How to Develop, Manage and Communicate Effective Schedules Using Primavera P6 Professional

Transcription

1 How to Develop, Manage and Communicate Effective Schedules Using Primavera P6 Professional Session ID: Prepared by: Raquel Shohet, PSP Vice President Hill International, Inc.

2 How to Develop, Manage and Communicate Effective Schedules Using Primavera P6 Professional

3 Bio of Raquel Shohet, PSP 3

4 Founded in 1976 Headcount Over 4,800 Hill is the largest independent PM/CM firm in the world Hill is the largest claims firm in the world Client base includes Owners, Contractors, Subcontractors, Architects, Engineers, Law Firms, Insurance and Surety Companies, Investment Banks and Commercial Banks Construction Claims Group Services include: Claims Analysis Litigation Support Cost and Damages Assessment Delay and Disruption Analysis Expert Witness Testimony Lender Advisory Services Risk Assessment Project Neutral Adjudication 4

5 Presentation Objectives This presentation will cover best practices for using Primavera P6 Professional to: Develop effective schedules Manage schedules Communicate schedules 5

6 Schedule Development 6

7 Planning Considerations Review Project, Contractual and Internal requirements for: Application Integration Global/Project Structures Project Definition and Coding Work Breakdown Structure and Coding Activity Code Structures (Global/Project) Activity Structures (ID s and Naming Conventions) Resource / Cost Requirements Durations and Global/Project Calendars Calculation and Float Rules Updating Reporting 7

8 Schedule Development Overview Steps for Schedule Planning and Development (AACE International) 1. Plan for Schedule Planning and Development 2. Identify Activities 3. Develop Activity Logic 4. Estimate Durations 5. Establish Schedule Requirements 6. Allocate Resources 7. Optimize Schedule

9 Schedule Development Consistency is the key to battle inconsistent data Standards are fundamental to support the schedule data Standards in the contract requirements Standards in the review of the schedule Operating Procedures and Flow Diagrams 9

10 Schedule Development Project Management or P6 organizes project information based on hierarchical structures. Each structure consists of at least one root or base level and multiple sub or lower levels. At the highest level the projects are typically organized around an Enterprise Project Structure or grouping of the database of projects (i.e. type, clients, phasing, etc.). Projects are organized by common attributes based on the organizational requirements. 10

11 Schedule Development Enterprise Project Structure (EPS) Organizes projects in the database By Division, Location, Client, etc. 11

12 Schedule Development Add the Project Copy from Template Project or Create New Enter the Project Basics Project ID to identify the type of schedule (Current, Baseline, What-if, TIA) Planned Start Must Finish By (if required) Recommend leaving this blank 12

13 Schedule Development Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Project Specific Organizational breakdown of the project Used for earned value 13

14 Schedule Development Activity Codes Global EPS Project Use unique identifier to distinguish Global vs. Project codes 14

15 Schedule Development Calendars Calendar Types (Enterprise menu, Calendars) Global (templates) Resource Project (project specific) 15

16 Schedule Development Calendars Time Periods (Admin menu, Admin Preferences, Time Periods tab) Work Periods: System calendars are set to 8 hour work periods. Version 7 and above allows workday to be defined at calendar level Use assigned calendar to specify the number of work hours for each time period 16

17 Schedule Development Calendar issues Different Calendar Start/Finish times Affect Predecessor/Successor start times Affect Float calculations (even if same hours/day) 17

18 Schedule Development Calendars DON T: DO: Use Primavera Global calendars for project specific activities Create different calendars using different work hours / day for project specific activities Use Primavera Project calendars for project specific activities Standardize work week and time periods Keep it simple, a day is a day. It doesn t matter if it is an 8 hour, 10 hour, or 12 hour day, it is still a day. 18

19 Schedule Development Identify Activities Activity IDs Use Smart ID Limit to 10 characters if importing / exporting to P3/Suretrak Activity Names Be clear, concise, consistent Keyword as left-most word in name Helpful when sorting and searching in predecessor / successor windows and filters Limit to 48 characters if importing / exporting to P3/Suretrak 19

20 Schedule Development Activity Type Milestones Task Dependent and Resource Dependent Level of Effort and WBS Summary Default Activity type is set at Project Level (Project Details, Defaults tab) 20

21 Schedule Development Percent Complete Types Duration Percent Complete (default) Physical Percent Complete Units Percent Complete Default type defined at the Project Level (Projects Details, Defaults tab) and can be changed at the Activity Level (Activity Details, General Tab) Project Level defaults only apply to new activities. 21

22 Schedule Development Develop Schedule Logic Four Relationship Types Finish to Start Start to Start Finish to Finish Start to Finish Lags and Leads Scheduling Option (Tools menu, Schedule, Options) to choose which calendar determines lags / leads 22

23 Schedule Development Assign Constraints (if required by Contract) Use for contract time requirements regarding start/finish dates (i.e. Notice to Proceed, Substantial Completion, Final Completion) Constraints (Activity Details, Status Tab) Primary Secondary Types 23

24 Schedule Development Resources Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) and Cost Accounts GLOBAL Resources can be Labor, Non Labor, and Material Identify Project Resources vs. Global Resources (Example: Project ID + Name) using hierarchical structure 24

25 Schedule Development Resource Settings Resource and Activity Level Should be defined before adding activities Resource Details for Labor, Nonlabor, Material Auto Compute Actuals Calculate costs from units Activity Details Override Resource Details settings 25

26 Schedule Development Resource Settings - Project Level Project Details, Calculations tab Link Actual and Actual This Period Units and Costs (when using Financial Periods) Project Details, Resources tab Resources Drive activity dates by default 26

27 Schedule Development Resources are loaded based on the following: Budgeted Duration of the activity Budgeted Units (budgeted time or units of measure) of the resource Budgeted Units/Time (production rate) of the resource 27

28 Schedule Development Schedule Options General Relationships to and from other projects Open ends (critical or not critical) Schedule Calculation options Retained Logic Progress Override Actual Dates Calculate Start to Start lag Critical activity definition Float definition Calendar for scheduling relationship lag 28

29 Schedule Development Schedule Options Advanced Calculate multiple float paths by either Total Float or Free Float Pick activity to calculate float path to Helpful for multi-phased projects with different turnover dates 29

30 Schedule Analysis & Optimization Review and Analyze schedule using: Schedule Log Claim Digger Tabular Reports 30

31 Schedule Management 31

32 Schedule Management Overview Understand Contract and Specification Requirements Determine Update Frequency Establish Baseline / Contract Schedule Assign Responsibility to each activity Provide Training Gather Data Visit Job site, hold update meeting, and validate data

33 Schedule Management Understand Contract and Specification Requirements Frequency of updates Procedures for updates versus revisions Earned Value requirements Cost and/or resource status requirements Change management procedures Software requirements 33

34 Schedule Management Determine Update Frequency Factors to consider: Contract Requirements Internal company policy Project budgeting Considerations Benefits to frequent updates: Greater accuracy of as-built documentation Promotes early identification of issues Promotes timely issue resolution / mitigation Enhances user s skill in application & management of schedule Provides starting point to which user can return if errors are made in updating process 34

35 Schedule Management Establish Baseline / Contract Schedule Baseline is the accepted as-planned schedule (Contract Schedule) In Primavera Baseline is a snapshot of project plan (similar to Target in P3) Number of baselines (maximum number is set by Administrator) User can assign up to 3 baselines to current schedule for data comparisons Can copy baselines when copying project 35

36 Schedule Management Assign Responsibility to each activity Use Activity Code Global vs. Project Specific Group and Sort by Activity Code 36

37 Schedule Management Assign Responsibility to each activity Assign Resource / Role CAUTION: Resources and Roles are Global (use unique identifier) Group by resources in Assignments window 37

38 Schedule Management Provide training Gather Data Use Update Layout or Report Visit the jobsite, hold an update meeting, and validate data 38

39 Schedule Management Update the Schedule Open the file (Exclusive / Shared / Read Only) Importing and Configuring Outside Information Maintain Baseline Rename File Assign and Compare Baselines Enter Status (dates, percent complete, resources, costs) Enter Revisions / Forecast (activities, durations, logic) Review & Finalize Export File 39

40 Schedule Management Opening the file Exclusive only one user can change / modify the schedule Recommended to use when updating / statusing Shared multiple users can change / modify the schedule AT THE SAME TIME CAUTION: this is the default when selecting project from Project Window, right-click, select Open Read Only view only mode can not change / modify the schedule 40

41 Schedule Management Maintain Baseline (Activity window, Project, Maintain Baseline) Rename File to new version (i.e. EX00 to EX01) (Project Window) 41

42 Schedule Management Reflection P6 allows user to copy current schedule as a Reflection, make changes and merge back into current schedule CAUTION: The following data items when deleted in a Reflection copy WILL NOT be deleted in current schedule during the merge: Activities, Relationships Resource Assignments WBS elements Work Products and Documents Project Expenses Project Issues and Project Risks These would need to be manually deleted. (Oracle Knowledgebase ID ) 42

43 Schedule Management Assign and Compare Baselines Project: Standard baseline for comparison for all users (typically the Contract Baseline Schedule) User Baseline (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary) Primary Baseline allows for dates, resource, etc. comparisons Secondary and Tertiary compare date information only 43

44 Schedule Management Check earned value settings (Admin, Earned Value, Earned Value Calculation) These settings determine which baseline dates will be used for comparison. Recommendation: use Budgeted values with current dates CAUTION: Setting is global, not project specific, affects all projects in the database 44

45 Schedule Management Prior to statusing, make sure time is shown to alleviate non-standard start/finish times (Edit, User Preferences) 45

46 Schedule Management Enter Status Actual Start dates Actual Finish dates Percent complete Remaining duration Resources and/or Costs Enter Manually Or use Update Progress (Tools menu, Update Progress) CAUTION: Apply Actuals and Update Progress use PLANNED Dates versus Scheduled Dates or Early Dates which may be different Calculate the schedule (Tools, Schedule) with new Data Date Recommendation: To improve speed and efficiency of the program, turn off option to Schedule automatically when a change affects dates Review data entered Maintain Baseline (with Status only in title) Export the file Review compared to previous update and Baseline schedule 46

47 Schedule Management Enter Revisions / Forecast New Activities Delete Activities (Do not reuse Activity IDs) Revise Logic Revise Durations Calculate the schedule (Tools, Schedule) with new Data Date Recommendation: To improve speed and efficiency of the program, turn off option to Schedule automatically when a change affects dates Review data entered Maintain Baseline (with Revision added to title) Export the file Review compared to status only update as well as previous update and Baseline schedule 47

48 Schedule Management Compare to previous update and Contract schedule Create comparison layouts Assign appropriate baseline (Project menu, Assign Baseline) Select baseline bars (View, Bars) and baseline data columns Note: varying baseline types (Project vs. User Baselines Primary, Secondary, Tertiary) allow for different levels of data for comparison. Check earned value settings (Admin Preferences, Earned Value) Determines what dates will be used for comparison Planned or Start/Finish Recommendation: use Budgeted values with current dates CAUTION: Setting is global, not project specific, affects all projects in the database 48

49 Schedule Communication 49

50 Schedule Communication Good communication is key to project success The schedule must be communicated in the appropriate format to each of the various stakeholders Primavera P6 (version 8.2) tools available to produce: Graphical reports (layouts) Time scaled logic diagrams Tabular reports specific focus on the Report Editor A narrative is a significantly more effective tool for communicating the status of the schedule than any report we can generate in P6 The content of any report is the key to effective reporting. 50

51 Schedule Communication Layouts are developed by modifying data within Oracle Primavera P6 windows 51

52 Schedule Communication Layout Types: User Available to a single user, for all accessible projects in the database Global Available to all users, for all projects in the database Project Linked to a single project, for project specific reporting requirements Can export the layout with project file when using XML export option 52

53 Schedule Communication Graphical Layout Examples: Gantt Chart typical standard schedule hard-copy submittal Lookaheads useful for forecasting or short-interval reporting Baseline Comparison Reports analyses of schedule versions Analysis Reports Critical path activities based on Total Float or Longest Path Milestones focus on project or contractual level events Missing Logic review of potential errors in schedule logic Remaining Activities analysis of remaining project scope Start Week Groups activity organization by start (weekly, monthly, etc.) WBS All Activities Resource Loading and Profile review of resource allocations Cost Loading and Cost Curves review of project costs based on activity assignments 53

54 Schedule Communication Tabular Reports Report Scope Global - available to all projects Current Project - specific to one project 54

55 Schedule Communication Standard Reports Schedule Resource Cost Customize Reports using Report Editor or Report Wizard 55

56 Schedule Communication Tabular Report Examples: Schedule reports Activity reports Logic reports Total float reports Earnings reports 56

57 Schedule Communication Narratives: Discuss what was executed on the project Discuss what was not executed and why Review Milestones (Completion and Interim) Specifically discuss: Longest Critical Path Delay in delivery of critical items Potential issues and what they will impact Discuss the paths leading to any contractual Interim Milestones Discuss what is to be expected during the next reporting period 57

58 Schedule Communication Depending on what the report is trying to convey, a simple explanation along with an excerpt fro the schedule can say so much more than 100 pages of schedule printouts. As seen in this snapshot from the schedule, the Longest Critical Path slipped 13 days in a 20 day reporting period due to a delay in the delivery of special insulation. 58

59 Summary Start with a Plan & Standards Setup Structures (EPS, WBS, Codes, Resources) Maintain Consistency (IDs, Calendars, Activity Names) Verify Start/Finish Times to Avoid Calendar Errors Use Caution in Modifying or Applying Global/Enterprise/Admin to a project schedule Set Resources options/defaults correctly from the start Understand Schedule Calculation options Use the Tools provided to optimize the schedule (i.e. Schedule Log, Layouts, Reports, etc.) Update Frequently Save copies of the schedule Communicate the schedule in appropriate format to each stakeholder 59

60 Questions? Contact Information: Raquel Shohet 60