Primavera P6 basic tips and tricks is a project management software related quick summery contents that is used for managing and controlling project related activities. Resources representing labor, materials and equipment are used to track time and costs for the project.

1. Primavera P6 Basics, Tips and Tricks
By – Mohammad Ali Nawaz Khan (nawaz.ali02175@Gmail.com)

2. Know about Activity Date Fields
The following table defines the types of activity dates available in the module and how
they are used to plan and schedule your project.
Date Field Definition
Start
For an activity that has not started, the current start date of the
activity.Set to the remaining start date until the activity is started,
then set to the actual start date.
Finish
For an activity that has not started, the current finish date of the
activity. Set to the activity planned finish date when the activity is
not started, the remaining finish date when the activity is in progress,
andthe actual finish date once the activity is completed.
Actual Start The date on which the activity is actually started.
Actual Finish The date on which the activity is actually Finished.
Early
Start
The earliest possible date the remaining work for the activity can
begin.This date is calculated by the project scheduler based on
activity relationships, schedule constraints, and resource availability.
The Early Start equals the Remaining Start unless you preserve the
scheduled early dates during leveling.
Early
Finish
The earliest possible date the activity can finish. This date is
calculated by the project scheduler based on activity relationships,
schedule constraints, and resource availability. The Early Finish
equals the Remaining Finish unless you preserve the scheduled early
dates duringleveling.
Late
Start
The latest possible date the remaining work for the activity must begin
without delaying the project finish date. This date is calculated by the
project scheduler based on activity relationships, schedule constraints,
and resource availability. The Late Start equals the Remaining Late
Startunless you preserve the scheduled late dates during leveling.

3. Late Finish The latest possible date the activity must finish without delaying the
project finish date. This date is calculated by the project scheduler
based on activity relationships, schedule constraints, and resource
availability. The Late Finish equals the Remaining Late Finish
unless youpreserve the scheduled late dates during leveling.
Planned
Start
For an activity that has not started, the date the activity is scheduled
tobegin. This date is set equal to the early start date by the project
scheduler but can be updated manually by the project manager. This
date is not changed by the project scheduler once you apply an Actual
Start date.
Planned
Finish
For an activity that has not started, the date the activity is scheduled
tofinish. This date is set equal to the early finish date by the project
scheduler but can be updated manually by the user. This date is not
changed by the project scheduler once you apply an Actual Finish
date.
Anticipated
Start
The expected start date of the project, EPS node, or WBS level, used
during the planning phase. This date is manually entered and is not
affected by scheduling. An anticipated start date cannot be entered at
the activity level.
Anticipated
Finish
The expected finish date of the project, EPS node, or WBS level, used
during the planning phase. This date is manually entered and is not
affected by scheduling. An anticipated finish date cannot be entered
atthe activity level.
Remaining
Early Start
The earliest possible date the remaining work for the activity is
scheduled to begin. This date is calculated by the project scheduler
butcan be updated manually by the user. Before the activity is
started, theRemaining Start is the same as the Planned Start. Once
the activity has started, the Remaining Start is equal to the Data
Date. When the activity is complete, the Remaining Start is blank.
Remaining
Early
Finish
The earliest possible date the remaining work for the activity is
scheduled to finish. This date is calculated by the project scheduler
but can be updated manually by the user. Before the activity is
started, the Remaining Finish is the same as the Planned Finish.
When the activity iscomplete, the Remaining Finish is blank.
Remaining
Late Start
The latest possible date the remaining work for the activity must
begin without delaying the project finish date. This date is calculated
by the project scheduler based on activity relationships, schedule
constraints, and resource availability. When the activity is complete,
the RemainingLate Start is blank.

4. Remaining
Late Finish
The latest possible date the activity must finish without delaying the
project finish date. This date is calculated by the project scheduler
based on activity relationships, schedule constraints, and resource
availability. When the activity is complete, the Remaining Late
Finish isblank.
Expected
Finish
Primary
Constraint
Date
&
Secondary
Constraint
Date
The date the activity is expected to finish, according to the primary resource.
Typically, the primary resource enters this date in P6 ProgressReporter.
When scheduling your projects, you may choose to use the Expected Finish
dates or not.
The constraint date for the activity is the date for which the activity's
constraint applies. You can enter a primary and secondary constraint.
Depending on the constraint type, this date could be a start date or a
finish date. For example, if the constraint is a Finish On constraint,
the constraint date is the date on which the activity must finish.
If the activity does not have a constraint, this field will be empty.

5. NOTE:
 An ‘A’ appearing after the Start or Finish value indicates that the value is
theActual Start or Actual Finish.
 An ‘*’ appearing after the Start or Finish value indicates that there is a
Start orFinish constraint on this activity.
How to assure Project Integrity with “Schedule Log”
Primavera P6 provides a tool which gives insight to possible schedule errors. Once a
project has been recalculated, the Schedule Log is able to detect the following
potential issues:
Open‐ended activities
Out of sequence activities
Activities with Actual Start / Finish dates, beyond the Data Date
Background:
The Data Date is the logical backbone of a schedule. It doesn’t have to equal
“today” but does represent the point through which you have updated
information for your activities.
Everything to the left of the Data Date represents what’s happened so far.
Everything to the right of the Data Date represents what still has yet to happen.
1.) Enable Schedule Logging (one‐time only)
Access the ‘Schedule’ dialog
box.Either:
* Press “F9” (or)
* Click “Tools, Schedule”
Enable “Log to file” as shown here:

6. 2.) Recalculate the Schedule
Either:
* Press “F9” (or)
* Click “Tools, Schedule”
Click “Schedule” as shown here:
3.) View the Log File

7. 4.) Inspect the Log for Potential Problems
“Activities without predecessors” / “Activities without successors”:
These activities lack logic ties on either side.
Not necessarily a problem, but good to use these results to double‐check your schedule
integrity.
“Out‐of‐sequence activities”
Was successor’s progress entered too soon?
Is predecessor’s progress / completion missing?
“Activities with Actual Dates > Data Date”
Actual dates have been entered in advance of the Datadate – ok if dates are within
reporting period
Understanding ‘Percent Complete’
Types:
The activity percent complete type is one of "Duration", "Units", or "Physical".
The percent complete type controls whether the Activity % Complete is tied to
the
Duration % Complete, the Units % Complete, or the Physical % Complete for the activity.
Set the percent complete type to "Duration" for activities which are
durationdriven, for example, administration tasks and training classes.
Set the percent complete type to "Physical" for activities which are
work‐product driven, for example, creating a document or a product.
Set the percent complete type to "Units" for activities which are work
effortdriven, for example, providing a consulting service.

8. Activity % CompleteFields
Physical % Complete The activity physical percent complete. The physical percent
completereflects the actual progress made on the activity's work
products so far. Physical percent complete can be manually
entered by people familiar with the status of the activity's work
products or it can be based on the completion of assigned Steps.
Always in the range 0 to
100.
Duration % Complete The percent complete of the activity duration. Computed as
((PlannedDuration ‐ Remain Duration) / Planned Duration) *
100. Always in the range 0 to 100. The planned duration is taken
from the current plan,
not from the current baseline.
Duration % of Planned The activity actual duration percent of planned. Computed as
(ActualDuration / BL Duration) * 100. The value can exceed 100.
The BL Duration is the activity's at complete duration from the
current
baseline.
Activity % Complete The activity percent complete. This value is tied to the activity
Duration
% Complete, Units % Complete, or Physical % Complete, depending
on
the setting for the activity's Percent Complete Type, which is one
of"Duration", "Units", or "Physical". Always in the range 0 to 100.
Schedule % Complete The Schedule % Complete specifies how much of the activity's
baselineduration has been completed so far. Computed based on
where the current data date falls between the activity' s baseline
start and finish dates. If the data date is earlier than the BL Start,
the Schedule % Complete is 0. If the data date is later than the BL
Finish, the Schedule
% Complete is 100. The Schedule % Complete indicates how much
ofthe activity duration should be currently completed, relative to
the selected baseline.
Note: Summary Schedule percent complete when displayed on an
organize band, will ALWAYS be calculated as (BCWS* 100) / BAC,
regardless of what earned value technique i. s selected for the
activity's
WBS.
Performance %
Complete
Performance percent complete is used to compute earned value
andmay be based on the Activity % Complete, on the 0/100 rule,
on the 50/50 rule, etc., depending on the technique for computing
earned‐ value percent complete for the activity's WBS. The
Performance % Complete specifies what percentage of the
activity's planned worth has been earned so far.
Note: Summary Performance percent complete when displayed on an
organize band, will ALWAYS be calculated as (BCWP * 100) / BAC,
regardless of what earned value technique is selected for the
activity's
WBS.

9. Cost Related % CompleteFields
Labor Cost % Complete The percent complete of costs for all labor resources assigned to
the activity. Computed as (Actual Labor Cost / At Complete
Labor Cost) *
100. Always in the range 0 to 100.
Non‐Labor Cost
%
Complete
The percent complete of costs for all non‐labor resources assigned to
the activity. Computed as (Actual Non‐Labor Cost / At Complete
Non‐Labor Cost) * 100. Always in the range 0 to 100.
Expense Cost %
Complete
The percent complete of costs for all expenses associated with the
activity. Computed as (Actual Expense Cost / At Complete
ExpenseCost) * 100. Always in the range 0 to 100.
Cost % Complete The percent complete of costs for all labor resources, non‐labor
resources, and expenses for the activity. Computed as (Actual
Total
Cost / At Complete Total Cost) * 100. Always in the range 0 to 100.
Cost % of Planned The activity actual cost percent of planned. Computed as (Actual
Total Cost / BL Total Cost) * 100, or equivalently as (ACWP / BAC)
* 100. The value can exceed 100. The baseline total cost is the
activity's at
complete cost from the current baseline.
Unit Related % CompleteFields
Units % Complete The percent complete of units for all labor and non‐labor resources
assigned to the activity. Computed as (Actual Units / At Complete
Units)
* 100. Always in the range 0 to 100.
Labor Units %
Complete
The percent complete of units for all labor resources for the
activity.Computed as (Actual Labor Units / At Complete Labor
Units) * 100.
Always in the range 0 to 100.
Non‐Labor Units %
Complete
The percent complete of units for all non‐labor resources for the
activity. Computed as (Actual Non‐Labor Units / At Complete
Non‐Labor
Units) * 100. Always in the range 0 to 100.
WBS Level % CompleteField
Steps % Complete The percent complete using the WBS Milestones that are assigned to
a WBS level. Computed as Actual Weight of Completed Milestones /
Total
Possible Weight of All Milestones

10. Understanding Valid Relationships To / From Milestones:
Start Milestones can have:
FS, SS predecessors
SS, SF successors
Finish Milestones can have:
SF, FF predecessors
FS, FF successors
Notes:
The only valid relationship between 2 Start Milestones is a SS relationship.
The only valid relationship between 2 Finish Milestones is a FF relationship.
The only valid relationship from a Start to a Finish Milestone is a SF relationship.
The only valid relationship from a Finish to a Start Milestone is a FS relationship.
Understanding “Commit” & “Refresh” DB
P6 commits data when the following functions are performed:
1. Closing the application
2. Choose FILE, COMMIT DATA (F10)
3. Summarize projects
4. Add or Delete EPS nodes via the SDK
5. Apply Actuals
6. Schedule
7. Import/Export
8. Delete a resource
9. Delete a project
10. Approve or reject a timesheet from TOOLS, TIME APPROVAL
11. Write license information to database
12. Change a user password
13. Open a project
14. Close a project
15. Save a project baseline
16. Choose TOOLS, CHECK PROJECT INTEGRITY
17. Save a layout in Tracking View
18. Choose Calc Impact from PROJECT, RISKS
19. Add a resource and complete the New Resource Wizard
20. Create a new Report using the Report Wizard

11. 21. Modify and save an existing report
22. Import or Export a report
23. Select a baseline project to use and click OK
24. Assign or Modify a user login for a Resource
25. Choose FILE, PROJECT ARCHITECT and save changes
26. Edit a calendar from ENTERPRISE, CALENDARS
27. Choose Send All from the Notify dialogue in PROJECT, ISSUES
28. When new rows are added by choosing any of the options from the EDIT, ASSIGN
menu. Options are Resource, Resource by Role, Role, Activity Code, Predecessor, and
Successor.
29. Delete a Resource Shift from ENTERPRISE, RESOURCE SHIFTS
30. Modify a Resource Shift and click Close
31. Assign a Shift Calendar on the Units &am p; Prices tab under
ENTERPRISE,RESOURCES
32. Import data from Expedition under ENTERPRISE, EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS
33. Leveling resources
P6 commits data when the following dialog boxes are closed:
34. EDIT, ASSIGN, ASSIGN RESOURCES or the Assign Resource dialogue when
addingresource assignments to activities.
35. PROJECT, BASELINES
36. PROJECT, THRESHOLDS
37. PROJECT, RISKS
38. PROJECT, ISSUES
39. ENTERPRISE, ENTERPRISE PROJECT STRUCTURE
40. ENTERPRISE, OBS
41. ENTERPRISE, ACTIVITY CODES
42. ENTERPRISE, CALENDARS
43. ENTERPRISE, COST ACCOUNTS
44. ENTERPRISE, FUNDING SOURCES
45. ENTERPRISE, EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS
46. TOOLS, JOB SERVICES
47. TOOLS, REPORTS, BATCH REPORTS
48. ADMIN, USERS
49. ADMIN, SECURITY PROFILES
50. ADMIN, ADMIN PREFERENCES

12. P6 commits data when the switching between the following windows:
51. Project View
52. Reports View
53. Resources View
54. Tracking View
55. WBS View
56. Work Products and Documents View
P6 refreshes data when the following functions are performed:
1. Choose FILE, REFRESH.
2. Open / Change Layout
3. When creating a baseline and choosing to create the baseline by saving a copy of
the current project as the baseline.
4. Choose TOOLS, CHECK PROJECT INTEGRITY.
5. The SDK auto‐refreshes by default.
Understanding “Fill Down”
In some table format display columns, you can use the Fill Down feature to quickly
enterthe same text in successive rows.
To copy text from one row to successive rows within a column, select the row
containing the text you want to copy and the rows you want to copy the text to,
thenchoose Edit, Fill Down.
1. Click the cell value that you want to use to populate other cells.

13. 2. Select other cells in the same column to be changed to the new value by
usingeither Shift‐click or Ctrl‐click.
Note: The original cell to be copied must remain highlighted.
3. Right click and choose Fill Down. All of the highlighted cells will be
populatedwith the first selected value (i.e. "Design Building Addition").
NOTE: Some fields cannot be filled down.
For example: Calculated fields such as Earned Value, Activity ID, resource
ID.,Cost Account, Cost Account ID, etc. will have the Fill Down option
grayed out.
4. Commit changes (File, Commit Changes or F10)

14. Using “Undo”
The Undo command (Edit, Undo) allows you to change information back to its pre‐
modified value in the Activities, Resources, and Resource Assignments windows. This
includes: Add, Edit, Delete functions in those windows.
Undo stores each action performed in sequence, beginning with the most recent action
performed. There is no technical limit on the number of items stored in Undo history.
Once the history is cleared, it cannot be undone.
User actions that can be undone are:
Inserts
Edits
Deletes (activities, resources, codes etc)
CopyPastes
CutPastes
Fill Downs
Replace (the Undo will only undo one edit at a time)
What can’t be undone:
Deleting a Project
Modifications made from a global change
Data on activity tabs that can’t be undone:
Expense assignments
WP + Doc assignments
Feedback to Resources
Steps
Notebook topics
Inserts/Modifications/Deletes to code assignments done in the tabs cannot
beundone. For Undo to work, the codes must be displayed as columns, and
the user must make the changes in the columns. This applies to activity code
assignments and resource code assignments.
The following actions will clear the Undo history in the Project Management module:
Summarizing data
Updating Progress
Applying actuals
Refreshing data

15. Renumbering activity IDs in baselines
Creating projects
Opening and closing projects
Exiting the application
Importing
Changing portfolios
Opening the Project Portfolios, User Preferences, Admin Preferences, and
TimeApproval dialog boxes
Opening the OBS, User Defined Fields, Resource Codes, Activity Codes,
andProject Codes dialog boxes
Pop up windows which clear the Undo history when the window is opened:
OBS
Project Portfolios
Resource Codes
Project Codes
Activity Codes
User Defined Fields
Admin Preferences
User Preferences
Time Approval
Actions that will not clear Undo history:
Changing Views
Commit command, whether it is selected in the menu or through pressing F10
Scheduling
Leveling
Notes about Undo:
You can only undo modifications in the General, Status, Resources,
andRelationships tabs of Activity Details.
Scheduling, leveling, making layout changes, and opening a new layout do not
clear the Undo history.
You can only undo activity code value assignments that were assigned using
the columns in the Activities window. Code values that are assigned and/or
removedfrom the Codes tab cannot be undone.
If you delete a resource and use Undo to restore it, you must reassign the
resource to any previous project issues, risks, and expenses. Also, you must
reassign the primary flag for the restored resource to its activity
assignments.
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