Primaver p3 Manual 3

Primavera Project Planner

Reference Manual

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT Bridging the Gap

A-10, Dashtyar Center, Block-13A, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Main University Road. Karachi

Ph: 92-21-4993242, 4986752. email: [email protected]



Reference Manual

A-10, Dashtyar Center, Block-13 A, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Main University Road. Karachi

Ph: 92-21-4993242, 4986752 Email: [email protected]

of 47

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: SETTING UP PRIMAVERA PROJECT PLANNER ............................................ 3 Before You Begin Setup..................................................................................................3 Installing Primavera Project Planner ...............................................................................4

CHAPTER 2: DEFINING THE PROJECT DATA ...................................................................... 5 Adding a new project.......................................................................................................5 Defining Activity Codes ...................................................................................................6 Defining Work Breakdown Structure ...............................................................................7 Defining Calendars..........................................................................................................8

CHAPTER 3: WORKING WITH ACTIVITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS..................................... 9 Adding activities ..............................................................................................................9 Assigning Activity IDs ......................................................................................................9 Activity Types ................................................................................................................10 Assigning Activity Codes to Activities............................................................................12

CHAPTER 4: PROJECT ORGANIZING.................................................................................. 13 Organizing the Activities................................................................................................13 View Layouts .................................................................................................................14 Copy, Backup and Restore Data...................................................................................15

CHAPTER 5: DEFINING LOGIC AND SCHEDULING............................................................ 17 Assigning Predecessors and Successors .....................................................................17 Imposing Constraints to Activities .................................................................................17 Imposing Constraints to Activities .................................................................................18 Calculating the Schedule...............................................................................................21 Adjusting the Schedule..................................................................................................22

CHAPTER 6: DEFINING RESOURCES AND COSTS............................................................ 23 Defining Resources .......................................................................................................23 Defining Resource Curves ............................................................................................24 Defining Cost Accounts .................................................................................................24

CHAPTER 7: ASSIGNING RESOURCES & COSTS.............................................................. 25 Resources Allocation.....................................................................................................25 Assigning Budgeted Cost for Resources not having unit rate.......................................26 Resource/ Cost profile and Table:.................................................................................26 Resource Leveling.........................................................................................................27

CHAPTER 8: UPDATING PROCESS...................................................................................... 28 Creating the Target Plan ...............................................................................................28 Choosing a Method for Updating ..................................................................................28 Recording Time Progress..............................................................................................29 Updating Resources......................................................................................................30

CHAPTER 9: FORMATTING AND FILTERS .......................................................................... 31 Organizing: ....................................................................................................................31 Format Columns:...........................................................................................................31 Format Bars:..................................................................................................................31 Format Timescale:.........................................................................................................34 Format Sight Lines: .......................................................................................................34 Filters:............................................................................................................................35

CHAPTER 10: TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL REPORTS........................................................ 36 Tabular Reports:............................................................................................................36 Graphical Reports .........................................................................................................41



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 1: SETTING UP PRIMAVERA PROJECT PLANNER

Before You Begin Setup

Before you begin installing Primavera Project Planner, you should review Primavera’s hardware and

software recommendations and valid operating environments.

Hardware and software recommendations

Primavera recommends using the following hardware and software for best results with P3:

§ 486 or faster computer

§ 16 MB total memory

§ At lease 68 MB of free disk space

§ Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98, or Windows NT

§ CD-ROM drive

P3 also works in the following operating environments:

Operating Systems:

§ Windows 3.1 or higher

§ Windows NT 3.51 service pack 5 or higher

Server-Based Networks:

§ Novell Netware 3.11 or higher

§ Banyan Vines 7.x or higher

Client/Server:

§ (Novell) Btrieve NLM 6.15 or higher

§ Btrieve for Windows NT 6.15 or higher

Peer-to-Peer Networks:

§ Windows for Workgroups 3.11 or higher

Before you can install P3, Microsoft Windows, Windows 95/98, or Windows NT must be running on

your computer. Because the files on the P3 program CD-ROM are compressed to save space, you

must use the P3 Setup program.



Reference Manual



of 47

Installing Primavera Project Planner

1. Start Windows and close any open applications (including the Microsoft Office floating Shortcut

bar). Insert the P3 CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.

2. Setup starts automatically, displaying a menu of the items that you can install from the P3 CD-

ROM. Select Install P3 v3.0.

3. The Primavera License agreement is displayed. This information describes the terms for using

P3. Read the agreement carefully and click Accept to continue the installation.

4. P3 Setup prompts you for the Product ID. This number is located on the back of the CD-ROM

case. If you are upgrading from a previous version of P3, enter the Update ID number.

P3 Setup displays the disk space requirements for using P3. It also recommends that you close

all other open programs before you continue. To verify that P3 Setup is the only open program,

press Alt+Tab. If necessary, close any open programs, then click Continue.

5. Specify folder locations for P3 files. To accept the default drives and folders, click OK. If the

folders do not exist, the program prompts you to have Setup create them.

6. Setup displays a series of registration dialog boxes. Type the registration information and click

Next.

7. P3 offers several types of installation. Choose an installation type depending on the disk space

available on your computer and the options you want to install.

A typical installation includes all P3 program files and associated applications and the sample

projects (together with their associated target projects). This option does not install the InfoMaker

custom report writer, but you can install it after P3 Setup completes.

A custom installation enables you to choose the applications and sample projects to install. In the

Program File Options or Sample Project Options dialog box, clear the checkbox beside any

program option or project you do not want to install.

8. After you choose the installation type, enter your P3 login name, company name, and company

address. To view this information later, choose Help, About P3.

If you mark the Ask For User Name And Password When Starting P3 checkbox, P3 prompts you

to enter your user name and password each time you start P3. Your password is the same as

your user name until you change it in P3 using the Change Password command.

9. Identify files P3 Setup can overwrite or modify by marking the checkboxes for those files. Clear

checkboxes for files you do not want P3 Setup to change. Setup may disable certain options

based on the type of installation selected.

10. Click OK to complete the installation.



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 2: DEFINING THE PROJECT DATA

Adding a new project

When you add a new project, you become its owner. As a project owner, you can designate the users

who can access the project by assigning access rights. (Initially, all users have Read Write access to

a new project.)

1. Choose File, New and type a unique four-character name in the Project Name field.

2. P3 stores the new project in the current folder. To create the project in a different folder, click

Browse and select a different drive and/or folder.

3. Specify a Number/Version (e.g. Baseline, update 1 etc.), Project Title, and Company Name to

describe the project.

4. The default project-planning unit is day. To change this, click and select Hour, Week, or Month.

5. You can also change the number of workdays per week or the day of the week that work starts.

These fields determine the workweek for Calendar 1.

6. In the Project Start field, click and select a date from the pop-up calendar.

7. Use the mouse or arrow keys to move in the calendar and double-click a date to select it in the

Project Start field. To move month to month, click the up/down scroll arrows (or use PgUp/PgDn

keys). To move year to year, drag the scroll box (or use Ctrl+Pg Up/PgDn keys).

8. To impose an optional project finish date, type a date in the Project Must Finish by field. This

constrains the scheduled project end date.

9. In the Decimal Places field, select the number of decimal places to use for resource and cost

data.

10. If costs in your project exceed Rs.100 million for a summary group, change the decimal-place

configuration to 0.

11. If the project you add will be part of a project group, mark the Add This New Project to a Project

Group checkbox. Click in the Project Group field and select a project group.

12. You can also create a new project group; type a unique four-character project name in the

Project Group field.

13. P3 automatically assigns a two-character project ID to identify a project within a group. The ID

becomes the first two activity ID characters for each activity in the project. Accept the default or

specify a project ID; at least one character must be alphabetic.

14. Click Add to create the new project.

When you add a new project, the default layout appears for the Bar chart; the Activity columns and

Bar chart contain no data. P3 places the cursor in the Edit bar for you to specify the first activity ID.



Reference Manual



of 47

Defining Activity Codes

Choose Data, Activity Codes.

Codes

Name: Enter a name for the activity code.

Length: Enter the maximum number of characters to use for values in each code (entered in the

Values section). The maximum length for each value is 10 characters, and the total number of

characters for all codes combined cannot exceed 64.

Description: Enter a title for the code.

Values

Assign values to all codes. For example, if an activity code is Department, you might set up values for

the Engineering, Construction, and Purchasing departments.

Value: Specify an unlimited number of values for each activity code. The number of characters used

for each value cannot exceed the number specified in the Length column.

Description: Enter a description for each value using up to 48 characters. This title appears on

layouts, reports, and graphics.

Order: To specify the order in which the code values appear in the layout or in reports and graphics,

assign a number from 1 to 254. If you do not assign numbers, P3 sorts the values in

alphanumeric order.

Transfer: Copies the Activity Codes Dictionary from another project to the current project. P3

overwrites the values in the Dictionary after prompting you, but does not remove values

already assigned to activities.

Print: Opens the Print Options dialog box. Choose to view the Dictionary onscreen, print it

immediately, or save to a file.

Refresh: Click this button to incorporate any new activity code values that have not been validated.



Reference Manual



of 47

Defining Work Breakdown Structure

Use the WBS Dictionary dialog box to define a work breakdown structure (WBS) for a project. A WBS

is the hierarchy of work you must accomplish to complete a project. The WBS is structured in levels of

work detail, beginning with the end result or product, and then divided into identifiable work elements.

Each WBS level is indented, and the levels within each code are separated by characters specified in

the Work Breakdown Structure dialog box. When you add levels, P3 automatically places each new

code in the correct location in the outline.

Code: The top of the dialog box contains an edit field for the WBS code. Select this field and enter a

code. The field length is determined by the structure you set up in the Work Breakdown

Structure dialog box. Use any alphanumeric character except asterisks. Spaces can also be

used, except for the first character in the first level.

Title: Enter a description for each WBS code you define.

Structure: When you create a project, the WBS Dictionary is predefined with one level of ten

characters. Click Structure to modify the default WBS structure.

Copy: Click to copy codes as a shortcut for creating additional branches. Select the code to copy, and

specify a new code in the Define a Unique WBS Code dialog box. P3 automatically copies the

descendant codes. Copy a lower level code and P3 automatically creates the higher-level

codes to match.

Transfer: Click to copy the WBS Dictionary from another project to the current project.



Reference Manual



of 47

Defining Calendars

All activities in P3 are assigned to a calendar that defines when work on the activity can occur. Each

project has a global calendar and a standard calendar, called calendar 1.

Every resource has its own calendar. P3 uses an activity calendar as the base, or template, for each

resource calendar. Specify changes to the base calendar to customize each resource calendar.

The global calendar enables you to specify non-work periods, exceptions, and holidays that apply to

all calendars. The changes you make in global calendar will reflect in other base calendars.

Calendar 1 is the default base calendar to which all activities and resources are assigned unless you

specify another calendar. You can change calendar 1, but you cannot delete it.

Add: Opens the Add Calendar dialogs box where you can create a new calendar. P3 will ask you the

Calendar ID and Description. In P3, you can specify 32 Calendars per project

Delete: Deletes the selected calendar from the project. Click yes to confirm. Activities and resources

assigned to the deleted calendar are reassigned to calendar 1.

Transfer: Copies all calendars from another project to the current project, or enables you to transfer

one calendar to another within the same project.

Note: To transfer calendars between projects, both projects must have the same planning unit.

Holidays: Opens the Holidays List dialog box so you can specify non-work time or exceptions to non-

work time not addressed by the Global calendar. You can give the start and finish dates of holidays or

you can specify one holiday by leaving end date empty.

Repeating: Repeat holiday every year.

Standard: When you select the Global Calendar in the Calendar field, clicking Standard opens the

Standard Global Information dialog box where you can define information for all calendars, such as

the Calendar Start Date, Project Start Date, and the Week Starts On day. Here you can specify

working days in a week.

Work/Non work: Use the appropriate button to change the status of the selected date to work or non-

work. A shaded date box indicates non-work time; a UN shaded box indicates work time.



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 3: WORKING WITH ACTIVITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS

Adding activities

When adding activities, consider the following:

§ P3 automatically assigns an activity ID.

§ P3 assigns duration of one planning unit, which you can change. P3 automatically sets the

remaining duration equal to the original duration.

§ P3 calculates activity duration based on the type of activity. For some types of activities, you

enter duration; for other types of activities, P3 calculates duration.

§ If your layout is grouped and you add an activity to a group, P3 automatically applies the group

values to the new activity.

Assigning Activity IDs

Activity IDs can consist of up to 10 characters: letters, numbers, or a combination of both. Each

activity ID must be unique.

Note: When you add a new project, P3 does not automatically assign an ID. Instead, P3 places the

cursor in the edit bar above the Activity columns for you to specify an ID. Once you add the first

activity ID, P3 assigns IDs for each subsequent activity you add, incrementing each ID by 10.

When P3 assigns a new ID, it checks whether the ID already exists in the project. If it exists, P3

searches in increments of 10 until it finds an unused ID. If you delete an activity, that ID becomes

available for a new activity.

You can change the assigned ID at any time, provided you have Exclusive access to the project.

If you add activities to a project that is part of a project group, the project ID automatically appears as

the first two characters in the ID field, followed by the incremented number.

If the selected activity has an ID containing all alphabetic characters, P3 appends the incremented

number to the right of the ID. For example, if activity AAA is selected, the new activity will have an ID

of AAA10. If the activity contains 10 alphabetic characters, such as AAAAAAAAAA, the new activity

will have an ID of 10.

If you want P3 to increment IDs by a value other than 10, choose Tools, Options, and Activity

Inserting. Type a value in the Increment field.



Reference Manual



of 47

Activity Types

To open the Activity form

Use any of the following methods to open the Activity form:

• Double-click an activity.

• Select an activity and choose Edit, Edit Activity.

• Choose View, Activity Form, or press F7.

Definitions:

ID: Activity ID

OD: Original Duration. (Note: This field always defines the planned duration)

Pct: Percent Complete (Note: This field will be zero during planning phase and be filled out

during updating process. 100% means that you have to give EF)

Cal: Calendar (Note: Default calendar is Cal 1, until and unless specified)

ES: Early Start. (Note: This field becomes AS = Actual Start, on checking)

EF: Early Finish. (Note: This field becomes AF = Actual Finish, on checking

Uncheck this field, if the activity is not 100% complete)

RD: Remaining Duration. (Note: You can use either Pct or RD. If you specify Pct, RD will be

calculated automatically and vice versa)

Type: Activity Type. (Note: Details of activity types will be discussed later)

Codes: The last and the very bottom field of Activity form represent the activity codes and WBS

system that you have defined earlier.

Note: The upper Row includes

Budget, Codes, Cost, Custom, Dates, Log, Predecessor, Resources, Successor, WBS,

This will be discussed later.

Activity Types:

1. Task Driven (Fixed Duration)

2. Resource Driven (Duration dependent on Resources)

3. Hammock (No specific duration, duration is calculated on the basis of relationships)

1. Task: (Fixed duration) P3 schedules a task activity according to the base calendar assigned to

the activity. Designate an activity as a task activity if you aren't assigning resources to the

activity, or if the assigned resources should be scheduled according to the activity's base

calendar; rather than each resource calendar.

For example, several activities must be done in the week before a completion of the building. It

doesn't matter whether the resources are available earlier than that week, or whether they will

otherwise be scheduled for time off during that week--these activities must be scheduled during

a specific time-period, and their scheduling controls the scheduling of their resources.



Reference Manual



of 47

2. Independent: (Resource Driven) Designate an activity as independent if you plan to use

resource calendars and driving resources. In an independent activity, resources work according

to their own resource calendars, and for their own durations. P3 schedules an independent

activity according to predecessor logic and the times its driving resources are scheduled to

work.

For example, in a cartoon project, several resources (writers and illustrators) work on a rough

script. Each works according to his or her own workday and vacation calendar; they are not

necessarily scheduled to work simultaneously. Each has a specified amount of work to

accomplish (individual resource durations); they do not necessarily have equal amounts of

work.

3. Meeting: (Resource Driven) Meeting activities require that all resources work together

simultaneously as a team to complete the work. They are useful for scheduling meetings and

any activities where resources cannot work independently.

For example, in factory relocation project, heavy equipment resources and a crew resource

must be onsite at the same time for one week. Both the equipment and the crew resources are

driving--the activity's duration depends on their work. If you define this activity as a meeting

activity, P3 schedules it only when both the equipment and the crew are available for the same

one-week time period. P3 schedules any non-driving resources, such as an inspector in this

example, according to the combined calendars of the crew and equipment--the conglomerate of

the driving resources' calendars.

4. Milestones/ Flags: (Zero Duration) Use milestones to indicate the beginning or end of a major

event or phase, or any other important point in your project. Use flags to signal the start or finish

of an activity or group of activities. Milestones and flags have no original or remaining duration.

You must assign actual dates to milestones. P3 schedules milestones and flags according to

the activity's base calendar.

In the Bar chart, milestones appear as diamonds in the Bar area, and flags appear as flags. In

PERT, start and finish milestones and flags are represented by an activity with only one end,

depending if the activity is a start or finish milestone or flag.

5. Hammock: Use hammocks to monitor the elapsed beginning-to-end duration of a group of

activities. Hammock duration is the number of days between the beginning of the first activity

and the end of the last one in the group--not the sum of the activities' durations. If several

hammock activities overlap, the hammock's duration will be smaller than the combined

durations; if large gaps exist between the activities in the hammock, its duration may be longer.

To set up a hammock activity

i. Display the Predecessors form for the hammock activity. Define the hammock's

predecessors. Specify a start-to-start relationship and zero lags for all predecessors to the

hammock.

ii. Display the Successors form for the hammock activity. Specify a finish to finish relationship

and zero lag for all successors to the hammock



Reference Manual



of 47

Assigning Activity Codes to Activities

Click “Codes” in the Activity form.

To assign activity code values to individual activities

1. Select an activity and open the Activity Codes form.

2. Select the Value column, then right-click. Select a code value to assign to the activity.

If you enter an activity code value that is not defined in the Activity Codes Dictionary, click yes to add

it and enter a description in the Description field.

How to Copy Code value from one activity to another.

1. Add the activity code as an Activity column. (Click Format, Column, and add the column named

“ the Code you have in your dictionary”)

2. Select the activity code cell whose assignment you want to copy.

3. If activities are contiguous, drag to select one or more activities.

4. Choose Edit, Fill Cell.

Note: If activities are not contiguous, press Ctrl and select each activity to which you want to copy the

value before you select the cell whose value you want to copy. Continue with step 4.

Note: P3 copies the activity code value from the first selected cell (if contiguous activities are

selected) or from the last selected cell (if the selected activities are not contiguous) to the selected

activities.



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 4: PROJECT ORGANIZING

Organizing the Activities

Following steps are required in order to organize activities

1. Choose Format, Organize.

2. Group By column; select a data item for grouping.

You can select multiple items for grouping.

3. P3 organizes groups in ascending (lowest to highest) order; to reverse this, click in the Order

column and choose Descnd (descending) order.

If you group by date, choose the appropriate time increment to group activities by.

4. You can format group title bands by changing the settings in the Font, Bkgrnd, and Text

columns. Click Options to specify whether the code value or title displays in the Activity columns

or Bar area, and whether to show group dividers.

5. To page break by group, choose Yes in the New Page column.

6. To show subtotals and totals for groups, choose Top or Bottom in the Total column.

7. Click Organize Now.

Tips Press ESC to cancel organizing. Press Ctrl+up/down arrow to jump to the next band at the

same level; press Ctrl+Alt+down/up arrow to jump to the next band at any level. When you add an

activity to a group, P3 automatically applies the value of that group to the new activity.



Reference Manual



of 47

View Layouts

Click View, Layout.

New, Open, Save, Save as, Transfer, Delete, Options

Create a new Layout:

You can create an unlimited number of layouts for each project. P3 displays the default layout when

you create a new layout. Tailor the layout to your liking, then save it with a unique ID and name.

Note A project group and its projects share one set of layouts.

To create a new layout

• Choose View, Layout, New

• Modify the layout to your specifications.

You can apply a filter, organize the layout to different level etc. to display a specific set of

activities.

• Select View, Layout, and Save As and name the layout.

Open a Layout:

P3 opens only one layout at a time for each project. If you share projects with other users, P3 can

copy a layout if two or more users need to access it at one time. You must save the copied layout as a

unique layout to save your changes.

P3 remembers the last layout you had open for the last 25 projects. You can change the current

layout while you have a project open.

To open a layout

• Select View, Layout, Open.

• Select a layout and click Open.



Reference Manual



of 47

Copy, Backup and Restore Data

COPY THE DATA:

Click Tools, Project Utilities, Copy

From

Displays the current drive and folder. To change, click Browse and select a different drive or folder.

Project Group/Project Name: Displays the project to be copied.

Projects: Select the project group or project to be copied.

Project ID: P3 lists the two-character project ID when a project within a project group is selected.

Planning Unit: P3 displays the planning unit for the selected project.

Title: Displays a project description.

Company: Displays a company or client name.

Browse: Click to display the Browse dialog box so you can select a project in another location.

Filter: To copy activities based on a filter, select a filter name here.

To

Displays the folder the duplicate project will be copied to. To change the folder or drive, click Browse

and select a different drive or folder.

Project Group: Type the name of the new project. The name can contain letters, numbers, or a

combination of both.

Project Name: If you are copying a project that is part of a project group, type the new project name

here. Then type a two-character project ID to identify the project in the Project ID field.

Planning Unit: P3 uses the planning unit for the project that you are copying by default. You can select

a different planning unit for the new project. See Revise the planning unit for more details.

Project ID: When you copy a project that is associated with a project group; type a two-character

prefix to identify activities in the project. One character must be an alpha character; the other can be

an alpha or a numeric character.

Title: Type a project description (up to 36 characters).

Company: Type a company name (up to 36 characters).

Add the Following Characters to the Left/Right of the Current IDs: Distinguish the activity IDs in the

duplicated project from those in the original project by adding characters to the left or right of the

original activity IDs. Type the characters in the field provided and choose the Left or Right option.

Browse: Click to view or change the location for the copied project.

Copy: Click to create a duplicate of the selected project.



Reference Manual



of 47

BACKUP THE DATA:

Click Tools, Project Utilities, Backup

From:

Displays the path to the folder where the projects to back up are located.

Browse: Click to change the current drive or folder.

Back Up The Following Projects

Back Up: Double-click the project that you want to back up

Name: Lists all projects in the current folder. Names appear in alphabetical order by project group,

and by project. Projects associated with project groups are indented under the project group name.

Title: Displays the project description.

All: Displays the Select All dialog box so you can back up multiple projects from the current folder.

To:

Specify the destination for the data to be backed up. If you type a new folder, P3 creates it. If you

back up to a disk, insert a disk into the appropriate drive when prompted.

Browse: Click to change the current drive or folder.

Compress Files: Compresses backup files which reduce the amount of disk space required.

Remove Access List During Backup: Access list shows the names of users having right to the project.

Back Up: Starts the back up procedure.

RESTORE THE DATA:

Click Tools, Project Utilities, Restore

From

Type the drive and folder where the project files to restore or click Browse to select a drive and folder.

Restore: Double-click each project that you want to restore or highlight the project and press the

space bar. Click All to restore all project groups, all projects, or all project groups and projects to the

drive and folder specified in the To field.

Name: Displays all projects in the current folder. Names appear in alphabetical order by project group

and project. Projects associated with project groups are indented under the project group name.

Date Of Backup: Displays the date and time that each project was backed up.

To

Type the location where the project files will be restored to, or click Browse to select

Browse: Click to change the current drive or folder specified in the To field.

Merge Dictionaries From Projects: Mark this checkbox to copy any new values added to a project's

dictionary to the project group's dictionaries.

Restore Layout, Tabular Report And Graphic Report Specifications: Mark this checkbox if you want to

copy the layouts and report and graphic specifications from the backup project to the project you are

restoring data to. Clear this checkbox if you do not want to overwrite existing layouts and report

specifications if the project already exists in the folder you are restoring to.

Restore: Starts the restore procedure.



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 5: DEFINING LOGIC AND SCHEDULING

Assigning Predecessors and Successors

Use the Predecessors (or Successors) form to view and edit predecessor (or Successors)

relationships for a selected activity, or to trace logic between the activity and its predecessors (or

Successors).

Activity: Displays the activity ID and description of the current activity.

Jump: P3 jumps from the current activity to the predecessor (or Successors) selected in the Activity

ID column.

Activity ID: Displays the activity ID of each predecessor (or Successors). You can add or delete

predecessors (or Successors) to or from this field.

Driving: An asterisk (*) in this column signifies that the predecessor (or Successors) activity has a

driving relationship to the activity selected. This field cannot be edited.

Rel (relationship type): Displays the relationship type between the predecessor (or Successors) and

the selected activity, using one of the following two-letter codes:

SS – Start-to-Start relationship

FS – Finish-to-Start relationship

FF – Finish-to-Finish relationship

Lag: Displays lag between two activities. Use this column to enter or edit a lag value.

TF (total float): Displays the total float for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.

Description: Displays the description for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.

Cal (calendar ID): Displays the calendar ID for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.

ES (early start): Displays the early start date for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.

EF (early finish): Displays the early finish date for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.

LS (late start): Displays the late start date for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.

LF (late finish): Displays the late finish date for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.

PCT (percent): Displays the percent complete for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.

RD (remaining duration): Displays the remaining duration for the predecessor activity.

FF (free float): Displays the free float for the predecessor (or Successors) activity.



Reference Manual



of 47

Imposing Constraints to Activities

Click “Constr” in activity form.

Use this form to impose a specific start or finish date on an activity.

P3 identifies a date constraint by displaying an asterisk (*) next to the date in the Activity columns. If

the constraint is an expected finish constraint, P3 displays an asterisk next to the original and

remaining durations. The schedule dates, however, do not reflect the constraint date until you

schedule the project.

Early Constraint: Mark this checkbox to assign an early start or early finish constraint. Choose the

Start or Finish option and select the date.

1. Start: An early start constraint affects only the early dates of an activity. Use an early start

constraint to ensure that the start of an activity is not scheduled before a specified date; for

example, use this constraint when the start of an activity depends on the delivery of a piece of

equipment. An early start constraint affects the schedule only if the constraint date is later than

the calculated early start date for the activity.

Note: If an early start constraint date that falls on a non-work period (such as a holiday or weekend) is

imposed on an activity, P3 imposes an early start date that is the first work period after this early start

constraint date. For example, if December 25 is the early start constraint date and December 25 is a

non-work-period, P3 imposes an early start date of December 26.

2. Finish: The early finish constraint functions exactly like an early start constraint, except that it is

applied to the calculated early finish dates for an activity. It changes the schedule only if the

constraint date is later than the calculated early finish date for the activity. This constraint usually

applies only to activities that have few if any predecessors and that must finish before the next

project phase. It can be used to reduce the free float for the activity.

Note: If an early finish constraint date that falls on a non-work period (such as a holiday or weekend)

is imposed on an activity, P3 imposes an early finish date that is the first work period following this

early finish constraint date.



Reference Manual



of 47

3. Start On: Mark this checkbox and then select the date when you want the activity to start.

A start on constraint affects an activity as if both early start and late start constraints are imposed

on it. The early start constraint revises the early dates only if the imposed date is later than the

calculated early start date. The late start constraint revises the late start dates only if the imposed

date is earlier than the calculated late start date.

Note: If a start on constraint date that falls on a non-work period (such as a holiday or weekend) is

imposed on an activity, P3 imposes an early start date that is the first work period following this

imposed date and a late start date that is the first work period prior to this imposed date. For example,

if December 25 is imposed as a start on date, P3 imposes an early start date of December 26 and a

late start date of December 24.

4. Expected Finish: Mark this checkbox and then select the date when you expect this activity to

finish.

Use the expected finish constraint to update the schedule based on an estimate of the expected

finish of an activity. P3 calculates the remaining duration of activities with expected finish

constraints as the work period differences between their calculated early start dates and the

assigned expected finish dates. Ensure that the expected finish date is not earlier than the

scheduled early start, or that the remaining duration for the activity is not set to zero--a value

reserved only for completed and dummy activities.

Float Constraint: Mark this checkbox and then choose Zero total float or Zero free float.

1. Zero Total Float: Use the zero total float constraint to make an activity critical. When you impose

a zero total float constraint, P3 sets the late dates for the activity equal to its early dates, giving it

zero total float. This change of late dates also affects the late dates of other activities that precede

it. If the float for the activity is already zero or a negative value, P3 does not apply this constraint.

2. Zero Free Float: The zero free float constraint (the as-late-as-possible constraint), allows an

activity to start as late as possible without delaying its successors. P3 places the finish of the

activity one work period before the start of the successor activity, assuming a finish to start

relationship. An activity with free float can start as late as possible without delaying its immediate

successors. You may want to impose this constraint on activities involving payments or deliveries.

Late Constraint: Mark this checkbox to assign a late start or late finish constraint. Choose the Start

or Finish option and then select the date.

1. Start: A late start constraint can affect the late dates of an activity if the constraint date is earlier

than the calculated late start date for the activity. This constraint reduces the amount of total float

in successive activities. Usually, it is the result of an agreement among various project

participants that some element of the project will begin on or before a particular date.



Reference Manual



of 47

Note: If a late start constraint date falls on a non-work period (such as a holiday or weekend), P3

imposes a late start date that is the first work period prior to this date. For example, if December 25 is

imposed as a late start constraint date, P3 imposes a late start date of December 24.

If a constrained activity has an actual start date, the constraint is treated as a late finish constraint

(actual start + original duration = late finish).

2. Finish: A late finish constraint affects only the late dates. Managers often use it to set

intermediate completion dates or milestones. The assigned constraint date must be earlier than

the scheduled late finish date for the activity.

Note: If a late finish constraint date that falls on a non-work period (such as a holiday or weekend) is

imposed on an activity, P3 imposes a late finish date that is the first work period prior to this late finish

constraint date.

Mandatory: Mark this checkbox to assign a mandatory start or finish constraint to an activity. Choose

the Start or Finish option and then select the date.

1. Start: The mandatory start constraint sets both the early and late start dates equal to a specified

date; P3 does not override the constraint during schedule calculations. Therefore, an imposed

mandatory start constraint sets the early dates for all paths leading from an activity and the late

dates for all paths leading to it. Impose this constraint with caution since it can violate network

logic and cause the dates for an activity to precede those of its predecessor(s).

Note: Avoid imposing a mandatory start constraint date that occurs on a non-work period, such as a

holiday or weekend.

2. Finish: The mandatory finish constraint sets the early and late finish dates equal to the imposed

date. It also sets the late dates of paths leading to the activity and the early dates of paths leading

from it. P3 does not override the mandatory finish constraint during schedule calculations. Impose

this constraint with caution since it can violate network logic by allowing P3 to schedule a

successor activity before its predecessor(s).

Note: Avoid imposing a mandatory finish constraint date that occurs on a nonworkperiod, such as a

holiday or weekend.



Reference Manual



of 47

Calculating the Schedule

You should calculate a schedule each time you add or delete activities or revise their dates, durations,

or relationships. P3 starts at the beginning of the project and continues to the end to calculate the

earliest start and finish dates for each activity. Then it starts at the end, from the latest early finish of

the last activity in the project to the first activity and continues to calculate the latest start and finish

dates for each activity. During scheduling, P3 also calculates float as the difference between the early

dates and late dates.

Data Date: Select the date through which you have recorded progress. P3 schedules activities from

the project data date, using the project start date as the initial data date. Be sure to change the data

date each time you record progress for activities. The data date is the beginning of the hour, day,

week, or month, depending on the project's planning unit.

Scheduling report

P3 automatically produces a schedule statistics listing along with the following report listings. Clear

the checkbox besides any listing you do not want to produce.

Constraints: Lists activities that have imposed constraints.

Open Ends: Lists activities without predecessor or successor relationships.

Activities With Out-Of-Sequence Progress: Produces a listing of activities that have progressed out

of the order specified by the network logic.

Run Report Series: Produces the specified series of reports after calculating the schedule. To define

a series choose Tools, Tabular Reports, Production. An empty field indicates that no report series will

be produced.

Schedule Now: Calculates the schedule.



Reference Manual



of 47

Adjusting the Schedule

If schedule does not meet the requirements or if schedule report shows some problem, adjust the

schedule.

Common Problems:

Loop: If P3 detects a loop in the network logic during scheduling, P3 immediately stops calculating

the schedule and produces a loop report. A loop is circular logic in a network; that is a path of

activities that closes back on itself. P3 sends a loop report to the P3.OUT file. The loop report lists the

activities that form the loop including the activity IDs and descriptions.

Example:

100 Block Masonry

110 Plaster

120 Paint

130 Door

140 Block Masonry

The first and last activities in a loop are the same. To eliminate a loop, delete precedence

relationships.

Negative Float: If you specify the project end date and apply constraints to activities, and the

requirements are not fulfilling, P3 gives you negative floats. The negative floats should be eliminated

or adjusted according to requirement before proceeding further to planning.

Open Ends: Lists activities without predecessor or successor relationships could create problem

scheduling the project in P3. You must check the open-ended activities in report and must connect all

activities.

REMEMBER that a CPM must have one start and one finish. All other activities must be

interconnected.



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 6: DEFINING RESOURCES AND COSTS

Defining Resources

1. Add resource names

i) Choose Data, Resources to open the Resource Dictionary dialog box.

ii) In the Resources section, type a resource name of up to eight characters

iii) Specify a unit of measure. (This is a text field. Whatever you write, P3 assumes that unit)

iv) If the resource drives the duration of activities to which it is assigned, mark the checkbox in

the Driving column.

v) Type a description for the resource

2. Record availability limits

i) In the Limits section, click the first cell in the Normal column and specify the typical availability

for this resource during each time period. For example, a normal limit might be 8 person-

hours per day, or 25 cubic meters per hour. (Note: P3 always assumes that the normal worker

works 8 hrs a day until and unless specified)

ii) In the Max column, specify the max. Amount of the resource available for each time period.

iii) Click the right mouse button in the Through column and specify the date through which the

limits apply. If the limits apply through the end of the project, leave the Through field blank.

Note: If the last Through date you specify is earlier than the project finish, the maximum

availability of the resource is unlimited after that date.

3. Record unit prices

In the Price/Unit column of the Prices section, specify the unit cost for the resource. Indicate

increases or changes in costs for up to six time intervals. To indicate that a price remains

constant until the end of the project, leave the Through column blank. To indicate a date through

which a price applies, click the right mouse button in the Through field and select a date.

4. Define resource calendars

i) Choose Data, Calendars to open the Project Calendars dialog box.

ii) Choose the Resource option.

iii) Select a resource from the list of resources defined in the Resource Dictionary

iv) Edit the calendar, if necessary, to indicate holidays, vacations, or other expected non- work

periods that are not already part of the base calendar.

v) Click Standard to open the Standard Daily Information dialog box, where you can specify a

different standard workweek than that of the base calendar.

Note Mark the Use Base Standard Workweek checkbox to inherit the standard workweek

of the resource's base calendar. Clear the checkbox to define a different standard workweek

for the resource calendar. If you cannot clear this checkbox, the project owner can grant the

necessary rights, or you can base the resource calendar on a different base calendar.



Reference Manual



of 47

Defining Resource Curves

Resource curves refer to the allocation of resources and costs over the duration of an activity. P3

distributes resource usage and costs evenly during an activity unless you specify nonlinear

distribution using curves.

Designator: Enter a one-character designator (0-9 or A-F) to identify the curve. Create up to 16

resource curves. The designator appears in the Resources form when you assign a curve to a

resource for an activity.

Title: Enter a description for the curve using up to 20 alphanumeric characters.

Percent of Duration: P3 divides the activity's duration into 11 increments from 0 through 100

percent. A bar for each increment indicates resource use. The bar for 0 percent represents the

amount of resource already used when the activity begins; the bar for 10 percent represents the

usage between the start and 10 percent completion. A cumulative curve represents the duration of the

activity. P3 displays the total of the percentage bars in the lower-right corner of the dialog box.

Total %: Displays the sum of all percentages listed. Click Prorate to adjust values for each bar

proportionally to equal 100 percent.

Restore: Restores a curve to its previous shape.

Prorate: Adjusts values in the curve window proportionally to retain the curve's shape while making

the periodic bars total 100 percent.

Template: Displays the Curve Templates dialog box, which contains a list of predefined curves that

you can use as templates for creating your own curves.

Display: Opens the Display of Defined Curves dialog box where curves defined for the project are

shown, four curves at a time. Use the Previous/Next buttons to view more curves.

Defining Cost Accounts

This function defines a Cost Accounts Dictionary. Establish cost accounts to track costs at different

levels of detail. Build intelligence into cost account numbers by assigning codes that identify work

elements (such as departments, responsibilities, and locations). Use these codes to roll up costs to

the level of detail you want to examine.

Categories: Use the Categories section to define cost categories for the project. These categories

describe the type of expenditure, such as labor, materials, or equipment, but contain no information

about the cost account structure. Define up to 36 cost categories for a project.

Code: Use a one-character code to define a cost category.

Category Title: Enter a cost category description using up to eight characters.

Titles: Use the Titles section to define cost accounts and titles.

Account #: Assign a cost account number using up to 12 characters. The first 11 characters are the

actual cost account number; the 12th is reserved for the optional cost category. If you do not use cost

categories, you can use all 12 characters for the cost account number

Account Title: Enter a description for the cost accounts using up to 40 alphanumeric characters. P3

displays this title in layouts organized by cost account and prints it in reports and graphics that are

based on cost account information.



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 7: ASSIGNING RESOURCES & COSTS

Resources Allocation

Use this command to quickly assign people or equipment resources to activities. You can assign a

resource and corresponding cost code to one or more selected activities.

Specify the budgeted quantity of the resource necessary to complete the activity (ies) and/or how

many units per time period the resource needs to work on the activity (ies). Once the assignments are

made, use the Resources form to view additional resource data automatically calculated by P3.

Assignment

Resource: Specify any resource. Select a resource from the list predefined in the Resource

Dictionary. You can also enter a resource not currently in the dictionary; P3 adds it automatically.

Cost Account/Category: Specify any cost account and optional cost account category to track costs

associated with the assignment. Select a cost account from the list predefined in the Cost Accounts

Dictionary. You can also enter a cost account not currently in the dictionary; P3 adds it automatically.

This Is A Driving Resource: Mark this checkbox to make the selected resource a driving resource. If

the selected resource is marked as driving in the Resource Dictionary, P3 marks the Driving Resource

checkbox automatically.

Budgeted Quantity: Specify a total budgeted quantity required to complete the activity (ies) if the

resource is driving. For non-driving resources, this field is optional. However, if you enter an amount in

this field for a non-driving resource, P3 calculates the number of units per day based on the activity's

remaining duration.

Units Per <time-period>: Specify the number of resource units (such as hours) per day to allocate to

the activity (ies). If you enter both Quantity and Units per Hour amounts, and are assigning a driving

resource, P3 calculates resource duration automatically. This is the only case in which P3 calculates

the resource duration.

Res Lag/ Duration:

Resource lag is the number of work periods from the start of the activity to the start of resource use.

Resource duration is the number of work periods an activity uses a resource. When P3 uses

remaining duration to calculate the quantity to complete, it uses the resource remaining duration. If

you don't specify resource duration, P3 uses the schedule remaining duration.

Resource lag and duration are specified and used together. For example, an activity with duration of

30 days can have a resource with a 15-day duration and a 5-day lag, indicating that use of the

resource begins 5 days after the activity starts, and continues for 15 days.

Note When you specify resource lag and duration, you must reduce the resource duration to show

progress. P3 does not automatically reduce resource duration when you record activity progress.

Insert: Click to add another resource to the activity (ies).

AALLLL OOTTHHEERR FFIIEELLDDSS WWIILLLL BBEE UUSSEEDD AATT TTHHEE TTIIMMEE OOFF UUPPDDAATTIINNGG..



Reference Manual



of 47

Assigning Budgeted Cost for Resources not having unit rate

Assign Budgeted Cost for the activities which has either lump sum cost or does not have any unit

Cost form (View, Activity Detail menu)

Budgeted Cost: Displays the estimated total cost for the selected resource.

Resource/ Cost profile and Table:

Display a resource/cost profile

i. Choose View, Resource Profile.

ii. Select Resources field in the Resource Profile/Table options box and choose a resource name.

To display total use for all resources, choose Total. Choose Combination to create a profile

based on selection criteria specified in the Resource Profile Selection dialog box.

Select: You can select the resources to be sort out (not commonly used)

Display: Display options will be opened

Type: Units à Resource,

Cost à Cost

Dates: Early à Resources/ Costs plot on early dates

Late à Resources/ Costs plot on early dates

Activities: All, Selected

Time interval: You can change it to Days, Weeks, Months, Quarter and Year

Exclude actual to date: Not recommended.

Histograms

Calculate (Peaks are commonly used)

Total, Peak, Average

Format (Bars are commonly used)

Area, Bar

Values (Current Estimates are commonly used, But depends on need)

Current Estimates, Earned values, Planned Values

Draw Limits/ Emphasize over load with Color: AAllwwaayyss cchheecckk tthhiiss

Curves

To view a profile based on a cost account, Click Display and check the “COST” instead of

“Resource”. For Cost Profile, Commonly used options are:

Histograms

Calculate (Total are commonly used)

Total, Peak, Average

Format (Bars are commonly used)

Area, Bar

Values (Current Estimates are commonly used, But depends on need)

Current Estimates, Earned values, Planned Values

RESOURCE/ COST TABLES are the tabular form of profile, with all same functions



Reference Manual



of 47

Resource Leveling

Resource leveling is a process that helps you assure there are sufficient resources available to

perform the activities in your project as they are planned. While computerized resource leveling

provides you with a valid resolution of resource conflicts, it may not necessarily be the optimal

solution. Through analysis, you may be able to find alternate solutions, such as changing the project

logic to avoid resource conflicts, or reallocating resources.

Once you assign resources to activities, you can produce onscreen profiles to examine resource use.

If a profile indicates that some activities need more resources than are available, use leveling to

redistribute resources.

To level resources

1. Choose Tools, Level.

2. Choose whether to perform forward or backward leveling, and the data date for the leveling run.

3. Choose whether to use resource smoothing, and indicate how P3 should treat your project finish

date: open-ended (non-time constrained smoothing) or fixed (time constrained smoothing)

4. Specify whether you want P3 to automatically produce a series of reports when leveling

completes.

5. In a project group environment, choose whether to level using the project group's resource limits

or net availability

6. Choose whether to level the project through its completion or only up to a date you specify.

7. Indicate how P3 should prioritize activities when they compete for the same resource at the same

time.

8. Click Options to modify the standard scheduling/leveling options.

By default, P3 produces a leveling analysis report.

9. Click Resources to specify the resources you want to level. To specify all resources, click All Res.

You can add or remove individual resources from the list.

10. Click Level Now.

Adjust resource availability

Resource leveling depends on resource availability: the normal and maximum amounts of each

resource available to the project as a whole. Typically, availability is defined when the resource is

defined, but you can adjust availability as often as you like to perform "what-if" analysis and level the

project using varying assumptions.

To adjust resource availability

1. Choose Data, Resources.

2. Edit the normal and maximum limits, prices per unit, and through dates for any resource.

OR

1. Choose Tools, Level and click Resources.

2. Select any resource in the list and click Limits. Edit the normal and maximum limits and through

dates.



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 8: UPDATING PROCESS

Creating the Target Plan

A target is a project-plan that you can compare to the current schedule to measure progress. The

simplest target plan is a complete copy of the original schedule. As the project progresses, you can

use the target as a benchmark or baseline for comparing the target dates, resources, and costs to

those for the current schedule. You can also create another plan (Target 2) to compare performance

against the current schedule after each update period.

Choose Tools, Project Utilities, Targets to create a copy of the current project and designate it as a

target. As the project progresses and changes occur, you can globally incorporate these changes into

the target project for an accurate comparison of data. For step-by-step instructions, see Update the

target project globally.

Before you update a schedule the first time, it is suggested that you create a target plan. Follow these

steps to make a complete copy of the original schedule and designate it as a target.

Note: You can create as many target projects as you want, but you can compare only two targets to

the current schedule at any one time.

To create and assign a target project

1. Open the project you want to create a target for.

2. Choose, Tools, Project Utilities, Targets.

3. Click the Target column and type a four-character project name for the target project.

4. Click OK, then click Yes to create the target.

5. Don’t forget to change the Number/ Version after making targets. At the time you are creating

target, you cannot change the Number/ Version. You have to change by open the target file

and change it by checking its overview.

Choosing a Method for Updating

P3 offers several ways of updating your schedule. You can update progress for all activities and

resources as a whole; update activities and resources individually; or use a combination of the two

methods.

If your project is progressing exactly as planned or if you only need to estimate progress, simply

specify the data date or "as-of" date, then have P3 determine which activities have progressed and

how much and calculate the remaining durations of activities that have started. P3 also notes which

activities have completed and sets their remaining durations to zero.

If your project is not progressing as planned—many activities are out-of-sequence, activities are

taking more or less time to complete than originally planned, or actual resource use is exceeding

planned use—update activities and resources individually. This will help you forecast the effects of

this unforeseen progress or lack of progress, so that you can take appropriate corrective action

wherever necessary.



Reference Manual



of 47

Most projects progress somewhere between these two situations: some activities are progressing as

planned and some are not. If this is the case, you'll want to combine the two updating methods. Let

P3 calculate your project as if it is progressing exactly as planned, and then individually update those

activities and resources that have deviated from the plan.

Recording Time Progress

You can record progress at any time. P3 records progress up to the current data date. For example,

suppose you update the schedule every Friday and the current data date is Friday, November 5.

Suppose another week passes and now it is November 12. Update progress through the end of the

day November 11, and then advance the data date to November 12; P3 revises the schedule based

on the actual dates, delays, and other changes you just recorded.

Things to update time of Project:

• Actual Start

• Actual Finish (If Activity is 100% completed)

• Percent Completion (If activity is not yet finished)

To record progress using the Activity form

1. Click View, Activity Form or click its icon

2. Mark the checkbox next to ES (Early Start); P3 automatically changes the early start date to

the actual start date. To change the date, click a date from the calendar.

3. You can also update the RD (Remaining Duration) and PCT (Percent Complete) fields in the

Activity form

4. To assign an actual finish date, mark the checkbox next to EF (Early Finish). P3 changes the

early finish date to an actual finish date. To change the date double-click a date.

5. Click OK.

To record progress using the Activity columns

Activity columns provide another convenient way to update several activities. Choose Format,

Columns to select only the columns you need for updating, and then sequence them the way you

want. For example, define columns to include Activity ID and Description, Actual Start and Finish

dates, Percent Complete, and Remaining Duration. Select each cell you want to update and enter the

new value in the edit bar. Click to accept your edits or to cancel changes.

Note After recording progress for the current period, always recalculate the schedule by pressing

F9 or choosing Tools, Schedule. Be sure to update the data date--the date from which P3 begins

schedule calculations.



Reference Manual



of 47

Updating Resources

You need to update your resources and cost too. Since, things actually going at the field are not

exactly same as we planned earlier. For example, we planned that we need 100 man-hours to

complete the activity. But actually, 70 man-hours have already used and activity is 50% complete. At

this stage, P3 has 30 man-hours left out 100. But actually, we need more than 30, lets say 50 man-

hours. To overcome this flaw, you should update the resources and cost of each completed or started

activity.

To Update the Resources:

Click View, Activity Form, Res

Forget the other fields before Percent Complete.

Actual This Period: Specify the resources (qty.) used at this period.

Displays costs for a particular resource and cost account for the current period. P3 adds the actual

this period value to the actual to date value for quantities and costs. At the end of each update period,

use the Close Out button in the Resource Dictionary to reset all the values for this period to 0.

Now, other three fields start functioning. Some values are already there. If you are satisfy with the

values, go a head and close the activity form.

But, if the situation is like the above example, you have to update the resources accordingly.

You can fill one of the fields

To Complete

At Completion

To Complete: Displays the number of resource units required to complete the activity. The Quantity

to Complete equals Units Per Timeperiod x Remaining Duration. Autocost Rule 3 determines the

calculation method P3 uses when updating the actual quantity to complete. This field can display up

nine digits.

At Completion: Displays the total amount of resources required at the completion of an activity. This

value always equals the sum of the actual to date and the quantity to complete. The field can display

up to nine digits.

Variance (units): Displays the difference between the estimated quantity at completion and the

original budgeted amount. P3 automatically recalculates variance each time you change the At

completion or the Budgeted quantity values.

Don’t forget to

• Reschedule the plan

• Check the Cost/ Resource Plan

• Fix the problems (if any)



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 9: FORMATTING AND FILTERS

Organizing:

Already been discussed

You can always reorganize the layout whenever you want.

Format Columns:

Use the Columns dialog box to modify column data, titles, widths, alignments, and fonts for Activity

columns.

Tip To change one or two columns quickly, double-click (or right-click) the column title and make

adjustments.

Column Information

Data: Choose the type of data for each column. Select from the list.

Title: Type a description for each column title (up to 40 characters). To insert a line break, enter a

pipe character where you want the line to break. For example, enter Original Duration as

Original|Duration so the word Duration appears in the second line of the column title.

Width: Enter a width for each column or let P3 calculate an average character width for each

column.

Align: Choose how to align column data: centered, right justified, or left justified.

Data Font: Choose a font for data in each column. Select a different font.

Column Title Font: Select a different font for column titles.

Show Lines Between Rows and Columns: Clear this checkbox if you do not want lines between

activity rows and columns.

Format Bars:

Use the Bars dialog box to add or delete bars, specify which bars show in the layout, the position for

bars, and more.

Defined Bars

Pos (Position): Type a position for each bar (1 through 99). P3 displays bars from lowest position

number to highest, beginning with position 1 at the top of each group of bars. Display multiple

bars in the same position or increase the vertical space between bars by skipping position

numbers.

Bar Description: Type a description for each bar (up to 40 alphanumeric characters). Note that

this field is text field. You can write anything you want

Visible: A marked checkbox indicates that the specified bar will show in the Bars area. Clear this

checkbox beside any bar that you do not want to show in the layout.



Reference Manual



of 47

Key: Mark this checkbox to designate a bar as the key bar. Only one bar can be assigned as key.

Progress: A marked checkbox indicates that the bar will show activity progress in the color you

specify in the Color button. Clear this checkbox if you do not want to show activity progress on the

bars in the layout.

Critical: Mark this checkbox to have activity bars show critical highlighting in the color specified in

the Color button. Clear the checkbox if you do not want to show critical highlighting.

Neck: Mark this checkbox to indicate non-work time by indenting or "necking" schedule bars

(Early Start/Early Finish or Late Start/Late Finish) in the current or target projects. P3 indents bars

based on the activity's calendar. Bars also show necking when an activity has defined suspend

and resume dates or when an activity has out of sequence progress and the schedule option

Retained logic is enabled. Clear the checkbox beside any bar where you do not want to show

non-work time on schedule bars.

Display Progress and Criticality On Target Bar Based On: Choose whether target bars display

progress and criticality information from the current project or the target project.

Display Progress On Bars Based On: Choose whether to base progress on Remaining

Duration or Percent Complete, and then select a color to indicate progress on activity bars.

When basing progress on percent complete, the length of the progress indicator equals the

product of percent complete times the overall length of the bar. The length of the bar includes

non-work periods as well as work periods; therefore, the percentage point is not necessarily the

beginning of the remaining duration. This method enables you to show the percentage of the

overall duration and the amount of work completed on an activity, rather than the time remaining.

When basing progress on remaining duration, the progress indicator extends from the actual start

date of the activity to the point at which work on the remaining duration is scheduled to begin.

Show Critical Color On: Choose whether to show critical color on the bar, its endpoints, or both.

Click the Color button to select a different color for critical activities.

Modify: Shows the settings for the selected bar in the Modify Bar Definition dialog box.

Endpoints: Displays the Endpoints dialog box so you can define the shape and color for

endpoints, milestones, flags, and custom data items.

Pattern: Displays the Pattern dialog box so you can highlight bars based on activity codes.

Choose from a variety of colors and patterns for each code value to distinguish groups by code.



Reference Manual



of 47

Example: Lets say, you want to show two bars on two rows representing Target Bar on Row 1

(Planned) and Actual Bars on Row 2. You already have a bar named “Early bar”. All you need to show

Actual Bars is to change the Bar Description.

But, to show Target (Planned) bar, you have to add new bar.

How to Add New Bar:

Click (+) and a new op up window will appear.

Description: Planned

Position: 1

Then you have two fields; Structure and Text. Stay in Structure

Start Point: Target 1 early start

Finish Point: Target 1 early finish

Bar: Bar

Now, move to vertical columns of these rows, you will see size, outline, and position, show

Sizeà Size of endpoints or bar

Positionà Above, Center, below. You can change by right click and select.

Outlineà means shadowing of endpoints or bar

Showà Means whether you want to show or not. Sometimes, you don’t like to show end points

and want to see just bars. You can do it easily by unselecting the “show” columns of end points

You can also change the bar color and milestone size.

How to Add Text to bar:

If you want to add some text to bar, you can do it by selecting “Label”

Positionà left most, right most, left, right, bottom, above etc

Dataà Select the field you want to show on bars

Data fontà you can customize the font size

Start Log/ End Logà these fields will remain freeze until you give some logs to activity form

Note: At this time, you don’t have any targets, but this exercise will help you later when you update

the schedule.



Reference Manual



of 47

Format Timescale:

Use this command to control the time span and appearance of the timescale.

Density: Change the density of the timescale by dragging the scroll box. Move it to the left to

compress the timescale; drag it to the right to expand it.

Start Date/End Date: Enter a start and end date to limit the time span shown in the Bar chart layout.

Select a calendar date or click the rolling date button to use a rolling date specification.

Font: Specify the font for the timescale text.

Calendar Dates: Choose hours, days, weeks, months, or years, depending on the available space

and the minimum time unit set.

Minimum Time Unit: Select the smallest division of time to display on the timescale. Choose hours

(in hourly projects), days, weeks, months, quarters, or years, depending on the project's planning unit.

Show Fiscal Years/Start Month: To show the timescale as a fiscal year, mark this checkbox, then

select a start month for the fiscal year.

Show Manufacturing Weeks: To display a number for each week consecutively, beginning with

January, mark this checkbox.

Show Day Of Week: Mark this checkbox to show the day of the week in the timescale.

Ordinal Dates/Unit/Ordinal Start: To view the timescale using numbered divisions instead of dates,

mark the Ordinal Dates checkbox, select a unit, and then specify a start date.

Format Sight Lines:

Use this command to specify the placement of horizontal and vertical sight lines, the thickness and

color of the data date and progress lines, and whether you want to base progress on target variance

or on actual progress for the progress line.

Vertical Sight Lines

Major/Minor/ Sight Lines Type: Specify the line type: solid, long dashed, or short dashed.

Major/Minor/ Sight Lines Color: Specify the sight line density: black, dark gray, or light gray.

Major/Minor/ Sight Lines Display: Enter the number of time intervals to include between major and

minor vertical sight lines. Enter 0 to mask sight lines.

Select a time unit at which to place sight lines. Choose from hours (in hourly projects), days, weeks,

months, quarters, or years. The minor unit value must be less than or equal to the major unit value.

Horizontal Sight Lines

Major/Minor/ Sight Lines Type: Specify the line type: solid, long dashed, or short dashed.

Major/Minor/ Sight Lines Color: Specify the sight line density: black, dark gray, or light gray.

Major/Minor Sight Lines Display Every Row(s): Specify the number of activities to include between

major and minor sight lines. Use the spin buttons to increase or decrease the number of activities.

Enter 0 to mask sight lines.

Data Date

Thickness: Specify data date line density: heavy, medium, or thin.

Color: Select the data date line color from the color palette.



Reference Manual



of 47

Filters:

Filters control which activities display in the project window. Use this command to apply, view, add,

change, or delete filter specifications. You can also select (highlight) activities based on a filter

specification.

Criteria

ID/Description: Identifies the filter. P3 displays the current filter description in the status bar

of the project window.

Add: Adds a new filter specification to the project. Filter specifications use the prefix FL,

followed by a unique two-character ID.

Modify: Displays selection criteria settings for the selected filter in the Filter Specification

dialog box.

Delete: Removes the selected filter from the project. You cannot, however, remove the All

Activities and No Activities filters from a project.

Filter: Choose Filter to change the set of activities in the current layout, then choose a

method for applying the filter. Choose to replace activities shown in current layout, add

activities to the current layout, or remove activities from the current layout.

Select: Highlight Activities Which Match Criteria: Choose Select to highlight activities in the current

layout based on a filter specification.

Transfer: Enables you to copy all filters from another project to the current project, overwriting the

filters in the current project. To copy one specification from another project to the current one, click

Add, and then click Transfer.

Run: Applies the selected filter to the current layout.

How to Add New Filter:

Title: Type a description of the activities the filter is designed to select.

Level __ Must Meet Any/All of the Following Criteria: Use the Level number to establish up to four

levels of selection criteria. Each successive level selects only from the activities that satisfy the criteria

of previous levels. If you define more than one selection statement in a level, choose whether an

activity must meet all of the criteria statements included in the selection, or any one of the specified

criteria.

Selection criteria Select If: Select a data item for filtering activities from the current set.

Define up to seven selection statements per level.

Is: Specify selection criteria.

Low Value/High Value: Enter the data to use for the selection. Enter data in the High Value column

only when you specify WR (Within Range) or NR (Not Within Range) as criteria codes.



Reference Manual



of 47

CHAPTER 10: TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL REPORTS

Tabular Reports:

Click Tools, Tabular reports.

Following reports will display

1. Schedule

2. Resource

a. Resource control

b. Resource/cost productivity

c. Earned value [units]

d. Tabular resource

e. Resource loading

3. Cost

a. Cost control

b. Cost, price, and rates

c. Earned value

d. Tabular cost

e. Cost loading

4. Matrix

a. Activity matrix

b. Resource/cost matrix (Very important report for monitoring)

5. Custom report writer



Reference Manual



of 47

RESOURCE/ COST MATRIX (COMMONLY USED IN FIELD)

Resource/cost matrix reports present quantity and/or cost account information in spreadsheet

format. The matrix contains data items to report on, an activity code for grouping rows, and

selected resources or cost accounts for organizing columns. Display optional totals for columns

and rows in matrix reports.

Content:

Use the Content tab to select row and column grouping codes, column values, and the data

items that form the basis of the report.

Title: Enter a name for the report specification using up to 48 alphanumeric characters.

Report On Data Items: Choose up to four data items for reporting. Choose from Activity Data,

Resource or Cost items, Constraints, Target Data, Variances, or Comparison items. These

selections determine the values P3 displays in the intersecting columns and rows of the

report.

Organization

Group Rows By: Click and choose an activity code for grouping the rows of the report. For

example, if you group rows by department, each row lists one department code value.

Subgroup Rows By: Click and select a second activity code to report at a more detailed level.

Skip Lines: Skip from zero to three lines between grouped rows and sub-grouped rows.

Group Columns By: Click and select an activity code for grouping columns of the report. The

values defined for this code provide the choices for grouping column data in the report. This

field is available for Activity Matrix reports only.

Header: Enter a description of the data items chosen for the report, in the order specified, and

the column grouping code. P3 displays this information in the center of the report, just above

the column headings.

Line 1 Title/Line 2 Title: In the first column, enter a description for the codes selected for

grouping rows. Use the Column title cells to enter a title for the code value selected for each

column.

Code value (Activity matrix reports) or

Resource/Cost Account (Resource/cost matrix reports): Click to select values for the columns

of the report. Define up to 25 columns per report. To insert a blank column, type BLNK in this

field.

Insert/Delete: Click Insert to add a new column between existing columns; select the column

you want the new column to precede first. Click Delete to remove a selected column from the

report.



Reference Manual



of 47

Format:

Use the Format tab to customize the report. For example, you can set field and page widths,

specify a format for dates or numbers, and display row or column totals. The default settings

in the Format tab place eight columns on each page of a report.

Title: Enter a name for the report specification using up to 48 alphanumeric characters.

Report Font: Displays the report font. Click Font to open the Font dialog box.

Choose Plain Text to generate a plain text report; the remaining options on the dialog box

become unavailable because they are not relevant to ANSI output.

Choose Rich Text to generate output using Rich Text Formatting. Using this option you can

choose any available font, font style, and font size for the body of your report, as well as a

separate style for use in headings and subtotals.

Page Width: Choose 132, 230, or 500 columns per page, depending on your printer's

capabilities. The greater the page width selected, the more columns P3 prints in the report.

When using RTF output the Page Width field is unavailable, since it is irrelevant.

Show Detailed Activities/Number of Skipped Lines (Resource/cost matrix reports only)

Mark this checkbox to show detailed activities for each group or clear it for a one-line

summary. Enter the number of lines to skip (0-9) between each group.

Number presentation

Display Column Totals/Display Row Totals: When you display column totals, P3 prints a totals

line horizontally across the bottom of the report, below each column after each group, and a

grand total appears at the bottom of the report. You can also display row totals to the left or

right of the column data in matrix reports.

Divide Quantities/Costs By/Show Decimal Places: When you report on a quantity or cost data

item, such as budgeted cost; use the Divide Quantities/Costs By and Show Decimal Places

fields to specify the format for displaying numbers. The Divide Quantities/Costs By field

reduces the width of the numbers included in the report by dividing all figures by a common

factor, such as 10 or 1,000. The Show Decimal Places field specifies the number of places

after the decimal to print. Select from 0, 1, or 2 places.

Date format

Calendar Type: Choose a format for dates in the report. Calendar dates appear in

DDMMMYY HH:MM format. Workperiod dates show the workperiod number that corresponds

to the early, late, or actual schedule dates, not including holidays or nonworktime. Ordinal

dates are the same as workperiod dates but include holidays and nonworktime.

Manufacturing dates display a week number from 1 to 52, preceded by the year. For example,

96-15 represents the 15th week of 1996.

Ordinal Units: When using an ordinal calendar, you can choose hours, days, weeks, months,

or years as the units for the calendar.

Ordinal Start Date: When you select Ordinal as the Calendar type, select a start date for the

ordinal calendar.



Reference Manual



of 47

Activity codes

Title Length: Determines the number of characters (0-48) of the code description that appears

in the report. Enter a low number to fit more columns on a page and a high number to display

the entire code title.

Repeat Code Value On All Horizontal Pages: If the report spans more than one page

horizontally, choose whether to reprint the row titles on each page. Mark this checkbox if you

plan to use each page of the report separately. Clear this checkbox if the report contains

many columns and you want to see all columns at once like a spreadsheet.

Selection:

Use the Resource Selection tab to specify resources or cost accounts for reports and

graphics. The resources and cost accounts must be defined in the appropriate dictionaries.

Set up selection statements using criteria codes and then specify a resource or range of

resources in the Resource and Cost columns. Specify up to 40 selection statements.

Title: Displays a description for the specification.

Resource Selection

Profile If: Choose a criteria code to select the resource or cost unless you are generating a

Resource Productivity report; in this case, you can only select a resource with no criteria

code. For all other reports, select a specific resource or cost using the EQ (equal to) criteria

code, or select a range of resources or costs using the WR (within range), NR (not within

range), GT (greater than), or LT (less than) criteria codes. Click to display a list of valid criteria

codes.

Low/High Value Resource: If you specified EQ as a criteria code, enter the specific resource

that you want. If you use LT or GT criteria codes, enter the appropriate resource. If you define

a range of resources using the WR or NR code, enter the resource in the Low Value column.

Display a list of defined resources. Use the High Value Resource column only when you

define a range with the WR or NR criteria.

Low/High Value Cost Account: You can narrow the selection criteria by entering cost

accounts in the Resource selection field. Enter a cost account number in the Low Value Cost

Account column. Use the High Value Cost Account column only when you define a range of

cost accounts using the WR or NR criteria. Click to display a list of defined cost accounts.

You can use a question mark (?) as a wildcard in any position of the cost account number to

select on different levels within the cost account structure. P3 uses cost accounts exactly as

specified, so you must consider the positions of the numbers you enter. For example, if you

leave the cost category position (12th character) blank, P3 includes only cost accounts with a

blank cost category. To consider all cost categories, enter a ? (Question mark) in the 12th

position.



Reference Manual



of 47

Note A blank Resource Selection tab produces an individual report for each resource in the

project. To combine these reports into one report, select a range of cost accounts, use the

wildcard option, or select by hierarchical resources.

Run: Click Run to execute the report. To save changes to the specification, click OK. To run a

report with a temporary change to the specification, click Run and do not click OK.

Previous/Next: Click to scroll through the list of report specifications. Previous or Next are not

available when there are no lower or higher numbered report specifications in the list.



Reference Manual



of 47

Graphical Reports

Click Tools, Graphical reports.

Following reports will display

1. Bar graphic

2. Time-scaled logic graphic

3. Pure logic graphic

4. Resource and cost graphic

THE FIRST THREE GRAPPHIC REPORTS ARE COVERED IN GANT CHART AND PERT CHART.

RESOURCE AND COST GRAPHIC: (CASH FLOW)

Resource/cost graphics enable you to track a project's resource requirements and budget using

histograms and cumulative curves. Histograms show use or cost per time-period, while cumulative

curves show accumulated use or cost over a specific time interval.

Content:

Use this tab to design the Resource/cost graphic and define the type of data to include. You can

choose to show the data as a histogram, cumulative curve, or both.

Title: Enter a name for the specification using up to 48 alphanumeric characters.

Schedule: Mark the checkbox for each schedule that you want to show on the graphic. Show up

to two target schedules along with the current project.

Show Data: Choose to display either resource or cost data.

Dates: Specify the schedule dates (early, late, or both) you want to use for the resource/cost

graphic. Click the Pen tab to specify different pen colors and patterns to distinguish between the

early and late date schedules.

Divide By: Determines how resource or cost values are shown. For example, reduce the width of

the numbers shown on the y-axis by dividing the values by 10 or 100.

Curve

Choose Cumulative, Histogram, or Both. Cumulative curves show accumulated use or cost, and

histograms display use or cost per timeperiod. If you show both curves and histograms on the

same drawing, two scales are shown on the y-axis. The left scale is for histograms, and the right

scale is for cumulative curves.



Reference Manual



of 47

Cumulative

Display % on Y Axis/Base % On: For cumulative curves, display the percentage of

resources/costs used or spent. The percent scale appears along the y-axis. Specify the schedule

dates on which to base the percentages. For example, create a cost graphic that compares the

current and target plans. By choosing the Target 1 early schedule as the percent scale, you may

find that your current budget has spent 90% of the planned budget.

Note When showing percentages on a graphic that contains both histograms and curves, the

percent value appears in the right y-axis.

Display Labels: P3 prints a label (EARLY and LATE) for the current schedule's early and late date

curves. To show labels for the target curves, use the Pen tab and specify a label for the Target 1

and 2 early and late curves. You can also specify your own labels

for the current schedule curves--P3 uses them instead of the default labels. To mask labels, clear

this checkbox.

Histogram

Format: If you choose Histogram under the Curve option, specify bar or area. Bar drawings show

a single bar per time-period. Area drawings show a profile that spans the defined timeperiod. Area

drawings are useful for comparing profiles such as early and late dates.

Use/Cost: Resource and cost histograms can show total, peak, or average use or cost. Total

use/cost summarizes the use/cost in each time interval, peak use/cost is the highest use/cost in

each time interval, and average use/cost is calculated as the total divided by the number of time

units in the time interval. Cumulative curves always accumulate total use/cost.

Use Calendar: If you are showing average use/cost and the resources/cost accounts are

assigned to activities that use different calendars, click to select a specific calendar to use.

Decimal Places: Specify the number of decimal places to display for values (0, 1, or 2).

Display Data Values: For histograms, mark this checkbox to show use or cost values at the top of

the histogram for each time interval.

Date:

Use the Start Date and End Date fields to control the appearance of the timescale for

resource/cost graphics.


Display dates



Reference Manual



of 47

Calendar/Ordinal: Choose Calendar to show normal calendar dates on the timescale. Choose

Ordinal to show sequential numbers instead of calendar dates. If you choose Ordinal, specify an

Ordinal start date.

Show Fiscal Years/Start Month: To use a fiscal year timescale, mark this checkbox, then specify a

start month for the fiscal year.

Time periods

Start Date/End Date: The start and end dates control the timeperiods that appear on the

timescale. The default start date is the project start date. Change the start and end defaults to

narrow the timescale and focus on activities scheduled in a specific timeframe.

Click the rolling date icon in the Start Date and End Date fields to base the timescale on the

project start date, finish date, or data date, rather than on specific calendar dates. For details, see

Use rolling dates in reports and graphics.

Note If the plotting area is not large enough to fit the number of timescale units based on the

selected time interval and the defined start and end dates, increase the time interval specified and/or

shorten the timescale by respecifying the start or end dates.

Title Each: You can label time intervals with dates. Choose an interval that is the same as or

greater than the timescale interval specified.

Timescale: Choose a time interval that is the same as or greater than the project's planning unit to

use for the x-axis.

Format

Use the Format tab to determine the overall appearance of the resource/cost graphic.


Vertical Sight Lines

Sight lines help you trace points on a bar or curve relative to the timescale.

Major/Minor: Major sight lines appear as solid vertical lines in specified intervals of days, weeks,

months, or quarters. Minor sight lines, placed between major sight lines, provide more precise

markers for smaller time intervals. Specify intervals for minor sight lines that are less than those

specified for major sight lines. If major sight lines are the same as the project's planning unit,

enter zero to suppress minor sight lines. Minor sight lines can be dashed or solid lines, or dots,

depending on your specification in the Graphic Report Options dialog box.

Horizontal Sight Lines



Reference Manual



of 47

Major/Minor Scale Values: Major and minor horizontal lines help you trace positions on a bar or

curve horizontally. Specify the y-scale values where you want major and minor grid lines to

appear.

Histogram

Summarize By Resource: Mark this checkbox to produce a summary histogram, which combines

a resource/cost account's use or cost for a defined time-period into one bar.

Stack Resources: Mark this checkbox to produce a stacked histogram, which shows use or cost

for several resources/cost accounts in one bar per time-period, where each resource/cost account

is actually an individual bar "stacked" on top of one another. This format allows you to track both

combined and individual use for several resources on the same graphic. Each resource/cost

account is identified by a color and/or pattern specified in the Res Selection.

Note The Stacked resources option is available for current project data only; target information

does not display in a stacked bar.

Print

Orientation: Choose the direction that the graphic prints on a page, either landscape (horizontal)

or portrait (vertical).

Begin On Sheet/End On Sheet: For multiple-page graphics, specify the begin and end sheet that

you want instead of preparing the entire graphic.

Rows/Columns: You can show many graphs on one page by dividing it into cells, using rows and

columns. For example, specify two rows by three columns to divide the graphic into six cells.

Each cell can contain a graph showing a different resource/cost account. Use the Res Selection

to determine the resources/cost accounts to display in each cell.

Pen

Use this tab to select pen numbers and lettering sizes for the various resource/cost graphic

elements.


Elements

Item: Lists the various resource/cost graphic elements that you can assign colors, line types, and

fill patterns to. Use the scroll bar at the right of the list box to view more items.

Label: For cumulative curves, you can enter labels for current/target, and early/late date curves

next to each entry. If you leave the Current Early and Late fields blank, the default labels print.

To suppress labels, clear the Display Labels checkbox in the Content tab.

Pen: Specify a pen number for each item in the resource/cost graphic. Place a 0 in the Pen

number column to mask an item. The following default pen numbers and colors are provided for



Reference Manual



of 47

each item. Change any of these pen numbers, or change the pen on the plotter to the color you

want.

01 Black

02 Red

03 Blue

04 Green

05 DK magenta

06 Cyan

07 Yellow

08 Orange

09 Brown

If you are using a multi-pen plotter, each number corresponds to a color. For single pen

plotters, you are prompted to change pens during the plot process. For histograms, this field

determines the outline color for the bar.

Line Weight: Choose from one to four strikes, where four strikes creates a heavier or darker

line.

Line Type: Specify a line type for each item in the graphic. Choose from solid, dashed, or

dotted lines.

Fill Pen: For histograms, specify a pen color for filling bars.

Fill Pattern: For histograms, specify a pattern for filling each bar. Use different patterns to

distinguish between early and late bars, and current and target bars. Choose Mask if you do

not want the bar filled.

Size

Use this tab to control the point size of the data items listed. Specify a point size between 3 and

60 for most items (except for Title Block text, which cannot exceed 40).

Default point sizes are provided when you add a new specification. The sizes are the best

combination for the page size you selected in the Print Setup dialog box.

If you specify a size for Title Block text that is too large to fit on the page, it is automatically

reduced as necessary. The point size setting for Title Block text applies to the specification title

only. All other text in the title block is automatically adjusted to fit the page size you are using.

Title: Enter a name for the specification using up to 48 characters.



Reference Manual



of 47

Selection

Use this tab to select activities. To include all activities in the project, leave this tab empty.

Title: Displays a description for the specification.

Level and All/Any: Select up to four levels of selection criteria; each level is defined by data in a

separate column list box. When more than one level of selection criteria is defined, P3 displays

the message Other selection levels present at the bottom of the dialog box.

For each level, specify whether All or Any of the selection criteria must be met for an activity to be

included. Choose All to select activities only when all criteria are met. Choose Any to select

activities if any one of the criteria is met. Activities must satisfy each level of selection before P3

considers them for the next level.

Specify selection criteria by forming a statement with data items, selection criteria, and values.

Right-click in any cell to select from a list of choices for that cell.

Selection Criteria

Select If: Enter a data item to begin the selection statement.

Is: Select selection criteria for the statement.

Low Value/High Value: If you specify EQ (equal to) as the selection criteria, enter the specific

group you want to include. If you specify LT (less than) or GT (greater than) selection criteria,

enter the appropriate value. If you are selecting a range, enter the low value in the Low Value

column and the upper end of the range in the High Value column. Use the High Value column

only with the WR (within range) or NR (not within range) selection criteria.

Resource Selection

Use this tab to specify the resources/cost accounts to include in the graphic. (They must first be

defined in the appropriate dictionaries.) If you are showing multiple graphs in one graphic, use this

tab to specify the cell placement of each resource/cost account within the graphic.


Resource Selection

Each line of selection criteria produces one graph. The number of graphs appearing on one page

is determined by the number of rows and columns specified in the Format tab (for example, a 3 x

3 drawing shows nine graphs on one page).

Group #: Assign a group number to each line of selection to determine where its graph appears.

Numbering starts from left to right, top to bottom. If you assign the same group number to two



Reference Manual



of 47

lines of selection criteria, the data are consolidated into one graph. If you specify a group number

with no selection criteria or you skip a group number, the corresponding cell is left blank.

The number of cells you specify in the Format tab (rows by columns), along with the criteria

specified using this Resource Selection tab determine how many pages your drawing contains. If

you specify more groups than available cells, additional pages are prepared.

Profile If: Right-click and select a selection criteria.

Low Value/High Value: Specify as many as 24 selections (click to list valid entries). If you select

by resource, you cannot select by the resource designator or curve character. If you select by

cost account, be sure to enter the cost category code, if any. The High Value column is valid only

if you use WR (within range) or NR (not within range).

The output for each line of selection is combined into one graph regardless of the specified

criteria code. For example, if you select WR BOILERMK WELDER, one graph is produced that

consolidates the data for all resources.

You can also use a question mark (?) as a wildcard in the Cost Account fields to select on any

character of the cost account. For example, if you select EQ 31?????????? you get all cost

accounts that begin with 31. All other positions of the cost account can have any value. To report

on all cost categories for an account, specify a wildcard (?) in the last position of the Cost Account

field.

Note When using wildcards, the question marks must occupy the same position in the Low

and High columns.

Pattern: Specify a pattern for each line of selection criteria when producing a summary or stacked

histogram.

Pen: Specify a pen number for each item in the resource/cost graphic. The following picture

shows default pen numbers and colors. Change any of these pen numbers, or change the pen on

the plotter to the color you want.

Enter a zero in the Pen column to mask an item.

If you are using a multipen plotter, each number corresponds to a color. For single pen plotters,

you are prompted to change pens during the plot process. For histograms, this field determines

the outline color for the bar.

Primaver p3 Manual 3

Documents

Transcript of Primaver p3 Manual 3