Timesaving Tips in Primavera P6 Every Project Manager Should Know

Primavera P6 includes many different tools and features to make project scheduling simpler.

However, knowing a few tricks and time saving tips will help every project manager navigate and fully use the software.

Drag and Drop To Move Information

When you want to move information from one set of activities to another, select the left-hand band of the activity. When a small, white rectangle appears, click on the band, and move the activity or activities to the appropriate location.

Move Columns as Necessary

Rather than using the arrow buttons in the table in Primavera P6, you can move columns by clicking on the column name and moving it to the correct position. When moving columns to different places, Primavera P6 will appear as though the information is not moved. However, the column will appear in the final place where and when you release the mouse.

Jump Through the Calendar Quickly

For long, extensive projects, you may be faced with scheduling needs years in the future. Pull up the calendar in Primavera P6. Click on the name of the month. Afterwards, each click on the arrow will jump forward by one year. After you have found the appropriate year, click back on the name of the month to view the month’s calendar.

Fill-Down With Ctrl+E When Possible

Sometimes, information will be repetitive. Use Primavera P6’s fill-down to rapidly fill in subsequent fields. Although this can be achieved through the menu buttons, hold down the “Shift” key, and select what fields you want to fill-down. Press “Ctrl+E” to automatically complete the fill-down.

Create Finish to Start Relationships in Primavera P6

This tip is best used when a project appears ahead of schedule. If this tactic is used, the project’s estimated deadline will lack any room for adjustment if delays arrive. Using “Shift,” click on the activities to create Finish to Start relationships in the order of appearance. If you need to change the order of the activities, use “Ctrl” to select the activities in the appropriate order.

Use Prefixes in Activity IDs

In Primavera P6, you can customize your activity IDs. However, using a given prefix for an activity will help in the creation of similar activities within your schedule. For example, Primavera P6 will automatically generate a subsequent ID, such as GAR2, when using an originating GAR1 prefix for the levels of a given parking garage project. Of course, the prefix can be defined by your preferences in Primavera P6.

Create Custom Units of Measure

Occasionally, you will need to enter a value that does not have a predefined unit of measure in Primavera P6. You can define the unit of measure by going into the “Administrative” menu in Primavera P6 Web, select “Enterprise Data.” Click on “Resources,” and select “Add (+).” Type the abbreviation, and type the name of the new unit of measure. You can then use “Ctrl+S” to save your changes.

By using these seven tips, project managers can reduce the amount of time spent entering information into a schedule. Essentially, these timesaving tips will improve the productivity and accuracy of a given project schedule.

Key Tips to Remember

• Drag and drop information by clicking on the small, white rectangle.
• Move columns by selecting the column’s name.
• Click on a calendar’s month to change year’s quickly.
• Use fill-down to copy specific information in selected fields; “Ctrl+E” is the shortcut.
• Use “Ctrl” when selecting activities to customize the order of appearance in the baseline as Start to Finish relationships.
• Always use prefixes in activity IDs to help with tracking origination of the information.
• Create custom units of measure as needed with Primavera P6 Web.