Save your Primavera layouts using P6 Project Layout Files (PLFs). In Primavera P6, it can take some effort to achieve an agreeable look and feel for the presentation and/or layout of your schedule activity table and Gantt chart. Did you know these layouts could be saved and used for reporting on other projects as well?
Often the schedule creation process requires carefully setting up the activity’s screen, i.e. activity table and Gantt chart. And special activity layout presentations are essential for reporting project status to stakeholders. Primavera P6 Professional has the functionality to save and store these layouts as project layout files (PLF). These PLF files can then be recalled to provide similar reports on other projects.
This article introduces Primavera P6 Professional PLF files to save and restore activity screen layouts for schedule planning and reporting.
PLF files are not just for the activity’s screen. PLF files are available for five different screens:
- Activities screen
- Project screen
- WBS screen
- Resource Assignments screen
- Tracking layout screen
So it is possible to save and retrieve layouts for each of these five screens. Let’s demonstrate saving and restoring a layout for the activities screen.
We have in Figure 1 our demonstration project.
Figure 1
Figure 1 displays the layout of our activities screen. We have setup the layout of the screen for reporting our project to stakeholders. Note, in particular, the total float column, which provides valuable information on schedule flexibility. We want to save and store this layout for use on another project. First we save the layout. Select the Layout drop down menu, Figure 2.
Figure 2
In the layout drop-down menu select layout and save as. In the save layout as dialog make the layout available to the project, Figure 3.
Figure 3
Note that P6 appends 1 on to the current layout name, Figure 4.
Figure 4
Great! We have captured our activity screen layout.
Let’s proceed and export our layout for storage and later usage on another project. Select layout, and layout and open as from the drop down menu, Figure 5.
Figure 5
In the open layout dialog, Figure 6, highlight Standard Layout_1 and click export.
Figure 6
Save the PLF layout file in a folder in the windows operating system, Figure 7.
Figure 7
Alright, our PLF file is now saved and available for other projects.
Let’s assume we were planning another project, Figure 8.
Figure 8
Now we want to create a stakeholder report including total float. Again, select layout, and layout and open from the drop down menu. This time in the open layout dialog, Figure 9, click import.
Figure 9
In the import layout dialog, Figure 10, select Standard Layout_1.plf.
Figure 10
Make the Standard Layout_1 layout available to the project, Figure 11.
Figure 11
Now open the layout, Figure 12.
Figure 12
Our new schedule with replica layout is displayed in Figure 13.
Figure 13
As mentioned previously, PLF files can be generated and saved for five screens: activities screen, project screen, WBS screen, resource assignments screen, and tracking layout screen. Be careful though! Only activity PLF files can be imported while viewing the activities screen. If we attempt to import a WBS PLF file while in the activities screen we get the following warning, Figure 14, “The file is not a valid activity layout.”
Figure 14
Although the file extension is always .plf, PLF files are denoted as activity PLF, project PLF, WBS PLF, resource assignments PLF, and tracking layout PLF files. So note that the screen you are viewing must match the PLF type you are trying to import.
Summary
Primavera P6 Project Layout Files are a valuable feature for mirroring reports on different projects in P6. It is possible to save or export and store P6 Project Layout Files in the windows operating system. These PLF files can then be imported and opened to produce a similar screen report on a different project. But it is important that the screen you are viewing matches the PLF screen type you are importing.
It is also possible to export a PLF layout directly with your schedule in an XML file. A demonstration of exporting and importing an XML file that includes a PLF layout is presented in the following blog Exporting and Importing Layouts in Primavera P6 Professional.