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Page| 1 Of 44
XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
XER Toolkit
Instructions
Page| 2 Of 44
XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Contents
PAGE
1 Overview 4
2 Install the XER Toolkit (Standalone version) 5
3 Opening the XER Toolkit for the first time (Standalone version) 6
4 Register the XER Toolkit (Standalone version) 7
5 Open a new XER File 8
6 Connecting to P6 Database 8
Database Details – SQL Server 9
Database Details – Oracle 10
7 Projects 12
Select a Project 12
View Project Details 12
8 Save baseline project 13
9 Assign baseline project 13
10 Manage Baselines 14
Clear Current Baseline 14
Delete an existing baseline 14
Save Current Project as Baseline 14
11 Column Schemes 15
About columns schemes 15
The current column scheme 15
Add a column to the current scheme 16
Delete a column from the current scheme 17
Change the position of a column within the current scheme 17
Format output columns 18
Save a column scheme 19
Set a saved scheme as the current column scheme 20
Delete a saved column scheme 21
Export column scheme(s) to other Toolkit users 22
Import column scheme(s) from other user 23
Modify a saved scheme 24
12 General Reports 25
Detailed Activity Report 25
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Activities Export 26
Detailed Relationships Export Report 27
13 Project Health – Front Screen & Overview 28
Project Health Overview 28
General Filter Results (Activity Code/ Status/ WBS) 29
Adjusting dial settings (Number format/ Sector Values/ Colours) 31
Resetting all defaults 32
Produce dashboard report 34
Methods of drilling down into detail 35
14 Project Health – Detail Screens 36
Missing Logic 36
Leads & Lags 37
Relationship Ratio 38
Constraints 38
Float 39
Durations 40
Costs 40
Invalid Dates 41
Activities In Progress 41
Missing Resources 42
Late Activities 43
Assignment Dates 43
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Overview
The XER Toolkit is an Excel addin that provides intelligent access to primavera schedule data stored within an XER file.
The Toolkit’s functionality can be split into three areas of use:
Viewing Analysing Data manipulation
The Toolkit operates entirely within the MS Excel environment and does not rely on or require any other software installation.
The Toolkit uses Excel’s built-in database technology and can therefore handle and operate large multi-project XER files. The original XER file is never altered or affected by the XER Toolkit’s opertation. All outputs are produced in standard Excel workbooks and can be saved or discarded by the user. The outputs can be manipulated by the user the same as any other Excel spreadsheet.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Install the XER Toolkit
Visit: www.ProjectControlSystems.co.uk/buy/ 1. Right Click link ‘Download the XER Toolkit’
2. Select ‘Save Target As’
3. Choose or create directory where the toolkit is to be installed.
4. Click ‘Save’
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Open the XER Toolkit for the first time
1. Using Windows Explorer, double click on the XER Toolkit file.
2. Click ‘Enable Macros’.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Register the XER Toolkit
1. eMail registration number and your details to: [email protected]
2. We will email you a validation code within 24hours. Enter this into the registration form and click OK.
3. If you are happy with the XER Toolkit licence terms and conditions, click ‘ACCEPT’ (You will only be asked to accept licence terms and conditions when a new version of the toolkit is opened on your computer. If you wish to view the licence terms and conditions after the initial acceptance then they can be accessed through the ‘Toolkit Info’ function).
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Connect to P6 Database
1. Click ‘Get New Data’ and then choose to ‘Connect to P6’
2. Choose database type.
3. Enter database details (see Database Details below for further information).
4.Click connect button.
5. Select functions.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Database Details – SQL Server & SQL Express
Use Primavera database configuration utility to access server/ database information:
The username and password are for the P6 database. They are not the details you enter to access and use Primavera. The default username and password for SQL Express installations are: Username: privuser Password: privuser If you are unsure of your username and/ or password then consult your database administrator.
XER Toolkit – Server
XER Toolkit – Database
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Database Details – Oracle
Use Primavera database configuration utility to access database information:
The server name will be the name of the host computer. For standalone installations, enter your computer name. The username and password are for the P6 database. They are NOT the details you enter to access and use Primavera. The default username and password for Oracle installations are: Username: PRIVPRM$PM Password: {password you entered during installation/ use to access Primavera} If you are unsure of your username and/ or password then consult your database administrator.
XER Toolkit – Database
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Open a new XER File
1. Click ‘Open New XER’
2. Select XER File
3. Once the XER file is ‘opened’ a form will display the details of the Primavera tables contained within it. During the open sequence, the Toolkit imports the data from the XER file so the original file is no longer required after this point.
4.To view the details of the original XER file current in use by the XER Toolkit, click the ‘XER’ button.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Projects
Select a Project
1. Use project drop-down box to display list of projects. Select the project you wish to view/ interrogate.
The XER Toolkit can handle large XER files containing multiple projects. There is no upper limit to the size of an XER file that can be opened by the XER Toolkit. The Toolkit will however lose performance as the size of the XER file increases.
View Project Details
1. Click ‘Project Details’ button from main Toolkit menu.
Detail Tabs Available: General Dates Defaults Timesheets Assignments Activities (Project) Codes Schedule Options
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Save Baseline Project
1. Click ‘Save Current Project as Baseline’
2. Enter a reference description and click OK
NB: Only the current project can be saved as a baseline. Therefore, if project (A) is to be assigned with a baseline project (B) then project (B) must initially be opened and set as the current project to be saved as a baseline. Project (A) can then be opened.
Assign Baseline Project
1. Use Baseline drop-down box to display list of available baselines. Select the project you wish to use as a baseline.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Manage Baselines
Clearing Current Baseline
1. If you no longer wish to use a baseline against the current project, click the ‘Clear Current Baseline’ button.
Delete a Baseline
2. Select baseline project from list and then click the delete button
Saving Current Project as Baseline
3. Click the ‘Save Current Project as Baseline’ Button. This is the equivalent of clicking button with same name on the main Toolkit menu.
NB: There is no limit to the number of saved baselines.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Column Schemes
About Column Schemes
Column schemes are used by various functions within the XER Toolkit. They define the activity data content that the user wishes to display in an output table.
The XER Toolkit is pre-loaded with a variety of columns schemes.
Users can define and save as many additional columns schemes as required.
Some value-added columns available within the XER Toolkit cannot be selected within the activities screen of Primavera. E.g:
Predecessors & successors with Type & Lag duration detail.
Driving predecessors & Successros with detail
Activity code descriptions
Activity Steps etc.
The Current Column Scheme
1. Click the ‘Column Schemes’ button from the main Toolkit menu.
2. The columns defined in the ‘Selected Columns’ window is the current column scheme.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Add a Column to The Current Scheme
1. Select the column type required
2. Select the required column
3. Select the column that you want to appear to the left of the added column. Skip this step if you simply want the new column to appear at the far right of the data table.
4. Click the ‘Add Column’ button.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Delete a Column From The Current Scheme
1. Select the column to be deleted from scheme
2. Click the ‘Remove Column’ button
Change The Position of a Column Within The Current Scheme
1. Select the column to be moved.
2. Click the ‘Up’ button to move the column to the left, or click ‘Down’ to move the column to the right of its current position within the output data tables.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Format Columns
1. Select the column to be formatted.
2. Click the ‘Column Settings’ button
3. Format columns
> Column Title: The title to be displayed on outputs can be changed if required.
> Number format: e.g. date formats (3a), or number formats (3b).
> Column Width: Excel column width.
> Text Align: Excel cell text alignment.
> Activity Code Display: Activity codes can be displayed with full descriptions/ ID’s (3c)
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Save a Column Scheme
1. Click the ‘Save Column Scheme’ button.
2. Type a reference name for the column scheme. If you wish to overwrite an existing column scheme then select the existing scheme to be overwritten (this will automatically enter the scheme name).
3. Click the ‘Save Scheme’ button.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Set a Saved Scheme as The Current Column Scheme
1. Click the ‘Open Column Scheme’ button
2. If the current scheme has not been saved then you will be prompted to continue without saving.
3. Select the column scheme required.
4. Click the ‘Open’ button.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Delete a Saved Column Scheme
1. Click the ‘Open Column Scheme’ button
2. Click Ok if prompted.
3. Select the column scheme to be deleted.
4. Click the ‘Delete Scheme’ button
5. Click cancel to return to the current column scheme.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Export Column Scheme(s) to Other Toolkit Users
1. Follow steps 1 & 2 for: Delete a Saved Column Scheme to get to ‘schemes’ form
2. Select scheme(s) to be exported
3. Click the ‘Export Scheme’ button
4. Enter reference filename and location
5. Click ‘Save’ button.
NB: The saved file can now be sent/ made available to other XER Toolkit users for import.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Import Column Scheme(s) From Other Users
1. Follow steps 1 & 2 for: Delete a Saved Column Scheme to get to ‘schemes’ form
2. Click the ‘Import Scheme’ button
3. Select file containing column scheme(s) and click the ‘Open’ button
4. Select the scheme(s) to import
5. Click the ‘Import’ button
NB: If a column scheme is imported with the same name as an existing column scheme, then the imported one will be renamed with a numerical suffix e.g. scheme(1)
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Modifying a Saved Column Scheme
NB. You can only modify the current column scheme. Therefore, to modify an existing scheme, it must first be set as the current scheme. Once the current scheme is in the format required, it can be saved overwriting the existing scheme.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
General Reports
Detailed Activity Report
NB: The detailed activity report is designed to provide the vast majority of available data held within the XER file in relation to a specific activity. E.g. it can provide access to all of the UDF’s that have been assigned with a value against the activity which can sometimes be difficult to determine. The report is available to use within various Toolkit functions: Project Health detailed screens Activities (as shown in example below), Logic (Detailed Predecessor/ Successor) report
The example shown below uses the Activities function as the source point for selecting the detailed activities report. The process is exactly the same when accessing the report from other functions.
1. Select a single activity to be viewed.
2. Click the ‘Activity Report’ button. This will activate the report output options form.
3. Select the summary data topics to be output via the report. The report can be refined to include only the data required by the user. E.g. if the user only wants to interrogate the UDFs assigned to an activity, select only the UDF’s option from the summary data topic area.
4. If either Resources or Expenses are selected as summary data topics then additional worksheets will be produced by the report containing tables of data specifically related to the resources/ expenses. The user can refine the report by selecting which columns to view within the output table.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Activities Export
NB: The activities export function is effectively a pre-filtered version of the schedule viewer. Users can export selected or all activities from windows within the Project Health detail screens or the Activities function.
The example shown below uses the project health function as the source point for using the export activities function. The process is the same when exporting from other functions
1. The activities to be exported will appear in the ‘current window’.
NB: From within the Project Health detail windows, using the export function will export ALL activities within the current window. When exporting from the Activities function, the user can select activities within the window and choose to export selected activities only.
2. Select a column scheme from the list.
NB: The user can also choose to select ‘Current Scheme’ from the list (refer to The Current Column Scheme). If the selection box is blank, then exporting activities will default to the current column scheme
3. Click the Export Button
4. Use Schedule Viewer functions to finalise output report options.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Detailed Relationships Export Report
NB: The detailed relationships report is available through selected functions: Project Health detailed screens for Leads/ Lags Logic function
The example shown below uses the logic function as the source point for using the export relationship function. The process is the same when exporting from other functions
1. If the user only wants to export particular relationships rather than all relationships, then they must first be selected from the current window.
NB: Users can only choose to select specific relationships is only available within the logic window. The project health – leads/lags screen only provides the option to export all relationships. 2. Choose to export selected or all relationships.
3. Select which columns are to appear in the output report and then click OK.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Project Health – Front Screen & Overview
Project Health Overview
The XER Toolkit’s project health function is an extremely powerful tool that can assist with determining potential weaknesses in a schedule.
The schedule quality metrics calculated by the XER Toolkit are established measures by which a schedule can be assessed to help determine whether it is realistic.
As with all schedule quality indicators, there is no ‘one size fits all’ result and to that end, the XER Toolkit has some versatile features inlcuding the ability to filter the general results by WBS and/ or activity code. It can also measure all activities within a schedule or return results only for activities that are not yet complete. The toolkit also offers further options to refine individual health checks e.g. Activities with missing successors can be set to include open-ended tasks (activities with only a SS or SF successor).
The ranges by which red, amber & green are triggered can also be manually regulated by the user to reflect the nature and requirement of each individual project.
To aid the user benchmark against pre-defined and industry recognised results, the XER Toolkit has default ‘red, amber, green’ trigger points built in. These are based upon the Defence Contract Management Agency’s (DCMA) 14 point schedule metrics.
The checks currently offered by the Toolkit are:
Missing Predecessors
Missing Successors
Relationships with negative lag (Lead)
Relationships with lag
Non-FS Relationship ratio
Activities with hard & soft constraints
High Float
Negative Float High Duration
Late Activities
Activities With High Cost
Invalid Dates
Activities In Progress
Activities Without Resource Assignements
Assignment Dates Not Aligned to Activity Dates
NB. Adjustments to filters and dial limits within the project health settings are reflected in the dashboard report outputs.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
General Filter Results (Activity Code/ Status/ WBS)
Filter by Activity Code
1. Select ‘Project Health’ from the main Toolkit menu.
2. Select activity code from the list of available activity codes within the XER file.
3. Click the ‘Select Code Value’ button.
4. Select the activity code value that the results of the project health dashboard are to be filtered by.
5. Click OK
6. To remove the activity code filter, click the ‘Remove Activity Code Filter’ button.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Filter by Activity Status
1. Use the toggle buttons to filter by all activities or only those that are not complete (i..e activities not started + activities in progress)
Filter by WBS
1. Click the ‘Filter by WBS’ button
2. Select WBS element
3. Click OK
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Adjusting Dial Settings
Selecting
1. To adjust the Red/ Amber/ Green trigger points for an individual health check, click the relevant ‘Dial Limits’ button
Numerical Display
2a You can choose to display results as percentages or as a number. To provide an example of when it may be an advantage to use numbers rather than percentagesm the following example looks at activities with missing predecessor logic. Option 1 reflects the DCMA default whereas option 2 reflects the ideal network scenario. Option 1 – Display as a Percentage 5% of activities without predecessor raises a flag.
Option 2 – Display as a Number >1 activities without a predecessor raises a flag.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
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Restoring Defaults
2b Clicking the ‘Restore Defaults’ button will restore all Toolkit default settings for the selected project health topic. Clicking this button will not affect any manually adjusted settings for other project health topics.
Sector Values
2c When adjusting the numerical values within the dial-limits settings, the following outputs will be affected:
Dial Start 1. Dashboard Report Dial
Start Point as shown in Figure 1
Sector 1 1. Dashboard Report Dial
End of sector 1 as shown in Figure 1
2. Trigger point for project health results to turn from green to amber
Sector 2 1. Dashboard Report Dial
End of sector 2 as shown in Figure 1
2. Trigger point for project health results to turn from amber to green
Dial Start 1. Dashboard Report Dial
End Point as shown in Figure 1
Figure 1 – Dashboard Report Dial
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Dashboard Sector Colours
NB: The dashboard sector colours are set to Red/ Amber/ Green by default. These can be changed by the user. This will affect both the outputs from the dashboard report along with the project health front screen.
1. Click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ button from the main Toolkit menu.
2. Click on the box containing the sector to be adjusted
3. Toggle selection for background.
4. Select background colour (repeat steps 3 & 4 for font) and then click OK buttons
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Resetting All Defaults
NB: The DCMA default values refer to the ‘Red’ trigger point. The DCMA standard does not refer to an ‘amber’ range. The DCMA reference document states:
‘The identification of a “red” metric is not in and of itself synonymous with failure but rather an indicator or a catalyst to dig deeper in the analysis for understanding the reason for the situation. Consequently, correction of that metric is not necessarily required but it should be understood.’ 1. Click the Restore DCMA defaults to reset all project health defaults. This will reset all Toolkit defaults including non-DCMA-related checks and settings.
Produce Dashboard Report
NB: This section to be expanded after development of ‘versatile’ reporting.
1. Click on the ‘Dashboard Report’ button
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Methods of Drilling Down Into Detail
A. Click on detail tabs to review project health detail.
B. Click on health check window pane to review detail.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Project Health – Detail Screens
Missing Logic
What the DCMA state: “This metric identifies incomplete tasks with missing logic links. It helps identify how well or poorly the schedule is linked together. Even if links exist, the logic still needs to be verified by the technical leads to ensure that the links make sense. Any incomplete task that is missing a predecessor and/or a successor is included in this metric. The number of tasks without predecessors and/or successors should not exceed 5%. An excess of 5% should be considered a flag. The formula for calculating this metric is as follows”
Missing Logic % = 100 x # of tasks missing Logic
# of incomplete tasks
A. Toggle to view either activities without Predecessors or activities without any successors.
NB: In the case of viewing activities that do not have a successor, the toolkit provides the opportunity to ‘Include Open Ended Tasks’. See definition below.
B. Check this box if the results are to exclude milestones with mising logic.
C.Relationships to and from Level of Effort. WBS Summary activities cannot affect the start/ finish of other activities. Therefore, activities that only have predecessors/ successors that are Level of Effort or WBS Summary activities are effectively ‘Open Ended’ (see below).
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Open Ended Tasks
Although activity B has a successor (Start to Start with activity C), it is considered as ‘Open Ended’ since its completion date could potentially slip until the point where all other activities within the network are complete before having any effect on the overall schedule.
Leads & Lags
What the DCMA state: Leads “This metric identifies the number of logic links with a lead (negative lag) in predecessor relationships for incomplete tasks. The critical path and any subsequent analysis can be adversely affected by using leads. The use of leads distorts the total float in the schedule and may cause resource conflicts. Per the IMS Data Item Description (DID), negative time is not demonstrable and should not be encouraged. Using MS Excel, count the number of “Leads” that are found. Leads should not be used; therefore, the goal for this metric is 0”
Leads % = 100 x # of Logic Links With Leads # of Logic Links Lags “This represents the number of lag in predecessor logic relationships for incomplete tasks. The critical path and any subsequent analysis can be adversely affected by using lags. Per the IMS DID, lag should not be used to manipulate float/slack or to restrain the schedule. Using MS Excel, count the number of “Lags” that are found. The number relationships with lags should not exceed 5%.”
Lags % = 100 x # of Logic Links With Lags # of Logic Links
A. Toggle to see either Lags or Leads
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Relationship Ratio
What the DCMA state: Relationship Types “The metric provides a count of incomplete tasks containing each type of logic link. The Finish-to-Start (FS) relationship type (“once the predecessor is finished, the successor can start”) provides a logical path through the program and should account for at least 90% of the relationship types being used. The Start-to-Finish (SF) relationship type is counter-intuitive (“the successor can’t finish until the predecessor starts”) and should only be used very rarely and with detailed justification. By counting the number of Start- to-Start (SS), Finish-to-Finish (FF), and Start-to-Finish (SF) relationship types, the % of Finish-to-Start (FS) relationship types can be calculated.”
NB: The detailed results of the relationship ratio can only be accessed by clicking on the relationship ration pane of the project health summary screen. Results are displayed using the XER Toolkit’s Logic function.
Constraints
What the DCMA state: Hard Constraints “This is a count of incomplete tasks with hard constraints in use. Using hard constraints [Must-Finish-On (MFO), Must-Start-On (MSO), Start-No-Later-Than (SNLT), & Finish- No-Later-Than (FNLT)] will prevent tasks from being moved by their dependencies and, therefore,prevent the schedule from being logic-driven. Soft constraints such as As- Soon-As-Possible (ASAP), Start-No-Earlier-Than (SNET), and Finish-No-Earlier-Than (FNET) enable the schedule to be logic-driven. Divide the total number of hard constraints by the number of incomplete tasks. The number of tasks with hard constraints should not exceed 5%.”
Hard Constraint % = 100 x Total # of incomplete tasks with hard constraints Total # of incomplete tasks
A. Select constraint types to include in calculation
NB: The XER Toolkit does not differentiate between hard and soft constraints in the default settings, i.e. all constraints (hard and soft) will be included in calculation. The user can select/ deselect any constraint type which will then be included in the calculations.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Float
What the DCMA state: High Float “An incomplete task with total float greater than 44 working days (2 months) is counted in this metric. A task with total float over 44 working days may be a result of missing predecessors and/or successors. If the percentage of tasks with excessive total float exceeds 5%, the network may be unstable and may not be logic-driven.”
High Float % = 100 x Total # of incomplete tasks with high float Total # of incomplete tasks
Negative Float “An incomplete task with total float less than 0 working days is included in this metric. It helps identify tasks that are delaying completion of one or more milestones. Tasks with negative float should have an explanation and a corrective action plan to mitigate the negative float. Divide the total number of tasks with negative float by the number of incomplete tasks. Ideally, there should not be any negative float in the schedule.”
Negative Float % = 100 x Total # of incomplete tasks with negative float Total # of incomplete tasks
A. The values entered within the ‘max days’ boxes represent the maximum total float duration of activities within the range i.e. Using the example screen below: Float range 1 Includes all activities that have a maximum total float = 0 days (critical). There are a total of 22 activities in this float range. Float range 2 Includes all activities that have greater than 0 days total float and up to a maximum of 10 days total float (near critical). There are a total of 5 activities in this float range Float range 6 Includes all activities that have greater than 44 days total float (DCMA definition of high-float). There are a total of 14 activities in this float range. NB: The user can change the float ranges as required by entering new values into the Max-Day boxes. The number of activities in the range will automatically update once the max-day value has been updated.
B. By toggling the ‘Show Detail’ selection to a specific float range, the activites within that float range will be listed on the project health form. The example below shows that float range 1 has been selected and to the right of the screen, the 22 activities in float range 1 are listed. The detail included for each activity within the list includes ID, description and float value.
C. By toggling the display settings, the user can display either the quantity of activites as a numerical value or as a percentage of the total number of activities.
D. Restore the default colour scheme for the float ranges – i.e. red for critical - light green for high float NB: By clicking on the coloured boxes, the user can manually change the colour schemes.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
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Duration
What the DCMA state: High Duration “An incomplete task with a baseline duration greater than 44 working days (2 months), and has a baseline start date within the detail planning period or rolling wave is included in this metric. It helps to determine whether or not a task can be broken into two or more discrete tasks rather than one. In addition, it helps to make tasks more manageable; which provides better insight into cost and schedule performance. Divide the number of incomplete tasks with high duration tasks by the total number of incomplete tasks. The number of tasks with high duration should not exceed 5%.”
High Duration % = 100 x Total # of incomplete tasks with high duration Total # of incomplete tasks
NB: For instructions relating to the project health tab for durations, refer to instructions for Float tab.
Costs
Not applicable to DCMA checks.
NB: For instructions relating to the project health tab for costs, refer to instructions for Float tab.
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ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Invalid Dates
What the DCMA state: Invalid Dates “Incomplete tasks that have a forecast start/finish date prior to the IMS status date, or has an actual start/finish date beyond the IMS status date are included in this metric. A task should have forecast start and forecast finish dates in the future relative to the status date of the IMS (i.e. if the IMS status date is 8/1/09, the forecast date should be on or after 8/1/09). A task should not have an actual start or actual finish date that is in the future relative to the status date of the IMS (i.e. if the IMS status date is 8/1/09, the actual start or finish date should be on or before 8/1/09, not after 8/1/09). There should not be any invalid dates in the schedule..”
NB: In addition to the Invalid Dates tab, the XER Toolkit also provides a tab for possible errors with activities that are in-progress. The potnetial errors identified by the In Progress tab are: > Activities that have started but remain at 0% complete. > Activities that are complete but tagged as less than 100% complete. > Activities that are tagged as greater than 0% complete but have not been marked as started.
A. The user can choose to hide or include results for each of the checks.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Missing Resources
What the DCMA state: Resources “This metric provides verification that all tasks with durations greater than zero have dollars or hours assigned. Some contractors may not load their resources into the IMS. The IMS DID (DI-MGMT-81650) does not require the contractor to load resources directly into the schedule. If the contractor does resource load their schedule, calculate the metric by dividing the number of incomplete tasks without dollars/hours assigned by the total number of incomplete tasks.”
Missing resource % = 100 x Total # of incomplete tasks with missing resource Total # of incomplete tasks
NB: The XER Toolkit provides the opportunity to differentiate between resource types. i.e: > Include activities missing all resource type or > Include only activities specifically missing labour resources A. User selects to display results either based on activities missing all resource types or only those missing labourt resources.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
Late Activities
What the DCMA state: Missed Tasks “A task is included in this metric if it is supposed to be completed already (baseline finish date on or before the status date) and the actual finish date or forecast finish date (early finish date) is after the baseline finish date or the Finish Variance (Early Finish minus Baseline Finish) is greater than zero. This metric helps identify how well or poorly the schedule is meeting the baseline plan. To calculate this metric, divide the number of missed tasks by the baseline count which does not include the number of tasks missing baseline start or finish dates. The number of missed tasks should not exceed 5%.”
Missed % = 100 x # of tasks with actual/forecast finish date past baseline date # of tasks with baseline finish dates on or before status date
Assignment Dates
Not applicable to DCMA checks.
NB: Primavera makes allowance for resources to be applied across an activity duration in 2 ways: > Across the whole activity duration. > Across part of the activity duration e.g. An activity scope that consists of laying a concrete base may only include resources for the initial part of that activity as the remaining duration may account for the time it takes the concrete to set, during which no work may take place. Although this can potentially be is a useful feature, it can also lead to situations whereby resource dates become misaligned with their parent activity without the knowledge of the scheduler. Moreover, it is also possible for resource dates to go beyond the finish date of their parent activity.
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XER Toolkit - Instructions for Use
ATHENA PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED V03
A. The XER Toolkit provides the user with the opportunity to review resources that have start and finish dates which are misaligned with the start and finish of their parent activity. The user can choose to include all activities or just those with resource completion dates beyond the completion of their parent activity by checking/ unchecking the tickbox.
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