https://p6primavera.wordpress.com/

P6primavera.wordpress.com/, Khalid Bin Waleed, Dubai (2026)

20/04/2018

WHY ARE YOU NEEDED IN THE ORGANIZATION?

A few years ago, a senior engineer in my organization said, “I don’t think any planning engineers are required in our company. In fact, I believe no planners are required in any company in the middle east.” He was only slightly hesitant to extend his hypothesis to the rest of the world and I was vastly in shock, to say the least. I wasn’t sure which was the bigger insult; implying that my team were worthless to the company or the insinuation that we were a sham and being paid for it.

It shook me up. But it also made me introspect and honestly evaluate whether I and my team were adding value to the company. I started closely monitoring our contributions to various project teams and other departments. It turned out we were actually providing valuable information to the project managers, the senior management, the procurement department and our accounts guys but there was room for improvement. More importantly, the shock motivated me to strive and make my department an integral part of the company. I pushed my team to make themselves indispensable by sincerely trying to make the Project Manager look good by improving project performance any way they could. The reward came when I went to a site to facilitate relocation of a site planner to the main office. The project manager somehow knew why I was there and as soon as I entered his office the first thing he said was not Hello but “Don’t even think about taking Engr. ——- from my site.” It is one of the best greetings I have ever received.

In short, if you are dedicated to your work and can 'honestly prove your value to yourself', the organization will automatically see the value in you.

Regards,
AFS

20/03/2018

FLOAT AND LAG - THE DIFFERENCE

Float is the amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the next task (Free Float) or without delaying the Project Finish (Total Float). Float is mathematically calculated based on the logical sequence of works, including Lag, defined in the schedule, whereas Lag is included on purpose and forms part of work sequence.

Float is a by-product, obtained as a ‘result’ of scheduling. Lag itself is not dependent on Float but can affect it. Float for the same task can change throughout the project duration but Lag remains fixed.

Lag (an interval of time) is ‘introduced’ into the schedule. This element is a part of the schedule logic. Lag is input based on experience or contractual requirements. e.g. form work removal after a certain time period of curing: There will be a pre-determined non-working interval between concrete pouring and form work removal. Sometimes people introduce another activity of curing here, thereby representing the lag itself as an activity. As is obvious and at the risk of sounding repetitive, lag is an inherent component of schedule logic, not a derivative, unlike Float. In the form work example, the sequence of “concreting-curing-form work removal” itself might have float available.

Lag may be positive or negative (also known as Lead).

Examples of positive lags are the non-working gap in concrete curing before form work removal, or a time interval between the commencements of two tasks, i.e. starting the next task after some time of starting the first task. Similarly, in case of negative lag, the next task is started a little before finishing the previous task.

In the image, all activities have zero float and varying lags.

01/03/2018

Sample video 1: EPS - Enterprise Project Structure

25/01/2018

SCHEDULE LOGIC AND NEGATIVE LAGS (LEADS)

Plenty of differing opinions exist both in favor and against the use of Negative Lags, or Leads, are they also called. The most commonly cited one, not in favor of, is the DCMA 14 point check. Some in the middle eastern region also bank upon Aramco standards, QP standard practices, etc.

Not that these referred standards lack in any respect but critical appraisals of these practices also exist.

What any professional planner should do before leaning either way is to realize that these so-called standards are not universally applicable, accepted, or applied. In most cases they are the standards developed by a particular organization to be applied on its own projects. E.g. DCMA came up with those checks because it had a large number of projects being performed by many different contractors, each with their own way of working. So, they had to ‘standardize’ everything, to be able to reconcile all the information in one collective, homogeneous, meaningful whole. Stretching the point further, different contracting companies have their own productivity lists even if they are working in the same region. Does that make one organization’s standard correct and everyone else’s incorrect? Obviously not. They are all correct where they stand. One is free to evaluate logic and decide whether it also works for them or not.

Have we ever wondered what would our stance have been if some of these organizations had found that negative lags were acceptable? Then there would have been critical appraisals of that acceptance. In short, a coin will always have two sides.

Because of this lack of uniformly or universally accepted principles as noted above, I have taken below some references from a most widely known source (repeat – most widely ‘known’, not universally applicable) – PMI: Practice Standard of Scheduling.

I have found PMI’s approach to be very neutral towards both, i.e. neither favoring not discrediting either, while emphasizing logical approach.

* * * - - -
3.4.9: Leads and lags can introduce schedule risk … It is important to have a clear understanding of consequences that leads and lags can have on a schedule model. … judgement is needed to use the correct method best representing the nature of the activity and the lead or lag.
(refer image)

Miscellaneous notes:

The Not Scored components can be present in a schedule model but are not counted in the conformance index.

The Practice Standard for Scheduling offers a broader scope, increased clarity, and an even higher level of ‘consensus’. (Note: consensus is agreement in general, but not necessarily totality).

Good practice does not mean that the knowledge described should always be applied uniformly on all projects.

As is obvious, the PMI is taking a logical approach to the model. In other words, if logic dictates and justifies the use of Lead or Lag, the same can be used, provided the accompanying implications are well understood. Similarly, constraints are not usually advocated but there may be times when their use becomes absolutely justifiable.

The underlying principle in every case should be logic. Because without logic even a simple FS relationship with zero lag may be incorrect.

As engineering professionals, we must always leave the door open for reason and be amenable to understand the other side’s point of view.
- - - * * *

16/11/2017

Store Period Performance:

First create Financial Periods ...

Admin > Financial Period > Add > specify relevant criteria > Close

After updating the schedule with current info, the performance up to this date will be stored.

Tools > Store Period Performance > Select financial period date as required.

Confirm storing of info.

To refer/review stored period performance data:

Edit > User Preferences > Application > Colums > Select financial periods to view > Close.

Go back to Activities view > Columns > Financial Period Value > Select assigned periods > Close after applying.

30/08/2017

How to track daily actual resource allocation (Labor, Non-Labor) and compare it against planned resource allocation:

If one wants to track / compare this info on a daily basis, one needs to display the time scale accordingly. This will provide info regarding planned numbers against the desired time period (daily in this case). Next the daily actual resource numbers (allocation units) are needed, which can be found in site daily reports.

It is pretty unlikely that daily reports would tell exactly how many numbers of which trade were employed at which specific activity. A planner needs to make several rounds all around the site every day (and making notes on drawings/sketches/diary) in order to have this and plenty of other very useful data first hand.

If the analysis is limited to just the numbers without reference to specific activities, it is very easy. Just follow para #1 and that's it.

It is also very rare for a schedule to be updated on a daily basis; normally there is at least a week's update. So if the schedule is not being updated daily, the planned information may be exported in an excel sheet and actual information fed in appropriately to produce desired reports. Else the schedule may be updated every day with actual numbers incorporated under the Resources tab > Actual Units field.

22/08/2017

WHAT IS DATA DATE?

Data Date is the date on which the schedule status is being determined.

For initial schedules it is the project commencement date;

For updates it is the reporting period cut-off date.

e.g. Project-x : start 01-Jan and finish 31-Dec with updates every two weeks.

Baseline (initial schedule), data date = 01-Jan

First Update including progress status for the first two weeks, data date = 15-Jan

Second Update (made on the schedule from First Update) including progress for the next two weeks, data date = 31-Jan
.. and so on.

With every subsequent update the data date (shown as a vertical line on the time scale, usually in blue color) shifts to a later point in time and shows actual accomplishments on its left and remaining work on the right. (refer sample image).

25/07/2017

What are the limitations when using Primavera, MSP and BIM?

This question was posed to me in another forum. Here's my take on it:

Limitations are linked, among other things, to the level of the user’s expertise.

Primavera P6:

* Could use better graphic options when dealing with charts and other visual reports.
* Doesn’t convert all MSP formats to xer.

Apart from these I personally don’t find many other deficiencies or limitations.

MSP:

* Doesn’t work at the enterprise level.
* Severely limited in the number of activities per project.
* Primavera provides ways to shuffle around on-screen activity organization (views) using grouping/sorting besides WBS. This is helpful in a lot of ways and is not an option in MSP.
* Limit on number of baselines (10 or 11 I think) as opposed to no limit in Primavera.
* Activity steps, expenses, risks, issues, work processes & documents, etc. are other areas where Primavera scores over MSP.

BIM:

The term BIM is being used generically in the question. There are several software applications which fall under this category, the same as P6 and MSP fall under the project scheduling software category. The focus of any BIM software is graphics. I personally don’t have much user experience with any of them but what I have seen is they present a kind of detailed holographic database / image of the project. One may click on any major or minute portion to find out the specifications as well as the planned dates and status (of a Window, for instance). However, these applications don’t provide the functionality to ‘develop’ the schedule itself. They have to be linked/synched/programmed with a scheduling application (e.g. P6) in order to generate the nice looking image.

* Comments regarding BIM are based on my own very limited exposure to such applications.

16/07/2017

EARNED VALUE OPTIONS IN ADMIN PREFERENCES

These options enable selection of the manner in which planned values are required to be calculated.

The first one is pretty straightforward - Budgeted Values with Planned Dates :

The first image below shows the allocation of activity duration, units and costs.

When the above schedule is designated the baseline, and is updated midway (Update1, or U1), 50% planned and 20% accomplishment is easily understood, ref. image 2.

In the update process both activities are 20% complete with RD of first activity as 20d and that of the second activity as 10d. This makes the current total (or at complete) duration 22d and 12d, respectively. (Image-2)

Now, if this updated version U1 is applied as a baseline (B2) to U1 then planned values may be calculated based on the updated dates in U1, from actual start to expected finish (i.e. 22d, as explained above).

PV = elapsed duration / total duration * assigned cost = 2 / 22 * 1,000 = 90.91

In order to make the application disregard the original duration (10 days) which is stored in activity data, it has to be specified that “current’ date must be used. This is where we use the option of ‘Budgeted Values with Current Dates’. (Image-3)

The above calculation is wrt changed total (at complete) duration. What about changed total (at complete) cost?

Let’s assume the Remaining Cost (and thereby the At Completion Cost) increases by $200. Meaning At Completion Cost = $ 1,200

In this case, just as the change in manner of calculating the spread of time was specified using Budgeted Values with Current Dates, we will specify the change in spread of cost over time by using the option of “At Completion Values with Current Dates”. (Image-4)

PV = 2 / 22 * 1,200 = $ 109.09

Primavera P6 Expertise https://www.facebook.com/groups/PrimaveraP6Expertise/

16/07/2017

PRIMAVERA P6 EARNED VALUE OPTIONS IN ADMIN PREFERENCES

04/07/2017

Schedule Levels:

Project participants frequently misunderstand the definition of schedule levels, which limits the quality and value of the information provided to the stakeholders and project participants.

Project participants and stakeholders require different types of data and levels of detail relative to their schedule usage.
The project owner or client is most likely to be interested in milestones and facility/feature start and completion dates at a higher or summary level.

Contractors would monitor and control their subcontractors at an intermediate level and control their direct hire project efforts at a much greater level of detail.

Subcontractors and vendors would typically monitor and control their own work at a task list level, even though they will be required to interface with other subcontractors or vendors and report to the construction manager or prime contractor at a higher level.

Ultimately, the project contract documents, terms and conditions will determine the format and content of the project or program schedule levels.

Traditionally the schedule levels have been identified by a numeric designation.

Level 0: This is the total project and could be a single bar spanning from start to finish or a list of major project milestones.

Level 1: Represents the schedule's major components in relation with the milestones.

Level 2: Each major component is subdivided into broad sub-components.

Level 3: The above mentioned sub-components are further divided into smaller components. This is the first level where a meaningful critical path is displayed.

Levels 4 and higher: When operating at higher, more detailed levels, Planners usually work with segments of the total schedule. A segment or portion of particular interest is taken and broken down into great detail (as much as desired) - micro planning. Such exercises are usually done separately (in spreadsheets or as small but highly detailed schedules for the portion under study).

P6primavera.wordpress.com/

20/04/2018

20/03/2018

01/03/2018

25/01/2018

16/11/2017

30/08/2017

22/08/2017

25/07/2017

16/07/2017

16/07/2017

04/07/2017

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category