This chapter explains how you can use Oracle Projects to set up and manage programs.
This chapter covers the following topics:
A program is a collection of projects linked in a hierarchical fashion. The Oracle Projects program management functionality enables you to create a program by linking multiple projects (and programs) to form a program hierarchy.
Programs enable you to view and manage workplan and financial information for a group of projects. This capability provides you with benefits that are not available when you manage each project individually. With programs, you can specify how multiple projects are interrelated within a program and review interrelated project information as a whole. You can track and report on rolled-up planned, actual, and forecasted effort, cost, and revenue, as well as progress and schedule information for all projects in the program hierarchy.
Therefore, as a program manager, you have a strategic focus on the overall program, rather than a tactical project-centric focus.
The linking of projects within a program follows a top-down approach. If you have the appropriate security privileges, then you can navigate to and drill down into the individual linked projects within the program hierarchy.
Programs have the following characteristics:
You can link a project to multiple programs. For more information, see: Program Management, Oracle Projects Fundamentals.
You can link projects and programs to other programs in an unlimited hierarchy. Therefore, a project within a program hierarchy can itself be a program. For example, you can designate a project linked to a program as a program and link other projects to it.
You cannot link a project to more than one program in the same program hierarchy.
You cannot copy a program hierarchy. When you copy a program, only the project designated as a program and its attributes are copied. The linked projects in the program hierarchy are not copied.
You can individually create baselines for workplans of projects in the program hierarchy. Creating a baseline for a program's workplan has no impact on the workplan versions of the linked projects. For more information, see: Using Workplan Versions within a Program Hierarchy.
You can publish programs and their linked projects independently. You can publish a program workplan version without publishing the workplan versions for the linked projects and vice versa. For more information, see: Publishing Workplan Versions in a Program Hierarchy.
To enable program management and designate a project as a program, you must enable program management from the project Structures page. For instructions on how to designate a project as a program, see: Program Management, Oracle Projects Fundamentals.
Note: You can personalize the Project List page to identify the projects you designate as programs. For more information, see: Viewing Program Information.
The following attributes must be identical across all projects in a program hierarchy:
Project currency
Time-phase settings in the workplan structure
GL or PA calendar settings. (For example, if a project designated as a program uses weekly GL periods, then the linked projects must also use weekly GL periods.)
For more information, see: Selecting Planning Resource Lists and Time Phasing Methods.
To create a program hierarchy, you link projects to the lowest tasks in a program's workplan or financial structure. If the workplan and financial structures are the same, then you can create only one link between the program and project.
You must manually create separate program hierarchies for workplan and financial structures if the program uses separate workplan and financial structures. After you designate a project as a program, you can enable or change the structure of any project in the program hierarchy to either a split or shared structure. However, you cannot disable an existing structure for a project
You can link projects to a program from the Task Details page.
To link projects to a program:
From the Update Tasks page, click the Update icon for the task to navigate to the Task Details page.
Click Setup.
Click Link Projects.
Select the projects you want to link to the task and click Apply.
If workplan versioning is enabled for the projects in a program hierarchy, Oracle Projects creates links between the working workplan version for the program and the latest published workplan version for each of the linked projects. If a linked project does not have a published workplan version, then Oracle Projects links the working version of a program to the current working version of the project.
Note: Information does not roll up from a working workplan version of a project to the working workplan version of the program. For more information, see: Rolling Up Program Workplan Information.
If you are not using workplan versioning features, a single workplan version of the program is linked to the workplans of the projects in the program hierarchy. After you create program links, select Process Updates to roll up all plan and actual information from the linked projects to the program. All future updates roll up to the program automatically.
You can publish workplan versions for a program and its linked projects independently. However, if you publish a program workplan version before you publish any workplan version for a linked project, then Oracle Projects does not create a link between the published workplan version for the program and the working workplan version for the linked project. However, the link between the working workplan version for the program and its linked project is maintained.
When you publish a workplan version for a linked project, Oracle Projects automatically runs the PRC: Process Structure Updates concurrent program. This concurrent program rolls up information from the linked projects to the current working version of the program.
Note: When you run PRC: Process Structure Updates for a single project in the hierarchy, Oracle Projects automatically runs the concurrent program for all linked projects and performs a rollup of information for the entire hierarchy.
If you publish a workplan version for a linked project after a program workplan is published, Oracle Projects rolls up the updates to the current working version of the program. To roll up the latest progress information to the program, you must republish the program.
Note: Oracle Projects maintains links from the previous published workplan version for the program to the corresponding workplan versions for the linked projects.
After you publish a workplan version for a program or a project in the program hierarchy, you can designate it as a baseline version. You can separately designate workplan versions for a program or any of its linked projects as baseline versions. Designating a published workplan version for a program as the baseline version does not affect the workplan versions for the projects in the program hierarchy.
Oracle Projects allows you to link the baseline workplan version for a program to a non-baseline workplan version for a linked project. However, in such a scenario, the rolled-up information at the program level may not reconcile with the information from the linked project. The discrepancy occurs because the information for the linked project is from the baseline version of the workplan, whereas the information at the program level is from a non-baseline workplan version of the linked project.
Oracle Projects rolls up the following information from linked projects to a program:
Workplan information
Progress information
Financial information
Caution: If you delete a linked project from a program hierarchy, Oracle Projects recalculates the rolled-up program information.
Oracle Projects rolls up the following workplan information in a program:
Scheduled Dates: Oracle Projects rolls up scheduled dates to the linked task in a program from the corresponding linked projects. Schedule information rolls up from the published workplan version of a linked project to the published and working workplan versions for the program.
Planned Effort and Cost: Oracle Projects automatically rolls up planned effort and cost when you choose the Process Updates action.
Oracle Projects rolls up planned effort and amounts from the published workplan versions of linked projects to both the working and published workplan versions of programs. For shared structures, ETC information rolls up from the published versions when you submit progress or run the summarization process. For split structures, ETC information rolls up from the published versions when you submit progress records. ETC at any level in the program hierarchy is calculated as the difference between planned and actual amounts (Plan-Actual) for the working version.
Oracle Projects does not roll up information from a working version of a linked project to a working version of a program. When you publish a workplan version of a linked project, Oracle Projects runs the PRC: Process Structure Updates concurrent program to roll up the workplan information (including scheduled dates, planned effort and cost) to the working version of the program.
For more information, see: Using Workplan Versions within a Program Hierarchy.
Workplan progress measures actual work performed and enables you to plan future project work based on actual progress. After you designate a project as a program, progress and earned value information roll up from the published workplan version for a linked project to the published workplan version for the program.
As you carry out projects and enter progress for tasks, Oracle Projects rolls up the following information:
Actual Effort and Cost: For shared structures, actual effort and ETC roll up the program hierarchy when you run the summarization programs. For split structures, actual effort and ETC roll up the program hierarchy when you submit progress.
Oracle Projects always rolls up ETC amounts from linked projects to the program when you submit progress. Oracle Projects rolls up actual and ETC amounts to the linked program task from both the linked projects and any assignments associated with the linked task.
Note: If a linked program task does not have any assignments, then you can enter actual and ETC amounts for the task when you submit progress for the task.
Actual and Estimated Dates: Oracle Projects rolls up actual and estimated dates to a linked program task from both the linked projects and any assignments associated with the linked task.
Note: When you run the apply latest progress concurrent program for the program, Oracle Projects displays only actual amounts for the program tasks in the working workplan version of the program. Rolled up actual amounts from linked projects are not displayed in the working version of the program.
Earned Value: Oracle Projects calculates earned value for a task based on the baseline effort or cost for the task. Because physical percent complete information rolls up the program hierarchy, earned value information in a program view reflects the program-level earned value.
ETC Effort and ETC Cost: Oracle Projects rolls up ETC effort and ETC cost in a program the same way the rollup is performed in a project. ETC information submitted with each progress record rolls up through the project hierarchy. Oracle Projects calculates ETC at any level in the program hierarchy as the difference between planned and actual amounts (Plan-Actual) for the working version.
For shared structures, Oracle Projects rolls up ETC information from published versions when you submit progress or run the summarization programs. For split structures, Oracle Projects rolls up ETC information from published versions when you submit progress records.
Physical Percent Complete: Oracle Projects rolls up the physical percent complete of a linked project using the physical percent complete derivation method of the linked task in the program. When you submit progress for any task in any linked project, progress is rolled up to the highest level in the program hierarchy. For more information see: Managing Progress.
When you run the summarization programs for shared structures for a project in a program hierarchy, Oracle Projects runs the concurrent programs for all projects in the hierarchy. Therefore, you can summarize actual amounts for all projects in a program hierarchy by submitting the summarization programs for any project in the hierarchy. For more information, see: Update Project and Resource Base Summaries, Oracle Projects Fundamentals, and Update Project Performance Data, Oracle Projects Fundamentals.
When you submit the PRC: Refresh Project and Resource Base Summaries concurrent program for a program, Oracle Projects runs the concurrent program only for the project designated as a program and not for all projects in the program hierarchy. Therefore, to ensure that all data for a program is refreshed, you must run the concurrent program for all projects in the hierarchy, either by submitting the concurrent program for a range of projects, or by submitting the concurrent program for each project individually. When you submit the PRC: Refresh Project Performance Data concurrent program for a project which is part of a program, Oracle Projects runs the concurrent program for all projects in the program hierarchy.
For more information, see: Refresh Project and Resource Base Summaries, Oracle Projects Fundamentals, and Refresh Project Performance Data, Oracle Projects Fundamentals.
Program links in a financial structure enable you to view rolled-up financial plan, actual, and forecasted amounts in a program hierarchy.
Oracle Projects rolls up the following financial information:
Actual Effort and Cost: Oracle Projects rolls up actual effort and cost when you submit the summarization programs.
Budgets and Forecasts: Oracle Projects rolls up budget information for current baseline and original baseline versions from linked projects to the program. Oracle Projects rolls up forecast information to the program from linked projects for the latest approved forecast plan versions. Prior forecast amounts, and variances and comparisons based on these amounts are not available for a program.
After you create financial program links, you must select Process Updates to roll up the budget and forecast information from linked projects to the program. Any future changes you make to budget and forecast information automatically roll up to the program when you create a budget baseline, approve a forecast, or mark a baseline version as original. In the Reporting tab for the program, you can view budget and forecast information rolled up from the linked projects that have the same financial plan type as the program.
Important: You cannot perform program-level budgeting and forecasting. For example, you cannot budget or forecast for the entire program and distribute amounts among linked projects. Financial percent complete information roll up is limited to the project only.
Revenue: Oracle Projects rolls up actual revenue when you submit the summarization programs.
Profitability: Oracle Projects rolls up actual profitability when you submit the summarization programs.
Billing and Collections
Note: Oracle Projects does not display the Next Invoice Date for a program in the Reporting tab.
You can view workplan and financial information rolled up through the program hierarchy. However, some rolled up information might not be available for the program under certain circumstances, as listed below.
If all projects in the program hierarchy do not have a common resource breakdown structure, you cannot view rolled up workplan information by resources.
If all projects in the program hierarchy do not have the same project functional currency as the program, you cannot view the rolled-up program information in the project functional currency.
Note: You can continue to view program information in the enterprise global currency and calendar without any restrictions. Also, because projects in the program hierarchy share the same project currency, you can view program information in that currency at any time.
If all projects in the program hierarchy do not have a common financial plan type, you cannot view rolled up financial information.
The Project List page displays programs as well as projects. To identify whether a project is a program, you can personalize the Project List page and add a column that displays a program indicator.
Note that both the Project List page and the Alternate Search page display only project-level amounts and not program-level amounts.
You can view the workplan structure hierarchy for a program from the Update Tasks page. If you have the appropriate security privileges, then you can drill down to view the status of each project. Within each project, you can drill down to view individual task details.
Note: When you view the work breakdown structure in List view, Oracle Projects does not display tasks for linked projects.
You can view workplan cost for a program or a linked project from the View Workplan Cost (Task Summary) or the View Workplan Cost (Resource Summary) pages.
If a project is designated as a program, then Oracle Projects displays the workplan cost for tasks and resources of the program by default. You cannot make any adjustments or updates when you view information for the entire program. If you want to view or update information for the program project alone (without the rolled up information), select the Project radio button and click Go.
When you compare two versions of a workplan structure for a program, tasks or task amounts displayed in one version may not exist in the other version. For more information, see Workplan Structures, Oracle Projects Fundamentals.
You can view overall budget, actual, and forecasted effort, profitability, cost, revenue, billability, and billing and collections for a program from the Performance Overview page on the Reporting tab. By default, the Performance Overview page displays financial information for tasks and resources for the entire program hierarchy. To view financial information only for the project designated as a program (without rolled-up information), select the Project radio button and click Go.
Oracle Projects displays earned value information only when you select to view information for the project designated as a program. You cannot view earned value information for program financial structures.
Note: If a program has a shared structure, then earned value information for the workplan and financial structures are the same. You can use the earned value information for the workplan structure to complete your analysis.
When you view the financial structure hierarchy from the Task Summary page, Oracle Projects displays the tasks in each project as well as the projects linked to a program. The rolled up financial information is displayed against the tasks in the program hierarchy.
Note: When you view interproject transactions, cost and revenue amounts for a program will include interproject billing amounts between individual projects in a program. Therefore, if projects in the same program have inter-project transactions, , cost will include cost of receiver project and revenue will include revenue of provider project, at the program level.
For more information on viewing performance by tasks, resources, or time, see Overview of Project Performance Management.
Note: All projects linked to a program may not be of the same project type. The non-billable and non-capital costs in a program will not reconcile to the respective costs of the linked projects. This is because the total non-billable costs in a program include costs for both capital and indirect projects. The program total does not include any capital costs.
You can attach multiple resource breakdown structures to a program. However, you must select a primary default resource breakdown structure to use for displaying program information. Oracle Projects displays all rolled-up program information using the selected resource breakdown structure. The resource breakdown structures associated with a program are attached to linked projects either when the projects are linked, or when you designate a new resource breakdown structure as a program resource breakdown structure.
Note: You can enable any resource breakdown structure associated with a project for program reporting from the Resource Breakdown Structure page. You must run the PRC: Update Project Performance Data concurrent program to view program data for a resource breakdown structure in Project Performance Reporting pages.
Oracle Projects reports exceptions on dates (scheduled versus baseline) based on rolled up dates from the linked projects at the program level. If a project is not a program, then the exceptions are reported against the project dates.
Note: Exception reporting for financial amounts is not available for programs. For a program, Oracle Projects calculates financial exceptions for the project amounts and not for the rolled up amounts at the program level.
For more information, see: Project Performance Reporting.