Your project schedule will be created in P6, and you are looking to provide the best schedule tools for your project team. What can you add to your team tool kit to assist the project team, address building the schedule, monitor schedule quality, utilize options for updating the schedule and make reporting quick and easy? Let’s look at a few examples for some food for thought.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Friday, 10 February 2023.
Posted in All Articles, P6-Loader, P6-QA, P6-Reporter, TAPS
The cancel function has been long available in TAPS Classic and has now been added to TAPS Mobile. Just how easy is this function to use? This easy:
Step 1 – Enter your credentials and Sign In.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Sunday, 18 December 2022.
Posted in All Articles, TAPS
TAPS is not just a tool to streamline P6 project file updates. Are you looking to monitor and report on earned value (EV) at the resource level? P6 out of the box (OOTB) calculates EV at the activity level. Using TAPS Classic or Mobile provides some additional background calculations which are available for monitoring and reporting from P6 itself or from P6-Reporter (if you are using that tool). Even when multiple resources are assigned to an activity, the EV calculated in P6 OOTB is at the activity level. With EV calculations at the resource level you can gain more insight into where you may need to step in because a subcontractor is struggling (for example). With any issues easily identified, the assistance required can be coordinated and implemented to help bring activity progress closer in line with the execution plan as well as document lessons learned to prevent repeat occurrences.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Sunday, 04 December 2022.
Posted in All Articles, TAPS
Are you processing updates to your schedule manually and think that is the best option? I recently assisted a team with a project where, in order to complete the project schedule updates in an acceptable timeframe, their company decided to hire additional people just for the updates. I understand the time constraint they were under, but for follow-up projects, there are more efficient, less costly options available that also keep your updates less prone to data entry errors. One example is TAPS Mobile.
TAPS Mobile allows update processing from your mobile device. That may not sound like a high-impact item, but keep in mind, every time data has to be handled, it is a labor spend (time and dollars). There is also the introduction of another data touch point where a data entry error may occur. You can streamline the update process by submitting updates directly from a mobile device. Instead of filling out a report and then inputting those updates into the project manually, consider completing your status checks, inputting the information into your mobile device, and clicking save to send the update(s) directly to P6. This streamlined update process can provide additional time to analyze the schedule updates. Proper schedule analysis is an important step and can get severely crunched if the entry of schedule updates is not streamlined but instead a labor-intensive, time-consuming process.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Monday, 31 October 2022.
Posted in All Articles, TAPS
Although TAPS was originally developed to assist with the large number of updates that need to be processed into a turnaround schedule for every update, do not limit your imagination! TAPS can be used to process updates to schedules other than just turnaround schedules. Consider where this tool can assist in addition to updates on turnaround schedules. Keep in mind that TAPS is also available on mobile devices.
Below is just one of a large number of scenarios for how TAPS can be used.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Friday, 16 September 2022.
Posted in All Articles, TAPS
When your team uses
TAPS to complete updates in your turnaround schedule, you have access to TAPS information that is not OOTB in P6. Complete the updates and then from P6 you can display the TAPS update information in a report or layout. Although that route is workable, there is an easier way.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Friday, 12 August 2022.
Posted in All Articles, TAPS
Updating schedules is a crucial part of any successful business, but that doesn't mean it isn't a frustrating task. Manually entering data can be exhausting and mind-numbing, not to mention costly and just very time-consuming all-around. When Suncor Energy approached Emerald Associates, desperate for some kind of alternative to the dreaded task of updating schedules, we were happy to help.
For Suncor, manually updating schedules was just not working. It was too slow and not nearly accurate enough to suit their needs. That's where TAPS came in.
on Friday, 15 July 2022.
Posted in All Articles, TAPS, Turnarounds
Are you still entering your turnaround schedule updates manually? How long is it taking to enter all the schedule update information for each update? There is a better alternative! TAPS can help alleviate some of the pain and stress of manually processing updates to your P6 schedule.
TAPS is a barcode updating tool usable for both P6 Web and Client. A version of TAPS that does not use barcodes is available on mobile devices as well. Let’s have a look at how quick and easy you can update your schedules using TAPS on your phone.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Friday, 06 May 2022.
Posted in TAPS
TAPS v11 has a new look. TAPS updates using the computer and scanner maintain the previous, proven functionality, but now TAPS updates are also available using your mobile device. Now anywhere you can safely use your phone, you can enter the updates and send them directly to the schedule instead of waiting until you are back in the office to enter them.
All updates do not have to be received from the same source - just computer, just phone, or a mix of both – whatever works best with your project team. If you have some activities where a field report returned to the office to complete the scanning, TAPS easily addresses that. In the same schedule, if some activities are better updated using TAPS on a phone to submit the updates, TAPS easily addresses that as well. You can even use TAPS and other tools like
CAPPS or
P6-Loader to update your schedules.
Are you wondering how you might update your schedule with activities of all three P6 activity percent complete types? TAPS allows processing of updates for any of the activity percent complete types, mixing as you require with no issues.
TAPS also allows you to use barcode scans to update steps. Yes, steps and resources also. So no matter the mix of update types you may require, TAPS has a number of options available.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Thursday, 14 April 2022.
Posted in All Articles, TAPS
Our latest version of the Turnaround Progressing System brings a fresh UI to mobile, activity searches and enhanced sorting and filtering capabilities.
Our latest version of the Turnaround Progressing System brings a fresh UI to mobile, activity searches and enhanced sorting and filtering capabilities.
New Features
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Mobile - New search function allows you to find your activities fast with sorting and filtering capabilities.
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Mobile - Allows you to configure the percentages (25%, 50%, 100% or any amount you like) that can be assigned to activities. Automatically saved with your other settings.
Enhancements
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Mobile - Completely redesigned look and feel for an even better user experience.
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Desktop - Improved controls to sort and filter your activities in the browser.
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New technology changes for better performance
on Monday, 10 May 2021.
Posted in News, TAPS
You are correct; out-of-the-box P6 does not calculate Earned Value (EV) at the resource assignment level. It only runs EV at the activity level which is fine for a start, but what to do when you need to 'dig deeper' and analyze crew performance? You can't use Global Change to calculate the resource assignment EV because the activity percent complete isn't available in the Global Change list of fields.
A very simple option is to use TAPS to input your schedule updates. TAPS is P6 updating using barcodes (plus additional functionality). By using TAPS, updates are faster and more accurate giving you (and your team) more time for schedule analysis. Yes, TAPS runs EV calculations at the resource level.
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Thursday, 01 March 2018.
Posted in All Articles, Other, Primavera P6, TAPS
Whenever we have a client that is interested in TAPS, we always get the question about how an activity is updated to reflect that it has been cancelled. So, how does TAPS cancel activities?
Cancelled work is work that you have decided not to perform. Typically the turnaround (TA) team doesn’t want to delete the activity because that would change the baseline hours. On the other hand, they also don’t want to progress the activity which would earn hours.
Written by Sue Fermelia - Implementation Specialist
on Monday, 27 February 2017.
Posted in TAPS
Automate the Process of Updating Cancelled Activities in Primavera P6 with our Barcode Updating Technology
When planning a turnaround project you want to make sure you include all the tasks that will happen and even those that might happen. This is a great strategy in the planning phase because during the actual turnaround, you don't have time to add all of the “potential” activities that become necessary.
Now the dilemma becomes, how to cancel the tasks that your team doesn't need after all.
You could process the updates for cancelled activities using manual data entry, dealing with logic, manhours, and baselines, but if you handle a lot of these it becomes time consuming, tedious and frustrating. Lets face it, during a Turnaround that is just not a good idea. You might think that dissolving is good enough, but is it?
Written by Mary Lynn Backstrom, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-BA – Implementation Specialist
on Monday, 13 February 2017.
Posted in All Articles, Primavera P6, TAPS
On a previous assignment I worked on a 6 week turnaround project with 500,000 man-hours. After each shift update we needed to get Earned Value reports to management. It was hard enough completing updates within a 2 hour time period along with getting the next shift's reports out, but having to do full earned value was even harder.
on Wednesday, 30 November 2016.
Posted in All Articles, Primavera P6, TAPS
The unexpected happens during a Turnaround project - Let TAPS help
“No battle plan survives contact with the enemy” - Helmuth von Moltke
When you are a scheduler on a Turnaround project you cannot expect everything to go as planned. Often at the end of your shift, when entering progress, you’ll find out something unexpected has happened in the schedule. For example, activities have been marked as completed while their predecessors are not yet started.
on Monday, 28 November 2016.
Posted in All Articles, Primavera P6, TAPS
