Lessons Learned - Schedule Updating And Maintenance Using Primavera™

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Lessons Learned – Schedule Updating and Maintenance using Primavera P6™

Hannah E. Schumacher, PSP and Charlie Jackson, PSP ABSTRACT— This paper is a follow-up the authors’ 2010 AACE presentation on Schedule Development Using Primavera P6™. Once the scheduler has developed a schedule in P6™, the next challenge is to keep it accurately maintained and updated.

Many contract documents are now requiring the use of the latest version of Primavera software (P6™) therefore it is important for the scheduler to understand how to use this software most efficiently in their effort to complete their projects in a timely manner. A new or inexperienced user may be overwhelmed in the struggle to maintain and update the schedule using P6™ and its advanced features without proper training or “basic training.”

This paper focuses on the authors’ experiences and their lessons learned regarding the effective use of P6™ in the schedule updating and maintenance process as it applies to the AACE Total Cost Management (TCM) processes for Progress and Performance Management (9.2), Project Performance Assessment (10.1), and Forecasting (10.2). The scheduler should be able to apply the “Lessons Learned” outlined in this paper to update schedules quickly and efficiently using P6™.

2011 AACE INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS

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Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ 2 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Plan .................................................................................................................................................... 3 Update ............................................................................................................................................... 9 Enter Data .......................................................................................................................................... 12 Review and Analyze ........................................................................................................................... 13 Communicate ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 17 References .......................................................................................................................................... 17 List of Figures Figure 1 – Resources can be used to track activity responsibility ........................................................ 5 Figure 2 – Two Week Look-ahead with Progress Spotlight .................................................................. 6 Figure 3 – Multiple baselines can be associated to the ‘Current’ schedule ......................................... 11 Figure 4 – The current schedule can be compared to three User Baselines and the

Overall Project Schedule ................................................................................................... 12 Figure 5 – Scheduling/Leveling Report identifying calculation settings and potential schedule issues . 14 Figure 6 – Layout including columns and baseline overlay bars .......................................................... 15


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Introduction Many contract documents are now requiring the use of the latest version of Primavera software (P6™), therefore it is important for the scheduler to understand how to use this software most efficiently in their effort to complete their projects in a timely manner. A new or inexperienced user may be overwhelmed in the struggle to maintain and update the schedule using P6™ and its advanced features without proper training or “basic training.” This paper will focus on the authors’ experiences and their lessons learned regarding the effective use of P6™ in the schedule updating and maintenance process as it applies to the AACE Total Cost Management (TCM) processes for Progress and Performance Management (9.2), Project Performance Assessment (10.1), and Forecasting (10.2). The Scheduler should be able to apply the “Lessons Learned” outlined in this paper to update schedules quickly and efficiently using P6™. The schedule update process lessons learned are organized into four main steps: PLAN, UPDATE, REVIEW / ANALYZE and COMMUNICATE. Plan Understand Contract and Specification Requirements It is important for the planner/scheduler to understand the contract and specification requirements for schedule updates. These documents should outline frequency of updates, procedures for updates versus revisions, earned value requirements, cost and/or resource status requirements, and change management procedures. These documents may also require specific software to be used. Determine Update Frequency In order to effectively record and measure project progress consideration should be taken as to regularity of updates. Internal company policy, project budgeting constraints, and application usage are factors in establishing schedule update occurrence. Maintaining more frequent records (i.e., weekly) of previous as-built data (based on the required periodic performance updates) establishes greater accuracy of as-built documentation, promotes timely issues resolution/mitigation, enhances the user’s skills in both application and management of the project schedule, and provides a starting point to which the user can return should errors be made in the update process. Regardless of update frequency, an established time of week/month enhances the use of P6™ functionality using Layouts and Reporting tools, as well as predefined filters based on standard rolling dates and the schedule’s Data Date.


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Establish Baseline/Contract Schedule Prior to starting the update process a Baseline or Contract Schedule must be developed and established. “The primary outcome of the schedule development process is an as-planned schedule model that becomes the schedule control baseline for project control plan implementation [1].” The term, ‘Baseline’ typically refers to the accepted as-planned schedule submitted at project inception. Primavera defines a baseline as a “snapshot” of the project plan against which the project’s cost, schedule, and performance can be measured. A baseline can be the project’s as-planned schedule, a statused or periodic as-built schedule, a ‘what-if’ scenario, a time impact analysis, etc. (For users familiar with Primavera P3, ‘targets’ are synonymous with ‘baselines’ in Primavera P6™). Primavera P6™ allows for the creation of ‘infinite’ baselines for comparison to the current schedule and gives each user the ability to assign up to three baselines to the current schedule for data comparisons. The maximum number of baselines per project is established by the Administrator (Admin, Preferences, Data Limits); this setting is Global and applies to all projects in the database. The Administrator can also provide users the right to copy a specified number of baselines when copying the project. Assign Responsibility to Each Activity “One aspect of planning includes assigning specific roles and responsibilities for measuring the progress and performance of each work package [1].” During the schedule development process, the planner/scheduler should assign responsibility to each activity in the schedule. In Primavera P6™, this is easily accomplished through the use of an Activity Code (i.e., Responsibility). Using a responsibility Activity Code allows the scheduler to breakdown activity progress by the trade or crew or individual performing or responsible for the work. Each responsible party can (through the use of filters and layouts) review a report of work progress and effectively plan for near term activities. The scheduler can also more easily identify potential issues and mitigate risks based on performance factors. Activity Codes may be Global (across the Enterprise) or Project (specific to the individual project). It is recommended to use project specific activity codes to avoid corruption of any other Projects in the Enterprise database. Only one Activity Code value can be assigned to an activity (i.e., one responsibility per activity). Another option of tracking responsibility is to assign a Resource to each activity based on trade or crew or individual (as shown in Figure 1); however it must be noted that Resources are always Global. Unlike Activity Code values, multiple resources can be assigned to an activity.


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Figure 1 – Resources Can be Used to Track Activity Responsibility

It should be noted that an activity listing grouped by Activity Code (View menu, Group and Sort by) is an option in the Activity window. However, grouping by Resources is not as functional in the Activity window but available in the Assignments window. Provide training The planner/scheduler should provide training to each responsible party to ensure all parties understand their role in the update process. Training should include details on how to update the schedule, how to review the schedule, and how to add fragnets for change management. “The schedule basis should also include a description of how project control performance will be measured and assessed in respect to the schedule including rules for earning progress and the procedures for evaluating progress and forecasting remaining durations [1].” Training should provide an understanding of the update reports (i.e., short interval schedules based on previous update) and what information is required of each individual to complete these reports (i.e., activity remaining duration/percent complete and impacts and mitigation). Gather data The first step in the update process, prior to any data input, is to gather the data. The planner/scheduler should provide the update report or layout to the team and responsible parties at regularly scheduled intervals based on the frequency of the update process. Suggested information to provide in the update report or layout is: Activity ID, Activity Name, Original Duration, Remaining Duration, Total Float, Start, Finish, Actual Start, Actual Finish, Blank column for remarks. It is also helpful to include columns for Predecessor and Successors. A useful feature in Primavera P6™ is the Progress Spotlight Option in the Activities window. By selecting Progress Spotlight, the schedule layout is highlighted to a specific time period (based on the Timescale minimum time increment). For monthly updates, it is useful to highlight two months; for weekly updates, it is useful to highlight two weeks (as shown in Figure 2). This will provide the planner/scheduler with data for one time-period of actual dates plus one time-period of forecasted dates/logic.


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Figure 2 – Two Week Look-Ahead With Progress Spotlight.

Each of the responsible parties should fill out their respective scope of work on the update sheet. In the Activities window, the layout can be sorted by responsible party using Group, Sort options (located under the View menu) and selecting the appropriate Responsibility activity code. In the Activity Assignments view, the layout can be sorted by resource using Group, Sort options. Hold a Job Site Visit/Update Meeting and Validate Data It is extremely important to hold an update meeting, preferably at the jobsite to review and validate the dates and documentation given. This ‘walk through’ should be conducted prior to or during the update process to validate information provided by the responsible parties. “…those with project control responsibility should spot check the work progress and performance measurements to some extent (i.e., informal work sampling, questioning responsible leaders, etc.) to ensure that the data being received and reviewed are reliable, appropriate, and understood [1].” The planner/scheduler should walk the project site to ensure the dates provided match progress in the field and clarify any questions they may have with the responsible team member(s). “A risk to be aware of with progress measurements and schedules for payment based on progress is that contractors responsible for work packages can benefit financially by over-reporting progress and/or assigning too much money for payment for work that is performed early in the project [1].” Any critical slippage should be noted and plans (if applicable) of mitigation should be documented.


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Understand P6™ Settings That Affect Updates With the data in hand and validated, the planner/scheduler is now ready to update the schedule in Primavera P6™. At this point it is important to have an understanding of the various software settings. These settings include security access settings, percent complete types, duration types, calculation settings, resource settings, multiple projects, layouts (reports), and filters. Security Access Settings “At implementation, information security mechanisms must be established to control who may enter, change, delete, view, or otherwise use data and information in and from the database. In addition, the interaction/interface of owner, supplier, and contractor systems must be considered and resolved [1].” Based on the Organizational Breakdown Structure (the hierarchical structure used to establish project responsibility/security) read/write access can be defined down to the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) level. Security settings are established by the Administrator (Admin, Security Profiles). Percent Complete Types Activity progress is measured based on an activity’s remaining duration and/or its percent complete. By default P6™ calculates one from the other using the Duration percent option or (Original Duration – Remaining Duration)/Original Duration. However based on project type and/or contract restrictions an activity’s duration may not be allowed to calculate the activity’s percent complete. In these cases, P6™ provides the option of Physical percent or manually entered percentage of work complete. These settings should be defined as default to all activities at the project level (Project Details, Defaults tab). Defining the activity percent complete type determines the role of percent complete at the activity level.

Duration percent complete - direct correlation/calculation with Original and Remaining Durations.

Units percent complete - direct correlation/calculation with Budgeted and Actual Units.

Physical percent complete - no correlation with either Original and Remaining Durations nor Budgeted and Actual Units.

Regardless of the percent complete type, P6™ assigns 100% complete when an activity has an assigned Actual Finish date. Duration Types Typically, a project can be subdivided into four phases: Initial Phase, Planning Phase, Execution Phase, and Closeout Phase. The level of incorporating estimated work durations based on production factors may change dependent on the phase of the project. As scope of work is being defined, production rates and durations are estimated. Duration can then be based on these estimates. However, once the scope has been clearly defined and the project duration established, production rates are typically monitored in order to maintain successful project completion.


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Defining the activity Duration type determines the use of production rates and how they affect progressed durations. There are four Duration Types to consider:

Fixed Units and Duration – established Budgeted Units and Duration calculate the Units/Time production rate. Typically used after contract award and during execution phases.

Fixed Units/Time and Duration – established Units/Time production rates and Duration calculate the projected Budgeted Units. This Duration Type is used when established Budgeted Quantities are not assigned but are secondary to the Duration and the Production Rate (i.e., Time and Material Schedule).

The last two Duration Types are typically used during the Initial Phase or constructability phase to calculate durations based on either Budgeted Units or Units per Time.

Fixed Units – established Budgeted Units calculate the Duration based on defined Units/Time production rates.

Fixed Units/Time – established Units/Time production rates calculate Duration based on desired Budgeted Units.

These settings are based on resource definition and settings both at the resource and project levels. The last two options, Fixed Units and Fixed Units/Time (typically used to prepare a ‘constructability’ schedule), calculate Duration based on the settings within the Project Details. Activity Types There are six activity types within P6™ that define the role of the activity:

Task Dependent – the activity’s duration over time is calculated using the activity’s base calendar. Most activities in the typical construction schedule are task dependent.

Resource Dependent – the activity’s duration over time is calculated using the resources’ calendars.

Start Milestone – a starting event with no duration and no finish date.

Finish Milestone – a finishing event with no duration and no start date. Most contracts will define a Start Milestone (example: Notice to Proceed) and a Finish Milestone (example: Substantial Completion).

Level of Effort – the activity’s duration is calculated based on the relationship with its predecessor and successor activities. Typical usage of a Level of Effort type of activity is similar to that of what was a ‘Hammock’ in P3™ and SureTrak™.

WBS Summary – the activity’s duration is calculated based on the level of WBS within which the activity is located.

Calculation Settings When calculating actual dates and project progress, P6™ applies certain rules which affect the process outcome (Tools menu, Schedule, Options). When external relationships exist to and from other projects, the option to ignore these ‘external’ relationships will determine whether those relationships affect the currently opened schedule. (Note: If this option is not selected when importing/exporting files from other databases, P6™ preserves External dates based on the external relationships.)


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P6™has an option to apply Expected Finish dates to activities to calculate activity completions. This can be used for long lead procurement items or when a completion date determines the activity’s duration. In P6™ there are three options available when scheduling progressed activities: retained logic, progress override, and actual dates. Each of these settings affects the way the scheduled dates are calculated in an update and are important for the Scheduler to understand. The Retained Logic setting maintains the as-built sequence of activities regardless of actual work. With the Progress Override setting the activity logic sequence can be overridden based on actual work. The direct predecessor activity’s dates (Remaining Early) drive those successor activities which have not started. When the predecessor is assigned an Actual Finish, the activity’s dates (Remaining Early) are driven by the Data Date. When the activity has an Actual Start, its Remaining Duration drives the Remaining Early Finish. The Actual Dates setting allows for future actualized activity dates to calculate sequence. Resource Settings P6™ calculates resource actuals (units/cost) based on the settings defined at the Resource level (Resource Details) and Project level (Project Details). Update By default P6™ allows for multiple user access to any schedule (dependent on user access and licensing) within the database. The access in which a schedule is opened is determined at under the File menu, Open, Access Mode (Exclusive / Shared / Read Only). If a project is selected from the Project Window, by highlighting the project, right clicking and selecting Open Project, the file is opened in ‘Shared’ mode. However, when statusing schedule performance it is best to access the scheduling using the ‘Exclusive’ mode to prevent other users from overriding progressed data. Importing and Configuring ‘Outside’ Information When importing external or outside schedule data there are several considerations regarding database setup and import configurations. It is recommended importing external data into a ‘sandbox’ or intermediary database to confirm the data contained in the outside schedule whether required or unnecessary global data is contained within the data. Once the data is verified then the schedule file(s) can be imported into a production database. During the import process the user is prompted to select whether to create a new file, replace an existing schedule, or to update an existing schedule. Replacing the schedule will erase what was contained in the database with the outside schedule. Updating the schedule will modify the existing file with data from the outside schedule. The final step in the import process is the import configuration utility. The default template provided is typically used when importing new data that does not exist in the database. However, if there are items which exist in the current database the default template may need to be altered. There are five settings to consider when altering the import configuration:


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Action If the data exists in the current database:

If the data does NOT exist in the current database

Do not Import The specified data is not imported. No changes are made to the existing schedule. Note: The rule above applies to all project data except resources when importing P3 projects. When importing P3 projects, any resource data that has a matching resource in the P3 project will be updated. Resource data that exists in the P3 project but does not exist in the current database will not be imported.

The data is not imported.

Insert New All data is imported into the current database. No changes are made to existing data in the current database.

Data is added to the database.

Keep Existing When using the option, Update existing project, this option will keep existing data when duplicates are encountered. When adding duplicate data into the existing project, the data associated with the record being imported is inserted as a new record to the current database. No changes are made to the existing record in the current database.

New data is added to the database.

Update Existing When updating the existing project, duplicate data will be overridden with the outside schedule.

New data is added to the database.

Delete When outside data does not exist in the current database, the current data will be deleted.

Not applicable

Maintain Baseline (of Previous Update) Prior to updating schedule data, the previous version should be saved or ‘maintained’ as a Baseline to track schedule modifications (slippage, accelerations) and changes to the project’s critical path. Using the ‘Maintain Baseline’ options (as shown in Figure 3) provided by the application (Activity Window,


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Project, Maintain Baseline), P6™ renames the previous version or Baseline using the schedules current Project Name ‘- B1, B2, etc.’ As P6™ allows for innumerable baselines or versions the nomenclature should be renamed specific to the version being saved (i.e., – Update as of Data Date, Contract Schedule version 01, What-If as of Data Date, etc.).

Figure 3 – Multiple Baselines Can Be Associated to the ‘Current’ Schedule

Rename File Once the Baseline has been ‘maintained’, the current schedule should be renamed to a new version (i.e., EX00 should be renamed to EX01). It is helpful to indicate whether this file is a draft, final, what-if, etc. in the file name or by using a Project Code to indicate status. P6™ allows the Scheduler the ability to copy the current schedule as a Reflection. The Reflection copy can then be altered or updated and then merged back into the current schedule. A word of caution when using this feature: the following data items, when deleted in the Reflection copy, will not be deleted in the current schedule during the merge: Activities, Relationships, Resource Assignments, WBS elements, Work Products and Documents, Project Expenses, Project Issues, and Project Risks. These data elements would need to be manually deleted from the current schedule following the merge. (Oracle Knowledgebase ID 908732.1) Assign and Compare Baselines As previously mentioned, P6™ allows for multiple Baselines associated to a single schedule. Baseline comparisons can be affected by the standard or default settings (Admin menu, Earned Value, Earned Value Calculation) within P6™. The settings determine which baseline dates will be used for comparison, either planned or current (Start/Finish) dates. The default setting to use Budgeted Values with planned dates will use baseline planned dates for comparison. To use baseline Start/Finish, select either option to use current dates (dependent on whether to use At Completion values or Budgeted values).


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In a network environment users can view and compare up to three Baseline versions as well as the overall project schedule (typically the Contract Schedule) to the open schedule using the Assign Baseline option (Activity Window, Project, Assign Baseline). The Project Baseline is defined to all users and is the standard baseline for comparison. It is typically the case (as shown in Figure 4) that the ‘Project Baseline’ be the approved contract schedule. The three User Baselines are determined by each user based on their needs for comparison. The user ‘Primary Baseline’ allows for dates, resource, etc. comparisons while the ‘Secondary Baseline’ and ‘Tertiary Baseline’ versions compare date information only.

Figure 4 – The Current Schedule Can be Compared to Three User Baselines and the Overall Project Baseline. Enter Data

Enter status (dates, percent complete, resources, costs) “Schedule performance assessment starts by entering the actual start, finish, and milestone achievement dates in the project schedule (usually using scheduling software) [1].” “If earned value techniques are used, the percent complete information is also documented for each activity. However, schedule performance is based on the remaining duration needed to complete the work of the activity; which is then used to evaluate the percent of schedule completion [1].” Prior to statusing the schedule in P6™, the scheduler must ensure that time is shown (Edit menu, User Preferences, Dates, Time). If times are not shown, the software may enter incorrect start and finish times. The scheduler should enter all actual start dates, actual finish dates, percent completes, remaining durations, resources and costs from the data provided by the team members. Each activity with an actual date (start and/or finish) should be marked as Start/Finish and the date Start/Finish should be entered. If Resource settings allow for auto-calculation the resource actuals will be updated, otherwise, enter the actuals for each resource assigned to the activity.


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Once the actual information is entered, the schedule can be calculated using the new Data Date (Tools menu, Schedule). In P6™ there is an option to ‘Schedule automatically when a change affects dates,’ it is recommended that this option be unselected when statusing the actuals to improve speed and efficiency of the program. Once calculated, the schedule should be reviewed to ensure the data was entered correctly (refer to the section Review and Analyze). After the schedule has been reviewed and is acceptable as a project schedule update, the schedule may be saved as a Baseline (with ‘Status Only’ included in the title) prior to entering any new activities and revised logic. There are other options for updating activity progress based on work performance. If work performance has occurred based on scheduled projections, P6™ allows the user the option to Apply Actuals (Tools menu, Apply Actuals) and Update Progress (Tools menu, Update Progress). Activity actuals and percent complete will be automatically statused based on projected performance up to the new Data Date. Note of caution that Apply Actuals and Update Progress options use Planned Dates (Planned Start/Planned Finish) versus scheduled Start/Finish or Early Dates which may be different; this setting can cause defined Actual Dates to be changed. Enter Revisions/Forecast (Activities, Durations, Logic) “Schedule forecasting starts with the statused network schedule. If changes or trends have been identified, the plan and schedule for the work scope remaining is then developed using the methods of the schedule planning and development process. The project schedule forecast is then revised reflecting the current status integrated with the schedule for the remaining work scope. The revised schedule must consider the performance and productivity to date, resource allocation, any improvement or corrective actions proposed, and risk factors. Creating a revised schedule entails the schedule development steps, and therefore is done only infrequently when conditions invalidate the planned schedule because it can no longer be attained. If no changes or trends have been identified, and the project status is as planned, the schedule forecast is simply the existing schedule [1].” At this point, the scheduler should enter any new activities, delete activities and revise logic and/or durations based on information provided by the team. The schedule should be recalculated with the new data date and reviewed to ensure the data was entered correctly. The schedule can be saved as a Baseline (with ‘Revision’ added to the title) to monitor variances to the ‘status only’ update as well as the previous update and Project Baseline schedule. Review and Analyze Review and Verify Data Input (Scheduler Self-Check) After inputting the data and prior to distributing any draft schedule layout or reports to the team, the planner/scheduler should do a self-check of the data input and logic. When performing the schedule calculation (Tools menu, Schedule) a log report (shown in Figure 5) identifying calculation settings and potential schedule issues can be created and reviewed.


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Figure 5 – Scheduling/Leveling Report Identifying Calculation Settings and Potential Schedule Issues Some items that should be reviewed are open ends (activities without Predecessors and/or Successors), dangling relationship ties (Start-to-Start and/or Finish-to-Finish ties without a Successor and/or Predecessor), incorrect and non-overlapping lag ties (Start-to-Start lag that exceeds the activity duration or Finish-to-Finish lag that exceeds the successor duration would result in gaps in the sequence), out-of-sequence progress (incorrect logic based on actualized progress), actual dates in the future (actual status after the Data Date), incorrect times( start/finish times not set according to the calendar day start/finish times), activities on the data date (verify predecessor logic), excessive float values (based on Contract Duration and allowable float), and negative float (verify cause and responsibility as well as contractual requirements for demonstrating and supporting work impacts). New activities should be reviewed for durations and relationships, as well as impact to the overall plan. The planner/scheduler should review the critical path and near critical path to make sure they are reasonable. The entire schedule should be reviewed to identify any areas of concern such as constructability issues and stacking of trades. Standard and customized Primavera P6™ filters (Activity Window, View menu, Filters) and reports can be used to check for many of these items. It is extremely helpful to use Claim Digger and/or a third party review software such as Schedule Analyzer for the Enterprise to assist in the self-check review. The planner/scheduler should identify any questions and items of concern and review them with the appropriate team members. Compare to Previous Update and Contract Schedule It is useful to compare the current update to the previous update and/or Contract Schedule. “The schedule assessment is usually reported using a schedule plot (e.g., a bar chart) showing the planned (i.e., target) and actual schedule activity status [1].”


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In Primavera P6™, the planner/scheduler can create a comparison layout by assigning the appropriate baseline(s) (Project menu, Assign Baseline) and selecting the Baseline bars (View, Bars) and Baseline data columns. The planner/scheduler must be aware that varying Baseline Types (Project Baseline versus User Baselines – Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary) will allow for varying levels of data (Primary will allow for more data than Secondary. Likewise, Secondary will allow for more data comparison than Tertiary). “Schedule performance variance may be expressed as either the amount of time or the percent of the planned duration that the schedule is ahead or behind [1].” In Primavera P6™ the earned value calculation settings (Admin Preferences menu, Earned Value) will determine how variances are calculated. The options are: At Completion values with current dates, Budgeted values with current dates and Budgeted values with planned dates. In a standard comparison of current and baseline data, it is recommended that “Budgeted values with current dates” option be used. The setting is global, not project specific, and affects all projects in the database. A useful comparison schedule layout (shown in Figure 6) includes the following columns: Calendar, Activity ID, Activity Name, Start, Finish, Baseline Start, Baseline Finish, Original Duration, Actual Duration, Remaining Duration, Baseline Actual Duration, Baseline Remaining Duration, Total Float, Free Float, Baseline Total Float, Baseline Free Float, Variance Baseline Start Date, Variance Baseline Finish Date, Predecessors, Successors, Critical. This layout should include the current schedule and baseline schedule bars to graphically display variances from the Baseline.

Figure 6 - Layout Including Columns and Baseline Overlay Bars


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Review Logic Reports/Layouts and Changes Made The planner/scheduler should provide the team with logic reports and layouts as “the schedule will also be assessed to determine if the logic for the remaining work is still valid (e.g., is the actual performance now out of sequence). This observation, along with cost, resource, productivity, and work process and performance assessments (i.e., trends) will be used in the forecasting process to evaluate the plan and schedule for remaining work, and to address trends and changes [1].” The planner/scheduler and team should review the logic and changes made during the update; these can be quickly identified through the use of Claim Digger (Tools, Claim Digger) and/or third party software such as Schedule Analyzer for the Enterprise. Finalize and Maintain Baseline (of This Finalized Update) Once the entire team has reviewed and approved the draft update (this may take several drafts), the planner/scheduler should finalize the update. The file should be maintained as a Baseline in Primavera P6™ (Project, Maintain Baseline, Save Copy), exported and backed up to a safe location. “The change management process, in integration with the forecasting process, results in a revised project control baseline against which performance will be measured and assessed for the remaining project [1].” Communicate “It is also a project control responsibility to keep those responsible for the work packages appraised of the approved control baselines and current forecasts [1].” Layouts The planner/scheduler must provide the team with various layouts and reports to communicate the updated plan. Some useful layouts that can be created in Primavera P6™ include bar chart layouts, look ahead schedules, critical path and near critical path sorts, and responsibility sorts. Each of these layouts may be saved as ‘Global’ (available to all projects in the database), ‘User’ (available only to the user) and ‘Project’ (specific only to the project). Reports “To help assess management priorities, additional schedule status reports may include lists of activities sorted by pending planned start dates (activities requiring immediate attention), pending planned finish dates, or by total float (activities with most immediate potential impact to project completion [1].” Primavera P6™ contains many standard schedule, resource and cost reports as well as ‘Report Editor’ and ‘Report Wizard’ tools which the Scheduler can use to create customized reports.


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Conclusion Many contract documents are now requiring the use of the latest version of Primavera software (P6™) therefore it is important for the scheduler to understand how to use this software most efficiently in their effort to maintain and to complete their projects in a timely manner. A new or inexperienced user may be overwhelmed in the struggle to maintain and update the schedule using P6™ and its advanced features without proper training or “basic training.” The scheduler should be able to apply the “Lessons Learned” outlined in this paper to update schedules quickly and efficiently using P6™. REFERENCE 1. Total Cost Management Framework – A Process for Applying the Skills and Knowledge of Cost

Engineering, 1st Edition, Chapter 7.2 Schedule Planning and Development, pages 129-138; Chapter 8.1 Project Control Plan Implementation, pages 175-180; Chapter 9.2 Progress and Performance Management, pages 189-196; Chapter 10.1 Project Performance Assessment, pages 199-208; Chapter 10.2 Forecasting, pages 209-214; and Chapter 10.3 Change Management, pages 215-222, AACE International, Morgantown, WV, 2006.

Hannah E. Schumacher, PSP

Kitchell Contractors [email protected]

Charlie Jackson, PSP

Hill International, Inc. [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Lessons Learned - Schedule Updating And Maintenance Using Primavera™

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