SPECTRE Task Estimator
 

Demonstration - General Details

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The General Details screen is always displayed in response to a successful Login.

At the top of this screen, and all the others in the estimation sequence, you will see four menu items. These are:

  1. File, for which the options are:
    1. Save Data - save the current estimate to the database
    2. Load Data - display key features of all estimates held on the database
    3. Print Results - initiate a formatted print of the contents of the Results panel for the current estimate
    4. Exit – quit SPECTRE
  2. Edit, for which the options are:
    1. Start Again – return to the General Details screen
  3. Task Lists and Totals (more on this later)
  4. Help, for which the options are:
    1. Help Topics – open SPECTRE’s Help Text
    2. About – show version, user and registration details

Underneath these items you will see seven icons. You can hover the cursor over any of them to see their titles. Whether any icon is active depends on what is happening at the time.

Their titles and functions, starting from the left, are:

  1. Save Data - as above
  2. Load Data – as above
  3. Print Results – as above
  4. Clear Data - initialise all the enterable fields for the current estimate
  5. Restart - return to the General Details screen (this function is also activated by clicking the General Details tab from any other screen)
  6. Recalculate - update the Results panel (this function is also activated by the Calculate button at the foot of every screen)
  7. Help - as above

After logging on you have four options, which are:

  1. Create a new estimate
  2. View all saved estimates
  3. View a list of saved estimates relating to a particular Project/System or Developer
  4. Abandon and go for a coffee

In this presentation we will take Option 2 in order to:

  1. View all current estimates on the database
  2. Generate a new estimate based on one that already exists

This way we will be able to work through a complete estimate without having to enter all the data from scratch.

(Incidentally, you will see that the message ’Please specify Task on the General Details tab’ is displayed on the right side of the screen. SPECTRE always gives a reminder of the first mandatory input yet to be supplied, and at this point Task has not been specified).

LOAD DATA has been selected. This is a request for SPECTRE to display key information from its database.

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