P6 Professional meets the needs of several types of users. The following section describes the P6 Professional application audience by roles. Roles may vary or overlap depending on the organization.
Network administrators
Network administrators configure an organization's network environment (local- and wide-area networks) for optimal performance with P6 applications. They install and maintain the server and client components of the applications. In addition, they manage user access to data and develop and maintain a comprehensive security policy to ensure that data are protected from unauthorized access, theft, or damage.
Network administrators ensure that the hardware and software supporting P6 applications function reliably by
- Setting up and maintaining the network to ensure reliable connections and the fastest possible data transfer
- Creating and maintaining accurate lists of network resources and users so that each has a unique network identity
Database administrators
Database administrators (DBAs) are responsible for setting up, managing, and assigning access rights for the P6 Professional databases. They set and oversee rules governing the use of corporate databases, maintain data integrity, and set interoperability standards.
Database administrators ensure reliable access to the P6 Professional database by
- Installing, configuring, and upgrading database server software and related products as required
- Creating and implementing the database
- Implementing and maintaining database security, including creating and maintaining users, roles, and privileges for the database
- Monitoring database performance and tuning as needed
- Planning for growth and changes and establishing and maintaining backup and recovery policies and procedures
Operations executives
Operations executives are responsible for strategic planning and ongoing performance analysis. They use P6 Professional to analyze schedule, resource, and cost data across projects.
Senior executives may be responsible for
- Prioritizing projects
- The profit/loss for a specific business entity
- Funding and go/no-go decisions about projects
- Strategic planning over the future of the business or division
Project controls coordinators
Project controls coordinators are responsible for ensuring that Primavera applications are implemented properly and operate smoothly. They play a key role during implementation by:
- Working with operations executives and program/project managers to structure project, organization breakdown structure (OBS), and resource hierarchies, set up basic calendars, and define organization-wide custom fields and codes in the P6 Professional.
- Assigning security rights to users in P6 Professional
Program managers
Program managers oversee several high-level project managers; they are responsible for multiple projects and use P6 Professional, along with P6 to:
- Perform cross-project analysis
- Manage projects to on-time and on-budget completion
- Prioritize resources across projects
- Plan projects before they are funded
Project managers
Project managers manage multiple small, repetitive projects or a single, complex project. They are responsible for on-time/on-budget completion of the projects and use P6 Professional and P6 to:
- Allocate specific named resources to a project in conjunction with the functional manager of those resources
- Communicate project information both up and down the chain of command
- Manage resources related to the project
Resource/Cost managers
Resource managers allocate resources across projects and distribute their workloads. They are responsible for resource planning, including recruiting, hiring, and training resources, and they may be responsible for loading resource information in P6 Professional and the Resource section of P6. Cost managers perform detailed financial analysis of projects, handle project billing, and integrate financial information within the company.
Team leaders
Team leaders manage the work for a portion of a larger project. They are managers who produce work and manage a team, and they often use P6 Professional, and P6, to prioritize short-term tasks or objectives, typically when the duration is less than the planning period of the project.
Team members (P6 EPPM Only)
Team members are trained in a specific skill required on a project. They work with their manager to develop activities and durations for incorporation into the schedule. Once activities are added to the schedule, team members update them using the Progress Reporter module to indicate the work they performed during designated accounting periods. Team members may also use personalized dashboards in P6 to quickly access their projects, activities, documents, and more.