Is Sen easy to use, or complex?
Sen is a planning tool for planners. It has more depth than a to-do app, because a plan has more parts than a list. The depth is logical, and you meet it one step at a time.
These are the eight planning threads the Krong course is built around. The highlighted ones are covered here. What are the planning threads?
What to expect
| Time | You can |
|---|---|
| Ten minutes | Open the example, change a duration and watch the plan move |
| One hour | Build a small plan: tasks, predecessors, a few risks, an owner for each task |
| An afternoon | Build a real project plan with budget, milestones and a status report |
| A few projects | Use constraints, resource loading and scenarios with confidence |
Why it feels complex
Sen shows the real shape of a plan: work, time, money, risk and people. That is a lot of tabs. But you do not need them all on day one. The Schedule tab alone makes a useful plan. Each other tab adds one more thread when you are ready.
What is hard is the thinking, not the clicking
Typing a predecessor takes seconds. Deciding the right predecessor takes judgement. That part is judgement, which Krong teaches, and no tool replaces it. It does make the consequences of your choices visible straight away, which is how people learn.
Is Sen overkill for a small project?
Not if you use only what you need. A small project still has a goal, a few tasks, a date, a budget, an owner and a couple of risks. Sen holds those in a few minutes, and nothing forces you to fill the rest.
| Project | What to use | What to skip |
|---|---|---|
| A two-week event or a one-person task | Business case line, Schedule, one risk | Everything else |
| A three-month launch with four people | Schedule in days, milestones, RACI, budget, Cash flow, a few risks | Earned value, constraints |
| A year-long, funded project | All of it, in time | Nothing |
It is overkill when a to-do list would do. If nothing depends on anything else, and nobody needs a date, a budget or a report, use a list. Sen starts to earn its place when one change should move something else: a date, a cost, a person.
It also pays to plan small projects properly while you are learning. The habits you build on a small plan, such as one owner per task and a reason for each change, carry straight over to a large one.
The same method works for personal projects such as a home renovation or a wedding, but Sen is built for professional, integrated planning.
What helps
- A finished example, Caldera Freight, to explore and copy.
- Four templates to start from.
- A short first-run tour.
- A command bar: press Ctrl+K, or Cmd+K on a Mac, and type what you want.
- Undo for the last change, and a change log.
- A health check that lists gaps in the plan.
Who it is for
If you plan projects, or want to, Sen fits. If you want a simple task list, a task board will serve you better. Sen is for the person who has to answer the question: will this finish on time, on budget and with the people we have?
Questions people ask
Do I need training to use Sen?
No. Start with the example. If you want to go further, the course teaches the judgement behind a good plan.
Is it harder than a spreadsheet?
It does more for you. A spreadsheet needs you to build the links. Sen has them already.
Is Sen overkill for a small project?
Not if you use only the tabs you need. A short plan needs the Schedule, an owner for each task and a risk or two. If a to-do list would do, use a list.
Can a beginner use it?
Yes, with the example and the guides. A beginner will take longer to decide the inputs than to enter them.
See it in a real plan
Open Sen and explore the Caldera Freight example. Every figure on this page comes from it. Copy it, change a task, and watch the plan move together.
Open Sen, free About the course