For successful on-time project delivery, it is important to keep the original schedule intact. Oracle Primavera P6 Professional provides a flexible scheduling tool that both project planners and schedulers widely use. This powerful tool, the Check Schedule filter, helps you assess your schedule’s health using focused rules-based filters. It provides a detailed view of project plans, uncovering logical problems, structural concerns, and possible scheduling issues that may otherwise be overlooked. In large, compliance-driven or complex projects, accuracy is essential.
This blog post will describe how to utilize the Check Schedule Tool within P6 Professional. We also explain the alignment of the tool with the DCMA 14-Point assessments and the importance of understanding its output. Application of this tool can improve scheduling, whether for internal reviews, validation of schedules, or submissions by clients.
P6 Professional with the Schedule Check Filter Tool
Oracle Primavera P6 Professional offers a highly efficient project management system that can handle large-scale, complex projects. It is important to validate schedule quality using the Check Schedule filter tool. While most users can run basic schedule updates or analyze critical paths, some are unaware of this diagnostic feature.
The Filter Tool can be used to identify problematic schedule activities visually.
Identifying key abilities includes:
Fail logic (open-ended tasks, missing link)
Extreme constraints or float
Use of improper lags or gaps in resources
This tool has been designed to align with the DCMA 14-Point Assessment. It is a standard set by the U.S. Department of Defense that evaluates schedule quality. It allows teams to identify problems and address them without waiting for formal review or audits. Schedules will meet standards and be reliable enough for forecasting.
The DCMA 14-Point Assessment
The DCMA 14-point assessment is a well-accepted schedule health test developed by the Defense Contract Management Agency. It is based upon logical consistency, constraints, and completeness.
Among the key metrics is:
Validation of dependencies, sequencing, and order.
Absence of excess constraints, leads, and lags.
The allocation of resources, the proper baselines for estimating dates, and the realistic date.
The alignment of schedules according to the assessment will reduce risks, enhance transparency, and help ensure compliance with government projects or those in defense. Check Schedule Filter Tool facilitates this process by offering filters tied to DCMA and allowing for the detection of any flaws in real time.
DCMA 14-Point Assessment Key Metrics
Following is a detailed breakdown of DCMA’s key metrics, and which filters are matched to these metrics in P6.
All 14-points are shown in the above snapshot from Primavera P6. Now, we can briefly explain each of these as follows:
Logic – DCMA Assessment 1: All activities should be logically connected to the appropriate predecessors, successors.
Negative Lags – DCMA Assessment 2: It identifies negative lag as a way to compress the schedule artificially and undermine logic.
Positive Lags – DCMA Assessment 3: Highlight activities in a way that causes an unnecessarily long positive lag. It will lead to delaying successor tasks too much.
Long Lags – Complement to DCMA Assessment 4: The filter, while not DCMA-specific, allows users to specify a threshold that will identify unusually lengthy lags. It will provide control over dependency management.
Relationship Type – DCMA Assessment 5: The types of relationships between activities should be examined to determine if there are any errors or inconsistent task linking.
Hard Constraints – DCMA Assessment 6: Set up a flag to indicate any date restrictions (e.g., “Must Finish On”). It will limit the flexibility of the schedule, which can distort the critical path.
Soft Constraints – Complement to DCMA Assessment 7: While not an official part of DCMA metrics (e.g., “Start On” or “After”), soft restrictions are also marked to give schedulers a better insight into logic.
Large Float – DCMA Assessment 8: The float indicator identifies the activities that are not well defined or have loose logic connections.
Negative Float – DCMA Assessment 9: Negative float is often used to highlight tasks that are late or have missed project deadlines.
Large Durations – DCMA Assessment 10: Identify unusually large durations of activity that may affect schedule accuracy and hinder performance tracking.
Invalid Progress Date Before Data Date – DCMA Assessment 11: The program detects work where the progress of a project is not recorded until after its due date. Input errors are then indicated.
Invalid Progress Date After Data Date – DCMA Assessment 12: It identifies any progress updates that date beyond the current Status Date, as they may be inaccurate or unrealistic.
No Resources and No Cost – DCMA Assessment 13: The flags indicate activities where no cost or resources are assigned, allowing the project to be fully accounted for.
Late Activities – DCMA Assessment 14: Highlight any tasks behind schedule that require action.
DCMA Assessment does not contain activities that are missed from the Assignment Baseline: This filter shows tasks not covered by the baseline assignment plan, but which exist on the schedule. These additions are typically made after a baseline has been set. They should be reviewed and integrated into the baseline plan.
DCMA Metrics that are Not Included in Filters
This tool does not include filters to filter DCMA Assessments 12, 13, and 14.
These assessments are:
Critical Path Test-Assessment 12
Critical Path Length Index-Assessment 13
Baseline Execution Index-Assessment 14
You can use third-party tools to assess the metrics that are left.
The Check Schedule Report Tool
Check Schedule Report Tool automatically automates review schedules against benchmarks, such as the DCMA assessment. It creates a report that highlights the issues so they can be quickly identified and resolved.
Click here to access:
Start your project with P6 Professional
Use the Tools menu to check your schedule
Reports can be accessed by selecting the Report option.
It shows the good metrics, those needing improvement, and those activities that pose a problem. Schedules are maintained at high levels, which reduces the risk of a mishap and improves stakeholders’ confidence.
The Check Schedule Filter Tool
Filter Tool enhances scheduling scrutiny by allowing users to apply filters specific to the activity view. This isolates activities that satisfy certain quality criteria.
How to use the check schedule filter tool:
01. Use P6 to open the project plan
02. View Menu
03. Then, select Filters
Filters help identify issues like unrestricted activities, excess float, and resources that are missing. The activation of filters will be indicated with two icons: the funnel (filters applied), as well as a clock (monitoring conformance).
Check Schedule Filter Menu and Thresholds
Filter menu options include DCMA criteria such as Open-Ended Activities, Hard Constraints, Long Lags, and Negative Floats. Filters like Large Durations, Long Lags, and Large Float can have thresholds adjusted based on the project’s complexity.
Long Lags: It determines the excessive time between two activities, which may cause a delay in progress.
Large Float: A task that has a large amount of floating indicates faulty logic or poor scheduling.
Large Durations: Highlights excessively long activities, which reduce control and detail in the schedule.
By balancing thoroughness and practicability, you can improve issue detection with no false alarms.
Attention on filter behavior
The Check Schedule Filter tool’s filters remain active until cleared manually.
It is possible to get a misinterpretation of the schedule if filters are not cleared. How to avoid it:
Re-check active filters periodically.
Clear filters after analysis.
Filter application can be managed by using toggles.
When you are aware of the schedule, it is easier to keep a realistic and reliable view.
Wrapping Up:
For P6 to be compliant and accurate, the Check Schedule Filter is required. It is a complement to the DCMA 14-Point Assessment as it allows for granular filtration in order to detect potential scheduling issues and risks. This tool allows project managers to produce high-quality, realistic schedules that support timely and cost-effective project delivery.
If you need pro-level guidance, then consult Leopard Project Controls. We offer expert support for Primavera P6 and its Schedule update, monitoring, controlling, and Filtering Tool, which can help you optimize your project controls.
