PROJECT WATCH

Expert Software for the Oracle/Primavera P6/EPPM

System Administrator

Ron Winter Consulting LLC Presents

TM

Overview

• Add-on Software to Oracle/Primavera– P6 Professional (client/server)– Enterprise Project Portfolio Management (EPPM)– Works for P6 Versions 6 through 8

• Assists P6/EPPM System Administrator• Informs Project Controls Director• Connects Project Managers

PROJECTWATCH

Uses

• Monitor P6/EPPM Usage• Research Scheduling Issues• Coordinate Users• Resolve Problems• Document Transactions• Create User and Project Profiles• Enforce Schedule Quality Policies• Tune-up Database System

PROJECTWATCH

Typical Monitor Screen PROJECTWATCH

Sample screen showing typical P6/EPPM operations.Each line is a single schedule and a single user.Users with multiple projects show on multiple lines.

Percentage of total Userscurrently logged-on gauge.

Mode selector (currently)showing Monitor screen.)

Summation of totals of each column.

Messages in red show current operations.

Monitor PROJECTWATCH

Monitor Columns• Project: Name of the currently-open schedule• User: P6 User Name (highlighted if a Superuser)• Status: How opened (Shared/Exclusive/Read Only) + highlighting• Date-Time Loaded: When the schedule was opened• Tool: P6 option currently being used (under P6 Tools Menu)• Function: P6 function currently being used (reporting, etc.)• Updates: Number of updates to the schedule this session• Acts: # of Activities (plus color coding if increasing or decreasing)• Rels: # Relationships (plus color coding when changed)• Rsrc: # Task Resources (plus color coding)• Steps: # Activity Steps (plus color coding)• Disc: # Discussions posted (only on P6 Version 8.3 +)

Research PROJECTWATCH

All Users Rows• Full Name• Flag Superusers• Contact Information

• Office Phone• Email Address

• Security Profile• Resource Access?• Enterprise Access?• Operational Breakdown Structure (OBS)

access

Coordinate PROJECTWATCH

Current Users Rows• Full Name• Current Computer Name (i.e. location)• When and how long logged-on• When and how long since last entry• Currently opened projects

• Are Data Dates aligned?• Project Access history (Exclusive/Shared/Read)• Overall session history

• # Tools accessed• # Functions accessed• # Updates made• # Activities, Relationships, Task Resources,

Activity Steps, and Activity Discussions added & deleted

• Can logoff user remotely.

Resolve Problems PROJECTWATCH

Current Projects Rows• Special report on every current schedule• Full WBS name• People currently using this schedule• When and how log ago the project was

• Updated• Scheduled• Summarized• When & how log ago Activities/Relation-

ships/Resources/Steps last updated• Warning about External Date Constraints• Baseline schedules review• Checked-Out Schedule Review

• When and how long ago

Document Transactions PROJECTWATCH

Narrative Data• Every transaction captured• Date/Time stamp• Who, Project, Tool/Function listed• Logons and logoffs noted• Project load rate computed

Configurable Setup PROJECTWATCH

• Tune Response Time• Save Options– User Session– Project History– Full Narrative– System Changes

• Access Type• System Colors

• Aural Warnings– Project Conflict– Access Type– Tools/Functions Used

Report Module

• Separate module for enhanced operations• Immediate on-screen ad-hock inquiries• Create reports in– Excel– MS Word– Plain Text

• Perform complex system checks• Monitor and apportion storage requirements

PROJECTWATCH

Complete Narratives PROJECTWATCH

• If ALL USERS and ALL PROJECTS then a spreadsheet produced• Filtered requests produce immediate report

Narrative Data• Date & Time stamp for every observation• User’s ID• Project Name• Event noted

User Sessions History PROJECTWATCH

• Spreadsheet all or immediate filtered reportsUser Sessions Rows

• Each log-on session noted in order• Date/Time logged on, off, and last active• Number of schedule opened & access type• # of Changes made• # Activities added, deleted, or modified• # Relationships added, deleted, or modified• # Task Resources added, deleted, modified• # Activity Steps added, deleted, or modified• # Discussion posts added• # Reports generated• # Baseline Schedules created• # Access conflicts• # Times schedule Data Dates where changed• Average schedule loading rate (Ms/activity)

Projects Last Updated PROJECTWATCH

• Spreadsheet all or immediate filtered reports Projects Last Updated Columns• Who and when last updated the following:

• Schedule CPM calculation• Automatic Resource leveling• Apply Timecard Actuals• Automatically update schedule progress• Summarize the project

System Changes Report PROJECTWATCH

• PROJECT WATCH notes changes to system settings, even if not listed in Monitor• System change notice placed in Narrative• Reporting left to Project Write• 72 different system settings are monitored

External Date Constraints PROJECTWATCH

• External Date Constraints are automatically produced by P6/EPPM• Do not show in the activity constraint box• Affect CPM calculated dates• Constraint Dates should be eliminated

External Date Constraint Report Data• Project Name• Task Code• Type of External Constraint• Constraint Date

Related Schedules PROJECTWATCH

• Schedules linked by external relationships• Should be exported together to preserve links• If not exported together, then P6/EPPM creates

External ConstraintsRelated Schedule Rows

• Predecessor Project• Successor Project• Relationship between the two projects

Corrupt Tables Report PROJECTWATCH

• Some Table Entries have multiple settings• Each setting is represented by a ‘token’• Tokens are not validated – may be invalid• Corrupt settings are not reported by P6/EPPM• Corrupt settings are seen as a blank in P6/EPPM• Finding the blank and resetting it fixes this• 6 different tables are reviewed• 23 different entries are validated

Data Space Estimates PROJECTWATCH

• Estimate database size for each project and associated Baselines • Can be listed by project • Can be summarized by Operational

Breakdown Structure (OBS) group

• Allocate overhead costs by storage• Track and project database growth• Appropriation cost of database

upgrades by storage requirements

That’s It!

• PROJECT WATCH– Monitor– Coordinate– Research– Document

• Project Write– Analyze PROJECT WATCH databases– Perform System Research

• Corrupt Tables/External Date Constraints/Related Schedules

– Estimate Database Sizing

PROJECTWATCH

Who Are We?

• Ron Winter Consulting LLC– ‘The best customer service in the business’

• Developing P6 add-on software since 1997– The oldest active P6 add-on software maker– Over 1,200 customers

• Makers of Schedule Analyzer Software– Proven ADO database communications technology

• Makers of eForensic P6 analysis software– The basis for many of our System Checks

PROJECTWATCH

Contact

• Mailing AddressRon Winter Consulting LLC204 South 6th StreetFernandina Beach, FL 32034 USA

• Telephone+01 904-624-7016

• Emailron@ronwinterconsulting.com

PROJECTWATCH