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Initial Step to Connect Python with SQL Server

Before starting this guide on connecting Python with SQL Server, you must have Primavera P6 previously set up in an SQL Server database. If you haven’t done so yet, have a look at our article on how to set up a Microsoft SQL Server database for Primavera P6 Professional first. Similarly, you should have Python installed on your computer. And if everything is ready, let’s begin.

Setting up a New “Login” in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio

Access Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio

The next step to connect Python with SQL Server is to open the database manager, Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, from your computer’s “Start” menu. In the window that appears, titled “Connect to Server,” select the name of the server where the Primavera P6 database you are working with is located, and press the “Connect” button.

It’s Time to Create a New “Login” to Connect from Python

Create a new Login now. To do this, you need to navigate to the “Logins” folder, located within the “Security” folder. Once there, right-click on the “Logins” folder and select the option “New Login”.

Configure Your New “Login”

A new window called “Login-New” will appear, where you will see a series of pages to navigate in the top-left corner. First, go to the page called “General”. Here, you must specify a login name. In our case, we selected “project2080”. Select the “SQL Server authentication” option and add a password. We chose “Project*2080” as the password. Remember to note this down because you will need these two pieces of information when connecting from Python. In the field for “Default database”, select the database you use for Primavera P6 Professional. In our case, it’s “PROJECT2080”.

In the “Server Roles” page, make sure to tick the “sysadmin” role. The “public” option is selected by default and can remain checked if your profile is public.

Ensure that in each of the following windows, you make the same selections as shown below.

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Finally, on the “Status” page, make sure the options shown in the following screenshot are selected. Press “Ok” to continue.

Once the window has closed, close the connection and reopen it. You will have completed the access setup and can now start connecting to SQL Server from Python.

How to Create a Connection with SQL Server from Python

After creating the new “Login”, it’s time to connect Python with SQL Server. Open a new Python notebook and create a connection to SQL Server. This way, you’ll have full access to the tables, fields, and records of the Primavera P6 database.

Setting Up the Environment in Python

In this first step, we will import the libraries needed to establish the connection between Python and SQL Server. For this article, we will only need the “pyodbc” and “pandas” libraries, as shown in the following code snippet.

Create a Connection with SQL Server

To work with the Primavera P6 database (in our case, it’s called “PROJECT2080”) hosted on `SQL Server`, we’ll create a connection using the `project2080` user we set up earlier. You’ll also need to download and install the ODBC driver for SQL Server to enable the connection using Python’s “pyodbc” library.

Use the following Python code and ensure you set the four variables according to your own configuration on your computer.

Create DataFrames Based on Queries to the Database

Next, we will create two DataFrames:

1. The first DataFrame will display the tables in our P6 database.
2. The second DataFrame will refer to the fields or columns of the database.

To achieve this, it will be necessary to create a cursor for the connection to store information in memory. Using queries, we will access the tables in our Primavera P6 Professional database. Finally, we will save these queries as DataFrames to inspect them later. Below, you can see the Python code to use.

Make sure to close the cursor.

After Connecting Python to SQL Server: Inspect the Data

We now have two DataFrames saved: one that references the tables in our database and another that references the columns. In this final step, we will inspect both DataFrames to see what kind of data we’ve retrieved. For a basic inspection, we’ll use the .info() and .sample() functions.

As you can see, we now have a lot of information about the table DataFrame (df_tablas) using the .info() function. There are 404 entries ranging from 0 to 403. The total number of columns is 4, identified by an index number (#), the column name (“Column”), the number of non-null values (“Non-Null Count”), and the data type (“Dtype”). Our tables contain no null values, and the data type is “object”. Lastly, we can see that 12.8 kB of memory has been used.

When we use the .sample() function, we see a random sample of 10 rows from our table DataFrame (df_tablas). By specifying the number 10 inside the parentheses, we are instructing Python to return only 10 rows from the DataFrame.

If you’d like to learn how to inspect the DataFrame containing the columns from our Primavera P6 database, you can download the complete notebook on how to connect Python with SQL Server. It also includes some basic filters to identify the “Primary Key” columns for each table in the P6 database.

AT PROJECT 2080, WE’D LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

We told you we were going to start applying Data Science and Deep Learning to Project Planning and Control, and we’ve delivered. Connecting Python with SQL Server is just the first step. Perhaps you won’t become a Python programming expert or an SQL guru, but you’ll have all the tools you need to perform an exhaustive analysis of your activity schedules, identify patterns, and conduct predictive analysis of your projects. And we’re here to teach you how. So, if you haven’t done so yet:

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How to Set Up a Microsoft SQL Server Database for Primavera P6 in 8 Steps

Before you continue reading, we suggest you take a look at our article about two of the database configurations offered by Primavera P6 Professional that are most commonly used when working with this powerful project planning and control tool.

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Step 1: Install Microsoft SQL Express on Your Computer

The first step to configure a Microsoft SQL Server Database for Primavera P6 is to install Microsoft SQL Express Server. From the Microsoft website, you have the option to download SQL Server either on-premises or in the cloud. They also provide the possibility to download a free version (Developer or Express). In our case, we will select the free “Express” option to download.

Once you click the “Download now” button, the download will start automatically, and you can find it in the “Downloads” folder on your computer. Open the folder and double-click the executable file (“.exe”) to start the installation process.

Next, in the window that opens, select the installation type “Custom” to go through the installation wizard step by step and choose the components you want to install.

Once you have selected the “Custom” installation type, it will ask you to select the installation language and the directory where it will be installed. After making your selections, click the “Install” button.

Next, the SQL Server Installation Center will open to start the installation process. To proceed, select the option “New SQL Server stand-alone installation or add features to an existing installation,” and a wizard will begin to install SQL Server 2022 (or the version available at the time you are reading this article). After this, a SQL Server Configuration window will appear.

Start by accepting the “License Terms” and other configuration points by clicking “Next” to proceed with the installation. When you reach the “Instance Configuration” step, you will need to specify the name to be used in the SQL Server installation path. By default, the instance name will be “SQLExpress.” However, for this article, we decided to use the name “SQLExpressP2080” since the “SQLExpress” instance is already in use. You can modify the instance name at any time. NOTE: make sure to write down this name as you will need it later. Once you have chosen an instance name, click the “Next” button.

Continue clicking the “Next” button in the following windows until you reach the “Database Engine Configuration” option. In this window, select “Mixed Mode” as the “Authentication Mode,” and specify the password for the SQL Server system administrator account. Once this is done, specify the SQL Server administrators. NOTE: write down both the password and the SQL Server administrators you specified, as you will need them later. After completing this step, click the “Next” button to proceed with the installation.

Continue the installation using the default configuration for the following screens, clicking “Accept” or “Next” as appropriate. Once the installation has been successfully completed, you should see a screen similar to the one below, showing information about the installation configuration, installation details, and the “log” file path. Then, click the “Close” button to exit the SQL Server Installer.

Step 2: Install Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) on Your Computer

Once Microsoft SQL Express Server is installed, you will need to download and install Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). You can download the installer from this download link by clicking on the link under the title “Download SSMS,” as shown in the screenshot below. Once you click the link, the download will begin automatically.

As in the previous step, the download will have been saved in the “Downloads” folder. Double-click the file to run the installation package, and the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio installation window will appear. Next, click the “Install” button. Use the default configuration as the software installation proceeds.

Verify that Microsoft SQL Express Server and Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Have Been Installed Correctly

Before moving on to “Step 3” of our guide on “how to set up a Microsoft SQL Server Database for Primavera P6 in 8 steps,” let’s verify that both Microsoft SQL Express Server and Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) have been installed correctly.

We’ll start by opening Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) from the Windows Start menu on your computer’s taskbar.

Once you click the “Open” button, the program will prompt you to log in to the SQL Server. Remember that in Step 1, we configured a new instance named “SQLExpressP2080,” which we need to find in the “Server name” field or by selecting “<Browse for more…>”. Under the “Database Engine” dropdown, our database engine “SQLExpressP2080” should appear.

In Authentication, you can choose between logging in using Windows Authentication (“Windows Authentication”) or SQL Server Authentication (“SQL Server Authentication”). With Windows Authentication, you won’t need to enter any credentials. With SQL Server Authentication, you will need to enter a username and a password. The username will be “sa” (which stands for Server Administrator), and the password will be the one you set during the Microsoft SQL Server Express installation process in Step 1. We recommend keeping Windows Authentication selected. Finally, select “Connect.”

If you haven’t received any error message indicating that login failed, you will now be logged into SQL Server. We can now proceed with the next steps to configure a Microsoft SQL Server Database for Primavera P6.

Step 3: Configure the TCP/IP Port on Your SQL Express Server

The next step is to configure the TCP/IP port for the SQL Express server. It’s important to highlight that if you don’t complete this step, you won’t be able to configure the database. To do this, open the “SQL Server 2019 Configuration Manager.” As in the previous step, you can open it from the Windows Start menu on your computer’s taskbar.

In the SQL Server Configuration Manager, expand “SQL Server Network Configuration” and select “Protocols for SQLEXPRESSP2080” (in your case, select the SQL Server instance you created).

Once selected, the different protocols will appear in the right-hand window. Select “TCP/IP” and open the context menu by right-clicking. Choose “Enable.” A dialog box will then appear, prompting you to restart the service. Click “OK.”

Again, right-click on “TCP/IP” and now select “Properties.” In the TCP/IP properties window, navigate to the “IP Addresses” tab and scroll down until you find “IPAII.” Once located, in the row labeled “TCP Port,” click the empty cell on the right and type “1433.” After entering the port number, click “OK,” and a new dialog box will inform you that changes have been saved but will not take effect until the service is stopped and restarted. Click “OK” to exit the dialog box.

Now, you are ready to restart SQL Server directly from within the “SQL Server Configuration Manager.” To do this, select “SQL Server Services” in the left-hand pane. Then, in the right-hand window, select “SQL Server (SQLEXPRESSP2080)” (or the instance you created) and open the context menu by right-clicking, then choose “Restart.”

Once the SQL Service has restarted successfully, you can close the “SQL Server Configuration Manager” and proceed with the next steps in this guide.

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Step 4: Download the Primavera P6 Database Configuration Tool

Now that we have configured SQL Server on our computer, it’s time to download the packages related to Primavera P6 Professional. To do this, we will download all the installation files we need from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud. To download files from Oracle Cloud, the first thing you need to do is create an account. Once your account is created, search for “Primavera P6 Professional Project Management” and select the version you want. In our case, we selected version 21.12.

Once you have selected one of the versions offered by Oracle, it will be added to your cart, and you can click “Continue.”

You will need to download at least three files: one for the Applications, another for the Database Configuration, and a third for API integration. In our case, having selected the DLP option, it includes a file with documentation about the selected software. Note the name of the file referring to the Database Configuration (in our case, the file is named V1018841.zip), as it will be used in this step. The other two files will be used in Step 8. Press the “Download” button.

An Oracle download manager will be downloaded, which you need to run. A window will open where you must select the destination for the compressed files. Once selected, press “Next.”

The compressed files will be downloaded to the destination you chose. In our case, they will be located in the “Downloads” folder. Select the “.zip” file corresponding to the Database Configuration and extract all files to a new folder by right-clicking and selecting “Extract All.”

Another important step is downloading and installing Java, which we will now proceed to cover.

Step 5: Download and Install Java

In this step, we will need to download and install Java on our computer. To do this, visit the Java download page. Click on the “Download Java” button, and the download will start automatically in your computer’s “Downloads” folder.

Once the download is complete, navigate to the “Downloads” folder and double-click the .exe file we just downloaded. In the installation window that opens, click “Install.”

Once the installation is complete, a screen similar to the one below should appear. Click the “Close” button to close the screen and proceed to the next step.

Step 6: Configure the JAVA_HOME Environment Variable

Once Java is installed on our computer, we need to define the JAVA_HOME environment variable in Windows. If we don’t do this, we won’t be able to use the Primavera P6 Professional database installation tool.

To configure the JAVA_HOME environment variable in Windows, you need to access the Control Panel. To do this, go to the Windows Start button, type “Control Panel,” and open it.

Inside the Control Panel window, search for “system” in the search box and click on “Edit the system environment variables.”

A “System Properties” window will open. Go to the “Advanced” tab and select the “Environment Variables…” button.

Once inside the “Environment Variables” window, in the “System Variables” section, select “New.”

A new window will open where you need to enter the name and value of the new variable.

In the “Variable Name” field, type “JAVA_HOME.” For the “Variable Value” field, enter the full path on your computer to the Java application program folder. In our case, this path is “C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_341.” Once both fields are filled, click “OK” and exit the Control Panel window.

NOTE: If you’re unsure how to find this location, open Windows Explorer and navigate to your local disk. From the local disk, search in the Program Files folder and the Program Files (x86) folder until you find the Java folder. Open the Java folder, then open the program folder (most likely starting with jre). Once inside that folder, select the address shown in the location directory box and copy that text into the “Variable Value” field. Finally, click “OK” and exit the Control Panel window.

Step 7: Run the dbsetup.bat Tool

We are now just two steps away from completing the configuration of a Microsoft SQL Server Database for Primavera P6. It’s time to work with the Primavera P6 Database Configuration Tool. To do this, go to the folder where you extracted the files in Step 4 and double-click the “dbsetup.bat” file.

The “Primavera Database Setup Wizard” will open, allowing you to begin the process of configuring the new database. In “Database options,” select “Install a new database,” and in “Server Type,” select “Microsoft SQL Server.” Click “Next” to move to the “Connection Information” screen.

In this screen, you will need to add the username and password you specified during your SQL Server setup (see Step 1). By default, the “DBA user name” is “sa” (Server Administrator), and you should leave it as is. For the “DBA password” field, enter the password you selected during Step 1 of the SQL Server creation process. Regarding the “Database host address” field, enter the address you created earlier. Typically, this address will be “computer name\SQLExpress” if you used the default name. If you changed the instance name during creation, the address will be “computer name\instance name.” The “Database host port” field will automatically populate with the value “1433.”

In the next window (“Configure Microsoft SQL Server”), you will need to choose a name for your database and enter it in the “Database name” field. We will choose the name “PROJECT2080POST.” Regarding the “Data” and “Log” files, they will be created in the folder where SQL Server Express is located. Press “Next” to proceed.

We have now reached the “Create SQL Server Users” window, where we will create two types of users: one public and one with privileges. We will leave the default usernames and only add a password for each of them. Once Primavera P6 is connected to the database, you can add additional users, so we recommend leaving these two users as they are for now. NOTE: Take note of these usernames and their passwords as you will need them to connect to the Primavera P6 Professional database. Click “Next” to continue.

The next window is for configuration options or “Configuration Options.” It’s time to create an administrator username and password to log in. We will use the default username (“admin”) and a password. NOTE: Take note of this new username and password as you will need them to access Primavera P6.

This window also gives you the option to load sample data. This includes projects, resources, calendars, and other data, both global and project-specific. If you are new to using this powerful Project Planning and Control tool, we recommend loading all of this data and keeping this checkbox selected.

Lastly, it also allows you to choose the currency Primavera P6 will use by default. In our case, we will choose the euro.

Press “Install” to complete the database setup wizard.

The database setup wizard will now begin creating your new database. If you selected the “Load sample data” checkbox, the process will take a few more minutes to complete. Once the creation process is complete, select “Next” and then “Finish” to exit the application.

Step 8: Connect Your Primavera P6 Professional (Client Version) to the Database

We are almost at the end of this long journey—a journey that will make your daily life as a project planner and project controller much easier. We have now created a new Primavera P6 database on a Microsoft SQL Server. Next, you need to connect the Primavera P6 Professional project planning and control software to this new database to start using it. Now, you must choose one of the following two options: Option 1 if you don’t yet have P6 installed on your computer, or Option 2 if you already have Primavera P6 installed.

Option 1: If You Don’t Have Primavera P6 Professional Installed on Your Computer

Let’s go to our beloved “Downloads” folder. Remember that when we downloaded the Primavera P6 Professional packages, four files were downloaded. One of them was used for database configuration, another for API integration, another contained software documentation, and the last one referred to the application itself. In our case, the file containing the application is “V1018508-01.zip.” Once you’ve unzipped and extracted all the files, you will see a folder named “P6_Pro_R2112” (depending on the version you downloaded, the folder name might differ: P6_Pro_XXXXX).

Open the folder you just unzipped and navigate to the “P6ProfessionalSetup” subfolder. Inside, you will find the executable file “P6ProfessionalSetup.exe.” Double-click it to run the installer.

Select the “Typical” option and press “OK.”

Next, select “Install.”

On the next screen, select “Run Database Configuration,” which is the default option, and press “OK” to open the Database Configuration window.

Option 2: If You Already Have Primavera P6 Professional Installed on Your Computer

If you already have Primavera P6 installed on your computer, you can access the database configuration when you open Primavera P6 Professional and select the “Edit database configuration” link.

Whether you chose Option 1 or Option 2, the “Database Configuration” window will have opened. Select the “Add” button to add a new database.

Make sure you have selected “Microsoft SQL Server/SQL Express” as the “Driver Type.” For the “Database Alias” field, enter the name you want the database to be called. We have chosen “P2080SQLPOST.” For the “Connection String” field, it will typically be “Computer Name/Database Name.” However, in our case, we need to reference port 1433 and the database we created (in this exercise, we chose the database named “PROJECT2080”).

To finish, select the “Use default database keystore” checkbox and press “Next” to continue.

In the next window, add the public access information you noted in Step 7. This includes the User (if you kept the default user, this will be “pubuser”) and the Password you created for that user. Keep the number 1 as the “Public Group ID” and press the “Test” button to verify the connection.

A message indicating a successful test (“Test connection is successful”) should then appear. Click the “OK” button to proceed and then the “Save” button to finalize.

At this point, you will have successfully created an SQL Server database and connected it to Primavera P6 Professional.

Access Your New Primavera P6 Database in Microsoft SQL Server

Now it’s time to make the most of Primavera P6. Log in to Primavera P6 Professional and select the database you just created. Open Primavera P6 Professional and log in using the administrative credentials you set up and noted in Step 7.

Expand the “Advanced” tab, and in “Database,” make sure to select the database you just created (in our case: “P2080SQLPOST”).

It’s time to click the “Connect” button, and you will now be inside Primavera P6 Professional and connected to a Microsoft SQL Server database. Congratulations!!

AT PROJECT 2080, WE’D LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

We know this article on how to configure a Microsoft SQL Server Database for Primavera P6 is going to mark a turning point for you. From now on, a new world opens up where you will have full access to every table, column, and record in your Primavera P6 Professional database. Get ready, because soon you’ll be able to enjoy new articles on integrating Primavera P6 with Power BI and Python. We’ll start applying Data Science and Deep Learning to Project Planning and Control, and we don’t want you to miss it. So, if you haven’t done so yet:

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The post How to Set Up a Microsoft SQL Server Database for Primavera P6 Professional was first published on Project 2080.

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Why use the Primavera P6 Professional standalone database configuration?

A Primavera P6 Professional standalone database is a database that is used to store and manage the data of a few projects. It is considered a standalone database because it is designed to be used by a single user or a small group of users. In addition, it is not connected to any other system or database. The standalone database or SQLite Database comes with the same Primavera P6 Professional package that you download from the Oracle website.

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There are several reasons why a Primavera P6 Professional standalone database could be set up:

1. Ease of use: a standalone database is easy to set up and use, as it only needs to be installed and configured on a single computer. There is no need to worry about the configuration of servers or central databases.
2. Cost: A standalone database is generally less expensive than other database options, as it does not require the purchase of additional licenses or the hiring of specialized personnel to administer it.
3. Scalability: A standalone database is suitable for small or short-term projects, as it is not designed to support large amounts of data or a large number of concurrent users.
4. Security: A standalone database is easier to secure than a centralized database, as it is only accessed by a single computer and can be configured to require user authentication.

Note, however, that a standalone database using SQLite also has its limitations. For example, it is not suitable for large-scale or long-term projects. This is because it is not as scalable as other database options. In addition, it does not offer the same data sharing and collaboration options as other options, such as centralized or cloud databases.

Why use Microsoft SQL Server as a database configuration when working with Primavera P6 Professional?

Sometimes, due to the limitations of a standalone database, we are interested in storing and managing the data of a project using Primavera P6 Professional and a SQL Server database. Microsoft SQL Server Database is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft that offers high performance, scalability, and security.

There are several reasons why a Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Express database configuration could be used with Primavera P6 Professional:

1. Scalability: SQL Server is suitable for large-scale or long-term projects. It is capable of handling large amounts of data and a large number of concurrent users.
2. Security: SQL Server offers a high level of security, including user authentication, data encryption, and access control.
3. Collaboration and data sharing: SQL Server allows multiple users to access and work with project data at the same time, facilitating collaboration and data sharing.
4. Integration with other tools: SQL Server can be integrated with other project and business management tools. This feature allows users to access and use project data more effectively.

Using a Microsoft SQL Server database with Primavera P6 Professional can be more complicated and costly than the standalone option. It is necessary to purchase a SQL Server license and it may be necessary to hire specialized staff to administer and maintain the database. In addition, the configuration and use of SQL Server may require a steeper learning curve.

IN PROJECT 2080 WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

When it comes to database configuration for working with Primavera P6 Professional, we have 4 options to choose from as controller types. We have evaluated two different database options. The Standalone (SQLite) is the easiest to configure and is suitable for small projects with little management demand. However, if you have a larger volume of projects, we recommend setting up Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Express. Microsoft SQL Server is easy to use and connects well with other project planning and control tools, such as Power BI or Python.

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The post Database configuration for Primavera P6 was first published on Project 2080.

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Why connect the Primavera P6 XER file with Power BI

The era of dynamic reports based on Business Intelligence and the massive crossing of different databases has opened a new path for us in the world of project planning and project control reports. Generating reports thanks to the data obtained from the Primavera P6 planning and project controls tool has never been an easier task. In the post we released about how to connect Primavera P6 with Power BI, we already taught you how to create reports in Power BI thanks to the connection with Excel sheets.

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The use of excel spreadsheets is a process that, today, is certainly friendly for most users. However, it can become a process that generates errors more easily or is not 100% automatic. That’s why we think that working directly with XER files as data sources will save us a lot of manual work in the long run and greatly reduce the risks that come with working with manually created spreadsheets.

Before showing you how to connect the Primavera P6 XER file to Power BI, let’s see what’s behind the native XER file of this powerful project planning and control tool that is Primavera P6.

What to find in a Primavera P6 XER file

How is data stored in the Primavera P6 database

The Primavera P6 project planning tool database stores all data in more than 170 tables. Each of these tables contains different fields which in turn contain records. These tables are referenced to each other through relationships between a Primary Key and a Foreign Key. Despite the large number of tables that the Primavera P6 database contains, we should be more familiar with only 20 of them.

It should be noted that calculated fields are not stored in the Primavera database, since they are calculated based on other fields in the database.

Example of where data is written to the Primavera database

Next, we are going to see an example that shows how the data that we enter in P6 is stored within its database. To do this, we will base ourselves on the Activity Code called Project 2080.

The data is stored in the tables, fields, and records of the database, as we mentioned before. In this example, the Activity Code that we have called “Project 2080” is stored in the table (%T) “ACTVTYPE“, inside the field (%F) “actv_code_type_id“, with a unique code as a record (%R) of value “1986“. With the help of Excel, this is what it would look like:

As for the different values within the Activity Code “Projet 2080“, these are stored within the table (%T) “ACTVCODE“, as shown in the following screenshot:

Note that the Primary Key in the ACTVTYPE table (1986) becomes the Foreign Key in the ACTVCODE table. This will make both tables related to each other, something that will help us when relating tables in Power BI.

What is Primavera P6 XER file

Primavera P6 is capable of working with different types of formats, such as XML, XLSX (Spread Sheet), or MPX (Microsoft Project) to exchange data related to project scheduling. However, the file that characterizes Primavera P6 is the XER file. The XER file is a CVS-type file, with tab delimiters (TAB). In other words, the XER file is a text file with tabulated data that you can open and modify in any text editor or other software that reads CVS files. Before moving on to work with the Primavera XER file in Power BI, let’s show you how you can open and view this file in Excel.

How to open and view an XER file in Excel

As it is a text file, the XER file can be opened using a note editor and even using the Excel tool, as we will see below, through the “From Text / CSV” option:

Once we have clicked on this option, we select the XER file that we want to import and a new window called “Power Query Editor” will open. Our file will appear in it, but still without format. To do this, we will select the file and press the right button of our mouse so that a drop-down appears where we will select the “CSV” option:

At this time, only two columns will appear. In order to see all the columns, we will use the property of the XER files, which we know are tabulated text files. We will go to the option to “split columns“, by delimiter:

In the window that appears, we will select the “Tab” option as the delimiter, as shown below:

In the following image we can already see how all the columns that are part of the XER file that we export from Primavera P6 are shown:

We can now click the Close and Load the file button in the upper left corner to be able to see the XER file as a single table in our Excel tool:

Before going on to see how to connect the Primavera P6 XER file to Power BI, we want to mention that this file always has the same structure, regardless of whether it is a file with data from one, two, or more projects. The structure is always the same and there are certain attributes of the table that are important to know before moving on to the next point.

If we look at the first column of the table that we have obtained when opening the XER file in Excel, we see that there are four attributes:

1. %T: to refer to tables
2. %F: to refer to fields
3. %R: when referring to registers
4. %E: refers to the last row of the XER file of P6

Therefore, if we want to know the list of tables that our native Primavera P6 file contains, we just have to filter the first column by “%T“:

How to connect Primavera P6 XER file to Power BI in 4 steps

If you’ve reached this point, we’re sure you already have a much deeper understanding of Primavera P6 XER files than you did before coming to this post. It’s time to put these insights into practice and start connecting your Primavera P6 XER files with Power BI. The objective is none other than to fully automate your reporting system and save as much time as possible month after month.

Step 1: Open Power BI

First, we will open Power BI and save the file with the appropriate name. In our case, we have called this file “connect Primavera P6 XER file with Power BI”.

Step 2: Export your Primavera P6 projects to XER format

Next, already in Primavera P6, we will select and open those projects that interest us to generate our reports in Power BI. Once opened, we will export them in XER format. It is worth mentioning that there are up to three types of data to export: projects, only resources, or only roles. Selecting one or the other data set will only influence the number of tables that make up the XER file. For this article, we have chosen the option to export project data.

Step 3: Get the data from the XER file in Power BI

Back in Power BI, let’s start working with the XER file. We will import the data from the XER file into Power BI and work with it in the query editor. To do this, the first step is to import the XER text file. Click on “Get Data” and select the “Text or CVS” option. As they are files with a .XER extension, we must select the option to see “all files” and we will select the XER file that we have previously created.

The “Power Query Editor” will have opened, just as it happened before when we imported the file into Excel. We will follow exactly the same steps that we saw above when we talked about how to open and view an XER file in Excel (let’s refresh our memory: we must select the icon inside the “Power Query Editor” window, and with the right mouse button select the “CSV” option. At this time it will be transformed into a table with two columns. Next, we will select the first column (“Column 1”), and select HOME-Split Column-By Delimiter. We will select the “Tab” delimiter since the XER files are CSV-type files with TAB, and split at “each occurrence of the delimiter”). However, in this case we won’t hit the “Close and apply” button yet.

The second step consists of making a series of adjustments in this query. First, we will add a conditional column. The condition will be that if a %T appears in column 1.1, then it returns the name of the table that comes in Column 1.2:

Once this new column is created, we will select it and go to Transform – Fill Down:

Next, we’ll move the column between Column 1.1 and Column 1.2 and name it “Table”:

Lastly, we will filter Column 1.1, selecting everything except ERMHDR, %E, and %T:

Step 4: extract the tables from the XER file

In this step, we are going to start extracting tables, along with their particular fields and records. Since we don’t want this post to take longer than necessary, we are only going to extract the ACTVCODE table as an example. Once we know how to extract a table, the rest of the tables would be extracted in the same way, always using the same table from the XER file that we have exported from Primavera P6 as the data source.

We’ll start by creating a reference to the XER file query we just created in the previous steps. To do this, we will select the original query and with the right mouse button we will select “Reference“. We will create as many references as tables of the XER files that we want to have at our disposal.

Once we rename this new query by the name of the table that we are going to create (in this case it would be ACTVCODE), we will filter the column that we call “Table” by the name of our table and we will select Transform – Use the first row as a header:

In order to have a table as clean as possible, we will eliminate those columns that we do not need, as well as those that are empty or have null values in them.

Finally, we will change the format of the columns as appropriate, paying more attention to date formats and decimal numbers for those fields that refer to quantities.

TIP OF THE DAY: in certain formats, the commas and periods may vary when we fetch information from the XER files. Our recommendation is that you select all the columns where there is a decimal delimiter that refers to amounts and in Transform – Replace values you change the points by commas. In this way, when changing the data type to a decimal number you will not lose the decimals.

And that’s all. Now you can Close and apply to be able to see all the changes in both the Report view, Data view, and Model view.

IN PROJECT 2080 WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

You have just taken a big step as a project planner and project manager. Perhaps you are not yet aware of the great change that is coming in your professional life, but from now on the reports you were preparing will take on a new dimension. The universe of dynamic reports welcomes you. And all this without the need to link the Primavera P6 database with Power BI. Now it’s just a matter of knowing which XER file tables you’ll need to generate those reports that your peers will envy. And you know what? That we will help you with it.

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The post Connect the Primavera P6 XER file to Power BI was first published on Project 2080.

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8 new features of Primavera P6 Professional Version 20.12

Version 20.12 of Primavera P6 brings us new features. New features range from the configuration of the database to the resource assignment screen of our activity schedule.

Database configuration

One of the first new features of Primavera P6 Professional Version 20.12 is the database configuration wizard. Until version 19 of Primavera P6, this assistant has not had any major updates. However, version 20.12 of Primavera P6 brings us a much more intuitive and easy-to-use database configuration wizard when configuring the connection to the database, especially useful for SQL connections. Below, you can see and compare for yourself the version 18 wizard with that of version 20.12 of Primavera P6:

From our point of view, the big difference in this new wizard is the need to include an input in <server>/<instance>\<database_name> format to connect to the SQL database. To learn more about SQL databases, you can read our post about how to connect Primavera P6 database with Power BI.

Primavera P6 Home Screen Changes

It is not a change as such. However, we want to point out that Arabic has been included as a new language. Surely one of the reasons why Oracle has included the Arabic language as one of the languages ​​available in this new version of Primavera P6 Professional is the increase in the number of Arab users of this great planning and project controls tool.  The Arabic world is a key part of the Project Management industry, with a large number of strategic projects worldwide. Without a doubt, a great novelty for Primavera P6.

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Add comments to relationships in Primavera P6 Professional version 20.12

For those of us who already have experience using the Primavera P6 Professional tool, this is one of the most important new features of Primavera P6 Professional Version 20.12. It has been years of waiting, but we now have the option of adding comments to the different activities that we relate to each other. Oracle has created a new field called “Comments” that we can add in the “Relationships”, “Predecessors” and “Successors” tab.

Thanks to this new text field together with the rest of the data of the predecessor or successor activities, we can add relevant information. This information will help us to identify the reason for a certain “lag” used, or why we have chosen one relationship and not another. In other words, we now have an option whose added value is also reflected when preparing reports for our organization. Next, we show you how the “Comments” column of our relationships between activities can be displayed when creating a new report thanks to the report creation wizard offered by Primavera P6 Professional in its version 20.12:

Now our working programs in Primavera P6 will have greater transparency thanks to the 250 characters that we can add in the “Comments” box.

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The post Primavera P6 Professional Version 20.12 is released was first published on Project 2080.

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What is an Extension of Time Claim in a contract?

An Extension of Time Claim is a claim for an extension of time due to delay that could not reasonably be foreseen at the time the contract was signed. Granting an extension of time releases the contractor from liability for damages such as liquidated damages from the original contract completion date for the claim period. In other words, an EOT Claim is a document that allows us to justify, claim and obtain a change in the time frame in which our project fits.

When do we have the right to claim an EoT in a contract?

During the execution of a project, as long as it is specified in the contract, we will have the right to claim an Extension of Time when there is a delay in the completion of our project due to a cause beyond our control. It is at this time that we must notify our client or the contract administrator, clearly identifying the event that caused said delay, its nature, as well as the negative impact on the final milestone of project completion that has been agreed in the contractual baseline of the draft.

It will depend on each project, but in general, a first letter is sent to the client notifying that a delay has been incurred due to an element foreign to us. After sending this first notification, the EoT Claim itself is sent, with all the information that is necessary to be able to extend the project execution period in time.

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What is the purpose of an Extension of Time Claim?

The purpose of an EOT Claim is to have a contractual tool that allows us to request a change in the contractual duration of our project. Thanks to the Extension of Time Claim we will establish a relationship of events whose cause-effect will directly impact the execution of the project.

How to be successful with Extension of Time Claims?

From our point of view, the most important element to be successful with Extension of Time Claims in a contract is to have a very good and detailed project baseline before starting any activity. Once the project baseline has been defined, including resources, work performance, etc. we must be constant in the updating phase of it. In this way, we will be able to identify as soon as possible the different events that impact the contractual date of completion of work on our project.

IN PROJECT 2080 WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

The Extension of Time Claim is one of the most important tools when requesting an extension of time in our projects. It will be of great importance to save all the events that impact the completion of our project by creating a Delay Events register. Among all of them, there will be some that are attributed to our client. These are the ones that will give us the right to claim an extension of the time frame of our project. Finally, thanks to the delay analysis technique that we use, we will be able to calculate the delay of the project and how much of it can be attributed to the different parties (client, contractor, etc.).

The post What is an Extension of Time Claim in a contract? was first published on Project 2080.

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What is a Key Performance Indicator?

Key Performance Indicators are also called KPIs. These Performance Indicators are a series of metrics that are used in project controls to synthesize our project. The idea is to synthesize in a control panel or dashboard all the information of our project related to the efficiency and productivity of the tasks that are carried out in order to help us make better decisions.

What are KPIs for?

KPIs allow the project team to measure its progress and track performance focused on previously defined objectives. The most appropriate way to display the Key Performance Indicators is through a balanced scorecard. The ultimate goal is to be able to make better decisions during the execution of the project since they will help us to see the trend of the project units under control.

Examples of KPIs in project management

Within a project, you can have very varied KPIs, such as sales KPIs, logistics KPIs, production KPIs, engineering performance indicators, and even health and safety KPIs. Some examples of KPIs would be the concreting ratios, excavation ratios, the health of the project schedule, and the EVM or Earned Value Management. Your experience as a Project Manager will help you choose the best performance indicators for your project.

KPI indicators to measure your schedule

Problems in the execution and health of the activity schedule may include the following points:

• Comparison between the activities that you start and finish with the number of activities that were expected to start or finish in a given period
• Summary of activities in progress
• Percentage increase in the duration of activities
• Number of additional activities or deleted activities
• Any other type of indicator that explains and represents the progress and execution of the project

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What is a Key Performance Indicator within Earned Value Management

We will now explain to you why KPIs are so used within the EVM. Earned Value Management or EVM combines project scope, activity schedule, and cost measures within an integrated system. This system provides us with indicators based on cost. The application of Earned Value Management analysis during the early stages of the project increases the validity and effectiveness of the project baseline, both at the level of activities and cost. Once established, the project baseline underpins understanding of project performance during project execution.

Earned Value Management can be expanded to include the concept of an earned schedule, which provides time-based indicators to complement the cost-based indicators used during project execution.

IN PROJECT 2080 WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

Now that you know why KPIs are so important elements within a project, you should learn to identify the performance indicators that best fit yours. Do not forget that the Key Performance Indicators can be used to measure from the progress of a work unit, such as the poured concrete or the kilos of corrugated steel that is placed daily, to the number of casualties due to work accidents or the number of accidents without serious consequences within our project. Remember that absolutely everything is measurable in a project. You just have to find the metric that best suits yours, that is most relevant and that best helps you synthesize the data. Your experience as a Project Manager or as a Project Controls Manager will be of great help to identify the best indicators.

The post What is a Key Performance Indicator? was first published on Project 2080.

Next, we show you the 5 essential people when it comes to controlling a project (plus some other that you will be surprised to see too). Between all of them, they will ensure that the project is being executed according to the project baseline plan. In addition, they will make it possible to compare the progress of the project with the original plan, they will identify possible future problems as soon as possible in order to take corrective actions as soon as possible. Finally, they will help to collect the data necessary to prepare a claim for an extension of time or for the resolution of disputes.

Now, let’s see who does project controls within a project. Are you ready?

Who does Project Controls in a professional way?

The Project Controls Specialist is the person in charge of controlling a project in a professional way. He is not a Project Manager or a Project Controller. The Project Controls specialist is the link between the different functions within a project. He is the person in charge of collecting information, shaping it, and preparing the different progress reports of a project. These reports will carry with them an analysis of the project based on KPIs, project progress curves, and/or resource histrogram.

The information that a Project Controls Specialist must collect is all that related to the schedule of activities, financial information of the project, everything related to the function of Supply Chain Management, as well as information and data on the phase of engineering, quality, and environment, safety and health, and that which was necessary on the project management function itself.

The Project Planning Specialist

Many times the Project Planning Specialist and the Project Controls Specialist are the same person. However, this depends on the nature of the project. In large budget projects, the one who does the control of a project in a professional way is the Project Control Specialist. All tasks related to creating the project baseline, updating the Gantt schedule periodically, analyzing the Gantt Chart, or preparing progress reports using S-curves are performed by the Project Planning Specialist.

The Project Planning Specialist manages the Gantt Schedule using professional project planning software. One of the most widely used project planning software worldwide is Primavera P6, from Oracle. However, there are others like Microsoft Project.

Project Controller: key role for project controls

The third figure Project 2080 considers important when controlling a project is the Project Controller. This figure represents the financial control of the project. The Project Controller must collect from the project baseline preparation phase, and on a regular basis, the financial data of the project, such as project sale, project cost, project margin, risks, opportunities, contingencies, etc.

The Project Controller is the person in charge of creating a code structure to allocate the cost of our project from month to month. This structure must be approved by the Project Manager and distributed to all project participants. These codes must include the cost of labor, machinery, subcontracted equipment, as well as the materials that the project needs to be executed correctly. As a cost control tool, we can talk about SAP, widely used worldwide.

In addition to the financial control that the Project Controller does on a regular basis, it also works together with the Project Planning Specialist to develop the Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS). This structure consists of a series of unique codes that map both with the cost codes described in the previous paragraph and with the codes of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Thanks to the CBS codes, the WBS, and the mapping done with the codes that the Project Controller uses to control project costs, the Project Control Specialist will have the initial structure for the creation of a multitude of reports that cross the data related to the project schedule and the project costs. These data will be the basis for Earned Value Management (EVM).

Project Engineering Manager

Once we have seen the figure of the Project Controls Specialist, Project Planner, and Project Controller, do you know who else does Project Controls? Now let’s talk about the Project Engineering Manager. In other forums, he is called the technical project manager. This is the most important figure within the engineering department of the project. He is in charge of defining the list of deliverables or the list of project drawings. In it, the engineering manager assigns each drawing within the corresponding WBS, which has been previously defined by the project planner. This will make it much easier to track the project month by month as the project planner will be able to identify these plans within the Gantt schedule.

In addition, the Project Engineering Manager of the project will be in charge of distributing the engineering tasks among his work team. In this way, he will be able to provide the Project Planning Specialist and Project Controls Specialist with the assessment of his own resources.

Thanks to the list of drawings and the assessment of own engineering resources, the project planner can assign the workload of the engineering phase to each task. It should be noted that the technical manager must review and approve the project baseline. Said commitment must be with the dates, activities to be carried out, as well as with the valuation of own resources.

Supply Chain Manager

As with the Project Engineering Manager, the Supply Chain Manager feeds key data to both the Project Planning Specialist and the Project Controller. The purchasing and logistics phase will be defined during the project baseline creation phase. In this process, there is a commitment from the Supply Chain Manager with the work schedule. The activities of the Supply Chain will give us information about the dates on which the orders were placed, the manufacturing periods, intermediate milestones, as well as the delivery on site of each of the supplies.

As in any other phase of the project, the entire scope related to the supply chain will be distributed according to the Work Breakdown Structure. Likewise, said scope will be coded using the CBS (Cost Breakdown Structure) codes. Finally, the allocation of the costs will come to the hands of the Project Controller, in order to update the financial and cost management program of the project.

Any other roles who does Project Controls

In addition to the 5 professionals in project management that we have described above, additionally, we want to talk about other figures who also contribute their grain of sand when Project Controls is carried out.

Responsible for Health, Safety, and Environment within Project Controls

Both health and safety, as well as the environment, are aspects of very high importance during the execution of a project. That is why during the Project Controls phase it is necessary to see the progress of the different KPIs that have been defined at the beginning of the project. As in the previous cases, the HSE Manager will be in charge of providing all the necessary information to the Project Control Specialist.

Responsible for Risks, Opportunities, and Contingencies

The importance of ROC (Risk, Opportunities & Contingencies) comes from the idea of ​​anticipating the future. Both from the point of being able to mitigate risks, and from the fact of seeing opportunities that help us improve the margin of our project. It is a continuous process that begins in the bidding or offer phase. On a monthly basis, we will have to monitor the risks, opportunities, and contingencies of our project. Typically this is a Project Manager role. However, there may be cases in which it is necessary to create this position within a project, due to its size. Correctly managing risk, opportunities and contingencies is the task of the entire project team. After all, they are all part of the ROC, to a greater or lesser extent.

Head of Change Management

Last but not least, we will talk about the person in charge of Change Management. There are projects that, due to their large size, require a person to manage change within a project. These changes can impact both the cost and the term of the project. In some cases, the changes are due to modifications in the scope of the project. Other times, they are changes that refer to unit costs. What is clear is that we will need to monitor and control these changes due to their impact on the project. The management of change should be reflected both at the financial level and at the level of the schedule of activities.

IN PROJECT 2080 WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

Project Controls takes us to a higher level within project management. This is thanks to the information that is obtained on a regular basis from the different managers of the project. This information allows the Project Manager to manage the project, monitor it more closely, and be able to inform in advance of the different actions to be taken to reduce the risk level of the project. In short, Project Control helps us to anticipate problems and have enough reaction time to solve them without impacting the cost, quality, and time of the project. That is why a good multidisciplinary team, and specialist in each of its tasks, is necessary to be able to meet the objectives set in the project’s baseline.

The post Who does Project Controls? was first published on Project 2080.

Step 1: to create project baseline

What is Project Controls process is the keyword. However, do you know how to project controls with no knowledge about what we want to control within the project? This is a tough task to implement. If we do not have a good project baseline, we will not be able to properly monitor and control the project. In other of our posts, we already talked about what a project baseline is. But what is project controls process taking into account the project baseline?

Our project baseline must be able to clearly encompass the scope of the project, the resources necessary for the execution of the project, as well as the costs of the project. These are the three project monitoring and control mechanisms that we use in Project 2080. Our experience tells us that these three pillars support a solid project baseline, which is the foundation of adequate project monitoring and control.

The critical path of the project

Finally, the project baseline will be that initial photograph against which we will compare the progress of our project on a regular basis. Thanks to this first baseline activity schedule, we will know the critical path of our project, the key to monitoring and controlling the most critical activities of our project. If you want, you can refresh your knowledge in our post about what is the critical path of a project.

Step 2: what is Project Controls process thanks to S-Curves

Once we have our baseline activities schedule, the critical path and sub-critical paths of the project, we are in a position to obtain different S-curves of the project. These S-curves owe their name to the fact that when relative values ​​are accumulated at the origin in time, their shape resembles a flat “S”.

The S-curves are obtained once the different resources have been entered into the activities of our schedule. Except for the activities that are part of the critical path, whose float is zero time units, the rest of the activities have some total float. This causes 2 types of curves to be obtained. These S-curves are called the Early Baseline and the Late Baseline.

Finally, we will also be able to obtain S-curves according to the project phase or work package that we want to control and monitor. Below, you can see an example of an S-curve that was used to control a capping beam in the construction of a reinforced concrete decoupling wall:

Earned Value Method

The Earned Value Method is one of the clearest methods for tracking a project. What is Project Controls process thanks to the Earned Value Management? The monitoring and control of a project using the Earned Value methodology is carried out taking into account the different S-curves that are generated during the execution of a project.

Below you can see an interactive chart to refresh your knowledge about Earned Value Management:

Step 3: KPI definition

What is Project Controls process when KPI plays a key role to control and monitor a project? Very easy. The Key Performance Indicators or KPIs are those indicators that are used to measure all kinds of variables of a project, such as the progress of certain phases or work packages that, due to their nature, are necessary to synthesize and analyze regularly. These performance meters help us, therefore, to analyze different elements of the project, as well as to make decisions. They offer us a global and simplified vision of the project.

When defining these performance indicators or KPIs, we must take into account:

• what kind of packages or elements we want to control. For example, a KPI could be the m3 of concrete to be poured on site.
• what data we need and where to get it to obtain the information we need. In the case of our example, the data we need would be obtained through the delivery notes of the concrete tank truck, or the concreting plant.
• assign them an objective value or a range of values in which we must move. Continuing with the previous example, the KPI could be not to concrete less than 2,000 m3 of concrete per day due to the capacity of the concrete plant that supplies us with material on site.
• set the frequency with which they will be analyzed (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.). To finish with the previous example, we want to monitor progress on a daily basis.

In the same way that it is done for a project, different target KPIs can also be marked within a project schedule. For example, a performance indicator would be the number of activities with total float of less than 10 days that have been delayed with respect to the update of the previous period. The value should not exceed 2% of the delayed activities in the current period. Another performance measure could be the number of activities with a total float greater than 40 days. In this case, the value should not exceed 5% of the total activities.

Step 4: dashboard

Once the project baseline has been created, the S-curves have been generated after incorporating resources into the activities within the baseline schedule, and the Key Performance Indicators have been defined to measure some project variables, do you know how it is carried out? the control of a project in the most optimal way possible, quantitatively speaking? Through a control panel, also called a scorecard or dashboard.

The dashboard is the tool that will help us to know, from a quantitative point of view, the situation of the project based on its main control metrics. These metrics will be compared with the objectives set at the beginning of the project.

It should be said that the dashboards or control panels can be made globally within the project, or individually for each of its phases. In this way, we might have an operational control panel. However, we might have a control panel for monitoring and control of the engineering, purchasing, and logistics phase, construction phase, etc. In all of them, it is important to never forget the objectives that were set during the project baseline preparation phase, as well as implementation dates, delays, responsible for controlling each objective, as well as any type of comment or additional material that complement the dashboard.

Step 5: project follow-up meetings

During the follow-up meetings, the objective will be to collect all the necessary information on the current situation of the project, the status of risks and opportunities, and the progress of ongoing activities. The intention is to see possible deviations, in addition to whether any risk or opportunity has been generated in the project that we must begin to control.

Follow-up meetings are held periodically. The nature of the project, its level of risk or criticality, or its budget will help us better assess how often these follow-up meetings will be held. You should not confuse a follow-up meeting with a collaborative planning meeting.

It is in these meetings where the 4 previous steps are put on the table to carry out the monitoring and control of your project. The KPIs are analyzed. The current situation is compared with the project baseline. And finally, we also look at the different S-curves of progress or the analysis of the added value of the project. Normally, these meetings are attended by the heads of each department, as well as the person responsible for planning and project control.

Once the follow-up meeting is over, all the parties involved are informed of the countermeasures or active measures to be carried out during the following period.

IN PROJECT 2080 WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

At this point, we believe that you already know everything you need to know about what is Project Controls process in 5 easy steps. However, your opinion interests us. Therefore, if in addition to the project baseline, the S-curves, the definition of the KPIs, the control panel, or the follow-up meetings, you think there is something else that escapes us, leave us a comment below. And remember, almost anything can be measured, controlled, and tracked.

The post What is Project Controls process? was first published on Project 2080.

What is a Gantt Chart?

The Gantt Chart is a tool used in project planning. In Project 2080 we like to consider the Gantt Schedule as the final result of the planning work. After carrying out all the tasks during the planning process of a project, we obtain a bar chart that helps us to identify within a timeline the activities, activity packages, and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) that visually represent the scope of our project. In other words, a Gantt Chart shows us which activities need to be completed and by what date.

Although we have already seen what a Gantt Chart is, we must distinguish the Gantt Graph when it is part of the tendering phase and when it is part of the execution phase of the project.

Gantt Chart on the tendering phase

In the planning phase of a project, the first Gantt Schedule that we must create is in the tendering phase. In this case, the Gantt Chart that represents the scope of our project presents a lower and constant level of detail from the beginning to the end of the project.

Gantt Chart as part of the execution phase

However, in the execution phase of the project, the Gantt Chart will be a much more detailed bar graph. It is important to note that, in long-term projects, the level of detail of certain activities that are carried out at a later stage of the project is less than that of activities that are in the beginning phase of the project. As the project progresses, the level of detail of our activities is expanded, thus breaking down the initial Gantt Chart.

What is a Gantt Chart for?

Once we already answer the question about what is a Gantt Chart and its level of detail, the question that addresses us is what is a Gantt Chart for. In general, the Gantt Chart can show us:

• Activities: activities, activity packages, and project Work Breakdown Structure. When we create the Gantt Chart of our activity schedule, thanks to the WBS or Work Breakdown Structure we are able to assign our activities to the corresponding project phase.
• Dates: start date and finish date of the project. In this case, the bar chart can show the dates of the project baseline, monthly versions of the schedule, as well as the estimated forecast made in the current month. In addition, our Gantt Chart can show us the earliest and latest dates, as well as dates linked to restrictions, or dates in which an activity has been suspended.
• Resources: the resources necessary to carry out each activity. Within each activity, the estimate of necessary resources can be included.
• Activity Relationship. The Gantt Chart also shows what is the logical relationship between activities, such as Finiss-Start, Finish-Finish, Start-Start, Start-Finish.
• Progress: it is one of the most important characteristics of a Gantt Chart. Thanks to the Gantt chart, it is shown exactly how the execution of the project is developing. Thanks to the Gantt Chart, we are able to compare both dates, resource times, and percentage of performance.
• Earned Value Management (EVM): the Gantt Chart also serves to show us all the indicators that are taken into account in Earned Value Management. All these indicators will help us to carry out an adequate Project Control, including everything related to S-curves.
• Other types of information, such as project progress photographs, “curtains” to visually identify certain moments of the project.

Why is a Gantt Chart so important in project planning and project controls?

To answer the question of why is a Gantt Chart so important in project planning, we have to take into account the objectives we seek in project management.

Clear projects thanks to the Gantt Chart

First of all, clarity. Both our client and our project team seek to be able to clearly review the current status of the project and its progress. The Gantt Chart facilitates the reading of the project, being able to clearly identify where we are in the project, what we have done to date, and what work is still pending. Likewise, we can clearly compare project progress to the progress we expected based on the project baseline. In addition, the fact of being able to add the necessary resources to execute the tasks to our schedule of activities gives us visibility on whether we are using the resources properly or if, on the contrary, the project is executing under lower performance than expected. Finally, clarity is also shown at the cost level.

The Gantt Bar Chart improve communication with your team

Thanks to the clarity with which the Gantt Chart shows the status of a project, communication with the rest of the project team and with our client is carried out in a more comfortable way. The Gantt Chart is the “language” that all parties involved in the project know. Thanks to it, they can more effectively review the project status in the different planning meetings during the life of the project.

New collaboration links in your projects

In a project, due to the connection between the different phases and work teams, it is important that all parties have an understanding of the progress of the project at a general level and of its package of activities at a particular level. When someone is aware that a delay in their tasks impacts the progress of the tasks of other departments and colleagues, a nexus of collaboration between departments is created, as well as a better organization of the tasks to be carried out.

The Gantt Chart improves the organization of resources

A good Gantt Chart helps us to clearly visualize the impact that some tasks have on others. In the same way, it shows us the relationship that exists between departments for the correct development of the project. That is why during planning meetings, the schedule of activities will help us set target dates. Thus, the rest of the project team will take them into account for a better organization of their own resources.

When carrying out changes in the scope of a project, due to additional projects or new annexes to the contract, as well as when project schedule compression techniques are performed, the Gantt Chart is very useful since it offers us a general view of the project, being an elastic and flexible tool in the face of such changes.

IN PROJECT 2080 WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER

Our article about the first steps to know what a Gantt Chart is served as a first approach to the Gantt Diagram. In the same way, we taught you how to make a Gantt Chart step by step. This article has helped you to keep progressing your knowledge about the Gantt Chart. What is a Gantt Chart, why is a Gantt Chart so important in project planning, and what is a Gantt Chart for. As we have already mentioned, it is one of the key tools in the world of Planning and Project Controls. The Gantt Chart is capable of turning the complexity of a project into something easy to understand.

The Gantt Chart can be done using an excel sheet, in word, or in professional project planning tools, such as Primavera P6. In any case, these bar schedules need to be fed regularly. In this way, we can know the status of the project, as well as the progress and pending tasks for its completion.

The post What is a Gantt Chart and what is it for? was first published on Project 2080.