P102 - P6V7

Project Management in Primavera P6 Rel 7
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Table of Contents
Lesson 1 Proje ct Manage ment Life C ycle ............................................................. ...... 10

Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................. 17
Lesson 2 Unde rsta nding Data in P6 .................................................................. ......... 18
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................. 29
Lesson 3 Na vigati on a nd Layouts ................... ................................................... ........... 30
Over vie w: Naviga ti on and Layouts ..................................................................... ....... 35
Pra ct ice : Navigat ion a nd La youts ..................................................................... ......... 37
Opening an E xisting Act ivity La yout .................................................................. ........ 41
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................. 54
Lesson 4 Creati ng a Pr oje ct ........................................................................ .............. 55
Over vie w: Cre ating a Pr oje ct wit h the Create a Ne w Proje ct Wizar d ............................ 60
Pra ct ice : Creat ing a Pr oject wit h the Create a New Proje ct Wizar d .............................. 61
Entering Proje ct Start and E nd Date s ................................................................. ....... 64
Over vie w: Pr oje cts Window an d Editing Project Details .............................................. 6 8
Pra ct ice : Proje cts Win dow a nd Editing Project Deta ils ................................................ 69
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................. 77
Lesson 5 Creati ng a Work Brea kd own Str u cture ....................................................... .. 78
Over vie w: Cre ating a Work Brea kd own Str u cture ....................................................... 82
Pra ct ice : Creat ing a Work Breakd own Stru ct ure ........................................................ . 83
Creating t he WBS Hierar ch y ........................................................................... .......... 84
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................. 88
Workshop : Creating a Work Brea kd own Stru ct ure ...................................................... 8 9
Lesson 6 Ad di ng A ctivit ies ......................................................................... ............... 92
Activitie s ........................................ ................................................... ..................... 93
Resou rce Dependent ................................................................................... ............. 99
Calen dar Assignment s .................................................. .......................................... 105
Over vie w: Adding A ct ivit ies via the New A ctivit y Wizar d ........................................... 10 7
Pra ct ice : Adding Activities via t he New Activity W izard ............................................. 108
Over vie w: Adding A ct ivit ies via Activit y Deta ils ..................................................... ... 115
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Pra ct ice : Adding Activities via Activity Deta ils ..................................................... ..... 116
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 132
Workshop : Adding Act ivities ....................... ................................................... ......... 133
Workshop Res ults ..................................................................................... .............. 134
Lesson 7 Creati ng Re lati onships ................. ................................................... .......... 135
Precedence Diagramming Met hod (P DM) .................................................. ............... 136
Pra ct ice : Creat ing Relationship s ..................................................................... ......... 143
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 148
Lesson 8 S chedu ling ................................................................................ ............... 152
Crit ical Path Met hod Scheduli ng .................................................. ........................... 152
Total Float .................................................. ................................................... ........ 156
Pra ct ice : Scheduling a Proje ct .................... ................................................... .......... 163
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 166
Workshop : Cal cul ating a S che du le Man uall y ............................................................ . 168
Lesson 9 Assign ing Constraints ..................................................................... ........... 170
Pra ct ice : Assigning Constra ints ................... ................................................... .......... 174
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 178
Lesson 10 Formatt in g Schedule Data ................................................................. ....... 179
.................................................. ................................................... ........................ 180
Pra ct ice : Gr ou ping an d Sorting ....................................................................... ......... 185
Over vie w: Filtering .................................................................................. ............... 191
Pra ct ice : Filter ing ............................... ................................................... ................. 192
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 201
Lesson 11 Mainta ini ng t he Project Documents Lib rar y ............................................... 202
Pra ct ice : Usi ng the Wor k Pr odu cts a nd Documents Window ....................................... 206
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 212
Lesson 12 Understan ding R oles and Resour ce s ....... ................................................... .. 213
Over vie w: Understan ding Roles ........................................................................ ....... 218
Pra ct ice : Un derst anding Roles ........................................................................ ......... 219
Prices Tab .................................................. ................................................... ........ 220
Over vie w: Understan ding Resour ces .................................................................... .... 222
Pra ct ice : Un derst anding Resou rces .................................................................... ...... 223
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 227
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Lesson 13 ......................................... ................................................... ..................... 228

Question........................................... ................................................... .................. 230
Over vie w: Assigning Roles ............................................................................ ........... 232
Pra ct ice : Assigning Roles ............................................................................ ............ 233
Assigning a Single Role t o Mult ip le Act ivities ....................................................... .... 236
Over vie w: Assigning Resour ces and C osts ........... ................................................... ... 240
Pra ct ice : Assigning Re sou rces a nd C osts .............................................................. ..... 241
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 253
Lesson 14 ......................................... ................................................... ..................... 254
Over vie w: Analyzing R esou r ces ........................................................................ ........ 256
Pra ct ice : Analyzing Re sour ces ........................................................................ ......... 257
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 267
Lesson 15 ......................................... ................................................... ..................... 268
Over vie w: Opt imizin g the Schedule .................................................................... ...... 272
Pra ct ice : Optimizing t he Sched ule .................................................................... ....... 273
Over vie w: Opt imizin g Resou rces ....................................................................... ....... 281
Pra ct ice : Optimizing R esou r ces........................................................................ ........ 282
Over vie w: Opt imizin g the Budget ...................................................................... ...... 289
Pra ct ice : Optimizing t he Bu dget ...................................................................... ........ 290
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 291
Lesson 16 ......................................... ................................................... ..................... 292
Baseli ni ng t he Project Pla n .......................................................................... ........... 292
Over vie w: Baselini ng t he Pr oject Plan ................................................................ ...... 294
Pra ct ice : Base linin g th e Proje ct Pla n ................................................................ ........ 295
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 305
Lesson 17 ......................................... ................................................... ..................... 306
Over vie w: E xecutin g t he Pr oje ct Plan ................................................................. ...... 310
Pra ct ice : E xe cuting th e Pr oject Pla n .................................................................. ....... 311
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 335
Workshop : E xe cutin g t he Pr oje ct Plan ................................................................. ..... 336
Workshop Res ults ..................................................................................... .............. 338
Lesson 18 ......................................... ................................................... ..................... 340
Reporting Performan ce ................................................................................ ........... 340
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Over vie w: Usin g the R eport Wiz ard ..................................................................... ..... 342
Pra ct ice : Usi ng the Re por t Wizard .................................................................... ....... 343
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 367
Lesson 19 ......................................... ................................................... ..................... 368
Pr oject Web Site ..................................................................................... ............... 368
Over vie w: Cre ating a Pr oje ct Web Site ................................................................ ..... 370
Pra ct ice : Creat ing a Pr oject Web Site ................................................................ ....... 371
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 384
Appe ndix A C laim Digger .............................................................................. .............. 386
Over vie w: Cl aim Digge r ............................................................................... ............ 388
Pra ct ice : Claim D igger ............................................................................... ............. 389
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 393
Appe ndixB Creating O utp ut ............................................................................ ............ 394
Over vie w: Cre ating O u tput ......................... ................................................... .......... 396
Pra ct ice : Creat ing Out put ............................................................................ ........... 397
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 411
Appe ndix C ........................................ ................................................... .................... 412
Over vie w: Usin g Timesheets to Up date a Project ...................................................... 416
Pra ct ice : Usi ng Timesheets t o Update a Project ....................................................... . 417
Lesson Review ........................................................................................ ................ 431
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Course Objectives
Project Management in Primavera P6 Rel 7.0 will cover the following topics:
Project Management Life Cycle
Identify the five process groups in the Project Management Life Cycle.
Describe the steps included in each process group.
Understanding Data in P6
Describe P6 functionality and environment.
Describe the Enterprise Project Structure.
Describe the Organizational Breakdown Structure.
Distinguish between enterprise data and project-specific data.
Navigation and Layouts
Log in to P6 Project Management.
Open an existing project.
Navigate in the Home window and Activities window.
Open an existing layout.
Customize a layout.
Save a layout.
Creating a Project
Create a project.
Navigate in the Projects window.
View and modify information in Project Details.
Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
Define a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Create multiple levels of a WBS hierarchy.
Adding Activities
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Describe an activity and its components.
Describe activity types.

Add activities.
Add a Notebook topic to an activity.
Add steps to an activity.
Assign activity codes to activities.
Creating Relationships
View a network logic diagram.
Describe the four relationship types.
Create relationships in the Activity Network.
Create relationships in Activity Details.
Scheduling
Perform a forward and a backward pass.
Describe float and its impact on a schedule.
Identify loops and open ends.
Calculate a schedule.
Analyze the scheduling log report.
Assigning Constraints
Describe available constraint types.
Apply Must Finish By constraint to a project.
Apply a Start On or After constraint to an activity.
Add a Notebook topic to a constrained activity.
Formatting Schedule Data
Group activities according to specific criteria.
Sort activities.
Apply a filter.
Create a filter.
Maintaining the Project Documents Library
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Describe the difference between a work product and a reference document.
Create a document record.
Link the document record to a project document or work product.
Assign the project document to an activity or WBS.
Understanding Roles and Resources
Describe roles.
View the roles dictionary.
Describe resources.
Identify the differences between labor, nonlabor, and material resources.
View the resource dictionary.
Assigning Roles and Resources
Assign roles to an activity.
Assign rates on roles.
Assign resources to an activity by role and directly from the resource dictionary.
Adjust Budgeted Units/Time for a resource.
Assign expenses to activities.
Analyzing Resources
Display the Resource Usage Profile.
Format a profile.
Format the timescale.
Optimizing the Project Plan
Analyze schedule dates.
Shorten a project schedule.
Analyze resource availability.
Resolve resource overallocation.
Analyze project costs.
Baselining the Project Plan
Create a baseline plan.
Display baseline bars on the Gantt Chart.
Modify the bars on the Gantt Chart.
Executing the Project Plan
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Describe several methods for updating the project schedule.

Use Progress Spotlight.
Update the status of completed activities and activities in progress.
Reschedule the project.
Reporting Performance
Describe reporting methods.
Run a schedule report.
Create a resource report with the Report wizard.
Create a time distributed report.
Create a report using the current layout.
Project Web Site
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Create and launch a project Web site.
Customize the appearance of a project Web site.
Publish activity layouts as HTML pages.
Lesson 1 Project Management Life Cycle

Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
Identify the five process groups in the Project Management Life Cycle.
Describe the steps included in each process group.
Project Management Definit ions
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Project A temporary effort undertaken for the purpose of creating a unique product, service, or
result.
Project Management The process of achieving project objectives within the constraints of schedule,
cost, and resource restrictions.
Project Management Life Cycle A sequence of phases that defines the overall process from the
beginning to the end of a project.
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Initiat ing Pr ocess Group
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Collect project information.

Obtain organizational commitment.
Develop the team.
Plan ning Process Group
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Establish project objectives and scope of work.

Define the work.
Determine the timing.
Establish resource requirements/availability.
Establish a cost budget
Evaluate, optimize and create a baseline plan
Execut ing Process Group
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Distribute information.
Track work in progress and actual costs.
Contr olli ng Process G roup
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Analyze and evaluate the project.

Recommend necessary action.
Modify the current project with realistic data.
Reforecast the schedule.
Communicate project performance to the project team.
Closing Process Group
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Document lessons learned.

Determine if project can be used as a methodology.
Deliver product to client or stakeholders.
Back-up or archive project files.
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Project management is the process of achieving project objectives within the constraints of schedule,
cost, and resource limitations.
The project management life cycle is a sequence of phases, or process groups that defines the overall
process from the beginning to the end of a project.
The project management life cycle can be divided into five process groups:
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Controlling
Closing
Review Questions
1.
Which of the following characteristics is essential to a project?

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2.
Which of the following constraints must project management address?

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
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Produces a unique result

Temporary in nature
Complex or consisting of multiple tasks
a and b
a, b, and c
Cost
Resources
Schedule
a and b
a, b, and c
Lesson 2 Understanding Data in P6

Object ives
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Describe P6 functionality and environment.

Describe the Enterprise Project Structure.
Describe the Organizational Breakdown Structure.
Distinguish between enterprise data and project-specific data.
P6 E nvironment
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Client App licat ions
P6 Project Management
Enterprise-wide project management, resource management, and portfolio management.
P6 Methodology Management,
Capture, organize, and re-use components of past projects to build future project plans.
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Web Applications
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P6 Web Access
Enterprise-wide project management, resource management, portfolio management
Customizable dashboards
Document collaboration
P6 Progress Reporter
Timekeeping and communication tool
Other P6
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P6 Integration API and Job Services

Enables developers to create programs to integrate P6 with other products and generate reports.
P6 Reporting Database
Enables customers to use third-party reporting tools to create operational and business intelligence
reports.
Enter prise Pr oject Structure (EPS)

A hierarchy used to organize projects.
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Provides:
Foundation for enterprise-wide project management.
Access to project priorities, scope, budget, and resource information across the enterprise.
Enables:
Individuals to manage projects separately.
Organizations to summarize data and view resource allocation across multiple projects.
Control of security at any level.
EPS
Comprised of roots, nodes, and projects.
Root There is usually only one root, which represents the top level of an organization. A root can be
subdivided into many nodes.
Nodes Represent different levels within the structure. Nodes can contain an unlimited number of
projects.
Projects Represent the lowest level of a hierarchal branch. All projects must be included in a node.
Placement of a project in the hierarchy determines the summary level in which it is included.
Benefits of th e EPS
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View project priorities, scope, budgets, and resources across entire project structure or within specific
node.
Manage projects separately while retaining ability to roll up and summarize data across multiple
projects.
Each node acts as a master project, rolling up all "child" nodes and projects.
Node can be opened to view all detailed activity information from "child" projects.
View resource allocation across projects.
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Organizational Breakdown Stru ctur e (OBS)
Hierarchical arrangement of organizations project management structure.

Controls user access to project data and designation of Responsible Manager.
Can be configured:
Detailed: Employee names
General: Departments and divisions
Defined by the administrator.
Fun ct ion s of t he OBS
Designate the Responsible Manager

OBS elements are assigned as Responsible Managers for work within an EPS node, a project, a Work
Breakdown Structure, or an issue or risk within a project.
Control user access to project information
All users are assigned to an OBS element to establish their access to project data.
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Enter prise Data and P roject-Sp ec ifi c Data
Enterprise data

Available to all projects across an organization.

Provides global standards and structure necessary for centralized project and resource
management.

Defined and maintained by administrator.
Project-specific data
Available only to the project in which it is defined.
Defined by project managers.
Some data can be both enterprise and project-specific.
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
The Enterprise Project Structure (EPS) is a hierarchy of projects that enables access to comprehensive
scope, budget, and resource information and provides a foundation for enterprise-wide project
management.
The Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is the hierarchical arrangement of an organizations

project management structure. It controls user access to project data and designation of the
responsible manager.
Enterprise data provides the global structure needed to manage multiple projects. Examples include
the EPS and OBS, resources, and roles.
Project-specific data is available only to the project in which it is defined. Examples include activities
and expenses.
Review Questions
1. Which of the following is enterprise data?
a. Expenses
b. Resources
c. Risks
d. Activities
2. Which statement about the EPS is false?
a. It includes all projects in the enterprise.
b. It enables project data to be analyzed at multiple levels.
c. It enables control of security at any level.
d. It is restricted to two levels.
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Lesson 3 Navigation and Layouts

Object ives
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Navigate in the Home window and Activities window.
Customize a layout.
Save a layout.
Windows
Enterprise Data
Application is organized into 12 windows, each focusing on an

aspect of project management.
Examples: Projects, Resources, WBS, Activities, Expenses
Windows launched from the Directory bar (shown at left) or

Home window.
Project Data
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Only one window can be open at a time.
Layouts
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Customized view of information in a window.

Available in Projects, WBS, Activities, and Tracking windows.
Consists of top layout and bottom layout.
Key layout functions in Layout Options bar.
Details
Displays detailed information about selected item.

Available in all windows, except Tracking.
Always in bottom layout.
Organized into tabs.
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Tabs can be customized in some windows.
Notes
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Overview: Navigation and Layouts

The Home window is the starting point for navigation. It provides quick access to all enterprise and project
data. To the left of the Home window is the Directory bar, which provides access to the 12 windows. Each
window provides specific functionality to help you manage projects. Click an item in the Directory bar to access
the corresponding window.
1. Title bar Displays the name of the current application and the name of open projects.
2. Menu bar Click to perform functions.
3. Navigation bar Move between open windows, toggle the Directory bar, and open Help. Right click
icon to toggle bar off/on. Right-click in bar to toggle the bar and button text on/off.
4. Status bar Displays users Login Name, data date of open projects, access mode, and current
baseline.
5. Directory bar Click buttons to access windows. Right-click in bar to toggle the bar and button text
on/off.
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Act iviti es Window

The Activities window is used to create, view, and edit activities for open projects. The table below lists key
navigation items in the Activities window.
1. Toolbar Displays icons that replicate many of the options available in the Menu bar drop-down
menus.
2. Layout Options bar Displays a menu of options for changing the way the Activities window looks.
3. Gantt Chart Shown above in top layout, it displays activity information in a table format at left
and a Gantt Chart at right.
4. Activity Details Shown above in bottom layout, use Activity Details to view/edit detailed
information for the activity selected in the Activity Table.
5. Command bar Displays options for adding or removing activity data.
6. Vertical Split bar Drag bar to hide/show more information in Activity Table/Gantt Chart.
7. Horizontal Split bar Hide/show more information in top/bottom layouts.
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Practice: Navigation and Layouts

In this practice you will:
Navigate in the Home window and the Activities window.
Customize a layout.
Save a layout.
Logging In
Type a valid Login Name and Password to log in to P6 Project Management. (Passwords are case-sensitive). If
you do not know your Login Name/Password, contact your administrator.

1.
Click Start, Programs, Oracle Primavera P6, Project Management.
2.
In the Login to Primavera P6 dialog box, type a Login Name, <tharris> and Password <tharris>.
3.
Click OK.
After logging in, the Home window is displayed.
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Opening a Project
The Open Project dialog box shows all the projects you are authorized to open.
Open a single node, indicated by
Open a single node indicated by

All projects under the node are opened.
Open multiple projects under different nodes.

Use Ctrl+Click to select more than one project.
Display the Open Project dialog box.

1. In the File menu, click Open.
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Access Mod es
You have the option to select an access mode prior to opening a project:
Shared Multiple users can view, input, and change data. This is the default setting.
Read Only You can view data but cannot input or change data.
Exclusive The current user is the only user who can edit data on these projects. Other users can
access these projects in Read Only mode.
Open a project.
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1.
In the Open Project dialog box, select a project, Bldg-03.
2.
Click Open.
Layouts
A layout is a customizable view of information, combining all the visual elements that appear on the screen.
The Activities window provides options for viewing data in top/bottom layouts. You do not have to show a
bottom layout.
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Choose one of the following to show on top:

Activity Table
Gantt Chart
Activity Usage Spreadsheet
Activity Network
Choose one of the following to show on bottom:

Activity Details
Activity Table
Gantt Chart
Activity Usage Spreadsheet
Resource Usage Spreadsheet
Activity Usage Profile
Resource Usage Profile
Trace Logic
Opening an Existing Activity Layout
A variety of layouts are available that provide different views of activity data. You can create user-specific
layouts and project-specific layouts or use global layouts provided by your company.
After selecting a layout, you can click either Apply or Open.
Apply Displays the selected layout but keeps the Open Layout dialog box open.
Open Displays the selected layout and closes the Open Layout dialog box.
Apply a layout to the Activities window.

1. In the Layout Options bar, click Layout, Open.
If you make modifications to the current layout, you are prompted to save those changes. In most cases,
choose No.
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When prompted to save changes to the layout, click No.
In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Analyzing the Budget.
Click Apply.
After viewing the new layout that displays when you click Apply, you will select a different layout and then
click Open, which displays the layout and closes the Open Layout dialog box.
5. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Classic WBS Layout.
6. Click Open.
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Gantt Chart
The Classic WBS Layout displays a Gantt Chart in the top layout and Activity Details in the bottom layout. The
Gantt Chart is divided into two sections, Activity Table and Bar Area:
Activity Table Displays activity data in columns.
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Bar Area Provides a graphical display of activity progress over the duration of the project.
Act ivity U sage Spread sheet

The Activity Usage Spreadsheet displays unit, cost, or earned value data by activity over time. Use this type of
layout to review per period and rolled up activity resource/cost data.
You can customize the timescale of the Activity Usage Spreadsheet:
Move the timescale to focus on a specific time period

Place the cursor in the major date interval until the cursor displays as
timescale left or right
Compress/expand the timescale to widen/narrow width of columns

Place the cursor in the minor date interval until the cursor displays as
cursor left or right to compress or expand the columns.
Display the Activity Usage Spreadsheet.
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and then click and drag the
1.
In the Layout Options bar, click Show on Top, Activity Usage Spreadsheet.
2.
In the Layout Options bar, click Show on Bottom, No Bottom Layout.
3.
Use
to expand the timescale.
4.
Use
to move the timescale to display February 2010.
, and then click and drag the
Act ivity Net work

Use the Activity Network to view the relationships between activities and to better understand the logical flow
of the activities in the project:
Left window Displays the WBS hierarchy.
Right window Shows a graphical display of activities and their relationships.
Display the Activity Network.

1
In the Layout Options bar, click Show on Top, Activity Network.
In the Toolbar, click
several times to get a closer look at the activities.
(You can also press the Alt button on your keyboard, click and hold the mouse button, and move the
mouse up/down to zoom in/out manually.)
3
Click an item in the left pane, Bldg-03.D&E, to see it displayed in the Activity Network in the right
pane.
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Act ivity Tab le

The Activity Table enables you to display project data in spreadsheet format. You can modify the columns in
the Activity Table to meet your needs.
Display the Activity Table.

1. In the Layout Options bar, click Show on Top, Activity Table.
Cust omizing a Layout
The Activities window can be customized and saved as a layout. Saving layouts for future use allows you to
retrieve information quickly. Use the Layout Options bar as your centralized menu for layout customizing. The
following is a list of layout elements that you can customize:
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Bars
Columns
Timescale
Table font and colors
Row height
Filters
Activity grouping and sorting
Top/bottom layouts
Select ing Colu mns

The Columns dialog box enables you to select columns to display in the Activity Table and specify the order in
which they appear:
Available Options window Lists data items in groups or in a list.
Selected Options window Lists items you have chosen to display.
Single arrows Move highlighted data items to the other window.
Double arrows Move all data items to the other window.
Up/down arrows Specify the order of the selected data items.
Click Edit Column to change the selected items title and choose the titles alignment in the display.
Add a column to the Activity Table and reorder the items displayed.
1. In the Layout Options bar, click Columns.
2. In the Columns dialog box Available Options bar, click Group and Sort By, List.
3. In the Available Options window, select a data item, Budgeted Labor Cost.
4. Click
to move the selected data item to the Selected Options window.
5. Use the navigation arrows to order the data items as shown in the screenshot above.
6. Click Apply.
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Using Hint Help in the C olu mn s Dialog Box

You can use Hint Help to view a definition for any data item.
Display Hint Help in the Columns dialog box.

1. In the Available Options bar, click Hint Help.
2. In the Selected Options window, click a data item, Budgeted Labor Cost. Note the definition displayed
for the selected data item.
3. In the Available Options bar, click Hint Help to disable the onscreen help box.
4. Click OK.
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Disp laying Activity Details

Activity Details displays detailed information for an activity highlighted in the Activity Table or Activity
Network.
Display Activity Details.

1. In the Layout Options bar, click Show on Bottom, Activity Details.
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Select ing Details T ab s

The tabs displayed in Activity Details can be customized.
Add a tab to Activity Details.

1. In the Layout Options bar, click Bottom Layout Options.
2. In the Activity Details dialog box Available Tabs window, select Feedback.
3. Click
4. Click OK.
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to move the selected data item into the Display Tabs window.
Saving Layout s
Layouts can be saved and shared with other users to facilitate project communication. Use the Save Layout
dialog box to save a layout in the Activities, WBS, Projects, Assignments, or Tracking window:
Layout, Save Saves changes to the existing layout.

Layout, Save As Prompts you to save the layout with a new name.
Current User Only the user creating the layout will have access to it in the future.
All Users All licensed users will have access to the layout (Global).
Another User A specified user will have access to the layout. Note, however, that the current
user will not have access to the layout.
Project Apply the layout to any project that is currently open in P6 Project Management.
Though project-specific layouts can be applied to multiple projects, you can only select one
project at a time in the Layout Save As dialog box. After a project-specific layout is saved, it can
be viewed in the Project band in the Open Layout dialog box. Project-specific layout offers two
advantages:
Exported with the project when it is exported.
Enhanced organization of multi-user layouts.
Layouts can be global, project-specific, or user-specific. The Save Layout dialog box allows you to specify to
whom a saved layout is available.
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Save a layout.
1. In the Layout Options bar, click Layout, Save As.
2. In the Save Layout As dialog box Layout Name field, type <Classic WBS with Budgeted Labor Cost>.
3. Verify that Current User is selected in the Available to drop-down list.
4. Click Save.
? Why might you want to customize or create your own layouts rather than just using one
of the available default layouts?
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Closing a Project
Close the project when you are finished working with it. You are prompted to verify that you want to close the
project. Closing the project returns you to the Home window.
If you are opening another project, you need not close the project in which you are working. It will close
automatically. To open multiple projects simultaneously, select them in the Open Project dialog box and then
click Open.
Close the project that is currently open.

1. In the File menu, click Close All.
2. When asked if you are sure you want to close the project, click Yes.
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
The Home window is a starting point for navigation in P6 Project Management.
Use the Navigation bar to quickly access Help, to display the Directory bar, and to move forward and
backward to previously accessed windows.
You can choose to open a project in Read Only, Shared, or Exclusive mode.
View activity data in the Activities window using customized top and bottom layouts.
Use layouts to easily view data specific to your needs. You can customize layouts by selecting columns
and by specifying top/bottom layouts.
Activity Details, arranged in tabs, displays detailed information for the activity highlighted in the
Activity Table or Activity Network.
Review Questions
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When you open a project in _____ mode, you are the only user who can change data in that project.
a. Read Only
b. Shared
c. Exclusive
d. User
Which of the following items is not viewable in the Home window?

a. Directory bar
b. Command bar
c. Navigation bar
d. Status bar
True or False: A layout can be saved so that it can be accessed by only one user.
Which function displays onscreen definitions of project data items?

a. Home
b. Hint Help
c. Help
d. None of the above
Lesson 4 Creating a Project

Object ives
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Create a project.
Navigate in the Projects window.
View and modify information in Project Details.
Project
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Creates product or service.

Finite start and end date.
Managed within confines of triple constraint:
Schedule
Resources
Cost
Creat ing a Pr ojec t

There are four ways to create a project:
Create new

Create from template/methodology

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Best suited for new endeavours or for implementation of new processes / policies.
Use New Project wizard or enter information manually.
Leverage best practices.

Adjust as needed for new project.
Use Project Architect.
Creat ing a Pr ojec t
Import
Add data from outside organization.

Contractor, vendor
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Add data from different applications.

Primavera products
Microsoft Project
Spreadsheet format
Copy/paste
Duplicate existing project.
elements of existing project.
Notes
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Overview: Creating a Project with the Create a New Project Wizard

In this lesson, you will use the Create a New Project wizard to create a project. The wizard provides students
who may be new to project management and/or to P6 with the most reliable way of ensuring that all
necessary project information is properly entered into P6. As you become more experienced with project
management and P6, you may wish to use other methods to create projects. In the File menu, click New to
launch the Create a New Project wizard.
1. Each screen in the wizard contains information on the data that you need to provide.
2. Type or select data in the designated field.
3. Click Prev to return to the previous screen in the wizard.
4. Click Next to advance to the next screen.
5. Click Finish when you have completed entering data. You can click Finish at any time. Note, however,
that some project information may be populated with default data or no data if you click Finish before
completing all screens in the wizard.
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Practice: Creating a Project with the Create a New Project Wizard

In this practice, you will:
Launch the Create a New Project wizard.
Select Start and Finish dates.
Select a Responsible Manager.
Select an Assignment Rate type.
Creating a Project with the Create a New Project Wizard

To create a project, launch the Create a New Project wizard. The following fields should be completed before
exiting the wizard:
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Project ID (must be unique)
Project Name (recommended, but not necessary, that it be unique)
EPS location
Responsible Manager
Planned Start date
The first step in creating a new project is to select an appropriate EPS location where it will reside.
1. In the File menu, click New.

2. In the Create a New Project wizard Select EPS field, click
3.
In the Select EPS to add into dialog box, select a node, Apex-Apex Inc., and
the selection.
4.
Click Next.
What is the purpose of assigning the new project to an EPS node?
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then click to assign
Enter ing a Pr oject Name
The name of the project is Office Building Addition. You can shorten the name to create the Project ID, BLDG.
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Project ID Type a unique ID in this field.
Project Name Type a new name in this field. (The Project Name field does not require a unique
name.)
Entering Project Start and End Dates

Next, the wizard prompts you for start and end dates. Use the calendar to select Planned Start and Must Finish
By dates for the project. The Must Finish By field is not mandatory. You can assign a project Must Finish By
date at any time during the project life cycle in the Dates tab in Project Details.
To navigate in the calendar:
When you launch the calendar, the current month/year is displayed. To navigate to a different year,
click the Month/Year section in the calendar, and then use the arrows to scroll to the desired year.
Click the desired month and date, and then click Select.
1. In the Planned Start field, click

2. Use the calendar to specify a Planned Start date, 11-Jan-10.
3. Click Select to select the date.
4. Click Next.
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Enter ing a Respon sib le Manager

The Responsible Manager, selected from the Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS), is the individual
responsible for the work.
The OBS is a hierarchical arrangement of an organizations project management structure, either as roles or
individuals. The OBS can be configured to represent a detailed organizational breakdown (with employee
names) or a more general framework where departments, teams, or types of responsibility are modelled in
the structure.
Select a Responsible Manager.

1. In the Responsible Manager field, click
2. Select
3. Click Next.
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Responsible
Manager,
Tim
Harris,
and
then
click
to
assign
the
selection.
Select ing th e Assig nment Rate Typ e

Specify the Assignment Rate Type for new resource assignments. The default rate type determines which
price/unit is set on a resource assignment. Values in the Rate Type drop-down list reflect rate types defined in
the Rate Types tab in Admin Preferences.
Select an Assignment Rate Type.

1. In the Rate Type drop-down list, confirm Commercial.
2. Click Next.
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Ru nning Project Ar chitect

Project Architect is a feature that helps you to create a project from an existing methodology or project
template. You will create the Office Building Addition project anew, without the use of a methodology.
Decline to run the Project Architect, and then complete the wizard.
1
Select No, do not run the Project Architect.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
In the Home window Directory bar, click Projects.
In the Project Table, view the newly created project, BLDG Office Building Addition.
The Office Building Addition project has been created successfully.
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Overview: Projects Window and Editing Project Details

The Projects window displays the projects in the EPS to which you have access. Click Projects in the Directory
bar to access the Projects window. Project Details, arranged in tabs in the bottom layout, enables you to view
and edit project information.
1. The Layout Options bar enables you to format data and open layouts.
2. The Project Table displays project information in spreadsheet format. Use the horizontal split bar to
hide/show more information for example, to display more of
3. Project Details and less of the Project Table.
4. Use the vertical split bar to alter the balance between left and right panes of the Projects window.
5. Tabs in Project Details display detailed information about a project selected in the Project Table.
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Practice: Projects Window and Editing Project Details

Investigate information in many of the tabs in Project Details.
Assign a Notebook topic in the Notebook tab.
Assign a project code in the Codes tab.
Viewing Project Details

Project Details is located in the bottom layout of the Projects window. It can be used to define the project
properties and defaults that are applied to the selected project.
Open a layout.
1. Confirm that you are in the Projects window.
3. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Selected Tabs, and then click Open.
4. In the Project Table, select a project, BLDG-Office Building Addition.The
indicates that the project is open.
5. Verify that the General tab is selected.
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icon in the Projects window
General Tab
The General tab enables you to view or modify general information about the selected project. Project ID,
Project Name, and Responsible Manager can be set when you create the project, or you can change them
here. The remaining fields are set by default.
Fields in the General tab:
Project ID Short, unique identifier for the project.
Project Name Name of the project.
Status Indicates project status based on the table below:
Responsible Manager Individual, selected from the OBS, who is responsible for the project.
Risk Level Indicates the overall risk in performing the project. You can use the risk level to organize,
Project Status
Planned
Active
Inactive
What-if
Use Case
Project is being analyzed before moving to
permanent plan.
Project is currently being worked on.
Project is completed or on hold.
Project is used as a test scenario.
filter, and report on projects within the project structure. You can enter a value between Very High
and Very Low; the default is Medium.
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Levelling Priority User-defined rank of the project against all other projects, based on its importance
to the organization. You can enter a value between 1 and 100. The highest rank is 1; the default is 10.
Check-out Status Indicates whether the project is checked in or checked out.
Checked Out By Displays the user who checked out the project.
Date Checked Out Indicates the date and time the user checked out the project.
Project Web Site URL Displays the projects Web site address.
Dates T ab
The Dates tab enables you to edit date information for the selected project. The Planned Start and Must Finish
By dates can be set when you create the project, or you can change them here.
Fields in the Dates tab:
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Planned Start Planned start date of the project.
Data Date Used as the starting point for schedule calculations.
Must Finish By Date indicating the desired project end date.
Finish Non-editable field indicating the latest early finish date calculated when the project was last
scheduled.
Actual Start and Actual Finish Non-editable field indicating the actual start and finish dates of the
project.
Anticipated Start and Anticipated Finish Expected dates that can be entered while planning the
project at a high level.
Notebook Tab
The Notebook tab enables you to write, view, or edit project notes such as the projects purpose, core
requirements, or other project-specific details.
The Notebook tab is divided into two sections:
Notebook Topic List of topics assigned to the selected node/project. Notebook topics can also be
added to WBS elements and activities.
Detail User-defined description of the selected topic. You can use HTML editing features, including
formatting text, inserting pictures, copying, pasting, and adding hyperlinks.
Use a Notebook topic to define the purpose of the project.
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Click the Notebook tab.
In the Notebook Topic section, click Add.
In the Assign Notebook Topic dialog box, select Purpose and then click
Click
to close the Assign Notebook Topic dialog box.
to assign the topic.
A spellchecker is available in the Detail section of the Notebook tab. Press F7 on your keyboard to activate the
spellchecker. Press F2 to toggle the edit mode on/off.
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In the Detail section, type <Construct an addition to the existing office building.>.
Press Enter on your keyboard. For single spacing, press Shift-Enter.
Type <Click Primavera P6 for details.>.
Select the text, Primavera P6, and then click
In the Type drop-down list in the Hyperlink dialog box, confirm http:.
10
In the URL field, type <www.oracle.com>.
11
Click OK.
Codes Tab
The Codes tab enables you to assign project code values to the selected project.
Project codes allow you to group the projects in the EPS into specific categories, such as location or division.
Project codes are also useful for organizing large amounts of information and for distinguishing one project
from another. Unlimited hierarchical project codes are supported.
? Can you suggest ways that your company might use project codes?
Assign a project code to the project.

1. Click the Codes tab.
2. Click Assign.
3. In the Assign Project Codes dialog box Project Code: Project Region grouping, select a project code
value, E-East.
4. Click
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to assign the selection.
Type Ahead and Search in Dialog Boxes

The Search field in dialog boxes throughout P6 Project Management offers a faster alternative to scrolling
through long lists of values:
Search Type in the Search field and then press Enter to search for a value.
Type ahead Type in the Search field and, as you type, values that match begin with the letters you
have typed are displayed in the dialog box.
Below, you will type ahead to find the project code value Comm-Commercial.
Use type ahead to find a project code value.

1. In the Search field in the Assign Project Codes dialog box, type <co>. You will not assign an Industry
project code at this time.
2. Click
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to close the dialog box.
Defau lts Tab

The Defaults tab is divided into two sections:
Defaults for New Activities Indicates the settings that will be used when new activities are added to
the project. Note that changing these settings will not affect existing activities.
Auto-numbering Defaults Sets how new activities will be numbered in your project.
When the Increment Activity ID based on selected activity checkbox is marked, the prefix or suffix
of the selected activity is applied to the activity that is being added.
For the activities in the Office Building Addition project, you will set the activity ID prefix to BA, and verify the
suffix as 1000 and the increment as 10. When adding activities, the first activity ID will be numbered BA1000,
the second activity ID will be BA1010, etc. This numbering structure relates activities to the project and can be
especially helpful when viewing activities from different projects.
? How w ould Act ivit y ID pref ixes help when view ing act ivities from diff erent projects?
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
You can create a project with the New Project wizard, import a file, copy an existing file, or use Project
Architect to create a project from an existing template.
Once the project is created, use the Projects window to view high-level information for projects you
can access.
Use Project Details tabs in the Projects window to define default settings and properties for the
selected project, such as the anticipated start and finish dates.
Review Questions
1. Which tab in the Projects window would you click to change the projects Planned Start date?
a.
b.
c.
d.
General
Defaults
Dates
Settings
2. True or False: The only way to create a project is to use the Create a New Project wizard.
3. True or False: When creating a project, you must specify a date by which the project will finish.
4. In which tab can you specify auto numbering of Activity ID values?
a.
b.
c.
d.
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Settings
Defaults
Dates
General
Lesson 5 Creating a Work Breakdown Structure

Object ives
Define a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Create multiple levels of a WBS hierarchy.
WBS
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A hierarchical arrangement of the products and services produced during, and by, a project.
Element represents a deliverable, product, or service.
Each element contains the activities needed to produce the deliverable.
Enables you to divide a project into logical pieces for the purpose of planning and control.
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Notes
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Overview: Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
Use the WBS window to create a Work

Breakdown Structure for a project. In the Directory bar, click WBS to display the WBS window.
Click Add in the Command bar to add WBS elements to the WBS Table.
1. Specify a WBS Code and WBS Name for each new element in the WBS Table.
2. Use the General tab in WBS Details to specify a Responsible Manager for a WBS element
3. 4.Navigation arrows in the Command bar enable you to indent or outdent selected WBS elements and
modify the overall WBS structure.
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Practice: Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
Use the WBS window to add elements to the Work Breakdown Structure of the Office Building
Addition project.
Use WBS Details to assign a Responsible Manager to new elements of the WBS.
Use navigation arrows in the Command bar to reorganize the WBS.
Viewing WBS Elements

When a project is created, a root-level WBS element is created. The WBS Code is the same as the Project ID;
the WBS Name is the same as the Project Name.
View the WBS root element for the project.

1. In the Projects window, select a project in the Project Table, Bldg-05 Office Building Addition
Creating a Work Breakdown Structure.
2. Right-click the project, and in the drop-down menu, click Open Project.
3. In the Directory bar, click WBS.
4. In WBS Details, click the General tab.
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Creating the WBS Hierarchy

WBS elements added to the root level element are automatically indented to form the second level of the
hierarchy. The WBS code for each WBS element contains the code of its parent element. WBS codes are
alphanumeric they can consist of numbers, text, or both.
If parents WBS Code is

WBS
WBS.1
BLDG
BLDG.INT-FINISH
WBS Codes of its children are

WBS.1, WBS.2
WBS.1.1, WBS.1.2
BLDG.EX-FINISH, BLDG.INT-FINISH
BLDG.INT-FINISH.PAINT, BLDG.INTFINISH.FIXTURES
Add a WBS element.

1. In the Command bar, click Add.
2. In the WBS Code column, type <D&E>, and then press Tab on your keyboard.
3. In the WBS Name column, type <Design and Engineering>.
4. On your keyboard, press Enter.
When you create a new WBS element, it is indented as a child of the WBS element that is currently selected.
If you add a WBS element to the wrong level or in the wrong order, you can use the navigation arrows in the
Command bar to adjust the structure of the WBS hierarchy.
? What happens to the activities assigned to a WBS element when the element is moved or deleted?
Add a WBS element.
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Confirm that the WBS element, Design and Engineering, is selected.
In the Command bar, click Add.
In the WBS Code column, type <Mechanicals>, and then press Tab.
In the WBS Name column, type <Mechanical/Electrical Systems>, and then press Enter.
In the Responsible Manager field in the General tab in WBS Details, click
In the Select a Responsible Manager dialog box, select Meg Foley, and then click
In the Command bar, click
to outdent the Mechanicals WBS element.
The child WBS inherits attributes from the parent WBS. This is illustrated below where the WBS element
you create, Elevator, inherits the Responsible Manager of its parent, Mechanical/Electrical Systems.
Add a WBS element.

1. Confirm that the WBS element, Mechanical/Electrical Systems, is selected.
3. In the WBS Code column, type <Lifts>, and then press Tab on your keyboard.
4. In the WBS Name column, type <Elevator>, and then press Enter.
? Is it possible to make a WBS element the child of a different parent?
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You can specify the level that WBS elements group to by right-clicking in the WBS window and choosing
Collapse To. Right-click in the WBS window, and then click Expand All or Collapse All to expand or collapse
elements of the WBS.
Add the next WBS element.
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Select a WBS element, Mechanicals.
In the WBS Code column, type <HVAC>, and then press Tab on your keyboard.
In the WBS Name column, type <HVAC>, and then press Enter.
Right-click in the WBS window and select Collapse To.
In the Collapse Grouping Bands To drop-down list, select WBS Level 1, and then click OK. Note that
only the root level of the WBS is displayed.
Right-click in the WBS window and select Collapse To.
In the Collapse Grouping Bands To drop-down list, select WBS Level 3, and then click OK to restore the
WBS to its expanded form.
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
The Work Breakdown Structure is a hierarchical arrangement of the products and services produced
during and by a project.
The highest level of the WBS is the project, and the lowest level consists of the individual activities
required to produce the deliverables for each WBS element.
Create the WBS in the Work Breakdown Structure window.
New elements are automatically indented under the selected parent element.
You can also use the navigation arrows to indent/outdent and to otherwise rearrange the WBS
elements.
Review Questions
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True or False: When you create a new project, the root level of the WBS is created with the same
name as the project.
True or False: When you add a new WBS element it is automatically added at the same level as the
highlighted WBS element.
True or False: Navigation arrows can be used to adjust the structure of the WBS hierarchy.
Workshop: Creating a Work Breakdown Structure

Background
Here is a graphic representation of the full WBS for the Office Building Addition project, which you have
Objectives
1. Add the elements listed in the table below to complete the WBS.
2. Use the navigation arrows to arrange the elements to conform to the graphic above.
WBS Name
Foundation
Structure
Exterior Finishes
Interior Finishes
Plumbing and Electrical
Brick
Roof
Doors and Windows
Plumbing and Lighting Fixtures
Floor and Carpet
Carpentry
Paint
WBS Code
Found
Structure
Ex-Finish
Int-Finish
Systems
Brick
Roof
Windows
Fixtures
Coverings
Carp
Paint
WBS Parent
Bldg-05
Bldg-05
Bldg-05
Bldg-05
Bldg-05.Mechanicals
Bldg-05.Ex-Finish
Bldg-05.Ex-Finish
Bldg-05.Ex-Finish
Bldg-05.Int-Finish
Bldg-05.Int-Finish
Bldg-05.Int-Finish
Bldg-05.Int-Finish
Responsible
Manager
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Meg Foley
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Tim Harris
Workshop Results
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Lesson 6 Adding Activities

Objectives
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Describe an activity and its components.

Describe activity types.
Add activities.
Add steps to an activity.
Assign activity codes to activities.
Activities
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Fundamental work element of a project.

Also known as a task, item, event, or work package.

Lowest level of a WBS.

Most detailed work unit tracked in the project schedule.
Contains all information about the work to be performed.
Smallest subdivision of work that directly concerns project manager.
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Act ivity Typ e

Controls how activitys dates are calculated.
Depends on the activitys function in the project and the calendar used for the activity during
scheduling.
P6 Project Management supports six activity types:

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Start Milestone
Finish Milestone
Task Dependent
Resource Dependent
Level of Effort
WBS Summary
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Task Depend ent
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Used when work needs to be accomplished in a given timeframe, regardless of the assigned resources
availability.
Resources are scheduled to work according to the activity calendar.
Duration is determined by the activity calendars workweek.
Roles and resources can be assigned.
Constraints, steps, expenses, work products, and documents can be assigned.
Resource Dependent
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Typically used when multiple resources assigned to the same activity can work independently.
Resources are scheduled according to the individual resources calendar.
Constraints, steps, expenses, work products, and documents can be assigned.
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Quest ion
Based on the previous slide, which resource would most likely require that the activity be categorized as
Resource Dependent?
1. Resource 1 (engineer)
2. Resource 2 (laborer)
3. Resource 3 (specialized high-capacity crane)
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Level of Eff ort
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Used for ongoing tasks dependent on other activities.

Duration is determined by its predecessor and successor activities and its assigned calendar.
Constraints cannot be assigned.
WBS Summary
Used to summarize at the WBS level.
Comprises a group of activities that share a common WBS level.
Dates are based on the earliest Start date and the latest Finish date of the activities in the WBS level.
Duration is based on its assigned calendar.
Constraints cannot be assigned.
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Calendar Assignments
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Calendar assignments are used to schedule activities and level resources.

Calendars are created and assigned to each activity and resource.
The Activity Type determines whether the activity calendar or resource calendar is used during
scheduling.
Notes
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Overview: Adding Activities via the New Activity Wizard

In the Directory bar, click Activities to access the Activities window In the Activities window, launch the New
Activity wizard for step-by-step guidance in adding activities to the project plan. The wizard ensures that all
necessary information is entered properly. Once you become more familiar with the information required for
adding new activities and more comfortable with the use of P6 Project Management in general, you may
prefer to forgo the use of the wizard and add activities manually.
1. Use the Layout Options bar to open a layout that facilitates the work you wish to do.
2. In the Edit menu, click User Preferences and then select the Assistance tab to enable the New Activity
wizard.
3. In the Command bar, click Add to launch the New Activity wizard. Follow the on-screen prompts to
add an activity to the project plan.
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Practice: Adding Activities via the New Activity Wizard

Enable the New Activity wizard in User Preferences.
Add an activity using the New Activity wizard.
Adding an Activity via the New Activity Wizard

The first step is to open a project and an appropriate layout. The project, Bldg-06, contains no activities, and
the layout, Adding Activities, is simplified to show just the WBS and selected tabs in Activity Details.
Open a project and layout.

1. Open a project, Bldg-06.
2. Confirm that you are in the Activities window (or, in the Directory bar, click Activities).
4. When asked if you want to save changes to the present layout, click No.
5. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Adding Activities, and then click Open.
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Enabling th e Wiz ard

The New Activity wizard walks you through the process of adding an activity. Once you become familiar with
the process, you can disable the wizard in User Preferences and manually add activities to the project.
Enable the New Activity wizard in User Preferences.

1. In the Edit menu, click User Preferences.
2. Click the Assistance tab.
3. Mark the Use New Activity Wizard checkbox.
4. Click Close.
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Launch ing t he Wizard

To add an activity using the New Activity wizard, click
in the Command bar. (You may have to click
in the Gantt Chart to activate Add.)

Once launched, the New Activity wizard provides a brief description of the type of information to be entered in
each screen.
Add an activity via the New Activity wizard.

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Nami ng the Activity and Sp ecifying a WBS

Type a unique Activity ID and Activity Name. You will assign the first activity to the Design and Engineering
WBS element.
In the Activity ID field, verify BA1000.
Where did this Activity ID come from?

3. In the Activity Name field, type <Building Addition Kickoff>.
4. Click Next.
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5. In the WBS field, click

6. Select a WBS element, Bldg-06.D&E Design and Engineering, and then click
7. Click Next.
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Assigning Act ivity Type
Activity Type controls how an activitys dates are calculated. Select the activity type according to the activitys
function in the project and the calendar that should be used for the activity during scheduling. The wizard
dialog box provides a brief description of each activity type.
8. In the Activity Type drop-down list, select Start Milestone.
? What is the default activity type for this project?

9. Click Next. You will not add dependent activities or relationships at this time.
10. Verify that No, continue is selected, and then click Next.
11. Verify that No, thanks is selected, and then click Next.
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Complet ing th e New Activity W izard

You have successfully added your first activity. You will now disable the wizard so that you can add additional
activities manually.
12 Mark the Do not show this wizard again checkbox.

13 When prompted, click OK.
14 Click Finish.
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Overview: Adding Activities via Activity Details

There are a number of ways to add activities to a project plan other than using the New Activity wizard. Before
adding a new activity, however, you should first select a WBS element in which the activity will reside, or select
an existing activity in the Activity Table (The new activity will appear below the selected activity). After you
have added the new activity to the Activity Table, use the tabs in Activity Details to enter additional
information.
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In the Activity Table, select a WBS element or an existing activity below which you want to add a new
activity.
In the Edit menu, click Add to add a new activity to the Activity Table.
In the Command bar, click Add to add a new activity to the Activity Table.
Use the tabs in Activity Details to enter additional information about a new activity.
Practice: Adding Activities via Activity Details

Add activities to the Activity Table using a variety of methods.
Use the tabs in Activity Details to enter information about a new activity.
Use the columns in the Activity Table to enter information about a new activity.
Adding an Activity via Activity Details

Once you become familiar with the information required, you can quickly add activities by using the tabs in
Activity Details. First, select either the WBS element in which you want the activity to reside, or select an
existing activity below which you want the new activity to appear.
Add an activity via Activity Details.

1. In the Activity Table, select a WBS element, Design and Engineering.
2. In the Edit menu, click Add, or right-click and in the drop-down menu, select Add.
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You can also click
in the Command bar or press Insert on your keyboard. All four methods are
interchangeable. Regardless of the method you choose, however, you should first select the WBS element in
which you want to place the new activity or select an existing activity in that WBS element.
General Tab
Use the General tab to enter basic information about the activity, including Activity Type, discussed earlier in
this lesson.
Verify or enter activity information in the General tab.
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In Activity Details, verify that the General tab is selected.
In the Activity ID field, verify BA1010.
In the Activity Name field, type <Design Building Addition>, and then press Enter on your keyboard.
In the Activity Type drop-down list, verify Task Dependent.
Status Tab
Use the Status tab to define the selected activity's duration, constraints, Start and Finish dates, labor and
nonlabor units and costs, and material costs. You can also use the Status tab to view the selected activity's
float, actuals, and completion percentages.
Type an Original Duration in the Status tab.

1. In Activity Details, click the Status tab.
2. In the Original Duration field, type <12>, and then press Enter.
Note that the Finished date changes as a result of the entry. Note also that the length of the
corresponding activity bar in the Gantt Chart increases.
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Notebook Tab
The Notebook tab enables you to assign notes to an activity. Notebook topics are typically instructions or
descriptions that further describe the activity according to specific categories of information.
Can you suggest any useful notebook topics?
Add a Notebook topic and description for the new activity.

1. Click the Notebook tab.
2. In the Notebook Topic section, click Add.
3. In the Assign Notebook Topic dialog box, select a topic, Anticipated Problems, and then click
4. Click
5. In the Anticipated Problems details section, type< Design changes may increase duration of activity.>.
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Add ing Act ivity Information via Colu mn s

After creating an activity, you can use the columns in the Activity Table to enter additional information. Again,
before adding the new activity, you should select the WBS element in which you want it to reside.
Add an activity and enter information via columns.

1. In the Activity Table, select a WBS element, Design and Engineering.
2. Press Insert on your keyboard.
3. In the Activity ID column, verify BA1020.
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In the Activity Name column, type <Review and Approve Designs>.
In the Activity Type column, verify Task Dependent.
In the Original Duration column, type <9>, and then press Enter on your keyboard.
Note that the bar for activity BA1020 increases in length as a result of your entry in the Original Duration
column.
Where else might you expect to see a change as a result of your entry in the Original Duration
column?
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Add a Level of Effort activity.

1. In the Activity Table, select a WBS element, Office Building Addition Adding Activities.
2. In the Edit menu, click Add.
3. In the Activity ID column, type <BA-ADMIN>.
4. In the Activity Name column, type <Project Administration>.
5. Double-click in the Activity Type column and select Level of Effort from the drop-down list.
What kind of work might be included in this activity?
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Add ing Step s t o an Ac tiv ity
Activity steps allow you to create a checklist for an activity and track the completion of each step. They can
help identify critical procedures and provide guidance to resources assigned to the activity.
An unlimited number of steps can be assigned to an activity.
Steps can be marked completed in P6 Project Management and in timesheets.
Steps do not have duration estimates or dates.
Resources cannot be assigned to individual steps.
A detailed description of each step can be entered in the right section of the Steps tab.
Add steps and descriptions to an activity.
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In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1020 - Review and Approve Designs.
In Activity Details, click the Steps tab.
In the Step Name section, click Add.
Type a name for the step, <Review Designs>, and press Enter on your keyboard.
In the right section of the tab, type a description for the step <Review designs to be sure they meet
customer requirements.>.
Click Add to add a second step.
Type a name for the step, <Finalize Decision>, and press Enter on your keyboard.
In the right section, type a description <Meet with team to finalize decision.>.
Using Step Temp lates

Step templates enable you to define common steps and then assign them to multiple activities.
If you have already defined certain steps or sets of steps that could be used in other activities, you can convert
those steps to templates.
Create a step template.
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1.
Ctrl+click or shift+click to select all steps in the Steps tab.
2.
Right-click on the steps, and then click Create Template.
3.
In the Step Template Name field, type <Design Review>.
4.
Click OK.
5.
Click Add from Template.
6.
In the Assign Activity Step Templates dialog box, view the newly created template, and then click
Act ivity Codes
Activity codes enable you to classify and categorize activities according to your organizational and project
needs.
Use activity codes to view and roll up activities in the Activity Table; build reports in the Report wizard or
Report Editor; organize a layout by grouping activities into specific categories; and select and summarize
activities. Examples of activity codes include Phase, Area, Site, and Division.
How could activity codes be used by your organization?

Activity codes can be defined at three levels:
Global-level Available to all activities in the database.
Create an unlimited number of global-level activity codes.
Organize activities within a project or across the project structure.

EPS-level Available to all activities within the EPS node and its children.
Create an unlimited number of EPS-level activity codes.
Organize activities within a project or across a portion of the EPS.
Project-level Available to activities only in the project in which the code is created.
Create up to 500 project-level activity codes per project.
Filter and organize activities based on unique, project-specific requirements.
Each activity code can contain an unlimited number of activity code values, which can be organized in a
hierarchy for efficient search and selection.
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Assigning Act ivity Cod es

Assign activity code values in the Activities window.
Add a column for the activity code in the Activity Table.
Use the Codes tab in Activity Details.
Assign an activity code to an activity.
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Confirm that activity BA1020 - Review and Approve Designs is selected.
In Activity Details, click the Codes tab.
At the bottom of the tab, click Assign.
In the Assign Activity Codes dialog box, click the Display Options bar and select Filter By, All Values.
In the Display Options bar, click Collapse All.
6.
Click
7.
Select an activity code value, ENG Engineering Department, and then click
8.
Click
to expand Activity Code: Department.
to close the Assign Activity Codes dialog box.
Assigning Act ivity Cod es to Multiple Act ivit ies
Assign an activity code to multiple activities.

1.
In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1010 - Design Building Addition.
2.
Ctrl+click to select another activity, BA1020 - Review and Approve Designs.
3.
In the Command bar, click Activity Codes.
4.
In the Assign Activity Codes dialog box Display Options bar, verify All Values.
5.
In the Search field, type <arc> and in Activity Code: CSI Code, select an activity code value, 20.600
Architectural.
6.
Click
7.
Click in the Gantt Chart to deselect the activities, and then select activities BA1010 and BA1020
to assign the code value, and then click
individually to verify in the Codes tab that the activity code value has been assigned.
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Streamli ned Pr oc ess t o Add Act iv ity Code Values

P6 Project Management also enables you to define new activity code values directly from the Assign Activity
Codes dialog box. You can add global-level, EPS-level, or project-level activity code values by clicking
and
then entering a Code Value and Code Value Description.

Administrators can restrict users ability to add activity code values through security settings. And while it is
possible to add activity code values at the global, EPS, or project level, this feature was designed primarily to
enable project managers to add project-level code values to projects easily.
Define a new activity code value.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1020 Review and Approve Designs.
2. In the Codes tab in Activity Details, click Assign.
3. In the Assign Activity Codes dialog box Display Options bar, verify All Values, and
4. then click Collapse All. Click
5. Click
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to expand Activity Code: QA Code.
6. In the Add Code Value dialog box, type a Code Value <TPS> and a Code Value Description <Third Party
Signoff>.
7. Click OK.
8. In the Assign Activity Codes dialog box, select a QA code value, TPS Third Party Signoff.
9. Click
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to assign the code value, and then click
Calen dar Assignment s
Calendars can be created and assigned to each activity and resource. Calendar assignments are used to
schedule activities and level resources.
An unlimited number of calendars can be created.
The Activity Type determines whether the activity calendar or resource calendar is used during
scheduling.
Calendar Types
There are three calendar types:
Global calendar
Contains calendars that can be used by all projects in the database.
Available for all resources and activities in the database.
Resource calendar
Contains separate calendars for each resource.
Project calendar
Contains a separate pool of calendars for each project.
Available for the current project only.
Why is there a need for three different calendar types?
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Assigning C alen dars

Use the Select Activity Calendar dialog box to select the calendar that is used for an activity in the project.
For example, in this project, the default calendar assigned to all activities is the Standard 5 Day Workweek. You
will view the available calendars on the Design Building Addition activity.
1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1010 Design Building Addition.

2. Click the General tab.
3. In the Activity Calendar field, click
4. View the available global calendars, and then close the dialog box.
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
There are four ways to add an activity to a project: In the Command bar, click Add; in the Edit menu,
click Add; press Insert on the keyboard; or right-click and click Add in the right-click menu. You can also
enable the New Activity wizard.
Activity Type controls how an activitys dates are calculated.
Use steps to create an activity checklist, and to track step completion.

Use activity codes to group activities by a common attribute. Create unlimited code values for each
activity code. Activity code types:
o Global-level codes can be assigned to all activities in the database.
o EPS-level activity codes can be assigned to all activities in the EPS.
o Project-level activity codes can be assigned to activities in the projects in which they are created.
Review Questions
1. For which type of activity are dates determined by the availability of the resources assigned to the
activity?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Task dependent
Resource dependent
Milestone
Level of effort
2. True or False: The duration of a milestone is dependent on its predecessor/successor activities.

3. True or False: Choose Edit, User Preferences, and then click the Assistance tab to enable the New
Activity wizard.
4. Which of the following is not a valid method of adding a new activity in the Activities window?
a. Click Add in the Command bar.
b. Press Insert on your keyboard.
c. Press the Plus key (+) on your keyboard.
d. Right-click and select Add from the drop-down menu.
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Workshop: Adding Activities

Background
The next step in planning the project is to continue adding activities. You will also add steps to activity BA5080
and insert a Notebook item for BA6120.
Objectives
1. In the Activity Table, add the global-level activity code column, Phase, to the right of the Original
Duration column.
2. Add the following activities to the project:
3. Add the following steps to activity BA5080 Insulation and Built-up Roofing:
a. OSHA safety compliance check
b. Install sheathing
WBS
HVAC
HVAC
Brick
Roof
Plumbing and
Lighting
Fixtures
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Activity
ID
BA4090
BA4100
BA5070
BA5080
BA6120
Phase
Original
Activity
Activity Namec. Provide water protection
Activity Type
Duration
Code
Relocate HVAC
Chiller
Task
Dependent
3
FINSH
d. First run complete
Start Up and Test HVAC
Task Dependent
1
ROUGH
Brick Exterior
Walls
Task
Dependent
7
5. Add an Anticipated Problems Notebook topic to activity BA6120CLOSE
and type
Insulation
and Built-up
Roofing
Taskfor
Dependent
10
CLOSE
a description
<Possible
cost overrun
plumbing materials.>.
Install Plumbing and Electrical
Task Dependent
2
FINSH
Fixtures
Workshop Results
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Lesson 7 Creating Relationships

Object ives
page 135
View a network logic diagram.

Describe the four relationship types.
Create relationships in the Activity Network.
Create relationships in Activity Details.
Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

PDM is a technique for creating network logic diagrams.
A box or rectangle represents each activity.

Lines with arrows connect the boxes and represent the logical relationships between the activities.
Predecessor -Controls the start or finish of another activity.
Successor -Depends on the start or finish of another activity.
Start with either the first activity in the network and enter each successor, or start with the last activity
in the network and enter each predecessor.
Relation shi p Types

There are four relationship types:
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Finish to Start (FS) When A finishes, B can start.

Start to Start (SS) When A starts, B can start.
Finish to Finish (FF) When A finishes, B can finish.
Start to Finish (SF) When A starts, B can finish.
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Relation shi ps wit h Lag

Lag specifies an offset or delay between an activity and its successor.
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Can be added to any relationship type.

Can be a positive or a negative value.
There are four calendar options for scheduling lag:
Predecessor activity calendar
Successor activity calendar
24-hour calendar
Project default calendar
Quest ion
Which of the following statements is true?

1
A successor activity depends on the start or finish of another activity.
2
Lag specifies a delay between an activity and its successor.
3
Lag can be positive or negative.
4
1 and 2
5
1 and 2 and 3
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Notes
page 141
Use the Activity Network to create relationships between activities graphically, or use the Predecessors and
Successors panes in the Relationships tab in Activity Details.
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1.
In the WBS Table, click a WBS element to display its activities in the Activity Network.
2.
In the Activity Network, view the activities contained in the selected WBS element and create
relationships by clicking and dragging your mouse cursor from the edge of one activity to the edge of
another.
3.
In the Toolbar, click
4.
Use the Relationships tab in Activity Details to create and view relationships between an activity
selected in the Activity Table and predecessor and successor activities.
5.
Use the Lag field in the Relationships tab to assign lag to the relationship between two activities.
6.
Click
and
to zoom in and out on activities in the Activity Network.
to toggle relationship lines on/off in the Gantt Chart.
Practice: Creating Relationships

Create a relationship graphically in the Activity Network.
Create a relationship using the Relationships tab in Activity Details.
Assign lag to a relationship.
View relationships in the Gantt Chart.
Creat ing Relati on ships in th e Act iv ity Net work
Display the Activity Network.

2. Confirm that you are in the Activities window. (Or in the Navigation bar, click Activities.)
4. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Adding Relationships in Network, and then click Open.
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5. In the WBS Table in the top layout, select a WBS element, Bldg-07.Mechanical Systems Plumbing and
Electrical.
6. Click
to zoom in on activities in the Activity Network.
7. In the right pane of the Activity Network, select an activity, BA4160 Rough-in Plumbing/Piping.
Creat ing a Start to Start Relationship
Create a relationship by clicking and dragging your mouse cursor from one edge of an activity to another.
The left edge of the activity represents the start of the activity.
The right edge of the activity represents the finish of the activity.
Create a Start to Start relationship between two activities.

1. To create a SS relationship, place the mouse pointer to the left edge of an activity, BA4160 -Rough-In
Plumbing/Piping.
The relationship arrow
appears.
2. Click and drag the mouse to the left edge of successor activity, BA4170 - Install Wiring and Cable. Note
the relationship line and arrow in the Activity Network.
3. In Activity Details, click the Relationships tab and view the relationship in the Predecessors pane.
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Creat ing Relati on ships in Act iv ity Det ails

You can also use the Relationships tab to create relationships. When creating a relationship in Activity Details,
the default relationship type is Finish to Start.
Activities in the Assign Successors dialog box can be grouped and sorted in a variety of ways, including by EPS
and by List. In the Display Options bar, click Group and Sort By to view options.
? What are the other activity display options for the Assign Successors dialog box?
Create a Finish to Start relationship between two activities.

1
In the Activity Network, select an activity, BA4170 Install Wiring and Cable.
In the Successors window in the Relationships tab, click Assign.
In the Assign Successors dialog box, select an activity, BA4180 Connect Equipment, and then click
to assign the selection.
Note that the relationship is now displayed in both the Successors pane and the Activity Network.
4
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Click
Using the G oTo Featu re

Click
in the Relationships tab to change the selection in the Activity Table to the activity
highlighted in the relevant Predecessors or Successors window.
Assign a successor activity using the GoTo feature

1. In the Layout Options bar, click Show on Top, Gantt Chart.
2.In the Successors window in the Relationships tab, select an activity, BA4180 Connect Equipment.
3. In the Successors window, click
Note that activity BA4180 is now selected in the Activity Table and in Activity Details.
4. In the Successors window in the Relationships tab, click Assign.
5. In the Assign Successors dialog box, select an activity, BA4100 Startup and Test HVAC, and then click
assign the selection.
6. Click
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to
Assigning Lag
Use the columns in the Relationships tab to make adjustments to the relationship type or to assign lag.
Assign lag to a relationship.

1
In the Activity Table or Activity Details, confirm that activity BA4180 Connect Equipment is selected.
In the Successors pane, click in the Lag field and type <3>.
On your keyboard, press Enter.
How would you use the columns in the Relationships tab to change a relationship type?
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Viewing Relat ion sh ips in the Gantt Chart

You can also view/modify relationships in the Activity Table and the Gantt Chart.
Activity Table Displays the Predecessors and Successors columns.
Gantt Chart Click the Relationship Lines icon
in the top layout toolbar to toggle relationship lines
on and off.
View relationships between activities in the Activity Table and the Gantt Chart.
1. In the Layout Options bar, click Columns.
2. In the Available Options section in the Columns dialog box, click
a. expand Lists.
3. Select Predecessors, click
it at the bottom of the list.
to
to move it to the Selected Options section, and then click
4. In the Available Options section, select Successors, and click
to position
to move it to the Selected Options
section.
Confirm that Successors appears below Predecessors at the bottom of the Selected Options list.
5. Click OK.
6. Drag the vertical split bar to expose the new columns, and adjust column widths as necessary.
7. In the Toolbar, click
to view the relationships between the activities.
Note that even though relationships were added, the activities did not move from the project start date. When
the project is scheduled, the activities will be positioned in the Gantt Chart according to their relationships.
Lesson Review
page 148
Key Concepts
Use the Precedence Diagramming Method to create a network logic diagram that shows the
relationships between activities. Build the diagram using boxes to represent activities and arrows to
represent logical relationships between the activities.
P6 Project Management supports four relationship types (Finish to Start, Start to Start, Finish to Finish,
and Start to Finish) that identify the type of dependency that exists between an activity and its
predecessor or successor.
Lag is the offset or delay between an activity and its successor.
You can create relationships in the Activity Network via a graphical display or in the Relationships tab
in Activity Details.
Review Questions
1. . In the Relationships tab in Activity Details, which of the following is used to jump from the current
activity to one of its predecessor or successor activities?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Jump
Search
Look
GoTo
2. What is the default relationship type in P6 Project Management?

a.
b.
c.
d.
Finish to Start
Finish to Finish
. Start to Start
Start to Finish
3. True or False: Lag is an offset or delay between an activity and its successor.
4. Which of the following can be used to schedule lag?
a. The predecessor activitys calendar assignment
b. The successor activitys calendar assignment
c. The 24 hour calendar
d. a or b
e. a or b or c
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Workshop: Creating Relationship s

Background
Now that the activities have been entered, relationships need to be established. The project team has
determined the order in which the activities should occur.
Objectives
1. Use the information in the following table to create relationships between activities:
Activity
ID
BA1000
BA1010
Relationship
Successors
Type
BA1010
SS
BA1020
SS
BA6060
SS
BA1020 Review and Approve Designs
BA1030
FS
BA2000
FS
BA5000
FF
BA6040
FS
BA1030 Assemble Technical Data for Heat Pump
BA1040
FS
BA1040 Review Technical Data on Heat Pumps
BA4020
FS
BA2000 Begin Building Construction
BA2010
SS
BA2010 Site Preparation
BA2020
FS
BA2020 Excavation
BA2030
FS
2. The
activity BA-ADMIN
Administration
BA2040 ProjectFS
requires both a predecessor and a successor.

Predecessor: SS relationship with BA1000
- Building Addition Kickoff.
Successor: FF relationship with BA6190 Building Addition Complete.
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Activity Name
Building Addition Kickoff
Design Building Addition
Workshop Results
page 151
Lesson 8 Scheduling
Object ives
Perform a forward and a backward pass.

Describe float and its impact on a schedule.
Identify loops and open ends.
Calculate a schedule.
Analyze the scheduling log report.
Critical Path Method Scheduling

The Critical Path Method (CPM) is the traditional technique for calculating project schedules and determining
the minimum total project duration.
Uses activity durations and relationships between activities to calculate schedule dates.
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Calculation is done in two passes forward and backward through the activities in a project.
Crit ical Path

The series of activities that determines a projects minimum total duration and completion date.
The duration of the activities on the critical path controls the duration of the entire project.
A delay to any critical activity will delay the Finish date of the entire project.

Critical activities are defined either by Total Float or by the longest path in the project network.
Data Dat e
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The date that is utilized as the starting point for schedule calculations.
Used to schedule all remaining work.
During the Planning phase, the data date should match the project Start date.
For war d Pass
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The forward pass calculates each activitys early dates. Early dates are the earliest times an activity can
start and finish once its predecessor relationships have been satisfied.
The calculation begins with the activities without predecessors.
Early Start (ES) + Duration 1 = Early Finish (EF)
Backward Pass
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The backward pass calculates each activitys late dates.

Late dates are the latest times an activity can start and finish without delaying the end date of the
project.
The calculation begins with the activity with the latest Early Finish date without a successor.
For projects without a Must Finish By date, activities without successors are assigned a Late Finish
equal to the latest Early Finish date.
Late Finish (LF) Duration + 1 = Late Start (LS)
Total Float
The amount of time an activity can be delayed from its Early Start without delaying the project.
The difference between an activitys late dates and early dates.
Total Float is automatically calculated each time you schedule the project. You cannot edit an activity's
float values directly.
Activities whose Total Float is less than or equal to zero are critical.
Late date early date = Total Float (TF)
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Mu st Fin ish By Date
page 158
A common scenario is a project with a required Must Finish By date. This date specifies when the
project must finish regardless of the networks duration and logic.
The backward pass begins with the Must Finish By date and works backward to the first activity in the
project.
Circu lar Relatiion shi ps
Open Ends
Open ends are activities without either a predecessor or successor.
No predecessor Activity uses data date as its Early Start.
No successor Activity uses project finish as its Late Finish.
Open-ended activities can portray an unrealistic amount of positive total float.
It is recommended that each project have only two open ends: the first activity (Start milestone) and the last
activity (Finish milestone).
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page 160
Notes
page 161
When you schedule a project, activity dates are calculated according to durations and logic.
After the project is scheduled, note the change in the position of activities in the Gantt Chart. Activity bars are
displayed according to their calculated start and finish dates. Critical activity bars are displayed in red.
1. To display the Schedule dialog box, press F9 on your keyboard; click

the Toolbar; or in the Tools menu, click Schedule.
in
2. In the Schedule dialog box, confirm or adjust the data date in the Current
Data Date field.
3. Mark the Log to file checkbox to record the results of scheduling. Click View Log to view the log.
4. Click Schedule to schedule the project.
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Practice: Scheduling a Project

Schedule a project.
Review the Schedule Log.
View driving relationships in the Activity Network.
Scheduling a Project
After displaying the Schedule dialog box, confirm the data date before scheduling.
Schedule a project.
1.
Open a project, Bldg-08.
2.
Confirm that you are in the Activities window. (Or in the Directory bar, click Activities.)
3.
In the Layout Options toolbar, click Show on Top, Gantt Chart.
Before the project is scheduled, where are all of the project activities aligned in the Gantt Chart?
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4.
In the Tools menu, click Schedule (or press F9 on your keyboard.)
5.
In the Schedule dialog box, verify the Current Data Date, 11-Jan-10.
6.
Mark a checkbox, Log to File.
7.
In the Log to File field, browse to a path, C:\Training Docs.
8.
Click Schedule.
Following scheduling, what determines the positions of project activities in the Gantt Chart?
Viewing the Schedule Log
The Schedule Log records scheduling results, including:
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Scheduling/leveling settings
Statistics
Critical activities
Errors
Warnings
Scheduling/leveling results
Exceptions
2. In the Schedule dialog box, click View Log.
Before proceeding, answer the following questions:
How many activities are in the project?
How many of them are critical?
How many project activities do not have predecessors and/or successors?
What are they?
How many relationships are in the project?
What is the latest early finish date for the project?
3.In the Notepad File menu, click Exit.

4.Click Cancel to exit the Schedule dialog box.
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Drivi ng Relat ionsh ip s

An activity may have a relationship with a predecessor that determines its Early Start. When this is the case,
the relationship is called a driving relationship.
A solid relationship line indicates a driving relationship.
A dashed relationship line indicates a non-driving relationship.
View driving and nondriving relationships for an activity.

2. Select a layout, Activity Network, and then click Open.
3. In the WBS Table in the top layout, select a WBS element, Bldg-08.Structure.
4.
In the top layout toolbar, click
to zoom in on activities in the Activity Network.
5.
In the Activity Network, select an activity, BA3070.
6.
In Activity Details, click the Relationships tab.
Note that neither BA3040 nor BA3050 drive the start of BA3070 but that BA3060 does drive it.
Lesson Review
page 166
Key Concepts
After relationship logic has been defined, schedule the project.
Schedule dates can be calculated based on the critical path, a series of activities that determine a
project's completion date.
When scheduling using the Critical Path Method, activity Early Start and Finish dates are calculated
during a forward pass, and the Late Start and Finish dates are calculated during the backward pass.
The data date is used as a starting point when scheduling all remaining work for the project.
After scheduling, activities will have a total float that represents the amount of time an activity can be
delayed without delaying the project.
After scheduling, results are recorded in a Schedule Log.
Review Questions
1. True or False: A schedules late dates are calculated during the backward pass.
2. Which of the following is not a type of float?
a. Positive
b. Open-end
c. Negative
d. Total
3. True or False: The critical path is the path of activities through the project that determines the project
end date.
4. Which of the following are included on the Schedule Log?
a. Statistics
b. Critical activities
c. Warnings
d. a and b
e. a and b and c
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Workshop: Calculating a Schedule Manually

Objectives
The following graphics are two unique schedules. Using the space provided, manually calculate the early and
late dates and the Total Float of the activities.
No Imposed Finish Date
Imposed Finish Date of Workperiod 12
Formulas:
Early Start + Duration 1 = Early Finish
Late Finish Duration + 1 = Late Start
Late Start Early Start = Total Float
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Workshop Results
No Imposed Finish Date
Imposed Finish Date of Workperiod 12
page 169
Lesson 9 Assigning Constraints

Object ives
Describe available constraint types.

Apply Must Finish By constraint to a project.
Apply a Start On or After constraint to an activity.
Add a Notebook topic to a constrained activity.
Constr aint s
Date restrictions used to reflect project requirements that cannot be built into the network logic.
More accurately reflect real-word aspects of a project.
Provide added control of a project.
Apply to the entire project or to individual activities.
Commonly used project-level constraint: Must Finish By
Commonly used activity-level constraint: Start On or After
Mu st Fin ish By
Used when an overall project deadline must be met.
Forces all activities in the project to finish by the date (and time) specified.
Establishes the date from which late dates are calculated in the backward pass.
Affects the Total Float of the entire project.
Start On or Aft er
Used to set the earliest date an activity can begin.

Forces the activity to start no earlier than the constraint date.
Pushes the activitys early start date to the constraint date.
Affects the early dates of the activitys successors.
Add it ional St art Constraint s

Start On Forces an activity to start on the constraint date:
Shifts both early and late start dates to the constraint date.
Used to specify dates submitted by contractors or vendors.
Start On or Before Forces an activity to start no later than the constraint date:
Shifts the late start to the constrained date.
Affects the late dates of its predecessors.
Used to place a deadline on the start of the activity.
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Add it ional Fin ish C on straints

Finish On Forces an activity to finish on the constraint date:
Shifts both early and late finish dates to the constraint date.
Used to satisfy intermediate project deadlines.
Finish On or Before Forces an activity to finish no later than the constraint date:
Pulls the late finish date to the constraint date.
Affects the late dates of its predecessors.
Used to set intermediate completion points in the project.
Finish On or After Forces an activity to finish no earlier than the constraint date:
Shifts the early finish to the constrained date.
Affects the early dates of its successors.
Add it ional C on straints

As Late as Possible Delays activity as late as possible without delaying successors:
Shifts early dates as late as possible.
Also called a zero free float constraint.
Mandatory Start and Finish Forces early and late dates to be equal to the constraint date:
Affects late dates of predecessors and early dates of successors.
May violate network logic.
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Notes
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Project-level constraints are assigned in the General tab in Project Details. Activity-level constraints are
assigned in the Status tab in Activity Details.
1. Use the Constraints section of the Status tab in Activity Details to assign primary and secondary
constraints to an activity.
2.
Use the Notebook tab in Activity Details to document constraints after you assign them.
3. In the Tools menu, click Schedule to reschedule a project after assigning a constraint. Use columns in
the Activity Table to check activity dates and Total Float before and after assigning constraints.
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Practice: Assigning Constraints

Assign a Must Finish By constraint to a project.
Assign a Start On or After constraint to an activity.
Reschedule projects after assigning constraints.
Document a constraint with a Notebook topic.
Assigning a Must Finish By Constraint to a Project

The Must Finish By constraint is commonly used when an overall project deadline must be met. It is assigned
to the project in the Dates tab in Project Details.
By default, the time associated to the Must Finish By date is set to 12:00 am. This means that if the project
must finish by the end of day on 1-Nov, the specified constraint date would be 02-Nov.
Assign a Must Finish By constraint.

2. In the Directory bar, click Projects.
3. In the Project Table, select a project, Bldg-09.
4. In Project Details, click the Dates tab.
5. In the Must Finish By field, click
6. Select a date, 02-Nov-10.
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Rescheduling the Project

Because constraints affect project and activity dates, a project must be rescheduled after a constraint has
been applied in order to calculate new dates and to assess the constraints impact on Total Float.

1. In the Directory bar, click Activities.
3. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Constraints and Notes, and then click Open. Note that all values
in the Total Float column are greater than or equal to zero days.
4. In the Tools menu, click Schedule; or in the Toolbar, click
; or press F9 on your keyboard.
5.In the Schedule dialog box, confirm the Current Data Date, 11-Jan-10, and then click Schedule.
6. In the Activity Table, view the values in the Total Float column.
7. In the Activity table, view the projects Early Finish date
Beca use t he Must Finish B y d ate (02-Nov-10 ) is earlier t han the pr oject s calculated Ea rly
Finish date (17-N ov-10), ma ny of the a ct ivit ies now ha ve a negative Total Float.
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Assigning a Constraint to an Activity

Next, you will use the Start On or After constraint to specify the earliest date an activity can begin. Activitylevel constraints are assigned in the Status tab in Activity Details. A maximum of two constraints a primary
and a secondary can be applied to any single activity.
The Assemble Brick Samples activity is scheduled to start 19-Jan-10. However, brick samples are on back order
and will not be available until 25-Jan-10. You will assign a constraint to reflect the new date.
Assign a Start On or After constraint.

1. Select an activity, BA5000 - Assemble Brick Samples, and in Activity Details verify that the Status tab is
selected.
2. In the Primary drop-down list in the Constraints section, select a constraint type, Start On or After.
3. In the associated Date field, click
, and select a date, 25-Jan-10
Before rescheduling, what are the activitys early dates and what is its Total Float?
4. In the Tools menu, click Schedule (or press F9 on your keyboard).
5. In the Schedule dialog box, confirm the Current Data Date, 11-Jan-10, and then click Schedule.
Following rescheduling, what are the activitys early dates and Total Float?
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Adding a Notebook Topic

Whenever you assign a constraint to an activity, it is recommended that you document the reason for its use.
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In the Activity Table, verify that activity BA5000 is selected.
In Activity Details, click the Notebook tab.
In the Notebook Topic window, click Add.
In the Assign Notebook Topic dialog box, assign a topic, Constraints and Assumptions, and then close
the dialog box.
In the Constraints and Assumptions details window, type <The brick samples are on back order and
will not be available until January 25.>.
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Assign constraints to activities and projects to reflect real-world restrictions.
A maximum of two constraints can be assigned to an activity.
The Must Finish By constraint is used when an overall project deadline must be met.
Use the Start On or After constraint to set the earliest date an activity can begin.
Review Questions
1. Which of the following applies to the Start On or After constraint?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Affects an activitys early dates and the early dates of successor activities.
Affects an activitys late dates and the late dates of successor activities.
Violates network logic.
Delays an activity as long as possible without affecting its successors.
2. True or False: It is recommended that you use a Notebook topic to document the reasons for assigning
constraints.
3. Which constraint pulls the late finish to the constrained date?
a. Start On or After
b. Finish On or After
c. As Late as Possible
d. Finish On or Before
4. How many constraints can be assigned to an activity?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. An unlimited number
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Lesson 10 Formatting Schedule Data

Object ives
Group activities according to specific criteria.

Sort activities.
Apply a filter.
Create a filter.
Group ing
A flexible way to organize data into categories that share a
common attribute.
Can be used to create customized layouts.
Organized by grouping bands.
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Activities can be grouped:

By hierarchical fields (WBS, activity codes, project codes).
By data fields (dates, costs, Total Float, other numeric

data).
Can be used to:
Quickly view subtotal data in grouping bands.
View summary bars in the Gantt Chart.
Summarize data for reporting purposes.
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Sorting
Determines the sequence in which activities are listed within grouping bands.
Based on data item, you can sort:
Alphabetically
Numerically
Chronologically
Click on column header to quickly sort ascending, descending
Sorted by Start date

Ascending
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Sorted by Start date

Descending
Filt ering
Determines which activities are displayed in a layout.

Enables you to create customized layouts that:
Limit the number of activities displayed.
Help you focus on a particular group of activities (critical activities, for example).
Quest ion
True or False: Grouping, sorting, and filtering can all be included in the same layout.
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Notes
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Grouping and sorting are performed in the Activities window and are used to reformat/reorganize the display
in the window. Once the display has been modified to your satisfaction, you can save it as a new layout, which
can then be applied to other projects opened in the window.
1. Use the Layout Options bar to select an initial layout, to access the Group and Sort dialog box, to
collapse grouped data, and to save the layout after it has been customized.
2. Click on a column heading to sort the layout based on the data item associated with the column.
3. Use the Group and Sort dialog box to specify the grouping scheme you want to use for organizing the
layout.
4. Click Apply to view grouping and sorting before closing the dialog box.
5. Click Sort to access sorting options.
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Practice: Grouping and Sorting

Group data by date in the Activities window.
Collapse and expand the grouped data.
Sort the grouped data.
Save the layout containing the new data grouping scheme.
Grouping Data
Grouping is a flexible way to organize data into categories that share a common attribute.
You can group data to create customized layouts. You can also use grouping to quickly view subtotal data in
the group title bands, view summary bars in the Gantt Chart, and summarize data for reporting purposes.
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Grouping is available in all windows and most dialog boxes.

Each window or dialog box has its own grouping options.
Some windows have customized/pre-defined groups.

Activities can be grouped by hierarchical fields such as WBS, activity codes, and project codes.
Activities can be grouped by data fields such as dates, costs, Total Float, and other numeric data.
Group and Sort Dialog Box

The Group and Sort dialog box is used to specify the organization of activities on the screen.
Show Group Totals Choose to display or hide the total values for grouping bands. If you mark the Show
Group Totals checkbox, you have the additional options to Show Grand Totals and Show Summaries Only.
Show Grand Totals Mark to display a grand total row at the top of the layout.
Show Summaries Only Mark to hide the activities within each group title band.
Shrink Vertical Grouping Bands Minimize the width of the vertical grouping bands displayed in the Activity
Table. This setting is available in windows that have the Group and Sort by, Customize layout option.
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Group By Lists data items used to group the current display.

Indent Available if the selected data item is hierarchical.
To Level Indicates the number of levels to display when grouping by a hierarchical

data item.
Group Interval Indicates the interval by which you want to group the selected data
item.
Font & Color Displays the font/color for each group title band.
Hide if empty Mark to hide the group title bands that do not contain activities.
Sort Bands Alphabetically Mark the checkbox to sort the grouping bands alphabetically rather than
their order in their respective hierarchy. This checkbox is disabled for any grouping that is not
hierarchical.
Show Title Mark to display the name of the field that the layout is grouped by; the value is also
displayed.
Show ID/Code Mark the checkbox to display the ID or code value on the grouping band.
Show Name/Description Mark the checkbox to display the name or description on the grouping
band.
First, open a project and display the Group and Sort dialog box.
View the Group and Sort dialog box.

2. Confirm you are in the Activities window. (Or in the Directory bar, click Activities.)
4. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Organizing Activities, and then click Open.
5. In the Layout Options bar, click Group and Sort.
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Grouping by Date
Now that you have accessed the Group and Sort dialog box, you will use it to group a layout by date. Grouping
a layout by date allows you to identify activities that are scheduled to occur within a particular time period.
Group data by Start date and save as a new layout.
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In the Group and Sort dialog box, click in the first cell of the Group By column, select Start from the
drop-down list.
Double-click in the Group Interval column, and select Month.
Click OK.
In the Layout Options bar, click Layout, Save As.
In the Save Layout As dialog box Layout Name field, type <Monthly Schedule>, and then click Save.
Collapsing/Expanding Grouped Data

You can collapse group bands to control the level of detail that displays. This functionality is especially useful if
you want to focus on a specific portion of the layout.
In the Activity Table, view summary information for the displayed columns.
In the Gantt Chart, summary bars are displayed to represent the Start/Finish dates in each group band.
Collapse group bands in the Activity Table.
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In the Layout Options bar, click Collapse All.
Click
to expand a grouping band, Jan 2010.
Sorting Activ it ies

Sorting determines the sequence in which activities are listed within each grouping band. Based on the data
item you choose, you can sort alphabetically, numerically, or chronologically.
Sorting by a Single Criterion
To sort by a single criterion, click the appropriate data items column title.
indicates ascending sort order
indicates descending sort order
Click a column title to sort the layout by the associated data item.
2. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Organizing Activities, and then click Open. Note by the
that the layout is currently sorted by Activity ID.
3. Click a column title, Original Duration. As indicated by the
now sorted by Original Duration.
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, activities within each grouping band are
Overview: Filtering
Filtering is initiated in the Layout Options bar in the Activities window. (Projects can also be filtered in the
Projects window using the Layout Options bar in the same manner.) In the Layout Options bar, click Filters to
access the Filters dialog box, which enables you to select pre-existing filters or to create new filters.
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Practice: Filtering
View the Filters dialog box.
Run a default filter.
Create a new filter.
Run multiple filters simultaneously.
Use the All Activities option in the Filters dialog box to refresh the layout.
Filtering Activities
A filter is a set of instructions that determines which activities are displayed in a layout.
Filters enable you to create customized layouts that limit the number of activities displayed. This is useful for
helping you focus on a particular group of activities critical activities, for example.
A set of pre-defined filters is provided, as is the ability to create user-defined filters of your own.
Filters are divided into the following groupings:
Default
Available to all users.
pre-defined filters.
Cannot be deleted or modified.
Global
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Available to all users.
User-defined
Available to current user for all projects to which he/she has access.
One or more filters may be applied to a layout at a time.
Multiple criteria for selection may be used within a single filter.
Filter specifications can be saved and re-applied.
Filters can be saved as part of a layout.
Filt er s Dial og Box

All Activities Mark to show all activities in the current layout.
Show activities that match When more than one filter is marked, you must select one of the
following options:
All selected filters Mark to include the activities that meet the criteria of each selected filter.
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Any selected filter Mark to include the activities that meet the criteria of at least one of the selected
filters.
Replace activities shown in current layout Displays only the activities that meet the criteria of each
selected filter.
Highlight activities in current layout which match criteria Highlights only the activities in the current
layout that meet the criteria of each selected filter.
App lying a Defau lt Fil ter

To view critical activities only, run the Critical default filter.
Use a filter to highlight critical activities.
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In the Filters dialog box, mark a checkbox, Critical.
In the When applying the selected filter(s) section, select Highlight activities in current layout which
match criteria.
Click OK to execute the filter.
The layout now displays all activities in the project but highlights only the critical activities.
? Why are activities BA1030 and BA1040 not highlighted? ? The activity, BA-AMIN, has negative
Total Float. Why is it not highlighted?
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Creat ing a Filt er
You can create filters based on a single criterion or on multiple criteria.

A convenient single-criterion filter to use throughout the life cycle of a project is a lookahead filter. It displays
the activities that are scheduled to occur within a given time period the next month, for example.
Define a filter to display activities scheduled to occur in the next month.

1. In the Layout Options bar, click Filters.
2. In the Filters dialog box, click New.
3. In the Filter specification dialog box Filter Name field, type <One Month Lookahead>.
4. Click in the Parameter cell and select Early Start, from the drop-down list.
5. Double-click in the Is cell and select is within range of from the drop-down list.
6. Double-click in the Value cell and then click
7. Select a date, DD-Earliest Data Date.
8. Double-click in the High Value cell and type <DD+1M>.
9. Click OK to close the Filter specification dialog box.
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You will now execute the new filter to display all activities scheduled to occur within the next month, and then
save the layout as One Month Lookahead.
10. In the Filters dialog box, verify that the new filter, One Month Lookahead, is selected.
11. Verify that Replace activities shown in current layout is selected.
12. Click OK to execute the filter.
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After executing the filter, the layout shows a number of WBS title bands that contain no activities scheduled to
start in the next month. These empty WBS elements clutter the layout and can be distracting to viewers.
However, you can remove the empty grouping bands using an option in the Group and Sort dialog box.
13. In the Layout Options bar, click Group and Sort.

14. In the Group and Sort dialog box Group By Options section, mark a checkbox, Hide if empty.
15. Click OK.
16. In the Layout Options bar, click Layout, Save As.
17. In the Save Layout As dialog box, type a Layout Name, <One Month Lookahead>.
18. Click Save.
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Using Mult iple Filter s

If you cannot achieve your goal with a single filter, you can run two or more filters simultaneously.
Execute two filters simultaneously.

1
In the Layout Options bar, click Filters.
In the Filters dialog box, mark a checkbox, Critical.
Scroll down and confirm that the One Month Lookahead checkbox is also selected.
Click OK to execute the filters.
In the Layout Options bar, click Layout, Save As.
In the Save Layout As dialog box, type a Layout Name, <One Month Lookahead Critical Activities>.
Click Save.
Note that all grouping bands are not displayed in the layout. Only those bands that have activities that meet
the filter criteria are displayed.
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App lying the All Act iv ities Filt er
To refresh your screen with all activities, you can run the All Activities filter.
Execute the All Activities filter.

2. At the top of the Filters dialog box, mark a checkbox, All Activities.
3. Click OK to execute the filter.
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Use grouping and sorting to organize activities in a layout.
Grouping is available in all windows and most dialog boxes.
The Group and Sort dialog box provides options to show grand totals and summaries and to modify the
font and color for each grouping selected. You can also sort the groups alphabetically, numerically, or
chronologically.
Use filters to customize a layout or to show only those activities that satisfy the filter criteria. You can
apply multiple filters to a layout.
Review Questions
1. Which of the following statements about default filters is false?
a. They are available to all users.
b. They can be deleted.
c. They cannot be modified.
d. There are 15 predefined filters.
2. True or False: Multiple filters may be applied to a layout simultaneously.
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Lesson 11 Maintaining the Project Documents Library

Object ives
Describe the difference between a work product and a reference document.

Link the document record to a project document or work product.
Assign the project document to an activity or WBS.
Project Docu ments

Project documents can be classified as either
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Work product A document that is a project or activity deliverable and will be turned over to the
projects end user or customer.
Reference document A document that can be referenced by a project participant for the purpose of
providing standards or guidelines for performing work.
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Notes
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The Work Products and Documents window enables you to catalog and track project-related documents. You
can:
Maintain general information about a document, such as author, status, and revision date.
Specify a link to the document.

Assign a document to a WBS element or activity.
1. In the WP & Docs window, click Add in the Command bar to create a document record.
2. Use the tabs in Work Product and Document Details to enter information into a new document record
or to edit the information in an existing record. Use the Files tab to specify the private location and
public location of the document.
Use the Assignments tab to assign the document to an activity or WBS element. You can also use Work
Product and Document Details to view documents and to assign them to activities or WBS elements.
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Practice: Using the Work Products and Documents Window

Link the document record to the relevant document.
Assign a project document to an activity.
View a project document from the activity to which it is assigned.
Creating a Document Record

Documents do not reside in the P6 Project Management database. To access documents via Primavera, a
document record must be created in the Work Products and Documents window.
Create a project document record.
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Open a project, Bldg-11.
In the Directory bar, click WPs & Docs.
In the Title field in the Work Products and Documents Table, type a document title <OSHA
Construction Safety Regulations>.
Press Enter on your keyboard.
The General Tab

Use the General tab in Work Product and Document Details to assign a document category, status, and
revision date.
Assign a Document Category, Reference Number, and Revision Date to a document record.
1. In the Reference No. field in the General tab, type <1918.64>.
2. In the Document Category field, click
3. In the Select Document Category dialog box, select a category,Regulatory/Compliance, and click
4. In the Revision Date field, click
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and select a date, 11-Jan-10.
Files Tab
After you add a document record, you must establish a link to the document itself
by specifying a file path. There are two kinds of document locatio n references:
Private Lo cation References can be viewed only by P6 Pro ject
Management users.
Public Lo cat ion References can be viewed by all project participants,
including timesheet users.
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Assigning a Project Document to an Act ivity

Project documents can be assi gned to both WBS eleme nts and activities. For
example, during a projects planning phase, you may assign a document to a WBS
element. As the details of your pro ject develop and the applicabi lity of the
document to specific activities becomes evi dent, yo u can assign that same
document to those activities.
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When a document is assigned to an activity , the assignment can be viewed in the

WPs & Docs tab in Activity Details.
View a do cument assignment in Activity Details.

1. In the Directory bar, click Activities.
2. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA2000 Begin Building
Construction.
3. In the Layout Options bar, click Layout, O pen.
4. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Classic W BS L ayout, and
then click Open.
5. In Activity Details, click the WPs & Docs tab.
6. Verify that the OSHA Construction Safety Regulations document has
been assigned to the activity.
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Viewing Document Details

Use the Work Pro duct and Document Details dialog box to view details abo ut and/or
open the selected work pro duct or document. Fiel ds in the dialog box are
summarized below:
T itle The name of the selected work product o r document.
Author The name of the person who created the selected work product or
document.
Versio n The selected work product o r document's version number.
Date The entered Revision Date.
Private/Public Locatio n The selected work product or document's file
name.
Launch Private/Public Location Opens the work pro duct or document in
its native application.
Descript ion A narrative descriptio n of the selected work product or
document
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Documents do no t reside i n the P6 Pro ject Management database. To

access documents via Primavera, a document record must be created in
the Work Pro ducts and Documents window.
After adding a document record, specify its private and/or public

location. Specifying a public location enables all pro ject participants to
view the document.
You can designate a document as a work product or reference document

and assign it to an activity or WBS element.
Maintain general information of each project document such as version,

revisio n date, and author.
Review Questio ns
1. True or False: A private document can be viewed only by the user who created
it.
2. True or False: Work products and documents can be assi gned only to
activities.
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Lesson 12 Understanding Roles and Resources

Objectives
Describe roles.
View the roles dictionary.
Describe resources.
Identify the differences between labor, nonlabor, and material

reso urces.
View the reso urce di ctionary.
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Roles and Resources
Both are enterprise data available for use across allprojects.

Both are usually defined by the Pro ject Management Office.
Roles are associated to reso urces according to their function.
Each reso urce can also be assigned one primary role , which
defines the resources core skill or responsibility in the organization.
Roles can be placeholders in activi ty assignments until specific
reso urces are assigned to do the work.
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Notes
page 217
Overview: Understanding Roles
page 218
Practice: Understanding Roles

View data in the Roles dictionary.
Viewing the Roles Dialog Box
1. In the Enterprise menu, click Roles.

2. In the Roles dialo g box Display Options bar, click Filter By, All Roles.
3. Select a role, Construction.Corp.Management.Project Manager Project
Manager.
4. Click the General tab.
What are the aca demic/work requirements for th e selected role?
5. Click the Resources tab.
Among the listed resources, who is the m ost proficient in the select ed role?
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Prices Tab
The Prices tab is used to specify pay rates for a role. This allows for high-level
budgetary planning in the absence of specific reso urces who may have differing pay
rates.
View rat es for a role.

1. Click the P rices tab.
What are the rates for Commercia l and U.S. General Services Admin istration?
What is the purpose of a ssign ing rat es to a ro le when the resources who
ultimately p erform actual work m ight have different rates than those listed?
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Limit s Tab
The Limits tab is used to specify available quantities (limits) for a role. Setting limits
helps you quickly identify areas of role o veralloca tion in a Resource/Role Usage
Profile. You can defi ne an unlimited number of limits for a role by specifying a
uni que effective date for each limit.
By default, P6 Project Management calculates a limit for each role using the
combined available units of all reso urces having that particular role as their primary
role. For example, if there are four resources in the resource dictionary wi th the
primary role of Electrical Engineer and each is available for 8 hours/day, then the
calculated role limit for Electrical Engi neer is 32 ho urs/day. Other resources with
the role of Electrical Engineer but a different primary role are no t included in
the role limit for Electrical Engineer.
This method of calculating rol e limits is approxima te and may not accurately reflect
a roles planned allocatio n. For that reason, the Resource Analysis tab in User
Preferences allows you to display role limits in the Resource Usage Profile and
Spreadsheet based on calculated primary resources limits as explained abo ve or
based on custom role limits, which you define.
In o ur present example, you will view an existing role limi t.
View the Limits t ab.

1. Click the Limits tab.
2. View the ro le allo cation limit.
? What is the alloca tion limit for Project Manager?
? Ho w do yo u suppo se this limit was det ermined?
3. Click Close to exit the Ro les dialog box.
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Overview: Understanding Resources

The Reso urces window contains information about all reso urces within the
organization. There are three kinds of resources:
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Practice: Understanding Resources

View data in the Resources window.
Viewing Resources
Before accessing the Resources window, you will close any projects that may be
open. Reso urces are enterprise data and are defined independently of any pro ject
or activity.
Display reso urce data in t he Resources window.

1. In the File menu, click Close All.
2. In the Directory bar, click Resources.
3. In the Display Optio ns bar, click Filter By, All Resources
.
The dictio nary is displayed hierarchically, but you can sort by Reso urce Name
to locate a resource more easily.
4. Click a column header, Resource Name, to sort alphabetically.
5. Select a resource, WRES Wendy Resner.
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Resour ce Details
Use Resource Details to add, view, and edit detaile d information about the selected
resource.
General Tab
The General tab enables you to enter general i nformation about the selected
resource.
Codes T ab
The Codes tab enables yo u to assign reso urce code values, which help categorize
resources for easier grouping, sorting, and organizing.
? Can you think of a situation in which resource codes wou ld be useful?
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Details Tab
The Details tab enables you to enter the selected resources type classificatio n,
currency and overtime settings, and pro file.
Ty pe Classification Indicates whether the resource is Labor, No nlabor, or
Material.
Unit of Measure Used for material resources. Cl ick
to specify what unit the
resource utilizes.
Currency Indicates the currency associated with the reso urces co sts.
O vert ime Allowed Mark to indicate that the reso urce can enter overtime hours
in Timesheets or i n the Reso urces tab in Activity Details.
O vert ime Factor Indicates the value by which the resources standar d price
sho uld be multiplied to determine the overtime price.
Calendar Indicates the calendar used to identify the resources availability.
Default Units/Time Indicates the units/time that will be applied when the
resource is assigned to an activity.
Auto Comput e Actuals Mark to automatically calculate the reso urces actual
quantity of work according to the project plan.
Calculate costs from units Mark to calculate the cost of an activity based on the
assigned units.
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Unit s & Prices Tab
The Units & Prices tab enables you to set prices and availability according to time
frame.
Effective Date Indicates the effective start date for price and availability.
Max Units/T ime Specifies a numeric value or percentage that the resource can
perform in a single work period, according to effective date, e.g., 8 h/d (100%) =
full-time or 4 h/d (50%) = part-time.Setting this limit allows you to quickly identify
areas of reso urce overallocation i n resource profiles/spreadsheets.
Price/Unit Use to set the resources price for a single work unit, linked to an
effective date.
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
A role is a jo b title or skill for example, Trainer or Manager.
A resource is someone or something used to complete an activity.
Roles can be assigned to resources to aid in resource management. Multiple roles,
including a single primary role, can be assigned to each resource.
Reso urces are divided into three categories: Labor (people), Nonlabor
(equipment) , and Material (measured in units other than time, such as $5.00/square
foot).
Roles are defined in the Roles dictio nary.
Reso urces are defined in the Resources window, where yo u can use Reso urce
Details to view and edit informatio n about resources.
Review Questio ns
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True or False: When resources are defined, they are assigned to a specific
project and cannot be shared with other projects.
Which of the following is a resource ty pe?

a. Labor
b. Nonlabor
c. Equipment
d. a and b
e. a and b and c
True or False: A reso urce can have mo re than one primary role.
Lesson 13 Assigning Roles and Resources

Objectives
Assign roles to an activity.
Assign rates on roles.
Assign resources to an activity by role and directly from the resource dictionary.
Adjust Budgeted Units/Time for a resource.
Assign expenses to activities.
Assigning Roles
Roles can be assigned to activities when you know which

skill sets are required but not which reso urces wi ll perform
the work.
Roles are useful for l ong-range planning.
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Assigning Resources
Assign by role:
At least one role must be assigned to an activity.
Replace role assignment with a specific resource.
Replace single ro le assignments individually o r multiple role assignments
simultaneously.
Assign directly fro m the resource dictionary:
Labor resources witho ut role assignments.
Required metho d when assigning nonlabor and material resources.
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Question
Which of the following is a benefit of assigning roles to activities?
1. Roles can act as placeholders until specific reso urces are

assigned.
2. Roles can help project managers and resource managers
identify appropriate resources for specific activities.
3. Roles can pro vide cost estimates and determine
preliminary budget requirements during project planning.
4. All of the above
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Notes
page 231
Overview: Assigning Roles

Roles are assigned in the Activities window using the Command bar or in the
Resources tab in Activity Details.
page 232
Practice: Assigning Roles

Assign roles to activities.
Assign a rate type on a ro le.
Assigning Roles to an Activity

To assign a role to an activity , click Add Role in the Resources tab in Activity Details.
Assign a role to an act ivity.

2. Confirm that you are in the Activities window. (Or in the Directory bar, click
Activities.)
3. In the Layout Options bar, click L ayout, Open.
4. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Assigning Roles, and then click
Open.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
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In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1010 Design Building Addition.

In Activity Details, click the Resources tab.
At the bottom of the tab, click Add Role.
In the Assign Roles dialog box Display Options bar, click Fil ter By, All Roles.
Click on the Role Name col umn header to sort role names alphabetically and
select a role,Construction.Engr.SE Structural Engi neer.
10. Click
to assign the role to the activity.
11. Click
to close the Assi gn Roles dialog box.
Assigning Mult ip le Roles t o an Activity
Use Ctrl+click to select and assign multiple roles to a single activity.
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Assigning a Single Role to Multiple Activities

Assign a single role to multiple activities by selecting activi ties in the Activity Table
and then clicking Roles in the Command bar.
To select multiple activities:
If the activities you want to select are cont iguous Select the first
activity and then Shift+click to select the last activity.
If the activities you want to select are not contiguous Use Ctrl+click
to select activities indivi dually.
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3. In the Assign Roles dialog box, select a role, Construction.Engr.ME

Mechanical Engineer.
4. Click
to assign the role to the activities.
5. Click
to close the Assign Roles dialog box.
6. View activities BA1030 and BA1040 to confirm the role assignments.
? Where can you loo k to confirm th e role assignments?
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Assigning Rates on Roles
Rate types are assigned to roles in the Resources tab in Activity Details.
The rate ty pe determines the price/unit used to calculate costs for the assignment.
The names for each rate type are defined by your administrator in the Rate Types
tab of Admin Preferences. When you select a rate type, the monetary value is
updated automatically i n the Price/Unit column.
Display t he Rat e T ype column and change a rate type for a role assignment.
1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1010.
2. In the Resources tab i n Activi ty Detai ls, right-click a column header and then
click Customize Resource Columns.
3. Add the column Rate Type (in the General grouping) between Budgeted Units
and Price/Unit.
4. Click OK.
5. In the Rate Type column for a ro le, Structural Engineer, view the assi gned rate
type.
? What is the assig ned rate type for the ro le?
6
Double-click in the Rate Type field, and select Internal from the dro pdown list.
7
In the Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
? What is the Intern al rate, and what is the new budgeted cost?
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Notes
page 239
Overview: Assigning Resources and Costs

Procedures for assigning reso urces are very similar to those for assigning roles and
likewise are performed in the Activities window. Most costs are assigned as a
secondary functio n of the resource assignments with which they are associated.
Expenses are entered separately in Activity Details.
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Practice: Assigning Resources and Costs

Assign a resource to an activity by replacing a role assignment.
Assign resources to multiple activities by simultaneously replacing multiple
role assignments.
Assign a resource to a Level of Effort activity and adjust the resources
Budgeted Units /Time value.
Assign a nonlabor resource to an activity.
Designate a primary reso urce on an activity.
Assign a material resource to an activi ty and specify the resources
Budgeted Units.
Assign an expense to an activity.
View resource costs and expenses for an activity.
Steps for Resource Manag ement

Efficient reso urce management is a key component of successful project
management. The basic steps for resource management in P6 are as follows:
1. Define resources in the Reso urces wi ndo w:
Define resource availability.
Set up the resource name, descriptio n, cost, roles, and attributes that
control the resources effects on the schedule.
2. Assign resources in the Activi ties window:
Enter the reso urce name and the amount of work planned.
The cost is calculated based on the reso urce quantity and the price/unit
that was defined in the Reso urces window.
3. Analy ze resources and costs in the Activities window:
Use the Reso urce Usage Profile to view resource quantity/cost information
graphically. The profile helps you analy ze when, and to what extent, a
resource is allocated.
Use the Reso urce Usage Spreadsheet to view resource quantity/cost
information in a tabular format. Like the Reso urce Usage Profile, the
spreadsheet helps you analyze resource allocation.
Use columns to view total costs.
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Assigning Resources by Role
Resource assignments can be made by replaci ng a role assignment with a specific

resource. At least o ne role must be assigned to an activity in order to assign
resources by role. W hen you assign by ro le, only those reso urces assigned to the
role are displayed i n the Assign Resources by Role dialog box.
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Price/U nit Conf ir mation
When assigning resources by role, a confirmation dialog box is displayed if the

resource selected to replace the role has different default quantity /cost settings
than the role. These settings include Price/Time, Units/Time, and Overtime Factor
values.
Confirmation dialog box options:
Yes Applies the resources quantity/cost settings to the resource assignment.
No Retains the roles quantity/cost settings and applies them to the resource
assignment.
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Assigning by Role to Multiple Activities

You can select multiple activities and assign the same resource by role to them all
simultaneously. You can also assign multiple resources by role to multi ple activities
simultaneously.
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Adjust ing Reso urce Assig nment Unit

Depending on numerous factors including the type of activity or ty pe of reso urce
you may need to adjust Budgeted Units or Units/Time when assigning a reso urce.
B udg et ed Units The number of units hours, for example that a
resource is assigned to work on the acti vity.
Units/Time The number of uni ts ( ho urs) that a reso urce is sc heduled to
work in a specific time period for example, 8 ho urs/day.
When you assign a resource to an activity, this calculation is performed: Durat ion x
Units/T ime = Units.
Assigning a Reso urce to a Level of Effort Activity
Assigning a reso urce to a Level of Effort activity is a situatio n that often requires an
adjustment of units/time or units. Because a resource does not typically work ful ltime on a Level of Effort activity, the units/time must be adjusted after making the
assignment.
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Assigning a Reso urce Direct ly

Not all organizatio ns use roles as placeholders in activities. Some assign resources
directly from the resource dictionary. And even organi zations that generally do use
roles must assign resources directly when assigning nonlabo r and material
resources. Resources in the dictionary can be used on any activity , and, except for
milestone activities, an unlimi ted number of resources can be assigned.
In the following exercise, you will use the Search feature to quickly search the
resource dicti onary for a backhoe, a nonl abor resource that is required to work on
the Backfill and Compact Walls activity.
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Adjust ing Budgeted Units/T ime to Specify Reso urce Quant ity
As you already learned in assigning a resource to a Level of Effort activity, it is
sometimes necessary to adjust a resource assignments units or uni ts/time. In the
following exercise, y ou will adjust Budgeted Units/Time to indicate that two
laborers at 8h/d each will work on an activity.
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Desig nating a Primary Reso urce

The primary resource is the person responsible for coordinating an activity's wo rk.
An activity can have one primary reso urce or no ne.
Only the primary resource is able to send feedback to the project manager
via timesheets to inform the project manager of the status of an activity.
A primary resource can be assigned to a milestone activity for the purpose
of updating the milestone through timesheets. This assignment is made in
the General tab in Activity Details.
A primary resource can also update activity steps via Timesheets.
If multiple resources are assigned to an activity, the first resource assigned
is designated as the primary resource by default. This designation can be
changed using the checkboxes in the Resources tab in Activity Details.
Assign a primary resource to an activity.

1. In Activity Details, view the primary resource for activity BA2060.
? Who is th e primary resource?
2. In the P rimary Resource column, mark a checkbox, Ironworker. No te that marking
the checkbox for the ironworker clears the checkbox for the carpenter. An activity
can have o nly one primary resource.
? In addition to the checkbox, is th ere a ny ot her indicat ion as to who is the
primaryresource?
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Assigning a Material Resource

Material reso urces are not measured in units of time. For example, polyform is
measured in linear feet, and concrete is measured in cubic yards. Units of measure
are created i n Admin Categories. After a unit of measure has been created, it is
assigned to the appropriate material resources in the Resource dictionary.
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Planning Costs
Costs are planned and managed at the activity level. There are two types of costs:
Resource Calculated based on resource assignments.
Expense Lump sum costs that are entered manually.
Reso urce Costs
The cost of a reso urce can be calculated based on the Price/Uni t defined in the
Resource dictio nary and the Budgeted Units assigned to the activity.
Budgeted Cost = Budgeted Units x Price/Unit
View the Budgeted Co st for a reso urce in an activity.

1. In the Activity Table, verify that activity BA2060 Concrete Foundation Walls is
selected.
2. In the Resources tab in Activity Details, view the Budgeted Cost column. 1000
uni ts x $1.00/unit = $1000
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Expenses
Expenses are no n-resource costs associated wi th a project. They are typically onetime expenditures for non-reusable items. Examples of expenses include faci lities,
travel, overhead, and training.
Expenses are manually assigned at the activity level. You can enter a single lump
sum expense or you can enter the number of units and the Pri ce/Unit.
Expense categories can be assigned to classify the expense.
Expenses can be accrued at the start, end, or uniformly over the duration of
an activity.
A unit of measure can be used to label the quantity for example, each,
pounds, or square feet.
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Summary Tab
Use the Summary tab to display unit, cost, or date information for the selected
activity.
Select Display cost at the bottom of the tab to display the i temized and total costs
of the selected activity. Activity costs are broken down into:
Labor Cost
Nonlabor Cost
Material Cost
Expenses
Total Cost
page 252
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Role assignments can be used as placeholders and replaced later with specific
resources.
Three steps in reso urce management are defining resources, assigning resources,
and analyzing resources.
Reso urce assignments can be made by replacing a role assignment with a specific
resource. At least one role must be assigned to an activity in order to assign
resources by role.
If a role is no t designated as a placehol der in an activity , you can assign a
resource directly fro m the resource dictionary.
W hen you assi gn a resource to an acti vity , the calcul ation Duration x Unit s/Time =
Units is performed.
W hen you assi gn a resource, you can adjust Units/Time or Budgeted Units. You can
also designate a primary reso urce.
Review Questio ns
1. To which of the following can roles be assigned?
a. Reso urces
b. Activi ties
c. WBS elements
d. a and b
e. a and b and c
2. T rue or False: A maximum of 10 reso urces can be assigned to an activity.
3. What type of resource is not measured in units of time?
a. Labor
b. Nonlabor
c. Material
d. None of the above
4. T rue or False: Expenses are no n-resource costs that are assigned to a projects
activities.
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Lesson 14 Analyzing Resources

Objectives
Format a profile.
Format the timescale.
Analyzing Resources
Effective resource management is a critical component of
successful project management.
The primary tool in P6 Pro ject Management for resource
analysis is the Resource Usage P rofile.
Enables you to view resource usage within a single pro ject or across the
entire enterprise.
Supports efficient reso urce management by helping you identify resource
overal location and underutil ization.
page 254
Notes
page 255
Overview: Analyzing Resources

The Reso urce Usage Profile is a tool for analy zing resource usage in both the current
project and o ngoing pro jects across the enterprise. The profile displays in the
bottom layout i n the Activities window.
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Practice: Analyzing Resources

Set o ptions in User Preferences fo r how data i s displayed in the Reso urce
Usage Profile.
Format the Reso urce Usage Profile.
Format the timescale in the Resource Usage Profile.
Reso urce Analysis Sett ings

The Reso urce Usage Profile, which can be displayed in the Activities window,
enables you to view resources/ro le unit and cost distributio n over time. You can
specify how data is played in the profile via the Resource Analysis tab in User
Preferences:
All Projects
All closed projects (except what-if projects) Displays reso urce/cost usage data
for:
all projects that are open, and
all projects that are closed (except what-if pro jects)
All closed projects wi th a leveli ng priority Whe n electing to show remai ning
values for open versus clo sed pro jects, choose this option to include data for all
closed projects with a specific leveling priority.
Opened pro jects only Focus on resource/cost usage in the projects currently
opened.
T ime-Distributed Data
Display data based o n Remaining Early or Forecast dates.
Select the time interval for displayi ng live reso urce allocati on: hour, day ,
week, or month.
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Display t he Reso urce Analysis tab in User Preferences.

1. In the Edit menu, click User Preferences.
2. In the User Preferences dialog box, click the Reso urce Analysis tab.
3. In the All Pro jects sectio n of the Resource Analysis tab, verify that All closed
projects (ex cept what-if projects) is selected.
4. In the Interval for time-distributed resource calculations field in the TimeDistributed Data
section, verify that Day is selected.
5. Click Close to close the User Preferences dialog box.
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Reso urce Usage Profile

The Reso urce Usage Profile provides a graphical view of unit/cost distributions over
time. It displays the amount of effort needed from each resource/role on the
project during each time perio d.
Use the profile to determine how many hours each resource is scheduled to work;
identify overallocated resources; track expenditures per time period; and display a
"banana curve" to compare early and late dates.
View unit/cost distributions from a specific project or all projects to which
you have access.
View resource or role allocations.
Display separate bars for one or all of the following:
Budgeted units/costs
Actual units/costs
Remaini ng Early units/costs
Remaini ng Late units/costs
The Resource Usage Profile timescale matches the timescale for the Gantt
Chart.
Format columns, group, sort, and filter resources/roles in the profile.
Can be saved as part of a layout.
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Dis play ing t he Resource Usag e Profile

Use Resource Usage Profile information to determine which resources/roles are
overal located and which resources/roles are underutilized.
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Viewing All Projects or O pen Projects Only

When you select the User Preferences setting for All closed projects (except what-if
projects) , you can to ggle the Reso urce Usage Profile to display either:
Open projects only.
All projects includi ng all closed projects (except for what-if projects).
This optio n is available on the ri ght pane Display Options bar.
When O pen P rojects Only are displayed, you can filter the top layout either by Time
Period or by Resource.
T ime Perio d Filters activi ties in the Activity Table to show only activities
assigned to the selected resource based on the time period selected in the
timescale.
Resource Filters activities in the Activity Table to sho w only the activities
assigned to the selected resource.
Adjust the Resource Usage Profile to view activit ies in a s pecific time frame.
1. In the right-pane Display Optio ns bar, clear Show All Projects.
2. In the Display Activities for selected field, mark Ti me Period.
3. In the right pane, click a time period, 21-Feb-10.
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Formatting t he Profile
The Reso urce Usage Profile can be modified by adjus ting Data and Graph settings in
the Resource Usage Profile Options dialog box.
Data settings:
Display Select to display units or costs.
Sho w Bars/Curves Mark to display By Date (periodic) bars and/or
Cumulative curves and to format their colors.
Sho w Remaining Bars As Select a solid color to display early bars and a
hatched color to display late bars.
Additio nal Data Options Mark to display a line i ndicating resource limits,
resource/role o verallocation, resource availability, or reso urce overtime
units.
If Show All Projects is marked, different color bars can be displayed to distinguish
open projects from closed pro jects.
Set display options to show a cumulative curve in the Resource Usage Profile.
1. In the right-pane Display Optio ns bar, click Resource Usage Profile Options.
2. In the Remaining Early row in the Show Bars/Curves section of the Reso urce
Usage Profile Options dialog box, mark a checkbox, Cumulative.
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Graph settings:
Vert ical Lines Choose to display major/minor sight lines based on the
timescale interval.
Horizontal Lines Choose the line style and color.
Additional display optio ns:
Sho w Legend Display the data item each color re presents.
3D Bars Add a third dimension to the bars.
Background Color Specify the color displayed i n the background.
Calculate Average Specify the values to divide the timescale interval
to tals.
Divide interval to tals by To divide the timescale interval to tals by an
increment yo u specify, type it in this field.
Unit of Measure Specify the unit of measure for the timescale intervals.
T urn off display of the leg end in the Resource Usage Profile.
1. In the Resource Usage Profile Options dialog box, click the Graph tab.
2. In the Additional Display Options section, clear a checkbox, Show Legend.
3. Click OK.
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The cumulative curve represents resource usage. The curve climbs as the resources
uni ts accumulate and plateaus when the resource is not being utilized.
View details of a bar in t he histogram.

1
In the right window of the Resource Usage Profile, double-click the bar
for the week of 21-Feb-10 , and review data
.
2
Close the Details window.
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Formatting t he Timescale
Specify the timescale you want to display in the Re source Usage Profile and the
Gantt Chart.
T imescale Start Specify the date from which the timescale sho uld start for
the profile or Gantt Chart.
Date Interval Choose the units of the timescale i n years, quarter s,
months, weeks, days, hours, and shifts.
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You can also format the timescale by clicking and dragging:

Place yo ur mouse on the minor date interval on the timescale (the cursor
will change to
). Click and drag to expand or co ntract the timescale.
Place yo ur mo use on the majo r date interval on the timescale (the cursor
will change to
). Click and drag to move the entire timescale.
Manipulate the times cale in t he Resource Usag e Profile.

1. In the minor date interval, experiment with expanding and compressing the
timescale.
2. In the major date interval, adjust the time frame to sho w the week of 24-Jan-10.
page 266
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
The Resource Usage Profile provides a graphical view of unit/cost distributions
over time. It display s the amount of effort needed from each resource/role on the
pro ject during each time perio d.
Use the profile to determine ho w many hours each resource is scheduled to wo rk,
identify
overal located resources, track expenditures per time perio d, and display a "banana
curve" to compare early and late dates.
You can specify settings for reso urce analysis in the Resource Analysis tab in User
Preferences.
You can further customize the profile by using the two Display Option bars.
Review Questio ns
1. T rue or False: The Resource Usage Pro file allo ws you to focus o n resource
overallocation.
2. Which of the follo wing canno t be displayed in a Resource Usage Profile?
a. Actual bars
b. Budgeted bars
c. To Complete bars
d. Remaining Late bars
3. T rue or False: The Resource Usage Profile legend may be turned off.
4. T rue or False: The Resource Usage Pro file can be saved as part of a layout.
page 267
Lesson 15 Optimizing the Project Plan

Objectives
Analyze schedule dates.
Shorten a pro ject schedule.
Analyze resource availability.
Reso lve reso urce overallocatio n.
Analyze project co sts.
page 268
page 269
Analyzing Schedule Dat es

Most important date in the schedule: calcul ated Fi nish date.
Compare the calculated Finish date to the Must Finish By date.
If the calculated Finish date is l ater than the Must Fi nish By date, the
project must be shortened.
Pro ject deliverables should also be scheduled to finish by the dates imposed by
pro ject spo nsors.
Identify intermediate milesto ne dates and ensure that schedule meets them.
Shortening the Project
Focus on critical activities.
Refine duratio n estimates.
Break do wn long activities.
Assign additional resources to reduce duration.
Use relationships to overlap activities.
Apply /modify constraints.
Change calendar assignments.
P ut critical activities on a longer workweek.
Add exceptions to no n-work time.
Analyzing Resource Allocat ion
Determine which resources are overallocated.
Identify activities contributing to resource overallocation.
Remove overallocation from appropriate resources.
Replace the overallocated resource with another available resource.
Increase the resources workweek.
Increase the hours/day that the resource works.
Assign additional resources to the activity.
Analyzing t he Cost Budget
Review budgeted costs for i ndividual activities, W BS elements, and the entire
pro ject.
Confirm that costs are within budget.
page 270
Notes
page 271
Overview: Optimizing the Schedule

The procedures necessary for optimizing the schedule are performed primarily in
the Activities windo w, ho wever you will need to display the Pro jects window to view
the dates tab in Project Details to compare the Must Finish By date to the calculated
Finish date.
page 272
Practice: Optimizing the Schedule

Compare a pro jects calculated Finish date to its Must Fi nish By date.
Define a projects critical path.
Filter a pro ject to view only i ts critical activities.
Shorten a pro ject by modifying activity duratio n estimates, relatio nshi ps,
and co nstraints.
Comparing t he Calculated Finish Date to the Must Finish By Date

You can quickly determine whether the project will finish o n time by viewing the
Dates tab in Project Details.
Contractually , the Office Building Addition pro ject must be fi nished by 02-Nov-10.
The project must actually finish by the close of business on 01-Nov-10 , however, as
the Must Finish By constraint is at 12:00 am (midnight) on 02 -Nov. The schedule
indicates that the project will not finish on time.
page 273
2.In the Directory bar, click Projects.

4. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Selected Tabs, and then click
Open.
5. In the Project Table, select a pro ject, Bldg-15.
6. In Project Details, click the Dates tab and compare the Must Finish By date
to the calculated Finish date.
? Is th e project scheduled to finish on time?
Fo cusing o n Critical Activities

To sho rten the project, focus on critical activities. These represent the longest
continuous path of activities through a project and determine the pro ject Finish
date. If you make changes to a critical activity , the pro jects finish date is likely to
be affected.
page 274
Viewing Critical Activities

In the Activities window, you can use a default filter to display only critical
activities in the top layout.
View crit ical activities.

1
In the Directory bar, click Activities.
3. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, O ptimizing the Project, and
then click Open.
5. In the Filters dialog box, mark a checkbox, Critical, and then click O K.
page 275
Shortening the Project

If schedule analysis leads you to conclude that the Must Finish By date canno t be
met, concentrate your efforts on shortening the schedule. Several methods can help
you accomplish this goal.
Refining Durat ion Estimates
Begin the analysis by reviewing the activities with the longest duration. In general,
these activities offer the greatest flexibil ity in altering durations.
Shorten an activity duration.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA2010 - Site Preparation.
? What is the Total Float for the p roject?
3. In the Original Duration field, ty pe <1 5>, and then press Enter on yo ur keyboard.
4. In the Tools menu, click Schedule (or press F9 o n your keyboard).
5. In the Schedule dialog box, click Schedule.
? What is the Total Float now?
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Modifying Relationships
If you need to compress the schedule further, review the relationships between
activities o n the critical path.
For example: There is a Finish to Start relationship between the activities BA2010
Site Preparation and BA2020 Excavation. Yo u determine that these activities can
be performed at the same time. Change the relationship to Start to Start with 5 days
of lag.
Change the relationship ty pe and add lag.

1. In the Activity Table, verify that BA201 0 Site Preparation is selected.
2. In Activity Details, click the Relatio nships tab.
3. In the Successors window, double-click in the Relationship Type column for
activity BA2020 Ex cavation, and select SS from the drop-do wn list.
4. In the Lag field, type <5>, and then press Enter on yo ur keyboard.
? What is the Total Float for the p roject now?
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Modifying Co nstraints
Constraints assigned earlier in the project life cycle may need to be modified based
on the latest informatio n fro m the project team. If you modify or delete a
constraint, be sure to also modify or delete the Notebook topic that was created to
document the co nstraint.
A resource has become available to work o n the activity BA2020 Ex cavation. Yo u
can now remove the Start On or After constrai nt from the activity.
Remove a constraint from an act ivity.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA2020 - Ex cavation.
3. In the Constraints sectio n, select None in the Primary drop-do wn list.
4. Click the Notebook tab.
5. In the Notebook Topic pane, confirm that Constraints and Assumptions is
selected.
6. Click in the right pane, press Enter to move the cursor to a blank line, and ty pe
<Resource
available. Constraint removed.>.
? What is the Total Float for the p roject now?
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Verify ing Project Dates

To see if the pro ject will now finish on time, verify that no negative Total Float
exists o n any of the activities in the project.
A thorough review indicates that the Total Float for the project is one day and the
calculated Finish date is 29-Oct-10. Therefore, the project is scheduled to finish
before the Must Fi nish By date of 2-N ov-10.
Verify the Finish date and Total Float.

1. In the Directory bar, click Projects.
2. In the Project Table, select a pro ject, Bldg-15.
4. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, P roject Tabl e, and then click Open.
5. In Project Details, click the Dates tab.
6. Verify the Finish date, 29-O ct-10.
7. In the Project Table, view the Total Float column and verify that To tal Float for
the project is 1 day.
page 279
Notes
page 280
Overview: Optimizing Resources

You will make extensive use of the Resource Usage P rofile for optimizing resources
in the project plan.
page 281
Practice: Optimizing Resources

Investigate and detect reso urce overallocatio n.
Identify the activities contributing to the overallocation of a selected
resource.
Correct resource overal location by replacing the overallocated reso urce in
an activity with another available resource.
Analyzing Resource Allocat ion

You have optimized the schedule, and the project will now be completed by the
deadline. Our next step is to ensure that reso urces are allocated appropriately.
You will use the Resource Usage Profile to determine which resources are
overal located or underutilized and then adjust resource assignments as necessary to
accommodate the workload.
page 282
3. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Resource Profile, and then click
Open.
4. In the Resource Usage Profile left-pane Display Optio ns bar, click Filter By,
Current Projects Resources.
5. In the Resource Usage Profile left pane, click o n a column header, Resource
Name, to sort
alphabetically.
6. Select a resource, ORO C Oliver Rock.
Identifying the Cause of Reso urce Overallo cat ion
The Reso urce Usage Profile provides an easy method for tracing the cause of
resource overallocation.
In the following exercise, you will use a filter to identify the activities co ntributing
to Oliver Rocks overallocatio n during January and February of 2010.
Ident ify t he activities causing reso urce overallocatio n.

1. In the Display Activities for selected field in the left pane of the Resource Usage
Profile, mark Time P eriod.
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2. In the histogram timescale, click on a week, 24-Jan-10, and view the activities
causing overallocation i n the top layo ut.
? What are the activit ies causing o verallocat ion during t he select ed week?
3. In the histogram timescale, click on a week, 31-Jan-10.
4. In the histogram timescale, click on a week, 21-Feb-10.
Correcting Overallocat ion
There are several metho ds to remove the overallocation from a resource:
Replace the overallocated resource with another available resource.
Increase the resources workweek.
Increase the hours/day that the resource works.
Assign additional resources to the activity.
After analyzing Oliver Rocks overallocation, yo u have decided to use a different
resource for activities BA5010 - Review and Approve Brick S amples and BA5020 Prepare and Solicit Bids f or Brick Exterior. Waylan Smithers is not allocated to work
in this time period, so he can be assigned to the activities.
Ident ify an alternative reso urce to work on act ivities.

1. In the Resource Usage Profile reso urce hierarchy , select a resource, WS MI
Waylan Smithers.
2. Verify that Waylan is available to work o n the activity during the week of January
24.
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Removing the O verallocated Resource
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Assigning an Alternative Reso urce

Next, assign Waylan Smithers to work on the two activities.
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Reviewing Allocat ion

Finally , use the Reso urce Usage Profile to check allocation for Oliver Rock, who was
removed from the activities, and Waylan Smithers, who was assigned to the work in
his place.
View updated resource allocations.

1. In the File menu, click Ref resh data (or press F5).
2. In the Resource Usage Profile reso urce hierarchy , select a resource, Oliver Rock,
and view his updated allocatio n.
3. Select another resource, Waylan Smithers, and view his updated allocation.
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Replacing a Resource
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Overview: Optimizing the Budget

Detailed budget analysis is beyo nd the scope of this trai ning course and generally
beyo nd the scope of a pro ject managers respo nsibility. Nevertheless, pro ject
managers need to know how to review a cost budget in order to know whether
actual costs may exceed budgeted costs and whether to take corrective action.
A layout with cost columns will be used in the Activities window to facilitate review
of the cost budget.
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Practice: Optimizing the Budget

Review cost figures to determine if they are within budget.
Analyzing t he Budget
There are many options for analyzing the budget. By displaying cost columns in the
Activity Table and grouping and sorting project activities in different ways, yo u can
review the budgeted costs of individual activities, specific project areas (W BS
elements, phases, timeframes, etc.) or the entire project.
Display a layout that shows Budg et ed Total Cost information.

2. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Analyzing the Budget, and then
click Open.
3. Scroll to the top of the screen to view rolled-up budget values.
? $250,000 ha s been allocated for the Office Building Additio n project. Is the
project with in budg et?
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Optimizing the pro ject plan is the last step in planning your project. Ensure
that the pro ject plan meets its date, resource, and cost requirements.
If the calculated Finish date of the project is beyond the Must Finish By
date, the pro ject must be shortened. You can compare the dates in the
Dates tab in Project Details.
You can use various methods to shorten the projec t, such as refining
duratio n estimates, modifying relationships, and applying co nstraints.
Focus yo ur efforts on critical activities.
Use the Reso urce Usage Profile to ensure that resources are not
overallocated.
Evaluate costs to ensure that the project can be completed within budget.
Review Questio ns
1. T rue or False: Yo u can quickly determine whether the project will fini sh on time
by reviewing the Status tab in Pro ject Details.
2. Which of the follo wing is a metho d for removing resource overallocation?
a. Decrease the resources workweek
b. Assi gn the reso urce to more activities in the selected time frame
c. Re-assign work to a different reso urce
d. All of the above
3. T rue or False: To be successful at shortening a project, yo u must focus on critical
activities.
4. Which of the follo wing is an alternative for shorte ning the duration of a project?
a. Use relationships to overlap activities
b. Add resources to reduce duratio ns
c. Review lo ng activities to determine if duration can be refined
d. Change calendar assignments
e. All of the abo ve
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Lesson 16
Baselining the Project Plan
Objectives
Create a baseline plan.
Display baseline bars on the Gantt Chart.
Modify the bars o n the Gantt Chart.
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Notes
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Overview: Baselining the Project Plan

The Maintain Baselines dialog box enables you to add, delete, copy, and restore
baselines. Use the Assign Baselines dialog box to assign a project baseline and up to
three user baseli nes. (Both dialog boxes are accessed via the Projects menu.) After
baselines are assi gned, click Bars in the Layout Options bar, where you can
customize how bars are displayed in the Gantt Chart.
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Practice: Baselining the Project Plan

Create and categorize a baseline and then assign it to a project.
Display and format baseline bars in the Gantt Chart.
Customize the Activity Table to accommodate the display o f baseline bars in
the Gantt Chart.
Bas eline Funct ionality in P6 Project Management

Baseline functionality i n Primavera enables yo u to:
Save an unlimited number of baselines per project.
The number of baselines that can be created is controlled through the Data
Limits tab in Admin Preferences, which can be accessed in the Admin menu.
Designate one project baseline and up to three user baselines at a time for
compariso n to the current project.
Assign a baseline type to categorize a baseline. Examples include i nitial planning,
what-if, or midproject baselines. Baseline types, which are usually created by an
administrator, are used to standardize baselines and can help you benchmark
performance across multiple projects.
P6 enables you to copy baselines when you copy a project.
A baseline is a snapshot of a pro ject at a particular point in time.
Baselines do no t exist as separate pro jects that you can access. They exist
only in conjunctio n with the projects to which they are associated.
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Creating a Baseline
You can create a baseli ne either by:
Copying the currently o pened project.
Converting another project into a baseline.
When you create a baseline, you must select the project to which it is associated.
Baselines can be assigned only to opened projects. All opened pro jects are displayed
in the Maintai n Baselines dialog box.
Create a baseline.
2. Confirm that you are in the Activities window.
4. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Classic, and then click O pen.
5. In the Project menu, click Maintain Baselines.
6. In the Maintain Baselines dialog box, verify that the pro ject to which you are
associating the baseline, Office Building Addition Baselini ng the P roject Plan, is
selected.
7. Click Add.
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8. In the Add New Baseline dialog box, verify that Save a copy of the current project
as a new
baseline is selected.
9. Click OK.
Categorizing the Baseline
Assign a baseline type to categorize the baseline based on how you to intend to use
it. For example, the Initi al Plan baseline type can be used for your i nitial pro ject
plan. Another baseline type, Mi d-Pro ject Status, can be used after the project is
underway. Baseline types are also useful in organizing multiple baselines in the
project.
Rename the baseline and designate it as the Init ial Plan baseline.
1. In the Maintain Baselines dialog box, select a baseline, Office Building Addition
Baselining the Project Plan B1.
2. In the Baseline N ame field, type <Base 1: Building Addition>.
3. In the Baseline Type dro p-down list, select Initial Plan.
4. Click Close.
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Assigning a Baseline
Use the Assign Baselines dialog box to choose a project baseline and/or user
baseline for the pro ject. If no baseline is designa ted as active, the current project
plan is used as the baseli ne.
Project baseline Baseline selected by the pro ject manager for the project.
Used for schedule, reso urce, and cost compariso n.
Controlled by the security privilege, Maintain Project Baselines.
User baseline User-specific; each user can choo se a different baseline for
comparison to the current pro ject.
Primary user baseline: Used for schedule, reso urce, and cost
comparisons.
Secondary and tertiary user baselines: Used for schedule co mparisons
only.
Select the newly created baseline as t he project baseline and primary user
baseline.
1. In the Project menu, click Assign Baselines.
2. In the Assign Baselines dialog box Project Baseline drop-down list, select Base 1 :
Building
Addition.
3. Click OK.
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Viewing Baseline Bars

The Bars dialog box allows you to modify the type, size, color, row positio n, and
shape of the bars displayed in the Gantt Chart.
T imescale Bar i s drawn based on the timescale selected, for example,
Actual Bar drawn from Actual Start date to Actual Finish date.
Filt er Bar is drawn for all activities that match the criteria listed in the
filter displayed.
Bar Style Tab
The Bar Style tab enables you to specify the shape, color, and pattern of bars and
endpoints.
Shape Shape of the selected bars endpoi nts and the wei ght and posi tio n
of the bar.
Color Colo r of the selected bar and i ts endpoints.
Pattern The fill pattern of the selected bar.
Row Positio n of the bar o n the Gantt Chart.
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Dis play ing Baseline Bars

Display baseline bars in the Gantt Chart to visually compare the baseline plans
schedule dates to the current pro ject plans schedule dates.
In additio n to bars displayed by default, you can create additional bars based on
date fields and filters.
Select a val ue in the Row field to determine placement of a bar in the Gantt Chart.
Display baseline bars.

1. In the Bars dialog box Display column, mark a checkbox, Prj Baseline Bar.
2. Confirm that you are in the Bar Style tab.
3. In the Row field, verify 2.
4. In the Display column, mark a checkbox, Prj Baseline Milestone.
5. In the Row field, verify 2.
6. Click OK to close the Bars dialo g box.
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Customizing the Act ivity Table

You can custo mize the layout even further by choosing display o ptions for the
Activity Table. These include the font of the text and the height of the rows, which
can be specified in the Table, Font and Row dialog box.
Change ro w height in the Activity Table.

1. In the Layout Options bar, click S how on Bottom, No Bottom L ayout.
2. In the Layout Options bar, click Table Font and Row.
3. In the Ro w Height sectio n, clear a checkbox, Keep Current Row Heights.
4. Confirm that the option Select height for all rows is selected.
5. Use arrows to increase row height to 3 0.
6. Click OK.
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Saving the Layout

If you are pleased with the layout, you can save it with a new name.
Save the layo ut.

1. In the Layout Options bar, click L ayout, Save As.
2. In the Save Layout As dialo g box, type a new Layout N ame <Current vs. Baseline
Bars>.
3. Click Save.
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Bar Labels T ab
Labels can be placed on any of the bars listed in the dialog box. When adding a
label, specify its position relative to the bar.
By adding dates to the bars, you can quickly determine the Start and Finish dates of
activities in the Gantt Chart.
Add labels to t he Current Bar Labels bar.

1. In the Layout Options bar, click Bars.
2. In the Bars dialog box, select a bar, Current Bar Labels.
3. Click the Bar Labels tab.
4. At the bottom of the tab, click Add. (Do not click Add on the right side of the
dialog box.)
5. In the P osition column, verify Right.
6. In the Label column drop-do wn list, select Finish.
7. At the bottom of the dialog box, click Add.
8. In the P osition column, verify Right.
9. In the Label column drop-do wn list, select Variance BL Project Fi nish Date.
10. Click OK to clo se the Bars dialog box.
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
A baseline is a copy of a project that you can compare to the current

project in order to evaluate progress. Create a baseline plan before
updating a schedule for the first time.
You can create a baseline either by copying the currently opened pro ject
or by converting another project into a baseline.
Assign a baseline type to categorize and standardize baseli nes across all
projects.
A project baseline is the basel ine selected by the project manager for the
project and is controlled by a security privilege. User-baselines can be
designated by each user and are used for schedule comparison only.
The Bars dialog bo x allows you to modify the type , size, color, row
positio n, and shape of the baseline bars di splayed in the Gantt Chart.
Review Questio ns
1. T rue or False: Only one baseline can be compared to a current sche dule at any
given time.
2. Which of the follo wing can be compared using a project baseline?
a. Schedule data
b. Resource data
c. Cost data
d. All of the above
3. T rue or False: A maximum of o ne pro ject baseline and three user baselines can be
created for any singl e project.
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Lesson 17 Executing the Project Plan

Objectives
Describe several methods for updating the project
schedule.
Use Progress Spotlight.
Update the status of completed activities and activities in
progress.
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How Dat a is Collected

Updates can be made dai ly, weekly, or monthly depending on
project length and the precisio n of project co ntrol. Three
methods for updating project info rmation:
Manually Project managers manually enter the actual date, resource, and
cost information.
T imesheets Approve and apply timesheets.
Team members use timesheets to update activities.
Pro ject managers review and approve timesheets.
Pro ject managers apply timesheets to the project.
Auto co mpute act uals Activity pro gress is calculated automatically
according to the project plan. Actuals can be entered manually, thro ugh the
use of timesheets, o r can be calculated automatically according to the
project plan.
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The Updating Process

Standard project update procedures should be established,including how data is
collected and how often it is updated.
Create a baseline plan (o ptional).
Identify the new data date.
Enter activity progress.
Report resource use and costs to date.
Use Suspend and Resume dates as necessary.
Reschedule using the new data date.
Perfo rm baseline analysis.
Compare current plan to baseline plan to analy ze variances.
Moni tor project progress with reports.
Determine whether project o bjectives are being met.
Questio n
1. True or False: It is important that the duration of the updating period remain
constant throughout the course of the project.
a. True
b. False
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Notes
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Overview: Executing the Project Plan

Updating the project plan is done in the Activities window. An updating period is
displayed in the Gantt Chart and in the Activity Table, and activity progress
information is entered in the appropriate tabs in Activity Details.
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Practice: Executing the Project Plan

Use Progress Spotlight to define a status updating period.
Enter Actual Start and Actual Finish dates for completed activities.
Adjust Remaining Duration for an activity in progress.
Suspend and resume an activity in progress.
Adjust Actual Regular Units and Remaining Units for an activity resource.
Adjust Actual Cost and Remaining Cost for an activity expense.
Reschedule the project after updating activities.
Review the updated pro ject after rescheduli ng to determine what, if any,
steps need to be taken going forward.
Defining a Stat us Updating Period

Define the status updating period before you begin to update activities. In general,
the updating period begi ns at the current data date and ends at a point in the
future. The length of the updating perio d depends on the frequency of your
updates. Yo u could, for example, create an updating perio d that extends one week
from the current data date. The end of the updating period will become the new
data date the date up to which actual performance is measured.
There are two optio ns for defi ning the status updating period in the Gantt Chart:
Activate Progress Spotlight.
Drag the data date.
Note that even as you establish a new status updating period, the new data date
must still be manually changed in the Schedule dialog box.
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Progress Spotlig ht
Progress Spotlight creates a visi ble status updating period between the current data
date and the next data date. It also pro vi des a highlighted list of activities that
sho uld show progress during the updating period.
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Dragging the Data Date

You can also highlight the activi ties to be updated by dragging the data date line to
the desired date. Note the date tag on the cursor, which changes as you drag the
line.
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Entering Actuals
Once a project is underway, you must enter actual schedule data, reso urce usage,
and expense costs at regular i ntervals. You may need to update dai ly, weekly, or
monthly , dependi ng on the length of your project and how frequently you want to
adjust your forecasts.
Actual data is different than planned data actual data is the real time and cost
associated wi th an activity.
Enter schedule, resource, and cost data in the following order:
Completed Activities
Actual Start and Actual Finish dates
Actual Regular Units/Costs
Actual Cost for expenses
Activities in Progress
Actual Start date
Percent Complete and/or Remaining Duration
Actual Regular Units/Costs and Remaining Units/Co sts
Actual and Remaining Costs for expenses If activity work is temporarily
halted, use Suspend/Resume dates.
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Updat ing Milesto nes

To update a start milestone, mark the Started checkbox and enter the Actual Start
date. Yo u do no t need to enter data in the Finis h field because the activity type is a
Start Milestone, which has zero duratio n.
Update a St art Milestone activity.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1000 Building Addition Kickoff.
3. Mark a checkbox, Started.
4. Verify the Actual Start date, 11-Jan-10 .
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Updat ing Activities t o Co mpletio n

Three steps must be performed to update an activity to completio n:
Enter Actual Start and Actual Finish dates.
Enter Actual Regular Units for reso urces.
Enter Actual Cost for expenses.
Update an activity that start ed and finished on time.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1010 Design Building Addition.
2. In the Status tab in Activity Details, mark the Started checkbox and verify the
Actual Start date, 11-Jan-10.
3. Mark the Finished checkbox and verify the Actual Fi nish date, 26-Jan-10.
Note that when yo u marked the Finished checkbox, the bar fo r the activity in the
Gantt Chart turned blue, indicating that the activity was completed and has actual
values.
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Next, you will check the Actual Regular Units fo r the activity. Note that in this
example, data in the Actual Regular Uni ts field is automatically completed because
Recalculate Actual Units and Cost when duration % complete changes is selected in
the Calculations tab in Project Details.
Verify Act ual Reg ular Units for an activity resource.

1. In the Activity Table, verify that activity BA1010 Design Building Addi tion is
selected.
2. In Activity Details, click the Resources tab.
3. In the Actual Regular Units column for the resource, Koenig Designers, verify the
number of hours worked, 96.
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You will now update the status of activity BA1020 Review and Approve Designs,
which was completed during this status updating perio d. The activity started on
time but finished one day late. Resource Paul Kim worked an additional 8 hours o n
the activity.
When selecting a new date for the Started or Finished field in the Status tab, mark
the checkbox first and then select the date.
Update the stat us of an activity.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1020 Review and Approve Designs.
3. In the Status section, mark a checkbox, S tarted.
5. Mark a checkbox, Finished.
6. In the Finished field, click
7. Select the Actual Finish date, 22-Jan-10, and then click Select.
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You have updated the Actual Finish date. Now you must update the actual hours
that the reso urce wo rked.
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Updat ing a Mid-Project Milestone

A Start Milestone is updated the same way whether it occurs at the beginning of a
project or in mid-project. Mark the Started checkbox and then enter the Actual Start
date.
Update a mid-project Start Milestone.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA2000 Begin Building Construction.
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Updat ing Activities in Progress

Four steps must be performed to update an activity in progress:
Enter Actual Start date. (The S tarted checkbox must be marked before a new
date is selected.)
Enter Percent Complete and/or Remaining Duration.
Enter Actual Regular Units and Remaining Units for reso urces.
Enter Actual Cost and Remaining Cost for expenses.
In the following example, activity BA201 0 was started during the status perio d but is
now falling behind schedule. You will indicate this by increasing the Remaining
Duration.
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Actual Regular Units is the number of units that a resource actually worked on the
activity. Remaining Units
is the amount of work (units) required to complete the activity.
The formula for calculating Remaining Units is:
Remaining Units = Remaining Duration x Remaining Units/Time.
Review Act ual Reg ular Units and Remaining Units fo r activity resources.
2. In the Actual Regular Units column, verify that Ed Wood and the Excavator have
each worked 64 hours so far.
3. In the Remaining Units column, verify that Ed Wood and the Excavator each have
56 hours of work remaining.
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Suspending an Activity
When an acti vity starts but is unexpectedly delayed or sto pped for a period of time,
you may suspend it.
A suspended activity must have an Actual Start.
Use the Status tab to enter Suspend and Resume dates.
Suspend date The last day that work was co nducted o n the activity.
Resume date The first day that work will conti nue on the activity.
The actual duration excludes suspension time.
Use the Notebook tab to document the reaso n for the suspensio n.
In the following exercise, the Excavation activi ty was started late and was
then suspended due to a snowstorm.
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Updat ing Co mpleted Act ivities

For the remainder of the practice, you will update a number of activities that have
been completed during the status updating period.
The As semble and Submit Flooring S amples activity has finished one day early.
Resource Oliver Rock worked eight hours less than planned on the activi ty. You will
update Actual Units to 56 hours.
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The As semble Brick Samples activity was also completed during this status upda ting
period.
Update a complet ed activity.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA5000 Assemble Brick S amples.
6. Verify the Actual Finish date, 27-Jan-10.
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Next, update the Assemble Technical Data for Heat Pump activity, which was also
started and finished during this status updating period.
Update a complet ed activity and add the Act ual Cost for an expense.
1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, BA1030 Assemble Technical Data for
Heat P ump.
2. In the Status tab in Activity Details, mark a checkbox, S tarted.
5. Verify the Actual Finish date, 01-Feb-1 0.
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While the Actual Start and Actual Finish dates need no modification, the Assemble
Technical Data for Heat Pump activity has an expense that has run over its budgeted
amount. Yo u will update the appropriate entries in the Expenses tab to reflect the
additional spending.
In the Expense tab, the value in the At Completion Cost field i s calculated by adding
the Actual Co st ($600.00) + the Remaining Cost ($0.00). After updating the relevant
fields, you will be able to compare the At Completion Cost to the Budgeted Cost to
determine ho w much the expense is over budget.
.
6. Click the Expenses tab.
7. Verify that an expense, Heat Pump Application, is selected.
8. In the Actual Cost column, type <600>, and then press Enter on your keyboard.
9. In the Remaining Cost column, ty pe <0 >, and then press Enter.
? Ho w fa r over budg et is the Heat Pump Application expense?
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Now that actuals have been entered for all the activities in the status updati ng
period, it is necessary to reschedule the pro ject based on the new data date. Any
activities that did not finish on time will delay their successor activities.
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Viewing t he Rescheduled Project

After the pro ject has been rescheduled, the successors to acti vity BA2020, which
was delayed, are also delayed. Yo u should no w asses s the project as fo llows:
Evaluate the projects performance to date.
Analyze activities on the critical path.
Develo p new strategies for putting the project back on track and meeting
project deadlines.
Build consensus within your project team.
Implement the revi sed pro ject plan.
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3. In the Layout Options bar, click S how on Bottom, No Bottom L ayout.

5. In the Filters dialog box, mark a checkbox, Critical, and then click O K.
6. In the Gantt Chart, review the critical activities.
Note that by comparison to their baseli ne bars all of the projects critical activities
are now behind schedule.
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Contro lling the Project

After rescheduling a project, analyze schedule dates, resource allocatio n, and the
cost budget. At this point, you must repeat the procedures covered in the
Optimizing the Project Plan lesson in order to determine how to bring the project
back under control.
Analyze Schedule Dates: Analy ze schedule to determine if milestone dates and
project dates are being met.
Compare the calculated Finish date to the Must Finish By date to see if you
will complete the project on time.
If the pro ject is behind schedule, analyze critical activities.
Completed activities If the activity finished late, determine and
document the reason.
In-progress activi ties If the activity i s forecast to finish late,
determine and document the reason, and recommend a solution for
getting the activity back on track.
Not-started activities If the activity was supposed to start but has
not, determine and document the reason, and recommend a solution
for getting the activity back on track. The no tstar ted activities may be
delayed for one of two reasons: either the work scheduled was not
preformed or the predecessor activity was not completed accordi ng to
the pro ject plan.
Adjust the pro ject to meet your project Finish date.
Analyze Res ource Allocation: After adjusting the schedule, determine if resources
are being used effectively.
Analyze the Cost B udget: After adjusting the schedule and resource allocation, vi ew
At Completion Total Cost to determine if you are within budget.
Compressing t he Schedule
If the calculated Finish date is later than the Must Finish By date, yo u can use
several methods to shorten the project. Be sure to export and save the project plan
before making major schedule changes.
Use relationships to overlap acti vities.
Add reso urces to reduce durations.
Break do wn long activities.
Change calendar assignments:
P ut critical activities on a longer workweek.
Add exceptions to no n-worktime.
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You can use the following questions to help you determine the mo st appropriate
way to adjust the schedule:
Can the Finish date of the project slip?
The project
If the delay
If the delay
milestones
may need to be delayed if no o ther options are available.

is approved, adjust the affected milestones.
is not approved, fi nd ano ther way to meet the project
and Finish date of the pro ject.
Can the sco pe of the activity/project decrease?

In some cases, in order to meet the project milesto nes and fini sh date, you
can decrease the total amount of work that will be accomplished, i.e.,
decrease the scope of the pro ject.
If the scope change is approved, decrease the scope by reducing the total
ho urs worked o n activities. This will change the duration of the activities.
If the scope change is not approved, explore other ways to meet the pro ject
milestones and Finish date of the pro ject.
Were t he budgeted hours o ver- or under-estimat ed?
You may have overestimated the number of ho urs ne eded to complete
activities; perhaps the scope of work can be accomplished in fewer ho urs.
You can decrease the total hours worked on activities, which decreases the
duratio n of the activities.
Can an addit ional resource be assigned?
You can assign another reso urce to the activity to finish it on time.
This may be possible if another reso urce with the necessary skills is
available.
If a resource is available, you can assign it to make up the hours.
Can the reso urce work o vertime?
The resource may need to work overtime to complete an activity o n time.
If this i s po ssible, you can decrease the duration of the activity , then enter
the original remaining hours.
The ho urs the reso urce works each day will increase.
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Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Once a pro ject has started, use one of the following options to update the
schedule and resource usage at regular intervals:
Manually enter actual dates, resource, and cost information.
Appro ve and apply timesheets.
Auto compute actuals.
W hen updating a project, actual s are recorded rel ative to the data date. The
data date is the date up to which actual performance data is reported and
from which future work is scheduled.
To update the status of completed activities, update Actual Start and Actual
Finish dates, Actual Regular Units/Co sts, and Actual Costs for expenses.
To update the status of activities in progress, update Actual Start date,
Percent Complete and/or Remaining Duratio n, Actual Regular Units/Costs
and Remai ning Units/Costs, and Actual and Remai ning Costs for expenses.
After actuals are entered, reschedule the project based o n the new data
date. Activities that did no t finish o n time will affect successor activities.
After rescheduling, analyze schedule dates, resource allocation, and the
cost budget. If the calculated Finish date is later than the Must Finish By
date, try to shorten the project.
Review Questio ns
1. Arrange the following in the recommended order for updating an activity in
pro gress.
a. Actual Regular Units and Remaining Units
b. Actual Start date
c. Percent Complete/Remaining Duration
d. Actual/Remaining Costs for expenses
Step 1: _____
Step 2: _____
Step 3: _____
Step 4: _____
2. T rue or False: The data date is scheduled at the end of the day.
page 335
Workshop: Executing the Project Plan
Background
The Office Buildi ng Addition project has been updated through 08-Feb-10. It is now
22-Feb-10. Seven activities were worked on within the current status updating
period (08-Feb-10 to 22-Feb-10).
Objectives
1. Open a layo ut, Status Works hop.
2. In the Gantt Chart, drag the data li ne to what will be the new data date, 22-Feb10.
3. Use the Status and Resource tabs in Activity Details to update the activities in the
table below.
Enter the data in bold text.
Verify the data in normal text.
page 336
Questio ns
1. Based o n a comparison of the current activity bars to the baseline bars in the
Gantt Chart, list the activities (including milesto nes) in the Design/Engineering
WBS that finish on schedule.
___________________________________________________ ____________________
____
2. Based o n the Gantt Chart, how many O ffice Building Addition activities have been
completed?
___________________________________________________ ____________________
____
page 337
Workshop Results
page 338
Answers
1. Three activities in the Design /Engineering WBS finish on schedule: BA1010,
BA1030, and BA1000 (milesto ne).
2. Twelve activities in the Office Building Additi on pro ject have been completed. The
bars for the activi ties are all blue and are all completely to the left of the data
date line in the Gantt Chart:
BA1010
BA1020
BA1030
BA1040
BA2010
BA2020
BA5000
BA5010
BA6040
BA6050
BA1000 (milestone)
BA2000 (milestone)
page 339
Lesson 18
Reporting Performance
Objectives
Describe reporting metho ds.
Run a schedule report.
Create a reso urce report with the Report wizard.
Create a report using the current layo ut.
Methods for Reporting Performance
Reports from layouts
Reports from Repo rt wizard
Reports from Repo rt editor
page 340
Notes
page 341
Overview: Using the Report Wizard

Most of the procedures relating to reports are performed in the Reports windo w.
This is where yo u create,
edit, run, and store reports. Click Reports in the Directory bar to access the Reports
window.
page 342
Practice: Using the Report Wizard

Run an existing report.

Create a report using the Report wizard.
Assign a report to a repo rt group.
Create a report using the current activity layout.
Running an Exist ing Report
page 343
3. Locate a Report Group title band, Schedule.

4. Select a report, SR-18 Schedule Report Sorted by Activity ID.
5. In the Command bar, click Run Report.
Run Repo rt Dialog Box
Use the Run Report dialog box to compile and print the selected report.
Print Preview Preview the report before printing it.
Directly to Printer Compile and print the report.
HTML File Compile and save the report as an HTML file.
ASCII Text File Compile and save the report as a delimited text file (.txt).
Field Delimiter Select the character used to se parate categories of
information that you save in delimited text format (i.e., comma, tab,
space).
Text Qualifier Sel ect the character used to separate categories of
data that you save in delimited text format (.txt) if the data contains
the field del imi ter y ou specify , such as quote mark s (").
O utput file If you choose HTML File or ASCII Text File, click to specify the
file name and location where you want to save the report.
View file when done Mark this checkbox to automatically open the report
in yo ur default Web browser for an HTML file or your default text viewer
for an ASCII text file.
Not es Use to add a comment to the report. Co mment appears directly
under the report title.
page 344
View options in t he Run Report dialog box.

1. In the Run Report dialog box, verify that P rint Preview is selected.
2. Click OK.
page 345
Print Preview
Print Preview allows you to modify the report layout before printing.
page 346
Printing Reports
Printing reports is an effective way to co mmunicate pro ject information with
resources and other project managers.
The report below displays the Original Duration, Remaining Duration, Percent
Complete, Activity N ame, Early Start, Early Finish, Late Start, Late Finish and Total
Float of all the activities in the pro ject.
page 347
Report Wizard
The Report wizard enables you to easily create a wide variety of reports. The
reports can be modified as they are built, or they can be reopened and mo dified
later. If you want to modify a report but think that you might want to reuse the
original report so metime in the future, make a copy of it first.
To create a report using the wizard:
Select a base table and pertinent data fields.
Organize the data via gro uping, sorting, and filtering options.
Create or Modify Repo rt
You will now use the wizard to create a report that sho ws the resource assignments
on the project and their related no teboo k topics.
Create a report using the Report wizard.

2. In the Report wizard, verify that New Report is selected.
3. Click Next.
page 348
page 349
Config ure Selected Subject Areas

Select the columns y ou would like to use in the report.
page 350
Adding a Filter to the Report

Select the filter you would like to use in the report.
1. In the Report wizard, click Filter.

2. In the Filter dialog box, click Add to add ano ther line to the filter.
3. Double-click o n Any of the following and select All of the f ollowing.
4. In the bottom row, double-click in the Parameter field and select Assi gned to
Current Project.
5. In the Is field, verify equals.
6. Double-click i n the Value field and select Yes.
7. Click OK.
8. In the Report wizard, click Next.
Adding a Report T itle
page 351
1. Ty pe a descriptive report ti tle <Bldg-18: Resource Activity Assignments with

Notebooks>.
2. Click Next.
page 352
Generating the Repo rt
page 353
Print Preview
page 354
Saving a Report
After reviewing your report, yo u can save i t and assign it to a specific report group.
page 355
Assigning a Repo rt to a Report Gro up

To make locating a report easier, you can assign it to a report gro up. A report can
be assigned to only one report group. The new repor t you just created is a reso urce
report, so you will assign it to the Resource- Loading report gro up.
page 356
Creating a Time Dist ributed Report

A time distri buted report enables you to create reports that display data in a
timescale. You can choose to display data for the e ntire project or for a time
segment withi n it.
In the following example, your organization requires that yo u report project-related
expenses on a quarterly basis. Below you will create a report that lists expense
costs actual, budgeted, and remai ning in the Bldg- 20 project for the first
quarter of 2010.
Use the Report wizard to create a time distributed repo rt.

2. Verify that the option, New Report, is selected.
3. Click Next.
4. In the Report wizard Select Subject Area dialog box, mark a checkbox, Time
Distributed Data.
5. Select a subject area, Project Expenses.
6. Click Next.
page 357
Next, select the columns for the report.
page 358
Next, select parameters for grouping and sorting in the report.
page 359
The Timescale dialog box enables yo u to specify the date range for your time
distributed report. Select a Timescale Start, Date Interval, and Timescale Fi nish. You
can customize the Timescale fields by adding a + or a -. For example, PS + 1M equals
Project Start plus one month.
The Duration optio n is used to specify a Finish date for the report. For example, if
the Duration is 2 and the Date Interval is Weeks, the repo rt will i nclude information
for a two-week perio d follo wing the specified start date.
page 360
Next, select time interval fields.
page 361
Finally , you will title the report and view it.
page 362
Creating a Report Using the Current Layout

The Report wizard can also be used to create reports based o n a currently displayed
layout. Reports can be modified as they are built through the wizard.
page 363
Run t he Report wizard from the Act ivities window.

1. In the Tools menu, click Report Wizard.
2. In the wi zard Create or Mo dify Report dialog box, select Use Current S creen.
3. Click Next to advance through the next fo ur screens, reviewing the data selected
for each screen.
page 364
1. In the wi zard Report Title dialog box, type a title <Budg et and Actual Costs by
WBS>.
2. Click Next.
3. Click Run Report.
page 365
page 366
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
The Reports window displays reports for schedule, resource, and cost.
You can report schedule performance by choosing one of the pre-defined schedule
reports listed in the Reports window.
The Report wizard enables you to easily create a wide variety of reports. The
reports can be modified as they are built, or they can be reopened and mo dified
later. To create a wizard report:
Select a base table and pertinent data fields.
Organize the data via gro uping, sorting, and filtering o ptions.
The Report wizard can also be used to create reports based on the layout that is
currently displayed.
Review Questio ns
1. T rue or False: Reports can be assigned to multiple report groups.
2. Which of the follo wing can be modified i n the Report wizard?
a. Data items
b. Grouping
c. Filters
d. All of the above
page 367
Lesson 19
Project Web Site
Objectives
Create and launch a pro ject Web site.
Customize the appearance of a pro ject Web site.
P ublish activity layouts as HTML pages.
page 368
Notes
page 369
Overview: Creating a Project Web Site

Most of the procedures required for creating and publishing a pro ject Web site are
performed in the P ublish Project Web Site dialog box, which can be accessed via the
Tools menu.
page 370
Practice: Creating a Project Web Site

Create a project W eb site.

Customize the visual scheme of the Web site.
Specify the contents of the Web site.
View and navigate the Web site.
P ublish an activity layout that is not linked to the pro ject Web site.
P6 Project Web Sit e Capabilit ies

The project Web site feature enables you to use a project plan as a template for
publishing a pro ject Web site o n the Internet or on a private intranet. Using a Web
browser, project team members and other interested parties can then view project
information and navigate via hy pertext links from page to page, fro m document to
document, or even from project to pro ject.
Web site users can browse a project plan at a high level and quickly view mo re
detailed information about specific activities, work products and documents,
resources, costs, etc. Users can navigate the Web site using the projects WBS,
resource hierarchy , reference documents outline, activity codes and values, risks,
and issues.
Web site capabilities allow you to:
Customize the Web page design.
Create a Web si te that contains o ne or multiple pro jects.
The project(s) must be opened when publishi ng.
Control the level of detail published (for example, limiting activity
information and personal information about resources).
Control the informatio n incl uded o n the Web site:
Activity layouts
Tracking layouts
Project reports
Global data dictionaries
Test a project Web site locally prior to publishing publicly.
page 371
Creating a Project Web Sit e

In the General tab in the Projects windo w, create a link to the location of the
project Web site.
page 372
Use the General tab to set up the information displayed o n the Web site:
Web Site Name, Web Site Descriptio n, and Last Publish Date are displayed
on the Web site splash screen.
Path entered in the Publish Directory field determines the location of the
Web site files.
Scheme determines the fonts, colors, icons, and splash screen that will be
used for the Web site.
1. In the Tools menu, click Publish, P roject Web Site.

2. In the P ubli sh Project Web Si te dialog box, click the General tab.
3. In the Web Site Name field, type <Office Building Addition>.
4. In the Web Site Description field, type <Info rmat ion co ntained in this Web site is
confidential.
Unaut horized dist ribution of its co ntents is prohibited.>.
5. In the P ublish Directory field, ty pe a fi le location <C:\Bldg>.
6. Verify that the Automatically launch web site preview af ter publishing checkbox is
marked.
page 373
Customizing the Project Web Site

You can use the default scheme or create your own scheme by adding graphics,
fonts, and colors. Customizable features include background/foregro und colo rs,
icons/logos, and text types/fonts.
Use the Main Form tab to customize features on the main form of the Web site.
page 374
Splash Tab
Use the Splash tab to customize features on the splash screen.
page 375
Topics T ab
Use the To pics tab to specify the types of detailed data that are published on the
Web site. If all checkboxes are cleared, o nly WBS data is published. For a brief
description of the different data types, position your mouse over a checkbox and
then view the descriptio n in the bottom portion of the dialog box.
Select data topics to include on the Web site.

1. In the P ubli sh Project Web Si te dialog box, click the Topics tab.
2. Clear checkboxes, Iss ues and Risks.
page 376
Graphics Tab
Use the Graphics tab to select existing activity or tracking lay outs to publish to the
projects Web site.
Select activity layouts in the Activities windo w and tracking layouts in the Tracking
windo w.
page 377
Report s Tab
The Reports tab is used to select existing reports to publish to the project Web site.
If you do not want to di splay reports in a particular Web site, clear the Include in
project web site checkbox.
page 378
Publishing t he Web Site

A project Web site cannot be published in a subdi rectory beneath the directory that
contains P6. Nor can it be published in a directory that co ntains files other than
Project Web site files.
If the directory intended to contain the project Web site (the publi sh
directory) already contains Web site fi les, those files will be deleted and
replaced with the new files.
If the publish directory does not exist, it will be created.
Publishing the Web site may take a minute or two. Once published, the data
contained in the site is static. To update the data, yo u must publish the Web site
again.
The Web site can be launched in two ways:
Automatically in the default bro wser if the Automatically launch web site
preview after publishing checkbox is marked.
Manually from the General tab in the Projects wi ndo w.
page 379
Navigating t he Project Web Sit e

Each Web site page is organized into three sectio ns:
Toolbar The toolbar at the top of the Web page provides quick access to
the main sections of the Web site.
Some sections employ a subtoo lbar to help navigate the data accessed
by the main toolbar selection.
Left panel Displays data elements relevant to the toolbar selectio n. Select
the data elements to view.
Right pane Navigate thro ugh the detailed data associated with the
element selected in the left pane.
page 380
The ico ns in the Too lbar allo w you to view global data dictionaries as well as the
activity/tracking layouts and reports you selected to publish.
page 381
Publishing Activity Layouts

You can also publish activity layouts as H TML files that are separate from any
project Web site you have previously created. The layouts represent a static picture
of the associated project.
The timescale begins on the date specified by the selected l ayout.
The columns displayed are likewise determined by the selected layout.
page 382
page 383
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
The project Web site feature can be used to publish a project plan as a Web site
on the Internet or on a company intranet. The Web site can include activity
layouts, tracking lay outs, project reports, and global data dictio naries.
You can use the default scheme or create your own scheme by adding graphics,
fonts, and colors.
You can also save activi ty layouts as H TML fi les that are not linked to any project
Web site. A layout of this ty pe represents a static picture of the pro ject.
Review Questio ns
1. T rue or False: A project plan can be published as a Web site on the Internet or an
intranet.
2. T rue or False: To publish a Pro ject Web Site, the pro ject must be open.
3. Which of the follo wing can be customized i n the pro ject Web site?
a. Scheme
b. Topics
c. Splash Screen
d. All of the above
4. T rue or False: Reports cannot be posted to the P roject Web Site.
page 384
Notes
page 385
Appendix A Claim Digger

Objectives
Describe how Clai m Digger compares project plans.
Create a comparison report in Claim Digger.
page 386
Notes
page 387
Overview: Claim Digger

Claim Digger is a program for comparing two project plans a revised plan and a
corresponding base plan and determining the differences between the two pl ans.
It is valuable for project managers, general contractors, and construction managers
who need to track changes on large, complex, fast-moving projects. Access Cl aim
Digger thro ugh the Tools menu i n P6 Project Management.
page 388
Practice: Claim Digger

Launch Claim Digger.

Select a revised project plan and a base pro ject plan to co mpare.
Review comparison o ptions.
Generate and review a Claim Digger report.
Claim Digger Overview

Claim Digger is a utility that compares two project plans a revised project and a
corresponding base project and creates a report on the differences between the
two plans, including:
Items added
Items deleted
Changed values
Claim Digger is a separate application outside of P6. A link to the P6 database must
be established during installatio n of Claim Digger.
Key Claim Digger functionality:
Reports can be created in HTML, CSV, or text format.
Select the revised project and base project to be used for comparison.
Compariso n o ptions can be turned on/off based on your needs.
page 389
Config uring Projects and Output Optio ns

After Claim Digger is launched, the main application window appears. Several
configuration and output decisions are required:
Specify the projects to be used as the revised pro ject and the base pro ject.
Select a report format:
HTML file
CSV file
ASCII text file
Specify the output file destinatio n.
Specify report launch setting (automatic launch after creati on).
page 390
page 391
Reviewing the Report

If the View the file when done option is selected, the report is displayed after it is
created.
Each section of the report details:
Added/deleted values.
Old values/new values for values that have been changed.
page 392
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Claim Digger is a utility that compares two versions of a project and creates
a report o n the differences.
Customize Claim Di gger to compare the data items you select in the
Advanced Project Compariso nOptio ns.
Review Questio ns
1. T rue or False: Claim Digger is a separate application outside of P6.
2. Which menu do you use to launch Claim Digger?
a. File
b. View
c. Project
d. Tools
3. T rue or False: Claim Digger creates a report o n the differences between project
plans, but does not include data that has been deleted.
page 393
AppendixB Creating Output

Objectives
Customize the appearance of headers and foo ters.
Insert and format the curtain and text attachment tools.
Format the appearance of the data date.
Out put Co ntrols
P6 Project Management offers functio nality to enhance onscreen display and
printed material:
Formatting layouts for print
Headers, footers
Graphics
Gantt Chart
Curtain tool
Text tool
Customized data date li ne
page 394
Notes
page 395
Overview: Creating Output

P6 Project Management provides a range of capabilities and controls for creating
and customizi ng printed
output based o n project layouts. Many of these capa bilities and controls can be
accessed thro ugh the File
and View menus in the Activities window.
In the File menu, click P rint P review to access printing format co ntrols and
to preview results of formatting o ptions.
In the View menu, click Attachments to format curtain and text attachments
and insert them into layouts. Click Bar Chart Options to access controls for
formatting the Gantt Chart.
page 396
Practice: Creating Output

Format a header and footers for printing a P6 layout and view them using
Print Preview.
View Print Setup controls.
Format and apply a curtain attachment to the Gantt Chart in a layout.
Format and insert a text attachment to the Gantt Chart.
Format the data date in the Gantt Chart.
Printing Layo uts and Page Set up
Page Tab
The Page tab specifies the page orientation, scaling, and paper size for the layout or
report displayed.
Format a layo ut to print on o ne page.

2. Confirm that you are in the Activities window. (Or in the Directory bar, click
Activities.)
page 397
page 398
Marg ins T ab
In the Margins tab, y ou can set page margins for the displayed layout or report. The
Top, Left, Bo ttom and Right sectio ns set the distance between the edge of the paper
and the edge of the printed layout or report text.
page 399
Header Tab
Headers and footers are custo mizable. They can be on the first page, last page, all
pages, o r no pages. You can break headers and foote rs into as many as five sections.
The width of each section can be changed
manually. The follo wing information can be displayed i n headers and footers:
Gantt Chart legend

Text
Logos
Revisio n box
You can show a blank section by selecting N one.
Add three sections to the header and then view the chang es.
1. Click the Header tab.
2. In the Divide Into Sections field, confirm 3.
3. In the Include on drop-down list, select All P ages.
4. In the Height field, select 0.5 inches.
5. Click in the Section 1 field and select Gantt Chart Legend from the drop-do wn list.
page 400
page 401
page 402
Footer Tab
Use the Footer tab in Page Setup to create a custom foo ter for the displayed layo ut
or report. To save the information added to a header or footer, the layout must be
saved.
page 403
page 404
Opt ions Tab

Use the Optio ns tab to specify date range, co ntent, and pagination options when
you print windo w data or layouts. The available options on this tab vary according
to the view displayed when you select the Page Setup optio n.
page 405
page 406
Print Set up
Print Setup allows y ou to select the defaul t printer, print size, and page orientation
utilizing the printer drivers installed in your com puters Control Panel. Once
changes are made in Print Setup, they can be viewed immediately in Print Preview.
1. In the Activities windo w File menu, click Print Setup.

2. In the Print Setup dialog box, click the Name drop-do wn list to view available
pri nters.
You wil l not print at this time.
3. Click Cancel.
page 407
Attachment Tools
Attachment to ols enable you to insert text and add a shaded curtai n to the bar area
of the Gantt Chart.
Curtain Tool
Use the Curtain Attachment dialog box to highlight a specific time perio d in the
Gantt Chart. Multiple curtains can be di splayed.
page 408
Text Tool
Use the Text Tool to create formatted text and insert it in a layout. Inserted text can
be associated wi th an indi vidual activity and can be customized by adjusting the
font and style.
Customizing Dat a Date Style
page 409
The data date style, size, and color can be changed from the Bar Chart Options
dialog box.
Change the co lor and sty le of the data date line.

1. In the View menu, click Attachments, Curtain, Hi de All.
2. In the View menu, click Bar Chart Options.
3. In the Bar Chart Optio ns dialog box, click the Data Date tab.
4. In the Style drop-down list, select the Dashed style (second option do wn o n the
list).
5. Click the color button, and then select a shade of orange.
6. Click OK to exit the Color di alog box and again to exit the Bar Chart Options
dialog box.
page 410
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Page Setup is used to specify ho w information is organized when printing a

layout.
Tabs wi thin Page Setup Page, Margins, Header, Footer, Options help you
customize the appearance of the printed document.
Several o ptions are available to enhance display within the application:
Use the Curtai n Attachment dialo g box to highlight a specific time
period in a Gantt Chart.
Use the Text Tool to create formatted text and insert it in a layout.
Review Questio ns
1. T rue or False: A maximum of five sections can be inserted in the header.
2. T rue or False: Yo u must be in Print Preview to apply the changes made to a lay out
in Print Setup.
3. What is a vertical shaded area in the bar chart called?
a. A text box
b. A curtain
c. A symbol
d. A thumbtack
4. T rue or False: The data date is always represented by the color blue.
page 411
Appendix C Using Timesheets to Execute the Project Plan

Objectives
Describe several methods for updating the project plan.
Define the data date.
Review timesheets.
Approve/reject timesheets.
Apply actuals.
Updat ing a Project

Once a project has started, update schedule information and
resource usage at regular intervals.
How often: Daily , weekly , or monthly dependi ng on length
of project and frequency of forecast adjustments.
Methods:
Approve and apply timesheets.
Enter information manually.
Record actual dates and progress, actual resource usage and
cost, no nlabor costs.
Apply actuals to project.
Auto compute actuals.
Progress of activities automatically calculated according to original
schedule.
page 412
page 413
Applying Actuals
Applying actuals is a process in which the hours from timesheets are applied to
activities.
Select a new data date. This represents the date up to
which you are recording progress.
New data date is used to calculate actual durations of activities in the status
period.
Actual duratio n equals the number of work perio ds between
the activity s Actual Start and the new data date.
Applying Actuals
Applying actuals to a project differs from scheduling a project.
Applying actuals: Only activities that have been statused are recalculated.
Enables you to focus o n activities that may cause the project to be delayed.
Does not affect activities not in the status perio d.
Scheduling: All acti vities are scheduled based on durations
and relatio nships.
page 414
Notes
page 415
Overview: Using Timesheets to Update a Project

Use the Timesheet Approval to review and approve timesheets. In the Timesheet
table ( top), you can filter the display of resources whose timesheets have been
submitted o r approved. You can also view notes from resources related to their
timesheet. The Activity table (bottom) displays regular, overhead, and total hours
for each resource in the timesheet time period. In the Activity table ( bottom) , view
activities and hours.
page 416
Practice: Using Timesheets to Update a Project

Review timesheet approval settings in P6 Project Management.

Review and approve timesheets on the Timesheet Approval page.
Apply actuals to project activities that have reported progress via
timesheets.
Updat ing a Project
Once a project has started, update actual schedule information and resource usage
at regular intervals. Your company will establish a standard procedure for ho w data
is collected and how often it is updated. Questions to consider for establishing a
procedure:
How often are updates necessary? You may need to update daily , weekly ,
or monthly , dependi ng on the length of y our project and how frequently
you want to adjust your forecasts.
How are updat es collected?
o Approve and apply timesheets.
Team members use timesheets to update activi ties.
Project managers review and approve timesheets.
Project managers apply timesheets to the project.
o Enter actual date, resource, and cost information manually.
Record actual dates and progress, actual resource usage and cost, and
nonlabor costs.
Apply actuals to the project.
o Auto compute actuals.
Progress of activities is automatically calculate d according to the
original schedule.
page 417
Manag ing T imesheet Appro val

Click the Timesheets tab in Admin, Admin Preferences to view settings for timesheet
approval. You can specify whether the resource manager, the pro ject manager, or
both, must review and approve a resources timesheet.
To approve timesheets, yo u must be an assigned timesheet approval manager. As a
timesheet approval manager, yo u can approve or reject timesheets, no tify resources
about timesheet status, add timesheet no tes, and run timesheet reports. You can
determine if a resource has not started or no t submitted a particular timesheet. You
can al so assign a delegated approval manager to process your timesheets when you
are unable to.
Auto Submissio n No submission or approval is required. Timesheet da ta is
automatically updated in the database when you approve actuals.
Auto Approval Automatically approve upon submission. Timesheets are
approved automatically when they are submi tted.
1 Approval Level Ti mesheets require approval by the reso urce manager
only.
2 Approval Levels Timesheets require approval by a project manager and a
resource manager.
Project manag er must approve before resource manager Mark to indicate
that the pro ject managers must approve timesheets before the resource
manager.
Default res ource manag er approving timesheets The name of the manager
who approves resource timesheets, unless you specify otherwise.
page 418
Reviewing Timesheets
The Timesheet Approval page displays a Timesheet table (top) and Activity table
(bottom).
In the Timesheet table, select a time period in the drop-down list and then click the
arrow adjacent to to specify the timesheets that are displayed for example,
timesheets that require your action or those that already have been appro ved or
rejected.
The Activity table displays regular, overhead, and total hours for each resource in
the timesheet time period.
Icons in the Timesheet and Activity tables enable you to group and sort, customize
columns, search for timesheets or activities, and print the contents of the table.
1. Log in to P6 Project Management by typing Login Name <jbrunner> and Password

<jbrunner>.
2. In the Tools menu, click Time Approval.
3. In the Approving as dro p-down list, select Resource Manager.
The approval level is set to 1 Approval Level, requiring approval by the resource
manager only.
4. In the Action Required Times heets for field, verify 03-Jan-10 09-Jan-10.
Jennifer Boyle perfo rmed work on one activity in the HR System Upgrade project,
Define operational concept of new system. She worked 8 h/d from Monday to
page 419
Thursday o n the activity. Jennifer was supposed to start working on the Perform
system requirements analysis acti vity on Friday , but she was out sick. She added a
timesheet note explaining that there will be a delay in the activi ty due to her
absence.
page 420
Ben Diamo nd performed work on two activities in the HR System Upgrade project
Define operational concept of new system and Perf orm system requirements
analysis. He worked 8 h/d from Monday to Thursday o n the first activity , pl us 2
hours of overtime on Tuesday. He then began work on the second activity o n Friday.
1. In the Timesheet table, select Ben Diamond.

Review Ben Diamonds ho urs.
page 421
Approving Timesheets
page 422
page 423
Updat ing a Project Using T imesheets

Although the specific procedures for updating a project using timesheets may vary
from company to company, the steps below provide a general guideline for
completing this process:
Review timesheets.
Approve/reject timesheets.
Apply actuals.
Analyze the results of applying actuals.
Analyze the results of rescheduling the pro ject.
Applying Actuals
Applying actuals is a procedure in which activities with actual performance data are
recalculated based on a new data date. Activities within the status updating period
that have not started are pushed to thi s new data date.
Applying actuals enables you to focus immediately on activities that may cause the
project to slip. Yo u can monito r thresholds and review issues prio r to rescheduling
all the activities in the project.
Applying actuals to a pro ject differs from rescheduling a project.
When applying actual s, only activities that have had their status
updated are recalculated.
When reschedul ing, all activities are scheduled based on duratio ns
and relationships.
If timesheets are used to capture project progress, hours from approved
timesheets are applied to activities in the project when you apply actuals.
Actual Start, Actual Fi nish, and progress in steps are immediately
assigned to activities when a primary resource enters this data in
timesheets.
However, units are assigned o nly after you apply actuals.
The updated activities durations and remaining units are recalculated
based on a new data date and the timesheet hours.
When updati ng a pro ject, actuals are recorded for each activity relative to the data
date. The data date is the date up to which actual performance data is reported and
the date from which future work is scheduled. By defaul t, the data date is set to the
beginning of the day.
page 424
You have reviewed and approved the timesheets. You will now apply these
timesheet hours.
In this cycle, the pro ject has progressed from 03-Jan-10 to 10-Jan-10. The current
date of the pro ject is 04- Jan-10. When applying ac tuals, you will move the data
date to 11-Jan-10 to reflect the progress in the project.
1. Open a project, H RSYS-16 Executing the Project Plan.

2. In the Tools menu, click Apply Actuals.
3. In the Apply Actuals dialog box New Data Date field, select 11-Jan-10.
4. Click Apply.
5. When prompted, click Yes.
6. Click OK.
page 425
Analyzing t he Results of Applying Act uals

Perform a baseline analysis by comparing the current project plan to the baseline
project plan.
Activity HR1020 is currently finishing late compared to the baseline. However, the
successors to activity HR1020 have no t moved because the project has not yet been
rescheduled.
Analyze activities within the status updati ng period.
Focus on activities causing the project to slip from its baseline dates.
Investigate reasons for the delay.
Brainstorm possible solutions.
1. Verify that you are in the Activities windo w. (Or, in the Directory bar, click
Activities.)
3. In the Open Layout dialog box, select a layout, Status the Project, and then click
Open.
page 426
After applying actuals, analyze activities within the status updating perio d. If the
Primary Reso urce has not marked an activity as Finished i n the Timesheets
application, you may need to do so manually. You also may need to update the
status of milesto nes.
Update the stat us of milestones and activit ies.

2. In the Filters dialog box, mark a checkbox, All Activities, and then click OK.
3. In the Activities windo w, click twice in a column header, Activity ID, to sort the
Activity Table.
4. Select an activity , HR-Admin Project Administration.
6. In the Started field, select a date, 04-Jan-11, and then mark a checkbox, Started.
7. In the Activity Table, select an activity, HR-1000 S tart development milestone.
8. In the Started field in Activity Details, select a date, 04-Jan-11, and then mark a
checkbox, Started.
9. In the Activity Table, select an activity, HR1010 Define operational concept of
new system.
10. In Activity Details, mark a checkbox, Finished, and select a Finish date,
07-Jan-10.
page 427

Now that actuals have been applied, i t is time to reschedule the pro ject based on
the new data date. Any activities that were del ayed during the apply actuals process
will delay their successor activities.
After the pro ject has been rescheduled, the successors to the delayed activity,
HR1020 , have also been delayed.
Analyze the activities on the critical path.
Review the projects performance to date.
Develop strategies for getting the pro ject back on track.
Gain agreement wi thi n your project team.
Implement the revi sed project plan.
page 428
Viewing t he Detailed Results

In the Resources tab in Activity Details, you can see that 64 Actual Regular Units (32
uni ts for each resource) and 2 Actual Overtime Units were added to activity HR1010
Define operational concept of new sys tem.
View the Status and Resource values for an act ivity.

1. In the Activity Table, select an activity, HR1010 Define operational concept of
new system.
3. Right-click in the tab and select Customize Resource Columns.
4. In the Resource Assignment Columns dialog box Available Options bar, click Group
and Sort By, List.
5. Display the following columns: Resource ID N ame, Budgeted Uni ts, Actual Regular
Units, Actual Overtime Units, and Remai ning Units.
View the Regular Uni ts and Overtime Units for Ben Diamond and Jennifer Boyle.
6. In the Activity Table, select an activity, HR1020 Perf orm system requirements
analysis.
page 429
For acti vity HR1020 Perform sys tem requirements analysis, the Status tab shows
that the acti vity was started but that its duration has increased by 1 day.
page 430
Lesson Review
Key Concepts
Once a pro ject has started, you must update actual schedule i nformatio n
and reso urce usage at regular intervals. Timesheets is o ne method to
update schedule info rmation.
These steps pro vide a general outline for updating a project via timesheets:
Review timesheets.
Appro ve/reject timesheets.
Apply actuals and then analyze the results of applying actuals.
Reschedule the project and then analy ze the results of rescheduling.
Applying actuals is a procedure by which activities wi th actual performance
data are recalculated based on a new data date. Activities wi thin the status
updating period that have not started are pushed to the new data date.
Applying actuals to a project differs from rescheduling:
When applying actual s, only activities whose status has been updated
are recalculated.
When rescheduling, all activities are scheduled based on durations
and relationships.
Review Questio ns
1. T rue or False: The data date is the date used as the starting po int for the
schedule calculation.
2. T rue or False: When you apply actuals to a project, all activities in the project are
scheduled based on relationships and durations.
page 431

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Project Management in Primavera P6 Rel 7

Lesson 1 Proje ct Manage ment Life C ycle ............................................................. ...... 10

Lesson 13 ......................................... ................................................... ..................... 228

Describe the steps included in each process group.

Describe P6 functionality and environment.

Describe the Enterprise Project Structure.

Describe the Organizational Breakdown Structure.

Distinguish between enterprise data and project-specific data.

Navigation and Layouts

Log in to P6 Project Management.

Open an existing project.

Navigate in the Home window and Activities window.

Open an existing layout.

Navigate in the Projects window.

View and modify information in Project Details.

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure

Define a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Create multiple levels of a WBS hierarchy.

Describe an activity and its components.

Describe activity types.

Add steps to an activity.

Assign activity codes to activities.

View a network logic diagram.

Describe the four relationship types.

Create relationships in the Activity Network.

Create relationships in Activity Details.

Perform a forward and a backward pass.

Describe float and its impact on a schedule.

Identify loops and open ends.

Analyze the scheduling log report.

Describe available constraint types.

Apply Must Finish By constraint to a project.

Apply a Start On or After constraint to an activity.

Add a Notebook topic to a constrained activity.

Formatting Schedule Data

Group activities according to specific criteria.

Maintaining the Project Documents Library

Describe the difference between a work product and a reference document.

Create a document record.

Link the document record to a project document or work product.

Assign the project document to an activity or WBS.

Understanding Roles and Resources

View the roles dictionary.

Identify the differences between labor, nonlabor, and material resources.

View the resource dictionary.

Assigning Roles and Resources

Assign roles to an activity.

Assign rates on roles.

Adjust Budgeted Units/Time for a resource.

Assign expenses to activities.

Display the Resource Usage Profile.

Format the timescale.

Optimizing the Project Plan

Analyze schedule dates.

Shorten a project schedule.

Analyze resource availability.

Resolve resource overallocation.

Analyze project costs.

Baselining the Project Plan

Create a baseline plan.

Display baseline bars on the Gantt Chart.

Modify the bars on the Gantt Chart.

Executing the Project Plan