
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 management.
What are Level of Effort Activities for?
You might already know that Level of Effort activities are designed to represent support work on a project. This is work that does not contribute directly to the deliverables or outcome of the project, but supports their progress. These are still important tasks, even critical to the project, but are defined as supportive.
Examples of Level of Effort activities include:
- Customer Meetings
- Project Management tasks
- Maintenance of equipment
- Clerical work
These activities don’t “earn” us much from an earned value perspective. In Earned Value Management, any supportive-type Level of Effort tasks are called “non-discrete” – which means that measurement of these tasks is harder than say measuring a task to install 12 lamp-posts.
How much project management did you do? VS. How many lamp posts did you install?
You can see what the Defence Contract Management Agency has to say about discrete tasks versus Level of Effort tasks and how they relate to earned value.
As one Linkedin member recently commented “…if I cannot see it, touch it, bump my hard hat on it or fall into it….it gives you NO progress.“ And Level of Effort activities, in describing supportive-type work, fall into that bucket.
What does Level of Effort mean?
The term Level of Effort could be reworded as – “to level out effort” OR “to spread out the work”.
Since a Level Effort activity in Primavera P6 “summarizes” other discrete activities, it spans the duration of multiple consecutive activities, the result is similar to spreading out work over the duration of those activities.
Level Of Effort – “to level out effort” OR “to spread out the work”.
Can Level of Effort Activities be on the Critical Path?
No. Level of Effort Activities should not appear on the Critical Path, nor should they add any duration to the project.
How do I use Level of Effort Activities in Primavera P6?
If you add a Level of Effort Activity in Primavera P6, it’s most likely because you want to track a resource and their time on a support task.
Level of Effort activities get their dates and durations from their predecessors and successors. It’s most common to assign a predecessor with an SS relationship and a successor with an FF relationship (however you aren’t limited to those as in P3’s hammocks“). Then you assign a resource to the activity and his/her effort is will be spread over the activity’s duration.
How is a Level of Effort Activity’s Duration calculated in Primavera P6?
The Level of Effort Activity gets it’s start date from the Early Start date of it’s predecessor. It gets it’s finish date from the Early Finish of it’s successor. Then it’s own calendar is used to calculate the duration between the start and finish dates.
All of this happens when you reschedule your project. After you reschedule, the Level of Effort’s duration will be calculated.
Of course, if any of the activities that a Level of Effort summarizes has a change of duration, then after rescheduling P6 will calculate a new duration for your Level of Effort.
How do I show my Level of Effort Activities on the Gantt Chart? My Level of Effort bars are not showing on the Gantt Chart.
Simple, you’ll just need to adjust the Gantt Bars settings in Primavera P6. Right-click on the Gantt Chart, select Bars. Check on any entry that is called “Remaining Level of Effort”. If you don’t have an entry like that, then go ahead and add one using the Add button. Set the parameters a shown below. Make sure to set the Bar style as well.
Wrap-Up
Level of Effort activities are an essential component in building complete schedules, for displaying and representing supportive, non-discrete work. Make sure you familiar with them but don’t overuse them. Like most things in planning and scheduling, a little goes a long way.
Level of Effort?
A level of effort Not Crtical? Debate
Level of Effort! Pedeccesor and Sucssecor links?
We are not thinking Hamocks?
P6 Level of Effort!
Has only PREDECESSOR’S WITH A SS an FF!!
You want it to be Critical! Use a Finish Milestone with the last activity in the sequence (FF) milestone! ALL ACTIVITIES NEED TO BE LINKED!
All activities that make the Level of Effort MUST BE LINKED IN THE PREDECESSORS SECTION, IF NOT THEN ANY ACTIVIY THAT IS OUT OF SEQUNCE WILL NOT BE CAPTURED! THEN WHY CAN IS IT LEVEL OF EFFORT CANT BE CRITICAL? IT’S A NO BRAINER, IF THE ACTIVITIES LINKED ARE CRTICAL THEN THE LOE IS!
Very much useful.
As usual Mr.Michael’s lessons are very useful.
Thank you very much
Thanks for you.
I have another question , how calculate percent complete for Level of Effort Activities?
Hello,
Progress the schedule and P6 will update the Schedule % Complete. You will then need to copy this to the Physical % complete in order to capture a accurate EV Cost / SPI.
Hope this helps.
Kind Regards
Paul
Sir,
Whether this LOE can be used for Engineering activities like Shop drawing / Materials submission & approvals??
Please advice.
Thankyou in advance..
Sir Michael,
I have an updated programme containing several LOEs where I used as a “revised baseline”. When this is updated, the LOEs show dates that are beyond the project finish date. What’s wrong with my schedule?
Warren Sika
Hi Warren,
Did you figure a way out for this?
Kind regards
Pranab
what is the method to learn more or understanding more of primavera p6 .
for my work demands for that. as much as i try i meet new thing which i do not know tomorrow.
How you considered our online training for Primavera P6? Click the Home link above for more information – it’s all on this site.
Michael
Sir,
How to fix the LOE resources distribution? The distribution of the resources is beyond the finish date.
Thanks & regards
Hi,
How to fix the LOE activities Expenses..??
When the links for these activities are SS and FF, actual start date of the activity is from the Predecessor activity but how about the % complete or Earned value cost (EXPENSES) under this activity..??
Earned value cost seems to be 0..??
Performance % Complete appears to be 0%.
Can you advise on this issue..??
In my project, Drawing submission can not start without Kick of Meeting with customer. However, as per above logic, this meeting will be Level of effort activity. But if this meeting delays then whole engineering work get delay. So, even if this activity is LOE but still it has to be on critical path.
Any suggestion……
Please, can someone help me with a detailed WBS for a Gas Turbine Installation and Commissioning Project ?. Thank you
thanks for your level of effort. It’s quite useful to get something new