How to Create Manhour Histogram from Primavera P6 [Template]

One of the most valuable tools for visualizing workforce allocation over time is the Manhour histogram, which can be extracted directly from Primavera P6. This graphical representation provides a clear overview of hours distribution, helping project managers identify peaks, shortages, and overall workforce trends throughout the project lifecycle.

By analyzing the Manhour histogram in Primavera P6, teams can ensure balanced resource utilization, prevent overallocation, and optimize workforce planning to maintain productivity and efficiency. This article explores the importance of Manhour histograms, how to generate them from Primavera P6, and how they contribute to effective resource management in large-scale projects.

What is a Manhour Histogram?

A Manhour histogram is a graphical representation that displays the number of man-hours required over time for a specific project. It provides a visual summary of workforce distribution, showing fluctuations in labor demand across different project phases. The histogram typically presents time on the x-axis and the number of workers (or work hours) on the y-axis, making it easy to identify periods of high resource demand, underutilization, or potential bottlenecks.

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Why is a Manhour Histogram Important?

· Workforce Planning: Ensures proper labor allocation and prevents underutilization or overloading of resources.

· Project Scheduling: Helps in aligning workforce availability with the project timeline.

· Cost Control: Optimizes labor costs by identifying unnecessary peaks in Manhour usage.

· Risk Mitigation: This helps forecast potential workforce shortages or excessive labor demands that could lead to project delays.

· Decision-Making: Enables project managers to adjust hiring strategies, overtime needs, and subcontracting requirements.

How to make the Manhour Histogram using the Resources from Primavera P6

1. First, you have to assign labor resources to your schedule activities if you don’t know how, you can learn the detailed process through our Construction Project Planning Intermediate Level with P6 course.

2. Choose “Project” ribbon and then choose “Resource Assignments”. Or choose the “Resource Assignment” icon on the left menu.

3. Choose the “Filter” icon and filter by the resource type “Labor” to eliminate material and equipment. Then press “OK”.

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4. Make sure that you show the time scale that fits your project’s duration and how you want to see your resources, right click on the “Display” area and then choose “Timescale.” after choosing the appropriate timescale, You must check that the data you are coping are budgeted units to have a baseline distribution chart. After finishing those steps, Right-click with your mouse on the project and choose “copy”.

5. Open Excel, press on any cell, right-click on your mouse, and choose “paste”.

6. If you want to draw a cumulative line (s-curve), Add a row for the cumulative Labor. For example, the cumulative Labor for November month will be its Hours and the hours of the previous months. As shown in the screenshot below. Drag the equation till the end of the project.

7. Round the numbers to remove the decimals.

8. Select the table you have, which should include the months, Budgeted Units (both extracted from Primavera P6), and the cumulative Budgeted Units you created in Excel. Choose the “Insert” ribbon, then choose the “Recommended Charts”.

From the menu that will pop up, choose “All Charts” and choose “Combo”.

Mark series one as the secondary axis, then choose “OK”.

9. And there you go!

Note

If you are one of our students registered in the Construction Project Planning Intermediate Level with P6 course, you can find an Excel that you can paste your data in, and it will generate the Manhour Histogram for you.

Conclusion

A manhour histogram is an essential tool for project managers and planners in the construction industry. It provides a visual representation of labor working hours distribution over time, helping teams optimize resource allocation, identify workforce peaks and valleys, and ensure project timelines are met efficiently. By analyzing manhour histograms, project managers can anticipate potential bottlenecks, adjust staffing levels proactively, and maintain productivity while controlling labor costs.

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