Developing Projects

View activity relationships in Trace logic

Trace Logic displays a graphical view of only the selected activity's relationships.

1)Select the activity whose relationships you want to view.

2)Click the Layout Options bar, then choose Show on Bottom, Trace Logic.

The selected activity appears with a blue border. Activity boxes to the left of the selected activity are predecessors. Activity boxes to the right of the selected activity are successors.

View activity relationships in the Activity Table

The Activity Table enables you to view the open project's activity information in table format.

1)Choose View, Columns.

You can also click the Layout Options bar and choose Columns.

2)To view information about predecessors, select Predecessor Details in the Available Columns section, then click .

3)To view information about successors, select Successor Details in the Available Columns section, then click .

Assigning Resources and Roles to Activities

Assign resources to activities

1)Choose Project, Activities.

2)Select the activity to which you want to assign a resource.

3)Display Activity Details, then click the Resources tab.

4)Click Add Resource.

5)Select the resource you want to assign.

If resource security is enabled you can only select resources you have access to.

6)Click the Assign button, then click the Close button.

Assign resources to activities by role

Assigning resources to activities by role facilitates resource staffing for activities because you can use roles with specific skill sets as resource assignments until specific resources can be assigned.

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1)Choose Project, Activities.

2)Select the activity for which you want to assign a resource.

3)Display Activity Details, then click the Resources tab.

4)Click Assign by Role.

The Assign Resources by Role dialog box lists the roles assigned to the selected activities. Under each role is a list of resources who can fulfill the role.

5)Select the resource you want to assign.

To assign multiple resources, hold down the Ctrl key, then click each resource you want to assign.

Click the Assign button, then click the Close button.

Tip

When a resource and role share an activity assignment (e.g., when assigning a resource to an activity by role), you can choose to use the rate of the resource or role to calculate costs on the activity.

Assign a rate type to a resource assignment

You can choose the price/unit rate you want to use to calculate costs for a resource or role assignment on an activity.

1)Choose Project, Activities.

2)Select the activity that contains the assignment to which you want to assign a rate type.

3)Display Activity Details, then click the Resources tab.

4)Click in the Rate Type column and select the rate type you want to use for the assignment.

The rate type determines the price/unit used to calculate costs for the assignment. The names for each rate type are defined by your system administrator in the Rate Types tab of Admin Preferences when P6 Professional is connected to a P6 Professional database and in P6 when connected to a P6 EPPM database. When you select a rate type, the monetary value is updated automatically in the Price/Unit column (if displayed).

Tip

A ^ value in the Price/Unit column indicates that the module is using the default value defined in the 'Default Price/Unit for activities without resource/role Price/Units' on the Project Details, Calculations tab. An asterisk symbol (*) beside the value indicates that multiple, time-varying, resource rates or shift calendars will be applied during the duration of the activity. An asterisk and caret symbol (*^) beside the price/unit value indicate that the project default price/unit is in effect at the start of the activity and a time-varying rate is also in effect within the activity assignment duration.

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Developing Projects

Notes

If there is no defined rate for the selected price/unit in the Rate Type column, the module calculates cost using the default rate specified in the Default Price/Unit for activities without resource or role Price/Units field in the Project Details, Calculations tab.

When the rate type is changed, the new price/unit is used to recalculate the costs for the assignment (assuming the units and costs are linked).

The Recalculate Assignment Costs utility ignores any assignment with a Rate Source set to Override. The customized, manually entered price is not overwritten when you recalculate assignment prices.

If the activity's duration type is Fixed Units or Fixed Units/Time, and a rate type is selected for the assignment, units are not updated when costs change.

In the General tab of the Schedule Options dialog box (Tools, Schedule, Options), mark the Recalculate assignment costs after scheduling option to recalculate assignment costs whenever the rate type is changed.

In the Level Resources dialog box (Tools, Level Resources), mark the Recalculate assignment costs after leveling option to recalculate assignment costs after leveling.

Choose the rate source for an assignment

When a resource and role share an assignment on the same activity (e.g., when you assign a resource that has an assigned role to an activity), you can choose to use the rate of the resource or role to calculate costs, or enter a custom rate.

1)Choose Project, Activities.

2)Select the activity that contains the assignment.

3)Display Activity Details, then click the Resources tab.

4)In the Resources tab, double-click the Rate Source column and choose Resource, Role, or Override.

Choose Resource to calculate cost based on the resource's price/unit value selected in the Rate Type column. Choose Role to calculate cost based on the role's price/unit value selected in the Rate Type column. Choose Override if you want to enter a custom rate in the Price/Unit column.

Tip

If you seldom combine different rate sources in the same project (e.g., you almost always use Resource as the Rate Source), you can choose to always use the rate of the resource or role when a resource and role share an assignment on the same activity. Choose Edit, User Preferences. In the Calculations tab, Assignment Staffing section, choose to always use the resource's price/unit or the role's price/unit; or, choose to be asked which price/unit you want to use each time a resource is assigned to an activity that already has a role assignment (and vice versa).

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Note

If only a resource is assigned to an activity, the rate source must be Resource or Override. If only a role is assigned to an activity, the rate source must be Role or Override.

Change the resource's role assignments for an activity

1)Choose Project, Activities.

2)Select the activity for which you want to change a resource's role.

3)Display Activity Details, then click the Resources tab.

4)For the appropriate resource listing, double-click in the Role column.

5)Select the role you want to assign, then click the Select button.

Tip

If the Role column is not displayed in the Resources tab, right-click anywhere in the tab, then choose Customize Resource Columns. In the Available Options area, click Role, click the right arrow button, then click OK.

Recalculate resource and role assignment costs

1)Choose Tools, Recalculate Assignment Costs to recalculate prices for all resources and roles on the project.

2)Mark the Synchronize Overtime Factor while recalculating cost checkbox to synchronize the overtime factor defined for each resource when recalculating costs.

3)Click Recalculate.

Notes

Choosing this command recalculates activity costs in all open projects.

When connected to a P6 Professional database: Recalculate Assignment Costs is disabled if you do not have the View Resource and Role Costs/Financials global privilege.

When connected to a P6 EPPM database: Recalculate Assignment Costs is disabled if you do not have the appropriate global privilege as defined in P6.

The recalculate utility ignores any assignment with a Rate Source set to Override. The customized, manually entered price is not overwritten when you synchronize resource prices. To view the Rate Source for an assignment, display the Rate Source column in the Activity Details, Resources tab.

You must mark the setting to Link actual to date and actual this period units and costs in the Project Details, Calculations tab to recalculate assignment costs.

Assign roles to activities

1)Choose Project, Activities.

2)Select the activity to which you want to assign a role.

3)Display Activity Details, then click the Resources tab.

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