Santhosh,

There is another solution to your problems which may help.

I agree with Andy to re-create your master programme into higher level and add your subcontractors programme as a subproject but like what you said, you will not have a full control on the logic of every subcontractors program and you need to tidy up every time you do and update using check-in/ check-out.

To eliminate that problem, what did is to have a database or an excel spreadsheet with all my activity Id and matching subcontractors activity Id or create a unique field with reference to my activity ID and subcontractors activity Id. This will be your reference when updating your programme. I used export/ import function of P3.1 under Tools-> Project Utilities -> Export or Import which is very helpful.

First you have to export your main programme data with activity ID and relevant fields that you want to update into dbf format and open it to excel. Do the same on your subcontractor programme and use “vlookup” excel function to validate and update your main programme export using your unique reference or activity ID on all require fields to update. Save your work on same dbf format. Use import function of P3 to update your programme. Do some exercise on this and proceed if you are happy on the result.

Cheers,

Rodel

Poor Santosh, I wish I had a dollar for every project that has happened to me!

What I’ve done in the past is exactly what you’re trying to do - we are wasting our time even trying - of course, you do realise that you’re doing the subcontractors work for them! As the client or main contractor, you should only be looking after their milestones and interfaces that could impact on your planned critical path - that’s it! As far as getting yourself tied into their details, forget it, get them to do it and run their programmes as sub-projects. I’m assuming here that you’ve integrated their programmes into your overall master? Again I’m assuming that your subs are not in alignment in terms of WBS, acty codes and the like, if that’s the case then unfortunately you’re going to have a struggle on your hands as you will get bogged down in the details.

Recreate your overall level 3 programme cutting out the subs programmes and put in the necessary milestones and interfacing links and run sub-projects and TELL them to get on with it and give you updates on these only. If anything goes late, then you can ’drill down’ if needed.

I have a small adage "it’s up to them to prove their progress, not up you to disprove it"

Good luck

Im do agree with andy…
shares loads to your subcontractors and use level 3 on your program…

If details are really required then you need to make up something.
My proposal is to have an external application that will deal your progress monitoring like databases if you are familiar with it.

In my experience and with my expertise in databases where I set up an interface to my p3 program to do an automatic update, dealing with thousand of activities is very manageable with no worries at all. I used clerk to do the update on my database based on supervisors and subcontractors report as detailed as production steps on each activity. (level 5 and 6)

The setup will be depends on which version of P3 are you using.

If you are using P3 3.x then the setup will be using dbf import/export of you P3 to update your progress with the resource data, start, finish date and activity ID as your reference of update.
Excel is also applicable by saving it to WKs format.

Note: if you have background in visual basic programming it more easier to use the excel utility program of Primavera and modified it in MS Access visual basic module so you don’t need to import your data and just a click of a button in your MS Access database.

If using PM v5 or P3e then it would be a different setup.
The easiest is a proper setup on your EPS or enterprise and WBS where you can have different projects on each EPS for each subcontractor and being manage by your subcontractor using check-in/ check-out to update your program.
Ex: EPS setup
Main EPS – Project
     Main Project using WBS Summary activities
Sub EPS(1) – Subcon 1
     Detail Program – subcon 1
Sub EPS(2) – Subcon 2
     Detail Program – subcon 2
     Sub EPS(etc…)
          Etc..
     etc…
To produce report open your program using Main EPS and not the project so all EPS and project under your main EPS will be open at the same time.
Note: Use global Activity Code to organise your activities according to your report or if the WBS are properly setup – use WBS Path to organise your activites or EPS/WBS.

Another way for PM v5 or P3e is again using external application such as database or excel file to monitor your progress and using export/ import module of P3e.
Note: excel file have limited rows where database is unlimited depending on your PC capacity and configuration.

The beauty of database interface with PM v5 or P3e is a direct update on your PMDB database using ODBC connection which I will not recommend unless you are very familiar on PMDB structure and required deep knowledge in database and how it works. This progress update are very successful on my side where I use F5 function to update the PMDB database before run the (F9) schedule function.

If you required more information on database interfacing please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I hope this will help and not make your program more complicated.

Regards,
Rodel

I agree with you Prem. Santhosh, I presume that you are the main construction contractor and that you have a number of sub-contractors. If so, why not share the planning load with them. If you monitor the sub-contractors against your Level 3 master programme and let them develop their own Level 4 or 5, all you need to do is to ensure that they do not go over the boundaries, i.e. ES & EF dates as set and agreed by you. I’ve done this on many occasions quite successfully and it leaves me to concentrate on other issues such as monitoring progress quantities, crit path impacts, access coordination, etc.

Having said that, a 10000 acty programme is not that big unless you are required to produce full weekly progress reports instead of just lookaheads, which you should be pushing for and leaving the full reports for the monthly progress reporting cycle.