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Emerald Blog

Stories, Tips And Tricks From Our Team’s Experiences With Primavera Since 1995

Timesheets in the Oracle Primavera Cloud

Let’s take a high-level look at the timesheet functionality in Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC). Timesheets provide functionality allowing users to enter hours worked against projects. The project hours are logged against resource assignments on activities. Security privileges assigned to users for timesheets are based on the actions they require access to perform on a timesheet.

OPC contains Timesheet User, Timesheet Supervisor and Timesheet Approvers. Timesheet Users can create timesheets, log time against activities on projects, and submit them for approval. Timesheet Supervisors can create their own timesheets and enter time. They can also create timesheets for the resources assigned to the projects for which they are the timesheet supervisors. They can enter time on behalf of the resources and submit their timesheets for approval. Timesheet Approvers can create their own timesheets and enter time. They can also create timesheets for the resources for which they have been assigned as the timesheet approver. They can enter time, submit, approve, or reject their resources' timesheets.

Scheduling in the Oracle Primavera Cloud

Are you new to using Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) for your project scheduling? When entering or importing information, keep in mind OPC is structured into modules. When you login, you will have icons available for the modules you have been assigned access to. For a quick walk through of a few items of interest, we will start by looking at the Utilizing the Scope Module which gives access to the windows in the list below.

Recovering Deleted Primavera P6 Data - A Client Crisis

Have you ever had a critical piece of data deleted in your Primavera P6 database and needed to recover it?

A client of ours had just this sort of scenario.

The user reached out to us in a panic. This user had just been given increased access in P6 and had renamed an existing UDF. He realized it was renamed improperly and instead of changing the name of the UDF, he deleted it. The project level User Defined Field (UDF) had data assigned to many of their projects. They needed to recover it and ensure the values were reinstated on their projects. We were able to recover the data in less than and hour and a half.

Schedule Updates Using Oracle Primavera Cloud (Prime) Out of the Box

Your project is in execution. What schedule update options do you have out of the box using Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC)? There is more than one approach available to updating your schedule of course. Updating in OPC can start with task updates and progress to updating the activities in the schedule.

The work plan receives updated status on the tasks. The updates for tasks can be entered in the task list window as well.

The Connection Between the Work Plan and Schedule in Oracle Primavera Cloud

The Work Plan screen in Oracle Primavera Cloud is a virtual planning board available for use by the companies working on a project to coordinate their tasks. This functionality allows adding tasks, assigning, and monitoring task constraints, commitments to dates, and placing tasks in sequence using hand-offs. Tasks can be color-coded according to their assigned company. Task cards are customizable to display information important to your project. You can customize the board display from a daily view to up to six weeks.

The Work Plan screen planning board provides easy sequencing for your tasks. Create tasks and then drag and drop them onto the planning board to build your work plan. Change the hand-off mode that is selected. Enable activity bands to assist with assigning tasks to activities. Easily move the planning board time period to previous or future periods. Application of quick filters to the tasks is available as well as grouping them by best fit or by company to organize the view.

Oracle Primavera Cloud - A High Level Schedule Preview

If you have an .xer or Primavera .xml format file and you’re looking to set up a schedule in Oracle Primavera Cloud, you can start importing those files from the Projects window under the Actions menu.



By clicking on Activities from the Schedule icon in Oracle Primavera Cloud, you can reach the upload template from the Actions menu in that window. You can also choose to enter your project schedule information manually.

Oracle Primavera Cloud - A High Level Preview of Project Scope

In Oracle Primavera Cloud (formerly Oracle Prime), you can create and track scope items, work packages, and WBS elements.



If you’re not using the default PBS structure, you can set up a custom PBS structure. The PBS structure commonly reflects a hierarchical structure of the components required for a project. You can use a PBS in initial planning to organize scope items.

Ensuring Accuracy When Reverting Changes in Primavera P6 Using P6-Loader

Recently, I was working with a client who was reorganizing. This client has many business units (BU) that work in the same database, so they have a prefixing standard for each BU.

When they reorganized, all the prefixing for several BUs needed to be brought into alignment with the reorganized BU structure. This involved moving their EPS structure around and updating the prefixes on calendars, codes, resources and roles. I had started moving the structures to accommodate the changes and updating the prefixes with P6-Loader, but I also did some updating directly in P6. I had completed roles and was partially through resources when the client realized their reporting may be effected by the changes. They wanted to revert all the changes I had made. While I did have several P6-Loader change files that I could use to revert the changes I made using P6-Loader, I wanted to be sure the manual changes I made were also restored.

Restoring Deleted P6 Data - Never Happens Right?

A solution for common cases of accidental data deletion in Primavera P6

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Accidental deletion of important data is something that happens. Everyone has done it at some point.

In Primavera P6 EPPM, some of the most common cases of accidental data deletion are:

  • Deletion of the wrong resource
  • Deletion of the wrong project
  • Deletion of the wrong WBS node or nodes

Put the Best Tools in Your Scheduling Tool Kit

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.

Are Resource Codes Helpful In a Turnaround Schedule? Yes!

Often on a Turnaround, or any large project, you need to report resource availability and requirements in your schedule by Craft (trade) and Company. But often, that’s not how the resource dictionary hierarchy is set up. How do we solve this problem? Well, an easy solution to the reporting requirement is using resource codes.

TAPS - Take Advantage of Streamlining P6 Updates and Data Calculations

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.

P6-Reporter - Project Detail Dashboard

Access your self-serve Project Detail Dashboard for easy to digest project information (displayed below in Tableau). Just choose the project and snapshot you want to view using the filters at the top left corner of the dashboard. The project displayed in the dashboard below is a drilling project. This example is food for thought on reporting options available for your projects.