select Template Gallery then choose Basic Diagrams.
2. Click Blocks 2D as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
3. A new document is created with the libraries for block diagramming as shown in the picture
labeled Step 2.

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Step 2
2.6.2.2 Adding Blocks
Usually, you begin a block diagram by dragging the blocks to the drawing page and labeling them. Label
a block the same way you label any other shape. Move onto it and click to select it then type the label.
Adding and Labeling Blocks

1. From the Blocks library, drag a Box shape onto the drawing page. Select the shape and type “A”
as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
2. Drag another Box shape onto the drawing page and place it below the first box. With the box
selected, type “B” for its label. Use the grid to help align the shapes. Refer to the picture labeled

Step 2.
3. Drag a third Box onto the drawing page below the second box. Select it and type “C”.
4. Place a fourth Box at the right side of the second box. Select it and type “D”.
5. Place the fifth and last Box below the fourth box. Select it and type “E”.
6. Click above and to the left of the top Box shape then using the Select tool, drag a selection box
to enclose all of the shapes. The Select tool selects everything touched by the selection box as
shown in the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
7. To increase the size of the text, use the Font\Bigger menu.
2.6.2.3 Connecting Blocks
The Blocks library contains many different types of one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D)
shapes.
You can use the 1-D single shape from the library to connect two shapes with a point-to-point
connection. Because of its 2-D appearance, it appears as if the connector flows from, or is a part of, the
originating shape. We’ll continue working with the diagram you started in the previous section.
Connect the Blocks in the Diagram

1. From the Blocks library, drag a 1-D single shape to the drawing page and place the left endpoint
of the 1-D single shape on the bottom connection point of the top Box shape. When the two
shapes connect, the connector endpoints turn red as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

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Step 1
2. Drag the other endpoint of the 1-D single connector to the top connection point of the Box shape
that’s beneath the top shape. When the connector is connected to both shapes, both of the
connector endpoints turn red as shown in the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
3. Connect the rest of the shapes as shown in the picture labeled Step 3 (B to C, B to D, and finally

D to E).
Step 3
2.6.3 Lesson 2. Creating Organization Charts

2.6.3.1 Opening the Organization Chart Template
The Organization Chart template opens several libraries including the Organization Chart shape
library, which contains all of the shapes you need for organization charts of any size.

1. Under the File menu, select Template Gallery then choose Organization Charts.
2. Click Organization Chart - simple as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

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Step 1
3. A new document is created and the libraries for creating organization charts (org charts) are
opened as shown in the picture labeled Step 2
Step 2

2.6.3.2 Adding Shapes to an Organization Chart
To make your work easier, ConceptDraw PRO supports a Smart Connection Mode. You can place
shapes on your drawing page and they connect automatically. Each shape you add is connected to the
previously added shape or to a shape you select.
1. Click the Smart Connection Mode button on the Main toolbar.

2. From the Organization Chart library, drag an Executive shape to the drawing page as shown in
the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
3. Drag a second Executive shape and place it below the first. Refer to the picture labeled Step 2. It
connects automatically to the first shape.
4. Place a third Executive shape below and to the left of the second.
5. To connect the fourth Executive shape to the second shape you need to select the second
shape first (click it). Then drag the fourth Executive shape to the drawing and place it at the right
side of the third shape.
6. Now you can rearrange the shapes as desired. They will stay connected as shown in the picture
labeled Step 2.

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Step 2
2.6.4 Lesson 3. Creating Office Layouts

Adding Walls
2.6.4.1 Opening the Office Layout Template
The Office Layout template opens several libraries that contain shapes for office layouts including title
blocks and dimensioning symbols. It also opens a scaled drawing page so you can accurately represent
real-world objects that are larger than the paper size such as walls, doors, and windows.

1. Under the File menu, select Template Gallery then choose Building Plans.
2. Click Office Layout as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
3. A new document is created and the libraries for creating floor plans are opened as shown in the

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Step 2
2.6.4.2 Adding Walls
There are two ways to add walls to an office layout. If your office or office area is rectangular, drag a
Room shape onto the drawing page. Then, resize the office room by dragging one of its selection
handles. As you resize the shape, ConceptDraw PRO recalculates and displays its dimensions.
If your office is not rectangular, you can drag a T-Room or L-Room shape to your drawing, or you can
drag each wall to the drawing page to form the shape you want.
Note: To create a layout that includes more than one office, you can use the Room shape to represent
the exterior walls of your building and the Wall shapes to represent interior walls.
Adding Walls
1. From the Walls, Shell and Structure library, drag the Room shape onto the drawing page (see
the following picture). When the Room shape is selected, its dimensions appear on the status bar
at the bottom of the document window.
2. To change the Room size, drag from its selection handles while watching the dimensions on the

status bar. For example, you can drag the bottom-center selection handle to increase or decrease
the height and right-center handle to increase or decrease the width.
2.6.4.3 Connecting Doors and Windows to Walls
After adding the room walls, you need to add doors and windows. You can rotate, align, and position
doors and windows just by dragging Door or Window shapes onto the walls. To connect doors and
windows you need to group them with the walls.

1. From the Doors and Windows library, drag a Door shape onto the bottom wall as shown in the

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Step 1
2. Drag a Window shape onto the upper wall as shown in picture labeled Step 2. To connect a
shape such as door or window to a wall, select the shape and wall, and then select Group under
the Shape menu.

Step 2
3. To lengthen the window, drag one of its side endpoints left or right.
2.6.4.4 Adding Furniture and Accessories
The libraries that open with the Office Layout template contain many standard office furniture and
accessory shapes including chairs, desks, tables, electronics, computers, plants, and so on. In the
Library window, click the title bar of the library you want to show, and then drag the selected shape into
the office layout.
You can modify furniture shapes like any other ConceptDraw PRO shape. For example, you can flip,
rotate or resize them.

1. To see the shapes in the Furniture library, click its title bar.
2. From the Furniture library, drag a Couch shape to the upper left corner of the office and rotate it
as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
3. Drag a Large Plant shape into the office and place it at the right side of the room as shown in the

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Step 2
2.6.5 Summary
Congratulations! You've completed the lessons in the

“Creating Other Diagrams” section. In this lesson you
learned how to create:
· Block diagrams
· Organization charts
· Office layouts
You can apply the skills you learned to many other types
of diagrams such as networking, software, database or
floor plans.

3 ConceptDraw MINDMAP
Introduction
Lesson 1. Creating a Business Plan
Creating a New Document
Working With Topics
Editing Text
Adding Topics
Changing Topic Styles and Formats
Printing, Saving, and Opening Mind Maps
Summary
Lesson 2. Embellishing the Business Plan
Adding Symbols
Adding Pictures
Changing Topic Styles
Embedding Pictures within Topics
Changing Topic Colors and Fonts
Summary
Lesson 3. Detailing the Business Plan
Adding Callouts
Adding Notes
Creating Hyperlinks
Changing the Map Background Color
Showing and Hiding Subtopics
Summary
Lesson 4. Creating a Conference Report
Lesson 5. Arranging the Conference Report
Arranging the Map
Working with Multiple Pages
Summary
Lesson 6. Planning a Picnic
Brainstorming
Defining Topic Relationships
Defining Relationship Types
Changing Relationship Line Styles
Summary
Lesson 7. Planning a Website Project
Creating a Website Map
Adding Task Information
Sorting Topics
Exporting to ConceptDraw PROJECT and MS Project
Summary
Lesson 8. Other ConceptDraw MINDMAP Features
Inserting Pictures
Using the Drawing Tools
Changing Object Colors and Patterns
Editing and Arranging Objects
Repositioning Objects
Arranging the Front-to-Back Order of Objects
Resizing Objects
Summary

ConceptDraw MINDMAP 77
3.1 Introduction
ConceptDraw MINDMAP is a powerful business and personal productivity tool that collects, organizes,
and displays ideas as innovative visual maps – mind maps.
Mind maps help you organize unstructured or complex information and present it in a rich visual format
that’s easier to understand, and easier to explain to others. It’s a great tool for creating training or
learning materials, planning and prototyping projects, developing marketing concepts, making
presentations, problem solving, brainstorming, and much more. A unique brainstorming feature lets you
quickly collect and organize ideas that are presented in group settings.
Mind maps consist of a general “Main Idea” topic surrounded by other related topics and subtopics,
which are displayed in a hierarchical structure. Map topics can be arranged in a variety of styles and
layouts. You can display maps in a radial layout, or you can choose among a variety of other map
layouts. With a single tool click or menu choice, the map is automatically arranged according to the
chosen format. Alternatively, you can use your mouse to manually customize the arrangement of topics.
All connecting lines, callouts, and attached clipart adjust automatically as you make changes.
ConceptDraw MINDMAP comes with an assortment of ready-made clipart and symbol libraries that you
can use to highlight topics or embellish your maps for a professional appearance. You can also insert
images of your own or from other applications. Images can be placed anywhere on your maps, attached
to topics, or embedded within topics. Topic styles and colors are customizable so you can emphasize
important items for additional impact.
Other features include: dynamic outline views; topic notes and callouts; drawing tools for creating your
own artwork; the capability to track progress and scheduling information for project tasks; the ability to
import and export data from other applications such as ConceptDraw PROJECT and MS Project;
support for adding hyperlinks between topics, other documents, websites, and more.
3.2 Lesson 1. Creating a Business Plan

In Lesson 1, we’ll show you how to create a new mind map document using an example business plan.
We’ll use a mind map to help organize ideas for selling products on the Internet.
You can promote Internet sales in a variety of ways so our example mind map will contain both main

topics and subtopics. We’ll begin by creating a new document then we’ll specify the name of the main
idea topic. Afterwards, we’ll add additional topics, subtopics and explore style options.
Creating a New Document

Working With Topics
Editing Text
Adding Topics
Changing Topic Styles and Formats
Printing, Saving, and Opening Mind Maps
Summary
When the program starts the following dialog window appears, providing several options for beginning
your work.
For this example, click the “Start to Mind Map” option to create a new mind map. A new document
window is opened and a default “Main Idea” topic appears near the center of the window.

In this chapter you will know how to:
· Editing Text
· Adding Topics
· Changing Topic Styles and Formats
· Printing, Saving, and Opening Mind Maps
Let’s name the newly created main idea topic “My Business Plan”. To change the name, move onto the
“Main Idea” topic and double-click to select it for editing, or you can also click it once and press the F2
key. The center step below shows how the topic looks after it is selected.
Simply begin typing “My Business Plan” to replace the existing text with the new name. After typing the
name, press the Enter key or click a blank area outside of the topic to exit the text editing mode and
complete the change. The topic frame automatically resizes to fit the changed text as shown above.
You can also use standard editing conventions while in the text edit mode to make changes to text. For
example, you can drag over text to select it, and then press Delete to remove it or use the Cut, Copy,
Paste, and Delete items under the Edit menu. If you subsequently select other tools (such as the
Scroll Hand, for example), remember to click the Select tool (or press Esc) to continue editing text or
topics in your document.

Topics can be arranged, or ordered, in a variety of ways. By default, the program arranges topics
clockwise beginning from the top. For this example, we’ll change the ordering of the topics to arrange
them in columns on each side of the main idea topic.
To change the topic order, move onto the Topic Ordering item under the Map menu, and then select
Down Both Sides - Right First from the popup submenu as shown below. The “Right First” option
instructs the program to place the first new topic on the right side of the main idea rather than the left
side.
First, we’ll describe various ways you can add topics and subtopics to main topics then we’ll illustrate
which topics you can add to this example yourself as a practice exercise. You can choose among the
following options to add topics and subtopics to your mind maps:
· Use the Insert topic button on the toolbar to add topics to the main idea topic.
· Use the Insert subtopic button from the drop-down list to add a subtopic to
another selected topic. If no topic is selected, the topic is added to the main idea topic.
· Press the Enter key to add a topic to the main idea topic, or press Shift+Enter to add a
subtopic to another selected topic. If no topic is selected, the topic is added to the main idea
topic.
· Use the Freehand tool from the drop-down list .
When using the Freehand tool, the appearance of the mouse pointer changes to: . To use the tool,
click the Freehand tool button then move the pointer onto the parent topic. Hold down the mouse button
and drag the resulting line to the desired location then release the button. A new topic is added at the
specified location as illustrated below.

Shortcut Tips:
· Double-click a blank area when no topics are selected to quickly add a topic to the main idea.
· Double-click a blank area when a topic is selected to add a new topic at the same level as the
selected topic (e.g., if a subtopic is selected, a new subtopic is added).
· Shift + double-click a blank area when a topic is selected to add a subtopic to the selected
topic.
As a practice exercise, try using each of the preceding techniques to add the topics shown in the
following illustration to the example business plan. If you make a mistake, select Undo under the Edit
menu and try again. You can also select an unwanted topic and press the Delete key to remove it.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP provides a variety of style and formatting options for your mind maps. For
example, you can change topic shapes, line styles, alignments and spacing’s.
First, click on the topics you want to change to select them. You can apply styles to one or multiple
topics. Hold down the Cmd key when clicking topics to select more than one, or to apply the changes
to all of the topics, use Select All under the Edit menu.
Click the Format topics inspector icon or select Topics under the Format menu to access the
Format Topics dialog.

Click the Shape tab then choose the desired topic shape and line style. You can also access custom
images or set alignment and spacing options by clicking the corresponding dialog tabs. For the example
business plan, use Select All under the Edit menu (or press Cmd+A) to select all of the topics, and
then try experimenting with various shapes and line styles. Click the Apply button to see the results.
When you are done experimenting, set the shape to “Rounded rectangle”, the line style to “Curve”, and
click OK to exit the dialog and keep the changes.

Now that you’ve learned how to create a mind map, you can print out a hardcopy, save and open it at a
later time, and import or export other document formats.
· To print your mind map, select Print Map under the File menu (or press Cmd +P).
· To save your mind map, select Save under the File menu (Cmd + S).
· To close a map window, select Close under the File menu (or press Cmd + F4).
· To open a saved mind map, select Open under the File menu (Cmd + O).
· To export a mind map to another document format, select Export under the File menu and pick
the desired format from the available choices. For example, you can export to PDF and
PowerPoint formats, image formats such as *.jpg and *.bmp, and more.
· To import other formats into ConceptDraw MINDMAP, select Import under the File menu and
choose the desired format from the available choices.
Lesson 1 demonstrated how to visually map a business plan. You can use the same process to create
other types of clear, professionally structured plans. You can explore ideas and product concepts,
create training materials, make presentation components, and much more. Later, we’ll explain how to
use the program for brainstorming ideas.
You also learned about using the toolbars to conveniently add and change topics and subtopics, and
how you can change topic shapes, line styles, and other layout attributes to customize the appearance
of your mind maps. Lesson 2 picks up where this lesson leaves off and shows how you can perform
additional enhancements to your map using symbols and pictures.
3.3 Lesson 2. Embellishing the Business Plan

In Lesson 2, we will continue working with the example business plan from Lesson 1. You will learn how
to use symbols and pictures to draw attention to topics.
Adding Symbols
Adding Pictures
Changing Topic Styles
Embedding Pictures within Topics
Changing Topic Colors and Fonts
Summary
We will begin by adding some symbols to the business plan. Symbols are auxiliary visual elements that
help you convey the meaning of topics. You can use them to highlight and further define topics, or to
mark higher priority topics. The meaning of an individual symbol is affected by both its appearance and
its associated floating text tip.
To access the Symbols dialog, click the Symbols tab in the Inspector. You can also access the dialog
by selecting Dialogs under the View menu and clicking the Symbols item. Note that if the menu item
has a check mark beside it then the dialog is already open. If it is open but inaccessible, you need to
click the Symbols tab at the bottom of the combined dialog. Selecting the menu item when it already
has a checkmark beside it closes the dialog. Select an unchecked menu item again to restore a closed
dialog.

To add a symbol to a topic in your mind map, click the topic to select it then click the desired symbol.
You can add a symbol to multiple topics at once by holding the Cmd key and clicking each topic to
select them all before clicking the symbol. You can also add a symbol to a topic by dragging it from the
symbol dialog onto the topic. Simply move onto a symbol, hold down the mouse button, drag the symbol
onto the topic then release the button.
Let’s add some symbols to the example business plan. For demonstration purposes, let’s assume that
the “Search engines” and “Writing articles” topics are high priority. Mark these with the symbol.
Next, we will assume that the “Advertisements” topic is low priority. Mark it with the symbol.
Finally, let’s highlight some other important topics. Mark the “Web site” topic with a symbol to
indicate there is limited time for completing the work. Mark “Magazine ads” with a symbol to note
the high cost, and use to mark the “Keywords on Google” subtopic to indicate additional research
is needed for determining the keywords.
To remove symbols, select the topic then click the same symbol again. You can also remove symbols
by selecting one or more topics and choosing Remove Symbols under the Topic menu, or by right-
clicking a topic and selecting Remove Symbols from the popup context menu.
In addition to symbols, you can add pictures to visually enhance your mind maps. Picture objects can
be assigned to topics but unlike symbols, they are not actually incorporated into the hierarchical
structure of a mind map. You can draw your own picture objects, use ready-made clipart images, or
import pictures from external files.
Access the Clipart dialog by clicking the Clipart button on the toolbar, by selecting Show Clipart under
the View menu, or pressing F4 key. You can choose among available clipart libraries by selecting the
desired library from the popup menu above the pictures. Click the library name to pull up the menu then
choose the preferred library. For this example business plan, the pictures are located in the “Business”

and “Money” clipart libraries.
To add a picture to your map, move onto the picture, hold down the mouse button and drag it to the
desired location then release the button. Referring to the preceding illustration, drag the “money” picture
from the “Money” library and position it beneath the “Advertisements” topic. From the “Business” library,
position the “pen and paper” picture above the “Writing articles” topic. You may need to drag the “Search
engines” topic slightly higher to make more room for the picture.
To assign a picture to a topic, drag the picture onto the topic and reposition it slightly until the topic
highlights in purple then release the button.
Do this now for the two pictures you just added to the example mind map. After completing the
assignments, if you select an attached picture by clicking it, you’ll see a connection line appear
between the picture and the topic. You can now move the picture to fine-tune its position and it will
remain assigned to the topic. Similarly, if you move the topic, the associated picture will also move
along with it. When needed, you can drag the edge or corner of a picture to resize it.
In addition to assigning pictures to topics, you can enhance the appearance of topics by embedding
pictures within topics, and by changing their font type, color, and size.
As described in the preceding section, to access clipart libraries, click the Clipart tab at the left part of

the document window, or select Dialogs under the View menu and choose the Clipart item. Select
specific clipart libraries by clicking the current library name above the pictures to pull up a list of
available libraries. For the next example, we’ll use another picture from the “Business” library.
To embed a picture within a topic, move onto the picture, hold down the mouse button and drag it over
the desired topic. Reposition it slightly until the topic highlights in orange then release the button. If you
position the picture at the upper part of the topic, it will embed above the topic name. Conversely,
position it near the bottom to make it appear below the name.
Using the example business plan, embed the “shaking hands” picture inside the “Link exchange” topic.
To attract additional attention to a topic you can change its color and font parameters. Let’s highlight the
main idea topic of the example business by changing its font and color parameters using Font and
Colors dialogs.
Click the “My Business Plan” topic to select it, then:

· Set the font size to18 points.
· Next make the text bold.
· Click the button and choose a new text color from the color palette.

Your example business plan mind map should now appear as follows:

In Lesson 2 you learned how to add symbols to topics to prioritize them or help convey their meaning.
Similarly, you can use pictures to visually enhance and clarify your mind maps.
You also learned about attaching pictures to topics, and how to embed them within topics. Additionally,
Lesson 2 explained how to attract attention to topics by changing colors and font parameters.
3.4 Lesson 3. Detailing the Business Plan

In Lesson 3, we’ll finish up the example business plan you began in the prior two lessons. You’ll learn
how to use callouts, notes, and hyperlinks to add additional information to your mind maps.
Adding Callouts
Adding Notes
Creating Hyperlinks
Changing the Map Background Color
Showing and Hiding Subtopics
Summary
Callouts let you provide additional details about a topic. To add a callout to a topic, click the desired
topic to select it, click the desired topic to select it, click the Insert button on the toolbar and
then click the Callout button on the toolbar, or select Callout Topic under the Insert menu. A
callout will attach to the selected topic. Now, you can click the newly added callout to edit the text the
same as with any other topic. Similarly, you can also change its font type and size.
Add a callout to the “Keywords on Google” topic on the example business plan as shown in the
preceding illustration. Callouts can be repositioned anywhere within the mind map and they will remain
attached to their associated topic. To move a callout, move onto it, hold down the mouse button and
drag it to the desired location. The shape of a repositioned callout automatically adjusts to its new
position. You can also manually resize a callout by clicking it then dragging from the left or right edge of
its selection box.
When you need to provide additional details about topics that you don’t want to appear on your mind

map, you can use notes. Notes let you provide comments about topics without causing visual clutter.
Now, let’s add a note to the “Search engines” topic in the example business plan. To do so, select the
topic then access the Note dialog by clicking the Note tab on the inspector. You can also access the
dialog by selecting Show Notes under the View menu. Enter the note information as shown in the
following illustration then click a blank area outside of the dialog to exit and save the changes.
If a topic has an associated note, a note symbol appears on the topic. Position the mouse pointer
over the symbol for a moment to view the note comments. If you click the note symbol, the note
information also appears in the Note dialog where it can be edited. To delete a note, delete all of the text
in the Note dialog then click a blank area outside of the dialog.
In addition to symbols, pictures, callouts, and notes, you can associate hyperlinks with your topics. You
can link a topic to any file on your computer or local network, to another topic, or to a webpage. In
ConceptDraw MINDMAP Professional, you can even specify the page within a document that you want
associated with the hyperlink.
Let’s create a hyperlink between the “Keywords on Google” topic in the example business plan and the
Google website. To create the link:
· Click the topic to select it.

· Access the Hyperlink inspector by clicking the Inspector button on the toolbar and
choosing the Hyperlink tab or using the Insert / Hyperlink... menu command.
· Click the Link To \ Web page option in the dialog and specify the web address of the website
in the text field, or click the button icon at the right end of the text field to browse for the
website.
· Click a blank area outside of the dialog to exit and attach the hyperlink to the topic.
A link symbol is attached to the topic to indicate it has an associated hyperlink. Clicking the link
symbol opens your browser, which displays the associated webpage. Choose other options in the
hyperlink dialog and perform the same process to link to other mind map topics, files, or folders. Click
the button icons at the right end of the text fields to browse for the desired website, topic, file, or folder.
By default, white is used for the background color for mind maps but you can change the background
color to suit your own needs. To change the background color:
· Select Background under the Format menu to access the Colors dialog, or right-click on a blank
area of the map and select Background from the popup context menu.
· Click the desired background color then click OK to exit and change the background to the chosen
color.

To control the level of detail shown on your mind maps, ConceptDraw MINDMAP lets you hide subtopic
levels. For example, you might want to temporarily hide subtopics while explaining the main topics, and
then show the subtopics to explain your ideas in greater detail. The main topics are “Level 1” topics. The
first level of subtopics is Level 2, and so on.
To specify the level of topics to display, click the Levels button on the toolbar and choose the
desired level from the popup menu. If you choose Level 1, your map will display only the main topics as
shown in the following illustration.

Select the Show All Topics item to display all of the topics in your map. To show or hide subtopics for
individual topics, you can click the minus and plus symbols that are attached to the topics.
In Lesson 3 you learned how to provide additional information about topics by adding callouts and notes
to your maps.
Lesson 3 also explained how to create hyperlinks to other topics, files, folders, or websites.
Additionally, you learned about changing a map’s background color and how to display a specified
number of subtopic levels.
3.5 Lesson 4. Creating a Conference Report

In addition to the map view, you can display and edit mind maps using an Outline View. You can choose
to display only an outline, only your map or you can display both views simultaneously. In this lesson,
we’ll show how to use the Outline View to create an example Conference Report map.
First, we need to create a new empty document for the Conference Report, so if you have already
started the program, select New under the File menu. Alternatively, you can start the program and
select Start to Mind Map at the startup dialog.
For demonstration purposes, we’ll display both the Map View and the Outline View of our work at the
same time. Under the View menu, select Map and Outline, or press Shift + F3.

In the Outline View, all topics and subtopics are displayed as text. All operations performed in the
Outline View appear simultaneously in the map view, and vice versa. Similarly, you can perform most
operations on topics in either view. Examples include adding topics, deleting topics, editing the text,
fonts, and so on.
Let’s begin by changing the name of the main idea to “Conference Report”. To edit the text:
Move onto the main idea topic in the Outline View and click to select the topic then just start
typing the new name, or you can press F2 and type the new name.
To exit text editing, click a blank area outside of the topic line. You can also press the Enter
key to exit the current topic and automatically add another main topic.

Now, let’s continue adding main topics and subtopics to the map using the Topic and Subtopic
buttons from the drop-down list. Referring to the following illustration, add the remaining
Conference Report topics. If it is not already selected, click a parent topic to select it before inserting its
first subtopic. Main topics are added to the end of the list when no other topic is selected; otherwise,
they are added after the selected topic. If you make a mistake, select Undo under the Edit menu and
try again. Don’t be concerned if during the editing process your map does not perfectly match the
illustrations shown here. The next lesson will show how to arrange the map.
Next, let’s explore changing the structure of the map by using the following items from the Topic menu:

· Topic Outdent – move one hierarchical level closer to the root topic.
· Topic Indent – move one level away from the root (deeper)
· Move to Previous Position – move one line up in the ordering / outline
· Move to Next Position – move one line down in the ordering
Referring to the following illustrations, click the “About ConceptDraw” topic in the Outline View then click
the Topic Indent item from the Topic menu. Notice that the topic and all of its subtopics become
subtopics of the “Introduction” topic. Now, do the same for the “About Company” topic. Finally, click the
“Some history” topic then click the Move to Next Position item from the Topic menu. The topic and all
of its subtopics move down one position in the list while retaining the same hierarchical level. In this
case, they move below the “Who needs ConceptDraw?” topic.

As in the map view, you can use the Outline View to add floating and callout topics. Let’s add a floating
topic named “Other”, and a callout named “It’s important” to the “Who needs ConceptDraw?” topic. Click
the Insert floating topic button then in the map view, click a blank area at the upper right side of
the map (above the existing topics). In the Outline View, the topic is added to the bottom of the list.
Change the name to “Other”. Now, let’s add a callout named “It’s important” to the “Who needs
ConceptDraw?” topic. First, click the “Who needs ConceptDraw?” topic to select it then click the Insert
callout topic button. In the Outline View, change the new topic name to “It’s important”.
As in the map view, you can also use the Outline View to add symbols, hyperlinks, notes, and assign
task information to topics. To do so, select the desired topic in the Outline View and use the Symbols,
Link, Note, and Task Info dialogs the same way you did when adding the respective items to the map
view. Please refer to Lesson 2 and 3 for more information about these topics and accessing symbol
libraries. After making the changes, you’ll see symbols appear in their corresponding Outline View
columns indicating the changes were made successfully as shown in the following illustration.
Let’s use numeric symbols to indicate which order events in the map are to be performed. First, open
the “Classic” symbol library. Next, referring to the following illustration, click each topic to select it then
click the corresponding number in the symbol library.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP also has a built-in numbering feature that isn’t based upon symbols. To have
the program automatically number the topics in the map, select Auto Numeration under the Map
menu. Numbers are added next to each topic in the Outline View and on the map. Select the menu item
a second time to remove the numbers.
As on the map view, you can use the Levels button on the toolbar or the and symbols
next to individual topics in the Outline View to show or hide subtopics. Let’s try hiding all topics greater

than level 2. Click a blank area so that no topics are selected then click the Show/Hide Topic Levels
button and select Level 2 from the popup menu.
Lesson 4 explained how to change views to the Outline View, Map View, and how to display both views
simultaneously. You discovered how making changes to either view automatically updates the other
view.
You learned how to use the Outline View to edit the structure of mind maps and how to add symbols,
callouts, notes, and hyperlinks. You saw how to rearrange topics by using the Outline View to move
them or change their hierarchical level.
You also learned about using either view to hide and show map details and subtopic levels.
3.6 Lesson 5. Arranging the Conference Report

This lesson continues working with the example Conference Report map you created in the previous
lesson. We’ll explore some useful but less often used ConceptDraw MINDMAP features. We’ll also
examine some more advanced features that support multiple pages.
Arranging the Map

Working with Multiple Pages
Summary
To make it easier to see the sequence of topics in the Conference Report map, let’s arrange it to display
all topics on the right-side of the main idea.
The Arrange map button on the toolbar contains a number of options for arranging maps. Try
experimenting with various options then when you are done, select the option that displays all of the
topics on the right side of the main idea.

Another useful feature of ConceptDraw MINDMAP is its support for multi-page maps. If a mind map
becomes too large to easily work with on a single page, you can place it on multiple pages. Any topic,
along with all of its subtopics, can be moved to a separate page and treated as a new mind map. Both
maps are automatically connected with hyperlinks and are called Multi-Maps.
The Page Navigator window lets you navigate multiple pages. You activate it by moving the mouse
pointer over its tab momentarily or by selecting Page Navigator under the View menu. When the
available pages appear as thumbnails, click the desired choice to switch pages.

To send a topic and its subtopics to a new page, select the topic you want to make the main idea of the
new subordinate mind map, and choose Send To New Page under the Topic menu. Or, right-click the
topic and select Send To New Page on the popup context menu.
Let’s use the Conference Report to create a Multi-Map. Right-click the “Introduction” topic and select
the Send To New Page menu item. A new page with the “Introduction” topic as the main idea is added
to your document, and the original page changes accordingly.
A hyperlink symbol appears on the “Introduction” topic on both pages to indicate they are linked.
You can click the hyperlink symbols to quickly switch between the topics and pages, or you can use
the Page Navigator to switch between pages.

Lesson 5 showed how to change the arrangement of topics in your mind map. You learned how to
arrange topics and subtopics on multiple pages to make it easier to view and work with large mind
maps.
You also learned how to use hyperlinks and the Page Navigator to quickly switch between topics on
multiple pages.
3.7 Lesson 6. Planning a Picnic

In Lesson 6, we’ll plan a picnic as an amusing practice exercise to demonstrate ConceptDraw
MINDMAP’s brainstorming feature.
Brainstorming
Defining Topic Relationships
Defining Relationship Types
Changing Relationship Line Styles
Summary
Brainstorming was originally used to find a range of potential solutions to difficult problems. Whether
used to solve problems or to promote creative thinking for other objectives, as a general rule,
brainstorming sessions consist of a group of individuals who spontaneously contribute ideas related to a
specific theme for a limited amount of time. Each participate must generate as many ideas as possible,
inspired by what other participants contribute. Rather than focusing on logical thinking, the focus is on
the free flow of ideas.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP lets you record and organize ideas presented during brainstorming sessions.
During a session, ideas are rapidly added to the map as they are contributed. After the session ends,
the map is reorganized based upon the presented ideas.
Now, as a fun practice exercise, let’s use the brainstorming feature to plan a hypothetical picnic. First,
we need to create a new brainstorming document. Select New under the File menu and choose
Brainstorming on the popup submenu. You can also start a brainstorming session while working on an
existing document by clicking Brainstorming under the Tools menu, or by clicking the Brainstorm
button on the toolbar. A brainstorming window opens with a default main idea topic.
Next, specify the name of the main theme for the brainstorming session in the corresponding field. For
this example, enter the name “Picnic”.
The main idea topic will be automatically renamed to the brainstorming theme.

Specify the length of the brainstorming session in minutes and seconds.
When it’s time to begin the brainstorming session, click the Start button. The timer lets you track and
limit the length of a brainstorming session. When the time runs out, you are notified by an audible signal
and message.
Ideas that come up during the brainstorming session are added to the map. To add an idea, enter it into
the text field for that purpose at the top of the window then press Enter. The idea will be added to the
map as a floating topic.
The brainstorming group needs to discuss ideas related to the brainstorming theme. In this case, the
discussion is about a picnic. For example, we’ll need to know how many people are participating in the
picnic so let’s add a topic named “Participants number”.

Let’s assume someone contributes an idea about how to provide transportation, so let’s add a topic
named “Getting there”. This can be further developed with a couple of ideas for transportation. For
example, a bus could be rented or people could go by car, so add these ideas to the map. Other ideas
might relate to entertainment, food, and supplies. All brainstorming ideas related to the picnic theme are
added to the map as shown in the following illustration.
If a topic needs to be changed, double-click it, edit the text, and then press Enter or click a blank area
outside of the topic to save the changes. When the brainstorming session is over, click the Finish
button.
After ending the session, a Map View containing the results of the brainstorming session automatically
opens.

Now, you can work with the floating topics in either the Map View or Outline View as described in earlier
lessons. Let’s organize the map by connecting related topics. Simply drag a topic onto its
corresponding main topic to connect them (watch for the destination outline to turn purple). If you need
help editing the map, please review earlier lessons for the details.
If needed, you can add more floating topics using the Insert floating topic button, or you can
switch back to the brainstorming session. You can perform additional enhancements by changing the
main idea font properties and line style. As shown in the following illustration, you can also add symbols
to the map.

Next, let’s add some notes to the example picnic map. Add the note “Jack will take his, Ann and Bob
can take records” to the “Tape recorder” topic. Then, add the note “2 kg of bananas, 5 kg of apples, 2 kg
of apricots” to the “Fruit” topic.
Note: Adding notes is described in detail in Lesson 3.

A mind map presents ideas, facts, and objects using a hierarchical structure – ranging from broadly
defined main topics to more specific subtopics. In real life, relationships are not always so logical. Two
concepts can relate to one another even though one may not sequentially follow the other in a logical
hierarchical structure. ConceptDraw MINDMAP lets you visually define these non-sequential topic
relationships.
You can use the Relationship tool to connect two related topics with a dashed line. Let’s use the
tool to connect the “Stomach” and “Food and drink” topics in the Picnic map.
· Click the Insert relationship button on the Tools toolbar.
· Move onto the “Food and drink” topic, which highlights in orange, then hold down the mouse
button and drag the dashed line onto the “Stomach” topic. Once it also highlights in orange,
release the mouse button to complete the connection. You can drag from either topic to the
other. Meaning, you could start from the “Stomach” topic rather than the “Food and drink” topic.

If you reposition either of the connected topics, the connection between the two topics is retained. To
change the shape, or route, of the connection line, drag either of its two handles as shown in the
following illustrations.

You can only define relationships in the Map View. They are not displayed in the Outline View.
You can change the relationship type for project management mind maps.
To do so, click the right mouse button on a task related topic to access a popup context menu.

Click the Relationship Type menu item then select the desired type of relationship (please see the
“ConceptDraw PROJECT” section of the guide for an explanation of the relationship types).
You can change a relationship line’s style, color, width, and end points. To change the line, move onto it
and click to select it. To access the line parameters, click the Line & Fill tab in the Inspector. You can
also select Relationship under the Format menu to access the dialog. Change the parameters as
desired then click a blank area to complete the changes and exit the dialog.

Here is the final version of our Picnic map.

In Lesson 6, you learned about using ConceptDraw MINDMAP’s brainstorming feature to quickly record
ideas from a brainstorming session. Ideas were added to the map as floating topics and reorganized
after the session ended.
You learned how to connect and arrange floating topics, and how to define relationships between non-
sequential mind map topics. You also learned about changing line styles, colors, widths, and end
points.
3.8 Lesson 7. Planning a Website Project

Some projects require a mix of complex technologies. To design and manage complex projects you
need a powerful tool that can work with various types of information. For example, suppose you are
charged with developing a new website. You can organize the contents of your website with the help of a
mind map.
A website is frequently a complex structure that may require the talents of more than one person. Each
person involved in the development process may be treated as a shared resource. In this case, you’ll
need to estimate the amount of time it takes each person to complete their task.

With ConceptDraw MINDMAP, it’s easy to make drafts of web-pages and plan their development. You
can make drafts of new web-pages, specify time estimates, their authors, and even track the
development process. And if more detailed management is required, your mind map document can be
opened in ConceptDraw PROJECT – our companion project management product – or you can export
your mind maps to MS Project.
Creating a Website Map

Adding Task Information
Sorting Topics
Exporting to ConceptDraw PROJECT and MS Project
Summary
As a practice exercise, create the following website map using the same methods described in prior
lessons.
The map represents the structure of the website.
After creating the website structure, you can specify parameters for task related topics. To do so:
· Select the topic representing the task.
· Click the Task Info tab in the Inspector. You can also access this dialog under the Format
menu by selecting Task Info, and then selecting Add on the popup submenu.

· Specify the task properties in the corresponding dialog fields then click a blank area to exit the
dialog and save the information.
· Repeat these steps for each task related topic.
You can use this method to assign properties for each task topic. If you export your document to a
project management application, the task information is also exported. To remove task information from
a topic, select the topic, click Task Info under the Format menu, and then select Delete.
Topics that have associated task information have a task symbol attached to them. You can click the
symbol to access the task information, or you can move the mouse pointer over the symbol momentarily
to see a popup text tip that shows the time and duration task parameters.
When you specify the amount a task has been completed in the Task Info dialog (in percentages), a
symbol appears next to the name of the topic in the map reflecting the percentage of completion. For
example, an empty symbol indicates no work has begun for the task, while a half-filled
symbol indicates 50% of the work has been completed. The symbol also reflects various other degrees
of completion as shown here.
You can click a progress symbol to incrementally add 10% to the amount of work that has been
completed, or you can click the task symbol on the topic and specify the percentage of completion in

the Task Info dialog.
As a practice exercise, go ahead and specify task parameters for the main topics in the website plan
using your own timeline estimates.
ConceptDraw MINDMAP lets you sort the topics in your mind maps. You can sort by the percentage of
completion task parameter explained in the prior section of this guide, or by other parameters.
To perform a sort, click the Sort topics button on the toolbar or select Sort Topics under the
Map menu.

On the Sort Topics dialog, click the Task Percentage complete option. Leave the other options as
they are and click OK to exit and perform the sort. When needed, you can also sort by topic names or
numbers, specify whether to include subtopic levels, or even sort topics in reverse order.
In some cases you may find it convenient and faster to use ConceptDraw MINDMAP for developing
preliminary project plans that can later be imported into project management applications – such as
ConceptDraw PROJECT or MS Project – which have specific features for tracking tasks and costs,
coordinating workers, and managing other resources.
You can open ConceptDraw MINDMAP documents directly in ConceptDraw PROJECT by simply
selecting Open under the File menu within ConceptDraw PROJECT. Alternatively, you can save your
mind map document, and then select Open in ConceptDraw PROJECT under the ConceptDraw
MINDMAP File menu. ConceptDraw PROJECT will automatically startup and open the active mind map
document.
To export a mind map for use in MS Project, under the File menu, choose Export and select MS
Project XML.
You can also import maps back into ConceptDraw MINDMAP. Under the File menu, choose Import,
and then select either ConceptDraw PROJECT Document or MS Project XML.
In Lesson 7 you learned about using ConceptDraw MINDMAP to quickly prototype a project such as
developing a website.
You learned how to add task information to task related topics and how to track their progress.
This lesson also explained how to sort tasks, and how to export and import mind maps to ConceptDraw

PROJECT and MS Project.
3.9 Lesson 8. Other ConceptDraw MINDMAP Features

Now that you are familiar with the main features of ConceptDraw MINDMAP, you have the knowledge
needed to create a wide variety of impressive mind maps. In previous lessons the primary focus was on
the main features needed to create mind maps – how to add and edit topics, change the map structure,
add symbols, hyperlinks, and use the brainstorming tool.
Lesson 8 explains some additional ConceptDraw MINDMAP features that were not covered fully in earlier
lessons. You’ll learn about inserting pictures and using the program’s drawing tools. Essentially, you
can use ConceptDraw MINDMAP as a graphic editor to add simple drawings to your maps.
Inserting Pictures
Using the Drawing Tools
Changing Object Colors and Patterns
Editing and Arranging Objects
Repositioning Objects
Arranging the Front-to-Back Order of Objects
Resizing Objects
Summary
The easiest way to add impact to your mind maps is to use ready-made images that are stored on your
computer. They can be attached to topics, embedded within them, or used separately. For example, you
can use images or pictures as backgrounds for your mind maps.
To insert a picture from a file, select Picture under the Insert menu, or you can right-click a blank area
of your document and select Insert Picture from the popup context menu. At the file dialog, find and
open the desired picture file then click the Open button.
A copy of the picture is inserted into the center of your active document window, meaning it is no longer
linked to the original picture file. The inserted picture is a separate object than can be repositioned,
resized, or attached to a topic by dragging it onto the desired topic.

It’s even easier to use the clipboard to add pictures to your mind maps. For example, if a picture is in
another document such as an MS Word document, simply copy it from within the original document by
selecting it and pressing the standard Cmd+C command keys (or choosing Copy under the Edit menu)
then switch to ConceptDraw MINDMAP and press the Cmd+V command keys, or select Paste under
the Edit menu.
As described in an earlier lesson, you can also use ConceptDraw MINDMAP’s built-in clipart libraries.
However, in this case, if you select a topic, the picture will be embedded within the topic. If no topic is
selected, it will be inserted into the mind map as a stand-alone picture object.
To access the clipart libraries, click the Clipart button on the toolbar. To change clipart libraries,
click the library name that’s located above the clipart thumbnails. A menu of available libraries appears.
Select the desired library.
Above the library name, you can also click the symbol, or tab, to browse your hard drive or other
disks for pictures. In the preceding illustration, we browsed the program’s clipart library and chose the
Entertainment folder for demonstration purposes.
For more detailed information about adding and embedding clipart pictures to topics in your maps,

please refer to “Adding Pictures” in Lesson 2.
ConceptDraw MINDMAP provides built-in drawing tools you can use to create your own objects. On the
Tools toolbar located along the lower left side of the document window, you’ll find a Select tool for
selecting, moving, and resizing objects, and tools for drawing rectangles, ellipses, lines, and curved lines
called splines.
To draw a rectangle:
· Click the Rectangle tool to activate it for use.
· Position the mouse pointer where you want the top-left corner of the rectangle to begin.
· Hold down the mouse button and drag down and to the right to the desired size then release the
mouse button. Hold the Shift key while dragging to create a perfect square.
To draw an ellipse:
· Click the Ellipse tool to activate it for use.
· Position the mouse pointer where you want the top-left corner of the ellipse boundary.
· Hold down the mouse button and drag down and to the right to the desired size then release the
mouse button. Hold the Shift key while dragging to create a perfect circle.

To draw a line:
· Click the Line tool to activate it for use.
· Position the mouse pointer where you want the line to begin.
· Hold down the mouse button and drag the line to the desired length then release the mouse
button. Hold the Shift key while dragging to constrain the line horizontally, vertically, or at 45-
degree angles.
The Spline tool lets you perform freeform drawing, or sketching, similar to what you can do with pen and
paper. You can use the tool to draw irregular, curved lines, or you can return back to the starting point to
create irregularly shaped objects.
To draw a spline:
· Click the Spline tool to activate it for use.
· Position the mouse pointer where you want the shape to begin.

· Hold down the mouse button and drag to create the desired line or shape. A line follows the
pointer in any direction. Release the mouse button to create the final object, which is made from
one or more spline segments, depending on the length and shape of object you create. Control
handles appear that let you adjust the shape of the object.
· Drag the control handles to refine the final shape of the object.
You can also drag back to the original starting point to create an irregular shape using the spline tool:
You can use the “Line & Fill” tab, which is initially part of the combined Inspector dialog located at the
right side of the document window, to change the line and fill colors, styles, and patterns of drawn
objects. Click the Line & Fill tab at the top of the dialog to access the color and pattern options.
To edit an object’s style parameters, click the Select tool, click the target object, and then use
the desired options on the “Line & Fill” tab. To change multiple objects at once, hold down the Cmd key
and click each object to select them all. Or, using the Select tool, drag a selection box over the target
objects and release the mouse button. Color or style changes affect all selected objects.

Once you’ve added or drawn objects, you’ll often have a need to make changes, or at least, minor
refinements. In addition to changing object colors and styles as described in the preceding section,
ConceptDraw MINDMAP’s graphic editor provides the ability to resize, move, and change the front-to-
back ordering of objects.
You can reposition, or move, any object by dragging it with your mouse. This applies to drawn objects,
topics, symbols, pictures, and so on. A boundary box or outline of the object appears while dragging to
show its relative size and position. You can hold Cmd while clicking objects to select more than one
object. Then you can drag from any one of the selected objects to move them all at once, retaining their
relative position to one another.
Occasionally, you need to place a particular object in front of, or beneath, another object. You can
select Draw under the Tools menu and use the following menu choices to change the front-to-back
ordering of objects.
· Send to Back – Send the selected object(s) behind all other objects.
· Send Backward – Send the selected object(s) beneath other objects one level at a time.
· Bring Forward – Bring the selected object(s) ahead of other objects one level at a time.
· Bring To Front – Bring the selected object(s) in front of all other objects.
You can adjust the size of objects. To change an object’s size, select it then drag from one of its
corners or sides.

Lesson 8 explained how to insert pictures and clipart into your maps, and how to use ConceptDraw
MINDMAP’s drawing tools to create your own custom-drawn objects.
This lesson also described how to change object colors, styles, and patterns.
And finally, you learned about moving and resizing objects, and how to change their front-to-back
ordering.
4 ConceptDraw PROJECT
Introduction
What is a Gantt Chart (Historical Reference)
About This Guide
Lesson 1. Quick Start - Creating Your First Project
Creating a Project Document
Developing a Project
Adding Tasks and Subtasks
Assigning Task Dates and Durations
Setting Deadlines
Making a Resource Sheet
Assigning Resources to Tasks
Summary
Lesson 2. Managing Projects and Resources
Document Viewing and Editing Options
Using the Inspector
Managing the Task List
Gantt Chart View
Editing Task Names
Adding or Deleting Tasks and Subtasks
Adding New Tasks to the Example Project
Moving Tasks and Subtasks
Changing Task Hierarchies
Showing and Hiding Subtasks
Linking Tasks and Task Interdependencies
Using Task Notes
Setting Date and Time Parameters
Project Start and Finish Dates
Setting Schedules
Changing Task Dates and Durations
Customizing the Gantt Chart Timescale

ConceptDraw PROJECT 125
Milestones and Deadlines

Milestones
Deadlines
Generating Network Diagrams
About Network Diagrams
Early Dates, Late Dates, and Slack Times
Tracking the Progress of Tasks and Projects
Changing the Gantt Chart View
Filtering Tasks and Resources
Sorting Tasks
Changing Chart and Task Colors
Managing Resources
Creating and Editing Resource Sheets
Adding Notes to Resources
Assigning Resources to Tasks
Resource Calendar
Working with Individual Resource Schedules
Calculating Costs
Resource Costs
Baseline and Actual Task Costs
Currency Settings
Summary
Lesson 3. Printing, Reports, and Sharing Documents
Printing Documents
Quick Printout
Setting Document and Printing Parameters
Print Setup
Print Preview
Print
Reports
Current Activities Reports
Assignments Reports
Overview Reports
Costs Reports
Export
Export to ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline
Export to MS Project XML
Import
Import from ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline
Import from MS Project XML
Summary
Lesson 4. Multiple Projects and Preferences
Working with Multiple Projects
Adding New Projects to Documents
Inserting Projects from MS Project
Inserting Projects into Projects
Sharing Resources between Multiple Projects
Preferences
Interface Settings

4.1 Introduction
ConceptDraw PROJECT is a powerful project management tool. Whether you need to manage a single
project or multiple projects at once, ConceptDraw PROJECT helps you get the job done.
Projects typically involve managing a limited amount of time and diverse resources such as money,
manpower, supplies, equipment, and more. ConceptDraw PROJECT helps you manage time and
resources more effectively. You can detect which resources are underused or overused, and you can
easily share a common set of resources between multiple projects in a single document. The program
helps you increase work flow efficiency, which in turn helps keep projects on task, and on time.
ConceptDraw PROJECT uses Gantt Charts to display project tasks and timelines. Gantt Charts are
capable of displaying a large amount of highly detailed information in a visually pleasing, easy-to-
understand format. This lets you see at a glance how well the various tasks and timelines in your project
are performing. And since ConceptDraw PROJECT lets you make changes to project information directly
in the charts, you can review the results instantly.
In general, the program is capable of handling a wide variety of both large and small professional projects
such as managing employee tasks and timelines, tracking production and manufacturing processes,
organizing construction projects, or improving the productivity of product development. In addition to its
professional applications, you can also use ConceptDraw PROJECT as a personal planning tool to help
organize and track projects such as home-based work, community and neighborhood events, or leisure
and hobby activities. Essentially, ConceptDraw PROJECT can help you manage any activity or event
that requires planning, budgeting or tracking a variety of resources.
A few examples from the extensive list of features offered by ConceptDraw PROJECT follow.
You can:
· Create multiple projects within a single document using a common resource pool
· Use Gantt Charts to clearly visualize and track projects
· Easily add, edit, and view your project’s tasks, subtasks, timelines, and resources
· Create project calendar plans
· Customize project calendars
· Export/Import information between ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline and MS Project 2002 XML
· Generate project reports as HTML documents
· Publish project information on the Internet
· Maintain cross-platform compatibility between Windows and the Macintosh
· Integrate with other ConceptDraw Office tools (like ConceptDraw MINDMAP)
· Print project information with the program’s extensive printing capabilities
4.1.1 What is a Gantt Chart (Historical Reference)

Gantt Charts display information in a compact, efficient manner that’s particularly well suited to planning
and tracking projects. They were first applied in 1917 by an American engineer named Henry Gantt
(1861-1919) for the purpose of planning and building ships during the First World War.
Gantt Charts display task schedules as time bars distributed along a horizontal timescale with markers
that show project milestones and deadlines (examples are provided later in the guide). A great benefit is
their ability to display information at a high density while at the same time maintaining visual clarity.
Gantt Charts have proven to be such powerful analytical tools that they didn’t undergo any significant
changes for almost 100 years. It was only recently during the 1990’s that changes such as link lines
between tasks occurred.

4.1.2 About This Guide

This section of the guide helps you become familiar with the features of ConceptDraw PROJECT. There
is also an extensive built-in help system you can access at any time while using the program.
As you proceed through the guide, a series of hands-on lessons help you explore a variety of
ConceptDraw PROJECT’s features in a paced, step-by-step manner, beginning with the basics of
creating a single project document to using more complex features for creating multiple projects,
managing resources, and generating reports.
All lessons are conveniently arranged by relevant topics that are easy to find should you need to review
any of them later. Here’s an overview of the information covered in each lesson:
· Lesson 1 covers the quick creation of a chart. It shows how to create a single project document,
how to add tasks to the project, and how to make resource sheets.
· Lesson 2 explains how to edit and work with a project that is in progress. It covers manipulating
tasks, setting links between tasks, working with calendars, setting milestones and deadlines,
and defining timelines and costs.
· Lesson 3 describes printing, importing and exporting, and creating reports.
· Lesson 4 shows how to work with multiple projects. It also discusses document properties,
preferences, and interface customizations.
4.2 Lesson 1. Quick Start - Creating Your First Project

In Lesson 1, we’ll begin with a simple, amusing example: planning a weekend picnic for a Company’s
workers.
This example initially demonstrates how to create a single project document. You can use it as a
guideline for planning your own events and projects as well. In general, as you work through the lessons
in this guide, keep in mind that what you learn can be applied to many other types of personal or
business projects.
First, we’ll create a new document, and then we’ll setup tasks and resources for it.
4.2.1 Creating a Project Document

The program opens a new document showing the Gantt Chart view. By default, the Inspector is located
at the lower right corner of the program’s window.

The document window provides quick access to a variety of features. You’ll see a series of tabs, or
buttons, conveniently located along the top of the window for changing views. The Projects tab provides
quick access to a variety of project parameters (you can have more than one project in a single
document and access them here). The Gantt Chart view contains your project’s tasks, and the Resource
Sheet holds resources that can be assigned to tasks in any project. These and the other document
views are covered in detail as you work through this guide (see “Document Viewing and Editing Options”
in Lesson 2 for more about changing document views). For now, let’s continue setting up the example
project.
Do this task: Specify the general project parameters.
Now, we’ll specify some general information for the new project. First, at the top-left corner of the
document window, click the Projects tab to change views and activate the Project dialog for editing.
Next, enter the sample project information provided below into the corresponding fields of the Project
dialog (once again, it’s the dialog located at the lower right corner of the program window). Move onto
each item’s field and click to specify the Name, Start Date, Finish Date, Budget, and Company as
follows:
Project Name – Picnic

Start Date – 9/3/2008
Finish Date – 9/24/2008
Budget – Your Project's budget

Company – Your Company’s name
You can also define project manager name, related web-site and project goal.
Do this task: Name the new project document and save it.
To name and save the new document, select Save As under the File menu to bring up a standard file
dialog.
For this example, specify ‘Rest’ as the name and click Save. Save your changes often as you continue
to work through these lessons, and before you quit or take a break from your work. You’ll need to open
your document later to continue working with it in subsequent lessons. In fact, you should always save
your work periodically as a safeguard against unexpected mistakes, power failures, computer or
software malfunctions, or other mishaps. It’s a good idea to save backup copies of your work as well,
and then alternate between the two copies when saving. In the event you have a problem with one copy,
you’ll have a second backup copy to fall back on. To open a saved project, select Open under the File
menu.
In this lesson, we created a document with a single project. You can also work with multiple projects at
once. In Lesson 4, you’ll learn how by adding additional projects to this example.
4.2.2 Developing a Project

Now that we have created and saved a new project document, we can move on to project development. If
you are still in the Projects view, click the Gantt Chart tab at the top of the document window to switch
views to the Gantt Chart view.
The document window is now divided into two general areas. The left-most pane of the window holds a
list of tasks and their associated parameters such as: Name; Duration; Start and Finish dates; and
Cost. More task parameters exist than are currently shown when you first install the program. By
default, only the most commonly used parameters are shown. Once you are more familiar with the
program, you can customize the headings and columns by selecting Column Customization under the
View menu (you need to be viewing the Gantt Chart to access this menu item). The additional
parameters are explained later in the guide.
The right portion of the Gantt Chart view displays a graphic representation of the tasks in the left pane. It
shows scheduling information in the form of time bars distributed along a timescale (months and days by
default, however, you’ll learn how to change these later in the guide).
Note: Depending on your display and window size, you may need to use scroll bars to access all of the
parameters. You can also move onto the divider between the two window panes and drag left or right to
resize the panes in proportion to one another.
4.2.2.1 Adding Tasks and Subtasks
In this section you’ll learn how to add tasks and subtasks to a project document.
Do this task: Refer to the instructions below to add the following tasks to the project.
· Assign date
· Make up the list of participants
· Choose a place
· Plan the picnic
· Fix the budget

· Buy food
· Announce the time of the departure
· Gather for the departure
· Summarize
To add one or more tasks, you can simply press the Enter key to begin or make a double-click on the
blank space in the tasks area. A new task is added and the name field is activated so you can simply
begin typing to specify the task name. Press Enter after typing a task name to complete the entry and
automatically add another new task beneath the previous task, or when you are finished adding tasks,
click a blank area outside of the currently selected task to complete the entry and exit the text editing
mode.
To edit an existing task name, move onto it and double-click to activate it for editing, and then change it
as desired (or you can click it once to select it, and click it a second time to activate it for editing). You
can also press the Delete key to remove a selected task. Alternatively, you can select Insert New
Task, use the button in the bottom part of the window or use other items under the Tasks menu, to
add and manipulate tasks. These features are all explained in more detail later in the guide.
Tasks can also be broken down into associated subtasks. A parent (or predecessor) task, the one that
contains subtasks, is called a phase task, and has a different graphic representation than regular tasks
in the right pane of the Gantt Chart (after performing the next task below, notice the time bar of the
parent / phase task named “Plan the picnic”).
Do this task: Add the subtasks shown below to the “Plan the picnic” task you previously created.
· Make up entertainment list

· Make up food list
· Make up equipment list

To add a subtask to a primary task, move onto the desired task, click to select it, and then press Shift
+ Enter, or you can also select Add New Subtask under the Tasks menu. Refer to the illustration
shown in this section to see how your completed task entries should now appear.
If you haven’t saved your document recently, this would be a good time to update your saved copy since
you’ve made a considerable number of changes. To perform a quick save using the same ‘Rest’
document name, press Cmd + S or select Save under the File menu.
4.2.2.2 Assigning Task Dates and Durations
Now it’s time to assign the Start and Finish dates, and as a result, the Duration parameters for each
task.
The Start date is the date when the task begins and the Finish date is when it ends. The Duration is the
amount of time needed to complete the task. You only need to specify the Start and Finish dates and
the Duration will be calculated and supplied by the program automatically, or you can specify the Start
and Duration, and the Finish date will be supplied.

Do this task: Referring to the dates provided below, specify the example Picnic task dates.
To set a date, double-click the desired date to activate it for editing, and then click the arrow symbol
located at the right side of the date field to bring up a calendar for choosing dates (see the preceding
illustration). If needed, you can change the calendar month by clicking the left and right arrows near the
top of the calendar. Alternatively, you can manually enter a date as well.
Assign the task dates using the following data:
· Assign date: 9/4/08 - 9/4/08, 1day

· Make up the list of participants: 9/4/08 - 9/8/08, 3 days
· Choose a place: 9/8/08 - 9/10/08, 3 days
· Plan the picnic
o Make up entertainment list: 9/10/08 - 9/12/08, 3 days
o Make up food list: 9/10/08 - 9/16/08, 5 days
o Make up equipment list: 9/12/08 - 9/12/08, 1 day
· Fix the budget: 9/15/08 - 9/15/08, 1 day
Continue specifying the remaining dates as shown in the following illustration.

4.2.2.3 Setting Deadlines
In some cases you’ll want to specify a Finish date as firm deadline for a task, a date by which the task
must be completed. Deadlines are covered in more detail in Lesson 2. For now, we’ll just briefly describe
how to set deadlines.
To specify a deadline, move onto the desired task and click to select it, and then select Deadline under
the Tasks menu. The deadline is indicated with a downward pointing arrow at the end of the task’s time
bar in the Gantt Chart as shown in the following illustration.
Once again, this would be a good time to update the saved copy of your document since you’ve made
additional changes. Press Cmd + S or select Save under the File menu to perform a save.
4.2.3 Making a Resource Sheet

To make a resource sheet, we need to switch views. To do so, click the Resource Sheet tab at the top
of the document window, or select Resource Sheet under the View menu. An empty resource list
appears.
Resource sheets contain columns of fields for resource data such as: Name, Type, Cost, Group, E-Mail,
and Notes. Here’s a brief description of each field.
· Name – The name of the resource.

· Type – The resource type such as a work or material.

· Cost – For a work resource, the cost is one work day (unless changed). For material resources,
the cost is based on 1 unit. For example, it might be one item or one unit of weight.
· E-Mail – You can specify an e-mail address for work resources.
· Notes – The Notes column shows additional comments.
Do this task. Refer to the directions below to create a resource sheet containing the following data.
Work:
· Organizer, $35.00, [email protected]
· Administrator, $35.00, [email protected]
· Accountant $30.00, [email protected]
· Assistant, $20.00, [email protected]
Material:
· Food, $0.20
· Tents, $100
To add resources, click a blank area within the resource sheet then press the Enter key, or select Add
Resource under the Edit menu. A new resource item is added and the floating Resource dialog actives
for editing the resource information. By default, the Resource dialog is part of the combined Inspector
dialog located at the lower right corner of the program window. When accessing the Inspector, you may
need to click a tab at the top of the dialog. In this case, click the Resource tab.
Note: If you can’t find the floating dialog, it may have been closed. If you need more help with the dialog,
please refer to “Using the Inspector” in Lesson 2.
Using the Resource dialog, specify the resource information. Alternatively, you can edit the resource
sheet fields directly but you’ll likely find it more convenient to use the Resource dialog. To delete an
existing resource, move onto it, click to select it, and then press the Delete key, or select Delete
Resource under the Edit menu.
Your completed resource sheet should look like the preceding illustration. Next, we’ll assign the
resources to tasks in the example project.

4.2.4 Assigning Resources to Tasks

To assign resources to tasks, you need to change to the Gantt Chart view and Assign Resources dialog.
To switch to the Gantt Chart, click the Gantt Chart tab at the top of the document window. Now, use
the Assign Resources dialog by clicking the Assign Resources tab at the top of the combined
Inspector dialog.
Note: If you can’t find the floating dialog, it may have been closed or minimized. If you need help, please
refer to “Manipulating Floating Dialogs” in Lesson 2.
Do this task: Assign resources to the tasks in the example document.
To assign resources to a task, move onto a task in the

document and click to select it. Within the Assign Resources
dialog, click the Units field beside each applicable resource and
specify in percentages the amount that each resource will be
consumed by the task. For example, if human resources will be
involved in multiple tasks, specify the percentage of time they
will spend completing each task. Of course, not all resources
will be used for each task and some resources will likely be
used for more than one task. Similarly, some tasks will use
more than one resource. Simply leave the Units blank, or
specify zero as the percentage, when resources aren’t used for
the selected task.
Now, assign your organizer, assistant, and other resources to

the example project tasks according to the following list. The list
shows each task and which resources to assign to it. However,
since this is only an exercise for demonstration purposes, the
exact percentages aren’t crucial so we’ll leave them to your
discretion. See the provided illustration for an example.
· Assign date – organizer
· Make up the list of participants – organizer, assistant
· Choose a place – organizer, assistant
· Plan the picnic – no assignment for primary tasks/
phases
o Make up entertainment list – organizer,
assistant
o Make up food list – administrator, accountant
assistant
o Make up equipment list – administrator,
accountant assistant
· Define the budget – administrator, accountant
· Buy food – organizer, assistant
· Announce the time of the departure – organizer
· Gather for the departure – organizer
· Summarize – organizer, administrator, accountant
Be sure to update the saved copy of your document now. To perform the save, press Cmd + S or select
Save under the File menu.
4.2.5 Summary
In Lesson1 you learned how to create a single-project document, how to add tasks to the project, and
how to define task dates and durations. You also learned how to make resource sheets and assign the

resources to tasks. In the lessons that follow we will continue working with the example project you
created in Lesson 1 to learn additional ConceptDraw PROJECT features.
4.3 Lesson 2. Managing Projects and Resources

Lesson 2 covers a variety of additional ConceptDraw PROJECT features. Initially, this lesson explains
various features for manipulating document views and dialogs, and editing task lists. Later, you’ll learn
about setting links between tasks; using calendars; setting milestones and deadlines; defining the
progress and costs of projects; and managing resources. When applicable, we’ll also continue working
with the example document you created in Lesson 1.
4.3.1 Document Viewing and Editing Options

ConceptDraw PROJECT provides a variety of options for viewing and editing the data in your projects.
Depending on the document view and dialog, you can frequently edit the information shown but there are
instances where information is generated automatically, and as a result, cannot be edited.
The main document views are: Projects, Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet, Network Diagram, and Resource
Usage View. To quickly switch between these views, simply click the desired tab at the top of the
document window as shown in the following illustration. Alternatively, you can also change views by
selecting the desired choice under the View menu.
The information for all views other than the Network Diagram and Resource Usage views can be edited
directly. These views are derived from project data and as a result, cannot be directly edited.
Additionally, depending on the view you choose, and whether you select a task, resource, or other item
in a given view, a floating dialog’s content may be updated with editable information. In some instances,
this is further dependent on the view you select for a floating dialog. For example, you may recall from
Lesson 1 you needed to switch both the Gantt Chart view and click the Assign Resources dialog tab
before you could assign resources to tasks. The content of a floating dialog is dim when it cannot be
edited. The next section provides additional details about using floating dialogs.
4.3.2 Using the Inspector

Inspector is easy-to-work feature. Settings, made in Inspector, are applied right after you exit the dialog-
when you switch to another dialog, activate any tool, mark out the element in document or just click on
any place of the screen out of the dialog. In other words in contrast to modal dialogs there is no need to
press any button like OK or Apply.
Inspector is very convenient for work with a document, as it is always at hand and let working
simultaneously with both the document and the dialog, which is impossible at open modal dialog.
To open the Inspector in ConceptDraw PROJECT you need to press the icon on the toolbar or
use the menu View / Inspector.
By default the Inspector is located on the right part of the screen. However it can be moved to any part of
the screen. The dialog can be opened or closed as necessary.

To move the dialog just drag the dialog by the title with a mouse and move it to any necessary place.
While moving the dialog, it will be displayed so you can easily choose the proper place to locate it.
The Inspector contains the following sections: General, Assign Resources, Resource, Project,
Format and Notes. To select the section use the toolbar buttons on the top of the Inspector.
4.3.3 Managing the Task List

To work with task lists you need to switch to the Gantt Chart view by clicking the Gantt Chart tab at the
top of the document window or by selecting Gantt Chart under the View menu. Since we’ll be working
with the example project soon, change to the Gantt Chart view now.
4.3.3.1 Gantt Chart View
Referring to the following illustration, notice that the Gantt Chart document view consists of two window
panes. The left-most pane contains your project tasks along with their associated parameters, and the
right pane shows a graphic representation of the tasks. Various field headings appear along the top of
each pane.

In the left window pane you’ll see columns with corresponding headings representing the following task
information: Task Number, Task Name, Start Date, Finish Date, Duration, Percentage Completed and
Total Cost. The right window pane displays a horizontal calendar (timescale) along with graphic time
bars for the tasks. The length and location of a time bar on the calendar is determined by its
corresponding task’s Duration, Start and Finish dates.
You can change the size of the window panes proportionally to one another by moving onto the divider
between the panes and dragging it to the left or right. Similarly, you can resize parameter columns (or
fields) by moving onto the dividers between their headings at the top of the columns and dragging left or
right. You can even rearrange column locations (the order in which they appear) by moving onto a
column heading and dragging the entire column left or right. Note that depending on the width of the two
window panes, you may not be able to see all available columns at once. In this case, use the scroll bar
at the bottom of the window to scroll hidden columns into view.
4.3.3.2 Editing Task Names
To change or edit the name of an existing task, move onto its name and click to select it then click a
second time to activate it for editing (or simply double-click the name). Change the name as desired
then click anywhere outside of the task’s name field to save the changes, which also exits the text
editing mode.
You can also edit other task parameters directly by following the same procedure, with the exception of
task durations, which are generated automatically by the program. Additionally, you can select a task
and change its name and other parameters in the floating General dialog.
4.3.3.3 Adding or Deleting Tasks and Subtasks
Depending on the location where you want to place a new task, you can choose among several options.
To begin adding tasks to a new or empty document, move anywhere within the document window and
press the Enter key. Similarly, you can select the last task in your list and press the Enter key to add a

new task at the end of the list.
To insert a new task ahead of an existing task, click the existing task to select it, and then choose one
of the following options:
· Press the Insert key;

· Select Insert New Task under the Tasks menu;
· Right-click the existing task and select Insert New Task from the popup context menu;
· Click the Insert New Task toolbar icon.

· Click the button in the bottom part of the Gantt Chart view.
To add a new task at the end of the task list, choose from these options:
· Press Alt + Enter;

· Select Add Task to End under the Tasks menu.
To add a subtask to an existing task, click the task to select it, and then choose from the following
options:
· Press Shift + Enter;

· Select Add New Subtask under the Tasks menu;
· Click the Add New Subtask toolbar icon.
Note that you can add more than one subtask to an existing task following the same procedure.
To delete a task, click the task to select it, and then choose from the following options:
· Press the Delete key;

· Select Delete Task(s) under the Tasks menu;
· Right-click the task and select Delete Task(s) from the popup context menu;
· Click the Delete Task(s) toolbar icon.

· Click the button in the bottom part of the Gantt Chart view.
If you delete a phase task (or parent task), all of its subtasks are also deleted. You can delete all of the
tasks in the document by selecting them all and choosing one of the preceding options. To select all
tasks, choose Select All under the Edit menu.
You can also use the Copy and Paste items under the Edit menu to quickly add additional copies of
tasks to your task list. Simply click the task you want to duplicate to select it, and then select Copy to
place it into the clipboard. To insert the copy at the end of the task list, click a blank area to deselect all
tasks then select Paste. To insert the copy ahead of an existing task, click the desired task then
select Paste. Alternatively, you can use Cut under the Edit menu to delete a task and place it into the
clipboard where it can be inserted at a different location by using Paste as just described.
4.3.3.4 Adding New Tasks to the Example Project
Now it’s time to get more hands-on experience with features you’ve learned by adding new tasks to the
example ‘Rest’ project you created in Lesson 1. If needed, you can use Open under the File menu to
reopen your document.

Do this task: Add new tasks to the example project task list.
Let’s see how well you remember what you learned up to this point in the lesson, and in Lesson 1. To
reinforce what you have learned, we’ll provide general instructions here for you to carry out. You can refer
to the following illustration as a reference to see how the final edits should appear. If you accidentally
insert a task incorrectly, select Undo and give it another try. You can also refer back to Lesson 1 should
you need a refresher about performing any of the following steps.
Refer to the illustration as needed and add the following tasks:
· Insert a new task named “Arrange the trip” ahead of the “Buy food” task and assign 9/18/07 for
both the Start and Finish dates (we’ll edit the dates of the remaining tasks later in this lesson);
· Indent the task named “Buy food”;
· Add a subtask named “Hire a bus to take people there and back” to the preceding new task;
· Add a third subtask named “Buy lacking equipment”;
· At the end of the “Plan the picnic” subtasks, add a subtask named “Find out about the
equipment on hand and the equipment to buy”;
· Add a new task named “Define the budget” ahead of “Fix the budget”.
Now, let’s delete a task that is no longer needed. Notice there are now two “Buy Food” tasks. Since we
added this task as a subtask of the “Arrange the trip” task, delete the original “Buy food” task. To delete

it, move onto it and click, and then press the Delete key.
This would be a good time to update the saved copy of your project. To perform a save, press Cmd + S
or select Save under the File menu. We’ll explore various additional methods of assigning start and
finish dates to your newly added tasks later in this lesson (if preferred, you can jump ahead to the
“Changing Task Dates” section now to set the dates then continue from this point when finished).
4.3.3.5 Moving Tasks and Subtasks
When the need arises, you can rearrange the order of tasks in the task list, including their hierarchical
placement as subtasks. To move a task within the list, move onto the desired task and click to select it,
and then choose one of the following options to move it:
· Press Cmd + Up/Down arrows;

· Hold down the mouse button and drag to the desired location;
· Select Move Up or Move Down under the Tasks menu;
· Use Cut and Paste under the Edit menu;
· Click the Move Task Up or Move Task Down icons on the toolbar.
Do this task: Move some tasks to try out what you learned.
As a practice exercise, use one or more of the preceding options to reverse the order of the two tasks,
“Choose a place” and “Make up the list of participants”, and then put them back into their correct
positions as shown in the following illustration.
4.3.3.6 Changing Task Hierarchies
You can also move and change the hierarchical order of tasks, that is, you can change a subtask into a
regular task or change a task into a subtask.
To change a task into a subtask, click the task to select it, and choose one of these options:
· Press Cmd + Right arrow;

· Select Indent under the Tasks menu;
· Right-click the task and select Indent from the popup context menu;
· Drag the task to the right using the mouse;
· Click the Indent Task toolbar icon.
To change a subtask into a task, select the subtask, and choose one of these options:
· Press Cmd + Left arrow;

· Select Outdent under the Tasks menu;
· Right-click the task and select Outdent from the popup context menu;
· Drag the task to the left using the mouse;
· Click the Outdent Task toolbar icon.

It’s best to reposition a task before changing it into a subtask since it will become a subtask of the task
that precedes it in the list. Similarly, you may need to reposition a subtask before changing it to a task.
To make a subtask into a regular task without affecting other subtasks in its list, move it to the bottom of
the subtask list first, and then use one of the preceding options. Afterwards, you can move it to the
desired final position.
Do this task: Try experimenting with your example project by making tasks into subtasks, and subtasks
into tasks. You can select Undo between each operation to restore your list to its original condition.
First, though, this is a good time to save an updated copy of your project to your hard drive as an
additional safeguard. You’ll be able to restore your document to its original condition by reopening the
saved copy should the need arise.
4.3.3.7 Showing and Hiding Subtasks
To temporarily make long or complex task lists easier to read, you can hide subtasks and show them
again at a later time when needed.
To hide subtasks, choose one of these options:
· Click the box / icon next to the name of the task in which the subtask belongs (phase task);
· Click the phase task, and select Collapse Tasks under the Tasks menu;
· Select Collapse All Subtasks in the Tasks menu to hide all subtasks at once;
· Click the Collapse All Subtasks toolbar icon to hide all subtasks.
To show subtasks, choose among these options:
· Click the box / icon next to the name of the task in which the subtask belongs (phase task);
· Click the phase task, and select Expand Subtasks under the Tasks menu;
· Select Expand All Subtasks in the Tasks menu to show all subtasks at once;
· Click the Expand All Subtasks toolbar icon to show all subtasks.
Do this task: Try hiding and showing the subtasks in your example project.
Try out these features by experimenting with hiding and showing the “Plan the Picnic” and “Arrange the
trip” subtasks in your example project.

4.3.4 Linking Tasks and Task Interdependencies

ConceptDraw PROJECT lets you create conditional links between tasks. For example, you may not
want a certain task to begin before another task has been completed. Other conditional linking options
are provided as well. The Link Tasks item under the Tasks menu provides the following four options:
· Finish to Start: Task Y cannot begin until task X has ended;

· Start to Start: Task Y cannot begin until task X has started;
· Finish to Finish: Task Y cannot end until task X has ended;
· Start to Finish: Task Y cannot end until task X has started.
The most commonly used type of link is the “Finish to Start” link. It ensures that a task that is
dependent upon the completion of another task cannot start before the task upon which it is dependent
has been completed.
To form a link between two tasks, you need to indicate which two tasks to link by selecting them. Click
the first task upon which the second task will be dependent, and then while holding down the Cmd key,
click the second task. Now, choose one the following options to perform the link:
· Pick the desired link option under Link Tasks in the Tasks menu;
· Right-click one of the selected tasks to be linked, and pick the desired option under Link Tasks
in the popup context menu;
· Press Cmd + L;
· In the graphic side of the chart, move onto the first task’s time bar (starting task), hold down the
mouse button and drag the resulting link line onto the second task’s time bar;

· Click the Link Tasks toolbar icon.
To confirm a link is successful, you can look at the task time bars in the graphic chart display to see if a
link line was formed between the two tasks. You can also use the Task Information dialog to confirm a
link. To do so, select the dependent task, choose Task Information under the Tasks menu, and click
the Predecessors tab. You should see the name of the task to which it is linked (i.e., the predecessor
task). Similarly, you can use the Task Information dialog to form links between tasks as well.
To link tasks using the Task Information dialog:
1. Click the dependent task (not the starting task) to select it;
2. Select Task Information under the Tasks menu and click the Predecessors tab;
3. Click the New button to add a new task link (each field is covered in the following steps).
4. Double-click the “Task From” name field to access a popup menu of the task list and choose
the task from which the link starts.

5. Similarly, double-click the “Type” field and specify the link type from the popup menu.
6. Finally, double-click the “Lag” field and use the arrows to specify a time period (see the note
below for more about Lag). The unit of measurements can be changed to any of the following by
specifying the desired character after the Lag field number as follows: m = minutes; h = hours; d
= days; and w = weeks. Click OK to exit the dialog and save your changes.

Note: For the Lag value, you should use a minimum time period based upon the chosen link type and
the time intervals between the two linked tasks as follows:
· Finish to Start: The end of task X and beginning of task Y;
· Start to Start: The beginning of task Y and beginning of task X;
· Finish to Finish: The end of task Y and end of task X;
· Start to Finish: The beginning of task X and end of task Y.
Do this task: Create a “Finish to Start” link-type between the following tasks in your example project:
· “Make up food list” and “Buy food”;

· “Make up equipment list” and “Buy lacking equipment”.
Look at the task time bars in the Gantt Chart to view and confirm the links.
About Complex Links
You can form more complex linking structures, or networks, than are illustrated here. For example,
multiple tasks can be dependent upon the completion of a single primary task (or predecessor), and you
can create task links accordingly. You can also make a task dependent upon the completion of multiple
predecessors. In the “Generating Network Diagrams” section of this lesson you’ll learn how to easily

review task interdependencies, and more.
Unlinking Tasks
You can unlink tasks in the same manner that you linked them. To unlink a task, click both of the linked
tasks to select them (hold Cmd when clicking the second task), and then choose one of the following
options:
· Under the Tasks menu, select Unlink Tasks from the Link Tasks popup menu;
· Right-click one of the linked tasks, and select Unlink Tasks from the Link Tasks popup menu;
· Select (click) only the dependent task, select Task Information under Tasks menu, click the
Predecessors tab, click the linked task, and finally, click the Delete button. Click OK to exit
and save your changes.
· Click the Unlink Tasks toolbar icon.
4.3.5 Using Task Notes

Occasionally you may want to track details about a task that don’t readily fit into a structured task list or
chart. This is where task notes come into play. When you need to retain additional details about a task,
you can do it in the form of a note. Once created, you can simply move your mouse pointer over a task
for a moment and the note information will appear (similar to a tooltip).
To enter or edit a task note, select the task and choose one of these options:
· Select Task Information under the Tasks menu, and then click the Notes tab.
· Right-click the task, select Task Information from the popup menu, and then click the Notes
tab.
· Select a task, and use the Notes tab of the Inspector. Refer to “Using the Inspector” if you
need help accessing the dialog.

If you access the notes from the Task Information dialog, enter the desired information, and then click
OK to save it. If you enter the information from the Notes tab of the Inspector, click the document area
anywhere outside of the dialog to end the editing and save the information.
To quickly view a task’s notes, move your mouse pointer over the task name for a moment. The notes
appear similar to a tooltip. You can also access the information the same way you created the note by
using the Task Information menu item, or the Notes floating dialog.

Note: For convenience, you can display the Notes dialog as a separate floating dialog that is always
visible to quickly view and edit note information for tasks. Refer to “Using the Inspector” earlier in this
lesson, if you need help using the Inspector dialog.
Do this task: Add a note to a task in your project.
Select the “Choose a place” task and enter the following note using the Notes tab of the Inspector: “The
place should be near a pond suitable for swimming.”
Note: When you print a document, you can also choose to print additional task information. The details
are explained in Lesson 3.
4.3.6 Setting Date and Time Parameters

ConceptDraw PROJECT uses a variety of time oriented parameters for scheduling and tracking the
progress of the tasks in your project. This part of the guide shows how to change these settings and
their default preferences. It also explains how to edit the date settings in your tasks.
4.3.6.1 Project Start and Finish Dates
You can specify a project’s Start and Finish dates inside the Project tab of the Inspector. When you add
a new task to your project, it’s Start and Finish dates will be set to the project’s Start and Finish dates
by default. You can then change individual task dates as needed. An exception applies to subtasks.
When you add a new subtask, it takes on the date of its parent task (the phase task) rather the Project
dates.
If you change the Start date for a project that already contains a list of tasks, you are given the
opportunity to apply the new Start date to all of the tasks in your project. If you elect to do so, all of the
tasks’ Start and Finish dates are shifted to coincide with the new Project Start date. The relationship
between the dates, durations, links, and other settings in your project are retained.
To change the Start and Finish dates for a project, click the Projects tab at the top of the document
window. Next, go to the Project tab of the Inspector. If you need additional help with Inspector, please
refer to “Using the Inspector” earlier in this lesson.

In the Project tab, move to each date field and click the arrows (or calendar icons) to bring up a small
calendar for setting the dates. When finished, click a blank area outside of the dialog to exit the dialog
and save your changes. As mentioned above, when applicable, a message appears at this point
providing the option to apply the changes to all of the tasks in your project.
4.3.6.2 Setting Schedules
Default Calendar
Many businesses have a regular schedule that is based on a 5-day work week. Similarly, a work day is
frequently 8 hours long with a 1 hour lunch break. You can specify default calendar and schedule
settings for these parameters that will be used for new documents and projects. This feature lets you
setup this information once rather than every time you start a new document or project. Of course, you
can always change the settings again when needed, or change it for individual projects and documents.
You can also setup custom individual day settings with more or fewer breaks.
Note: When there is a need to assign individual schedules to documents or resources, you can use the
Edit Calendar dialog. This is explained later in the “Managing Resources” section of this Lesson.
To specify the Default Calendar settings, select Preferences under the ConceptDraw PROJECT menu
and click the Calendar tab at the top of the dialog.

Refer to the preceding illustration. You can specify the following parameters using the Default Calendar
dialog:
· Working weekdays: A checkmark indicates the workdays. Leave days-off unchecked.

· Default working time: This defines the work periods and breaks for a workday. The left field
specifies the start time and the right field specifies the end time for a work period. The difference
between the end time and start time of the next work period defines a break. Two work periods
with a 1-hour lunch break are predefined. These can be changed and up to five work periods may
be defined for a workday.
· Week start on: This lets you define the day that starts the work week.
· Hours per day: The number of hours in a workday.
· Hours per week: The number of hours in a work week.
· Days per month: The average number of work days in a month.
Do this task: Set the Default Calendar parameters as followings:
· Working weekdays: Saturday and Sunday are days off and the remaining days are workdays
· Default working time: Define two work periods; 10:00 – 14:00 and 15:00 – 19:00

· Week start on: Monday

· Hours per day: 8
· Hours per week: 40
· Days per month: 20
Change the default settings and click OK to save the changes.
If you need to change the time settings for the current project only use the General tab of the
Document Properties dialog.
Work Schedule
You can also set a work schedule for individual days that differ from the normal default schedule. A few
examples are holidays, special Company events, presentations, and conferences. To specify these
settings, select Document Properties under the File menu, and then click the Calendar tab.
The Calendar dialog provides the following options:
· Default: Select this option to specify days that should use the Default Calendar schedule
described in the preceding section. You only need to use this option to assign the default
schedule to days that you previously assigned an individual schedule. For this option, no time
parameters should be specified since the default settings are used. Simply activate this option
and select one or more days on the calendar. Press and hold the Cmd key to select multiple
days.
· Non-default times: Use this option to specify individual schedules for one or more days. Hold
down Cmd to select multiple days. Specify the time periods for the chosen days as described
in the preceding section.

· Nonworking day: Choose this option to override the Default Calendar workdays. You can specify
any day as a day-off. Enable this option and then select one or more days on the calendar. Hold
down Cmd to select multiple days.
Note: To only change the Default Calendar status for one or more days in order to switch a day from a
workday to a day-off or a day-off to a workday, select the desired days (hold Cmd for multiple days) and
enable the applicable option as described above.
Do this task: In your example project, set an individual schedule for the “Gather for the departure” task.
Use 9/18/08 for the date (which is the date of the task), and enter 9:00 – 9:30 for the time period. Click
OK to save the changes.
4.3.6.3 Changing Task Dates and Durations
To change task dates you can choose among several options according to your own preferences. You
can:
· Edit the date field of the task in the task list;

· Change the task’s time bar in the Gantt Chart;
· Use the General tab on the Inspector dialog;
· Use the Task Information dialog under the Tasks menu.
Using the Task List to Change Dates and Durations
To change a date for a task you need to click the Gantt Chart tab at the top of the document window to
access the task list. Then if needed, use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the window to scroll
the date fields into view.
Double-click the Start or Finish date field for the task you want to change, and then click the arrow next
to the date to bring up a calendar. Use the calendar to specify the desired date. To change a Duration,
double-click the desired Duration field then use the arrows to increase or decrease the duration. When
you change a Duration, the Finish date is automatically updated to reflect the change.
Note: When you change task start dates, finish dates and duration parameters, any other tasks
affected by the changes are automatically updated as well.
Do this task: Set the dates for two of the tasks you added earlier in this lesson as follows.
Change the task, “Hire a bus to take people there and back”, Start date to 9/18/08 and the Duration to 1
day. Change the task, “Buy lacking equipment”, Start date to 9/18/08 and the Duration to 3 days.

Using Time Bars to Change Finish Dates and Durations
You can also change task Finish dates and Durations by manipulating task time bars. You cannot
change Start dates with the time bars, however. Instead, use one of the other provided options.
To change a task’s Finish date, move onto the right end of the task’s time bar, hold down the mouse
button and drag the end of the bar to the desired date position. The task’s Duration field is automatically
updated to reflect the change.
Do this task: Set the Finish date for the “Buy food” subtask you added earlier in this lesson.
The Start date should be 9/17/08. If it isn’t, set the date as described above then as a practice exercise;
drag the task’s time bar to set the Finish date to 9/18/08. The Duration should be 2 days.
Using Dialogs to Change Dates and Durations
The Task Information and General dialogs also let you change task dates. Either dialog lets you specify
the same task information. To change information using either of the dialogs, you must first select the
desired task (click a task to highlight it).
Do this task: Set the Start date, Finish date, and Duration for the task, “Define the budget”, to
September 15-18. Set the Duration to 4 days.
Use the Inspector’s tab General to set the dates. If you have trouble locating the dialog, please refer to
the “Using the Inspector” section near the beginning of this lesson for help.

Move to the appropriate field in the dialog and click to activate it for editing. Leave the remaining
parameters unchanged. When you’ve finished setting the date and Duration parameters, click anywhere
outside of the dialog to exit and save your changes.
Do this task: Finish setting the dates for any remaining tasks you added earlier in this lesson.

Use the Task Information dialog to set both the task Start and Finish dates to 9/15/08 for the task, “Find
out about the equipment on hand and the equipment to buy”. To access the Task Information dialog,
click the task to select it, and then choose Task Information under the Tasks menu (or press Cmd + I
). Click the General tab on the dialog if it doesn’t appear by default, and then set the dates as
previously described. The Duration should be 1 day. Leave the remaining fields unchanged and click OK
to exit the dialog, which saves your changes.
Your example project’s task list should now appear as in the following illustration. At this point, press
Cmd + S once again to update the saved copy of your project file and keep your changes for future use.

4.3.6.4 Customizing the Gantt Chart Timescale
A timescale ruler (or calendar) measures time for the tasks in your project. The ruler is located at the top
of the Gantt Chart window above the task time bars.
The timescale is divided into two units of measurement consisting of large units on the top (weeks), and
small units on the bottom (days). The small units typically represent a subset of the large units. By
default, the units are set to calendar months and days. However, it’s possible to change the timescale
for each project. For example, you could change the month units into weeks and the day units into
hours.
To change both units of the timescale such that the large and small units remain proportional to one
another, you can simply zoom the timescale in or out. For instance, zooming the timescale in one time
changes the months to days, and the days to hours.

To zoom the timescale, choose one of the following options:
· Select Zoom In or Zoom Out under the View menu;

· Right-click on the timescale in the Gantt Chart and select Zoom In or Zoom Out from the
popup context menu;
· Click the Zoom In or Zoom Out toolbar icons.
You can also customize the timescale disproportionally by using the Timescale dialog. To access the
dialog:
· Select Timescale under the View menu;

· Right-click on the timescale in the Gantt Chart and select Timescale from the popup menu.
The Timescale dialog lets you specify the following parameters:
· Units: The popup menu lets you specify the units for both the large and small scales on the
Timescale gauge. The unit choices are Years, Half Years, Quarters, Months, Thirds Of Months,
Days, Hours, and Minutes.
· Align: Use this to specify the alignment of the text on the timescale (left, center, or right).
· Count: This lets you change the scale, or interval of the units. For example, use 1 to show every
unit, 2 to show every other unit, 3 to show every third unit, and so on.
Specify the settings as preferred, and then click OK to exit and save your changes.
4.3.7 Milestones and Deadlines

ConceptDraw PROJECT lets you mark milestone and deadline tasks to emphasize the important role
they play for scheduling or completing a project successfully.
4.3.7.1 Milestones
You can set milestones to mark the completion of key stages of projects. For example, milestones
might mark important points in a project such as: submitting proposals, signing important documents or
contracts, providing interim product updates, completing milestones for payments, and so on.

Since milestone tasks are only used to mark a key stage of a project, they don’t have assigned
durations and timelines (an example is provided at the end of this section).
To mark a milestone, click the desired task and choose one of the following options:
· Select Milestone under the Tasks menu;

· In the General tab of the Inspector, click the Milestone option, and then click a blank area
outside of the dialog to exit and apply the changes;
· Select Task Information under the Tasks menu, click the General tab on the resulting dialog,
enable the Milestone option, and then click OK to exit and apply the change.

To change a task from a milestone back to its prior status, simply repeat any of the same procedures
described above to disable (or remove) the Milestone setting.
Note: You can set or disable milestones for multiple tasks at once by holding Cmd while clicking each
task to select them all, and then use any of the procedures described above.
Do this task: Change the task, “Fix the budget”, into a milestone.
The “Fix the budget” task marks the completion of the planning stage of our project and the beginning of
the implementation stage. Use any of the preceding options to change the task into a milestone.

If you select a milestone task and pull up the Tasks menu, you’ll see a checkmark next to the
Milestone menu item name, which indicates the task is a milestone. Milestones are indicated in the
graphic area of the Gantt Chart with a diamond-shaped milestone marker rather than the usual time
bar:
4.3.7.2 Deadlines
In addition to milestones, you can also specify task deadlines. In many cases, the time of task
completions are flexible and can be adjusted when necessary. In other cases, the completion of a task
by a specified time may crucial to the overall success of a project.
For example, there might be serious consequences when certain deadlines aren’t met such as the loss
of bonuses, payment penalties, an inability to continue work on other tasks, or even contract
cancelations or the complete failure of the project. Rather than extending completion times in these
cases and risk jeopardizing or disrupting the overall success of a project, you may want to allocate
additional resources to the task to help ensure an approaching deadline is met. By marking deadlines,
you’ll be able to monitor their approach to determine whether resource adjustments are needed (an
example is provided later).
The first option below assigns a deadline to a task’s Finish date; however, a deadline can precede a
task’s Start date or exceed its Finish date. For example, you might schedule a task to end a few days
ahead of a deadline to provide a cushion. Alternatively, you might want to set a deadline ahead of a
critical task’s Finish date to give you time to allocate additional resources to the task. To specify a date
other than the Finish date, use one of the other dialog-based options. To mark a deadline, select the
desired task and use one of the following options:
· Select Deadline under the Tasks menu to set a Finish date as a deadline;
· In the General tab of the Inspector, click the Deadline option and specify the desired date,
and then click a blank area outside of the dialog to exit and apply the changes;
· Select Task Information under the Tasks menu, click the General tab, enable the Deadline
option and specify a date. Click OK to exit and apply the change.


To remove a task Deadline, simply choose one of the same options described above except this time,
disable the Deadline option setting.
Note: You can set or disable deadlines for multiple tasks at once by holding Cmd while clicking each
task to select them all, and then use any of the procedures described above.
Do this task: Set deadlines for several tasks in the example project as follows.
Since some of the tasks in the planning stage of our example project must be completed prior to taking
the trip, we’ll use them to practice setting deadlines. Use the General floating dialog and the Task
Information dialog to set deadlines that coincide with the Finish dates of the following tasks as described
above: “Buy food” and “Buy lacking equipment”.

Deadlines are shown in the graphic area of the Gantt Chart as an outlined arrow marker.
Depending on the date you specified for the deadline, the marker can appear on, before, or after a task’s
time bar. Additionally, if you select a Deadline task and pull up the Tasks menu, you’ll see a checkmark
next to the Deadline menu item name, which also indicates the task is a deadline.
Save the updated version of your document now. To perform the save, press Cmd + S or select Save
under the File menu.
4.3.8 Generating Network Diagrams

Viewing your project as a network diagram provides several advantages. The visual representation of task
interdependencies makes it easier to see which tasks must be finished on time to avoid project delays.
Similarly, you can see which tasks can be delayed, and for how long, so you can shift resources to
other more important tasks.
Do this task: Generate a Network Diagram for your example Picnic project.
To generate a Network Diagram for the tasks in your project, click the Network Diagram tab at the top
of the document window. Alternatively, you can also select Network Diagram under the View menu. A
diagram of the tasks in your project displays.

4.3.8.1 About Network Diagrams
Network diagrams show the relationship between linked and unlinked tasks in your project in a
structured graphic layout. Tasks are displayed using a sequence of rounded diagram rectangles, or
boxes. Each box contains information (explained later) about its corresponding task.
The task diagram boxes are displayed from left-to-right according to their linked interdependencies with
other tasks. Linked tasks are connected by lines and arrows. The direction of arrows always represent
the “Finish to Start” link-type, meaning the task that is pointed to by the arrow cannot begin until the
other connected task has finished (refer to the “Linking Tasks and Task Interdependencies” section
covered earlier in this lesson for the details about link-types, and linking tasks). If a task has multiple
preceding tasks, it is referred to as a “confluence operation”. If a task has multiple dependent tasks, it’s
referred to as a “breakdown operation”.
Since the Gantt Charts are derived from tasks, we’ll use the same “task” term to refer to the components
of a Network Diagram (e.g., one task = one operation in the diagram).
4.3.8.2 Early Dates, Late Dates, and Slack Times
This section explains the contents of the task diagram boxes shown in the Network Diagrams. Each
task box contains information about the corresponding task, some of which you’ll likely recognize like
the task’s Name, Start and Finish dates, Cost and Duration. The information about Early and Late dates
is calculated by the program based on the project’s Gantt Chart.
The Early and Late date parameters help determine which tasks could potentially be delayed, and which

must be completed on time to avoid project disruptions. For example, a task’s Start date (or starting
time) has the potential to be performed either early or late. Similarly, so does a task’s ending time,
represented by the Finish date. When tasks don’t begin or end according to their scheduled times, the
result is slack time. Slack times have the potential to shift or offset other Start and Finish dates within a
project, and provide the flexibility to adjust schedules. All of these parameters, the early, late, and slack
times are displayed in the lower portion of the task diagram boxes using the following abbreviations:
• ES = Early Start date

• LS = Late Start date
• EF = Early Finish date
• LF = Late Finish date
• ESL = Early Slack time (for ES or EF)
• LSL = Late Slack time (for LS or LF)
Early Parameter Calculations
The early date parameters (ES & EF) are calculated by direct analysis of the task dates as follows. The
Early Start (ES) date for the first task is set to the task’s Start date. The Early Finish (EF) date is a
task’s Early Start date plus it’s Duration. The Early Start date for the next task is the Early Finish date
of the preceding task. If a task has more than one preceding task (is a confluence operation) then its
Early Start date is the Early Finish date of the task with the latest date.
Late Parameter Calculations
The late date parameters are calculated in reverse beginning with the last task. The Late Finish (LF) date
of the last task is set to the task’s Early Finish date, which is calculated as described above. The Late
Start (LS) date is a task’s Late Finish date minus its Duration. The Late Finish date of the next task is
the Late Start date of the preceding task. If a task has more than one following task (is a breakdown
operation) then its Late Finish date is the Late Start date of the task with the latest date.
Do this task: As a practice exercise, use the example “Picnic” project and review the Network Diagram
for the following tasks to determine their early and late dates: “Choose a place”; “Make up entertainment
list”; “Make up equipment list”.
Slack Times
As described at the beginning of this section, slack times result when tasks are completed before or
after their scheduled Start and Finish dates. Slacks times are displayed at the bottom of task diagram
boxes using abbreviated labels: ESL (Early Slack Time) and LSL (Late Slack Time).
When ESL (early) slacks occur, they provide the flexibility to make schedule and resource adjustments
to help improve the overall efficiency of your projects. You can use the ESL slack times as guidelines for
adjusting task Start and Finish dates, and for deciding how to use your limited resources more
effectively. For example, tasks that have ESL slack times might be started later than planned in order to
temporarily shift their resources to other tasks that are taking longer than expected. This can be
particularly useful when you have parallel tasks or projects underway simultaneously. Of course, any
schedule adjustments should remain within the limits of the early and late date parameters for the
affected tasks.
LSL (late) slack times are undesirable as they indicate tasks, and possibly your entire project are
behind schedule. If possible, you may want to allocate additional resources where needed to speed up

the completion of one or more subsequent tasks.
Slack times should always be positive values. Negative values indicate there is likely a mistake in the
calculations, in which case, all parameters should be reviewed and checked for errors.
Do this task: As a practice exercise, use the example “Picnic” project and review the Network Diagram
for the following tasks to determine their slack times: “Choose a place”; “Make up entertainment list”;
“Make up equipment list”.
4.3.9 Tracking the Progress of Tasks and Projects

You can track the progress of a task, that is, how much of it has been completed, using the task’s
“Complete” parameter.
By default, the “Complete” field doesn’t appear in your task list after installing the program. To customize
the task list to show the “Complete” field column, click the Gantt Chart tab to switch to its view, and
then select Column Customization under the View menu. Click the box next to the “Complete” option,
and then click OK. Afterwards, you may need to use the scroll bar to move the “Complete” field into
view. You need to enable this view option now since it’s needed to work through this section of the
guide.
The “Complete” parameter is expressed as a percentage. For example, if one-half of a task has been
completed, the value would be specified as 50%. This parameter is also represented as a colored bar
that proportionally overlays the task’s time bar in the graphic part of the Gantt Chart. Regularly updating
the task “Complete” parameters lets you track the progress of the tasks in your project.
To set or update the completion percentage for a task, click the Gantt Chart tab (if needed) to switch to
the Gantt Chart view, click the task to select it, and then choose one of the following options.
1. Specify the percentage directly in the “Complete” field column from the task list.
2. On a task’s time bar, you can drag the right edge of the green portion of the bar until it reflects
the amount the task has been completed. The completed portion of the task is represented in
green, and the unfinished part of the task is represented in blue.
3. In the General tab of the Inspector that’s initially docked at the upper right corner of the
program window, specify the percentage of completion in the “Complete” field. Click a blank area
outside of the dialog to exit and save changes. Please see “Using the Inspector” if you need
additional help with the dialog.
4. Select Task Information under the Tasks menu, and specify the percentage of completion
within the “Complete” field (click the dialog’s General tab, if needed, to access the General
settings). Click OK to save changes and exit the dialog.
Note: When using the General dialogs in steps 2 and 3 to specify percentages, you can apply the
percentages to multiple tasks at once. To do so, hold Cmd and click all of the desired tasks before
accessing the General dialogs.
Do this task: Let’s assume the date is 9/11/08 and assign completion percentages to tasks in the
example project as follows (as a practice exercise, use all 4 of the options described above to specify
the percentages):
· “Assign date”; 100%

· “Make up list of participants”; 100%
· “Choose a place”; 100%

· “Make up entertainment list”; 50%

· “Make up food list”; 30%
A phase (or parent) task’s completion percentages are calculated by the program automatically based
on the phase’s subtasks, so you don’t need to specify a completion percentage for the “Plan the picnic”
task.
4.3.10 Changing the Gantt Chart View

· Filter tasks and resources

· Sort tasks
· Change chart and task colors
4.3.10.1 Filtering Tasks and Resources
ConceptDraw PROJECT lets you create and edit filters to view tasks in your project according to
specific criteria or parameters. Although we’ll focus primarily on using filters for tasks in this section, you
can also use the same process described here to apply filters to resources and projects.
To use filters, you first need to create one or more filters. Under the View menu, you can select Edit
Filters to create a new filter or edit an existing filter. We’ll do this as a task in a moment. After viewing
your task list using a filter, you can select Reset Filter to switch back to the normal view of your task
list. Once you have created one or more filters, you can access them through a popup menu by
selecting the Filters menu item under the View menu.
To create, edit, or delete a filter, select Edit Filters under the View menu. Alternatively, you can also
click the Edit Filters toolbar icon. The Filters dialog appears.

To use the Filters dialog to create or edit a task, resource, or project filter:
1. In the left pane of the dialog, click the desired type of filter: Task Filters, Resource Filters, or
Project Filters.
2. Click the Add Filter button. A new filter appears under the chosen filter type. You can click the
name of an existing filter to edit its name or other filter parameters.
3. In the “Filter Name” field at the upper right side of the dialog, enter the desired filter name.
4. Specify the filtering mode after the prompt “Requirements connected with:” by clicking the popup
button menu. The “AND” option includes tasks that meet ALL of the specified filter criteria while
the “OR” option includes tasks that meet one or more of the specified settings.
5. Specify the action type after the prompt “Filter action type:” by clicking the popup button menu.
The “Positive” option includes tasks whose value is zero or greater. The “Negative” option
includes tasks whose value is less than zero.
6. Click the Add button at the lower right corner of the dialog. A new set of filter parameters is
added to the list. Each set, or row, of parameters lets you specify the filter criteria for a given
field, or heading / column, according to the chosen type of filter specified in step 1. For
example, task filters let you filter field columns such as Durations, Start and Finish dates, Cost,
and so on.
7. Double-click the “Name” field under “Column” in the lower right pane of the dialog and choose
the name of the field you want to filter from the popup list of choices.
8. Double-click the field under “Operation” and pick the desired item from the popup menu. The
filter operation is performed according to the field chosen in step 7 and the Value specified in
step 9. As a result, the operation popup menu choices change accordingly. For text operations,

such as viewing task names, the operation choices relate to searching or comparing text. For
numbers or values, the choices relate to comparing numbers such as “<”, “<=”, “>”, and so on.
As an example for a task filter, if you choose to filter the “Complete” field in step 7, and use 50%
as the Value in step 9, and then choose “<” here for the operation, all tasks that are less than
50% done are displayed.
9. Double-click the field under “Value” and specify the parameter to use for the filter. The Value can
be text for text-oriented fields and operations, or an amount for number oriented operations.
10. You can click the Add button again to create additional sets of filter criteria (e.g., for the column
parameters in a task list), click Delete to completely remove an entry, or click Clear to clear
the parameters and start over.
11. When the filter parameters are set as desired, click the Save button at the top of the dialog to
save the new set of parameters to the filter you are currently editing.
To delete a filter, click the desired name in the left pane of the Filters dialog, and then click the Delete
Filter button at the top of the dialog. You can also copy existing filters to create another variant, or a
new filter consisting of minor revisions. To do so, move onto the name of the filter you want to copy and
click the Add Copy button at the top of the dialog.
When you are completely finished creating and editing filters, click OK to exit the dialog.
Do this task: Follow the preceding instructions to create a filter that shows only tasks having a Duration
equal to or greater than 2 days for which work has not yet begun. Use “Example” or your own preference
for the filter name. Hint: You’ll need to add two sets of filter parameter entries, one for the “Duration” field
column and one for the “Complete” field (to filter out tasks that are already underway).
You can use your newly created filters by selecting the Filters menu item under the View menu, and
choosing the name of your filter, or you can also use the Filters toolbar. Select Reset Filter under the
View menu to restore your original view.
4.3.10.2 Sorting Tasks
You can sort tasks by their parameter columns. For example, you might want to regroup them according
to their cost, progress, duration, completion dates, or alphabetically by name.
To sort tasks, simply move onto a column heading at the top of the task list and right-click, and then
select the desired sort option from the popup context menu. The tasks are regrouped and displayed
accordingly.

The Sort Ascending menu item sorts from the lowest value (or earliest date) to the highest value.
Conversely, The Sort Descending item sorts from the highest to the lowest, and No Sorting restores
the list to its normal view.
Do this task: Sort your example project tasks alphabetically.

Right-click the task list “Name” field heading and select Sort Ascending. Afterwards, select No Sorting
to restore the list to its normal view.
4.3.10.3 Changing Chart and Task Colors
ConceptDraw PROJECT lets you customize the colors of your task list and chart views. For example,
you might want to highlight tasks associated with important deadlines with a different color to make
them standout. You can also customize your document, Gantt Chart, Resource, and Project views.
All color parameters are set using the Format tab of the Inspector. If you need additional help with
floating dialogs, please see “Using the Inspector” earlier in this lesson.
A description of the Format dialog options follows.
· Text Format: This area of the Format dialog lets you specify the color of selected text.
· Fill Format: This portion of the dialog lets you change the fill colors and patterns for text
backgrounds or for the graphic part of the Gantt Chart. By default, the Foreground Color is white
and the Background color is black.
· Complete Format: This part of the dialog lets you set the colors for the portion of a task’s time
bar that represents the percentage of the task that has been completed, when applicable (some
portion of a task must have been completed for this to appear).
· Pattern: The Pattern template determines how the foreground and background colors are used.
Initially, the Pattern template is set to a solid pattern (#1), which fills an area completely solid
using the Foreground Color (white by default). Since template #1 consists of one solid color, the
Background Color isn’t used. For the other pattern templates, the light areas take on the
Foreground Color and the dark areas take on the Background Color.
There are 42 types of templates ranging from filling with a solid color using the specified Foreground
Color (pattern template 1), to using various texture fills (2 – 36), gradient fills (39-42), or no fill at all with
(template 0).
To change a task’s text or background color in the task list, select the task then set the Text Color or
other colors as preferred. To change a task’s time bar colors, select the time bar in the graphic part of
the Gantt Chart, and set the desired colors. Click a blank area outside of the Format dialog to exit and
save your changes.
Do this task: Change the colors of tasks in the example project as follows (see the provided illustration).
· “Make up entertainment list”; Change the text color to red.

· “Make up entertainment list”; Change the time bar’s percentage complete area to pale blue
using a fill template (pattern template #38). Under the “Complete Format” area of the dialog,
specify the template first then use the Background Color option to set the color.
· “Buy lacking equipment”; Change the text background color to lilac using a fill template #40.
Use the “Fill Format” Foreground Color.

4.3.11 Managing Resources

To work with resources you need to switch to the Resource Sheet by clicking the Resource Sheet tab
at the top of the document window, or by selecting Resource Sheet under the View menu.
There are two types of resources, work (or manpower) resources and material resources. Work
resources usually supervise or perform a task. Material resources vary depending on the needs of each
task. Examples include food, transportation, equipment, and other supplies.
4.3.11.1 Creating and Editing Resource Sheets
To add a new resource to the end of the resource list, choose from the following options:
· Press the Enter key;

· Select Add Resource under the Edit menu;
· Right-click and select Add Resource from the popup context menu.
To enter information for a new resource or edit an existing resource, click the resource to select it, and
then use the Resource tab of the Inspector.

The Resource tab of the Inspector contains fields for the following resource parameters.
· Name: Enter a name for the resource.

· Type: Click (or double-click) the popup menu button to specify the type of resource. “Work” is
for work / manpower type resources, and “Material” is for supplies, equipment, and so on.
· Cost: Specify the unit cost for the resource. For workers, you can specify a time period such as
hour, day, week, and month. For material resources, the cost is based on 1 unit. For example,
it might be one item or one unit of weight.
· Group: The name of the group a resource belongs to.
· E-Mail: For human workers you can optionally provide an e-mail address.
You can also use the standard Cut, Copy and Paste items under the Edit menu to remove and/or make
copies of resources. Use Select All to select all of the resources at once. To delete a resource, click
the desired resource, and then press the Delete key or select Delete Resource under the Edit menu.
Similar to task lists, if preferred, you can edit resource fields directly in the resource list. Simply move
onto a resource in the list, double-click, and then make the desired change.
Do this task: Use the information provided below to add three new resources to your example project..
Work:
· Assistant 2, Work, $20.00/h, [email protected]
Material:

· Equipment, Material, $5.00

· Transport, Material, $20.00
4.3.11.2 Adding Notes to Resources
Similar to tasks, you can retain additional details or comments about resources by creating resource
notes. If a resource has note information, you can simply move your mouse pointer over the resource for
a moment and the information will appear (like tooltips).
To enter notes for a resource, select the resource and use the Notes tab of the Inspector. After you
enter the information, click the document anywhere outside of the dialog to end the editing and save your
comments. Please see “Using the Inspector” if you need additional help using dialogs.
Note: When printing the document, additional task information can also be printed. The details are
provided in Lesson 3.
Do this task: Add the note “Coordinates the tasks of all workers.” to the “Organizer” resource.
4.3.11.3 Assigning Resources to Tasks
To assign resources to tasks you need to switch to the Gantt Chart. To change views, click the Gantt
Chart tab at the top of the document window or select Gantt Chart under the View menu.

You can choose among several methods of assigning resources to the tasks. You can use a modal
dialog, which also contains additional resource parameters, or you can use the Assign Resources tab
of the Inspector.
The Assign Resources tab
The Assign Resources tab of the Inspector provides a list of available resources showing their names,
and their unit percentages. These are explained in more detail below.
The Assign Resources Modal Dialog

In addition to Resource Names and Units, the modal dialog contains Type and Man-hour fields. To
access a modal dialog, first select the task for which you want to assign (or edit) resources, and then
choose one of the following options:
· Select Assign Resources to Task under the Tasks menu;

· Right-click the task and select Assign Resources to Task from the popup context menu;
· Select Task Information under the Tasks menu;
All of the preceding options are simply alternate ways you can access the Task Information dialog,
where you can see and edit resources in addition to other task information. Once the dialog appears, if
needed, click the Resources tab at the top of the dialog.

In the modal dialog, you can view and edit the following resource information for the selected task:
· Resource Name: The name of the resource.

· Type: The type of resource. Specify “Material” for supplies, equipment, etc., and use “Work” for
work-related resources such as human workers.
· Units: Specify in percentages the amount that a resource will be consumed by the assigned
task. This is explained in more detail below.
· Man-hour: The number of working man-hours consumed by the assigned task.
About Resource Unit Percentages
The unit percentages let you specify how much of a resource will be used by the assigned task. If you
click a task to select it, the floating dialog units are updated to show which resources, if any, are
currently assigned to the task, and what percentage of each resource is assigned to the task. The same
applies when you use a modal dialog.
Leave the Units field blank or specify 0% when a resource isn’t used for the selected task. To assign a
resource to a task, select the desired task then specify the Units percentage. For example, if a worker
spends all of his or her time working on one task, you would specify 100% in the task’s Units field. On
the other hand, if a worker spends 2 hours out of an 8-hour day working on the task then you would

specify 25% in the Units field (e.g., 2 work-hours divided by 8 total-hours = 0.25 x 100% = 25%).
What the unit percentages represent can vary depending on the type of resource. For example, rather
than worker man-hours, equipment, materials or supplies could be represented in units such as
quantities, weight, length, and so on. Regardless of the unit type, you can still specify the amount
consumed by a task as a percentage.
When you are finished assigning resources to a task (by specifying the appropriate percentages as
described above), click anywhere within the document window outside of the floating resource dialog to
save changes. For the modal dialog, click OK to exit and save changes.
The assigned resources appear next to a task’s time bar in the graphic part of the Gantt Chart.
Do this task: In the example project use your choice of the methods described above to finish assigning
resources to any tasks that don’t already have resources assigned to them. Estimate the unit
percentages according to your own preferences.
4.3.11.4 Resource Calendar
For each “Work” type resource, which typically corresponds to a human worker, you can create an
individual calendar. If an individual resource calendar isn’t specified for a resource, it uses the document
calendar. You can use an individual resource calendar to create work schedules that deviate from the
normal document schedule.
Since a resource calendar is initially set to the document calendar, let’s review how the document
calendar works. First, click the Resource Sheet tab, if needed, at the top of the document window to
access your project resources. To access the document calendar, select Document Properties under
the File menu, and then click the General or Calendar tab at the top of the dialog as needed. You can
also right-click on a resource name and select Calendar from the popup menu to access the dialog.
The various options in the dialog are set the same way as described earlier in this lesson for the default
project and work calendars. You can set: days-off; workdays; work hours and breaks for a workday; the
first day of the work week; hours per workday and week; and the number of workdays in a month. For
more detailed information about these parameters, please refer to “Work Schedule” in the “Setting Date
and Time Parameters” section of this lesson.
The Document Properties dialog lets you specify both default parameter settings that are used for new
resources, and individual resource parameter settings. Click the Calendar tab and notice the popup
menu button near the top of the dialog. You can select Standard Calendar from the menu to set
default settings, or you can select resource names to specify individual resource settings. If you access
the dialog by right-clicking a resource name, and clicking Calendar, the resource name is automatically
chosen for you.
Do this task: Using the resources below, set individual calendar schedules according to the provided
dates and workday times.
· Administrator: on 9/12/08, set two lunch breaks from 12:00-12:30 and 16:00-16:30.
· Assistant and Assistant 2: on 9/18/08 and 9/19/08, set the workday start time to 7:00.
Hints: You’ll need to specify three sets of times for the “Administrator” workday: 8:00-12:00; 12:30-
16:00; and 16:30-17:00. You can hold the Cmd key to select multiple dates.
When finished, click OK to save your changes and exit the dialog.

Read also Setting Schedules chapter.

4.3.11.5 Working with Individual Resource Schedules
When you change resource parameters, the program updates other affected schedules and refreshes
the Gantt Chart timescale display accordingly. If you change individual resource schedules, the program
overrides the document resource schedule and calculates new task completion times.
Let’s use the “Make up entertainment list” task as a hypothetical example. Three resources are involved
in its completion: Administrator, Assistant, and Organizer. On 9/11/07, suppose an employee needs to
take the day off. Accordingly, we assign the corresponding day off for the employee. The resource man-
hours for the task are calculated to 2.4 hours (10% resource usage for 8-hour days for 3 days = 0.1 x 8
x 3 = 2.4). The program updates the time of task completion accordingly. In this case, the task will take
one day longer to complete. To ensure the task is completed on time with a 1 day cushion and 10%
resource usage, we can assign an additional 1.6 man-hours to the Assistant resource (0.8 hours per day
for 2 days).
Do this task: As a practice exercise, perform schedule updates to handle the preceding situation.
Here’s another hypothetical example. Suppose we would like to complete the “Make up foods list”
resource early to make more time for other tasks. In this case, four resources are used for the task:
Organizer, Administrator, Accountant, and Assistant. They devote 10% resource usage to the task. By
increasing the resource usage to 20%, they will now spend 1.6 hours per day on the task. The program
calculates the new completion time, which reduces the duration from 5 to 2.5 days.
Do this task: As a practice exercise, use the preceding example to speed up task completion.
4.3.12 Calculating Costs

To calculate the total cost of a project you need to specify the cost of individual resources (human work
and materials). Based on the resource costs and amount of time to complete each task, the program
can calculate the overall totals, or the totals for a portion of the project.
Expenses should be specified as precisely as possible to help ensure accuracy and successful project
completion. ConceptDraw PROJECT lets you specify expenses for any task and resource to help
accurately calculate the costs of projects.
4.3.12.1 Resource Costs
To specify or edit resource costs, first switch to the Resource Sheet by clicking the Resource Sheet
tab at the top of the document window or by selecting Resource Sheet under the View menu.
You can enter costs directly into the “Cost” field in the resource list, or you can use the Resource tab of
the Inspector. Please refer to “Using the Inspector” for additional help with the dialogs.

The cost of human worker resources is specified for one workday. Material costs represent one item or
one unit of measurement (e.g., weight unit, etc.).
Do this task: Use the Resource dialog to specify resource costs for the following resources.
· Organizer: $35/h (hour)

· Administrator: $35/h
· Accountant: $30/h
· Food: $0.20
· Tents: $100
· Equipment: $5
Do this task: Specify costs for the following resources directly in the resource list “Cost” field.
· Assistant: $20/h
· Assistant 2: $20/h
· Transport: $20
Move onto the corresponding Cost field, double-click to activate it for editing, and then enter the cost.
Click anywhere outside of the Cost field to exit editing and save the change (don’t press the Enter key
to exit or you will create a new resource at the end of the list – select Undo if you do this by mistake).
4.3.12.2 Baseline and Actual Task Costs
Task costs are specified in the General tab of the Inspector. You can also set task costs using the
Task Information dialog under the Tasks menu (it provides the same options as the General dialog).

Baseline Costs
The baseline cost is the estimated, or projected, cost of completing a task.
Do this task: For the “Buy food” task, use the General dialog to specify $750 for the baseline cost.
Actual Costs
The actual cost is the real cost of completing a task. It’s displayed in the Total field. The program
calculates the actual costs as follows.
For human worker resources, the costs are based upon one work unit (one day, for example) multiplied
by the number of units and taking into account the percentage of a resource that’s consumed by a task.
For example, if a worker completes a task in 2 hours out of an 8-hour day at a unit cost of $100 per day,
the cost for completing the task would be $25 (2/8 x $100 = 0.25 x $100 = $25).
For material resources, the cost of 1 unit is multiplied by the number of units used for completing a task.
For example, for the “Buy food” task in the example project, we’ll need to use 2 transportation resources
(2 units), one on the first day and one on the second day, to go buy food. The unit cost of each
transportation resource is $10.00. When using the Assign Resources floating dialog (or the Resources
tab of the Task Information dialog) to assign the transportation resource to the “Buy food” task, we’ll

specify 2 in the Units field. The program will use this data to calculate the task’s actual cost for
transportation (the same applies for the other resources assigned to the task).
Do this task: Using the Assign Resources floating dialog (or Resources under the Task Information
dialog), assign the following resources and units to the “Buy food” task.
· Assistant, 100%
· Assistant 2, 100%
· Transport, 2
· Food, 300
Now you can check the “Total” field in the General tab of the Inspector (or Task Information dialog) to
see the actual cost of the “Buy food” task, which is $740.00.
4.3.12.3 Currency Settings
To change document currency settings to match those for your Country, select Document Properties
under the ConceptDraw PROJECT menu, and if needed, click the General tab to access the currency
settings.

The currency related preferences are:

· Currency Symbol – the symbol to use for your currency
· Currency Position – the symbol location (specify before or after the currency amount)
· Decimal Digits – the number of decimal digits to use
The other options on the dialog are not related to currency settings. Specify the desired currency
settings and click OK to save your changes and exit the dialog.
4.3.13 Summary
In this lesson you learned about editing Gantt Charts, working with calendars, assigning milestones and
deadlines, tracking the progress of tasks by specifying the percentage completed, managing resources,
and setting costs. The next lesson shows how to create and print reports, and how to convert and share
project documents with other applications.
4.4 Lesson 3. Printing, Reports, and Sharing Documents

ConceptDraw PROJECT supports various methods of generating reports and sharing project information
with other business associates, managers, coworkers and friends. You can print a document, send it as
a report, or export it into formats that can be imported by other applications.
4.4.1 Printing Documents

This section of the guide shows how to perform a quick printout, and how to setup printing parameters. It
also shows how to print your Gantt Charts, Resource Sheets, and various other document views. Under
“Page Setup”, you’ll learn how to selectively print project information by a range of dates.

4.4.1.1 Quick Printout
To perform a quick document printout (with no pre-setting):

1. Under the View menu, choose the desired view:
· Gantt Chart – prints your task list and chart time bars;
· Projects – prints project related information;
· Resource Sheet – prints the resource list;
· Resource Usage – prints a resource usage diagram;
· Network Diagram – prints a network diagram.
2. Select Print under the File menu.
3. At the Print dialog, click OK.
4.4.1.2 Setting Document and Printing Parameters
You can specify a variety of document printing and page layout parameters. By default, the program
prints an entire document for the various document views (Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet, and Projects
views). On the Page Setup dialog, you can customize various options according to your own needs and
preferences. For example, you can print documents with and without borders or print legends on a
separate page.
Select Page Setup under the File menu to access the Page Setup dialog. Click the tabs along the top
of the dialog to change between the corresponding setup options: Page, Margins, and Headers &
Footers.
On the Page tab of the Page Setup dialog you can set options to print all pages, print information based
on a range of dates, or columns only. You can also change the scale of the printout to fit a specific page
size or number of pages.

Do this task: Print a Gantt Chart view for the dates 9/10/08 to 9/17/08 with the scale at 100%.
Click the Margins tab on the Page Setup dialog to setup page margin and border parameters.

Use the arrows to set page margins. The border options let you specify how to print a border (frame)
around your printouts, or you can select “None” to print no border. Click the “Every page” option to print a
border on each page. Choose the “Outer pages” option to print a single border around the entire printout.
You can use this for multiple-page printouts to have the entire document framed with a border. Use the
Width parameter to adjust the width of the border.
Do this task: Setup a document to print without a border using a 3 cm left margin for filing purposes.
The Page Setup dialog Headers & Footers tab lets you setup title, legends, and page number options.

Headers and Footers appear at the top and bottom of pages, respectively, according to the chosen field:
Left, Center, and Right. You can enter text into the corresponding field or click the right-arrows beside
each field for a popup menu that lets you choose document related parameters to print. The menu of
parameters print automatically based upon your document; however, you can also instruct the program
to print various parameters manually by embedding one or more of the codes below inside of your text.
&p – current page number;

&n – your project name;
&c – company name;
&f – project finish date;
&d – current date in short format;
&r – amount of pages in you document;
&a – document author;
&s – project start date;
&l – current date in long format;
&v – title of your document.
For example, the “Center” Header field contains “&v” by default to print your document’s title. The First
Page Number field lets you specify the starting page number that appears on the first page of the
printout.

Do this task: As a practice exercise, setup a document to print without a title, legends, or page
numbers.
When you are finished setting Page Setup parameters, click OK to exit the dialog and save your
changes.
In addition to these settings, your documents will print according to the various other viewing and filtering
options described in Lesson 2. In essence, your documents will print using the current on-screen view
settings, and according to the print settings specified here. Remember also that you can use Print
Preview under the File menu to confirm the settings prior to printing. You can also Print from the
Preview dialog, or you can print later by selecting Print under the File menu.
4.4.1.3 Print Setup
Select Print Setup under the File menu to set various parameters for your printer.
Options on the Print Setup dialog let you choose between multiple printers, if available. You can also set
paper sizes, printout orientations, and other properties for your printer. The Properties button options
are provided by your printer manufacturer. Please refer to your printer manual for these details. Once
you’ve finished setting up your printer, click OK to exit the dialog and save your changes.
4.4.1.4 Print Preview
Select Print Preview under the File menu to see how your document printout looks before actually
printing it.
You can save paper and ink by using Print Preview to catch mistakes before printing. Options on the
Print Preview window let you zoom in or out on the document, switch between pages, or perform a
printout of the document using the Print button. Click the Cancel button to exit Print Preview without
printing.

4.4.1.5 Print
Select Print under the File menu, or click the Print button on the main toolbar to display the Print
dialog.
The Print dialog lets you specify which pages to print, the number of copies to print, and similar to the
Print Setup dialog, you can choose a printer or set printer Properties (please refer to your printer’s
manual for information about printer Properties – this is supplied by the manufacturer of your printer).
Once you’ve finished setting up the printing options here, and as described in the preceding sections,
click OK to print a copy of your currently active document view. Or, click Cancel to exit without printing.
4.4.2 Reports
The ConceptDraw PROJECT reports wizard generates a variety of project reports for your own use or to
share with other colleagues and managers. You can generate reports in formats such as HTML that can
be shared and viewed remotely using a web browser. This allows a recipient that doesn’t have
ConceptDraw PROJECT to view the report.
In this dialog the report view is selected.
The dialog can be called from the menu Reports / Generate Reports....
In the left part you can select the type of a report you wish to create - visual or tabular. Click the picture
to select the type.

Click Visual Reports to select visual reports which are generated with the help of ConceptDraw PRO.
Now select a report from the right part of the dialog and press Generate... button to move to generate a
report.
Click Tabular Reports to select tabular reports which are generated by ConceptDraw PROJECT.
· In the right window, the list of the reports is located. Reports are divided into four topic groups:
general project description, budget for a certain period of time, resources and various task states.
In the report on the budget a certain time period, for which a report will be created, is selected. The
report on resources provides the list of all resources with specification of tasks being completed.
Reports on the tasks allow to show different states of tasks: unstarted, unfinished, finished, for a
certain time period etc.
· In the right window the icon with the notes describing the report type are displayed.
· Report format – choosing the format to save the report in: HTML, MS Excel or RTF
· Generate... – calling the Report Wizard dialog for report parameters setting
· Close – closing the dialog
After choosing the desired report, selecting a file format, and clicking the Generate button, a report
wizard guides you step-by-step through the report generation process. The wizard lets you choose
among various options or specify additional parameters (such as date ranges) according to the type of
report you choose. For all reports, you’ll need to select the project to use and columns to display. The
following examples demonstrate how to generate various reports using the example project you created
in prior lessons.

Read also Creating Visual Reports in ConceptDraw Office and Creating Dashboard Project Status
Reports chapters.
4.4.2.1 Current Activities Reports
Let’s begin by selecting a report from the Current Activities category named “Task for period” (period
refers to a dated time period). Using the HTML report format, click the Generate button, which displays
the following “Time period” dialog.
Dates spanning the current project are automatically inserted in the date fields. You can change these
as preferred for your own reports. For this example, leave the dates unchanged and click the Next
button, which displays a Project selection dialog.

If you have multiple projects, you can select the project to use for the report. Since the example has
only one project, it is selected automatically. Click the Next button to display a dialog containing a list
of task Column Headings.

Put a checkmark next to the columns you want to include in your report by clicking the box next to the
desired columns. You can display tasks for the report in the same order they are in your project, or you
can click the “Sorting by column” field popup menu to sort the task list by other criteria based on their
column headings. For example, you can choose: “Name” to sort alphabetically; “Duration” to sort by the
lengths of task completions; “Start” to sort by starting dates beginning with the earliest date; “Cost” to
sort by expenses starting with the lowest; and so on. To reverse the sorting order, select the “By
descent” option.

Click the Next button to advance to the final report dialog. You can specify a name for your report, and
where to save the report by clicking the “Choose…” button at the right end of the filename field. A
standard Save dialog appears. Specify the name and location, and then click Save at the file dialog to
return back to the report wizard.
Click the Finish button to generate and save the report. For HTML reports, the program opens and
displays the report using your default Internet browser.
Do this task: Create your own “time period report” for a range of tasks in the example project. Try to
generate a report that begins with the “Make up entertainment list” task and stops at the “Buy lacking
equipment” task.
As this example illustrates, you can create a variety of time period reports based upon your Gantt Chart
task lists. The report wizard dialogs guide you through the process of setting any needed parameters.
Additional report examples and explanations follow.

4.4.2.2 Assignments Reports
The next illustration shows a time period resource report.

The preceding report is derived from a Resource Sheet. To generate this type of report, select the “Who
Does What When” report type from the “Assignments” category.
4.4.2.3 Overview Reports
When creating “Project overview” reports you can separate information for tasks and resources by
individual projects, or you can show all of the information at once according to a range of dates. Click the
“Divide report by projects” option at the “Select Project(s)” dialog according to your own preferences.

Project reports include the following types of information about your projects:
· General – the author, start and end dates, and project duration;
· Inserted projects – the names of any other included projects;
· Costs – the projected baseline and real project costs;
· Task status – the number of tasks completed, in-progress, and not yet started;
· Resource status – the number of worker and material resources.

4.4.2.4 Costs Reports
When generating reports under the “Costs” category you can specify additional options on various wizard
dialogs. For example, the “Cash flow on tasks” report lets you choose details such as date ranges, time
intervals, task levels, and which projects to use. To follow along with the following descriptions, select
the “Cash flow on tasks” report, use the HTML document format, and click the Generate button.
Specify the date ranges as described previously for other reports and click the Next button. The
resulting “Time interval” dialog lets you choose the time interval to use for generating material expenses.

Leave the time interval setting on “Days” and click the Next button. The task-level dialog lets you select
the level of tasks to include in the report. You can choose to include projects only, task levels 1-3, or all
tasks.

Click the Next button to continue then specify which projects to use and other parameters as previously
described for earlier reports. Click the Finish button to generate the report. Try experimenting on your
own by creating and viewing different reports to see what they produce.
Do this task: Using the example project, create a monthly cash flow report for the level one tasks. The
result should be similar to the following report.

Using the program’s extensive report generating capabilities you can share reports with your colleagues
and friends over an Intranet or the Internet, and they don’t need ConceptDraw PROJECT to view the
reports.
4.4.3 Export
You can export ConceptDraw PROJECT documents to MINDMAP Outlines, MS Project XML and Adobe
PDF. This makes it possible to share documents with colleagues that are working with other
applications, or you might occasionally have a need to work with ConceptDraw PROJECT documents
using one of the preceding programs.
4.4.3.1 Export to ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline
From the Export submenu under the File menu, select ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline to export to
the corresponding file format. A standard file dialog appears for saving the file. Specify the location where
you want to save the document, and click the Save button. An “Export to Outline” dialog appears with
additional exporting options.

The “Tabulation” and “Space” Indent options let you choose whether to indent text using “tab” characters
or “space” characters, much as when you use the Tab key or Spacebar on your keyboard. As implied,
the “Include subprojects” option lets you optionally include subprojects in the exported document. Click
OK to exit the dialog and save the exported file.
Do this task: Export the example project to the “ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline” format. Use
“Tabulation” for the Indent type. Since the example doesn’t contain any subprojects, it doesn’t matter
how you set the “Include subprojects” option.
You can open the exported file using ConceptDraw MINDMAP, which creates a mind map similar to the
one shown in the following illustration.
Once the file has been imported into ConceptDraw MINDMAP, in addition to viewing it, you can also edit
the document and import it back into ConceptDraw PROJECT at a later time.
Formatting information: The text is stored in a strict hierarchical outline format using indents to organize
the information. This lets you represent information in a format specific to ConceptDraw MINDMAP.
If you were to open the document with a file manager, it would resemble the text outline illustrated here.

4.4.3.2 Export to MS Project XML
From the Export submenu under the File menu, you can select MS Project XML to export documents
to the MS Project XML file format. A standard file dialog appears for saving the file. Specify the location
where you want to save the document, and click the Save button. An “Export to XML” dialog appears
with additional exporting options.
You can specify whether to export all projects or an individual project, which you indicate in the project’s
name field by selecting a name from the popup menu. Click OK to exit the dialog and save the exported
file.
Do this task: Export the example project to the “MS Project XML” format. Since the example only

contains one project, it doesn’t matter how you set the project related options.
The exported file can be opened by MS Project where it can not only be viewed; it can also be edited
and imported back into ConceptDraw PROJECT at a later time.
Formatting information: The XML format is a structured text document consisting of specific formatting
codes that define the relationships between the various elements of the document. Data is organized in
hierarchical tree-type structures. If you opened the document with a file manager, it would resemble the
structured text-outline illustrated here.

4.4.4 Import
In addition to exporting to MINDMAP Outline and MS Project XML document formats, you can also
import these formats, providing the capability of working with documents created by other applications
should the need arise.
4.4.4.1 Import from ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline
From the Import submenu under the File menu, select ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline to import
ConceptDraw MINDMAP documents. A standard file dialog appears. Find and select the file you want to
import, and then click Open. The document opens as a ConceptDraw PROJECT document.
Do this task: Import the document you previously exported to ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline format.
4.4.4.2 Import from MS Project XML
From the Import submenu under the File menu, select MS Project XML to import MS Project XML
documents. A standard file dialog appears. Find and select the file you want to import, and then click
Open. The document opens as a ConceptDraw PROJECT document.
Do this task: Import the document you previously exported to MS Project XML format.

4.4.5 Summary
In this lesson, you learned about printing documents, generating reports, and exporting and importing to
other application file formats. The next lesson demonstrates how to work with multiple projects,
customize toolbars and views, and how to set preferences.
4.5 Lesson 4. Multiple Projects and Preferences

This lesson describes additional ConceptDraw PROJECT features such as working with multiple
projects, customizing the interface, and setting document preferences.
4.5.1 Working with Multiple Projects

As mentioned earlier in the guide, ConceptDraw PROJECT lets you work with more than one project
within a single document. In particular, you can use the “Projects” view to add, delete, or edit multiple
Projects. You can also insert projects from MS Project and other ConceptDraw PROJECT documents.
In some cases, you can simplify large complicated projects by breaking them up into smaller
components that are easier to organize and manage.
For example, suppose a business is initiating a large project consisting of several work groups. Each
group could create its own individual project (or the projects could be created by a single person). After
each smaller project has been set up, all of the projects can be combined into one common project
document.
In the case of software development, this is not an uncommon practice. Various aspects of development
are performed separately. Programmers develop the software, quality assurance engineers do the
testing, and technical writers create the documentation. This could be performed in-house, or out-
sourced to different Companies, possibly even in different Countries. ConceptDraw PROJECT provides
the needed flexibility to handle situations such as these. The following sections describe how to add or
insert additional projects into an existing document or project.
4.5.1.1 Adding New Projects to Documents
To add a new project to your document, first switch to the Projects view by clicking the Projects tab at
the top of the document window (or select Projects under the View menu). Next, select New Project
under the Edit menu, or right-click a blank area within the document and select New Project from the
popup context menu.
Do this task: Add two new projects to your example document named “Holding a picnic” and “Corporate
Party”, and then add three tasks to one of them (see the illustration and task names below).
Note: When you need to create a new project that is similar to an existing project, you can use Copy
and Paste to create a copy of the original, and then edit the copy as needed.

Now, add the following three tasks to the “Holding a picnic” project: “Day 1”, “Day 2”, and “Departure”.
4.5.1.2 Inserting Projects from MS Project
In addition to creating new projects within your documents you can insert existing projects from MS
Project. To insert a project, from the Import submenu under the File menu, select MS Project XML.
You can also select the corresponding file type from the Open dialog that’s accessed under the File
menu.
The new project is added to the Project view. Project data, when applicable, is added to the Gantt Chart
and Resource Sheet views. To sum up, when importing MS Project documents, you have two options.
You can import the project as a separate document (as described in the importing section of Lesson 3),
or you can insert it within an existing ConceptDraw PROJECT document.
4.5.1.3 Inserting Projects into Projects
When a document contains multiple projects, you can insert the contents (task list) of one project into
another project to combine them into a single common project within the same document.
Note: To insert a project between two separate ConceptDraw PROJECT documents, open the second
document, and then use Copy and Paste under the Edit menu to copy the desired project from the
target document into the destination document. Afterwards, you can insert the project into another
project as described in this section.
If you select a task in the destination project before inserting another project, the inserted project’s task

list will be inserted ahead of the selected task. If you enable the option “Insert As SubTask” (described
below), the inserted project’s tasks are inserted as subtasks of the selected task. If no task is selected,
the inserted project appends to the end of the existing project. Upon insertion, a new phase task is
created using the inserted project’s name and all of its tasks become subtasks of its phase.
To insert a project into another existing project, first switch to the Gantt Chart view and select the
destination project in which you want another project to be inserted (click its name tab just above the
task list). Alternatively, you can switch to the Projects view temporarily to select the project, and then
switch back to the Gantt Chart view. Next, select Insert Project to Project under the Edit menu. A
“Select Project” dialog appears. Set the “Insert As SubTask” option as desired then choose the project
to be inserted from the popup menu of available projects. Click OK to complete the insertion. Should
anything go wrong and you don’t like the results, select Undo under the Edit menu. If you no longer
want the original project, you can switch to the Projects view and delete it.
Do this task: Using your example project, insert the “Holding a picnic” project you added earlier ahead of
the “Summarize” task.
4.5.1.4 Sharing Resources between Multiple Projects
You create a single set of resources that can be allocated between the tasks in multiple projects.
As you may recall from earlier lessons, you specify the Cost-per-unit of both material and human worker
resources when you build your resource list (using the Resource dialog). When you subsequently assign
resources to the tasks in your projects, you also specify how much each resource is consumed by the
applicable task as a percentage in the Units field of a resource. You can track resource usage so that
the workload for human resources, or the amount consumed for material resources, doesn’t exceed
100%. To do so, for a specified time period (for workers), you need to add up the percentages consumed
by the applicable projects in your document. The program calculates the costs as well. Please refer to
“Managing Resources” in Lesson 2 for the details about unit costs and percentages.
4.5.2 Preferences
The Preferences dialog lets you specify a variety of default settings for ConceptDraw PROJECT
documents. Many of the settings are discussed earlier in their respective sections of this guide. For

reference, we’ve also collected them here and when applicable, refer you back to the respective section
of the guide for more information.
In addition to these preference settings, you can also customize the Gantt Chart timescale ruler and
chart colors. To customize the timescale, switch to the Gantt Chart view, right-click the timescale ruler,
and select Timescale from the popup menu. To customize colors, use the floating Format dialog.
Please refer to “Customizing the Gantt Chart” in Lesson 2 for more information.
To change preference settings, select Preferences under the ConceptDraw PROJECT menu. The
Preferences dialog appears.
Click the General tab at the top of the dialog to access the following preference options.
· Display on new document – Select the preferred default view for new documents from the popup
menu, either the Gantt Chart or Projects view.
· Currency – Specify the desired currency symbol, its positioning (before or after the value), and
the number of decimal digits to use for currency. Please see “Calculating Costs” near the end of
Lesson 2 for more information related to currency settings.
Click the Calendar tab to set default dates and work schedules for new documents. Please refer to
“Setting Date and Time Parameters” in Lesson 2 for a detailed explanation of the settings.

Click the Save tab at the top of the Preferences dialog to set options related to saving your documents.
· Auto-save options – Click the checkbox to enable this option and have the program
automatically save a copy of your work. Specify how often to save in the box to the right (1-120
minutes).
4.5.3 Interface Settings

In ConceptDraw PROJECT you can customize the toolbar buttons to suit your own needs.
Use one of the following options to access the Customize Toolbar dialog.
· Select Customize Toolbar under the View menu
· Select Customize Toolbar from the context menu of any toolbar
A dialog appears for customizing the toolbar:

Simply drag-and-drop the desired button icons, spaces and separators to either add them to the toolbar,
or remove them from the toolbar. When you are finished, click the Done button to exit and save your
changes.
5 Sharing ConceptDraw Office Data

Introduction
About ConceptDraw Office
An Integrated Solution for Knowledge Workers
About InGyre Technology
Creating a Gantt Chart using ConceptDraw MINDMAP tools
Making a Task List
Organizing the Task List Structure
Transferring a Task List to ConceptDraw PROJECT
Editing a Gantt Chart
Creating a Mind Map From Your Gantt Chart Data
Creating a Mind Map from All Project Data
Creating a Mind Map from Selected Projects or Tasks
Copying Data from ConceptDraw PROJECT to ConceptDraw MINDMAP
Copying Projects to ConceptDraw MINDMAP
Copying Tasks to ConceptDraw MINDMAP
Copying Resources to ConceptDraw MINDMAP
Copying Data from ConceptDraw MINDMAP to ConceptDraw PROJECT
Copying Mind Map Topics to Projects
Copying Mind Map Topics to ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt Charts
Copying Mind Map Topics to ConceptDraw PROJECT Resource Sheets

eMailing Project Tasks as Mind Maps

About Map Previews and Task Participants
Communicating Task Responsibilities to All Participants
Communicating Selected Tasks Only
Communicating Tasks to Selected Participants Only
Sending Reports as Mind Maps
Using Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)
Creating a ConceptDraw Office WBS
Editing a WBS
Making a WBS Presentation
Printing and Exporting a WBS
Creating Dashboard Project Status Reports
Generating Dashboard Reports from Templates
Editing Dashboard Reports in ConceptDraw PRO
Creating Dashboard Presentations
Dashboard Printing and Exporting
Creating Visual Reports in ConceptDraw Office
Generating Visual Reports from Templates
Editing Visual Reports in ConceptDraw PRO
Creating Visual Report Presentations
Visual Report Printing and Exporting
Additional ConceptDraw Office Data Sharing Options
Opening a ConceptDraw PROJECT Document in ConceptDraw MINDMAP
Opening a ConceptDraw MINDMAP Document in ConceptDraw PROJECT
5.1 Introduction
This section of the guide explains:
· How to share project data between ConceptDraw Office applications
· InGyre data sharing technology
· How to create project Gantt Charts using ConceptDraw MINDMAP tools
· How to create mind maps from Gantt Chart data
· How to copy tasks from ConceptDraw PROJECT to ConceptDraw MINDMAP and vice versa
· How to email project tasks and reports as mind maps
· How to create a WBS, report or dashboard using ConceptDraw PRO tools
· How to share ConceptDraw Office documents
For each lesson:

1. Follow the steps to perform an operation or create example diagrams.
2. Refer to the picture illustrations to see the steps performed.
5.1.1 About ConceptDraw Office

To better serve the complex needs of today’s professional and casual users, ConceptDraw Office
supports robust information-sharing capabilities. Each application is not only capable of sharing a range
of information with its counterparts, the documents you save with the Windows and Macintosh versions
of ConceptDraw Office are interchangeable, creating a very powerful solution for cross-platform work
environments.
You also have the flexibility of working with information in diverse formats according to the specific needs
of each situation. ConceptDraw Office supports InGyre Technology that lets you represent data in a
variety of formats such as Gantt Charts in ConceptDraw PROJECT, dashboards in ConceptDraw PRO,
and visual mind maps in ConceptDraw MINDMAP. You can exchange various types of data between the
ConceptDraw Office tools with a few simple mouse clicks, and in most cases, the data remains “smart”

Sharing ConceptDraw Office Data 213
and editable within each application, minimizing the need to switch back and forth between them only to
make a few minor changes.
Similarly, ConceptDraw Office makes it quick and easy to share project information with other project
participants or business associates. You can export or email project tasks and reports in common file
formats that don’t require recipients to have the originating ConceptDraw Office application. Examples
include the HTML format for web or browser viewing, and the PDF format for viewing and printing
documents. Numerous other file formats are also supported.
The end result is a powerful suite of business and personal productivity tools that is greater than the sum
of its individual parts. With ConceptDraw Office – one + one + one = four.
5.1.2 An Integrated Solution for Knowledge Workers

The ConceptDraw Office suite is the only integrated business solution that enables the
management of projects from start to finish. It supports several key principles that are crucial
for successful projects:
· Clear communication between all project participants, businesses, associates, and

stakeholders.
· Comprehensive visual representation of project data to promote a productive and
collaborative work environment.
· Live data exchange between various processes, project tools, and team members.
The ConceptDraw Office applications support the overall planning and management
responsibilities of Knowledge Workers, workers that generally consist of team players such
as executive staff and high to mid-level managers. To be effective in promoting a productive
work environment, we suggest using ConceptDraw Office on a daily basis to keep data up to
date and accurately track the progress of projects. Managers and team participants can use
ConceptDraw Office to:
· Share data between ConceptDraw MINDMAP, ConceptDraw PROJECT, and

ConceptDraw PRO
· Create task lists as Gantt Charts
· Send reports using a clear, visually pleasing mind map format
· Organize brainstorming sessions into mind maps
· Create visual mind map or project task list structures
· Transfer task lists between applications
· Create and distribute selective task reports in various formats to all or specific team
participants
· Generate, edit, print, export, and present a WBS with ConceptDraw PROJECT data
5.1.3 About InGyre Technology

InGyre technology refers to the ability to share and work with project information across all
three ConceptDraw Office applications. For example, you can simplify the planning and
management of project tasks by using an interactive connection between our ConceptDraw
PROJECT management tool and our visual mapping software, ConceptDraw MINDMAP. With
InGyre technology, modifications you make while using an interactive connection within any
ConceptDraw Office application are preserved across them all.
The following sections of this guide describes various ways you can accurately share and edit
visual representations of project data across all ConceptDraw Office applications. Whether
you want to create visual dashboards and reports, or transform task outlines into professional

WBS charts, ConceptDraw Office makes it easy using InGyre technology.
5.2 Creating a Gantt Chart using ConceptDraw MINDMAP tools

Creating a Gantt Chart is a key step in any project. With the help of ConceptDraw Office tools you can
create a Gantt Chart in minutes.
· Make a task list using ConceptDraw MINDMAP’s Brainstorming tool
· Organize the structure of a task list
· Create a Gantt Chart from a mind map
· Format and add information to a Gantt Chart
5.2.1 Making a Task List

To create a task list you can use the Brainstorming tool in ConceptDraw MINDMAP. This tool lets you
record and organize ideas presented during brainstorming sessions. During a session, ideas are rapidly
added to the map as they are contributed. After the session ends, the map is reorganized based upon
the presented ideas. For demonstration purposes, we’ll begin with a new mind map document and
describe how to enter ideas for a product launch.
1. Click the Brainstorming... tool button .

2. Enter "New Product Launch" for the brainstorming theme.
3. Add the ideas shown in the picture labeled Step 1.
Note: Type an idea in the provided text box then press Enter to add it to the map
4. After adding all ideas, click the Finish button
5. Your map should now resemble the picture shown here.

Step 1
5.2.2 Organizing the Task List Structure

After creating a brainstorming task list you need to organize its structure by defining the tasks and
subtasks. To organize the topics, drag them to their corresponding locations as described below.
1. To attach a topic to the main topic, drag it onto the main topic as shown in the picture labeled
Step 1.
Step 1
2. To add subtopics to a topic, drag them onto the desired topic.

3. Drag all topics to their corresponding positions.
4. The finished map should resemble the picture labeled Step 2.

Step 2
5.2.3 Transferring a Task List to ConceptDraw PROJECT

To create a Gantt Chart from a mind map you need to transfer the tasks from ConceptDraw MINDMAP to
ConceptDraw PROJECT.
1. To transfer a task list to ConceptDraw PROJECT, select Open in PROJECT under ConceptDraw
MINDMAP’s File menu.
2. A new ConceptDraw PROJECT document with all of the tasks is created and opened
automatically.
3. The ConceptDraw PROJECT document should resemble the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
5.2.4 Editing a Gantt Chart

After importing ConceptDraw MINDMAP tasks into ConceptDraw PROJECT, you can edit the tasks, add
additional tasks, add resources, and assign resources to tasks. You can also change the appearance of
the Gantt Chart. The general steps for performing these operations are described below. For detailed
explanations about editing task information and resources, and for changing the format of Gantt Charts,
please refer to the “ConceptDraw PROJECT” section of the guide or the program’s built-in help.
1. Use the General tab of the Inspector, which is shown in the picture labeled Step 1, to add or edit
task information. You can select Dialogs\General under the View menu to access the dialog.

Step 1
2. Click the Resource Sheet tab at the top of the document window, and then press Enter to add
resources to a project.
3. Click the Gantt Chart tab then assign resources to tasks using the Assign Resources dialog
shown in the picture labeled Step 2. After completing Step 2, your actual resource names would
appear in this list rather than those shown here for example purposes. Click a task to select it
then choose Dialogs\Assign Resources under the View menu to access the dialog. To enter a
resource’s workload as a percentage, double-click the units field next to the resource name.

Step 2
4. Change the chart appearance using the Format tab of the Inspector. You can change taskbar
colors and patterns, and the size and colors of text.
5. The picture labeled Step 3 shows the appearance of the finished example task list and chart
colors.
Step 3

5.3 Creating a Mind Map From Your Gantt Chart Data

ConceptDraw Office lets you create mind maps from ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt Chart data. Since a
mind map displays a clear, visual representation of project tasks, it’s a great way to share project
information among team members.

· Create a mind map from ConceptDraw PROJECT data
· Create a mind map from selected tasks in a ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt Chart
5.3.1 Creating a Mind Map from All Project Data

You can create a mind map from any ConceptDraw PROJECT document. The mind map is generated
from all of the tasks in one or more projects for the current document. Refer to the next section to
generate mind maps for a specific set of selected tasks.
1. To create a mind map using all of your Gantt Chart data select Open in MINDMAP under the
ConceptDraw PROJECT File menu.
2. A new ConceptDraw MINDMAP document with all of the tasks is created and opened
automatically as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
If your ConceptDraw PROJECT document contains multiple projects, it becomes a multi-page mind

map. Each project corresponds to a separate mind map page and each phase task corresponds to a
map topic (subtasks become subtopics).
5.3.2 Creating a Mind Map from Selected Projects or Tasks

In addition to creating mind maps of all project data (see previous section), you can also create mind
maps from a subset of projects or project tasks.
1. To create a mind map from a subset of projects or project tasks, hold the Cmd key down and
click the desired projects or tasks to select them all.
2. Click the right mouse button on any one of the selected items and choose Create Mind Map
from the popup context menu as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
3. A new mind map is created using the selected tasks as topics (see the picture labeled Step 2).
The mind map retains the same task structure and relationships defined in your project. If you
selected a phase task to convert to a mind map, all of the subtasks associated with the phase
are represented as subtopics.

Step 2
5.4 Copying Data from ConceptDraw PROJECT to ConceptDraw

MINDMAP
When working with two or more projects simultaneously you occasionally need to transfer information
from one project to another. ConceptDraw Office lets you easily accomplish this using InGyre
technology. You can use InGyre technology to copy data from ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt Charts
and insert it as topics into ConceptDraw MINDMAP without any additional processing.
In this lesson you learn how to copy projects, tasks, or resources from ConceptDraw PROJECT to
ConceptDraw MINDMAP.
5.4.1 Copying Projects to ConceptDraw MINDMAP

You can copy projects from ConceptDraw PROJECT and paste them into ConceptDraw MINDMAP. The
tasks of copied projects retain their original relationships as topics in ConceptDraw MINDMAP.
1. To copy a project from within ConceptDraw PROJECT, click the Projects tab at the top of the
document window, click the project name to select it, and select Copy under the Edit menu or
press Cmd+C. Refer to the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
2. Using ConceptDraw MINDMAP, select Paste or press Cmd+V.

3. A mind map is created from the copied project’s tasks. See the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
5.4.2 Copying Tasks to ConceptDraw MINDMAP

In addition to copying entire projects as described in the preceding section, you can also copy specific
tasks from the ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt Chart view to ConceptDraw MINDMAP. The copied tasks
retain their original relationships as topics within ConceptDraw MINDMAP.
1. To copy ConceptDraw PROJECT tasks, click the Gantt Chart tab then click a task to select it
(you can copy individual tasks or phase tasks). Select Copy under the Edit menu or press Cmd
+C. Refer to the picture labeled Step 1. A phase task named “Phase 4 - Release To Production”
and its subtasks are copied.

Step 1
2. Using ConceptDraw MINDMAP, select Paste under the Edit menu or press Cmd+V.
3. A mind map is created from the copied tasks. If a copied task has subtasks, they are also
copied. See the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
5.4.3 Copying Resources to ConceptDraw MINDMAP

You can copy resources from a ConceptDraw PROJECT resource sheet into ConceptDraw MINDMAP.
The copied resources appear as topics within ConceptDraw MINDMAP.

1. To copy ConceptDraw PROJECT resources, click the Resource Sheet tab then click one or more
resources to select them (hold Cmd when clicking resource names to select more than one).
Click the Copy button or press Cmd+C. Refer to the picture labeled Step 1. All three resource
names are copied.
Step 1
2. Using ConceptDraw MINDMAP, click the Paste button or press Cmd+V.

3. A mind map is created from the copied resources. See the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
5.5 Copying Data from ConceptDraw MINDMAP to ConceptDraw

PROJECT
The InGyre technology provided in ConceptDraw Office makes it easy to copy one or more task
branches from ConceptDraw MINDMAP to ConceptDraw PROJECT. You can paste the copied data as a
new project, as new resources, or as new tasks.
5.5.1 Copying Mind Map Topics to Projects

Topics that are copied from ConceptDraw MINDMAP and pasted into a Project view of ConceptDraw
PROJECT become a project. Parameters for Start Dates, Finish Dates, and resources are obtained from
the task information contained in the topics. Please refer to the “ConceptDraw MINDMAP” section of the
guide for detailed information about setting topic task parameters.

1. To copy topics from ConceptDraw MINDMAP, click one or more topics to select them (hold down
the Cmd key when clicking topics to select more than one). Click the Copy button, select Copy
under the Edit menu, or press Cmd+C. Refer to the picture labeled Step 1. Two topics are
copied.
Note: Topics that are pasted into the Project view of ConceptDraw PROJECT cannot contain any
subtopics.
Step 1
2. Switch to ConceptDraw PROJECT and click the Projects tab to access the Project view. Click
the Paste button, select Paste under the Edit menu, or press Cmd+V.
3. Two new projects are created with the names of the copied topics as shown in the picture labeled
Step 2.
Step 2
5.5.2 Copying Mind Map Topics to ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt Charts

Topics that are copied from ConceptDraw MINDMAP and pasted into a ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt
Chart view are automatically set up as project tasks. The structure of the topic branches, including
subtopics, are preserved. Parameters such as Start and Finish Dates are obtained from the topics, and
any assigned topic resources are automatically added to the common resource sheet.

the Cmd key when clicking topics to select more than one). Click the Copy button, select Copy
under the Edit menu, or press Cmd+C. Refer to the picture labeled Step 1. Two topics are
copied.
Step 1
2. Switch to ConceptDraw PROJECT and click the Gantt Chart tab to access the task list. Click the
Paste button or press Cmd+V.
3. Two new phase tasks are created with the names of the copied topics and subtopics as shown in
the picture labeled Step 2. The tasks can now be rearranged or edited as desired.
Step 2
5.5.3 Copying Mind Map Topics to ConceptDraw PROJECT Resource Sheets

Topics that are copied from ConceptDraw MINDMAP and pasted into ConceptDraw PROJECT Resource
Sheets are added as new resources. If resource information is contained in the topics, it is added to the

resource sheet. Otherwise, the topic names are used for the new resources.
the Cmd key when clicking topics to select more than one). Click the Copy button or press Cmd
+C. Refer to the picture labeled Step 1. Two topics are copied.
Note: Topics that are pasted into the Resource Sheet view of ConceptDraw PROJECT cannot contain
any subtopics.
Step 1
2. Switch to ConceptDraw PROJECT and click the Resource Sheet tab to access the resources.
Click the Paste button or press Cmd+V.
3. Two new resources are created with the names of the copied topics as shown in the picture
labeled Step 2.
Step 2
5.6 eMailing Project Tasks as Mind Maps

ConceptDraw Office lets you email project tasks to one or more associates using a convenient mind
map format – communicating task assignments is no longer a big chore for project managers. A mind
map with a personalized task list and preview image is initiated for each person automatically.
In this lesson you learn:

· About the appearance of a task-list mind map

· How to communicate all task responsibilities to all participants
· How to communicate selected tasks only
· How to send tasks to selected participants only
5.6.1 About Map Previews and Task Participants

When sending tasks as a mind map, a preview of the mind map is created automatically for the
associated tasks. It is sent to a specified participant as an email attachment.
Contact details for participants are found in ConceptDraw PROJECT Resource Sheets.
Project managers are notified when tasks do not have associated identification resources, or when email
addresses are not listed for participants.

5.6.2 Communicating Task Responsibilities to All Participants

Using ConceptDraw Office you can email all project tasks to all participants.
1. Switch to the Projects view in ConceptDraw PROJECT.

2. Right-click on the desired project name then select Send To Do Map from the popup context
menu as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
3. This command from the context menu in Projects view or from Communication menu opens the
Send Personal To Do Maps via E-mail dialog. See the picture labeled Step 2. Recipients with
existing e-mail addresses are checked by default. Select the required recipients by checking the
corresponding fields and press Send button. To select/unselect all resources check/uncheck the
All field. To send copies check the Send copy to e-mail addresses field and enter the e-mail
addresses.

Step 2
4. Emails are initiated using your default email client for each checked resource participant in your
project. The emails have attachments that contain an associated ConceptDraw MINDMAP file
with a task list map and preview. See the picture labeled Step 3.

Step 3
5.6.3 Communicating Selected Tasks Only

You can specify which tasks to email to participants by selecting the desired tasks.
1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view in ConceptDraw PROJECT.

2. Click on the tasks to be sent (hold down the Cmd key to select multiple tasks). For this
example, we’ll select the “Prepare Marketing Message” task.
3. Right-click on the selected task then choose Send To Do Map from the popup context menu as
shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
4. An email is initiated using your default email client for all resource participants associated with
the selected tasks. The emails have attachments that contain an associated ConceptDraw
MINDMAP file with a task list map and preview.
5.6.4 Communicating Tasks to Selected Participants Only

A task list can be sent as a mind map to a selected set of participants.
1. Switch to the Resource Usage View in ConceptDraw PROJECT.

2. Right-click on the desired participant resource names (hold the Cmd key down to select multiple
participants) then select Send To Do Map from the popup context menu or click the Send To
Do Map toolbar button. For this example, we’ll select “James Smith” as shown in the picture
labeled Step 1.
Step 1
3. Emails are initiated using your default email client for each selected participant. The emails have
attachments that contain an associated ConceptDraw MINDMAP file with a task list map and

preview.
5.7 Sending Reports as Mind Maps

Project managers frequently need to report the status of their projects. Traditional reports are often
complex and fuzzy – making them more difficult to understand. ConceptDraw Office tools let you create
visually pleasing mind map reports that are easier to understand. You can generate task reports that are
automatically attached to emails using your default email client. The following steps guide you through
the process.
1. In ConceptDraw PROJECT, select Send Report Map under the Communication menu or click
the Report Map toolbar button to open the Visual Reports dialog. Refer to the picture labeled
Step 1.
Step 1
2. Select a project name then click the Next button. For this example, we divided the “New Product
Launch” project into 4 projects - Phase 1, Phase 2 and so on. Refer to the picture labeled Step 2.

Step 2
3. Enable the “Unstarted” option to include all unstarted tasks in the report then click the Finish
button. Refer to the picture labeled Step 3.

Step 3
4. An email is initiated using your default email client. The email has attachments that contain an
associated ConceptDraw MINDMAP file with a task list map and preview. Refer to the picture
labeled Step 4.

Step 4
5.8 Using Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)

A useful project management tool is a diagram referred to as a Work Breakdown Structure, or WBS.
ConceptDraw Office lets you generate a WBS with a single mouse click.
In the following lessons you learn how to create, edit, present, print and export WBS’s using
ConceptDraw Office.
5.8.1 Creating a ConceptDraw Office WBS

ConceptDraw PRO creates a WBS using Gantt Chart data derived from ConceptDraw PROJECT. Note
that a WBS will only contain data from columns that are currently visible in the Gantt Chart. The WBS is
generated from selected tasks, or for the entire project if no tasks are selected. Please refer to the
“ConceptDraw PROJECT” section of the guide or the built-in help system for details about working with
Gantt Charts or showing and hiding Gantt Chart columns. The following steps describe how to create a
WBS.
1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view in ConceptDraw PROJECT.

2. Click on the desired tasks for the WBS (hold the Cmd key down to select multiple tasks). For
this example, we selected the “Phase 1 - Planning the Launch” task, which will also included its
subtasks.
3. Click Create WBS on the toolbar or select it from the context menu. Refer to the picture labeled
Step 1.

Step 1
4. ConceptDraw PRO automatically creates the WBS in a new document window. Refer to the

Step 2
You can also create a WBS by:

· Copying tasks in ConceptDraw PROJECT and pasting them into ConceptDraw PRO.
· Dragging selected tasks from ConceptDraw PROJECT to a ConceptDraw PRO document.
5.8.2 Editing a WBS

A WBS is fully editable within a ConceptDraw PRO document. For example, you can change object
colors and various other parameters. Additionally, since many ConceptDraw PRO objects are “smart”,
you can edit WBS data without switching back to ConceptDraw PROJECT. The following steps
demonstrate how to change a task’s Duration and its field color.
1. Click the object which represents Phase 1 - Planning the Launch task and then the box
containing the Duration as shown in the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
2. Press F2 to enter the text editing mode.

3. Change the Duration to 10 days.
4. Leave the field selected and click the Fill button to change the field fill color as shown in the
picture labeled Step 2. You can use the same process to edit other objects in the WBS.
Step 2
5.8.3 Making a WBS Presentation

You can use the Presentation View in ConceptDraw PRO to create a WBS presentation.
1. To open the Presentation View, select Play SlideShow under the View menu in ConceptDraw
PRO.
2. To navigate through the pages of the report, use the Page Navigator at the bottom of the

Presentation View. See the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
5.8.4 Printing and Exporting a WBS

You can print WBS reports directly from ConceptDraw PRO. You can also export reports to any of the
file formats supported by ConceptDraw PRO. For example, you can export reports as HTML files for web
viewing, or PDF files for viewing and printing. The following steps describe how to print or export WBS
reports.
1. To print a WBS report from ConceptDraw PRO, select Print under the File menu.
2. To export a report as an HTML document, open the HTML Export Wizard dialog by selecting File
\Export\HTML... under the File menu.
3. Specify a filename and location for the HTML document.
4. Choose a template then click OK. Refer to the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
5. Your document is saved as an HTML file, which can be viewed using a web browser. See the

Step 2
5.9 Creating Dashboard Project Status Reports

Project status reporting is an important job for project manager’s. Reports must be accurate, timely,
pertinent, professional and easy to generate. ConceptDraw Office provides the tools you need to
generate dashboards that show the current status of projects with a few simple mouse clicks.

· Create dashboards
· Edit dashboards
· Share dashboards
5.9.1 Generating Dashboard Reports from Templates

You can generate dashboard reports for ConceptDraw PROJECT data by opening the reports dialog and
choosing among many report template variations. Generated reports are created as ConceptDraw PRO
documents, and are editable within ConceptDraw PRO. Reports that relate to the status of projects are
called Project Indicators within ConceptDraw Office. The following steps guide you through the process
of generating status reports using ConceptDraw Office templates.
1. Select Generate Reports... under the Reports menu or click the Generate Reports toolbar
button in ConceptDraw PROJECT to open the Visual Reports dialog. See the picture labeled Step
1.

Step 1
2. Select the “Tasks Status Completion Indicator” template and click the Generate Report button.
See the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
3. The report is created and opened as a ConceptDraw PRO document.
5.9.2 Editing Dashboard Reports in ConceptDraw PRO

Generated dashboard reports are automatically opened in ConceptDraw PRO. Data for the reports flows
from ConceptDraw PROJECT into a ConceptDraw PRO template. The reports are fully editable within
ConceptDraw PRO. For example, you can change object colors and parameters within ConceptDraw
PRO. Most of the objects are “smart”, which lets you edit dashboard data without having to switch back
to ConceptDraw PROJECT.

To edit an indicator object:
1. Click the object, move to the floating dialog Behaviour and mark all Selection options as shown in
the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1
2. Now drag its control handles as show in the picture labeled Step 2.

Step 2
5.9.3 Creating Dashboard Presentations

You can use the Presentation View in ConceptDraw PRO to create a dashboard presentation.
1. To open the Presentation View select Play SlideShow under the View menu in ConceptDraw
PRO.
2. To navigate through the pages of your document use the Page Navigator at the bottom of the
Presentation View. See the picture labeled Step 1.

Step 1
5.9.4 Dashboard Printing and Exporting

You can print dashboard reports using ConceptDraw PRO. You can also export selected dashboards to
any of the file formats supported by ConceptDraw PRO. For example, you can export as HTML files for
web viewing, or as PDFs for printing.
1. To print a dashboard, select Print under the File menu in ConceptDraw PRO.
2. To export a dashboard as an HTML document, open the HTML Export Wizard dialog by selecting
File\Export\HTML... under the File menu.

Step 1

Step 2
5.10 Creating Visual Reports in ConceptDraw Office

As discussed earlier, the ability to create project status reports is an important feature for project
managers. ConceptDraw Office provides a variety of report generating capabilities. Some of these were
discussed in earlier sections of this guide. Here, we’ll describe how to use the program’s visual report
features to generate graphic reports with just a few simple mouse clicks.

· Create reports
· Edit reports
· Share reports
5.10.1 Generating Visual Reports from Templates

You can generate visual reports for ConceptDraw PROJECT data by opening the reports dialog and
choosing among many report template variations. Generated reports are created as ConceptDraw PRO
documents, and are editable within ConceptDraw PRO. The following steps guide you through the
process.

1. Select Generate Reports... under the Reports menu or click the Generate Reports toolbar
button in ConceptDraw PROJECT to open the Visual Reports dialog. See the picture labeled Step
1.
Step 1
2. Select the “Summary Project Report” template and click the Generate Report button as shown
in the picture labeled Step 2.
Step 2
3. The report is created and opened as a ConceptDraw PRO document.

5.10.2 Editing Visual Reports in ConceptDraw PRO

The process for editing visual reports is the same as for editing the dashboard reports described earlier
in the guide. The reports are generated by ConceptDraw PROJECT and automatically opened by
ConceptDraw PRO. Data for the reports flows from ConceptDraw PROJECT into a ConceptDraw PRO
template. Reports are fully editable within ConceptDraw PRO, and most of the objects are “smart”, which
means you can edit report data without having to switch back to ConceptDraw PROJECT.
Read more about editing the reports in the Editing Dashboard Reports in ConceptDraw PRO section.
Step 1
5.10.3 Creating Visual Report Presentations

ConceptDraw PRO lets you create visual report presentations within the Presentation View.
1. To open the Presentation View, click Play SlideShow under the View menu in ConceptDraw
PRO.
2. To navigate through the pages of reports use the Page Navigator at the bottom of the Presentation

View. See the picture labeled Step 1.
Step 1

5.10.4 Visual Report Printing and Exporting

You can print visual reports directly from ConceptDraw PRO. You can also export selected reports to
any of the file formats supported by ConceptDraw PRO. For example, you can export as HTML files for
web viewing, or as PDFs for printing.
1. To print a report, select Print under the File menu in ConceptDraw PRO.
2. To export a report as an HTML document, open the HTML Export Wizard dialog by selecting File
\Export\HTML... under the File menu.
Step 1

Step 2
5.11 Additional ConceptDraw Office Data Sharing Options

As you’ve seen in the preceding sections of the guide, ConceptDraw Office lets you easily transfer
information between its individual component applications. This section of the guide covers some
additional ways you can share ConceptDraw Office data.
5.11.1 Opening a ConceptDraw PROJECT Document in ConceptDraw MINDMAP

To make file sharing quick and easy, ConceptDraw Office lets you open a project document in
ConceptDraw MINDMAP directly from ConceptDraw PROJECT.
1. Select Open in MINDMAP under the File menu in ConceptDraw PROJECT. Refer to the picture
labeled Step 1.

Step 1
2. Now ConceptDraw PROJECT will be closed to prevent simultaneous edits and your document is
automatically opened in ConceptDraw MINDMAP.
5.11.2 Opening a ConceptDraw MINDMAP Document in ConceptDraw PROJECT

In addition to opening project documents in ConceptDraw MINDMAP, after reviewing or editing the mind
map document, you can easily switch back to ConceptDraw PROJECT and continue working with the
document as a Gantt Chart.
1. Select Open in CD Project under the File menu in ConceptDraw MINDMAP. See the picture
labeled Step 1.

Step 1
2. Now ConceptDraw MINDMAP will be closed to prevent simultaneous edits and your document is
automatically opened in ConceptDraw PROJECT.

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What are the main components of ConceptDraw Office?

What are the main components of ConceptDraw Office?

How can you transfer data between ConceptDraw Office applications?

How can you transfer data between ConceptDraw Office applications?

I ConceptDraw Office Manual MAC

Part II ConceptDraw PRO 4

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

Part III ConceptDraw MINDMAP 76

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

Part IV ConceptDraw PROJECT 124

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

Part V Sharing ConceptDraw Office Data 211

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

1.1 Welcome to ConceptDraw Office

1.2 ConceptDraw Office Overview

1.2.1 About ConceptDraw PRO

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

1.2.2 About ConceptDraw MINDMAP

1.2.3 About ConceptDraw PROJECT

· define project goals

1.3 About This Guide

The guide is divided into the following main sections:

· “ConceptDraw PRO” – describes how to use ConceptDraw PRO.

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

1.4 Getting Started

1.4.1 System Requirements

OS: Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later

Registration provides the following benefits:

· Free technical support for current product versions*;

Don’t forget to also signup for our free e-mail newsletter!

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

1.4.4 Technical Support

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

Creating Shapes, Libraries and Templates

In this lesson you learn:

· About the ConceptDraw PRO environment

For each lesson:

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

2.2 ConceptDraw PRO Overview

2.2.2 The Drawing Environment

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2.2.3 Libraries and Shapes

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

For example, you can:

2.3 Creating Diagrams

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

Connecting Shapes with the Connector Tool

In the “Creating Diagrams” section, while creating a basic flowchart, you

Learn the basics while

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2.3.2 Lesson 1: Getting Started

In this lesson, you begin a flowchart and learn how to:

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.

3. Double-click on the Basic Flowchart icon.

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2.3.2.2 Adding Shapes

Dragging Shapes from a Library

© 2008 CS Odessa Corp.