Acumen Fuse™ Frequently Asked Questions

Many of your questions can be answered by downloading our Acumen Fuse™ Data Sheet. Click Here to download the Data Sheet now.

  1. What is Fuse? Acumen Fuse™ is a metrics analysis and visualization tool assessing schedule, cost, risk and project performance.
  2. Am I limited to the included Industry Standard Metrics? No. In addition to the 100+ included metrics, you can edit and create your own metrics to suit your own needs.
  3. Can I vary the tripwire thresholds? Yes. All metric tripwire thresholds can be edited. There is no limit to the number of thresholds per metric. Thresholds can be based on either absolute or percentage-based results.
  4. Can I analyze more than one project? Yes. You can analyze either a single project or an unlimited number of projects within a single workbook. Projects from different platforms can be analyzed in the same workbook.
  5. Can I compare the performance of my project over time? Yes. This can be done using a project baseline or by comparing multiple snapshots of a project (e.g. monthly updates)
  6. What is a ribbon analysis? It is the first of three types of analysis. Advanced slice and dice analysis is achieved through a unique visualization approach using Fuse ribbons. Ribbons can be generated by activity fields and custom attributes. Once the data is grouped into ribbons, analysis can be conducted against each ribbon. This provides a means of comparing the likes of WBS elements, locations, disciplines, network paths etc.
  7. What is a Phase analysis? Phase analysis is conducted against a specific segment of time (e.g. month, quarter). Phase analysis cuts across multiple ribbons. It is a time-based analysis.
  8. What is an intersection analysis? Intersection analysis is the combination of a ribbon and phase analysis. For a specific ribbon, within a specific phase, a Fuse analysis is conducted to pinpoint specific exceptions. This is the most detailed type of analysis.
  9. Can I compare results? Yes. Fuse includes a powerful comparison feature that enables you to compare any two sets of results (e.g. metric 1 V metric 2 or metric 1 for phase A and B) and report both the similarities and the differences.
  10. How do I analyze a particular network path? Fuse includes a path analyzer that allows you to calculate all paths between any two given activities/milestones. This in turn enables you to Fuse analyze any paths within your project network without having to manually determine those paths.
  11. Do I have to have the scheduling tool installed on my PC to run a Fuse analysis? It depends on the scheduling tool. You can analyze P6 and Cobra X12 data without having the respective tools installed. To analyze MS Project, Pertmaster/Risk Analysis and Open Plan, you do need the respective tool installed.
  12. How is Fuse different to other Metric analysis tools? Fuse is unique in the way it slices and dices data through the use of ribbons. Rather than just analyzing a project as a whole, Fuse enables you to analyze by any grouping (through a ribbon) and by any time segment (through a phase). Further, you can apply metrics far beyond just that of schedule checks and can create custom metrics to suit specific needs.
  13. Will I need IT support to install Fuse™? Fuse installation does not require complex or involved IT support. It is installed from a web-based installer and requires no database back end, middle tier or complex implementation.
  14. How do I receive product updates? Product updates are automatically offered through the internet.
  15. Can I analyze data other than project management ? Yes. Fuse includes a very flexible field mapping utility that can be used to link to data in MS Excel. Data does not have to be directly linked to project management. In fact any type of data can be imported into Fuse for analysis. Likewise, metrics pertaining to disciplines outside of project management can also be created.
  16. What do the color shapes inside the ribbons mean? The shapes represent activities. Blue shapes represent non critical activities and red shapes represent critical activities. Diamonds represent milestones, rectangles at the bottom represent normal activities and rectangles at the top represent summaries.
  17. How do I see the activities that are triggering the metrics? Clicking on the metric result will show the activities that are triggering the metric in the activity browser.
  18. How can I exclude activities from the metric analysis? After you add a project to a workbook and before you import, you can filter the activities that you want to import by clicking the Filters button in the toolbar. You can also set the start and finish time of a ribbon view to time now, project start or end or to a particular date.
  19. What happens when there are multiple projects with different calendars in the same workbook? Nothing. The date, duration and work information integrity is kept.
  20. How many activities can be analyzed or imported at the same time? In theory this number is unlimited. Fuse has been stress-tested with multiple projects with tens of thousands of activities.
  21. Can I save my own customized ribbon view? Yes. Once you create your own ribbon view or modify an existing one, this information will be saved once you save the workbook.
  22. How much does it cost? We are happy to provide pricing information for Acumen Fuse. Click Here to recieve a price quote.