XER Schedule Toolkit 2.0.0. The New Schedule Viewer Is Here
Our biggest Schedule Viewer update is now fully released, bringing powerful new features, improved collaboration and a more intuitive way to explore even the most complex project programmes.
Following the successful launch of our new Schedule Viewer in beta, we’re delighted to announce the full release of XER Schedule Toolkit 2.0.0.
Developed with feedback from planners and project controls professionals, the new Schedule Viewer is now the default experience throughout XER Schedule Toolkit, replacing the previous Viewer while introducing several exciting new capabilities.
From a completely new Board View and activity tagging system to more flexible sharing and improved schedule analysis, this release makes it easier than ever for planners, project managers and wider project teams to understand, manage and communicate complex project schedules.
One Schedule Viewer, Connected Across XER
One of the biggest improvements in 2.0.0 is how seamlessly the new Schedule Viewer works with the rest of XER Schedule Toolkit.
Whether you’re opening a project, reviewing integrity check results, exploring a dashboard or managing progress, you’ll now be taken directly into the new Viewer.
Better still, when investigating integrity check findings or drilling down into dashboard results, the Viewer automatically displays the relevant activities, saving time and making it easier to focus on the information that matters.
Built to handle major programmes containing tens of thousands of activities, the Viewer combines a fully configurable Activity List and interactive Gantt chart in one intuitive workspace.
And while the new Viewer is now the default, the previous version remains available for anyone who needs it.
Introducing Activity Tagging
One of the most significant new features in this release is our activity tagging system, giving users a more flexible way to identify, organise and communicate important schedule information.
Activities can now be assigned colour coded tags, allowing users to highlight different areas of interest across a programme.
For example, you might use tags to identify activities requiring attention, flag potential delays, highlight work packages for discussion or mark activities that have already been reviewed.
Multiple tags can be applied to individual activities, and users can filter their schedules to display only those carrying particular tags.
Unlike traditional manual highlighting, tags are saved and can be shared with colleagues, making them particularly useful for collaborative schedule reviews.
You can even move between tagged activities one at a time, with the activity details following automatically, providing a simple way to work through issues during project meetings.
A New Perspective with Board View
Not everyone needs to see a traditional Gantt chart to understand how a project is progressing.
Our new Board View presents schedule activities as easy to understand cards, organised into columns according to their status or position in the programme.
Activities can be grouped by:
- Not started, In progress or Completed
- Year, month, week or day
Selecting a card opens the corresponding activity details, while existing schedule filters continue to apply.
This provides a more accessible way to review programme information, particularly during site meetings, progress reviews and discussions involving colleagues who don’t work with planning software every day.
Users can switch between Gantt, Table and Board views depending on how they prefer to work.
Share the Right Information with Focussed Views
Sharing complex programmes with clients, subcontractors and project stakeholders is an essential part of project delivery. However, not everyone needs access to the entire schedule.
Our new Focussed View functionality gives users greater control over exactly what information they share.
When sharing a project, you can now apply a filter so that recipients only see the activities relevant to their responsibilities.
For example, a subcontractor could receive access to their particular work package without being presented with thousands of unrelated activities across the wider programme.
The recipient can apply additional filters within their permitted view, but cannot expand access beyond the information shared with them.
Clear indicators also show when a project is being viewed through a Focussed View, helping everyone understand the scope of the information available.
It’s a simple but powerful improvement that supports clearer communication, better collaboration and greater control over shared project information.
Your Preferred Layouts, Ready in One Click
Every planner has their preferred way of working, and different tasks often require different schedule layouts.
With the introduction of Master Schemes, users can now save their preferred columns, display settings, filters and timescale together as one named configuration.
Rather than repeatedly adjusting the Viewer, you can simply select a saved scheme and restore your preferred setup instantly.
Frequently used schemes can also be marked as favourites and accessed directly from the Schedule Viewer toolbar.
We’ve also introduced a new Look Back / Look Ahead preset, allowing users to quickly focus on activities around the current data date. The default view covers one week back and four weeks ahead, with the flexibility to adjust this to suit individual requirements.
Improved Through Your Feedback
When we introduced the new Schedule Viewer in beta, we invited users to explore its functionality and share their experiences.
That feedback has played an important part in shaping the final release.
The Viewer now opens with the entire programme fitted to the screen and all Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) levels expanded, making it easier to understand the schedule from the outset.
We’ve also improved navigation, made toolbar controls clearer, refined the layout between the Activity List and Gantt chart, and enhanced export functionality.
These changes might seem small individually, but together they make a considerable difference to the everyday experience of working with complex schedules.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to test the beta and share their feedback.
More Improvements Across XER Schedule Toolkit
While the new Schedule Viewer is the centrepiece of 2.0.0, this release also introduces improvements elsewhere in the Toolkit.
Simpler sharing management
Our improved Share Management page brings shared projects, folders and schemes together in one place. Enhanced filtering and the ability to share multiple items at once make managing access considerably easier.
More flexible period reporting
Period End Reports can now be assessed against your chosen integrity check criteria, including custom saved schemes, rather than being restricted to the standard DCMA checks.
A better experience for new users
We’ve simplified the registration process and improved access to demonstration projects, making it easier for new customers to explore XER Schedule Toolkit from their first login.
Enhanced Enterprise functionality
For Enterprise customers using our independent progress system, progress updates, activity logs and stakeholder coordination are now managed directly within the Schedule Viewer.
The improved Progress Activity Log provides a detailed record of changes, including what was updated, by whom and when, with the ability to export the information to Excel.
We’ve also enhanced Single Sign On capabilities and introduced more flexible links between XER and external systems, helping larger organisations provide simpler access to the right project information.
Explore the New XER Schedule Viewer Today
XER Schedule Toolkit 2.0.0 represents a major step forward in how project schedules can be viewed, analysed and shared.
By combining powerful planning functionality with a more intuitive and accessible experience, we’re helping project teams spend less time navigating complex data and more time understanding what it means for their projects.
The new Schedule Viewer is available now to XER Schedule Toolkit users.
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