Oracle Primavera P6

Project Management

Reference Manual
Version 7.0

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Table of Contents
Preface.............................................................................................................11
What is Oracle Primavera P6? ...........................................................................................12
Using Documentation and Help.........................................................................................15
Where to Get Support ........................................................................................................18

Part 1: Overview and Configuration

Understanding Project Management ...........................................................21
Why Use Project Portfolio Management? .........................................................................22
Your Role in the Organization ...........................................................................................23
Project Management Process Overview.............................................................................26
Planning, Controlling, and Managing Projects ..................................................................28

Quick Tour......................................................................................................31
Getting Started ...................................................................................................................32
Selecting a Language .........................................................................................................35
The Workspace...................................................................................................................36
What Is a Layout? ..............................................................................................................39
Customizing Displays ........................................................................................................41
Sample Layouts..................................................................................................................42
Using Wizards....................................................................................................................43

Setting User Preferences................................................................................45

Formatting Time Units.......................................................................................................46
Formatting Dates................................................................................................................47
Setting Currency Symbols .................................................................................................47
Setting Mail Preferences ....................................................................................................48
Implementing Wizards .......................................................................................................49
Setting Startup, Group, Sort, and Column Defaults...........................................................49
Changing Your Password ...................................................................................................51
Setting Profile and Spreadsheet Data Options ...................................................................52
Setting Calculation Options for Resource and Role Assignments.....................................54
Selecting Startup Filters.....................................................................................................56

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Part 2: Structuring Projects

Setting Up the Enterprise Project Structure ...............................................59
Enterprise Project Structure Overview.............................................................................. 60
Setting Up the Enterprise Project Structure ...................................................................... 66
Adding a New Project to the EPS ..................................................................................... 67
Using Project Architect ..................................................................................................... 69
Working with the Enterprise Project Structure ................................................................. 75
Defining Enterprise Project Structure Details................................................................... 79

Setting Up the Organizational Breakdown Structure ................................87

The Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ............................................................. 88
Viewing an OBS................................................................................................................ 91
Setting Up an OBS ............................................................................................................ 93
Editing OBS Elements ...................................................................................................... 96

Defining Resources and Roles.......................................................................97

Resources Overview.......................................................................................................... 98
Viewing and Adding Resources ........................................................................................ 99
Defining Resource Shifts ................................................................................................ 106
Defining and Assigning Resource Codes and Values ..................................................... 107
Setting Up Roles ............................................................................................................. 109
Assigning Roles to Resources......................................................................................... 113
Defining Custom Resource Curves ................................................................................. 115

Reviewing Work Breakdown Structures ...................................................119

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) ......................................................................... 120
Viewing a WBS............................................................................................................... 122
Grouping by WBS Path................................................................................................... 124
Adding WBS Elements and Assigning Properties .......................................................... 125
Using WBS Milestones ................................................................................................... 128
Assigning WBS Category Values.................................................................................... 130
Defining Earned Value Settings for Specific WBS Elements ......................................... 131
Assigning Estimation Weights to WBS Elements .......................................................... 133

Defining Budgets ..........................................................................................137

Top-Down Budgeting...................................................................................................... 138
Establishing Budgets....................................................................................................... 140
Establishing a Monthly Spending Plan ........................................................................... 141
Tracking Budget Changes ............................................................................................... 142
Establishing Funding....................................................................................................... 143
Tracking and Analyzing Budgets.................................................................................... 146

Establishing Project Codes..........................................................................147

Defining and Assigning Project Codes ........................................................................... 148
Grouping, Summarizing, and Filtering by Codes ........................................................... 152

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Working with User-Defined Fields .............................................................157

Creating User-Defined Fields ..........................................................................................158
Working with User-Defined Fields ..................................................................................160
Working with Indicators...................................................................................................162

Creating Calendars ......................................................................................165

Adding Calendars.............................................................................................................166
Modifying Calendars .......................................................................................................167

Part 3: Implementing the Schedule

Establishing Activity Codes ........................................................................175
Creating Activity Codes and Values ................................................................................176
Grouping and Summarizing by Codes.............................................................................180

Working with Activities ...............................................................................183

Activities Overview .........................................................................................................184
Adding Activities .............................................................................................................185
Copying and Pasting Activities........................................................................................187
Defining General Activity Information............................................................................188
Defining Schedule Information........................................................................................191
Establishing Relationships ...............................................................................................195
Displaying Activity Details for Assignments ..................................................................199
Assigning Resources and Roles .......................................................................................200
Assigning Resource Curves to Resource or Role Assignments.......................................203
Manually Planning Future Period Assignments ..............................................................204
Assigning Activity Codes and Adding Expenses ............................................................210
Viewing Activity Feedback and Resource Notes.............................................................211
Assigning Work Products and Documents.......................................................................212
Adding Steps....................................................................................................................213
Creating and Assigning Activity Step Templates ............................................................215
Viewing Activity Summaries ...........................................................................................218
Viewing Contract Management Documents ....................................................................218
Using Global Change .......................................................................................................219
Renumbering Activity IDs ...............................................................................................223

Working with Cost Accounts and Project Expenses.................................227

Cost Account and Expense Overview..............................................................................228
Setting Up a Cost Account Structure ...............................................................................228
Adding Expenses and Entering Cost Information ...........................................................231
Defining Expense Details.................................................................................................235
Analyzing Costs ...............................................................................................................236

Performing Top-Down Estimation .............................................................239

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Performing Top-down Estimation................................................................................... 240

Applying Saved Top-Down Estimates To a Project ........................................................ 244

Part 4: Managing the Schedule

Managing Baselines .....................................................................................247
Creating and Maintaining Baselines ............................................................................... 248
Assigning Baselines to Projects ...................................................................................... 252
Comparing Current and Baseline Schedules................................................................... 253
Updating Baselines ......................................................................................................... 255

Updating, Scheduling, and Leveling...........................................................259

The Update Process......................................................................................................... 260
Choosing a Method of Updating ..................................................................................... 262
Highlighting Activities for Updating .............................................................................. 265
Updating Progress for Spotlighted Activities ................................................................. 266
Estimating Progress Automatically................................................................................. 267
Updating Using Progress Reporter ................................................................................. 269
Updating Activities Manually ......................................................................................... 274
Interrupting Activity Progress......................................................................................... 279
Applying Actuals ............................................................................................................ 280
Storing Period Performance (Past Period Actuals) ......................................................... 282
Scheduling Projects......................................................................................................... 285
Leveling Resources ......................................................................................................... 289
Recalculating Resource and Role Assignment Costs ..................................................... 293
Managing Resource Assignments ................................................................................... 295

Summarizing Projects .................................................................................297

Setting Summarization Options ...................................................................................... 298
Summarizing Project Data .............................................................................................. 299

Project Issues and Thresholds ....................................................................307

Adding Issues.................................................................................................................. 308
Assigning Tracking Layouts to Issues ............................................................................ 310
Using the Issue Navigator ............................................................................................... 311
Adding Thresholds .......................................................................................................... 312
Threshold Parameter Definitions .................................................................................... 314
Monitoring Thresholds.................................................................................................... 318
Assigning Tracking Layouts to Thresholds .................................................................... 318

Managing Risks............................................................................................319
Adding Risks................................................................................................................... 320
Calculating Exposure Values .......................................................................................... 321
Calculating a Risks Impact ............................................................................................ 322

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Creating and Deleting Risk Types ...................................................................................323

Customizing Risk Layouts...............................................................................................324

Maintaining a Projects Document Library ..............................................325

Viewing a Document Library and Adding/Deleting Work Products and Documents .....326
Specifying Document Location References.....................................................................327
Assigning Work Products and Documents.......................................................................328

Tracking Projects .........................................................................................329

Creating Tracking Layouts...............................................................................................330
Working with Tracking Layouts ......................................................................................332
Customizing Tracking Layouts ........................................................................................333
Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Tracking Layouts.........................................................334

Comparing Projects .....................................................................................337

Overview ..........................................................................................................................338
Comparing Projects/Baselines .........................................................................................338

Creating and Using Reflections ..................................................................343

Reflection Overview ........................................................................................................344
Creating and Using Reflections .......................................................................................345
Reflection Guidelines.......................................................................................................347

Checking Projects In and Out.....................................................................349

Managing Remote Projects ..............................................................................................350
Checking Out Projects .....................................................................................................351
Checking In Projects ........................................................................................................352

Part 5: Customizing Projects

Working with Layouts .................................................................................357
Layout Examples .............................................................................................................358
Creating, Opening, and Saving Layouts ..........................................................................363
Exporting and Importing Layouts....................................................................................364
Copying Data to External Applications ...........................................................................365

Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering ................................................................367

Grouping Data..................................................................................................................368
Sorting Data .....................................................................................................................372
Filtering Data ...................................................................................................................373

Customizing Layouts ...................................................................................377

Modifying Columns .........................................................................................................378
Adjusting the Timescale...................................................................................................380
Formatting Gantt Charts...................................................................................................382
Formatting Activity Network Layouts .............................................................................390
Modifying Resource and Activity Usage Profiles ...........................................................393

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Customizing Reports ...................................................................................401

Reports Overview............................................................................................................ 402
Opening Reports ............................................................................................................. 403
Using Report Groups ...................................................................................................... 404
Creating and Modifying Reports..................................................................................... 404
Using the Report Editor .................................................................................................. 406
Adding Data Sources and Rows to Reports .................................................................... 410
Adding Text Cells to Reports .......................................................................................... 414
Sorting Report Data Sources........................................................................................... 422
Customizing a Report with the Report Editor................................................................. 423
Setting Up Batch Reports................................................................................................ 431

Printing Layouts and Reports.....................................................................433

Defining Page Settings .................................................................................................... 434
Previewing Layouts and Reports..................................................................................... 437
Printing Layouts and Reports.......................................................................................... 438
Publishing Layouts and Reports in HTML Format......................................................... 439

Publishing a Project On the Web ...............................................................441

Project Web Site Overview ............................................................................................. 442
Publishing a Project Web Site ......................................................................................... 444
Customizing the Appearance of a Project Web Site ....................................................... 446
Publishing Activity and Tracking Layouts...................................................................... 447

Part 6: Importing and Exporting Data

Linking the Project Management and Contract Management Modules 451
Linking PM and CM Modules ........................................................................................ 452
Linking PM and CM Projects ......................................................................................... 453
Importing CM Data into a PM Module Project .............................................................. 455

Transferring Data to Other Project Management Module Users ...........457

Exporting Projects........................................................................................................... 458
Exporting Roles or Resources......................................................................................... 463
Importing Projects........................................................................................................... 464
Importing Roles or Resources......................................................................................... 480

Transferring Data Using Microsoft Project Files......................................485

Exporting Projects........................................................................................................... 486
Exporting Resources ....................................................................................................... 491
Importing Projects from Microsoft Project ..................................................................... 493
Importing Resources from Microsoft Project ................................................................. 499

Transferring Data Using Microsoft Excel Files.........................................501

Exporting Project Data to Microsoft Excel..................................................................... 502
Updating Project Data in Microsoft Excel ...................................................................... 505
Importing Projects from Microsoft Excel ....................................................................... 507

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Transferring P3 and P6 Data ......................................................................511

Exporting Projects to P3 ..................................................................................................512
Importing Projects from P3..............................................................................................519

Transferring Data to Oracle Primavera Contractor Users......................543

Exporting Projects............................................................................................................544
Exporting Resources ........................................................................................................546

Index..............................................................................................................547

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