1. Tips Tricks with Version Six (Client)
Don Louser PMP, PMA Consultants LLC

2. Give Us Your Card
• There are more items in this presentation than we will
have time to demonstrate
• Give us your business card and we will send you the
entire presentation complete with notes
• Or, contact me @ dlouser@pmaconsultants.com
2

3. What we have for you today...
• What’s New in Client v. 6.0 (Slides 1-20)
• Use of Indicators (Slide 21)
• Global Changes – De-status the Schedule (Slides 22-26)
• Global Changes – Change WBS from Filters (Slide 27)
• Export and Importing Projects (Slides 28-39)
• Project details that are often forgotten (Slides 40-42)
• Renumbering Activities (Slides 43-45)
• Building your Schedule – Making a List (Slides 46-47)
• Building your Schedule - Linking Shortcuts (Slide 48)
• The Schedule Report (Slides 49-52)
• Lag Calendars (Slides 53-54) 3

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

5. What’s New – Reflection Projects
• Power with Simplicity !!!
• A Reflection is a Copy of a Project that enhances Your Ability to
“What If” or Update Your Project
• Same Name – What If – Internal Link to Source – Baseline –
Timesheet Data – Activity Owner
• “Activity Owner” make changes via .xer or Web
• Review & Change or Merge As Is (Check Boxes)
• Merge Will Not remove Activities, Resource Assignments, WBS
Elements, Work Products & Docs, Expenses, Issues or Risks if
deleted from Reflection
DEMO
5

6. What’s New - Create Reflection Project
6

7. Making Changes to Reflection Projects
• Use to test Scenarios or Update Project
• Send w/Project Specific Layout to Others to Update
• Import/Export just like any other Project file
• Activity Owner – designate Owner w/Required Web
License & Privileges to Update/Change
• Admin or Project Superuser gets last shot to
Review/Correct before merging back into Source Project
• Merge Will Not remove Activities, Resource Assignments, WBS
Elements, Work Products & Docs, Expenses, Issues or Risks if
deleted from Reflection 7

8. Merging Reflection into Source Project
• Close all Projects
• Go to Projects Table – Select Reflection Project
• Right Click – Merge Reflection into Source Project
8

9. Merging Reflection into Source Project
9

10. Merging Reflection into Source Project
10

11. Merging Reflection into Source Project
11

12. What’s New – Future Bucket Planning
• Redistribute Even Distribution of Budgeted Units
• Editable Security Privilege
• Duration Type Must be Fixed Duration & Units, or Fixed
Duration & Units/Time
• Use Resource Spreadsheet or Resource Assignment
• In Future Bucket Period type or change Values as
Needed
12

13. What’s New – Future Bucket Planning
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 TOTAL
Even Spread 8 8 8 8 8 40
Future Bucket 8A 8A 4A 10R 10R 40
•Assuming Daily TS – P5 spread evenly
•Actual levels of work may vary
•Example shows 20 A units in 3 days
•Remaining needs to be adjusted
•Two remaining buckets reflect adjustment
•Activity Adjusted must have Fixed Duration & Units, orFixed
Duration & Units/Time
•Use Resource Spreadsheet to adjust future bucket period 13

14. Edit Future Bucket Security
14

15. What’s New – Group & Sort Dialog
• New Checkbox for Show Group Totals, Shrink Vertical Bands
SHOW PIX & EXPLAIN
15

16. What’s New - Search in Pop-Up Dialog and Type Ahead in
Drop Down
SHOW PIX & EXPLAIN
16

17. What’s New - Copy Baselines
• Checkbox in Copy Project Options
• Copy Baselines Dialog
# Copies Controlled by New Setting in Admin Preferences
17

18. Admin preferences Setting for Copying Baselines
18

19. What’s New - Role Limits
• Similar to Limits for Resources
• Effective Date and Max Units/Time
19

20. What’s new – Project Specific Layouts (Yeah!)
• Layout with Filter when Project Exported
• Reduces Need for Global Layouts
• Only Global and Layout Filters will Restrict Use
• Expanded & Collapsed Bars & Row Height Setting when switching between layouts
and Windows (Yeah!)
20

21. Use of Indicators
21

22. Useful Global Changes –
De-Status the Schedule
Re-create a Baseline, Copy an Existing Schedule
that has Been Progressed
Project Detail Calculations Tab =
Any Actual Units that Exist Must be set to 0
• See Actual Units Slide
Run 2 Global Changes to Reset Activities to Not Started
• See De-Progress GCs
Make any Needed Changes and Reschedule
Skip
22

23. Useful Global Changes –
De-Status the Schedule (cont.)
Actual
Work
Units
Go Back
23

24. Useful Global Changes –
De-Status the Schedule (cont.)
De-Status
the GC’s
Go Back
24

25. Errors?
Sometimes...
An Activity may have a Unit without a
Resource Assigned...
25

26. Useful Global Changes –
De-Status the Schedule (cont.) Set Cols
for All
Units
Delete
Manually,
or Use
the Fill-
Down
Feature
26

27. Useful Global Changes –
Change WBS Based on Filters
27

28. Exporting and Importing Projects
Primavera PM/MM (.xer)
MS Project
Project Planner (P3)
Spreadsheet (.xls)
Primavera Contractor 4.1 (.xer)
28

29. Exporting and Importing Projects – Spreadsheet (.XLS)
1. Select Items for Export
2. Separate Sheet for Each Item 29

30. Exporting and Importing Projects – Spreadsheet (.XLS)
(cont.)
3. Select a Project (it must be open)
30

31. Exporting and Importing Projects – Spreadsheet (.XLS)
(cont.)
4. Establish Templates for each Item
31

32. Exporting and Importing Projects – Spreadsheet (.XLS)
(cont.)
5. Certain items are mandatory, and you can filter & sort
32

33. Exporting and Importing Projects – Spreadsheet (.XLS)
(cont.)
6. Select any or all templates
33

34. Exporting and Importing Projects – Spreadsheet (.XLS)
(cont.)
7. Select the file path and name
34

35. Exporting and Importing Projects – Spreadsheet (.XLS)
(cont.)
8. Confirm before you finish
35

36. Exporting and Importing Projects (cont.)
One Worksheet Per Subject
36

37. Exporting and Importing Projects (cont.)
Caution! – Don’t Edit this Sheet
37

38. Importing Projects
Importing is a Snap!
38

39. Importing Projects (cont.)
39

40. Project details that are often forgotten
40

41. Project details that are often forgotten
41

42. Project details that are often forgotten
42

43. Renumbering Activities
Many GCs like Intelligent IDs
CSI Code – Bldg – Floor
Establish UDF (Activity) or Activity Code
Put in Column in Layout
Type Codes in Column
Use Global Change
Codes Become Activity IDs
43

44. Renumbering Activities (cont.)
Leave Blank
44

45. Renumbering Activities (cont.)
For those a bit more familiar with (GC’s)
Create Activity Code
Add Activity Code column in Layout
Fill Column
Create GC’s that add suffix for Bldg & Floor
45

46. Building your schedule – Making a list
46

47. Building your schedule – Making a list
47

48. Building your schedule – Linking shortcuts
<Ctrl-Click> the
order to link the
activities, then
<right-click> your
mouse and choose
“Link Activities.”
They are now
linked in the order
you clicked on
them.
48

49. Building your schedule – The Schedule Report
When you schedule your project, don’t forget to choose “Log to file” and
click on the ellipsis to specify the location of the “schedule.txt” file.
Always view the log to spot errors.
49

50. Building your schedule – The Schedule Report
50

51. Building your schedule – The Schedule Report
51

52. Building your schedule – The Schedule Report
52

53. Lag Calendars and Schedule Result - Version 5.0
+ =
53

54. Lag Calendars Reschedule
This has been
changed in v
6.0 to default to
the predecessor
+ =
? 54

55. Fragnets
• Time Saving – why recreate the wheel?
– Building a Single Schedule
– Modifying Many Schedules
• Create New or Modify Existing
– New = As You Would New Project
– Modify = Delete from Existing
• WBS is the Key to Integration
55

56. 2 Projects
Fragnets (cont.)
Move to 2 WBS elements
Modify a template with a Fragnet
To Here
From Here
56

57. Fragnets (cont.)
Objective – Add 22 new Activities in Template
to 2 WBS Nodes
• Copy the Template as Fragnet, Delete All Activities
Except those to Remain in Planning & Design
WBS Nodes
• Add the 22 New Activities & All Links to Fragnet
• Open Template & Fragnet
• Delete All Activities in Planning & Design Template
WBS Nodes
• Select & Copy All Fragnet Activities
57

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

59. Coding and WBS Shortcuts
Here is one person’s Layout
59

60. Coding and WBS Shortcuts (cont.)
60

61. Coding and WBS Shortcuts (cont.)
61

62. Coding and WBS Shortcuts (cont.)
Here. the work is
organized by WBS1
and Level
62

63. Coding and WBS Shortcuts (cont.)
Here, the work is
organized only by
Level
63

64. Finding and Filtering Activities
Unleash the power of Find with <Ctrl-F>
64

65. Finding and Filtering Activities (cont.)
65

66. Roles and Resource Loading
• Roles are placeholders for Resources that are not yet
assigned.
• Roles allow teams to be assigned quickly to project
activities, once the resource team is identified.
• Only resources for roles that are unfilled are shown in
the assign resources for roles dialogue box.
• <Shift-Click> and <Ctrl-Click> can be used to select
the activities being assigned resources by roles.
• A project team could be assigned to all of the
project’s activities at once.
66

67. Schedule Crashing Basics
28 Days
Total Duration
67

68. Schedule Crashing Basics (cont.)
Assume We Need to Reduce Duration by 5 Days
28 Days Total
Duration
68

69. Advanced Layouts to
Enhance Communication
• User Defined Fields
• Bring in Related Data from Other Sources
• Tabular + Graphic Presentation
69

70. Advanced Layouts to
Enhance Communication (cont.)
User Defined Schedule Data
Random Data
70

71. Advanced Layouts to
Enhance Communication (cont.)
71

72. Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting
72

73. Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting
73

74. Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting
74

75. Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting
75

76. Advanced Gantt Chart Formatting
76

77. Exporting and Importing
Layouts and Reports
.plf filename
extension
77

78. BC1
Adding Barchart Graphics to Reports
1. Create a layout that you want to print in your report
2. From the tool menu or print preview, choose Publish
3. Choose the directory for the report
4. Open a notebook topic and insert the graphic
5. Include that notebook topic in your tabular report
6. Run the report
78

79. Slide 78
BC1 Please doublecheck first bullet. Thanks, BC
Bill Camarda, 10/17/2006

80. Adding Barchart Graphics to Reports (cont.)
Publish to HTML
From the Tool menu or Print
Preview, choose Publish
79

81. Adding Graphics to Reports
80

82. Adding Graphics to Reports (cont.)
Click on the
Picture Icon,
and browse for
a graphic file to
insert into the
Notebook topic
81

83. Adding Graphics to Reports (cont.)
82

84. 83

85. Working with Baselines
Baselines are an established method of tracking progress and measuring results
When you first begin using Baselines, you may see some strange results that are difficult to diagnose
Baselines can refer to either the Current Project or another Project
How can you know which, without opening?
84

86. Working with Baselines (cont.)
Sort
Add a
Baseline
Column
? Why Alpha Prefix?
Sort by BL
Baseline Code
Project Name
Date
Resp
85

87. Working with Baselines (cont.)
Is the Current
Schedule
Ahead or
Are we a year Behind the
ahead? Original Plan?
86

88. Working with Baselines (cont.)
Something is Wrong?
Summarized
Dates
MAGIC!
87

89. Working with Baselines (cont.)
Perform a
Global
Change
on a
Baseline
88

90. Working with Baselines (cont.)
1
Here are
the
PL Strt = Start (Milestone): If = SM, Then, PS = Start
details...
2
3
89

91. Working with Baselines (cont.)
Here are
the changes
90

92. Questions?
91