2012 AACE® INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS

PS.827

Schedule Levels – Structure, Example and

Method of Preparation in Primavera
Syd Daneshyar, PE

ABSTRACT— Five different EPC schedules, from executive to task level, have been defined and
are being used in different types of projects. Still, there are no examples to address the exact
definition of each schedule level and make it more understandable. In the planning and
scheduling world, everyone has their own understanding of how to define and prepare certain
schedule levels from different levels of available details. The challenge is to prepare higher
schedule levels from lower levels by using Primavera as the scheduling software of choice. In
order to create different schedule levels, using level of effort (LOE) activities in a pre-built WBS
structure is discussed in detail.

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Table of Contents
Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
Literature Review ........................................................................................................................ 3
Definitions ................................................................................................................................... 3
EPC Overall Schedule Structure .................................................................................................. 4
EPC Level 1 Schedule ................................................................................................................... 4
EPC Level 2 Schedule ................................................................................................................... 5
EPC Level 3 Schedule ................................................................................................................... 6
EPC Level 4 Schedule ................................................................................................................... 8
EPC Level 5 Schedule ................................................................................................................... 9
Schedule Levels Presentation Techniques in Primavera ............................................................ 11
Technique #1 - Using Activity Codes (Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3) ........................................... 11
Technique #2 - Collapse Schedule .............................................................................................. 11
Technique #3 - Using WBS Summary Tasks ................................................................................ 11
Technique #4 - Using LOE Activities in Prebuilt Primavera WBS Structure ................................ 11
Generate Schedule Levels in Primavera ..................................................................................... 11
Using LOE Activities ..................................................................................................................... 12
Using WBS ................................................................................................................................... 12
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 14
References ................................................................................................................................... 15

List of Figures
Figure 6-1 — EPC Level 1 Schedule Example ............................................................................... 5
Figure 7-1 — EPC Level 2 Schedule Example ............................................................................... 6
Figure 8-1 — EPC Level 3 Schedule Example ............................................................................... 7
Figure 9-1 — EPC Level 4 Schedule Example ............................................................................... 9
Figure 10-1 — EPC Level 5 Schedule Example ............................................................................. 10
Figure 12-1 — Schedule Levels in Primavera EPS ........................................................................ 13
Figure 12-2 — Using Primavera’s WBS ........................................................................................ 14

List of Tables
Table 5-1 — EPC Overall Schedule Structure ............................................................................... 4
Table 6-1 — EPC Level 1 Schedule Structure ............................................................................... 5
Table 7-1 — EPC Level 2 Schedule Structure ............................................................................... 6
Table 8-1 — EPC Level 3 Schedule Structure ............................................................................... 7
Table 9-1 — EPC Level 4 Schedule Structure ............................................................................... 8
Table 10-1 — EPC Level 5 Schedule Structure ............................................................................. 10
Table 12-1 — Project Stages and Activity Type ........................................................................... 12

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Introduction
The AACE Recommended Practice 37R-06,for schedule levels, is used as framework to provide
more description and understanding with tangible examples for different levels of EPC
schedules [1]. The lowest schedule level can be provided based on the level of available details
and degree of project definition [2]. The purpose of this paper is to present one methodology
for defining levels of schedules for the EPC environment. The EPC Level 1 schedule summarizes
the overall project for client and management. The EPC Level 2 schedule shows the EPC
activities under the highest level of a project’s WBS. The EPC Level 3 schedule shows EPC
activities under packages while the EPC Level 4 shows them under deliverables and tasks. AACE
Recommended Practice 37R-06 introduced four EPC schedule levels; however, the EPC Level 5
is recommended to support more detailed level of schedule under tasks and deliverables if
required. The tables 7-1 to 11-1 describe how each schedule level should be structured, and the
associated graphs show how it should be presented to the different audiences. Four different
techniques to generate the schedule levels in Primavera are explained, and the most
appropriate one is recommended. This paper will discuss in detail how the selected technique
can be implemented in Primavera.

Literature Review
The first comprehensive paper written about schedule classifications and levels was published
in the 2007 AACE International Transactions titled, “Scheduling Classifications vs Levels [3].” In
that paper, the author emphasized the need for schedule classifications and the degree of
completeness. A table was provided to determine the description and end usage of each
schedule level. Following this paper, a schedule level of detail was published under AACE
International Recommended Practice No. 37R-06, this recommended practice provides a
description of the schedule levels with the intent to improve the understanding and
communication among project participants and stakeholders involved with preparing and using
project schedules [1]. The Recommended Practice No. 27R-03, “Schedule Classification
Systems,” provides common understanding of the concepts involved with classifying project
schedules and uses the degree of project definition as the primary characteristic to categorize
schedule classes [2].

Definitions
Front End Load Engineering (FEL) – Referred to as front-end engineering design (FEED), is the
process for conceptual development of processing industry projects. FEL1, FEL2, FEL3 stages are
also known as project definition, pre-feasibility and feasibility, respectively.

Construction Work Package (CWP) – Refers to a specific scope within a prime commodity or
facility. The groups of CWPs form each construction work package.

Engineering Work Package (EWP) – The group of deliverables under certain engineering
disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, etc.

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Level of Effort (LOE) Activity – Indicates the activity duration, which is dependent on its
predecessor and/or successor [3].

EPC – Engineering, Procurement, and Construction.

EPC Overall Schedule Structure

It is important to understand the overall EPC schedule structure before each level can be
discussed in detail. Table 5-1 demonstrates the lowest level of information in each schedule
level.
Engineering Procurement Construction
Level 1 Stages Overall Major Activities Area
nd
Level 2 Area – Discipline Package - 2 level of details Area – Contract
Level 3 Discipline – EWP Package - 3rd level of details Contract – CWP
Level 4 EWP – Deliverables Package – 4th level of details CWP – Task
Level 5 Deliverables - Sub- Package – 5th level of details Task – Resources
deliverables
Table 5-1 EPC Overall Schedule Structure

The engineering schedule should show different stages of studies in the Level 1 schedule. It is
then developed by area, discipline, EWP, and deliverables until Level 4. The sub-deliverables are
demonstrated in Level 5. The procurement schedule should show the overall major activities in
Level 1 and will be detailed by procurement packages and the required level of details from
Level 2 to Level 5. The construction schedule should show construction activities per each area
in Level 1, then it is developed by contract, CWP, Task and resources from Level 2 to Level 5.

EPC Level 1 Schedule

The EPC Level 1 is the executive or management level of the schedule, and it lists the major
milestones and summary activities of each stage of the project from engineering and
procurement to construction and commissioning. Level 1 should reflect the total duration of
each stage and the overall scope of the project. As the end users of Level 1 are senior
managers, it is required to prepare a Level 1 schedule at all stages of the project from FEL1 to
implementation. The types of activities in Level 1 are summary, or level of effort tasks, except in
the early stages of the project. Level 1 engineering is summarized to FEL stages where
procurement activities show the major steps until fabrication. Construction activities are
defined in the highest level of area or facility level as per work breakdown structure of the
project. Table 6-1 and Figure 6-1 show the structure and example of an EPC Level 1 schedule.

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Schedule Engineering Procurement Construction/Commissi

Levels oning
Level 1: Engineering – Project Bid, PO, Fabrication for Work areas -
Managem Stages entire project: Area/Facility:
ent Level Represents the The numbers of activities Rollup of all
Engineering stages are limited to four. construction contracts
from project associated with each
definition to detail Bid : Equipment & Area/facility.
design stages. Material/ Contracts &
Services Area/Facility A
Stage 1 - FEL1 Award: Equipment & Area/Facility B
Stage 2 - FEL2 Material/ Contracts & ….
…. Services
Fabrication & Delivery:
Equipment & Material

Table 6-1 EPC Level 1 Schedule Structure

Figure 6-1 EPC Level 1 Schedule Example

EPC Level 2 Schedule

The EPC Level 2 schedule should demonstrate engineering, procurement and construction
activities under the highest level of a project’s WBS. The engineering and construction schedule
should reflect further breakdown to discipline and contract levels respectively. The major and
critical procurement activities need to be shown under each area and facility of the works.
Except for the engineering schedule, the logical relationship can be shown in procurement and
construction schedules. Table 7-1 and Figure 7-1 show the structure and example of an EPC
Level 2 schedule.

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Schedule Engineering Procurement Construction/Commissioning

Levels
Level 2: Disciplines: Bid, PO, Fabrication per Contracts:
Project Examples of Area /facility: Rollup of all construction
Level engineering disciplines The numbers of work package associated
are concrete, steel, activities are four with each contract.
mechanical, electrical multiplied by number of
etc. Areas/facilities. Area/Facility
Construction
Area/Facility Area/Facility Contract 1
Engineering Procurement Contract 2
Discipline 1 Bid : Equipment & ..…
Discipline 2 Material/ Contracts &
… Services
Award: Equipment &
Material/ Contracts &
Services
Fabrication & Delivery:
Equipment & Material

Table 7-1 EPC Level 2 Schedule Structure

Figure 7-1 EPC Level 2 Schedule Example

EPC Level 3 Schedule

The EPC Level 3 schedule can be called the package level; this is where engineering and
contract packages are well defined. This should happen at the end of the feasibility study and at
the start of the implementation stage. The job logic between construction work packages under
each contract package and its relationship with engineering and procurement should identify
the critical path of the project. Package schedules will be used by contractors and engineering
discipline leaders to detail CWP and manage engineering resources. EP schedules may require

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further details in Level 4; however, construction schedules can be provided by the contractor.
Table 8-1 and Figure 8-1 show the structure and example of an EPC Level 3 schedule.

Schedule Engineering Procurement Construction/Commissioning

Levels
Level 3: Activity types or Bid, PO, Fabrication per Construction Work Packages
Control engineering work package: (CWP):
level package (EWP): The numbers of activities All construction work
Example is all the are four multiplied by the associated with the distinct
detailed drawings number of contract and pre- construction area for each
associated with purchased packages. discipline or commodity
certain
construction work Contract Package
packages. Procurement Package CWP 1
Bid : Equipment & Material/ CWP2
Discipline Contracts & Services
EWP 1 Award: Equipment &
EWP 2 Material/ Contracts &
Services
Fabrication & Delivery:
Equipment & Material

Table 8-1 EPC Level 3 Schedule Structure

Figure 8-1 EPC Level 3 Schedule Example

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EPC Level 4 Schedule

The EPC Level 4 schedule needs to be prepared to the detailed engineering and construction
packages at the deliverables level. It is required to prepare EPC Level 4 schedules in the
implementation stage of the project. The contractors are asked to prepare Level 4 construction
schedules based on defined CWP schedules provided by the EPCM firm. The detailed Level 4
procurement schedule should track the required steps and cycles until issuance of a purchase
order. The number of steps can vary project by project as per the required procurement
tracking level. The engineering schedule is at the deliverables level, which can be linked to
construction activities under the construction work packages. Table 9-1 and Figure 9-1 show
the structure and example of an EPC Level 4 schedule.

Schedule Engineering Procurement Construction/Commissioning

Levels
Level 4 : Group of Level 3 details plus RFQ Construction Tasks:
Task Deliverables: preparation and commercial All construction tasks
Level Example is all of analysis: associated with each
the drawings The numbers of activities are construction work package.
associated with five multiplied by the
certain number of contract and pre-
construction work purchased packages. CWP
packages. Task 1
Procurement Package Task 2
EWP RFQ Preparation ..
Deliverables 1 Bid : Equipment & Material/
Deliverables 2 Contracts & Services
… Award: Equipment &
Material/ Contracts &
Services
Commercial Analysis
Fabrication & Delivery:
Equipment & Material
…

Table 9-1 EPC Level 4 Schedule Structure

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Figure 9-1 EPC Level 4 Schedule Example

EPC Level 5 Schedule

The EPC Level 5 schedule is the lowest level of a schedule used to describe the required details
under the task level. A Level 5 engineering schedule should show the task level information for
providing certain deliverables under each discipline. Level 5 procurement schedules cover all
required steps for delivery of equipment to site. All required resources and tasks under CWP
need to be detailed in the Level 5 construction schedule. Duration units in this schedule may be
by hours or lower depending on requirements. Table 10-1 and Figure 10-1 show the structure
and example of an EPC Level 5 schedule.

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Schedule Engineering Procurement Construction/Commissioning

Levels
Level 5 : Group of Deliverables: All procurement steps until Construction Tasks:
Task Example is all of the award of contract or All construction resources
Level drawings associated purchase order: associated with each construction
with certain The numbers of activities task
construction work are five multiplied by the
packages. number of contract and pre-
purchased packages. Task
Deliverable Resource 1
Sub-Deliverable 1 Procurement Package Resource 2
Sub-Deliverable 2 RFQ Preparation ..
… Bid : Equipment & Material/
Contracts & Services
Award: Equipment &
Material/ Contracts &
Services
Commercial Analysis
Fabrication & Delivery:
Equipment & Material
…

Table 10-1 EPC Level 5 Schedule Structure

Figure 10-1 EPC Level 5 Schedule Example

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Schedule Levels Presentation Techniques in Primavera

Each scheduling tool has the ability to be used for schedule level presentations. Among them,
Primavera is recommended with four different techniques. Each technique has different
filtering and sorting capabilities with the following details:

Technique #1 - Using Activity Codes (Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3)

The LOE activities roll up the activities from the lower level to higher levels. After adding these
activities in the overall schedule, they should be coded by activity codes (Level 1, Level 2 and
Level 3). One layout for each level of detail should be provided. The layout can be sorted to
organize the schedule with the required structure and filtered to show only certain schedule
levels. This technique needs to be maintained in each schedule update to make sure that LOE
activities are represented.

Technique #2 - Collapse Schedule

In this technique, it is not required to add new activities to the schedule. Simply collapse the
schedule, which is sorted either by activity code or WBS. It is not possible to define different
schedule structures when the schedule is collapsed from lower to higher levels. The bars and
layout of the schedule can’t be managed differently.

Technique #3 - Using WBS Summary Tasks

Summary tasks in Microsoft Project can be imported as WBS summary activities into Primavera.
WBS summary tasks are activities where their duration is dependent on the earliest start date
and latest finishing date of the activities that share a common WBS level. Using WBS summary
task to generate different schedule levels is not recommended as the schedule development
should be done as one single tool.

Technique #4 - Using LOE Activities in Prebuilt Primavera WBS Structure

This technique organizes the activities of technique #1 (LOE) in WBS and loads them into
separate project schedules. The implementation of technique #4 is described later. Using this
technique is choice dependent, based on the needs of the user and audience.

Generate Schedule Levels in Primavera

Each level of the schedule is prepared based on the scope definition throughout the front-end
loading stages. At the end of the feasibility study or FEL3 stage, the scope of work is well
defined to identify engineering and construction work packages and provide EPC Level 3
schedules. At this stage, higher levels of the schedule should be generated to respond to the
needs of all audiences. In each FEL stage of the project, there is only one schedule with the logic
and its associated critical path. This should be the lowest level of the schedule. There are

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several methods to generate different schedule levels. Using WBS in Primavera helps to
generate different kinds of layouts and reports by adding LOE activities assigned to each pre-
built WBS tree.

Using LOE Activities

There are six different types of activity in Primavera that can be assigned to each task. Among
all of them, LOE and/or WBS summary type activities can be used to generate higher levels of
schedule from lower levels. The WBS summary tasks share a common WBS level with all of its
associated activities; however, LOE tasks are dependent on its successors and/or predecessors
activities. LOE activities are preferred for preparing higher levels of schedules rather than WBS
summary activities because they do not have constraints and are considered to be ongoing. In
addition, LOE activity is flexible enough to locate in the different WBS trees and to form the
required layouts and reports. Table 12-1 shows the type of defined activity in each stage of the
project.
Project Stages
FEL1 FEL2 FEL3 Implementation
Level 1 Level 1 (LOE) Level 1 (LOE) Level 1 (LOE)
Level 2 Level 2 (LOE) Level 2 (LOE)
Level 3 Level 3
Level 4
Table 12-1 Project Stages and Activity Type

Using WBS
Figure 12-1 represents how each schedule level resides under the Enterprise Project Structure
(EPS) in Primavera. It is assumed that the project is in implementation stage and the lowest
level of schedule (Level 4) can be used. In this case, Level 4 is outside the Primavera database
and is the basis to complete and finalize Level 3. There would be two separate projects in
Primavera, project 1 covers the Level 1 and Level 2 summary, and project 2 maintains Level 3
with its logic resulted from Level 4. Each project has its own WBS and structure; however, the
activities in project 2 capture its start and finish dates from project 1. Since the activities in
project 1 are level of efforts, the provided Level 1 and Level 2 schedules do not show the critical
path of the project.

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EPS

EPS EPS
Node Node

Project 1 Project 3
Project 2
L1 & L2 L4 Schedule
L3 Schedules
Schedules

WBS.1 WBS.1

L4 schedule
is outside
WBS.2 WBS.2
Primavera
database

Task
WBS.3 WBS.3 dependent
activities in
L3 schedule
developed
The type of WBS.4
by L4
activities in schedule
L1 and L2
schedules
WBS.5
are LOE

WBS.6

Figure 12-1 Schedule Levels in Primavera EPS

The WBS in Primavera extends the EPS beyond the project level [4]. The WBS here can be
defined as similar to a project’s WBS or whatever structure facilitates the reporting or activity
arrangement. It is assumed that the project is in FEL3 or implementation stage and all schedule
levels need to be provided. As it is shown in Figure 12-2, the defined WBS for project 1 is similar
to what has been defined in table 6-1 and table 7-1. All activities under each WBS node are LOE
activities. These activities capture their start and finish dates from all associated activities in
Level 3 under project 2. For example, the start and finish date of the contract package in Level
2 is the earliest starting and latest finishing dates of all associated construction work packages.
Similarly, the start and finish dates of the construction work of one building is the earliest start
and latest finishing dates of all construction work packages associated to that building. In order
to find all required predecessors and successors and assign them to a level of effort activity,
activities should be grouped and sorted by the WBS hierarchy. It is important to add all required
relationships to level of effort activities and maintain them in each update.

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Primavera Project 1 – Level 1 and Level 2 Schedule

Primavera Project 2 – Level 3 Schedule

Figure 12-2 Using Primavera’s WBS

Legend:
Activity Originated from
Rolled up Activities to LOE Task

Conclusion
The given structures and examples for each level of EPC schedule should help the planner to
understand the overall picture of schedule reporting to different stakeholders and audiences.
However, these might be changed slightly as per size, complexity and related industry of the
project. The objective is to standardize schedule reporting systems, which help the viewer to
compare and analyze the same level of detail. A Level 1 schedule reported in South Africa

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should not differ from one reported in Canada as it covers the same pre-defined structure. This
objective can only be satisfied by standardization of schedule reporting systems.
There are different techniques to generate schedule levels in the Primavera environment, but
using WBS is the most efficient. The pre-built WBS creates flexibility for putting activities in the
required WBS node and rolling up the group of activities under level of effort tasks. In addition,
it helps to generate a template for all schedule levels which can be used by all users under
certain EPS nodes.

References
1 AACE International Recommended practice No. 37R-06, 2010, Schedule Level of Details,
Page(s) 3, 8, AACE, International Transactions, AACE International, Morgantown, WV
2 AACE International Recommended practice No. 27R-03, 2010, Schedule Classification
System, Page(s) 1, 2, AACE, International Transactions, AACE International, Morgantown,
WV
3 Stephenson, H. Lance, CCC, 2007, Schedule Classifications vs. Levels, Page(s) 7, AACE,
International Transactions, AACE International, Morgantown, WV
4 Oracle Primavera P6, 2009, Project Management Reference Manual, Page(s) 189, 470,
Oracle Corporation, Redwood Shores, CA

Syd Daneshyar
SNC Lavalin
Syd.Daneshyar@snclavalin.com

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