General Tab of the Project Preferences Dialog Box of the EPS Page
Overview
Use this tab to view or configure basic project information and default settings for new activities and assignments in the selected project. If an EPS node is selected, the data shown here represents the default settings for the fields.
Screen Elements
New Activities section
Duration Type list
Determines how remaining duration, units, and units/time are calculated when you update an activity that has resources assigned. The activity's duration type should correspond to the dominant factor, that is, the least flexible factor in the project: schedule, costs/work effort, or resource availability.
Fixed Units/Time: The resource units per time are constant when the activity duration or units are changed. Use this duration type when an activity has fixed resources with fixed productivity output per time period.
Fixed Duration & Units/Time: The activity duration is constant as the units or resource units per time are changed. Use this duration type when the activity must be completed within a fixed time period regardless of the resources assigned.
Fixed Units: The activity units are constant when the duration or resource units per time are changed. Use this duration type when the total amount of work is fixed, and increasing the resources can decrease the activity duration.
Fixed Duration & Units: The duration and units remain constant as the units/time are changed. Use this duration type when the activity must be completed within a fixed time period and the total amount of work is fixed.
Percent Complete Type list
Determines the way in which the application calculates the percent complete for the activity.
This default activity percent complete type will be applied to all new activities added to a project. If you change this setting for an existing project that has activities, the percent complete type of those existing activities will not be changed.
Activity Type list
Determines how duration and schedule dates are calculated for an activity.
Task Dependent: Activities are scheduled using the activity's calendar rather than the calendars of the assigned resources. Choose task dependent when you want to control the duration of the activity yourself (that is, no resources are assigned), or when one or more resources assigned to the same activity can work according to the same calendar. For example, you might have an activity to cure concrete; you know how long the task takes and the addition of resources won't complete the task any earlier. You would designate this activity as task dependent.
Resource Dependent: Activities are scheduled using the calendars of the assigned resources. This type is used when several resources are assigned to the activity, but they might work separately. Choose resource dependent when you want to schedule each resource according to his/her own time schedule, or resource calendar, not the activity calendar. The assigned resource availability determines the start and finish dates of the activity. Typically, you use this type when multiple resources assigned to the same activity can work independently, or when availability can affect the activity's duration. For example, an activity that requires an Inspector might be delayed if that resource is assigned to multiple projects or is on vacation.
Level of Effort: Activities have a duration that is determined by its dependent activities and are typically administration type. Choose level of effort to indicate that the activity's duration depends on its predecessor and/or successor activities. A level of effort activity is usually one that is ongoing, such as clerical work, Change Management, or project management tasks. For example, site cleanup could be considered a level of effort activity; it occurs repeatedly and is dependent on the completion of a phase.
Start or Finish Milestone: Milestone activities are zero-duration without resources, marking a significant project event. Choose start milestone or finish milestone to indicate that the activity marks the beginning or end of a major stage in the project. Milestones have zero duration. A primary resource or an activity owner, and expenses can be assigned to a milestone. In an office building addition project, examples of milestones might include Project Definition Complete, Structure Complete, or End Bidding Process.
WBS Summary: Activities that are used to aggregate date, duration, and percent complete values for a group of activities that share a common WBS code level. Choose WBS Summary to indicate that the activity is a summary-level WBS activity. A WBS Summary activity represents a group of activities that share a common WBS level. The summary-level WBS activity enables roll-ups of dates for the activity group. The duration of a WBS Summary activity extends from the start of the earliest activity in a group to the finish of the latest activity. WBS codes control which activities are part of a WBS Summary activity; P6 incorporates any activities that share a component of the WBS Summary activity's WBS code into the WBS Summary activity. For example, all activities whose WBS codes begin with A (A.1, A.1.1, A.1.2, etc.) can be part of one WBS Summary activity whose WBS code is A. At a lower level, all activities whose WBS codes start with A.1 (A.1.1, A.1.2, etc.) can be part of a WBS Summary activity whose WBS code is A.1.
Calendar field
The default calendar for new activities.
Cost Account field
The cost account associated with expenses for new activities.
Price/Unit field
The default price/unit used to calculate the cost for activities that have labor/non-labor units but no assigned resources and for activities that have assigned resources or roles that do not have a specified price/unit.
To change the price/unit, type a new amount followed by a forward slash (/) and time unit designation, for example, $20/h.
New Activities - Auto Numbering section
Activity ID Prefix field
The series of initial letters, numeric digits, or special characters you want P6 to use to auto-number all the activities in a given project. By default, this field can contain 1 to 20 characters.
In order to identify and track activities, P6 assigns each activity a unique Activity ID that is the result of joining the Activity ID Prefix with the Activity ID Suffix and then adding an Increment value.
For example, a prefix of PROJ-A# combined with a suffix of 2500 and an Increment of 5 will yield the following activity IDs: PROJ-A#2500, PROJ-A#2505, etc.
Activity ID Suffix field
The numeric digits you want P6 to use to auto-number all the activities in a given project. The value must be a number between 1 and 999,999.
In order to identify and track activities, P6 assigns each activity a unique Activity ID that is the result of joining the Activity ID Prefix with the Activity ID Suffix and then adding an Increment value.
For example, a prefix of PROJ-A# combined with a suffix of 2500 and an Increment of 5 will yield the following activity IDs: PROJ-A#2500, PROJ-A#2505, etc.
Increment field
The number you want P6 to add to the previous Activity ID in order to auto-number all the new activities in a given project. This field value must be between 1 and 99,999.
In order to identify and track activities, P6 assigns each activity a unique Activity ID that is the result of joining the Activity ID Prefix with the Activity ID Suffix and then adding an Increment value.
For example, a prefix of PROJ-A# combined with a suffix of 2500 and an Increment of 5 will yield the following activity IDs: PROJ-A#2500, PROJ-A#2505, etc.
New Assignments section
Rate Type list
The rate type that corresponds to a specific price/unit value defined for a resource or role. A resource or role can have up to five rate types and corresponding price/unit values.
The default rate type setting determines which of a resource's or role's price/unit values is initially applied to new assignments within a project. The rate type on the assignment can be edited to change the price/unit.
If the default Rate Type setting for a project that has existing assignments is changed, the rate type of those existing assignments will not be changed.
Drive activity dates by default option
Determines whether resources drive activity dates by default.
Resources can be assigned to the same activity more than once option
Determines whether resources can work on the same activity multiple times.
General section
WBS Code Separator field
The character(s), such as a period, used to separate code fields. You may use one or two characters.
The separator is also the WBS code separator for new projects by default.
Fiscal year begins on the first day of list
Determines on which month the fiscal year begins.
Getting Here
- Click Projects.
- On the Projects navigation bar, click EPS.
- Select a project or EPS node, click the Row Actions menu and select Set Project Preferences.
- Click the General tab.
Related Topics
Last Published Wednesday, July 10, 2024