Launching the new look grid library and feature set

The grid library has a new look!

Our latest release introduces a rich new grid library interface; each grid thumbnail now allows you to see – at a glance – the grid’s: owner, status, due-date and whether it has been flagged. You can also now update a grid’s status and flag in this library view.

Introducing master grids

The major new concept feature here is the introduction of the master grid type.

As experienced users know, at the heart of the Method Grid philosophy, is the idea of building out core grids – those central operational processes, service methodologies, operating procedures, playbooks (or whatever term you like to use!) within your business i.e. the high-value, repeatable “best practice” aspects of your work.

These grids are effectively your master grids and such grids can then be cloned to create separate project/delivery instances. In turn, such instances can be quickly scope-configured (albeit most users will say that this follows the 80:20 rule i.e. 20% bespoke to each instance, 80% repeatable) and then assigned to specific members (element/task assignment, “due date” scheduling etc.).

Typically, this master/instance distinction was just handled via grid title naming but, with this new release, this fundamental grid type difference can be captured formally. Now, the attribute of master is toggled on/off via a switch on each grid thumbnail (in the library view) – visible in edit mode. With the master attribute applied, an M in a circle denotes this visually on the grid’s thumbnail for easy identification.

This new feature is available in the professional (paid) mode.

Filtering in the Grid Library view

Archiving grids

This release also introduces the ability to formally archive grids via the new archive attribute switch. Now, if you wish to hide a grid from your standard presentations (grid library and dashboard views), this toggle will allow you to declutter such completed/old grids from these views.

This feature will be especially relevant to users who heavily adopt the master grid cloned to separate project/delivery instances as now, completed such instances (e.g. old projects) can be removed from your standard presentations/reports.

This new feature is available in the professional (paid) mode.

Along with these new attributes, the release introduces a powerful new filter tool (at the grid library and Overview dashboard) to allow flexible configuration of such presentational views across the following options:

• Active non-master
• Active master
• Archived non-master
• Archived master

Note: The default grid library filter is active grids only (master and non-master) i.e. archived grids hidden. The default Overview dashboard filter is active non-master grids only (i.e. to focus on the portfolio of your live project grid instances). These default views are, however, all easily updated. 

Filtering in the Overview dashboard

And finally, …

As a final improvement, this new release allows for the folder side-pane to be expanded to full screen view – such that you can see longer folder titles un-truncated. In the future, we plan for this to be a flexible side-pane but, for now, this provides another folder-pane view option.

Next up for our fast-moving development team?

After nearly eight-months of solid release development – maintaining this ambitious, fortnightly-release schedule – we are going to take a short operational pause from the PPM development roadmap for 4-5 weeks. The reason for this is that there are a number of infrastructural improvements and core solution updates we want to make ahead of this final tranche of PPM feature build. We have also agreed that our (brilliant) development team can take a short summer holiday! 🙂

We have updated our roadmap blog with the final set of scheduled dates for the remaining, pre-designed PPM features – some important finishing touches to the overall PPM suite – especially so with respect to further building out the already-very-powerful dashboard reports/views.

You can follow our development roadmap here (enabling structured knowledge + project/task management = repeatable professional service excellence).

Please continue to keep the feedback and new feature ideas coming (there is nothing we like more).

Is there a feature you would love to see us add to our development stack? If so, please let us know in the comments below or email [email protected]

About the Author

Tom Knights is a co-founder of Method Grid (a platform on which to design, build and share your methodologies and procedures). Tom is a graphic designer and has always had a passion for art and design. He tries to use design to engage, inspire and educate across all forms of media.

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