Difference between revisions of "Making Multi-Project Charts for Oracle Primavera P6 for Version 7.1"

Revision as of 19:40, 3 December 2021

Overview

One of OnePager's strength is its ability to create compact visual representations of multiple projects. These can be several projects that belong to one program or they can be several projects and programs in an organization’s portfolio. Oracle Primavera P6 supports the management of multiple projects within the P6 application and provides the capabilities to export multiple-project XML and XER files. The OnePager Bundle Standalone application can import these multi-project Oracle Primavera P6 files and produce multi-project charts.

Additionally, OnePager Bundle Standalone has the capability to build multi-project charts from individual Oracle Primavera P6 exported XML and/or XER files.

Preparing Oracle Primavera P6 Export Files for OnePager Bundle Standalone

Exporting from Oracle Primavera P6

Oracle Primavera P6 has the capability to have controlled export of multiple-project files in a single XML or XER formatted export file. To illustrate this suppose we have the multi-project source plan shown below for Project A and B:

The export process in Oracle Primavera P6 starts with clicking on the Export command in the File tab shown above and selecting either to export either an XML or an XER file. After this step, Oracle Primavera P6 displays the Project to Export form shown below where we have checked both Project and Project B for export:

With the two Export checkboxes checked ON, Oracle Primavera P6 exports the resulting XML file which is named Project A-B.xml and can then be imported by OnePager Bundle Standalone.

Importing a Multi-Project Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER File

It is recommended that you use the multi-project Template Properties forms as the basis for creating a multi-project chart from multi-project Oracle Primavera P6 source plans. The short discussion below covers preparing OnePager Bundle Standalone to work with a multi-project Template Properties form.

The OnePager Multi-Project Template Properties Form

1) Creating a One Pager Bundle Standalone multi-project chart is a matter of launching OnePager Bundle Standalone and using a different OnePager Bundle Template Properties form to import data and create a new chart.

2) To change to a different Templates Properties form, follow the NEW chart workflow until you get to the second page of the OnePager choices form. Once there, click the Edit current template... button to access the Template Properties form.

3) Then, click the File button as shown below:

4) If there is an appropriate Template Properties form in the RECENT list, select it and click the Use button on the Template Properties form. Clicking the BROWSE FILES… option accesses the Windows Open form where OnePager Bundle stores your Templates as shown below:

5) The default OnePager Bundle out-of-the-box Template Properties form is Single Project Gantt View – Detailed as shown above.

6) Instead, choose the Template Properties form named Multi-Project Gantt Chart - Detailed as shown above.

7) OnePager Bundle Standalone assumes that when the Multi-Project Gantt Chart - Detailed Template Properties form is in use, that you are using a multi-project file Master Project as the source plan.

8) Making this choice changes the Template Properties form to have the multi-project Template Properties form name in the title bar, as is shown below:

9) You now have OnePager Bundle Standalone ready to use the multi-project Template Properties form.

Importing Single-Project Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER Files

Referencing the previous sub-section, the method for exporting individual, single Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER formatted files is a matter of checking only one of the Export checkboxes in the Oracle Primavera P6 Export form. When multiple OnePager Bundle Standalone charts are to be created from single Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER files, these files must be available to OnePager Bundle Standalone either on the local computer on through some online access mechanism.

The workflow for creating a multi-project chart from two or more single Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER formatted source plans is discussed below at this link: Creating a Multi-Project Chart from Individual Single-Project Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER Files 8.5.2-71.

Creating a Multi-Project Chart from a Multi-Project Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER File

This sub-section covers the method for creating a single One Pager Bundle multi-project chart from a single Oracle Primavera P6 exported file itself containing multi-project data in either XML or XER format.

1) The actions required to create a new chart from this point are as described elsewhere depending on whether you are creating a NEW chart, UPDATING an existing chart, or OPENING an existing chart.

2) For more information on workflow options, please see the articles at: Basic Workflows (Portal) 7.0.1-71

Making the New Multi-Project Chart

3) Creating a NEW multi-project chart follows these steps:

a) Create the new multi-project Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER file where it is accessible to OnePager Bundle Standalone.

b) Launch OnePager Bundle Standalone and select the NEW button OnePager Bundle Start form.

c) Fill in the OnePager choices form with the New chart title and make your task selection option choice.

d) Either click the Create new chart button on the first page of the OnePager choices form or go to the second page and make any changes you require there.

e) OnePager Bundle Standalone uses the accessible Oracle Primavera P6 multi-project source plan under control of the Multi-Project Gantt Chart – Detailed Template Properties form to create your new chart as shown below:

4) In the example above, the chart is organized with two swimlane levels representing the two projects and the phases within those projects.

5) Rows are used to represent WBS Structure as shown in the Text Column to the right of the swimlane level cells.

6) Colors are assigned randomly in a round-robin fashion based on Activity Name as well.

Changing Task Bar Shape Representation

7) We now can change the representation of some of the task bars from task bar shapes to milestone symbols by right-clicking them and clicking the As milestone at finish option as shown below:

8) The chart below was produced by representing the actual activity task bar shapes as milestone symbols at their finish dates:

9) It is also possible to represent the tasks below the longest project level task bar as milestone symbols positioned at the start date using the same technique used in the previous illustration as shown below:

10) These charts can now be copied into Microsoft PowerPoint for delivery to your audience.

Creating a Multi-Project Chart from Individual Single-Project Oracle Primavera P6 XML or XER Files

This sub-section covers the method for making a single One Pager Bundle multi-project chart from multiple Oracle Primavera P6 exported files each containing single-project data in either XML or XER format.

For the purpose of this example, assume that there are two Oracle Primavera P6 projects called Project A and Project B and each was exported from Oracle Primavera P6 as separate XML formatted files. The steps for making a single OnePager Bundle chart from these two combined XML formatted files is discussed below.

Modifying the OnePager Template Properties Form for Creating Multi-Project Charts

OnePager Bundle Standalone depends on the OnePager created field called Object ID, calculated from fields in the XML or XER formatted source plan, to keep Activities coming from different source plan files from getting mixed up during subsequent updates of the multi-project source plan file produced from the separate Oracle Primavera P6 files imported to OnePager Bundle Standalone. This feature is controlled by a checkbox in the Advanced tab of the Template Properties and Chart Properties forms for Oracle Primavera P6. It is important to make sure this checkbox is checked ON before creating the multi-project chart or updating it. This part of the workflow is described here.

1) During the creation of the multi-project chart from the OnePager choices form, access the Template Properties form and navigate to the Advanced tab.

2) Assure that the Template Properties form type is Single Project Gantt Chart - Detailed or a Template Properties form of your own that is equivalent as used in this example shown below:

3) At the Advanced tab, check the Safely combine tasks from different files checkbox ON as shown above.

4) This setting allows you to import multiple individual Oracle Primavera P6 formatted source plans.

5) If you do not check this checkbox ON, OnePager may confuse activities from one Oracle Primavera P6 source plan with activities from another when the activities have the same Object ID.

Making a Single Chart from Multiple Oracle Primavera P6 Single XML or XER Source Plans

6) Launch OnePager Bundle Standalone and click the NEW button on the OnePager Bundle Start form to access the OnePager choices form in its abbreviated form. Use the top Select button on the OnePager choices form to access and select Project A as shown below:

7) At the end of this action the OnePager choices form looks like this with the Template Properties form set for the Single Project Gantt View – Detailed for Primavera and the name of the chart inserted into the Title of New Chart sub-control group of the form:

8) The next step is to add the second project, Project B, to the source packet. This is done by clicking the Add/Remove button in the Selected File(s) sub-control group of the form above which accesses the Data source selection form shown below:

9) To add the second project to the source packet, click the Add button on the Data source selection form which enables you to access other files that are either in the RECENT list or available through the BROWSE Primavera P6 Files … option as shown here:

10) Clicking the BROWSE Primavera P6 Files … command accesses the Open folder where you can select Project B as shown here:

11) Upon completion of the above action, Project B is added to the next row in the Data source selection form as shown below:

12) After you click OK on the Data source selection form, the OnePager choices form looks like this with both Project A and Project B shown in the Select File(s) sub-control group:

13) Finishing the workflow by clicking the Create new chart produces the following OnePager Bundle chart from Project A and Project B as shown here:

14) After the chart above is made, it can be edited to fit the needs of the schedule discussion and copied to Microsoft PowerPoint or transferred to another applications as needed.

Do Not Mix XML and XER Source Plan Files When Making Multiple-Project Charts

OnePager Bundle Standalone does not support the mixing of XML formatted source plans with XER formatted source plans when constructing multi-project source plan packets for import to OnePager Bundle. For example, if you attempt the steps outlined in the illustration below, OnePager Bundle show an error message and upon clicking OK on the Error Message form you are returned to the Select data sources form as shown here:

Related Links

How to Use Master MS Project Files and OnePager to Create Visuals of Separate MS Project Files

Making Multi-Project Graphs from Separate Microsoft project Plans

Basic Workflows (Portal) 7.0.1-71

Creating a NEW Chart via Pull Operation Feature 7.13.1-71

REPLACING a Snapshot via Pull Operation 7.14.1-71

ADDING a Snapshot via Pull Operation 7.15.1-71

Custom Update (Replacing) of a Snapshot via Pull Operation 7.16.1-71

Using the OnePager "Data" Tab's "Selected file(s)" Button 7.17.1-71

Conditional Import Filters (Portal) 7.18.1-71

Unlimited Field Mapping 7.19.1-71

(8.5.2-71)