Recently I was challenged to map specific resource assignments to a specific cost class in Deltek Cobra. The reason for this was that the same resource could be subject to multiple rates at the same time. In order to accommodate this we have to set up multiple budget classes in Cobra and multiple rate sets. Also we needed to create a custom field at the resource assignment level in Primavera P6. This was used to map into Cobra budget classes during the integration of the baselined IMS.
First and foremost, to map resource assignments to a specific cost class, Deltek Cobra needs to be set up properly. This is in order to pull the information in from the IMS correctly:
- For each set of rates a separate Rate file needs to be set up in Deltek Cobra
- Set up the multiple Budget classes (naming convention is entirely up to you)
In the above example, I used the standard Budget class for the initial rate and then created a “Budget2” class. As you can see in the Rate File section, I attached a different rate file in addition to the initial one. The initial one was originally set up: i.e SRA_RATE_2016, which will override the Project Rate File of SRA_RATE.
The next step is to set up Primavera P6 to assign the cost class at the resource assignment level.
1. The first thing to do is set up a User Defined Field at the “Activity Resource Assignments” level, in the below example I created a UDF called “Cobra Budget Class”:
2. At the resource assignment level in p6 project insert the field for the UDF you just created, type in the Budget class associated with the resource:
3. There is one glaring issue with this approach, and as of yet I haven’t sorted through one that works with the integration in Deltek Cobra. The UDFs are text fields, meaning this is subject to typos and no limitations on what users put in here. So this will have to be monitored to ensure the data is mapped correctly.
4. Lastly, from my testing, if this field is left blank it will be pulled into the default field defined during the integration wizard.
Lastly, during the integration wizard you will need to map the newly created resource assignment UDF in the resource assignment step of the Integration wizard:
The above graphic shows where you will map the UDF, in the “Load Budget class from field”
Once all the above steps are done and integration is complete you will get a final result that looks this:
Check the resource assignments on the class line: you can see resources against both budget classes have been loaded.
Resource Assignments to a Specific Cost Summary
This solution is useful where the same named resource may have multiple rates depending on the resource assignment. It would be even better if there was a Resource Assignment level code in Primavera P6. Then we could select a budget class value from a list of legitimate options, rather than having to manually type or copy/paste the values. But apart from that, this solution will get you where you need to go. You won’t have to create a new resource in Deltek Cobra for every possible combination of resource and rate assignment.