Presenting Linear Schedule on a Single Page to The Project Team..
Communicating Linear Schedule with the Project Team.
Pipeline manager need to find a better way to communicate complex pipeline projects with the project team.
The current project is laying down 9800 feet of an underground gas pipe. The basic activities are:
- Excavation
- Prepare Sub-base
- Pipe Install
- Backfill
- Compact
Most people that work on the project in each set of activities want to know the big picture, the master-plan and understand the complex relationship between activities.
They care about the deadlines that their stuff must meet. They need a tool that will facilitate information understanding in a much more simple and understandable way.
Linear scheduling method in this scenario helps to visualize a project’s schedule.
It makes it possible to account to both time and space constrains.
Since Primavera P6 don’t support linear view (or Time-Location diagram), the only solution is look for a tool that reflects linear scheduling activities.
Solution – ScheduleReader Linear Scheduling View
Since version 7.0, ScheduleReader provides a better way to communicate linear schedules exported from Primavera P6 with the Linear Scheduling View.
A single page view of the scope of work in a timeline becomes a very useful computer screen that the manager can show to anyone in the company. The entire project for anyone, anytime.
And the team members will undoubtedly propose what-if scenarios and start asking questions because everyone understands the time-location view.
In order to view the project plans in Time-Location diagram, project scheduler must create three user-defined fields (UDF) before export from Primavera P6:
- Two fields (data type: Number) for starting and ending point of the activity;
- One field (data type: Text) for activity shape.
Only a good-looking linear schedule that is put in front of people will get a valuable feedback because people will look at it, study it, and ask productive questions.
After importing the XER file in ScheduleReader and clicking the Linear Scheduling tab, users can see a one-page presentation of the linear schedule. A simple graphics of the gas pipeline project that makes the information more effective, more useful and eventually more personalized.
The Outcome
Most people are visual thinkers and learners, and the best way to present the major work elements and relationships between them is by visualizing the entire project in a single view.
Users can customize linear codes and assign one of the following code types for each user-defined code:
Line – line shape in time-location chart is used to represent simple activity that is undertaken by particular project team, such as pulling telecommunication or transmission line cable, asphalting specific section of the highway, etc. Project team starts working on given start location, on specified start date and work until reaching the finish location on planned finish date;
Bar – similar to the line shape. The difference is in the time needed to complete the assignment;
Block – when project activity last significant time, it is represented in the chart with block shape. In this case, the one side length of the rectangle corresponds with the time needed for completing the activity, while the length of the other side corresponds with the amount of assigned work.
Diamond – as in traditional presentation of the project plan, diamond bar shape represent milestone, specific point on project timeline. Assigning color and code type for each major type of work such as excavation, lay pipe, backfill etc. will make it easy to see how crews and equipment will move through the project over time.
One possible way, easy for interpretation is the view bellow.
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