Understanding the Hierarchy #
DMSI Planner organizes work in four levels:
Product Groups #
The top level. Use groups to separate major areas (e.g., “Client Work”, “Internal”, “Personal”). Groups are optional — products can be ungrouped.
Products #
Represent a deliverable, service, or major initiative. Each product belongs to one group (or none).
Projects #
Time-bounded efforts under a product. Projects have start/due dates, status, priority, and can contain sub-projects (nested hierarchy).
Tasks (Plan Steps) #
The atomic units of work. Each task belongs to a project and has its own status, dates, and priority.
Standalone Tasks #
Tasks attached directly to a product (not to a project). Use these for quick items that do not warrant a full project.
Status Values #
All projects and tasks share the same status values:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Created | Just created, not yet planned |
| Not Started | Planned but work has not begun |
| In Progress | Active work |
| Paused | Temporarily halted (with reason and resume instructions) |
| Blocked | Cannot proceed (with blocker details) |
| Completed | Done |
| Cancelled | Abandoned |