Portfolio Dependency Set Editor Form

The Portfolio Dependency Editor lets you build single or multiple dependencies with portfolio projects. The form is opened from the Portfolio Dependency Set form. Dependencies are important when you want to optimize portfolios and keep selected groups of projects together, or select one project or another (but not both), or select both projects or neither project, or select one project or the other project. The Portfolio Dependency Editor form displays field for entering the name of the dependency set, a list of dependencies as well as pop-up menus for selecting your projects and dependencies. There are also buttons for adding, inserting, deleting, and clearing the dependency list display Changes to the dependency list are not saved until the [Save] button is clicked. Clicking [Cancel] closes the form without saving any modifications to the list.

You can create multiple dependency sets for selection as portfolio optimization constraints using the Optsee Optimizer™.

For example, if you must complete "Project B" as a requirement for "Project A" then "Project A" can only be selected by the optimizer if "Project B" is also selected. In the Portfolio Dependency Editor form, this could take several forms:

"Project A" Then "Project B" - this means that if "Project A" is selected then "Project B" must also be selected. In this statement, "Project B" could be selected without "Project A" but "Project A" cannot be selected without "Project B." Thus, "Project B" is the "Independent Project" and "Project A" is the "Dependent Project" in the relationship:

"Project A" Then Not "Project B" - this means that if "Project A" is selected then "Project B" cannot also be selected, and if "Project B" is selected then "Project A" cannot also be selected:

"Project A" Both or Neither "Project B" - this means that "Project A" and "Project B" must selected together or not at all. In this statement, "Project A" cannot be selected without "Project B" and "Project B" cannot be selected without "Project A.":

"Project A" Or "Project B" - this means that either "Project A" or "Project B" (but not both) must be selected (one or the other is mandatory).

If you want to save a sequence of multiple dependencies such as "Project A" then "Project B" then "Project C" then "Project D," you would save 4 "Then" dependencies as well as a "Project A" Both or Neither "Project D" dependency. This ensures that all of the projects in the sequence are either in or out of the portfolio as a group.

Portfolio Dependency Editor Display List:

This list displays the current list of dependencies. You add a dependency to the list by clicking on [Add Line] or [Insert Line], and then selecting the Project A, Project B, and Relationship Type from the pop-up menus. You can edit a dependency by clicking on a row and then making your selections for that row using the pop-up menus.

You can sort the list by clicking on the column headers. You can change the order of the rows by clicking on a row and dragging it up or down. Note that the order of the rows is not important in an optimization, but it can make the form easier to organize and understand.

Portfolio Dependency Editor Pop-up Menus:

Project A pop-up menu: This pop-up menu is used to select the project that will appear in the "Project A" column of the Dependencies List. Note that if you select the identical project as the one displayed in the Project B column, the Project A column becomes blank. This is to prevent dependencies mistakenly being created between the same project.

Relationship pop-up menu: This pop-up menu is used to select the type of dependency relationship that you want between the independent and dependent projects

Project B pop-up menu: This pop-up menu is used to select the project that will appear in the "Project B" column of the Dependencies List. Note that if you select the identical project as the one displayed in the Project A column, the Project B column becomes blank. This is to prevent dependencies mistakenly being created between the same project.

Portfolio Dependency Editor Buttons:

[Clear All] button: Click on this button to clear the current set of dependencies from the Dependencies List. The deletions are not permanent until the form is saved.

[Delete Line] button: Click on this button to delete a selected (highlighted) dependency from the Dependencies List. The deletion is not permanent until the form is saved.

[Insert Line] button: Click on this button to add a dependency row above a selected (highlighted) dependency in the Dependencies List. Edited or added dependencies are not permanent until the form is saved.

[Add Line] button: Click on this button to add a dependency row to the bottom of the Dependencies List. Edited or added dependencies are not permanent until the form is saved.

[Save] button: Click on this button to save the current set of dependencies and close the form.

[Cancel]: Click on this button to close the form without saving the current set of dependencies.