P6 Project Auto-Scheduler Utility

Automate the Primavera P6 scheduling function across a portfolio of projects

• Accurate control of P6 auto-scheduling calculations
• Consistent P6 data date
• Controlled synchronizing with nightly integrations
• Improved updating and timely reporting

Problem

Many companies have large numbers of active projects with several project managers and schedulers in charge of planning, scheduling and updating these projects. With office and field data coming in from many project contributors on different days, it is hard for management to run an accurate and consistent project portfolio report. Having some projects up-to-date and others not updated makes these reports virtually useless from a portfolio perspective, and team members fall back into the "I heard the project is on track" mode.

With Oracle Primavera P6, Project Scheduled Services can be used to schedule and summarize multiple projects automatically by P6. This functionality allows the team to have P6 scheduling run nightly, weekly or monthly as desired. This tool helps make updating and scheduling more consistent and predictable but lacks some of the controls our clients need. Out-of-the-box, P6 does not allow the user full control over the P6 Data Date in a fully consistent and repeatable manner. P6 also may not be suitable in providing full flexibility in an integrated environment. The timing to run scheduling updates may vary from one scheduled run to another, an example being when actual costs are loaded on a weekly basis but not all of the data is in the project when the P6 job services starts running.

Solution

Emerald's P6 Auto-Scheduler Utility allows companies to take full control over their P6 auto-scheduling process. This can either be done right in P6 for complex requirements with several layers of criteria that the user can control or through a configuration that prompts the P6 Auto-Scheduler to run for a controlled Data Date after an integration process.

Emerald's P6 Project Auto-Scheduler Utility gives companies that have a large number of active projects assurance that they are being scheduled on a regular, synchronous, common data date basis without having to manually activate the scheduling engine or maintain the list manually in the job services area.

Some Clients

• Eversource (Connecticut Light & Power) - Large northeastern Electrical Utility with 1000s of active projects
• Trident Explorations - Large coal bed methane drilling contractor working on hundreds of wells in a year
• Tarpon Industries - Medium-sized modular manufacturing company
• Encana
• Suncor
• Bruce Power

Users

Anyone wanting control over their scheduling process to ensure consistent portfolio reporting or anyone having trouble getting their Project Managers to update their projects. Companies that wish to do Earned Value Analysis and create Key Performance Indicators at a portfolio level.