Introduction

This article helps you get started with LYNX-X, is the A-dato application for Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM). It guides you through the basic steps needed to download the app, log in, configure your workspace, create your first project, build a basic project plan, release the project, and begin execution.

This article focuses on the practical steps needed to start using LYNX-X. For more background on the project management concepts behind the application, see the article LYNX Overview: Setting the Scene.

Download LYNX-X

To use LYNX-X, download the application from the official download location. LYNX-X is currently available for Windows, Mac, Android, and IOS.

Please note that there are different A-dato applications available:

LYNX-X – our newest app, combining project management and TameFlow/card functionality in one application.
Lynx Scheduler – the legacy application focused on project scheduling and project management.
TameFlow – the application focused on card and flow management.

For new users, LYNX-X is the recommended starting point because it brings the main project, portfolio, activity, and card features together in one place.

Registration and Login

If you do not yet have an account, or if you have been invited to an existing space, follow the steps described in the article Registration and Login. After logging in, LYNX-X will open the space that is available to your account.

A space is the environment where projects, users, resources, activities, and cards are managed. Depending on your access rights, you may see your own demo space, an existing company space, or multiple spaces.

First user of LYNX-X

If you are new to LYNX-X, a personal demo space may be created for you automatically. This demo space is usually named after your account, for example: firstname.lastname space.

The demo space allows you to explore LYNX-X features without changing data in a live company environment. You can use it to test navigation, open sample projects, review activities, and become familiar with the basic workflow.

If you were invited to an existing space, you can continue with the quick tour below.

Quick Tour

Home Page

When you open LYNX-X, you arrive at the Home Page, which acts as the central hub of the application. From here, you can quickly access your personal work, project and portfolio features, and application settings.

The home page is divided into three main sections:

Focus gives access to personal work areas such as My activities, My cards, and TameFlow. These views help you follow up on assigned work and card-based task flow.

LYNX-X contains the main project management features, including Portfolio, Active tasks, Reporting, and the AI Dashboard. This is where you access project-level and portfolio-level information.

Settings allows you to manage configuration options and adjust your user experience, such as the theme, font size, and whether LYNX-X should reopen the last session.

The top navigation bar also provides quick access to key views and shows your current account information.

My Activities

The My activities view shows the tasks that are relevant to you based on your role. For example, if you are assigned as a Task Manager or Resource, this screen helps you focus on the tasks that require your attention.

By default, My activities focuses on tasks that are already started or ready to start (RTS). These tasks are important because they influence the progress of the related projects.

From this view, users can update task status, review assignments, confirm resources, and enter progress information such as the Estimated Time to Complete (ETTC).

Project Portfolio

The Project Portfolio view shows the projects that are available to you in the selected space. This is the main location for opening, filtering, creating, and managing projects.

Within the portfolio, you can filter projects by status or type, such as:

Templates
All projects
Not started projects
Released projects

You can also search for specific projects, add a new project, delete a project, and open additional project-related views such as the Progress Chart, Notes, Resource Load, TameFlow, De-buffered View, or Scenario Wizard.

Active Tasks

The Active tasks view shows active tasks across projects in the selected space. Unlike My activities, this screen is not role-based. It can show tasks across different users and roles, depending on your access rights.

This view is especially useful for Task Managers who want to review their tasks in the context of the full project. For example, a Task Manager can see tasks owned by other Task Managers and understand how their own work connects to the wider project flow.

Reporting

LYNX-X supports exporting and reviewing project information through the Reporting view. Standard reports are available from the Reporting tab.

To open the available reports, go to Reporting and expand the Lynx section by clicking the plus icon. You will then see the preconfigured reports that are available to your environment.

For more information about reporting, see article: Dashboard: Reporting (HTML)

AI Dashboard

The AI Board allows you to use your data to create a wide range of custom widgets, including reports and interactive dashboards tailored to your needs. It gives you the flexibility to design and visualize information in a way that best supports your workflow or decision-making. Once created, these widgets can be easily accessed by your team for collaboration or distributed more broadly like a URL, making it simple to keep others informed and aligned.

Planning

Create your First Project

To create your first project, open Project Portfolio and select New Project.

In the project creation window, complete the basic project information:

In the General tab, enter a unique Project ID and project Name/Description.
In the Project Dates tab, enter the initial requested or desired end date of the project.
In the Scheduling tab, make sure the CCPM Engine is selected. For CCPM planning, Just in Time (JIT) scheduling is generally used as the preferred approach.

After creating the project, it will appear in the Project Portfolio with the status Not started.

Project Portfolio Window

After creating the project, return to the Project Portfolio. Your new project will be listed as Not started.

You can find it by using the portfolio filters, such as Show all or Not started. From this window, you can open the project, review project status, and use portfolio-level tools.

To open the project, double-click the project row. A new project tab will open at the top of the application with the name of your project.

Project window

The Project Window is where you build and manage the project plan. This view includes the task grid, Gantt chart, task properties, project items, and project statistics.

In this window, you can:

Add and edit tasks
Define task dependencies
Add skills and resources
Assign Task Managers
Review resource load
Apply Critical Chain behavior
Review project statistics
Release the project when planning is complete

Create the Project Plan

To create a complete project plan, you will usually follow these steps:

Add tasks and initial project durations
Add task dependencies
Add skills and resources
Add Task Managers
Convert the plan into a Critical Chain plan
Review the resulting schedule and statistics

The goal is to create a project plan that reflects the required work, the logical sequence of tasks, the resource needs, and the CCPM scheduling behavior.

Target Plan

The below image shows the target plan if you follow this tutorial.

Add Tasks

You can add tasks from the task grid by using the Add task button or the plus button.

When you create a task and enter a task name, LYNX-X assigns a default duration of 1 day. You can change this duration in the duration column. After editing the duration, confirm the update by pressing Enter or by clicking in the Gantt chart.

LYNX-X does not automatically recalculate the full project after every small edit. This helps maintain performance, especially when working with larger project plans.

After adding your tasks, click Save. Saving assigns each task its own ID. You can also use Auto Scale to adjust the Gantt chart so the tasks fit within the visible window.

Add and edit more tasks

You can also add tasks via the plus button.

Note: This image illustrates the 'just in time' scheduling features, whereby tasks are not (yet) part of the "Critical Chain". The Critical Chain implementation will be illustrated in later steps.

Save your progress

Once adding all the tasks be sure to click Save. By clicking Save each task gets its own ID. By clicking on the Auto Scale time bar all the tasks will be automatically scaled to fit your window.

Note: update also the initial Prj.duration, you can also decide to this later

Add Task Dependencies

Task dependencies define the relationship between tasks. They determine which tasks must be completed before other tasks can start or finish.

In LYNX-X, dependencies can be added in different ways. You can add them directly in the task grid, or you can use the task property area at the bottom of the screen. The task properties are useful when you want to review predecessors and successors in more detail.

Add dependencies via the task grid

Add dependencies via the Edit Boxes

This method is especially useful for projects with many tasks that are local or across different projects.

To manage dependencies, select a task and open the Predecessors or Successors tab in the task properties area. From there, you can add, update, or delete dependency relationships, which will be discussed more thoroughly below.

For larger projects, you can also use the visual dependency overview. Scroll to the right side of the task grid or use the eye icon to switch views and review the number of predecessors and successors per task.

Delete Task Dependencies

In order to delete dependencies, select the task → go to task properties at the bottom of the screen → select the Successors or Predecessors tab → delete the desired dependency in either the predecessor or successor box.

Add/Update Task Dependencies

You can scroll to the right side of the table to enter details, or click the eye icon to switch views → this will show a visual overview of the number of predecessors and successors for each task.

Review Results and Statistics

After adding tasks and dependencies, review the project plan and compare it with the intended target plan.

When you select an individual task, its properties appear at the bottom of the screen. These properties allow you to review and edit task details such as dependencies, resources, and Task Managers.

On the right side of the screen, you can switch between Project Statistics and Project Items. Project Statistics provides an overview of project-level data, while Project Items gives access to elements such as Skills, Resources, and Task Managers.

Select Critical Chain View

The Critical Chain View helps you focus on the tasks that are part of the critical chain. When this view is selected, LYNX-X only displays the tasks that belong to the critical chain.

This is useful when reviewing the main sequence of work that determines the project duration and project buffer behavior.

Add Skills and Resources

After building the basic task structure, add the skills and resources required to perform the work.

One way to do this is by using drag and drop.

Add skills via drag and drop

Select the skills/resources window on the right side of your screen and drag and drop the desired skills to the selected task(s).

Another option is to Drag & Drop the skill into the Resource Requirements of the Task Properties (at the bottom).

Add skills via the Task Properties

Review the Resource Load

After assigning skills and resources, review the Resource Load. This allows you to compare planned resource demand with resource availability.

The Resource Load view helps identify possible overloads. For example, if a resource is assigned to more work than their available capacity allows, this can affect the project schedule.

Modify Task Estimated Time and Units

If a resource overload appears, one option is to adjust the estimated time or units required for the assigned skill or resource.

Once skills or resources are assigned to a task, the task duration can no longer be edited directly in the original project duration column. Instead, duration-related updates are managed through the Resource Requirements box. In the task grid, the duration may appear in brackets to indicate that it is now driven by the resource requirements.

Scenario Virtual Skills: Review Resource Load

When using Virtual Skills, LYNX-X does not automatically select and soft-allocate a specific named resource. Virtual Skills can be useful when planning at a skill level before assigning exact people.

For a more detailed explanation, see the manual on Resource and Skill Assignment.

Add Task Managers

Task Managers are responsible for following up on task progress. In a CCPM implementation, Task Managers often provide regular task updates, such as status changes and updated ETTC values.

There are different ways to add Task Managers:

You can invite multiple Task Managers to the project through the project invitation options. After they are added to the project, you can assign them to individual tasks. You can also add a Task Manager directly through the task property area. Task Managers can then be assigned through the Task Manager column or by using drag and drop where available.

Add Task Managers through invitation

Explanation:

Invite Multiple Task Managers involved to the TM list. Task Managers are typically responsible for providing tasks updates, often on a daily basis.
Inviting a Task Manager via the Task Property tab at the bottom will only invite a TM for that specific task.
Inviting a TM through the "Invite users" will invite them for the project, after which you can assign them individually per task.

Add Tasks Managers via the Task Manager column or via Drag & Drop

Apply Critical Chain Behavior

After tasks, dependencies, skills, resources, and Task Managers are added, you can apply Critical Chain behavior to the project.

This process typically includes three steps:

Apply the Critical Chain Project parameters.
Select the buffer types you want to insert.
Implement the buffers in the project plan.

Depending on the selected settings, task durations may be shortened and buffers may be added to the schedule. In the example from the original walkthrough, tasks are shortened by 50%, and project and feeding buffers are added.

After applying the Critical Chain behavior, review the updated schedule and project statistics to confirm that the project plan is calculated as expected.

Start a Project from a Template

You can find new templates under the Project Portfolio → Templates

Next, select Add to create a new project from an existing template.

You can now find your new project under Not Started.

Releasing your Project

Releasing the Project and its Tasks

Once the project plan is complete and reviewed, the next step is to release the project.

To release the project, open the project properties and change the project status to Released.

After release, additional project control information becomes available. The statistics window is extended, and buffer control information is added. You can now review project buffer and feeding buffer information in the project plan.

The project is now ready for execution and task updates.

Non-CCPM Project Option

For teams that do not need to use the CCPM way of working, LYNX-X also supports standard project tracking. You can create a project and move it directly to Started without adding any CCPM buffers.

Multiple Display Options

LYNX-X allows you to switch between the Table view and the Gantt view, making it easier to follow project progress in the format that works best for you.

PERT View

The PERT view provides a visual map of the tasks within a project, helping you understand how tasks are connected and how the project is structured.

My Activities Window

After the project is released, Task Managers and Resources can use My activities to follow up on their assigned work.

From My activities, users can:

Assign or confirm resources for a task
Start a task by changing its status
Enter the Estimated Time to Complete
Review tasks that are started or ready to start

This screen is important during execution because task updates are used to monitor project progress and buffer consumption.

Tips and Tricks

Mark Favorites

If you often use the same roles, skills, or resources, you can mark them as favorites. Open the relevant tab, such as the Skills tab, and select the roles or skills you use frequently.

Favorite items appear higher in the list, making them easier to find when assigning skills or resources to tasks.

Basic Tips & Tricks

The following tips can help you work more efficiently in LYNX-X:

You can filter or hide columns by right-clicking on a column header. This helps simplify the view when working with larger task lists.

You can copy and paste a selection of tasks using CTRL+C and CTRL+V.

You can zoom in and out of the Gantt chart by clicking inside the chart and using the mouse scroll wheel.

The viewing options provide different ways to review the project, depending on whether you want to focus on tasks, resources, the Gantt chart, or project structure.

You can also use filters to search for specific resources, skills, task names, or Task Managers.

Resolve Warning Messages

During planning, LYNX-X may show warning messages if the plan cannot be calculated or if there are planning logic violations.

For example, a warning can appear when more work is scheduled for a resource than the available capacity allows. If two project managers are scheduled at the same time but only one is available, the maximum availability is exceeded and the plan may require adjustment.

To resolve warnings, review the message, identify the task or resource involved, and adjust the planning logic, resource assignment, or availability.

Add Notes

You can add notes to tasks when additional information or follow-up is needed.

To add a note, select the task and click the notes icon. The task details pop-up opens. Click the plus icon to create a new note, then select the type of note you want to add.

Notes can be useful for documenting decisions, questions, risks, or updates related to a task.

Additional Resources

Please also refer to the following articles for more in-depth information and quick insights into the following topics:

Articles in this section