Organize your project
in just a few steps

Creating Your PLANFRED User Account if you don't already have a PLANFRED login.

You can easily register by visiting app.planfred.com/registration.

Follow the instructions in the confirmation e-mail to create a user login.

Once registered, you can log in anytime using your e-mail address and password at app.planfred.com.

With your PLANFRED login you can access all your own projects as well as the ones you've been invited to. Simply switch between projects in the Projects section located at the top-center of the page.

Every PLANFRED user, whether registered or invited, has the ability to create their own projects, starting their free trial.

To create your first project, follow these steps:

• Click Create your first project

• Enter the project title

• Select your role in the project. If the desired role is not available, enter it in the “New role” field and click + to add it.

• Click Create project

When project participants upload plans or documents, they are automatically organized based on their assigned roles. You can select top categories (optional), plan folders, and tags when creating plans or documents, and you can modify them later as needed. Participants can only update or edit data related to their own roles, while having read-only access to plans or documents associated with other roles. The Project owner and Project administrators have editing rights for all roles.

NOTE: Filters for roles and tags will only be displayed if plans or documents with these attributes exist.

Settings & Backup (top right)

Customize Plan and Document folders

• rename and save folders

• Delete folders by clicking the x button (on the right)

• Add new folder: Enter a name in the “New plan folder” or “New document folder” field and clicking the + button

• Change order of folders: Click on the dots symbol on the right and move it to the desired position

Customize Plan and Document tags

• rename and save tags

• Delete tags by clicking x (on the right)

• Add tags: Write name in “New tag” field and click + (new tags will be sorted alphabetically)

Rename or add roles of the participants

• rename and save roles

• Delete roles by clicking x (right)

• Add roles: Write name in “New role” field and click + (new roles will be sorted alphabetically)

• Roles can also be added directly when creating Project participants

Add plan and document top categories optionally

If, for example, additional folders are required for projects with several components, which are located as top categories above the roles, the “Plan top categories” function can be activated. This function is not active by default and can be activated and individually configured both when creating a project and for projects that are already running.

• by clicking on Show plans top categories or Show documents top categories the top categories are activated, the desired settings can then be made in the edit field:

• rename and save top categories

• Add top categories (e.g. component 1, etc.): Write the name in the field “New plan top category” or “New document top category” and click on +

• Delete top categories by clicking on x (only top categories to which no plan is assigned can be deleted)

NOTE: All existing plans and documents are automatically assigned to the “Standard” top category by PLANFRED. You can change the top category directly in the list view: Right-click on the plan you want to modify, select Edit top category in the pop-up window, adjust the settings and save the changes

Participants do not need to register and use PLANFRED free of charge! PLANFRED sends invitation e-mails when participants are created. In addition, the participants receive a link to the instructions: www.planfred.com/en/manual

Participants tab (top right)

• Click on Create new participant

• Enter e-mail address

• Select permission: Project participant, Project administrator or Participant without login

• Optional Permission to approve plans

• Recommendation: Upload notifications for plans & documents Daily (each participant can switch off his Upload Alert himself)

• Select the role or enter it in the "New role" field and click on +

• Enter last name, first name and company

• Enter optional contact information (phone number, address, note)

• Optional personalized message

• invite and create new participant

Your free PLANFRED user account is automatically created when you receive your first project invitation. There is no need to register again. Simply click on Create password in the invitation e-mail and choose your desired password in the following step.

You can now always log in with your e-mail address and password at: app.planfred.com

With your PLANFRED credentials you have access to all the projects you have been invited to. Under Projects (top centre) you can switch between projects.

PLANFRED sends automatic notifications for new uploads of plans and documents, provided that the "Upload Alert - Plans & Documents" is activated in the project. In the Email Notifier (top right) of the respective project, a participant can activate and deactivate the "Upload Alert - Plans & Documents" himself. If Daily is selected, PLANFRED sends a collective e-mail of all new uploads of the last 24 hours at midnight.

Furthermore, individual project settings for the following notifications from PLANFRED are possible in the Email Notifier:

• Report - Plan & Document Reviews

• Report - Tasks

• Reminder for Due Dates

• Weekly reminder

The best overview of new uploads in the project is obtained by sorting the list views according to the last upload.

Tab Plans or Documents

• Activate filter Show all (top left)

• Click on Last upload (right in list header)

• Filter by "Roles/Plan creator/Author" and "Plan or Document folder"

• Preview by right-clicking on plan or document and selecting Open PDF

• Download multiple plans or documents by clicking on Download (blue button above list on the right)

ATTENTION: Each plan is created only once and must then be updated. Plans must not be created more than once so that the last status remains unique! Obsolete indices can be called up in the plan detail view (click on the plan, then under "Index history").

To create a new plan, follow these steps in the Plans tab:

• Click on Upload New Plan

• Select PRINT FILE (pdf, ...) from local file system or from Clipboard

• Select CAD FILE (dwg, ...) from local file system or from Clipboard

• File name is automatically transferred to the plan number field

• Edit plan number/code: Remove index and date and enter in the "Index" field (the number remains unchanged in case of updates)

• Select Plan folder

• Enter Plan description in the "Plan content" field (search accesses terms)

• Optionally assign tags (filter): Click on „EDIT“, select or create tag (Enter in field "New tag" and click on +) and „save“

• Optionally write an Index note

• Optionally require a review

• Click on save and upload new plan

ATTENTION: A plan that has already been uploaded must be updated! Outdated indices are available in the plan detail view (click on the respective plan).

Plans tab

• Click on Upload Revised Plan

• Select the plan to be updated

• Select PRINT FILE (pdf, ...) from local file system or from Clipboard

• Select CAD FILE (dwg, ...) from local file system or from Clipboard

• Enter index

• Optionally write an Index note

• Optionally require a review

• Click on Save index and return to list

• Select the next plan to be updated ...

ATTENTION: Each document is created only once and must then be updated. Documents must not be created more than once so that the last status remains unique! Obsolete versions can be called up in the document detail view (click on the document, then under "Version history").

To create a new document, follow these steps in the Documents tab:

• Click on Upload New Document

• Select FILE from local file system or from Clipboard

• File name is automatically transferred to the document number field

• Edit document number: Remove version and date and enter in the "Version" field (the number remains unchanged in case of updates)

• Optionally restrict access: click on EDIT Access permission, select Restricted, select participants and save

• Select Document folder

• Enter description in the "Document content" field (search accesses terms)

• Optionally assign tags (filter): Click on „EDIT“, select or create tag (Enter in field "New tag" and click on +) and „save“

• Optionally write Version note

• Optionally require a review

• Click on save and upload new document

ATTENTION: A document that has already been uploaded must be updated! Outdated versions are available in the document detail view (click on the respective document).

Documents tab

• Click on Upload Revised Document

• Select the document to be updated

• Select FILE from local file system or from Clipboard

• Enter version (or date e.g. "200930")

• Optionally write a Version note

• Optionally require a review

• Click on Save version and return to the list

• Select the next document to be updated ...

PLANFRED offers two functions that make uploading of multiple plans for the first time much easier. The use of the clipboard ensures that no plans are overlooked and the possibility to use settings from the latest plan saves time. When uploading revised plans and documents, it also makes sense to load all files to the clipboard first, as this ensures that no documents are forgotten.

First the clipboard is filled with files:

• Click on My clipboard (top centre)

• Load all CAD and/or print files of the new plans to be uploaded into the clipboard: either click on Select files or simply drag them from your own system into the clipboard

• Close the clipboard (click on the x in the upper right corner), the files will be uploaded in the background

Then the first plan is uploaded and fed with the corresponding files from the clipboard:

• Click on Upload New Plan

• Insert print file from the clipboard: Click on from Clipboard in the right area of the PRINT FILE field and select the desired file in the pop-up window

• Insert CAD file from the clipboard: Click on from Clipboard in the right area of the CAD FILE field and select the desired file in the pop-up window

• Enter index and edit Plan number

• Select Plan folder

• Enter Plan content and assign Tags if necessary

• optionally write an Index note and/or require a review

• Click on save and upload new plan

Register Plans or Documents

• Click on Download (blue button above list on the right)

• Filter by Role/Creator, Plan or Document folder, Tags (or enter in search field)

• Select plans or documents by checkbox (select all by top checkbox)

• Click on the Download button (at the bottom)

• Select folder structure (recommendation: Folder/Original)

• Click on Download files

Register Plans or Documents

• Click on Send (blue button on the right above the list)

• Filter by Roles/Creator, Plan or Document folder, Tags (or enter in search field)

• Select plans or documents by checkbox (select all by top checkbox)

• Click on the Send button (bottom center)

• Click on + Add documents/plans, select as described above and Add to mailing

• Optional for plans "Restrict access to PRINT-FILES"

• Click on + Select recipients, select participants using checkboxes, add further recipients if necessary (click on + Add recipient, enter details and click on add) and confirm by clicking on select

• Activate additional shipping options if required:

  • "Always send a copy to me too"

  • "Show recipients list in email" (all recipients (Cc) appear in the e-mail)

• Enter subject and message

• Click on Send

PLANFRED Tasks is used in defect management, to distribute tasks or to clarify open questions. All activities and the entire message history are fully documented.

1.a) Visibility of tasks

Published tasks are visible to the assignee and all participants with the same role. Administrators see all tasks.

Draft tasks are only visible to the respective creator.

1.b) Editing tasks

Every participant who sees a task can also edit it. For example, if a task has been assigned to a participant with the role of “painter”, any other “painter” can make annotations, hold consultation or mark the task as completed.

2.) Smartphone app and desktop version (browser)

New tasks can be created both on the smartphone and with the desktop version in any browser.

The following functions are available in the smartphone app without an internet connection

• Save task as draft

• Filter and open tasks

The smartphone app is available for Android (Download from Google Play Store) and iOS (Download in App Store). After installation, you can log in as in the desktop version by entering your PLANFRED access data.

3.) Individual project settings for tasks and location

Settings & Backup (top right in the respective project)

Tasks tab

• TASK CATEGORIES and TAGS: rename, remove (click on x) and add (write the name in the input field and click on ‘+’). The list of task categories can be organised as desired (click on the dot symbol and move), tags are sorted alphabetically.

Tasks tab

• Click on + New task

• Enter task title

• Define Assignee, Category, Due date and Tags

• Add description

• Upload attachments:

  • Smartphone app: Take photos directly and start image editing if necessary (mark, comment, crop, ...) and/or upload file

  • Browser version: Upload files from local file system or clipboard, edit photos if necessary

• Add location:

  • Select location plan (new plans can be added in the browser version under "Settings & Backup")

  • Click on + New pin, set pin, confirm, set additional pin or change pin if necessary, select location categories and save

• Now Publish immediately or Save draft

After publication, changes can be made by any participant with the role of creator and all project administrators.

If, for example, a defect is relevant for several trades, the task in question can be duplicated and thus assigned to another responsible person.

Each task is marked in colour depending on its status: New Task (light blue), Task in Progress (dark blue), Task in Clarification (yellow) or Completed (green).
A status change can be made by any participant who sees the task.

• After publication, a task automatically has the status ‘New Task’.

• As soon as an exchange of messages and/or files takes place via the chat function, the status and thus the colour marking changes: for annotations to ‘Task In progress’ and for consultation to ‘Task In clarification’. 

• Once an issue has been resolved or an open task has been completed, the status of the respective task is changed to ‘Completed’. Photos or comments can be added.

During task location, one or more pins are pinned to a previously uploaded plan in order to be able to clearly localise the task.

If, for example, a defect occurs at several locations on the same location plan, several pins can also be assigned to the corresponding task.

1.) Place new pins directly on the location plan

• Click on Open location plan (on the left above the task list) and select the desired plan or click on X Tasks open in plan (if group by location plan is active)

• Click on + New pin and position pin on plan

• Then either + New task or assign the set pin to an Existing task

The integrated chat function enables direct communication between the task creator and the assignee. For example, questions can be asked, comments made or messages added to completed tasks:

• Click in the New message field

• Select Annotation, Consultation or Completed

• Compose message (save as text module if necessary)

• Add a photo and/or other files 

• Click on send

Notifications about the publication of new tasks, changes, queries, etc. are sent hourly by e-mail to the assignee and the creator of the task. The prerequisite for this is that the corresponding Email notifier (Report - Tasks) is activated in the project.

Push notifications are also displayed on the smartphone if the app settings allow this.

Further notifications for tasks (e.g. reminder on due dates) can be switched on or off individually for each project in the Email notifier.

1.) Filtering the task list

There are three types of tasks that can be found in different tabs: My Drafts, All Open Tasks and Completed

All tasks in a tab are clearly displayed in a list and can be sorted and filtered according to requirements.

The number of hits in the list view can be narrowed down by filtering according to different properties (Category, Assignee, etc.) and/or by entering search terms.

To remove all previously activated filters, click on the Show all button.

If tasks are open in the location plan, the list view can also be filtered here as required.

PhotoLog tab

• Click on Upload photo

• Select file(s) (jpg, png, ...) from Local file system or Clipboard

• Select Photo album

• Optionally write a Note

• Optionally assign Tags (filters): Click on „EDIT“, select or create tag (Enter in field "New tag" and click on +) and „save“

• Optionally add location: Select location plan, set “+ New pin” and confirm, select Location tags and “save”

• Click on Save x photos

Photos can also be taken offline in the smartphone app. As soon as an internet connection is re-established, the photos are automatically synchronized with the desktop version in the browser.

• Filter photos according to the required criteria (Photo albums, Tags, ...)

• Unfold the Display settings and select “Small” or “Big”

• Select grouping and sorting and display additional information if required

• Click on Print (on the right above the photo display)

• Click on Print (bottom center) and either print on paper or save as PDF in your own system

Project owner

Every user (regardless of whether they are registered themselves or a participant) is authorised to create their own projects and is therefore the owner of all this data. As the project owner, he is the only person authorised to delete these projects. Access to his projects can never be withdrawn from him as the owner.

After 30 days, a project owner's user account becomes chargeable. Invoicing does not take place automatically, but only after a package has been ordered in the user account.

Project owners can easily transfer individual projects to participants. All rights (e.g. ownership of data, allocation of access rights) and obligations (e.g. payment obligation) are transferred to the new owner. The prerequisite for any project transfer is that the future owner address is a participant in the project and the account is provided with a plan selection.

Project owner is in the test phase, although his office has already commissioned a PLANFRED subscription plan:

The Test phase message appears if a user has created their own project but their account is not provided with a plan selection. With PLANFRED, all projects in an office should be owned by the user account that is liable to pay. With the "Project transfer" function, projects can be transferred to the assigned office user account at any time and continued seamlessly.

Whether for messages, review request or task descriptions - textblocks support PLANFRED users when composing texts. These blocks can be created and edited individually for the following applications:

• message when sending plans and documents

• review request

• index/version note when uploading new or revised plans/documents

• note on approval

• comment on the requested review

• description of a task

• composing messages within a task

• personalized message to new project participant

Procedure:

• type the message into the text field

• select part or all of the text

• click on + Create

• enter the name of the text block in the pop-up window

• edit text if required

• click on save

Click on Textblocks and then click on the desired block in the list to insert the text into the message field.

Plan folders, roles, and tags can be added from existing projects.

This means that the settings (plan folders, roles and tags) do not have to be re-entered each time new projects are created.

• when creating a new project, click on Apply project settings from another project

• select the desired project from the list

• changes to the project settings can be made at any time at a later date

In PLANFRED, individual documents can be assigned an access permission in order to restrict visibility to selected participants. Administrators always have access to all documents.

Procedure:

• upload new document as usual

• click on EDIT Access permission

• click on Restricted

• selection of participants

• save

By right-clicking on a document and selecting Edit permission, access can be subsequently restricted or edited.

NOTE: In the Project backup, all documents with restricted access are always available. Therefore, we recommend managing sensitive documents such as cost tracking, contracts, invoice audits, etc. in a separate project with a small group of participants.

The approval status of plans and documents is clear by means of a simple filterable traffic light system in the colors yellow (review requested), red (comments) and green (approved).

ATTENTION: A plan should only be approved and coloured green if all comments from the previous plan review have already been incorporated. It should also be recognisable from the index that the plan has been approved (no preliminary draft).

1.) Grant or revoke a participant a permission to approve plans

The review of plans can only be requested by participants with a permission to approve plans. These are marked with a tick in the list of participants.

• Right-click on a participant and select Grant permission to approve plans or Revoke permission to approve plans

2.) Request review

Each participant can request a review when uploading a new or revised plan.

• selection at the bottom Review required of ...

• select the participants who should review the plan

• optionally add review date and text message

• click on save

• the reviewers are automatically notified by hourly collective e-mails

ATTENTION: During the first test run of a plan that has not yet been approved, the preliminary draft status should be recognisable from the index (e.g. "prelim"). The reviewers then add their comments (file and text) to the plan - the original plan remains unchanged.

The right-click menu can be used to make changes directly in the list without having to open the detailed view.

Procedure:

• filter the plans or documents to be edited in the list view

• sort by e.g. plan number by clicking on Number/Code in the heading line

• click on a plan with the right mouse button

• Select the desired activity:

  • Download PDF or DWG

  • Update plan, open in new window …

  • Edit number/content

  • Edit plan creator

  • Edit plan folder

  • Edit tags

  • Add or Edit review

• make changes

• save

With PLANFRED, all project participants always have access to the entire set of plans. However, individual documents can be assigned an access permission. Higher-level access permission is granted via different projects. Administrators can import all relevant plans and documents from another project with just a few clicks.

Example 1: Continuing execution project

After the building permit procedure has been completed, an execution project is created. All relevant plans and documents are imported into the execution project, resulting in a cleaned-up project for the respective companies.

ATTENTION: Before the first import of plans, for example, make sure that the plan numbers do not contain an index or date. PLANFRED compares the plan numbers of both projects (including those in the recycle bin) during the transfer process and existing plans in the target project are updated if necessary (e.g. with a new index).

The “Multi-Edit” function allows you to quickly edit the properties of several plans at once. With a few clicks, plan folders, authors, tags or reviews of different plans can be changed simultaneously.

An example of Multi-Edit

Several execution plans are to be moved to the installation drawings folder:

• click on Edit next to “Upload Revised Plan” or “Upload New Plan”

• display the execution plans with the help of the filter system

• select the plans to be changed by clicking on the checkbox (to the left of the plan number) or click on Select all, if all filtered plans are to be edited

• click on Edit in the lower center of the screen

• select the desired plan property rubric Plan folder by clicking on it

• click on Installation drawing to change the plan folders of the selected plans

• finally click on Update x plans

PLANFRED compares the plan files in the clipboard with the numbers/codes of plans that have already been uploaded. This allows the files to be automatically assigned to the respective plans and then updated. To do this, first fill the clipboard with the new plan files and then click on Automatically update plans.

The assignment works optimally if the plan files are always labelled the same, namely the fixed part at the front – the plan number/code and the variable part at the end – the index (or date - max. 6 characters).

Examples of file designations and plan number/code (freely selectable):

• 110.105 03.17 DP-SKLD A.pdf (file name)
  110.105 03.17 DP-SKLD (associated plan number)

• Arch_Lp5_GR_EG_01.dwg (file name)
  Arch_Lp5_GR_EG_ (associated plan number)

For plans that have already been uploaded (see "Plans" tab), the "Number/Code" field must not contain an index (or date), as the plan number must appear in full in the file name so that the assignment of the new plan files is unique.

Procedure Automatically update plans:

• Click on My clipboard (top centre)

• Drag and drop plan files to the clipboard or click on Select files 

• Click on Assign files to plans …

• Check the list under Clear Assignment

• Select the plans to be updated using the checkbox on the left or Select all at the top 

• Enter the index in the field 

• Click on Update now