Tips Tricks with Version Six (Client)

Don Louser PMP, PMA Consultants LLC

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What we have for you today...

Whats New in Client v. 6.0 (Slides 1-20)

Use of Indicators (Slide 21)
Global Changes De-status the Schedule (Slides 22-26)
Global Changes Change WBS from Filters (Slide 27)
Export and Importing Projects (Slides 28-39)
Project details that are often forgotten (Slides 40-42)
Renumbering Activities (Slides 43-45)
Building your Schedule Making a List (Slides 46-47)
Building your Schedule - Linking Shortcuts (Slide 48)
The Schedule Report (Slides 49-52)
Lag Calendars (Slides 53-54)
3

What we have for you today (cont.)...

Fragnets

(Slides 55-58)
Coding and WBS Shortcuts (Slides 59-63)
Finding and Filtering Activities (Slides 64-65)
Roles and Resource Loading (Slides 66)
Schedule Crashing Basics (Slides 67-68)
Advanced Layouts For Communication (Slides 69-71)
Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting (Slides 72-76)
Exporting and Importing Layouts/Reports (Slide 77)
Add Bar-charts & Graphics to Reports (Slides 78-83)
Working with Baselines (Slides 84-91)
4

Whats New Reflection Projects

Power with Simplicity !!!

A Reflection is a Copy of a Project that enhances Your Ability to

What If or Update Your Project

Same Name What If Internal Link to Source Baseline

Timesheet Data Activity Owner

Activity Owner make changes via .xer or Web

Review & Change or Merge As Is (Check Boxes)

Merge Will Not remove Activities, Resource Assignments, WBS

Elements, Work Products & Docs, Expenses, Issues or Risks if
deleted from Reflection
DEMO
5

Whats New - Create Reflection Project

Making Changes to Reflection Projects

Use to test Scenarios or Update Project

Send w/Project Specific Layout to Others to Update
Import/Export just like any other Project file
Activity Owner designate Owner w/Required Web
License & Privileges to Update/Change
Admin or Project Superuser gets last shot to
Review/Correct before merging back into Source Project

Merge Will Not remove Activities, Resource Assignments, WBS

Elements, Work Products & Docs, Expenses, Issues or Risks if
deleted from Reflection

Merging Reflection into Source Project

Close all Projects

Go to Projects Table Select Reflection Project

Right Click Merge Reflection into Source Project

Merging Reflection into Source Project

Merging Reflection into Source Project

10

Merging Reflection into Source Project

11

Whats New Future Bucket Planning

Redistribute Even Distribution of Budgeted Units

Editable Security Privilege
Duration Type Must be Fixed Duration & Units, or Fixed
Duration & Units/Time
Use Resource Spreadsheet or Resource Assignment
In Future Bucket Period type or change Values as
Needed
12

Whats New Future Bucket Planning

Day 1
Even Spread
Future Bucket

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

TOTAL

40

8A

8A

4A

10R

10R

40

Assuming Daily TS P5 spread evenly

Actual levels of work may vary
Example shows 20 A units in 3 days
Remaining needs to be adjusted
Two remaining buckets reflect adjustment
Activity Adjusted must have Fixed Duration & Units, orFixed
Duration & Units/Time
Use Resource Spreadsheet to adjust future bucket period

13

Edit Future Bucket Security

14

Whats New Group & Sort Dialog

New Checkbox for Show Group Totals, Shrink Vertical Bands

SHOW PIX & EXPLAIN

15

Whats New - Search in Pop-Up Dialog and Type Ahead in

Drop Down

SHOW PIX & EXPLAIN

16

Whats New - Copy Baselines

Checkbox in Copy Project Options

Copy Baselines Dialog

# Copies Controlled by New Setting in Admin Preferences

17

Admin preferences Setting for Copying Baselines

18

Whats New - Role Limits

Similar to Limits for Resources

Effective Date and Max Units/Time

19

Whats new Project Specific Layouts (Yeah!)

Layout with Filter when Project Exported

Reduces Need for Global Layouts

Only Global and Layout Filters will Restrict Use

Expanded & Collapsed Bars & Row Height Setting when switching between layouts
and Windows (Yeah!)

20

Use of Indicators

21

Useful Global Changes

De-Status the Schedule
Re-create a Baseline, Copy an Existing Schedule
that has Been Progressed
Project Detail Calculations Tab =

Any Actual Units that Exist Must be set to 0

See Actual Units Slide

Run 2 Global Changes to Reset Activities to Not Started

See De-Progress GCs

Make any Needed Changes and Reschedule

Skip
22

Useful Global Changes

De-Status the Schedule (cont.)

Actual
Work
Units
Go Back

23

Useful Global Changes

De-Status the Schedule (cont.)

De-Status
the GCs

Go Back

24

Errors?
Sometimes...

An Activity may have a Unit without a

Resource Assigned...

25

Useful Global Changes

De-Status the Schedule (cont.)

Set Cols
for All
Units
Delete
Manually,
or Use
the FillDown
Feature

26

Useful Global Changes

Change WBS Based on Filters

27

Exporting and Importing Projects

Primavera PM/MM (.xer)
MS Project
Project Planner (P3)
Spreadsheet (.xls)
Primavera Contractor 4.1 (.xer)

28

Exporting and Importing Projects Spreadsheet (.XLS)

1. Select Items for Export

2. Separate Sheet for Each Item

29

Exporting and Importing Projects Spreadsheet (.XLS)

(cont.)

3. Select a Project (it must be open)

30

Exporting and Importing Projects Spreadsheet (.XLS)

(cont.)

4. Establish Templates for each Item

31

Exporting and Importing Projects Spreadsheet (.XLS)

(cont.)

5. Certain items are mandatory, and you can filter & sort

32

Exporting and Importing Projects Spreadsheet (.XLS)

(cont.)

6. Select any or all templates

33

Exporting and Importing Projects Spreadsheet (.XLS)

(cont.)

7. Select the file path and name

34

Exporting and Importing Projects Spreadsheet (.XLS)

(cont.)

8. Confirm before you finish

35

Exporting and Importing Projects (cont.)

One Worksheet Per Subject

36

Exporting and Importing Projects (cont.)

Caution! Dont Edit this Sheet

37

Importing Projects

Importing is a Snap!

38

Importing Projects (cont.)

39

Project details that are often forgotten

40

Project details that are often forgotten

41

Project details that are often forgotten

42

Renumbering Activities
Many GCs like Intelligent IDs
CSI Code Bldg Floor
Establish UDF (Activity) or Activity Code
Put in Column in Layout
Type Codes in Column
Use Global Change
Codes Become Activity IDs

43

Renumbering Activities (cont.)

Leave Blank

44

Renumbering Activities (cont.)

For those a bit more familiar with (GCs)
Create Activity Code
Add Activity Code column in Layout
Fill Column
Create GCs that add suffix for Bldg & Floor

45

Building your schedule Making a list

46

Building your schedule Making a list

47

Building your schedule Linking shortcuts

<Ctrl-Click> the
order to link the
activities, then
<right-click> your
mouse and choose
Link Activities.
They are now
linked in the order
you clicked on
them.

48

Building your schedule The Schedule Report

When you schedule your project, dont forget to choose Log to file and
click on the ellipsis to specify the location of the schedule.txt file.
Always view the log to spot errors.

49

Building your schedule The Schedule Report

50

Building your schedule The Schedule Report

51

Building your schedule The Schedule Report

52

Lag Calendars and Schedule Result - Version 5.0

=
53

Lag Calendars

Reschedule

This has been

changed in v
6.0 to default to
the predecessor

54

Fragnets

Time Saving why recreate the wheel?

Building a Single Schedule
Modifying Many Schedules
Create New or Modify Existing
New = As You Would New Project
Modify = Delete from Existing
WBS is the Key to Integration

55

2 Projects

Fragnets (cont.)
Move to 2 WBS elements

Modify a template with a Fragnet

To Here
From Here

56

Fragnets (cont.)

Objective Add 22 new Activities in Template

to 2 WBS Nodes

Copy the Template as Fragnet, Delete All Activities

Except those to Remain in Planning & Design
WBS Nodes

Add the 22 New Activities & All Links to Fragnet

Open Template & Fragnet

Delete All Activities in Planning & Design Template

WBS Nodes

Select & Copy All Fragnet Activities

57

Fragnets (cont.)

Paste into one of the empty Template Nodes

(Preserves all Links)
Control-Click all Activities to be moved to other Node
<Ctrl-X> (Cut)
<Ctrl-V> (Paste) into other Node
Re-establish any Links from 2 Nodes to others
Use Template to create new Schedules
58

Coding and WBS Shortcuts

Here is one persons Layout

59

Coding and WBS Shortcuts (cont.)

60

Coding and WBS Shortcuts (cont.)

61

Coding and WBS Shortcuts (cont.)

Here. the work is

organized by WBS1
and Level

62

Coding and WBS Shortcuts (cont.)

Here, the work is

organized only by
Level

63

Finding and Filtering Activities

Unleash the power of Find with <Ctrl-F>

64

Finding and Filtering Activities (cont.)

65

Roles and Resource Loading

Roles are placeholders for Resources that are not yet

assigned.
Roles allow teams to be assigned quickly to project
activities, once the resource team is identified.
Only resources for roles that are unfilled are shown in
the assign resources for roles dialogue box.
<Shift-Click> and <Ctrl-Click> can be used to select
the activities being assigned resources by roles.
A project team could be assigned to all of the
projects activities at once.

66

Schedule Crashing Basics

28 Days
Total Duration

67

Schedule Crashing Basics (cont.)

Assume We Need to Reduce Duration by 5 Days

28 Days Total
Duration

68

Advanced Layouts to
Enhance Communication

User Defined Fields

Bring in Related Data from Other Sources
Tabular + Graphic Presentation

69

Advanced Layouts to
Enhance Communication (cont.)

User Defined
Random Data

Schedule Data

70

Advanced Layouts to
Enhance Communication (cont.)

71

Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting

72

Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting

73

Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting

74

Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting

75

Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting

76

Exporting and Importing

Layouts and Reports

.plf filename
extension

77

BC1

Adding Barchart Graphics to Reports

1. Create a layout that you want to print in your report

2. From the tool menu or print preview, choose Publish
3. Choose the directory for the report
4. Open a notebook topic and insert the graphic
5. Include that notebook topic in your tabular report
6. Run the report

78

Slide 78
BC1

Please doublecheck first bullet. Thanks, BC

Bill Camarda, 10/17/2006

Adding Barchart Graphics to Reports (cont.)

Publish to HTML

From the Tool menu or Print

Preview, choose Publish

79

Adding Graphics to Reports

80

Adding Graphics to Reports (cont.)

Click on the
Picture Icon,
and browse for
a graphic file to
insert into the
Notebook topic

81

Adding Graphics to Reports (cont.)

82

83

Working with Baselines

Baselines are an established method of tracking progress and measuring results
When you first begin using Baselines, you may see some strange results that are difficult to diagnose
Baselines can refer to either the Current Project or another Project
How can you know which, without opening?

84

Working with Baselines (cont.)

Sort

Add a
Baseline
Column
?

Why Alpha Prefix?

Baseline Code
Project
Date
Resp

Sort by BL
Name

85

Working with Baselines (cont.)

Are we a year
ahead?

Is the Current
Schedule
Ahead or
Behind the
Original Plan?

86

Working with Baselines (cont.)

Something is Wrong?

Summarized
Dates

MAGIC!

87

Working with Baselines (cont.)

Perform a
Global
Change
on a
Baseline

88

Working with Baselines (cont.)

PL Strt = Start (Milestone): If = SM, Then, PS = Start

Here are
the
details...

3
89

Working with Baselines (cont.)

Here are
the changes

90

Questions?

91