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Getting Started Tour

Common Questions

Tips

Related Links

Step 1:
Create a project
Step 2:
Develop the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Step 3:
Add activities
Step 4:
Modify activity dates and durations
Step 5:
Add relationships
Step 6:
Schedule the project
Step 7:
Save an initial baseline
Step 8:
Create Activity Views
Step 9:
Use Progress Spotlight to update activities

Tips and Tricks for:

Assigning the same resource or role to multiple activities

Editing an activity's resource or role assignments

Adding activity steps

Using the activity network view

 

Step 1: Create a new project.

Click Projects menu

Create project step 2

Create project step 3

 

proj success message

For more details, see Create a new project.

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Step 2: Develop the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

If you will not be using a WBS, skip to Step 3 to add activities.

First, display a WBS view.

See a sample Activity View in Step 8.

WBS view icon

Then, add WBS elements.

Add a WBS to the new project.

Save the child or sibling WBS elements you add.

Add child and sibling Work Breakdown Structures to a project.

arrow icons to move WBS

For more details, see Add, edit, or delete WBS elements.

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Step 3: Add activities

Add a new activity.

Edit activity information.

 

Use activity details and WBS details. Customize your view.

 

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Step 4: Modify activity dates and durations

You can either edit the appropriate Activity Table data cells or drag Gantt bars to specify dates and durations for activities.

Edit dates and durations in the Activity Table

Enter values in cells of the activity table

Save your changes

Drag bars to change a Start or Finish date

Resize a bar in the Gantt chart.

Tip: Because the calendar for the activity is not applied until you save, a date you specify may change slightly if it occurs during calendar non-worktime. The timescale background is shaded to indicate non-worktime based on the project global default calendar. Setting the timescale to Week/Day enhances the visibility of shaded non-worktime so you can more easily consider its effect as you make changes in the Gantt chart. To change the timescale increments, right-click in the timescale heading.

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Drag bars to add a Start On or After constraint

Add a constraint.

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Step 5: Add relationships

You can automatically add Start-to-Finish relationships to a group of activities you select or you can specify relationships between activity pairs, one at time.

Automatically link a group of activities

Add relationships.

A finish-to-start relationship is displayed. Right-click on the relationship line to change the relationship type or specify lag.

Specify individual relationships

Add a predecessor or successor relationship.

Assign the predecessor or successor.

Assign additional predecessors or successors to an activity.

Use trace logic

Use trace logic to identify relationships between activities.

For more information, see Add, edit, or delete activity relationships.

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Step 6: Schedule the project

Now that you have added activities, estimated duration and date requirements, and defined the logical sequence of work through relationships, you are ready to calculate an initial project schedule.

Calculate an initial project schedule.

P6 Web Access uses the Critical Path Method to schedule project dates based on activity durations and relationships. Once the project is scheduled, you can determine which activities are most important to manage for the success of your project. Specifically, scheduling identifies activities that are have zero or negative float in their schedule dates. Such activities are considered critical because they must start and finish precisely on time or they will jeopardize timely completion of the project. Because critical activities control project duration, together they comprise one or more sequences of activities referred to as a critical path.

For more information, see What are critical path activities? and Schedule a project.

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Step 7: Save an initial baseline

After you schedule, you will likely need to adjust some activity duration estimates or relationships to manage the schedule according to the requirements for your project.

Once you have satisfied the project requirements, you're ready to save a baseline of your project plan. Essentially, a baseline is a copy, or static snapshot, against which you can evaluate your project's progress.

Add a baseline.

Once the project is underway, data from the baseline you select can be compared against current project data.

You must have the required security privilege to select the Project Baseline, which is a single, shared and consistent metric against which all project team members can evaluate progress. If you have access to the Projects > Baselines page, you can select a Primary Baseline, which applies only to your view of the project data; each team member can choose the primary baseline that matches their requirements. For more information, see Baselines Overview.

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Step 8: Create Activity Views

An Activity View is simply the display of a specific set of project information presented in a particular visual layout, or format, on the Projects > Activities page. You can create and save an unlimited number of Activity Views to display the project data you choose. You can share Activity Views with other P6 Web Access users and you can print them.

Create a new view.

create new view screen2

After customizing, save your new activity view.

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Sample Activity View

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Step 9: Using Progress Spotlight to update activities

Once your project is underway, you’ll report progress on activities to keep the schedule up to date. So that you can more easily update status, the Progress Spotlight feature helps you quickly locate and navigate among all activities that should have progressed during a specific time period. This time period is defined by the smallest increment of the current timescale since the Data Date. For example, if the current timescale is set to Month/Week, Progress Spotlight highlights all activities that should have progressed during the week since the Data Date. You can drag the end point of the highlighted area to extend or compress the time period.

Use the spotlight to highlight activities that should have progressed.

For more information, see Record activity progress.

Tips

Additional Tips and Tricks for:

Assigning the same resources or roles to multiple activities:

Assign resources and roles.

Editing an activity's resource and role assignments:

Edit resource and role assignments.

 

 

Adding activity steps:

Add steps to activities.

 

 

 

Using the activity network view:

Select the activity network view.

Using the activity network.