Put plainly, project status reports are difficult to write. It is a fact that project managers in different industries can come together and agree upon. But while it can be difficult to put together a document that has the right tone for the audience, has the pertinent information discussed at the appropriate depth, and can be functional rather than just informational, project managers are tasked
About Michael Lepage
5 Ways To Completely Revamp Your Project Productivity Style
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We all want to be and feel productive everyday. Somedays you feel like Thor, knocking off the tasks like he swings Mjilnor to bash bad guys. And other days, it's more like you're stuck in "Ground Hog Day" - endlessly repeating the same tasks over and over to no end, seeming to get nowhere. Maybe it's time to check your productivity system. What tools are you using to stay on top of that endless
P6 Schedule Comparison Tools: Which One Should You Use?
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Comparing two Primavera P6 schedules is one of the most fundamental things that we should be able to as a savvy scheduler. If you've ever wanted to know what happened between Month 3 update schedule and Month 4, then this article is for you. Which are the best tools for comparing Primavera P6 schedules? I'm going to go review and test out 4 P6 schedule comparison tools, in depth, to help you
4 Common Construction Bidding Errors And How To Avoid Them
Independent contractors are constantly seeking out and proposing bids in hopes of landing a construction job. Whether it is a small or large project the landscape is very competitive and requires a lot more than just presenting a proposal and knowing that you’re remarkable at what you do. To help get you in the right lane when pursuing a private or public construction project, here are 4 common
Critical Path Analysis in P6 – 5 Things I Wish I Knew Earlier
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When I first started learning planning and Primavera P6, I thought I had it all figured out. But it wasn't until I sat with a client and tried to explain what I was showing him that I realized I still had a long way to go. This video tutorial walks you through 5 Things about Critical Path Analysis in P6 that I wish someone would have told me earlier on as a planner. But fret not! You can
70 Project Scheduling Terms That Every Planner Needs To Know
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The number of project scheduling and planning terms out there can be overwhelming. Interpreting and communicating a plan can become a task in itself if you are not up-to-date with the planning jargon. So here is a list of 70 Project Scheduling terms every planner should know for smooth sailing – check out the glossary below to brush up on your terms. If you have any terms that are essential
What is a Level of Effort Activity in Primavera P6? [FAQs]
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A “Level of Effort” Activity in Primavera P6 is a special activity type with unique qualities for duration. Primavera P6 will calculate the duration of a Level of Effort Activity based on dates from its predecessor(s) and successor(s). Let’s dive into some specifics about Level of Effort activities in general because they are not specific to Oracle Primavera P6 but are common tasks in project
What is High-Level Resourcing?
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We all know how versatile Primavera P6 is as a planning, scheduling and project resource management tool. P6 can handle incredibly detailed project schedules where you can plan and track thousands of work tasks by the hour. But Primavera P6 is also an ideal tool for creating high-level project plans and schedules. High-level resourcing is the process of planning your resource needs across a
10 Primavera P6 Layouts You Must Implement
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It can get difficult to analyze the mountain of schedules you’re responsible for and our good friend Jerome Ijachi Odeh pulled together a list of 10 Must-Have Primavera P6 Layouts....ones you probably should be using everyday. So to help you take advantage of P6's powerful layout features (like these ones we've already told you about), here is a little sneak peek of 10 must-have Primavera P6
How Primavera Calendars Change Durations – and what to do about it
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If you do a quick google on keywords <Primavera calendars change>, you'll end up with quite a few results that show you how to use Primavera's Fill-Down feature to change the activity calendar of all the activities in a project. But I think the fill-down piece is only the first step in changing activity calendars. What about durations? Changing an activity's calendar in Primavera can
Here’s A Quick Way To Keep Your Primavera P6 Milestones in Focus
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Primavera P6 Milestone Activities in any schedule usually represent the most important deadlines, deliveries, start ups or drop-dead dates for a project. These are undeniably dates that you’ll want to stay on top of and keep close at hand in case you’re asked for a report or to check on the health of the project. But it can be difficult to search for milestones in a large construction schedule,
4 Tactics To Understand A Schedule You Didn’t Build
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You stepped into work today and were suddenly whisked away to a meeting, only to hear that you will be taking over full responsibility for someone else’s project plan and schedule. Whether you like it or not you will have to tackle understanding this new schedule. So what now!? Before you freak out in a quiet little corner, breathe and take the first steps of trying to understand as much as you
How to Onboard New P6 Schedulers to Your Company
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When it comes to onboarding P6 schedulers, most companies are in a rush. The demands of working in a projectized world lead to feeling like we're always 3 steps behind where we want to be; effectively productive. And when we're onboarding our newly hired P6 scheduler, sometimes we have tunnel vision and miss the bigger picture. Here are some recommendations you can use during your onboarding
Top 6 Reasons How PMP Certification Will Advance Your Career
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Working in project management requires careful attention to detail, inexplicable hands-on training, and credibility. However, planners and schedulers in project management roles often find themselves unable to provide proof of their accomplishments beyond previous roles as project managers. To meet the growing demand for a streamlined, predictable means of ensuring a project manager’s
Update Baseline Feature in Primavera P6 Use or Not
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In today’s post, I want to talk about the Primavera P6 Update Baseline feature. Are you using it right? Should you be using it at all? I want to dive into that and talk about Project Change Management while we talk about the P6 Update Baseline feature. What is the Problem with Update Baseline? Okay. So number one Update Baseline; If you've done any digging, you know it's fraught with errors and
Top New Features in Primavera P6 v21
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A new version of Primavera P6 Professional has recently dropped: Primavera P6 v21, and I'm here to tell about what's new, what's great and what's not. I feel it's my heartfelt duty to schedulers everywhere to unpack these yearly updates and highlight all of the features that are changing or improving, or are still broken. I love to do it, and I've been doing it for years. Here is the yearly
Primavera P6: Download a Free Trial
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Primavera P6 Professional is likely the most-used construction project management software package around today. Now at version 21.12, project controls planners & schedulers use Primavera P6 Professional to manage construction projects big and small around the globe. The Primavera P6 download process will let you download a free trial of Primavera P6 Project Management. And we'll take you
4 Ways To Benefit From Online Primavera P6 Training
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Here in Primavera-land it seems like eLearning is the new norm! We've seen many traditional Primavera P6 training providers launch online Primavera P6 training courses or some sort of Primavera P6 eLearning this year. Quick brag....Plan Academy has some of the best, most comprehensive courses you'll find! From a learner's perspective, this is a great opportunity as there are now many more
9 Common Project Controls Mistakes Companies Make That Cost Them Millions In Lost Wrench Time
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WRENCH-TIME [average hours/shift that a craftsperson spends directly working to execute construction, maintenance or shutdown activities]. It’s estimated that a worker spends on average only 3.5 hours actually working during a ten-hour shift; this is a startling figure. With industry already lacking in skilled labor, wouldn’t it make sense to try and increase worker performance? The savings of
The Power Of Oil On the Construction Industry [INFOGRAPHIC]
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Worried that your project might be the next one affected by the recent crude oil price increase? Closing 2014 oil prices were 49% in decline, back then we feared it could reach the all time low we saw in 2008 where oil dropped 67%. Now in 2022, crude oil prices saw a 40% increase reaching an all time high and getting very close to the 2008 recession highest oil prices. The infographic
Out of Sequence Progressing in Primavera P6: Why Do We Care?
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In this post, we’re talking about as-built progress schedules, out of sequence and how that affects everything. But why do we care? What is as-built about and why do we have to fix out of sequence progress in Primavera P6? First, let me start by letting you know that I have a brand-new course that's coming out; it is the Advanced P6 Progressing course. In this course, we cover out of sequence
Measuring Project Progress : 6 Methods You Should Know
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Accurately measuring the progress of a project is always a challenge. There are many factors to account for in a progress update - type of measurement, accuracy of the data, and the system of record are all important factor in accurate progress measurements. Software packages like Primavera P6 don't always help us out. Sure there a 3 choices for Percent Complete Types, but how do we decide
Financial Periods in P6: Are You Using This Feature?
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You are probably not using this amazing feature in P6, Stored Period Performance (Financial Periods), right? In this post, I will tell you why you should be using it and what it's gonna do for you. I'm about to launch my new Advanced P6 Progressing course. And in it, I go deep on Earned Value Management, Financial Periods, and more. But here I'm just gonna give you some important key points to
Bad P6 Progressing: Analysis With Deltek Acumen Fuse
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In this post, we're talking about bad P6 progressing. That's right. Bad P6 progressing. I'm about to launch a brand-new course called "Advanced P6 Progressing". In this new course, I show you how to progress all sorts of different ways, earn value, financial periods, and much more. But one of the things that we really dive deep into is bad P6 progressing - what you should not do when you progress
CPM Scheduling 101: How Primavera Scheduling Works
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You've probably heard of CPM Scheduling at some point. While you may feel like you don't need to concern yourself with it, there's decent likelihood that you'll be up to your armpits in the Critical Path Method once that big project gets rolling. Yes, Primavera P6 does run all sorts of fancy algorithms when you hit F9 - but having at least a fundamental knowledge of how CPM Scheduling works is
Convert an EPS Activity Code to a Project Activity Code in Primavera P6
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The Primavera P6 EPS Activity Code is great when we want to have a set of Activity Codes available to certain projects based on where they sit in your EPS structure. An example might be having a set of Activity Codes for each Department in your database. Typically, EPS nodes would be set up for each Department, allowing an organization to specific a set of EPS Activity Codes for each Department
5 New Year’s Resolutions Every Project Controller Should Consider
We know it takes a lot of hard work to become a Project Controller. Most Project Controllers have a Bachelor's Degree in engineering or a field related to technology. There are just a few industry specific Project Controller’s curriculum in colleges and universities, so most learn by joining a project management team in a company in the industry they want to make a career. The general duty of a
Create A Festive Gantt Chart Xmas Tree In Primavera P6
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For all you creative types out there who love to create something awesome in a manner which is rather non-traditional....this tutorial is for you. We've already shown you have to colorize the P6 Gantt chart, but in the spirit of the holidays, here are the steps to create a festive Gantt chart Xmas tree (Holiday Wreath) in Primavera P6, complete with decorations. Getting Started with the Gantt
Plan a Festive Holiday Wreath in Primavera P6
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Back by popular demand is another festorial in Primavera P6. Who says the lowly Gantt Charts can't be fun & festive? In the spirits of the holidays (and of using Project Management software in ways never intended), I'd like to present you with an Advanced-level Festorial on creating a holiday wreath (Xmas tree). Show off your skills, impress your project controls manager (or your
4 Simple Tips To Have A Productive Team During The Holidays
It’s that time of the year and the holiday craze is unavoidable – it’s everywhere you turn. Are you feeling the crunch as yet? As we get ready for the holidays socially and professionally, don’t forget to pencil it in when scheduling all of those projects. It’s well known that lack of time, pressure to reach end of year expectations and fear of having work tiptoe its way into holiday time can
Can Mastering Oracle Primavera P6 Enhance Your Career?
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Yes mastering Oracle Primavera P6 can enhance your career... Here’s how and why you should work your way up to a Project Controller or Manager position. In Numbers: The Construction Project Controller/Manager job ranked #1 in the top construction jobs in the United States in 2021. It also ranked #52 in the Best 100 Jobs in the United States - also ranking #2 in the highest salary rankings for
Use Expected Finish in Primavera P6 to Speed Updates
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I'd love to see some stats on the average size of a Primavera P6 schedule. I've never come across any stats, but based on experience and lots of consulting and web-research, it's pretty clear that today's project schedules are the chunky big brother to their slim and compact sibling of 10 or 15 years ago. Schedules are becoming bloated with data. Why? We have computers & software that
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