Every planner knows that WBS and Code Structure are essential elements needed to successfully maintain a Primavera P6 schedule network.
But what about your Primavera P6 Activity Names?
A sometimes overlooked schedule quality issue is the use of well articulated activity descriptions. Planners who began their career in P3 or earlier versions were limited to 48 characters in the activity description. This has created an industry habit of abbreviations and acronyms that at times may only be understood by a small group of individuals knowledgeable of the project. One of the key roles of a planner is to present the execution plan to the project team. Poorly named activities can cause confusion, disagreement among the vested stakeholders and in some extreme cases manifest themselves in schedule delays.
5 Tips to Improve Your Primavera P6 Activity Names
Newer versions of Primavera P6 and beyond allow many more characters in the activity description field. Follow these 5 simple tips to improve the overall quality of your schedule network and respective activity descriptions.
1. Use an action word.
When adding an activity description you always want to add an action word first. For construction related activities consider such words as install, construct, place, or fabricate. For Engineering use action words such as develop, issue, or incorporate. Make sure you follow the action by the activity to be performed.
For example: “Install Lower Base Slab”.
2. Don’t abbreviate unless you absolutely have to.
When developing your activity descriptions do your best to spell out what you are trying to say.
For example instead of
“FREP lwr fndn concrete”
try
“Form, Rebar, Embed & Place lower foundation concrete.”
The more abbreviations your schedule contains, the greater potential for confusion, particularly for those unfamiliar with the schedule or your naming conventions.
3. Be descriptive!
The activity description needs to be as descriptive and detailed as possible. For construction activities consider adding the location, utilizing column references, direction, room numbers, and floor elevation.
Example: “Install North Lower Base Slab Col 1 – Col 5, Floor 1”.
This type of description will give your reader vital information about where this activity is physically located. Always assume that your reader will not be using your code grouping & sorting when reading yours schedule. Make sure each activity can stand on its own without any coding headers.
4. Uniformity
Developing standard activity descriptions, similar to activity IDs, will help standardize your schedule. Try to come up with a standard structure that can be conveyed to the entire planning team. This is especially good practice when working with multiple users in the same program.
An example for an engineering schedule could be “*Action Word* – *Deliverable* – *System*”. Below are some other examples to help keep uniformity in the schedule.
Use the <Action Word> – <Deliverable> – <System> template.
1). Develop Mechanical Data Sheet – Horizontal Pump
2). Issue Piping Isometrics (Dwg #) – Cooling Water System
3). Issue RFQ (PO #) – Horizontal Pump
4). Award Purchase Order (PO #) – Horizontal Pump
5. Don’t scream!
THERE IS NO NEED FOR ALL OF YOUR ACTIVITIES DESCRIPTIONS TO BE CAPTILIZED! For some reason there are several planners that prefer to work in all-caps. Do us all a favor and please turn the caps lock off. There is no need to scream and it adds no value to the final product.
Wrap-Up
Tell us what other rules you use for naming your activities when developing a schedule network.
Pithy, succinct and informative. Thx.
Larry – I am glad you enjoyed the article. Do you have any other rules you live by when naming activity ids?
Very nice information.
Some times, we have to use general description for activities specialy when we are using macro program in Excel.
hi Admin
I have question
i am working at two database or two different PC but i have problem is in one database represented activity start date in the same activity predecessor finished date . and other database represented activity start days after one day of activity predecessor finished date. like this :
case 1-Activity A start date is 5/Jun … Finish is 15 /Jun
Activity A start date is 16/Jun …Finish is 22 /Jun
case 2-Activity A start date is 5/Jun … Finish is 15 /Jun
Activity A start date is 15/Jun …Finish is 23 /Jun…
then what can i do for set case 2 the same case one?
note : i use Primavera P6 V 7
note 2: how can I set database or formatting setting primavera in case 2 to make it the same Case one.
thx very much
note 3:
I use the same calendar & lag =0 & F.S. Relationship , also 14,15,16,17 /Jun is work day ,8h/d Work
@Zeinco – Double check that your working hours on your calendars are the same between the two databases. One quick check is to go to your User Preferences and make sure that you are showing time. My guess is that in Case 2, your activity is finishing in the afternoon of one day and carrying overnight into the next day.
Roshan,
The reason for using all caps is speed. In typing in descriptions, more capitalization mistakes are made than anything else. The time that is takes to go back and make corrections can be crucial. That is why we always use all caps in descriptions. Capitalization mistakes are eliminated.
Further, its a CPM schedule, not a love letter. How can all caps on a schedule be construed as yelling? We will always use all caps on our schedules.
I have to disagree with you on the use of abbreviations. Again, we use them for speed in preparation. The slowest part of scheduling is the human interaction (input) with the computer. If we can speed that up, we can be more efficient. Why type 80 characters when you can get the point across with 40 characters? We have standard abbreviations that everyone in the company uses on our projects. We include an abbreviations “dictionary” in the narrative that accompanies out schedules. Seldom do we find a client, contractor, owner, or even design professional that is not familiar with or can understand our abbreviations.
I like the idea of an abbreviation dictionary for the project team. Smart!
Can any one please clarify me that is the activity code necessary for every activity. Suppose there are 10 activities in total. I assigned code value (lets say “area”) to 8 activities and 2 are with out code. When grouping and sorting I want to show these 2 activites on top (with out any code heading) and remaining 8 under area code. But actually it does not happens, it shows the 2 activites under “no area” code and remaining under area code. However this was possible in p3 only colored bar was shown without written any thing in it.
Can any one tell me about this? Because there are always some activites that we want to show with out any heading in the layout.
Hi Asim,
I did some playing but wasn’t able to get the result you’re looking for. Any chance you can use WBS instead of grouping by area code? I know a lot of P3 users aren’t used to the concept of WBS. I also mention this because there is no category “NO WBS” when you group by WBS.
M
Asim and Michael,
We create a code called Non-” ” Specific, under a code field for activities that don’t really have or need a code for that code field. The code could read Non-Stage Specific or Non-Area Specific. We assign appropriate activities to that code and we get a heading with that name and the activities under it. It works in both P3 and P6.
Asim, you do actually end up coding all of the activities but you know the set of activities under “Non-___” heading does not really have a code under that field.
To get that code to show up on top make sure the code ID is alphabetically of numerically first in code dictionary. I often just use numbers as the code ID so that the heading appear in the order I want.
Hope that helps.
Thanks to Michael and Greg for reply
@Greg – great suggestion! Hope that works for you Asim! Thanks!