A Program

Designed & Delivered by

Dhanapal A
PRIMAVERA FUNCTIONAL
CONSULTANT
E mail:arumugam.dhanapal@gmail.com

UNDERSTANDING CONCEPTS TO USE P6

EFFECTIVELY

PRIMAVERA CONCEPTS FOR

PLANNERS

SETTING UP OF EPS
Hierarchical structure
Created up to 50 levels
Max character length for an
EPS ID is 20 and for EPS
Descriptions are 100.
To Create EPS :
Activate Enterprise/
Enterprise Project
Structure menu.
Create EPS node by clicking
on Add option in the EPS
window.
Click on the Arrow
buttons to indent Left /
Right or to shift Up/Down.

Note : There can be only

one Root OBS element.

SETTING UP OF OBS
User access to
EPS/Project/WBS nodes are
implemented through OBS
OBS can be created up to
25 levels
Maximum character length
for an OBS element is 100
To Create OBS
Activate
Enterprise/OBS menu.
To add an OBS element
click on Add option in
the OBS window.
Click on the Arrow
buttons to indent Left /
Right or to shift
Up/Down.

Note : There can be only

one Root OBS element.

Adding a Project
To create a project
Activate Enterprise /
Projects and click the
Add button (or)
Activate File / New
menu.
Select the EPS node,
under which project is to
be defined

Adding a Project
Enter Project ID and
Project Name

Enter start date of

the project

Adding a Project
Assign responsible OBS
and click on FINISH
button
Unlimited projects can be
created under any EPS
node
Max character length for
any project id is 20 and
for any Project name is
100.

Creating WBS
Hierarchical arrangement
of projects
Project is the highest level;
individual activity is the
lowest level
Can be created up to 50
levels
Max character length for
any WBS Code is 20 and
for any WBS name is 100.
To create WBS
Activate WBS from
HOME page or from
Project / WBS menu.
Enter WBS code and
description

Creating WBS
Assigning OBS Element to
WBS
Click on WBS from HOME
page
Click the General tab in WBS
detail form

Assign the OBS element to

WBS level by clicking on
Responsible Manager
options.

Creating Calendars
Three calendar pools are
defined :
Global calendar pool
contains calendars that
apply to all projects.
Project calendar pool is a
separate pool of
calendars for each
project
Resource calendar pool
is a separate pool of
calendars for each
resource.
Calendar assignments are
used for activity scheduling,
tracking and resource
leveling.

Creating Calendars
Three calendar pools are
defined :
Global calendar pool
contains calendars that
apply to all projects.
Project calendar pool is a
separate pool of
calendars for each
project
Resource calendar pool
is a separate pool of
calendars for each
resource.
Calendar assignments are
used for activity scheduling,
tracking and resource
leveling.

Creating Calendars

To create project calendar

activate Enterprise /
Calendar menu.

For project specific calendars

opt for Project.

Click on ADD and select one

of the Global Calendars as
the template for new Project
Calendar

Select the working days by

clicking on WORK WEEK
and identify the Work and
non-Work days

Click OK to confirm the entries

Creating Activity Codes & Values

Use Activity Codes and values to filter,
group, sort and report activity
information
Two types of activity codes : Global
and Project activity codes.
Each activity code can have an
unlimited number of values.
Activity code values can be created up
to 25 levels under each activity code.
Max character length for any Activity
code is 40.
Max character length for any Activity
code value is 20 and value
description is 100.

Adding Activities
ACTIVITY TYPES

Task Dependent
Typically used when the work needs to
be accomplished in a given time frame,
regardless of the assigned resources
availability.
The activitys resources are scheduled
to work according to the activity
calendar

Duration is determined by
the assigned calendars
workweek.

Note : This is the default

activity type.

Adding Activities
ACTIVITY TYPES
Resource Dependent

Typically used when multiple

resources assigned to the
same activity can work
independently.

The activitys resources are

scheduled to work according
to their individual resource
calendar.

Duration is determined by the

availability of the resources
assigned to work on the
activity.

Level of Effort
Typically used for ongoing tasks
dependent on other activities.
Duration is determined by its
predecessor / successor
activities.
Cannot assign constraints.

Adding Activities
ACTIVITY TYPES
Start Milestone

Typically used to mark

the beginning of a phase
or to communicate
project deliverables.

Zero duration activity

and only has a start
date.

Can assign constraints,

expenses, work products
and documents.

Cannot assign
resources / roles.

Finish Milestone
Typically used to
mark the end of a
phase or to
communicate project
deliverables.
Zero duration activity
and only has a finish
date.
Can assign
constraints,
expenses, work
products and
documents.
Cannot assign
resources / roles.

Adding Activities
ACTIVITY TYPES
WBS Summary

Use a WBS summary activity to summarize a

WBS level. The WBS summary activity
comprises a group of activities that share a
common WBS level.

The dates calculated on a WBS summary

activity are based on the earliest start date of
the activities in the group and the latest finish
date of these activities.

The WBS summary activity duration is

calculated based on its assigned calendar.

Cannot assign constraints to WBS summary

activities.

Adding Activities
ACTIVITY STEPS

Steps allow to break activities

into smaller units and track
completion of those units.
Unlimited number of steps per
activity can be created and can
be marked as completed.

Steps do not require duration

estimates or dates.
Weighted steps enable to track
the progress of an activity based
on the number of steps
completed.

Adding Activities
ACTIVITY STEPS
To update Activity percent complete
based on the weight assigned to
each activity step :
Mark the Activity Percent Complete
based on Activity Steps checkbox
in the Calculations tab in the
Projects window
Choose Physical as the activitys
percent complete type in the
General tab in the Activities
window

Adding Activities
Activity % Complete
Type
The way in which the
percent complete for
the selected activity
is determined.

Adding Activities
Activity % Complete Type
Duration Type :

Physical Type :

The selected activitys Activity %

Complete is tied to its Duration %
Complete.

The selected activitys

Activity % Complete is
tied to the Physical
progress.

Establishes the link between

Duration %, Remaining duration and
Actual resource units.

No link is established
between Physical %,
Remaining duration and
Actual Resource units

Units Type :
The selected activitys Activity %
Complete is tied to its Units%
Complete.
Establishes link between actual
resource units and Units%.

Adding Activities
Duration Type
Setting which
allows to control
how P6
synchronizes the
Duration, Labor /
Non-Labor Units
and Resource
Units / Time for
activities so that
the following
equation is
always true :
Duration x Unit /
Time = Units

Adding Activities
Activity Duration
Type

When you change When you change When you change

Units,
Duration,
Units/Time,
P6 changes
P6 changes
P6 changes

Fixed Units/ Time

Duration

Units

Duration

Fixed duration &

Units / Time

Units / Time

Units

Units

Fixed Units

Duration

Units / Time

Duration

Fixed Duration &

Units

Units / Time

Units / Time

Units

Duration Type

Adding Activities
To add activities click on Activities in
the HOME page or Project / Activities.
Organize the layout based on WBS &
Sort by Activity ID.
Add activities to respective WBS level
by clicking on ADD on Command Bar
Button Text.
For Auto-numbering activities and
increment, select the project in the
Projects View and select Default
Tab in the detail form and give activity
prefix, suffix and increment.

Relationships
Defines how an
activity relates to the
start or finish of
another activity or
assignment.
An activity can
have as many
relationships as
necessary to model
the work that must
be done

Relationship
Types

Finish to start
Finish to finish
Start to start
Start to finish

Relationships
Finish to start The successor activity can
begin only when the predecessor activity
completes.
Finish to finish The finish of the successor
activity depends on the finish of the
predecessor activity.
Start to start The start of the successor
activity depends on the start of the
predecessor activity.

Start to finish The successor activity cannot

finish until the predecessor activity starts.

Scheduling

The Critical path

Method (CPM)
scheduling
technique is used
to calculate project
schedules.

Scheduling
Before scheduling
the project, you
should confirm the
data date. The data
date reflects the
date used as a
starting point for
scheduling the
project plan.
When you
schedule a
project,
activity dates
are calculated
according to
durations and
logic.

Viewing the Scheduled Finish Date

Now that the project has been
scheduled, you can view the
Scheduled Finish date in Project
Details. Scheduled Finish is the
latest early finish date based on
the most recent schedule
generated for the project. It is
based on activity durations,
relationships, constraints, and
other project data.

Applying Constraints
To apply constraints activate Activity Details.
In Activity Details enable Status / Constraints menu, select the constraint
and apply appropriate constraint date.
Schedule the project through Schedule command.
Constraint Types

Applying Constraints
Network logic alone cannot reflect all
project situations.
Sometimes activities must be
accomplished according to specific
dates rather than on dates determined
by other activities in the project.

To model dependence on specific

dates, assign primary and
secondary constraints to
activities.

Grouping and Filtering Activities

GROUPING
Grouping/Sorting can be
done in Projects, Activities
and Resources window.

To Organize the activities,

activate View/Group &
Sort menu.
Group the activities
based on WBS and
Activities Codes.
Sort the activities under
each group by activating
Sort menu.
Save the layout by
activating View / Layouts /
Save As.

Grouping and Filtering Activitie

FILTERING
A filter temporarily limits
the projects or activities
that appear on screen,
according to criteria you
establish.
Steps to apply a filter:
Choose Projects,
Activities, then choose
View, Filters.
Mark the Checkbox
next to the filter you
want to apply.
To preview the
changes, click Apply.

Customizing Bars & Layouts

Layouts can be customized
by
Changing bar colors
Adding data columns
Formatting Time Scale
To customize the Activity
Bars, activate View/Bars
menu.

Customizing Bars & Layouts

To change the columns in
the activities view,
activate View/Bars menu.

Customizing Bars & Layouts

To format Time
Scale in activity
view, activate
View/Timescale
menu.

Resources, Roles and Costs

Resources include the personnel
and equipment that perform
work on activities across all
projects.
Types of resources
Labor
Non-labor and
Material resources

Labor and Non-labor resources are

always time based
Material resources use a specified
unit of measure

Note: Resources are

different from Expenses.
While resources can be
time-based and
generally extend across
multiple activities and/or
projects, expenses are
one-time expenditures
for non-reusable items
required by activities.
The PM module does not
include expenses when
leveling resources.

Resources, Roles and Costs

Adding Resources:

1. To create resource

dictionary click on
Resources from HOME
page.
2. Create a resource pool by
clicking ADD menu.
3. To add the resource, click
on ADD option.
4. Enter Resource ID and in
the details tab, select the
resource classification,
namely Labor, Non-Labor
and Material resource.
5. Click on Units & Prices
tab and give the resource
availability and the
Price/Time.

Resources, Roles and Costs

ROLES:
Roles are project
personnel job titles or
skills, such as mechanical
engineer, carpenter,
plumber etc.
Roles can be assigned to
specific resources to
further identify that
resources skills.
Roles can be assigned in
the Resource Details
window or from the Roles
dialog box.

Resources, Roles and Costs

EXPENSES:

Expenses are non-resource costs

associated with a project and
assigned to projects
activities.
Categorize expenses, indicate a
unit of measure for expenses
and specify whether an expense
accrues at the start or end of an
activity or uniformly over its
duration.
Each expense has a budgeted
cost, actual cost and estimated
remaining cost.

Adding expenses:
1.Choose Project, Expenses.
2.Click Add and select the
activity to which you want to
assign the expense, then
click the Select button.
3.Click the General, Activity,
Costs, and Description tabs,
and enter details for the
expense.

COST ACCOUNTS
COST ACCOUNTS:
Cost accounts enable one to
track Activity Costs and Earned
value through out the project
lifecycle.
Creating a cost account
hierarchy:
1.Choose Enterprise, Cost Accounts.
2.Type the cost accounts ID and
cost accounts name.
3.Type a brief description of the
cost account.

Resource Usage Profile /

Spreadsheets
Use the Resource Usage Profile /
Spreadsheets to
1. Determine how many hours
each resource is scheduled to
work.
2. Identify overloaded
resources.
3. Track expenditures per time
period.
4. Determine resource usage
by late dates.
5. Display curve to compare
early and late dates.
6. Display different colors or
patterns on the histogram bars
when showing the stacked
histogram.

The Resource Usage profile is

available only in the bottom layout
of the Activities window. The bottom
layout is divided into two panes.
The left pane lists all the
resources or roles stored in the
hierarchy, depending on your
current view. In the stacked
histogram view, the left pane
lists all the resources or role filter
/ group names in the hierarchy.
The right pane displays the
values for the activities assigned
to each resource or role in the
histogram, or resource or role
filter / group name in the stacked
histogram.

Activity Usage Profile / Spreadsheets

Use the Activity Usage Profile / Spreadsheets
to
1. To view cost or unit values for activities
in the open project overtime according to a
timescale you specify.
2. Displays labor, non-labor, material and
expense costs and labor and non-labor
units allocated to the activities in your
project over time.

Note: If you apply activity filters

to the Activity table, Gantt chart,
Activity usage spreadsheet, or
the Activity Network, these filters
also apply to the Activity Usage
Profile.
Resource Units per day =
Budgeted Quantity / Original
Duration

Creating Baseline Plan

A Baseline is a complete copy

of a project plan that you can
compare to the current schedule to
evaluate progress.
Before updating a schedule for
the first time, create a
baseline. It provides a target
against which one can track a
projects cost, schedule and
performance.

Up to three baselines can be

compared at once.
Baseline projects do not exist as
separate projects to access.
Unlimited baselines can be
created for each project.

Creating Baseline Plan

Creating a baseline

Open the project for which you

want to create a baseline.

Note:

Choose project, Maintain

baselines, then, if more than one
project is open, select the project
for which you want to create a
baseline.

Once you convert a

project to a
baseline, it is no
longer available in
the project
hierarchy.

Choose to save a copy of the

current project as a new
baseline
or convert another project
into a baseline of the current
project.

You can restore a

baseline, making it
available again as a
separate project in
the project hierarchy.

If you choose to convert another

project, select the project in the
select Project dialog box, then
click the Select button.

Creating Baseline Plan

Assigning a baseline
Open the project for which you want to
assign a baseline.
Choose Project, Assign
baselines, then select the baseline
you want to assign.
You can assign Four baselines as
Project Baseline
Primary Baseline
Secondary Baseline
Tertiary Baseline

Monitoring the Current Schedule

Updating the Schedule:Choose from several ways of
updating your schedule :
You can update progress
for all activities and
resources as a whole
Update activities and
resources individually
or use a combination of
the above two methods.

If your project is progressing

exactly as planned or if you
need to estimate only
progress, then

Specify the data date or as-of

date
Allow the module to determine
which activities have progressed
and how much, calculate the
remaining durations of activities
that have started, and set the
remaining durations of activities
that have completed to zero.

Combination
of two
Monitoring the Current
Schedule
updating methods

Update Activities and

resources individually, when
Your project is not progressing
as planned
Many activities are starting out-ofsequence,
Activities are taking more or less
time to complete than originally
plann
actutuall resource use is
exceeding than plannedUpdating
activities and resources individually
will help you forecast the effects of
unforeseen circumstances, so that
you can take appropriate corrective
action.

Most projects contain some

activities that progress as
planned and some which do
not. In this case, combine the
two updating methods.
Calculate your project as if it
is progressing exactly as
planned, then individually
update those activities and
resources that have deviated
from the plan.

Monitoring the Current Schedule

Manually Applying
Actual
Activities, which are not
progressing as per plan, can
be updated separately from
Activity Details
Select the activity to be
statused and activate
activity details from display
options.

Activate Status tab from activity

detail and select Start date and
Finish Date if activity is 100%
complete.
Select Start date and enter %
Completion, if the activity is in
progress.
Schedule the project by giving
the Data date, the date up to which
the progress of the project is
recorded.
Compare the current project
schedule with the baseline project.

REPORTS
Two Reporting tools are available to access and report information :
Report Wizard
Report Editor

REPORTS
Report Wizard
Use Report Wizard,
To create a wide
variety of
customized
reports.
Select the
category of
information and
specific fields to
include.
Group, sort and
filter project
information.
Include timedistributed data for
units and costs.

To create a new report using a Report

Wizard,
Choose Tools, Report Wizard and follow
the prompts on each dialog box in the wizard
to create the report.

REPORTS
Report Editor
Use Report Editor,
To create a wide
variety of highly
customized reports.
Group, sort and
filter project
information.
Include timedistributed data for
units and costs.

Reflection Project
A Reflection project is a copy of an active project that can be used
for what-if analysis
Create a Reflection
Project
1. In the Projects view, right
click on the project for
which you want to create a
reflection.
2. In the context menu, click
Create Reflection.
3. If the project does not
contain any baselines, the
system responds by creating
a reflection.
4. Otherwise, the system
responds by displaying the
Copy Baselines dialog box

Make Changes in the Reflection

Once a reflection has been created,
you can make changes to the
reflection as needed to explore
alternative scenarios

Reflection Project
Merging a Reflection into the Source project

Preview changes to be merged

Begin by previewing the changes.
1. In the Projects view, right click
on the reflection that you want
to merge with the source
project.
2. In the context menu, click
Merge reflection into Source
Project. If there are any changes
to merge, the system responds
by displaying the Preview
Changes to Project dialog box.

Reflection Project
Merging a Reflection into the Source project
Choose changes to merge
There are two ways the changes can
be viewed , or grouped , in the
Preview Changes to Project dialog
box : by subject area or by activity
When you view the changes by
activity, check boxes appear in
the Merge column for activity
rows. This allows you to select
which activities to merge into the
source project.

Export / Import
Exporting Projects
To export projects activate
File/Export menu.
Projects can be exported into XER,
MPX, XML, XLS format.
Resources, Roles can also be
exported from P6 in either XER,
MPX or XLS format.
Users should ensure that the project
to be exported should be open.

Export / Import
Importing Projects
To import projects activate
File/Export menu.
Projects to be imported should be in
XER, MPX, XML, XLS format.
Users should specify the EPS node
under which the project should be
imported.
Users can also choose the layout
configuration to be used during the
import.