There are optional labor roles in Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management (EPPM). It is possible to bypass labor roles and directly assign resources to activities, but many Primavera P6 EPPM users like to first assigns labor roles as place holders until later assignment of specific resources.
Project managers typically do not want to involve themselves with the particulars of resources. Instead they prefer to assign trade skills to activities and in this way quickly find the planned budget for the project. These trade skills in Primavera P6 EPPM are entered as labor roles.
So, the project manager in Primavera P6 EPPM assigns labor roles to activities. The project manager then hands off the schedule and labor roles to the line manager, who fills each trade skill with a specific resource.
This article demonstrates the definition and assignment of labor roles to activities in Primavera P6 EPPM.
We have in Figure 1 our demonstration pipe installation project.
Figure 1
We want to define and assign labor roles to the activities to determine the planned cost of the project. To define labor roles we select the resources tab, the administration group, and then the roles tab, Figure 2.
Figure 2
Click + to add a new roles group, Figure 3.
Figure 3
In Figure 4 we set our new roles group ID to TQE-1 and name it Total Quality Engineering LLC.
Figure 4
Click to add a Total Quality Engineering LLC child role, Figure 5.
Figure 5
In Figure 6 we define the project manager role, and set the standard rate to $90/hour.
Figure 6
The max units/time, Figure 7, is then set to 100% or one available project manager.
Figure 7
Continuing we define the remaining Total Quality Engineering LLC siblings of the project manager role, Figure 8.
Figure 8
Note that the limit of the common laborer is set to 200%, Figure 8. We have two available common laborers for our project. All other Total Quality Engineering LLC resources are set to a limit of 100%. Great! Our project roles definition effort is complete.
In Figure 9 we return to the projects tab and select actions | set project preferences.
Figure 9
In the project preferences dialog we confirm that the rate type is standard rate, Figure 10.
Figure 10
In Figure 11 we dive back into the activities view.
Figure 11
Here we add a role IDs column and a planned labor cost column, Figure 11. We then highlight the project management activity and choose assign role, again, Figure 11. In the select role dialog, Figure 12, we select the PM – project manager and assign
Figure 12
In Figure 13 we note the planned labor cost of the project manager activity.
Figure 13
Continuing in Figure 13 we select the drain piping system activity and assign. In the select role dialog we choose the common laborer and pipe fitter roles, and assign. Figure 14 displays the drain piping system roles assignment.
Figure 14
We again assign the common laborer and pipe fitter to remove damaged piping and install piping & couplings, Figure 15.
Figure 15
For the install piping & couplings activity we change the planned units/time of the common laborer to 200%; we have two common laborers helping to install the piping & couplings. Figure 16 displays the project and completed role assignments.
Figure 16
Our project total planned labor cost is $27,440.
Summary
Primavera P6 EPPM supports labor roles, which define trade skills. These trade skills or labor roles are then assigned to activities. In this way, Primavera P6 EPPM expedites the process of finding the planned labor cost of the project. Later the line manager may replace these labor roles with specific resources. The line manager and/or project manager may then investigate the allocation of resources on the project.