Last week, Deltek released its latest version of PM Compass 8.1. There are some welcome new features, particularly for Primavera P6 users, which includes improved integration with P6. Let’s take a look at what’s in this release for you. Primavera P6 Integration PM Compass 8.1 now supports Primavera P6 as a scheduling tool for entering […]
Avoiding Schedule Risk
All schedules come with risk, so learning to address some of the more common risks associated is an important step to their mitigation. Your scope may very well be attainable, but your schedule may transform your otherwise reasonable project into an inevitable failure. Sources of schedule risk include multiple critical paths, multiple predecessor dependencies, procrastinating […]
How To Shade Gantt Chart Time Periods In Primavera P6
Primavera P6 has a great feature for highlighting a time period on the Gantt chart without affecting the start and finish dates of schedule activities. The Gantt chart is at the heart of scheduling software. Knowing the many graphical features available for the Gantt chart in Primavera P6 Professional is important for leveraging the full […]
Microsoft Project and External Dependencies
In certain situations, you may want to connect two projects together. This requires using external dependencies. You may have two projects that affect one another. Instead of creating one master schedule you may want to keep the two projects separate and unique. But how do you model the interdependency between the two projects? This is […]
How To Link FS Relationships Together In Primavera P6
Do you need to link multiple activities with Finish to Start (FS) relationships? Primavera P6 Professional provides a quick way to insert FS relationships between activities. Many scheduling guidelines prefer the FS relationship to connect activities. This tends to make FS relationships the most common fixture in project schedules. What schedulers want is an efficient […]
FTE Totals in Deltek Cobra
I am frequently asked by Deltek Cobra users “What’s up with this FTE totals value?” Indeed for as long as I’ve been using Cobra this has been an issue with the Full Time Equivalents value in the Totals column simply being summed rather than averaged. So folks, it’s time to delve into my distant coding […]
Schedule Risk and Path Convergence
Schedule Risk and Path Convergence Does your schedule include an activity that has numerous predecessors? If so, your schedule may require rescheduling to avoid excessive path convergence. An investigation of project risk should include a study on major path convergence junctures in the schedule. Convergence points are a source of significant schedule risk. They are […]
Late-Date Constraint Usage
Do you use late-date constraints? Activity constraints define important dates in the life of the project. But too many constraints make a schedule rigid and not dynamic. Most scheduling software provides the scheduler an assortment of constraints to further define a date’s importance. These dates are typically important milestones in the project including project reviews, […]
What Does A PMO Do?
A PMO is a Project Management Office. It’s a function within an organization that defines the standards for project management. And it can do a whole lot more than that too. The main purpose of a Project Management Office (PMO) is to make sure that projects and programs are run in a repeatable, standardized way. […]
Primavera P6 and Bad Weather Days
Is inclement weather a drag on your project schedule? Why not bake bad weather into your project schedule before it becomes a problem? Inclement weather is a common stressor on outdoor projects. It can cause unpredictable delays on projects that stretch days or even weeks. But how do you plan for poor weather conditions? You […]