First Step in Schedule Development with Primavera P6: Plan

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Hill-PCI Group

Understand Contract and Specification Requirements

It is important for the Planner / Scheduler to understand the contract and specification requirements for schedule updates. These documents should outline frequency of updates, procedures for updates versus revisions, earned value requirements, cost and/or resource status requirements, and change management procedures. These documents may also require specific software to be used.

Determine Update Frequency

In order to effectively record and measure project progress consideration should be taken as to regularity of updates. Internal company policy, project budgeting constraints, and application usage are factors in establishing schedule update occurrence. Maintaining more frequent records (i.e. weekly) of previous as-built data (based on the required periodic performance updates) establishes greater accuracy of as-built documentation, promotes timely issues resolution/mitigation, enhances the users skills in both application and management of the project schedule, and provides a starting point to which the user can return should errors be made in the update process. Regardless of update frequency, an established time of week/month enhances the use of P6 functionality using Layouts and Reporting tools as well as predefined filters based on standard rolling dates and the schedules Data Date.

Establish Baseline / Contract Schedule

Prior to starting the update process a Baseline or Contract Schedule must be developed and established. The primary outcome of the schedule development process is an as -planned schedule model that becomes the schedule control baseline for project control plan implementatio n. [1] The term, Baseline typically refers to the accepted as-planned schedule submitted at project inception. Primavera defines a baseline as a snapshot of the project plan against which the projects cost, schedule, and performance can be measured. A baseline can be the projects as-planned schedule, a statused or periodic as-built schedule, a what-if scenario, a time impact analysis, etc. (For users familiar with Primavera P3, targets are synonymous with baselines in Primavera P6.) Primavera P6 allows for the creation of infinite baselines for comparison to the current schedule and gives each user the ability to assign up to three baselines to the current schedule for data comparisons. The maximum number of baselines per project is established by the Administrator (Admin, Preferences, Data Limits); this setting is Global and applies to all projects in the database. The Administrator can also provide users the right to copy a specified number of baselines when copying the project.

Assign Responsibility to each activity

One aspect of planning includes assigning specific roles and responsibilities for measuring the progress and performance of each work package [1]. During the schedule development process, the Planner / Scheduler should assign responsibility to each activity in the schedule. In Primavera P6, this is easily accomplished through the use of an Activity Code (i.e. Responsibility). Using a responsibility Activity Code allows the scheduler to breakdown activity progress by the trade or crew or individual performing or responsible for the work. Each responsible party can (through the use of filters and layouts) review a report of work progress and effectively plan for near term activities. The scheduler can also more easily identify potential issues and mitigate risks based on performance factors. Activity Codes may be Global (across the Enterprise) or Project (Specific to the individual project). It is recommended to use project specific activity codes to avoid corruption of any other Projects in the Enterprise database. Only one Activity Code value can be assigned to an activity (i.e. one responsibility per activity). Another option of tracking responsibility is to assign a Resource to each activity based on trade or crew or individual (as shown in Figure 1); however it must be noted that Resources are always Global. Unlike Activity Code values, multiple resources can be assigned to an activity.

It should be noted that an activity listing grouped by Activity Code (View menu, Group and Sort by) is an option in the Activity window. However, grouping by Resources is not as functional in the Activity window but available in the Assignments window.

Provide training
The Planner / Scheduler should provide training to each responsible party to ensure all parties understand their role in the update process. Training should include details on how to update the schedule, how to review the schedule, and how to add fragnets for change management. The schedule basis should also include a description of how project control performance will be measured and

assessed in respect to the schedule including rules for earning progress and the procedures for evaluating progress and forecasting remaining durations. [1] Training should provide an understanding of the update reports (i.e. short interval schedules based on previous update) and what information is required of each individual to complete these reports (i.e. activity remaining duration/percent complete and impacts and mitigation).

Gather data
The first step in the update process, prior to any data input, is to gather the data. The Planner / Scheduler should provide the update report or layout to the team and responsible parties at regularly scheduled intervals based on the frequency of the update process. Suggested information to provide in the update report or layout is: Activity ID, Activity Name, Original Duration, Remaining Duration, Total Float, Start, Finish, Actual Start, Actual Finish, Blank column for remarks. It is also helpful to include columns for Predecessor and Successors. A useful feature in Primavera P6 is the Progress Spotlight Option in the Activities window. By selecting Progress Spotlight, the schedule layout is highlighted to a specific time period (based on the Timescale minimum time increment. For monthly updates, it is useful to highlight two months; for weekly updates, it is useful to highlight two weeks (as shown in Figure 2). This will provide the Planner / Scheduler with data for one time-period of actual dates plus one time-period of forecasted dates / logic.

Each of the responsible parties should fill out their respective scope of work on the update sheet. In the Activities window, the layout can be sorted by responsible party using Group, Sort options (located under the View

menu) and selecting the appropriate Responsibility activity code. In the Activity Assignments view, the layout can be sorted by resource using Group, Sort options.

Hold a Job site visit / update meeting and validate data

It is extremely important to hold an update meeting, preferably at the jobsite to review and validate the dates and documentation given. This walk through should be conducted prior to or during the update process to validate information provided by the responsible parties. those with project control responsibility should spot check the work progress and performance measurements to some extent (i.e., informal work sampling, questioning responsible leaders, etc.) to ensure that the data being received and reviewed are reliable, appropriate, and understood. [1] The Planner / Scheduler should walk the project site to ensure the dates provided match progress in the field and clarify any questions they may have with the responsible team member(s). A risk to be aware of with progress measurements and schedules for payment based on progress is that contractors responsible for work packages can benefit financially by over-reporting progress and/or assigning too much money for payment for work that is performed early in the project. [1] Any critical slippage should be noted and plans (if applicable) of mitigation should be documented.

Understand Primavera P6 settings that affect updates

With the data in hand and validated, the Planner / Scheduler is now ready to update the schedule in P6. At this point it is important to have an understanding of the various software settings. These settings include security access settings, percent complete types, duration types, calculation settings, resource settings, multiple projects, layouts (reports), and filters.

Security access settings

At implementation, information security mechanisms must be established to control who may enter, change, delete, view, or otherwise use data and information in and from the database. In addition, the interaction/interface of owner, supplier, and contractor systems must be considered and resolved. [1] Based on the Organizational Breakdown Structure (the hierarchical structure used to establish project responsibility/security) read/write access can be defined down to the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) level. Security settings are established by the Administrator (Admin, Security Profiles).

Percent complete types

Activity progress is measured based on an activitys remaining duration and/or its percent complete. By default P6 calculates one from the other using the Duration percent option or (Original Duration Remaining Duration)/Original Duration. However based on project type and/or contract restrictions an activitys duration may not be allowed to calculate the activitys percent complete. In these cases, P6 provides the option of Physical percent or manually entered percentage of work complete. These settings should be defined as default to all activities at the project level (Project Details, Defaults tab).

Defining the activity percent complete type determines the role of percent complete at the activity level. Duration percent complete direct correlation/calculation with Original and Remaining Durations. Units percent complete direct correlation/calculation with Budgeted and Actual Units. Physical percent complete no correlation with either Original and Remaining Durations nor Budgeted and Actual Units.

Regardless of the percent complete type, P6 assigns 100% complete when an activity has an assigned Actual Finish date.

Duration types
Typically, a project can be subdivided into four phases: Initial Phase, Planning Phase, Execution Phase, and Closeout Phase. The level of incorporating estimated work durations based on production factors may change dependent on the phase of the project. As scope of work is being defined, production rates and durations are estimated. Duration can then be based on these estimates. However, once the scope has been clearly defined and the project duration established, production rates are typically monitored in order to maintain successful project completion. Defining the activity Duration type determines the use of production rates and how they affect progressed durations. There are three Duration Types to consider: Fixed Units and Duration established Budgeted Units and Duration calculate the Units/Time production rate. Typically used after contract award and during execution phases. Fixed Units/Time and Duration established Units/Time production rates and Duration calculate the projected Budgeted Units. This Duration Type is used when established Budgeted Quantities are not assigned but are secondary to the Duration and the Production Rate (i.e. Time and Material Schedule).

The last two Duration Types are typically used during the Initial Phase or constructability phase to calculate durations based on either Budgeted Units or Units per Time. Fixed Units established Budgeted Units calculate the Duration based on defined Units/Time production rates. Fixed Units/Time established Units/Time production rates calculate Duration based on desired Budgeted Units.

These settings are based on resource definition and settings both at the resource and project levels. The last two options, Fixed Units and Fixed Units/Time (typically used to prepare a constructability schedule) calculate Duration based on the settings within the Project Details.

Activity types within P6

There are six activity types within P6 that define the role of the activity: Task Dependent the activitys duration over time is calculated using the activitys base calendar. Most activities in the typical construction schedule are task dependent.

Resource Dependent the activitys duration over time is calculated using the resources calendars. Start Milestone a starting event with no duration and no finish date. Finish Milestone a finishing event with no duration and no start date.

Most contracts will define a Start Milestone (example: Notice to Proceed) and a Finish Milestone (example: Substantial Completion). Level of Effort the activitys duration is calculated based on the relationship with its predecessor and successor activities. Typical usage of a Level of Effort type of activity is similar to that of what was a Hammock in P3 and SureTrak. WBS Summary the activitys duration is calculated based on the level of WBS within which the activity is located.

Calculation settings
When calculating actual dates and project progress, P6 applies certain rules which affect the process outcome (Tools menu, Schedule, Options). When external relationships exist to and from other projects, the option to ignore these external relationships will determine whether those relationships affect the currently opened schedule. (Note: If this option is not selected when importing/exporting files from other databases, P6 preserves External dates based on the external relationships.) P6 has an option to apply Expected Finish dates to activities to calculate activity completions. This can be used for long lead procurement items or when a completion date determines the activitys duration. In P6 there are three options available when scheduling progressed activities: retained logic, progress override, and actual dates. Each of these settings affects the way the scheduled dates are calculated in an update and are important for the Scheduler to understand. The Retained Logic setting maintains the as-built sequence of activities regardless of actual work. With the Progress Override setting the activity logic sequence can be overridden based on actual work. The direct predecessor activitys dates (Remaining Early) drive those successor activities which have not started. When the predecessor is assigned an Actual Finish, the activitys dates (Remaining Early) are driven by th e Data Date. When the activity has an Actual Start, its Remaining Duration drives the Remaining Early Finish. The Actual Dates setting allows for future actualized activity dates to calculate sequence.

Resource settings
P6 calculates resource actuals (units/cost) based on the settings defined at the Resource level (Resource Details) and Project level (Project Details).

Second Step in Schedule Development with Primavera P6: Update

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Hill-PCI Group

The following is a continuation of a series that we are doing on lessons learned using Primavera P6. If you missed the early post, please click here. By default Primavera P6 allows for multiple user access to any schedule (dependent on user access and licensing) within the database. The access in which a schedule is opened is determined at under the File menu, Open, Access Mode (Exclusive / Shared / Read Only). If a project is selected from the Project Window, by highlighting the project, right clicking and selecting Open Project, the file is opened in Shared mode. However, when statusing schedule performance it is best to access the scheduling using the Exclusive mode to prevent other users from overriding progressed data.

Maintain Baseline (of previous update) in Primavera P6

Prior to updating schedule data, the previous version should be saved or maintained as a Baseline to track schedule modifications (slippage, accelerations) and changes to the projects critical path. Using the Maintain Baseline options (as shown in Figure 3) provided by the application (Activity Window, Project, Maintain Baseline), Primavera P6 renames the previous version or Baseline using the schedules current Project Name - B1, B2, etc. As Primavera P6 allows for innumerable baselines or ver sions the nomenclature should be renamed specific to the version being saved (i.e. Update as of Data Date, Contract Schedule version 01, What-If as of Data Date, etc.).

Rename File

Once the Baseline has been maintained, the current schedule should be renamed to a new version (i.e. EX00 should be renamed to EX01). It is helpful to indicate whether this file is a draft, final, what-if, etc. in the file name or by using a Project Code to indicate status. Primavera P6 allows the Scheduler the ability to copy the current schedule as a Reflection. The Reflection copy can then be altered or updated and then merged back into the current schedule. A word of caution when using this feature: the following data items, when deleted in the Reflection copy, will not be deleted in the current schedule during the merge: Activities, Relationships, Resource Assignments, WBS elements, Work Products and Documents, Project Expenses, Project Issues, and Project Risks. These data elements would need to be manually deleted from the current schedule following the merge. (Oracle Knowledgebase ID 908732.1)

Assign Baseline
As previously mentioned, Primavera P6 allows for multiple Baselines associated to a single schedule. Each user can view and compare up to three Baseline versions to the current schedule as well as the overall project schedule (typically the Contract Schedule) using the Assign Baseline option (Activity Window, Project, Assign Baseline). It is recommended (as shown in Figure 4) that the Project Baseline be the approved contract schedule and the User Primary Baseline be the last update or previous version of the schedule which the Scheduler wishes to compare to the current schedule update.

ENTER DATA: Enter status (dates, percent complete, resources, costs)

Schedule performance assessment starts by entering the actual start, finish, and milestone achievement dates in the project schedule (usually using scheduling software). [1].

If earned value techniques are used, the percent complete information is also documented for each activity. However, schedule performance is based on the remaining duration needed to complete the work of the activity; which is then used to evaluate the percent of schedule completion. [1]. Prior to statusing the schedule in Prim avera P6, the Scheduler must ensure that time is shown (Edit menu, User Preferences, Dates, Time). If times are not shown, the software may enter incorrect start and finish times. The Scheduler should enter all actual start dates, actual finish dates, percent completes, remaining durations, resources and costs from the data provided by the team members. Each activity with an actual date (start and/or finish) should be marked as Start/Finish and the date Start/Finish should be entered. If Resource settings allow for auto-calculation the resource actuals will be updated, otherwise, enter the actuals for each resource assigned to the activity. Once the actual information is entered, the schedule can be calculated using the new Data Date (Tools menu, Schedule). In P6 there is an option to Schedule automatically when a change affects dates, it is recommended that this option be unselected when statusing the actuals to improve speed and efficiency of the program. Once calculated, the schedule should be reviewed to ensure the data was entered correctly (refer to the section Review and Analyze). After the schedule has been reviewed and is acceptable as a project schedule update, the schedule may be saved as a Baseline (with Status Only included in the title) prior to entering any new activities and revised logic. There are other options for updating activity progress based on work performance. If work performance has occurred based on scheduled projections, P6 allows the user the option to Apply Actuals (Tools menu, Apply Actuals) and Update Progress (Tools menu, Update Progress). Activity actuals and percent complete will be automatically statused based on projected performance up to the new Data Date. Note of caution that Apply Actuals and Update Progress options use Planned Dates (Planned Start/Planned Finish) versus scheduled Start/Finish or Early Dates which may be different. This setting can cause defined Actual Dates to be changed.

Enter revisions/forecast (activities, durations, logic)

Schedule forecasting starts with the statused network schedule. If changes or trends have been identified, the plan and schedule for the work scope remaining is then developed using the methods of the schedule planning and development process. The project schedule forecast is then revised reflecting the current status integrated with the schedule for the remaining work scope. The revised schedule must consider the performance and productivity to date, resource allocation, any improvement or corrective actions proposed, and risk factors. Creating a revised schedule entails the schedule development steps, and therefore is done only infrequently when conditions invalidate the planned schedule because it can no longer be attained. If no changes or trends have been identified, and the project status is as planned, the schedule forecast is simply the existing schedule. [1] At this point, the Scheduler should enter any new activities, delete activities and revise logic and/or durations based on information provided by the team. The schedule should be recalculated with the new data date and reviewed to ensure the data was entered correctly. The schedule can be saved as a

Baseline (with Revision added to the title) to monitor variances to the status only update as well as the previous update and Project Baseline schedule.

Third Step in Schedule Development with Primavera P6: Review/Analyze

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Hill-PCI Group

The following is a continuation of a series that we are doing on lessons learned using Primavera P6. If you missed the early post, please click here.

Using Primavera P6 to review and verify data input (Schedule self-check)

After inputting the data in Primavera P6 and prior to distributing any draft schedule layout or reports to the team, the Planner / Scheduler should do a self-check of the data input and logic. When performing the schedule calculation (Tools menu, Schedule) a log report (shown in Figure 5 from Primavera P6) identifying calculation settings and potential schedule issues can be created and reviewed.

Items in Primavera P6 that should be reviewed are open ends (activities without Predecessors and/or Successors), dangling relationship ties (Start-to-Start and/or Finish-to-Finish ties without a Successor and/or Predecessor), incorrect and non-overlapping lag ties (Start-to-Start lag that exceeds the activity duration or Finish-to-Finsh lag that exceeds the successor duration would result in gaps in the sequence), out-of-sequence progress (incorrect logic based on actualized progress), actual dates in the future (actual

status after the Data Date), incorrect times (start/finish times not set according to the calendar day start/finish times), activities on the data date (verify predecessor logic), excessive float values (based on Contract Duration and allowable float), and negative float (verify cause and responsibility as well as contractual requirements for demonstrating and supporting work impacts). New activities should be reviewed for durations and relationships, as well as impact to the overall plan. The construction Planner / Scheduler should review the critical path and near critical path in Primavera P6 to make sure they are reasonable. The entire schedule should be reviewed to identify any areas of concern such as constructability issues and stacking of trades. Standard and customized Primavera P6 filters (Activity Window, View menu, Filters) and reports can be used to check for many of these items. It is extremely helpful to use Claim Digger and / or a third party review software such as Schedule Analyzer for the Enterprise to assist in the self-check review. The Planner / Scheduler should identify any questions and items of concern and review them with the appropriate team members.

Compare current Primavera P6 upate to previous update

It is useful to compare the current Primavera P6 update to the previous update and / or Contract Schedule. The schedule assessment is usually reported using a schedule plot (e.g., a bar chart) showing the planned (i.e., target) and actual schedule activity status. [1] In Primavera P6, the Planner / Scheduler can create a comparison layout by assigning the appropriate baseline(s) (Project menu, Assign Baseline) and selecting the Baseline bars (View, Bars) and Baseline data columns. The Planner / Scheduler must be aware that varying Baseline Types (Project Baseline versus User Baselines Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary) will allow for varying levels of data (Primary will allow for more data than Secondary. Likewise, Secondary will allow for more data comparison than Tertiary). Schedule performance variance may be expressed as either the amount of time or the percent of the planned duration that the schedule is ahead or behind. [1] In Primavera P6 the earned value calculation settings (Admin Preferences menu, Earned Value) will determine how variances are calculated. The Primavera P6 options are: At Completion values with current dates, Budgeted values with current dates and Budgeted values with planned dates. In a standard comparison of current and baseline data, it is recommended that Budgeted values with current dates option be used. The Primavera P6setting for this is global, not project specific, and affects all projects in the Primavera P6 database. A useful comparison schedule layout in Primavera P6 (shown in Figure 6) includes the following columns: Calendar, Activity ID, Activity Name, Start, Finish, Baseline Start, Baseline Finish, Original Duration, Actual Duration, Remaining Duration, Baseline Actual Duration, Baseline Remaining Duration, Total Float, Free Float, Baseline Total Float, Baseline Free Float, Variance Baseline Start Date, Variance Baseline Finish Date, Predecessors, Successors, Critical. This layout in Primavera P6 should include the current schedule and baseline schedule bars to graphically display variances from the Baseline.

Review Logic Reports / Layouts and Changes made in Primavera P6

The Planner / Scheduler should provide the team with logic reports and layouts as the schedule will also be assessed to determine if the logic for the remaining work is still valid (e.g., is the actual performance now out of sequence). This observation, along with cost, resource, productivity, and work process and performance assessments (i.e., trends) will be used in the forecasting process to evaluate the plan and schedule for remaining work, and to address trends and changes. [1] The Planner / Scheduler and team should review the logic and changes made during the update in Primavera P6; these can be quickly identified through the use of Claim Digger (Tools, Claim Digger) and / or third party software such as Schedule Analyzer for the Enterprise.

Finalize and Maintain Baseline (of this finalized update)

Once the entire team has reviewed and approved the draft update (this may take several drafts), the Planner / Scheduler should finalize the update. The file should be maintained as a Baseline in Primavera P6 (Project, Maintain Baseline, Save Copy), exported and backed up to a safe location. The change management process, in integration with the forecasting process, results in a revised project control baseline against which performance will be measured and assessed for the remaining project. [1]

Fourth Step in Schedule Development with Primavera P6: Communicate

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Hill-PCI Group

Useful layouts that can be created in Primavera P6

The Planner / Scheduler must provide the team with various layouts and reports to communicate the updated plan. Some useful layouts that can be created in Primavera P6 include bar chart layouts, look ahead schedules, critical path and near critical path sorts, and responsibility sorts. Each of these layouts may be saved as Global (available to all projects in the database), User (available only to the user) and Project (specific only to the project).

Create Custom Reports Using the Report Wizard tool

To help assess management priorities, additional schedule status reports may include lists of activities sorted by pending planned start dates (activities requiring immediate attention), pending planned finish

dates, or by total float (activities with most immediate potential impact to project completion. [1]. Primavera P6 contains many standard schedule, resource and cost reports as well as Report Editor and Report Wizard tools which the Scheduler can use to create customized reports.

Final Note about Lessons Learned Series Using Primavera P6

Many Contract Documents are now requiring the use of the latest version of Primavera software (P6) therefore it is important for the Construction Scheduler to understand how to use this software most efficiently in their effort to maintain and to complete their projects in a timely manner. A new or inexperienced Primavera P6 user may be overwhelmed in the struggle to maintain and update the schedule using P6 and its advanced features without proper training or Basic Training. The Construction Scheduler should be able to apply the Lessons Learned outlined in this paper to update schedules quickly and efficiently using Primavera P6.

How to Build Lookahead Filters in Oracle Primavera Using Date Variables

Lookahead reports are one of the centerpieces of consistent project reporting and controlling. Lookahead reports show and highlight upcoming activities in the project. Most common lookahead reports focus on activities scheduled for the upcoming week, next 2 weeks, next 3 weeks, next month and next 3 months. Of course there are other variations and the determining factor will be the type of project being worked. The nice thing about Primavera is that you can build a custom filter that will lookahead any period that suits your needs. The key to a lookahead report is building a proper activity Filter. Recall that an activity Filter will show only activities that meet the Filters criteria all activities that dont meet the criteria will be hidden. Knowing how to program the Filters criteria is essential. And in this tutorial well show you how to do it.

Tutorial Files
Complete this tutorial by downloading the following files:

Ptuts -Lookahead-Filters-Files.zip

Step 1 Finding Your Footing With Filters

Start by opening a project plan. You cant build any filters in Primavera unless you have a project open.

Click the Filters icon on the toolbar OR goto Views -> Filters in the menus. Click New to add a new custom filter.

Step 2 Creating A Custom Filter In P6

Name your filter 1 Month Lookahead Basic. Now to do the programming part. Click in the empty field in the Parameter column. You should get a dropdown box with a long list of field names. In this list, find the entry Start which is the column that represent activity

start dates.

Step 3 Programming The Filter

Click in the Is column and choose is within range of from the dropdown list.

Step 4 Using Primaveras Built-In Date Variables

When building a filter that uses a range (as in our choice from Step 3), well have to specify an upper value and a lower value for the range in question. Then in the next column Value well specify the lower value of the range. Click in the Value column you should see another button become available. If you click it, youll see the menu below. The choices in the menu represent some of Primavera s built-in date variables. For example, the variable PS represents the Projects Start Date that was specified when the project was first created. For our filter, well use the variable DD the projects Data Date.

Now click in the High Value column. This type were going to type in a short formula. Type in DD+1M. This formula sets the upper range to 1 month more than our current Data Date. For example, if our current Data Date is March 3rd, this formula would set the upper range to March 3rd + 1 month which is April 3rd.

NOTE: If you hit Enter after typing in DD+1M, you will likely have a new line added to your screen. Go ahead and delete that line by clicking the Delete button on the right.

Step 5 Viewing The Filtered Results

Click OK to lock in your custom filter. You should notice that your new filter is checked on. Click OK to view your project with the filter on.

The filter should show you a short list of activities scheduled to start in the next month (assuming your Data Date is set to reflect the last status date and you are statusing on a consistent basis). In our sample project, were only showing 2 activities planning to get started in the next month.

A lookahead report can be essential for focusing on soon-to-be-starting activities. You could easily print this layout or create a Report from this data to discuss at your weekly project meeting.

Creating a Better Lookahead Filter

The basic lookahead filter youve just built works well in ideal situations but it doesnt quite meet the mark in other cases. For example, it leaves out in-progress activities which you will likely want to be aware of. In the case where activities started earlier than planned, it wont show you those either. So lets show you how to build a better lookahead filter.

Step 6 Make A Copy Of The Basic Lookahead Filter

Go back to the Filters window by clicking the Filter icon on the toolbar. Highlight your 1 Month Lookahead Basic filter, click the Copy button and then the Paste button. Highlight the new copy and click the Modify button.

Step 7 Tweaking The Primavera Filter To Include In-Progress Activities

Rename the filter to Better 1 Month Lookahead. Start reprogramming by changing the paramete in the Value column (currently DD). Well change this to PS instead the Project Start Date.

Next, click the Add button to add a line. Click the Parameter dropdown box and find Activity Status in the list. Change the Is column to Is Not Equal To and set the Value column to Completed. Click OK.

Place a checkmark next to your new filter to turn it on and uncheck any other filters to turn them off. Click OK to view the project.

As you can see, the new filter includes the original 3 activities due to start in the next month PLUS any activities are that are still in-progress. This new filter is much more complete now and will ensure you report on all planned and in-progress activities in the filtered range.

Wrap-Up
Lookahead filters are fundamental to reporting and monitoring your project on an ongoing basis. Create these filters in your Oracle Primavera database and make them Global so you can share them with your colleagues and start to set a standard for reporting in your organization.

Physical Percent Complete in Primavera P6

There are three different methods of calculating the actual progress of activities: Duration Percent Complete, Units Percent Complete, and Physical Percent Complete. The first two are explained in the previous articles and this article will cover the last one, Physical % Complete. We will also discuss the ways of choosing the appropriate percent complete field in later articles, and will now focus on the nature and calculations only.

The Concept of Physical Progress

The progress of some activities is not measured appropriately by the means of duration or units. In such cases, we use the concept of physical progress. The physical progress of an activity is a manually-entered value determined by the user. The value can be based on either of these two:

On physical parameters that are not applicable inside the plan the amount of concrete poured, the length of the pipes laid down, and the number of light bulbs installed, are examples of this kind. You can always use resources to implement these parameters, but they are not usually the only assignment (you also have human resource assignments, equipment assignments, etc.) and in such cases, the Units % Complete will be calculated based on a combination of the main parameter and all other assignments of the activity, which is not your desired result. So, you can measure this kind of progress by resource units and Units % Complete, only when that resource is the only one assigned to the activity. Otherwise, implementing these parameters will not be easy in an automated system and entering them manually is usually preferred. On expert judgement based on the physical progress of the final product or result sometimes the physical parameters (as described before) are not suitable basis for progress measurement and expert judgement is preferred.

Either way, physical progress is determined outside the schedule.

Two Types of Physical Progress in Primavera P6

There are two methods of dealing with physical values in Primavera P6:

Entering them manually; this is the default method and is done by entering whatever you wish in the Physical % Complete field of the activity.

Using Activity Steps; this is done by selecting predefined manual values.

These two types are explained below.

Using Activity Steps

One of the measurement methods, also described in the Earned Value Management for determining the earned value, is using activity steps. Imagine an activity: designing the foundation of the equipment xyz. Its common for the progress of activities related to design to follow steps instead of incremental values; for example:

0% for not-started activities and those that are not completed and issued yet 80% for the completion and the first issue of the design 100% for the approved design

So we will have the following progress curve for the sample activity:

The first issue and the approval in this sample are usually called Activity Steps, or Progress Steps. One way of implementing this method is to limit ourselves to only entering these values; e.g. do not enter any physical progress before the design is issued. By the time we issue the design, we can enter 80% as the physical progress and again, we wont increase it until it is approved, which makes our physical progress 100%.

Primavera P6 has a feature which makes this kind of progressing easier. We can define the activity steps and use them for entering progress and thus to update Physical % Complete on the activitiy. This will prevent us from making mistakes by automatically limiting us to the predefined values. The first thing to do is to get the settings right or specifically the setting which enables progress via activity steps. 1) Click on the Projects item of the Enterprise menu to open the Projects window.

2) After selecting the project in the upper part of the window, the Activity percent complete based on activity steps option should be activated to enable the activity steps. From now on, you cannot enter manual physical % complete values for the activities which have defined steps. However, its still possible to enter manual values for activities which do not have steps. So, dont worry too much about this setting; you can always keep it active. The next thing to do is to define steps for the activities. The following screen shows a plan with two activities.

The activity A1 is selected. The settings we will deal with are in the Steps Tab of the Details pane. If you dont have the pane, select View| Show on Bottom| Details. If you dont have the Steps tab, right click on a tab and select Customize Activity Details then activate the Steps item.

Now, it is time to define steps. Our sample steps are 80% progress for the first issue and the remaining 20% for the approval. 3) To add a new step, click on the Add button (bottom-left corner of the screen).

4) Enter the name of the step and repeat clicking on the Add button and entering the names for the rest of the steps.

Now the two sample steps have been entered. These steps have the same weight now; each will increase Physical % Complete by 50%. 5) In order to define other weights, right click on the Step Name heading (or any other headings) and select Customize Step Columns. By this, a dialog box opens and the Step Weight column can be added to the layout.

6) Now predefined progress of each step can be entered in the Step Weight column as shown.

Now we are finished defining the steps for activity A1. You might have many activities with the same steps. In this case, select all steps of activity A1 (click on a step, then press Ctrl+A keys to select all), then right click on a blank space of the steps pane and select Create Template. By this, the following dialog box appears:

Enter a desired name (General Design Steps in this sample) and click on the OK button. Now a saved template for these steps is created and available for further use. Now lets select activity A2.

7) This activity is supposed to have the same steps as activity A1. We can use the previously made template to create them. Click on the Add From Template button and the following dialog box will appear.

8) Double click on the General Design Steps item to continue.

The same steps are added to the activity.

Entering Physical % Complete

1) The first thing is to select the activity, go to the Status tab of the Details pane, check the Started checkbox, and mark the activity as started. This means that the activity is started and ready to receive its physical progress.

2) In this example, the activity A3 is marked as started. This activity does not have steps, so the Physical % Complete can be entered manually. Simply click on the cell and enter the value.

For those activities which have steps (A1 and A2 in this sample), you cannot enter manual values and should use the steps instead (only if you have activated the steps as described in the beginning of this very article). In order to do so, go to the Steps tab of the Details pane after marking the activity as started. Just check the Completed checkboxes of the completed steps.

Physical % Complete for WBS Elements

WBS elements usually roll-up the information of their underlying activities; e.g. the cost of a WBS element is the sum of the costs of its children and its Start is equal to the minimum of the starts of its children. The way each value is rolled-up depends on the type and nature of the value and even some of them do not accept roll-ups by their nature. The Physical % Complete is one of those fields that are not rolled-up, because its based on external parameters, unknown to the software, and there is no way of equalizing them and providing a summarization. The thing you should have in mind is that you are not supposed to use activity percent completes for the WBS elements, even if they have rolled-up values (like Duration % Complete and Units % Complete). The suitable field for this purpose is Performance % Complete which will be discussed in later articles.

Summary
The concept of the Physical % Complete is straightforward. Its a way of entering manual progresses based on expert judgment or other external factors. These values can be dynamically determined in each control period or follow a predefined set of values (activity steps). One last thing you should have in mind is that the planned progress, which is provided by the Schedule % Complete and planned value fields, does not incorporate steps and is based on dates and units (see Schedule % Complete article for more information). This can cause some amounts of false variation between your actual progress and planned progress. These variations are usually too little to be taken into consideration. But if you believe they are large for your project or you want to be as precise as possible, you should avoid activity steps and decompose the activity into more simple activities which are possible to be tracked based on duration or units.

Final Note
An interesting use of Physical % Complete is that you can have appropriate Global Changes in place, which calculate progresses and put them in the field. Suppose you have more than one resource assigned to each activity and are supposed to use one of them for the progress. An appropriate Global Change can calculate the value automatically and enter it in the field. Another example is when you need a Duration Percent Complete similar to that of Microsoft Project, which is based on the At Completion Duration instead of Original Duration. You can have another Global Change to calculate this value and present it as Physical % Complete.