Managing Resources

in Primavera P6 Professional
Rel 8.0 Ed 1

D72052GC10
Edition 1.0
February 2011
1
Creating Roles
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● View the Roles dialog box.
● Create a role.
● Specify rates for a role.
● View limits for a role.
● Assign a resource to a role.
 Role

● Job title or skill.

○ Engineer, Project Manager, Systems Analyst, Carpenter
● Assigned to resource to identify skills and competencies.
● Rates and limits can be assigned.
● Enterprise data, can be re-used among projects.
● Can be organized in hierarchy.
 Assigning Roles to Resources

● Multiple roles can be assigned to a resource.

● One primary role can be assigned to each resource
to designate key competency.
 Assigning Roles
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
Roles Dictionary Assign Role to Activity Replace Role with Resource

Project Manager
Project Manager Project Manager
Tim Harris

Cost Engineer Cost Engineer Cost Engineer

Oliver Rock
 2
Creating Resources
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Display the Resources window.
● Describe resource security.
● Create a labor resource via the New Resource wizard.
● Create a labor resource manually.
● View and edit Resource Details.
● Create a material resource.
 Resource

● An individual, equipment or material used to complete an

activity.
● Organized hierarchically in Resource dictionary.
● Three categories:
○ Labor
○ Nonlabor
○ Material
 Resource Types

Labor (people)
● Resources and roles
● Measured in units of time.
● Generally re-used between activities/projects.
● Recorded in terms of price/unit (for example,
$50/hour).
Nonlabor (equipment)
● Measured in units of time.
● Recorded in terms of price/unit (for example,
$500/hour).
Material (consumables)
● Measured in units other than time (for example,
$5/sq.ft.).
 Question

Which of the following is a material resource?

1. A brick
2. The company that manufacturers the brick
3. The bricklayer who works on the construction site
4. None of the above
 3
Assigning Calendars
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Define work time and nonwork time.
● Explain the differences between global, project, and
resource calendars.
● Create a new project calendar.
● Convert a shared resource calendar to a personal resouce
calendar.
 Calendars

● Specify work time and nonwork time.

● Used for scheduling and leveling resources.
● An unlimited number of calendars can be created.
● All activities must have an assigned calendar.
 Calendar Pools

● There are three calendar pools:

○ Global
○ Project
○ Resource
● Determines whether the calendar is available to:
○ All projects, resources, and activities.
○ One project and its activities.
○ Resources only.
 Calendar Pools
● Global
○ Contains calendars that can be used by all projects and
resources.
○ Create standard corporate calendars for all projects, resources.
■ Example: Standard 5-day workweek, 8 hours/day, with holidays
from corporate calendar.
● Project
○ Contains project-specific calendars.
■ Example: 6-day workweek calendar to accelerate project.
■ Example: Calendar for project with work that occurs on weekends
only.
● Resource
○ Contains calendars for use by resources.
■ Example: Record vacation time/leave of absence for individual
resources.
 Resource Calendars

There are two types of resource calendars:

● Shared:
○ May be used by multiple resources.
○ Can convert to personal calendar.
● Personal:
○ Assigned to a single resource.
○ Calendar is deleted if resource is deleted.
○ Resources can edit their own personal resource calendar.
 Work Time Types

A calendar can consist of three types of work time:

● Standard
○ Time normally spent working, according to standard work
week (e.g., a full, normal day of work).
● Nonwork
○ Time spent not working, according to standard work week. (e.
g., a weekend day on a calendar where weekends are not
typically worked).
● Exception
○ A deviation from Standard or Nonwork time (e.g., a half-day of
work on any day).
 Calendars and Activity Types

Activity Type determines the calendar used when a project is

scheduled.
● Task Dependent
○ Resource assignments scheduled according to calendar
assigned to the activity.
● Resource Dependent
○ Resource assignments scheduled according to the resource’s
calendar.
 4
Resource and Role Analysis
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Analyze resource usage using the Resource Usage Profile.
● Analyze resource usage using the Resource Usage
Spreadsheet.
● Compare staffed vs. unstaffed role allocation.
 Resource and Role Usage

● Resource availability can have an impact on projects.

○ Are enough people available to do the work?
○ Can the resource finish work within budget?
○ Does the resource have sufficient availability to finish work?
● Projects often compete for the same resources/roles.
● Monitor resource/role allocations and schedule deadlines.
○ Is any leeway possible in allocating resources?
 Resource and Role Limits

Limits determine the availability of resources and roles.

● Resource limit is affected by:
○ Project/resource calendar
○ Max units/time
● Role limit is based on a custom limit or the combined limits
of all resources assigned that primary role. Role limit is
affected by:
○ Project calendar
○ Max units/time
Overallocation occurs when assigned work exceeds the
resource or role limit.
 Resolving Overallocation

● Replace the overallocated resource with another available

resource.
● Increase the hours/day that the resource works.
● Increase the length of the resource’s workweek.
● Assign additional resources.
 5
Resource Assignments Window
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Identify sections in the Resource Assignments window.
● Use the Resource Assignments window to view and edit
resource allocation.
● Select data to display in the Resource Usage Spreadsheet.
 Resource Assignments Window

● View and add resource and role assignments to activities in

the open project(s).
● Display resource/role cost and quantity over time in the
Resource Usage Spreadsheet.
● Manually enter budgeted and remaining units.
 6
Manual Resource Allocation
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Assign resource lag and duration to resource assignments.
● View and assign resource curves to manually spread
allocation.
 Linear and Non-Linear Distribution of Work

● Linear
○ Resource assignment work is automatically spread evenly, or
linearly, over the duration of an activity.
● Non-linear
○ Work is not distributed evenly.

5-day activity

Resource Distribution Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

Plumber Linear 8h 8h 8h 8h 8h

Carpenter Non-linear 6h 10h 6h 10h 8h

 Resource Lag and Resource Duration
● Control the dates on which resource use begins and ends.
● Resource lag
○ Delay between start of the activity and start of the resource.
○ Distribute work between resources who cannot work simultaneously.
● Resource duration
○ Use if resource isn’t needed throughout length of activity.
○ This is the original duration of the assignment, not the activity.

10-day activity

Resource Resource M T W T F M T W T F
Duration
Carpenter 1 40h 8h 8h 8h 8h 8h

Carpenter 2 40h Resource Lag = 5 days 8h 8h 8h 8h 8h

 Resource Curves
Assign to resources to describe how you want to distribute
resource use across activity. Examples include:
● Front-loaded – Most resource use at beginning of activity
duration.
● Back-loaded – Most resource use at end of activity duration.
● Bell-shaped – Resource use begins slowly, gradually
increases as activity progresses, tapers off at finish.

10-day activity

Resource Resource M T W T F M T W T F
Curve
Carpenter Back-loaded 4h 4h 6h 6h 6h 10h 10h 10h 12h 12h

Plumber Bell-shaped 4h 4h 8h 8h 10h 10h 8h 8h 4h 4h

 7
Bucket Planning
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Explain the difference between bucket planning and linear
distribution.
● Explain benefits of bucket planning.
● View future period buckets.
● Edit period buckets for a resource assignment.
● Track manual curves in the project.
 Linear Distribution

The method for distributing resource assignment work over

course of activity.
● Remaining work is spread linearly over remaining duration.
● Budgeted work is evenly spread over duration of activity.
○ A one-week activity with 40 Budgeted Units, spread evenly
over five days.
 Bucket Planning

● Use when linear distribution does not reflect work that

needs to be performed at varying levels over duration of
activity.
● To accurately reflect work, manually add and edit the
budgeted and remaining for each time period — or "bucket"
— over the duration of the assignment.
● Edit values in future period buckets for labor, non-labor,
material resource assignments, and role assignments.
 Bucket Planning Example

Budgeted Units for the same one-week activity were manually

entered for the buckets representing Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5
so the activity would finish on time.
 8
Leveling Resources
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Define resource leveling.
● Set resource leveling options.
● Level a project to resolve resource conflicts.
● Analyze the effects of resource leveling.
● Level based on activity and project priorities.
 Leveling Overview

● Use to resolve resource availability conflicts between

activities that use the same resources.
● A process that ensures resource demand does not exceed
resource availability.
● Determines the earliest dates an activity can be scheduled
without overallocating resources.
○ Compares the allocation of resources to availability and then
delays certain activities to remain within the resource limits.
 Handling Resource Conflict

The following are steps that can be executed when you

encounter resource conflict and overallocation:
● Determine whether resource conflicts exist through
Resource Usage Profile / Spreadsheet.
● Use resource leveling to resolve overallocation.
○ Review leveling log to determine impact.
○ Review Resource Usage Profile to see whether problems are
resolved.
● If leveled dates are acceptable, constrain activities.
● If leveled dates are not acceptable:
○ Review logic and resource assignments/ availability.
○ Modify activity data and then reschedule.
 Handling Resource Conflict
(Before Leveling)

Schedule Activity A

Activity B

16

Resource
Allocation
Rose Danner 8h/d Max 8
Resource
Units/Time limit line

0
June 1-5 June 8-12 June 15-19 June 22-26 June 29 - July 6-10
July 3
 Handling Resource Conflict
(After Resource Leveling)

Schedule Activity A

Activity B

16

Resource
Allocation
8
Rose Danner 8h/d Resource
Max Units/Time limit line

0
June 1-5 June 8-12 June 15-19 June 22-26 June 29 - July 6-10
July 3
 Resource Leveling in P6 Professional

P6 Professional compares resource requirements of all

scheduled activities to the maximum quantity available at the
time of leveling.
● The maximum amount of work a resource is available to
perform for a given time period is defined by the resource’s
standard work hours, as defined in the resource calendar.
● If the resource is not available for the entire duration of the
activity, the activity is delayed until the resource becomes
available.
You can level all resources in your project or select the
resource(s) to be leveled.
 Resource Leveling in P6 Professional

● The following items are ignored during the leveling process:

○ Milestones
○ Level of Effort activities
○ What-if projects
○ Expenses
○ WBS Summary activities
● An activity’s schedule dates may temporarily change when
leveling a project.
 Leveling Rules in P6 Professional

These rules are used to determine the order for leveling

activities:
● Mandatory constraints
○ P6 Professional leaves activities that have a mandatory
Start/Finish date on their early dates.
○ Network logic may be violated.
● Topological order (predecessor/successor relationships)
○ Respects network logic.
● Leveling priority ("tiebreaker")
○ Priority is used to determine which project or activity gets the
resource (leveled) first when a conflict exists.
○ Leveling priorities can be assigned at project or activity level.
 Leveling Priorities

How would this network be leveled?

● Activity A is leveled first.
○ Activity B and C then compete for the same resource.
● Activity B is leveled first based on activity priority.
○ Activities C and D then compete for the same resource.
● Activity D is leveled based on activity priority.
● The remaining activities are leveled in this order: C, E, F.
 Leveling a Tool – Not a Solution

● Leveling is a tool, not a solution. The intended use of

leveling is to level projects and then analyze results.
● Do not assume that leveling will solve all of your allocation
problems, especially if your project has a deadline.
● Activities may be delayed past required dates, or some
activities may not shift at all because sufficient resources
are never available.
● After leveling, you should analyze the results and then use
constraints when appropriate.
 Leveling a Tool – Not a Solution

● Leveling is a tool, not a solution. The intended use of

leveling is to level projects and then analyze results.
● Do not assume that leveling will solve all of your allocation
problems, especially if your project has a deadline.
● Activities may be delayed past required dates, or some
activities may not shift at all because sufficient resources
are never available.
● After leveling, you should analyze the results and then use
constraints when appropriate.
 9
Storing Period Performance
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Display financial periods as columns.
● Store past period performance.
 Financial Periods

Administrator-designated period of time used in P6 Professional

to:
● Store actual units and costs for each period.
● Track previous period performance for trend analysis.
 Store Period Performance

● Stores Actual This Period values of activities and

assignments in financial periods.
● Resets Actual This Period values to zero for current period.
 Store Period Performance Example

Actual This Period value and the 2018-01-01 financial period

value before actual values are stored.
Actual Units Actual This 2018-01-01
to Date Period Actual Units
100 100 0

Actual This Period value at 0, with actuals now stored in the

financial period.
Actual Units Actual This 2018-01-01
to Date Period Actual Units
100 0 100
10
Assigning Cost Accounts
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Assign cost accounts to resource assignments.
● Assign cost accounts to expenses.
 Cost Accounts

Cost accounts are:

● Codes assigned to resource assignments and expenses to
track costs.
● Basis for cost reporting and earned value analysis.
○ Essential for measuring amount of work accomplished against
the amount of money spent
○ Run cost report to identify any variance.
● Hierarchical and applicable to all projects in the EPS.
 11
Modifying Project-Level Settings
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Link Budgeted and Estimate at Completion values.
● Describe the difference between driving and non-driving
resources.
 Link Budgeted and At Completion
for Not Started Activities

● Setting used during planning phase of the project.

○ Decide whether to preserve original budgeted value.
● When linked, Budgeted, Remaining, and At Complete hours
are equal.
● When unlinked, Budgeted values for a Not Started activity
are retained when you update its Remaining or At
Completion values.
 Drive Activity Dates by Default

● Each new resource assignment is flagged as “driving.”

● Dates of driving resource determine duration of the activity.
○ Activity duration is based on the quantity to complete and the
units per time period of the driving resource.
■ Quantity to complete = Amount of work necessary to finish task.
■ Units per time period = Number of units the resource works per
defined time period.
● Why use? A resource may need to control the activity
duration due to limited resource availability. The activity will
not finish until the resource has completed its work.
● When setting is disabled, activity duration is independent of
resource dates.
 Drive Activity Dates by Default

If an activity has more than one driving resource, the resource

that takes the longest to complete determines the duration of
the activity.
 1
Resource Reporting
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● Describe reporting methods.
● Run a resource report.
● Create a resource report with the Report wizard.
● Create a report using the current layout.
 Reporting Methods

There are many methods to distribute schedule, resource, and

cost performance information to the project team, including:
● Printed layouts
● Printed reports from the Report wizard
● Printed reports from Report Writer
 A
Assigning Roles and Resources
 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

● 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
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
Roles Dictionary Assign Role to Activity Replace Role with Resource

Project Manager
Project Manager Project Manager
Tim Harris

Cost Engineer Cost Engineer Cost Engineer

Oliver Rock
 Assigning Resources

Assign by role:
● At least one role must be assigned to an activity.
● Replace role assignment with a specific resource.
● Replace single role assignments individually or multiple role
assignments simultaneously.
Assign directly from the resource dictionary:
● Labor resources without role assignments.
● Required method when assigning nonlabor and material
resources.
 Steps for Resource Management

1. Define resource in the

resource dictionary.

2. Assign resource to
activities.

3. Analyze resources and

costs.
 Question

Which of the following is a benefit of assigning roles to

activities?
1. Roles can act as placeholders until specific resources are
assigned.
2. Roles can help project managers and resource managers
identify appropriate resources for specific activities.
3. Roles can provide cost estimates and determine preliminary
budget requirements during project planning.
4. All of the above