As a planning engineer in a construction project, you are responsible for keeping track of the progress of the project and ensuring that it stays on schedule. One of the tools that you will use to do this is Primavera P6, a software application that helps you in managing and updating the project schedule.
One important aspect of updating the Primavera P6 schedule is determining the percentage of completed activity. There are main two different types of percentage complete that you can use: duration percentage complete and physical percentage complete. In this article, we will explore the differences between these two types of percentages completely and discuss when it is appropriate to use each one.
A. Duration % Complete
1. What is “Duration Percentage Complete”?
Duration percentage complete is a measure of how much of the planned duration of an activity has been completed. For example, if an activity was planned to take 10 days to complete and it has been ongoing for 5 days, its duration percentage complete would be 50%.
When you update the Primavera P6 schedule with the duration percentage complete, it is reflected in the project’s cost and time. This means that if an activity is taking longer than planned, the schedule will be adjusted accordingly, and the project’s earned value will be automatically calculated based on duration % complete.
2. When to use “Duration Percentage Complete”?
Normally, we, as planning engineers use the duration percentage complete as a default option where time and cost are connected. 10% of time = 10% of earned value.
B. Physical % Complete
1. What is “Physical Percentage Complete”?
Physical percentage complete is a measure of how much of the work that needs to be done on an activity has been completed. For example, if an activity requires the installation of 100 pieces of equipment, and 90 pieces have been installed, its physical percentage complete would be 90%.
When you update the Primavera P6 schedule with the physical percentage complete, it is only reflected in the cost. This means that if an activity is taking longer than planned, the schedule will not be adjusted unless the remaining work is reprioritized or rescheduled.
2. When to Use Physical Percentage Complete?
The exception is to use the physical % complete where we want to segregate the time from the cost. For example, if you want to have the control to assign a certain percentage for the time that is not the same as the cost; 10% of time = 30% of the cost.
This could happen when you have some special activities/projects where calculating the progress % is divided into time progress and cost progress.
You might install a piece of heavy equipment with a high value of money and finish 90% of the task time but you claim 50% of the cost only as earned value because this equipment needs some testing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both “duration percentage complete” and “physical percentage complete” are important measures that can be used to update the Primavera P6 schedule.
While “duration percentage complete” is more commonly used, there are situations where “physical percentage complete” may be more appropriate.
As a planning engineer, it is important to understand the differences between these two measures and use them appropriately depending on the project’s specific requirements. By doing so, you can help to ensure that the project stays on schedule and within budget.