When a work schedule is created and the baseline is assigned, the project team starts to track the project performance in order to report the variances between planned and the actuals. Project managers often analyze the work performance reports to compare the planned and the actual dates and look ahead reports recognizing the near future tasks to be performed. Look a head reports usually show the activities to be performed in the next three or four weeks. Both Three Week Look Ahead and Four Week Look Ahead schedule templates are commonly used in the construction, oil and gas, and energy industry to understand what work will be done in the near future. This article demonstrates how to create a three week look ahead filter for your schedule in Primavera P6.
Table of Contents
What is Three Week Look Ahead Schedule?
A master schedule is created in most of the projects before beginning the execution phase. Such schedules may serve many purposes, from long-term planning to specifying terms of payment. However, it is not easy to detail all the tasks at the beginning because of the lack of information about actual work conditions and procurement lead times. Therefore, a short term schedule is required to coordinate the activities and direct the manpower. These short term schedules are often called “look-ahead schedules” because they focus on short term goals.
The purpose of the three week look ahead schedule is to plan the activities and goals of the project for the next three weeks. The overall schedule is used to create look ahead schedules. Three week look ahead schedules are the tools that are commonly used for the weekly job progress meetings. Project management teams plan resource allocation plans and take actions to stick to the schedule. Short-range material procurement plans can be done by getting the activity start and finish dates of the activities that exist on the look-ahead schedules.
Three Week Look Ahead Schedule Filter in Primavera P6
The below figure shows a sample pipeline project. (Figure 1). Red bars in the Gantt Chart indicate critical activities and the green bars indicate non-critical activities. As shown in the figure, all the activities are grouped under specific Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) levels. Mainline construction activities are detailed under the Pipeline Construction WBS. We will use this whole schedule to create the Three Week Look Ahead schedule by filtering activities to be performed in the next three weeks.
The blue vertical line in the Gantt View shows the Current data date. Data Date is the date on which shows the latest scheduled date of the project. It is the project commencement date for the baseline schedule. For the updated schedules, the data date is the cut-off date of the reporting.
As shown in the figure, 06 Apr 2018 and there is no actual in the project. To create a filter in Primavera P6, Select View | Filter By from the main drop-down menu. This will display the Filters window below, Figure 2.
Defining Three Week Look Ahead Filter
In the filters window, click on the New button and type the name “Three Week Look Ahead” in the newly opened filter window, Figure 3.
In this window, three week look ahead schedule filter will be defined. In order to show all activities that start in the next three weeks, the first line must be “Start is within range of DD DD+3W” (DD is Data Date). And to show the activities that started before the data date and in progress, the second must be “Activity Status equals In Progress”. (Figure 4)
The parameter must be any of the following to bring any of the parameters that are defined in this window. If the parameter is all, both the first line and the second line of code must be true in order for that activity to be displayed.
Now, click on the Ok button and turn back to the previous window and click on the Apply button to run the three week look ahead schedule filter. This will demonstrate all the activities that start in the next three weeks or are in progress. (Figure 5)
Summary
Look ahead schedules are commonly used in the construction industry in order to focus
management attention on what is supposed to happen at some time in the future and to
encourage actions in the present that cause that desired future. However, look ahead schedules are rarely conceived as having the specific purpose of producing sound
assignments, nor are procedures provided for look ahead processes [1].
Three Week Look ahead schedule templates are communication tools that encourage communication between team members for the upcoming activities. Primavera P6 Filter by feature enables to create various filters to show for planning, reporting, and scheduling purposes. It is possible to create a Three Week Look Ahead filter with the help of this tool to see which activities will be started or performed within the next three weeks.
Three Week Look Ahead schedule templates are essential tools for monitoring & reporting the performance of the project.
References
[1] Lookahead Planning: The Missing Link in Production Control
See Also
Primavera P6 Work Breakdown Structure
Assigning Expenses in Primavera P6
Primavera P6 Adding Activities and Activity Types
Primavera P6 Hot Key Commands
Top Down Estimating in Primavera P6
Irma Gilda is chief executive of Sonic Training and Consultancy Co., the training platform offers project planning and scheduling More than 60 k learners have used the platform to attain professional success. Irma is a professional Primavera P6 Trainer.
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