Master Project Planning: A Step-by-Step Guide to Primavera P6 for Beginners

Are you ready to simplify your project planning with Primavera P6? In this tutorial, I'll walk you through the steps to create a project schedule using a real-world Community Health Center project. You'll learn how to build an effective schedule from scratch, assign resources, and baseline your project. Plus, you'll have access to download the sample project and follow along with video tutorials for each step!

Download the Sample Project

Before we dive in, download the Community Health Center Sample Project here: Download Sample Project.

Step 1: Create an Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS)

The first step in setting up your project in Primavera P6 is creating the OBS, which defines the hierarchy of project roles. For this tutorial, we’ll create a Construction OBS and a Project Manager OBS.

1. Go to the Enterprise menu and select OBS.

2. Click Add to create a new OBS and name it Construction.

3. Add a second OBS element called Project Manager.

4. Close the OBS window.

Watch the video tutorial for creating the OBS here: Video Tutorial Link

Step 2: Create an Enterprise Project Structure (EPS)

Next, you'll need to set up the EPS. This will organize your projects under portfolios and programs. In our example, we’ll use an EPS named Test Construction Projects.

1. Go to the Enterprise menu and select EPS.

2. Click Add to create the EPS and name it Test Construction Projects.

3. Link this EPS to the Construction OBS.

4. Close the EPS window.

Watch the video tutorial for creating the EPS here: Video Tutorial Link

Step 3: Create a New Project

Once the EPS is in place, it's time to create your project. We’ll call it Community Health Center with the project ID CHC.

1. Go to File > New.

2. Select the EPS Test Construction Projects and click Next.

3. Name the project Community Health Center and assign it the project ID CHC.

4. Link the project to the Project Manager OBS and finish.

Watch the video tutorial for creating a new project here: Video Tutorial Link

Step 4: Define the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Now, it’s time to break down the project into manageable components using the WBS. This allows you to categorize your project phases.

1. Open the project and go to the WBS tab.

2. Add the following WBS elements:

   • Phase 1: Groundwork

   • Phase 2: Building Structure

   • Phase 3: Interior Work

Watch the video tutorial for creating the WBS here: Video Tutorial Link

Step 5: Create Activities

Under each WBS, you’ll add specific activities to outline your project tasks. Here are the activities for the Community Health Center:

• Phase 1: Groundwork: Site Preparation, Excavation, Foundation Laying, Utilities Installation

• Phase 2: Building Structure: Framework Erection, Wall Construction, Roofing

• Phase 3: Interior Work: Electrical Wiring, Plumbing, Flooring, Painting, Final Inspection

• Each activity needs a duration to define how long it will take to complete. Enter the durations as per the project plan (e.g., 3 days for Site Preparation, 4 days for Excavation, etc.).

Watch the video tutorial for creating activities here: Video Tutorial Link

Step 6: Set Activity Dependencies (Predecessors)

Dependencies ensure that tasks are performed in the correct sequence. Here's how you’ll set up the dependencies for the Community Health Center Project:

1. In the Activities view, select an activity (e.g., Excavation).

2. Go to the Predecessors tab in the detail view at the bottom of the screen.

3. Click the Add button in the bottom-left corner. This will open the Assign Predecessors window.

4. In the Assign Predecessors window, select the relevant predecessor for the current activity and click Assign.

5. Set the Dependency Type (Finish to Start, Start to Start, etc.) as needed.

6. Repeat this process for each activity, following the dependencies listed below:

   Phase 1: Groundwork

   • Excavation (C1010) depends on Site Preparation (C1000).

   • Foundation Laying (C1020) depends on Excavation (C1010).

   • Utilities Installation (C1030) depends on Foundation Laying (C1020).

   Phase 2: Building Structure

   • Framework Erection (C1040) depends on Utilities Installation (C1030).

   • Wall Construction (C1050) depends on Framework Erection (C1040).

   • Roofing (C1060) depends on Wall Construction (C1050).

   Phase 3: Interior Work

   • Electrical Wiring (C1070) depends on Roofing (C1060).

   • Plumbing (C1080) depends on Electrical Wiring (C1070).

   • Flooring (C1090) depends on Plumbing (C1080).

   • Painting (C1100) depends on Flooring (C1090).

   • Final Inspection (C1110) depends on Painting (C1100).

Watch the video tutorial for creating activities here: Video Tutorial Link

Step 7: Create Resources

In this step, we’ll create and assign resources (labor) to each activity in the Community Health Center Project:

1. Navigate to the Resources tab by going to Enterprise > Resources.

2. Right-click anywhere in the resources table and select Add to create new resources.

3. For each resource, enter the following details:

   • Resource ID: Unique identifier for each resource (e.g., Mike, Sarah).

   • Resource Name: The name of the resource (e.g., Mike).

   • Resource Type: Labor, Non-Labor, or Material.

4. Create the following resources:

   • Mike (Labor)

   • Sarah (Labor)

   • Tom (Labor)

   • Jane (Labor)

5. After creating resources, go back to the Activities view.

6. Select the activity you want to assign resources to (e.g., Site Preparation).

7. Go to the Resources tab in the detail view at the bottom of the screen.

8. Click the Add button in the bottom-left corner to open the Assign Resources window.

9. From the Assign Resources window, select the resource you want to assign (e.g., Mike for Site Preparation) and click Assign.

10. Repeat this process for each activity and assign the resources as per the table:

Phase 1: Groundwork

• Site Preparation (C1000) – Mike

• Excavation (C1010) – Sarah

• Foundation Laying (C1020) – Tom

• Utilities Installation (C1030) – Jane

Phase 2: Building Structure

• Framework Erection (C1040) – Mike

• Wall Construction (C1050) – Sarah

• Roofing (C1060) – Tom

Phase 3: Interior Work

• Electrical Wiring (C1070) – Jane

• Plumbing (C1080) – Mike

• Flooring (C1090) – Sarah

• Painting (C1100) – Tom

• Final Inspection (C1110) – Jane

Watch the video tutorial for creating activities here: Video Tutorial Link

Step 8: Assign Costs to Activities

To track the project budget effectively, each activity needs an associated cost. Here’s how you’ll assign costs for the Community Health Center Project:

1. In the Activities view, select an activity for which you want to assign costs (e.g., Site Preparation).

2. Go to the Expenses tab in the Detail View at the bottom of the screen.

3. Click the Add button in the bottom-left corner to create a new expense for the activity.

4. Enter the following information for each activity:

   • Expense ID: A unique identifier for each cost (e.g., C1000-SitePrep-Exp).

   • Expense Type: Define the expense type (e.g., Labor, Material).

   • Cost: Enter the cost amount for each activity.

5. Assign the following costs to each activity: Phase 1: Groundwork

   • Site Preparation (C1000) – NGN 150,000

   • Excavation (C1010) – NGN 180,000

   • Foundation Laying (C1020) – NGN 500,000

   • Utilities Installation (C1030) – NGN 200,000

   Phase 2: Building Structure

   • Framework Erection (C1040) – NGN 900,000

   • Wall Construction (C1050) – NGN 700,000

   • Roofing (C1060) – NGN 600,000

   Phase 3: Interior Work

   • Electrical Wiring (C1070) – NGN 300,000

   • Plumbing (C1080) – NGN 400,000

   • Flooring (C1090) – NGN 350,000

   • Painting (C1100) – NGN 500,000

   • Final Inspection (C1110) – NGN 100,000

Watch the video tutorial for creating activities here: Video Tutorial Link