Archive for the ‘Primavera P6’ Category:

The Missing Version of Primavera P6

Oracle appears to have killed off Release 7.0 of Primavera P6. The questions is, why? Those of you who have downloaded Primavera software from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud are probably aware of the existence of older Primavera programs that are no longer sold  – P3 and SureTrak in particular. The purpose, as we understand, is to support licensed users who may need to reinstall these programs. Oracle grants a perpetual license for each program, so this makes sense. Yet Release 7.0 has recently been dropped from Oracle’s eDelivery site. Release 7.0 was the first version released after Oracle purchased Primavera.  We have always liked this version because its user interface is a little simpler to learn and the program is less likely to crash than some of the newer releases.

Release 8.1 has been dropped as well, but this seems like much less of an issue. The differences between Releases 8.1 and 8.2 are so minor that most users would never notice them. But Release 7.0 is much different that the R8 series and it would seem likely that some users would want to continue using this older version. We know of one major construction company with over a $1B in annual revenue that has standardized on Release 7.0 so clearly it is not considered to be an inferior program. Oracle stopped using serial numbers with R7.0 so in theory the software could be copied from one computer to another, but whether this is considered legal is another matter.

Primavera Scheduling now recommends that users purchase Release 8.3 to avoid any licensing issues in the future. Our initial testing of R8.3 suggests that is more stable than R8.2 and besides, we do not have too many other choices! Either we purchase R8.2 or R8.3 or we buy something else. Primavera P6 is dominant scheduling program in the United States so there is really no incentive to switch. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding which version of Primavera to purchase.

 

 

C. Primavera P6

Every Schedule Needs a “Hammock”

Granted, we do not call them Hammocks any longer because P6 introduced a new label: Level of Effort. This is of course an activity type. Why Oracle decided Level of Effort is a better description is rather baffling. During our training classes when we talk about Hammocks most people get the analogy of something that spans from one place to another, just like the hammocks you might see in a backyard. Simply put, a Level of Effort activity measures the distance between a predecessor and a successor. Why is that important?

We typically use a Level of Effort activity to measure the project duration. This is the only accurate means of measuring the project duration if more than one calendar is being used. We assign the Level of Effort activity a calendar that matches the calendar used to specify the project duration. So if the project is supposed to finish within 300 calendar days, we give the Level of Effort activity a 7-day calendar with no holidays.

Another excellent use of this type of Level of Effort activity is to represent overhead and profit on a cost-loaded schedule. Since the Level of Effort activity already mimics the project duration, it gives us a per diem distribution of overhead and profit for the life of the project. This is much easier than trying to add overhead and profit to each activity in the schedule.

In the example below, Activity ID 01 is a Level of Effort activity with two predecessors, and two successors. When there is more than one predecessor, the earliest Start date becomes the Start date of the Level of Effort activity and the latest Finish date becomes the Finish date of the Level of Effort activity. For this to work right, the predecessor relationships must be Start to Start and the successor relationships must be Finish to Finish.

LOE Example

Any activities can be linked with a Level of Effort activity, so this is not always about “effort”. We could link the Start date of the first piping task to the Finish date of the last piping task and this would give us the overall duration of piping work. But if we tie the Level of Effort activity to something other than the first and last piping tasks we are not describing the overall timeframe for piping correctly. A WBS Summary activity is another option (which we will discuss later) if the only goal is to show a summary bar. Keep in mind, the duration of a WBS Summary activity may be incorrect unless all the activities it summarizes share the same calendar.

 

C. Primavera P6T. , ,

Primavera P6 Professional Version 8.3 Released

Oracle recently released Version 8.3 for both P6 Professional (PPM) and P6 Enterprise (EPPM). Today we will be discussing changes to P6 Professional.

Visualizer

Visualizer is a new feature that supports graphical reporting via customizable Gantt charts and timescaled logic diagrams (TSLDs). The TSLD was initially introduced with Version 8.0 and is now replaced by Visualizer. One of the advantages of a TSLD is the ability to show more than one activity on the same line, which reduces the height of the logic diagram considerably.

In addition to the P6 Professional’s standard graphical features, Visualizer adds the following features:

  • Stack columns and use word wrapping in the Gantt chart
  • Use notebook topics or a list of steps as a bar label or as a field in the activity table
  • Apply various fonts to individual labels and fields
  • Color-code and apply different shapes for bars and endpoints
  • Draw bars on top of each other, for example, to show critical highlighting

Visualizer is a desktop application that can be launched either from within P6 Professional or from the computer’s start menu. It connects directly to the P6 database. This marks the first time users have been able to view project data without launching P6.

After launching Visualizer, users can choose to create or open a TSLD or Gantt chart. Users can also print and manage layouts from inside Visualizer. P6 Professional layouts or Visualizer layouts created by other users can even be imported.

The Gantt chart includes a grid and a bar chart. The grid displays activity information in a table format, similar to the Activity Table in P6 Professional. On the Chart & Grid tab in Layout Options, display the Gantt chart, the grid, or both.

The screen below shows an example of a TSLD in Visualizer with multiple bars per row and critical activities coded in red:

Visualizer TSLD

Discussion Feature

Previously we had the ability to track comments about activities using the Notebook tab in the Activity view. Version 8.3 adds a new Discussion feature that tracks these comments by team member. All comments are dated and labeled with the contributor’s name. Similar to Notebook comments, Discussions are stored electronically with the activities. This is a nice tool for encouraging dialogue and feedback on activities.

Also, we can now add a column called “Unread Comments” to the Activity Table to prompt team members to review the most recent Discussions. Notebook comments, by comparison, can only be shown as a label on an activity bar and do not appear in the Activity Table.

Visualizer Discussion Tool

XML Import/Export Enhancements

P6 Professional Version 8.3 provides a number of enhancements to its XML import/export functionality. Users can now exchange XML project files with previous versions of P6 Professional from Version 6.2 Service Pack 4 (SP4) onward. Also, all features supported by the P6 Professional XER format (constraining of external relationships during import, inclusion of Price/Unit in resource assignments, etc.) are supported in XML format as well.

P6 Professional Version 8.3 also gives users the ability to import or export multiple projects simultaneously. When exporting multiple projects, the projects are combined into a single XML file. Importing multiple projects requires the projects to be contained in a single XML file.

Visualizer Export

Bottom Line – Worth an Upgrade?

Users who have a current support agreement with Oracle can upgrade to Version 8.3 for free. Otherwise, you will have to pay full price to get the newest version. Version 8.3 does have some nice enhancements but they are not worth buying a new license. The TSLD still does not show relationship lags – only the relationship types – despite several upgrades since it was first introduced. Users have been asking for this feature for quite a while. Of course, the Gantt chart does not show the lags either so we will have to wait until, perhaps, Version 8.4 is released.

In the meantime, we will be testing Version 8.3 for bugs. Versions 8.1 and 8.2 tend to crash more often than Version 7.0 (our favorite) so reliability is always a concern. The casual user of P6 would not miss the enhancements found in Versions 8.1 and 8.2 so it once again comes down to whether a free upgrade is available. Certainly, new users should consider Version 8.3 as there is no discount for buying older versions and Version 8.3 is backwards compatible with earlier versions of P6 Professional.

 

 

 

C. Primavera P6T. , , , ,

Have You Visited our YouTube Channel?

Our YouTube channel contains several short videos explaining some of the features of Primavera P6 such as creating portfolios, lookahead filters and baselines. These videos were recorded using the same GoToMeeting software that we use in our live online training programs. However, we do not use any videos in our online training. These classes are always live! The YouTube videos are intended to provide snippets of our training programs only.

Here is the link to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjqAoV6JaNCh7ld2mIvgfdQ?feature=mhee

Nevertheless, we are exploring the option of offering our 4-hour Primavera P6 Quick Start training program in a video format. This would be a series of roughly 15 video lessons that would cover the same subject matter as our live Quick Start P6 program, with the option to call us with any questions up to 30 days later.

My feeling is that our Primavera P6 Quick Start program is an introduction to P6 that would translate well to video lessons. And by making it available on video, clients could access the lessons online whenever they want. I really enjoy teaching the online classes because it is a great opportunity to meet people. Still, the videos would be very convenient.

We are exploring a couple of pricing models for the Primavera P6 Quick Start video program:

  • $200 for access to the online videos, but no live follow-up support
  • $300 for access to the online videos, with 30 days of live support

Our live Primavera P6 Quick Start program is $300, by the way. There will most likely be a limit to accessing the videos online to ensure than the videos are not being watched by people who did not purchase the program. For example, we might have a “time bank” whereby each lesson can only be viewed twice.

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

C. Online Primavera Training, Primavera P6, Primavera TrainingT. , , , ,
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