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Edit an activity more times in the same layout

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Michele Ciuffreda
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Hi all, I am a P6 Enterprise user and as per title of this topic, I have a problem to edit a layout in which I can see one activity more times in the same layout. 

To explain you this issue better, please refer to this picture attached:

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example.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For my layout, currently I use both WBS and Activity Codes... in particular Area level as Activity code (1st level) and phases (e.g. milestones, procurement, and so on) as WBS (from 2nd level up to the end).

So, is there a method, a strategy or a simple way to see or to edit the same activity (e.g. "P.X" in the example above) more times?  In this way I could update the progress of an activity only one time, but automatically I can see the progess for all same activities. 

Thanks to all for your support.

Replies

Rafael Davila
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At times you have a group of activities that are not linked one to each other and that as the job progress you do not know which will be performed first and which will be last as to define a Hammock. Still you might need to define predecessors and successors to the group. Topic Activity did not came out of nowhere same as the added functionality by P6 that allows you to define predecessors and successors to a Hammock.

Programming these functionalities is harder than what we see on the surface but someone did it before with the SureTrak Topic activity same as P6 did it with the LOE activity.

Raymund de Laza
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Rafael,

You are Welcome!

In my opinion, the only precise reason in using these type of activty (WBS Summary or Level of Effort) is where to load all the required resources for the group of summarized activities. These "Puppet Activites" (WBS Summary or Level of Effort) - (I call it puppet as they are moving along with while the task dependent activities they represents moves), are very helpful for me specially when generating the S-Curve and Resource Histograms.

Thanks too for the informative ideas.

 

Regards,

 

Raymund

Rafael Davila
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Raymund,

As you describe it it seems close to what I am looking. Seems like I misunderstood what Level of Effort activity in P6 means, I thought it was equivalent to Hammocks. If you can add successors and predecessors to such Hammock then it would be close. Still I am looking for a functionality to add predecessors and successors to WBS activities, and this would be the equivalent of the Topic Activity. Remember WBS and Hammock activities differ, similar but not equal.

In no way Topic Activity is equal or equivalent to P3 Hammock, nor equivalent to SureTrak Hammock, nor equivalent to P3 or SureTrak WBS Activity Type, similar maybe, but not equal.

Thank you very much as I am getting closer to a true description of what a Topic Activity is. Same as you I no longer use SureTrak.

I don't believe it would be a bad idea to extend WBS and Hammocks to be driven by predecessors and to drive successors, on the contrary in my view I would welcome the extended functionality, without need to add new names.

Rafael

Raymund de Laza
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Hi Rafael,

If I am not mistaken, the Topic activity you mentioned is similar to Hammock in P3 and Level of Effort in P6.

The function of Level of Effort is similar to what you mentioned as it is having a predecessor and successor and will summarized a group of 2 or more activities.

I was been using MSP, Suretrack and P3 in the beginning of my Planning Career but has already forgotten a lot from it.

 

Regards,

 

Raymund

Rafael Davila
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Raymund,

I see P6 has the WBS Activity Type, same as P3 and SureTrak but wonder about the Topic activity, a functionality I consider even more convenient and powerful but that simply vanished.

Topic Activity: By creating a Topic Activity all its members would be summarized similar to the WBS activity type but in addition you would be able to add predecessor and successor links to the Topic activity. By adding predecessor or successor links to the Topic activity all members of the group would inherit the predecessors/successors links of Topic activity as additional "marked" links to those of individual members, even when some already existing it would create a "marked" duplicate link. By deleting the links at the Topic activity members would be detached of the "marked" Topic Activity links.

In the same way P6 still has the WBS activity type, does P6 still supports the Topic activity type? I do not use P6 nor P3 but still interested in this functionality.

Best Regards,

Rafael

Michele Ciuffreda
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Thanks very much to all guys, for your quick replys. I will try your solutions as soon as possibile but I believe that the approach of Raymound is right for my use. I will let you know.

To Johannes: I have 3 identical activity (e.g. P.X) and these should be the same. I need to update the progress only for one of all these activities, or one in particular such as Raymound showed me about task dependent. For this reason I visualized in my example picture the same activity 3 times with the same Activity ID.

Raymund de Laza
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Michele,

In this example the 3 WBS SUMMARY activites simultaneously change if ever you make changes in the Task Dependent activity. All you need is to assign each WBS Summary activity to different activity code to see them in separate group.

Hope this will help.

236
sample.jpg

Regards,

Johannes Vandenberg
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Hi Michelle

I use the following appoach,

In your example you have named 3 activities" P.X 1st Main item" for 3 different fases e.a. for area 1,2 and 3 . The way you have expressed this in you schedule means that you have 3 P.X main items. and these cannot be the same. It could be that you have the 3 times the same procurement item and you need to update  these separately. The progress is not neccsarely the same for all 3 the same.

Hope this help you.If not let me know

 

Jan

Rafael Davila
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There is a “WBS Activity Type” in P3 & SureTrak which is similar to Hammock but without the need for relationships and summarizes all the activities in the area that it is assigned to.

There was also another type of activity in SureTrak called Topic Activity, I believe (not sure) under certain circumstances equivalent to WBS Activity but with the option to assign predecessors and successors to the whole group, this without the need for relationships among members of the group.

If P6 has any of the above it then you can create several WBS Activities or Topic Activities each with only one group member, the same activity you want to mirror.

 

P3 Activity Types

P3 can identify and keep functionality of imported SureTrack Topic Activity but cannot create such, weird !!! Not sure but to make it even more weird you could create the Topic activity in SureTrak but after importing to P3 you could create the pred/succ. links to the Topic Activity. Seems like the WBS Activity is a subset of the Topic Activity.

FYI I keep a PDF of P3 reference manual but not the software.

Raymund de Laza
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Joined: 22 Nov 2009
Posts: 762

235
sample.jpg
Michele,

I suggest you assign the subject activity into a separate WBS. Create multiple WBS Summary from it. Assign an Activity Code to every WBS Summary.

Create 2 Activity Codes:

1. Act Code with sub codes as Area 1, Area 2...

2. Act Code with sub codes Milesone, Eng, Proc, Const.

Assign to corresponding activities.

Then...

Organize as Level 1 >Act Code (Area1, Area2..)

Level 2 >Act code (Milesone, Eng, Proc, Const.)

 

Hope this will help.

 

Regards,

 

Raymund

Michele Ciuffreda
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Thank you very much guys. You have been useful to me. I undestood the method of the hammock, but I don't undestand what said Raymund about. Can you show me better this matter? I am very interested. Thanks again.

Raymund de Laza
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Michele,

I suggest you assign the subject activity into a separate WBS. Create multiple WBS Summary from it. Assign an Activity Code to every WBS Summary. Then Organize your layout>>> Level 1 WBS> Level 2 Activity Code

Hope this will help.

Rafael Davila
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Create multiple similar hammocks that will move with the original.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPcxY58vZHc

Michele Ciuffreda
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A filter doesn't allow me to visualize one activity more than one time. I need to visualize the activity P.X, for example, more than one time in the same layout.

Thanks.

Anoon Iimos
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how about defining a filter to suit what you need?