Primavera P6 Resources Allocation is an important activity in project management. There are many tools and software available in the market for this purpose and Primavera P6 is one of them. This powerhouse of a tool is like the Swiss Army knife for project managers. Primavera Resource assignment, loading costs and oh-so-much more.
Table of Contents
Understanding primavera resources
In this software, you can assign resources to multiple activities with just a few clicks. Or better yet, you will be visualizing your entire project’s labor resources in a way that makes sense. And if you are curious about the difference between P6 roles vs. resources, you will learn below.
We will also touch upon the art of resource leveling in Primavera P6. Because let’s face it, over-allocated (resource allocation in primavera) resources are a project manager’s nightmare. But with the right tools and knowledge, you can handle this process easily.
types of resources in primavera
In Primavera P6, resources are the lifeblood of your project. Let us assume you are building a high-rise downtown. Your labor resources might include electricians, plumbers and carpenters. Material resources could be concrete, steel beams and windows.
Finally, equipment resources might involve cranes, concrete mixers and scaffolding. Each resource type (types of resources in primavera) has its cost, availability and impact on the project timeline.
Getting Started with Resources in Primavera P6
Now, you add your labor resources like carpenters, electricians and plumbers. Each comes with their own cost per hour. Then, you dive into materials costs and quantities. Finally, the heavy machinery comes in. This initial step sets the stage for budgeting and scheduling.
Loading Costs and Assigning Resources
Loading costs in P6 is not just about inputting numbers. It is about painting a picture of your project’s financial status. Let’s say you’re planning an IT project. You will assign different labor resources like software developers, UX designers and project managers to various tasks. And each has their unique cost rates. By doing this, you can visualize the project’s cost distribution.
Primavera Resource assignment
Now, we are getting into assigning resources to multiple activities. Let us assume you are orchestrating a large-scale marketing campaign. You got graphic designers juggling design tasks, content writers crafting stories and digital marketers.
In P6, you can spread these talents across multiple activities. It will be like conducting an orchestra. And here each note hits perfectly and they are creating a harmonious symphony of productivity.
P6 Roles vs. Resources
Resources are fulfilling that wish list with actual people or items. It is similar to casting for a movie. Here, roles are the characters you need and resources are the actors for characters. Matching roles with the right resources in P6 ensures your project will be a hit.
Resource Planning & Types of Resources in Primavera P6
Resources include the labor and equipment to perform activities within a project. Also, resources are time-based and they are often used between activities. Creating a resource pool may be useful to define the organization’s resource structure. and supports the allocation of resources to the relevant activities.
Through Resources tool of P6, the task of creating and assigning resources to activities becomes doable.
Primavera Resource assignment details
If you want to make resource planning in Primavera P6, you can easily create and assign resources to activities with the help of the Resources tool of P6. This tool will help you to list and organize all the project resources by their type.
Example
For instance, during the design phase, your architects and interior designers are your key players. And they come with their costs upfront. As the project transitions into construction, the focus shifts towards construction crews and equipment. And these are then assigned and cost-loaded accordingly.
This phased approach ensures financial resources are allocated efficiently.
Defining Resources in Primavera P6
For better understanding, let’s review a sample project schedule.
We have a sample pipeline project and the activities are grouped as per Activity Types. Sch as Pre-Construction Survey, Survey and Stacking Out, Clearing And Grading, Hauling & Stringing, Bending and Welding as seen in the figure below.
We will define labor resources and assign them to the activities.
In order to define a resource, you need to select Enterprise | Resources from the main menu.
If the Resources window is empty, then, select Display | Filter By: All Resources as shown in Figure 2.
We will define one labor resource for each task instead of assigning specific people.
Now, you may Select Edit | + Add and type the Resource ID and the Resource Name. Pre-Construction Survey is the first labor resource in our project. It represents all the workforce needed to perform the Pre-Construction Survey activity.
In this example, we will not insert a unit price for the resource. Because we will insert a total budgeted quantity and cost the resource.
How to Assign Resources to Activities in Primavera P6?
Well, how to load resources in primavera? After defining all the resources in Primavera P6, the assignment process comes into play. Here we will assign them to the relevant activities by selecting Project | Activities as shown in Figure 4
In order to assign a resource to an activity, we will open the activity details by selecting View | Show on Bottom| Details.
We will assign resources by using the Add Resource button.
After assigning the Pre Construction Survey resource to the “Pre Construction Survey” activity, we will insert Budgeted Units and Budgeted Cost for the activity.
Budgeted Units
Let’s assume that the Pre-Construction Survey activity will need 5500 manhours. And the total cost of this activity is $60.000, Figure 6.
So, now you should ensure activity type is Task-Dependent and the duration type is “Fixed Duration & Units. Also, you may check them from the General button.
Duration is fixed because we have determined the activity duration. And we do not want to change it depending on the resource quantity. Also, we fixed the quantity. Because we have a total budget quantity for this activity. It will not change as the duration changes.
Using the Resource Usage Profile
The next step is to analyze the Resource Usage Profile after assigning resources to the activities and inserting budgeted cost and budgeted units. We will select View | Show on Bottom | Resource Usage Profile menu. Finally, we can see the budgeted units and costs from the Resource Usage Profile.
What Are the primavera resources?
In Primavera P6, resources are entities for completing project activities. Also, these can be categorized into three main types (types of resources in primavera) :
- Labor: Individuals or teams with specific skills or job roles.
- Materials: Consumable items or supplies used during the project.
- Equipment: Tools or machinery required for project tasks.
How to Do Primavera Resource assignment?
Now we will check how to load resources in primavera.
- As a first thing, you should open your project in P6.
- Then, please go to the Resources tab.
- Next, you should click on the Add button to create a new resource.
- And you need to specify the resource type (types of resources in primavera) (Labor, Material, Equipment), enter the resource name and fill in other relevant details. And save them.
This process is essential for building your project’s resource pool, enabling detailed planning and allocation.
What Is Resource Loading in Primavera P6?
Resource loading in Primavera P6 refers to the process of assigning specific resources to project activities. Thereby, you are outlining the quantity and duration of resource usage.
How to Extract Resources from Primavera P6?
- First, users should go to the Reports section in P6.
- Then, they need to select a resource report or create a custom report that meets your needs.
- Also, they should generate the report to view on-screen or export it PDF, Excel, etc.
Also, this functionality is crucial for analyzing resource allocation, usage, and performance.
What Do Resources Include?
Resources include anything that contributes to the completion of project activities. They may be labor (human resources), materials (consumables) and equipment (machinery or tools).
What Are Resources in the Gantt Chart?
This visual representation helps in identifying potential overallocation (resource allocation in primavera). Because this is ensuring a balanced distribution of workload among resources. In project management, Gantt charts stand as a cornerstone tool. Because theya re visually mapping out the timeline and progress of projects.
When we zoom in on resources in a Gantt chart, we are talking about the crucial elements such as labor, materials and equipment.
This visual representation is pivotal for several reasons:
- Clarity and Communication: It helps team members understand their roles and responsibilities at a glance.
- Resource Allocation: It shows how resources are allocated over time. This is hence, allowing project managers to ensure that each task has the necessary resource. This is crucial for balancing workloads and preventing resource overallocation or underutilization.
- Budget Management: By linking resources to tasks, Gantt charts also provide insights into the project’s budgeting aspects. It becomes easier to estimate costs of labor, materials and equipment.
- Timeline Visualization: Resources displayed on a Gantt chart contribute to a holistic view of the project timeline.
What Is Resource Code in Primavera?
A resource code in Primavera P6 is a categorization or tagging mechanism used to group, sort and filter resources based on certain attributes or criteria. Such as as skill set, department, location or more. Also, resource codes enhance the manageability and reporting capabilities.
How Do I Load Resources in Primavera?
Loading resources in Primavera involves below steps.
- Assigning resources to activities within the project plan.
- Specifying the quantity of each resource for the activity.
- Setting the duration and any constraints on resource usage.
How Do I Import Resources into Primavera?
- First step includes preparing a resource list in a compatible format (Excel, CSV).
- Then, you will be using the Import function under the File menu.
- Last step is selecting the resource data file and mapping the data fields.
Summary
You can assign several resources to activities in P6 to track the resource and cost performance of your project. Primavera P6 resource assignments feature is a flexible tool for performing resource analysis and estimating the project cost.
See Also
Linda Maltz is vice president of design and consulting at Cuboca, a project management training and consulting organization specializing in construction management and BIM. She is certified Primavera P6 Trainer.
it is very good. keep it up!
Business training can advance your career.