Power BI Archives - Smart PM Blog https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/category/power-bi/ Project Control Tips for Planning Engineers Mon, 13 May 2024 09:54:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://i0.wp.com/blog.smartpmtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cropped-Smart-PM-Academy-Icon-100x100-01-Fav-Zen.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Power BI Archives - Smart PM Blog https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/category/power-bi/ 32 32 230652346 Connect Progress Photos with the Power BI Model https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/connect-progress-photos-with-the-power-bi-model/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/connect-progress-photos-with-the-power-bi-model/#respond Mon, 13 May 2024 09:54:09 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=615 In this video, I explain how you can connect your progress photos to your Power BI model. Here is the script: let BinaryToPbiImage = (BinaryContent as binary) as text=> let Base64 = “data:image/jpeg;base64, ” & Binary.ToText(BinaryContent, BinaryEncoding.Base64) in Base64 in BinaryToPbiImage Regards, Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, CCP, PMI-SP

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In this video, I explain how you can connect your progress photos to your Power BI model.

Here is the script:

let
BinaryToPbiImage = (BinaryContent as binary) as text=>
let
Base64 = “data:image/jpeg;base64, ” & Binary.ToText(BinaryContent, BinaryEncoding.Base64)
in
Base64
in
BinaryToPbiImage

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, CCP, PMI-SP

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Colour patterns and presentation best practices https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/colour-patterns-and-presentation-best-practices/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/colour-patterns-and-presentation-best-practices/#respond Thu, 07 Sep 2023 09:20:26 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=475 Colours are not everything in planning but they are important. The value of your reports will be compromised if the results are not presented in a skilled and polished manner. Many planners think that the more colours they show in their reports, the better. But this is far from the truth. Watch the below video […]

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Colours are not everything in planning but they are important.

The value of your reports will be compromised if the results are not presented in a skilled and polished manner.

Many planners think that the more colours they show in their reports, the better.

But this is far from the truth.

Watch the below video to understand the colour patterns and the best practices of presentations in project control.

In this video, I explain the colour wheel and colour palette. I also demonstrate the associated applications in project control.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

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8 Myths of Power BI in Project Control https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/8-myths-of-power-bi-in-project-control/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/8-myths-of-power-bi-in-project-control/#respond Mon, 03 Jul 2023 09:02:56 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=441 Although Power BI is a great tool, there are many false beliefs about its applications in project control. As a result, this prevents planning engineers from taking their Power BI skills to the next level or even holds them from using the software altogether. This article will address and discuss 8 myths of Power BI […]

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Although Power BI is a great tool, there are many false beliefs about its applications in project control. As a result, this prevents planning engineers from taking their Power BI skills to the next level or even holds them from using the software altogether. This article will address and discuss 8 myths of Power BI in the project control realm.

Myth# 01 – I don’t produce accurate results using Power BI

Many planning engineers start using the software but don’t produce the expected results. They struggle to design a dashboard that is similar to what they comfortably do inside Excel. Moreover, it seems very hard to identify what has gone wrong in the configuration setup that produced inaccurate results. While Primavera P6 is a project control tool, Power BI is a data analytics processor that is not designed for project control purposes. Therefore, any Power BI user should first master the data analytics principles which the software is based upon. Such principles include data normalization, cross-filter directions, snowflake schemas, cardinality and primary and foreign keys. Data analytics is a specialization area in which many practitioners pursue a whole career. On the other hand, planning engineers are not expected to be proficient in this area because it is not a part of their daily task routine and is not typically taught in engineering colleges. Hence, planning engineers should educate themselves in the data analytics area before they use the software. Otherwise, they will end up developing interactive “inaccurate” dashboards because they didn’t set up the model correctly. A common mistake planning engineers make is when they start Power BI tutorials before they complete data analytics training.

Myth# 02 -Power BI is really complicated

You have probably been using Excel for many years now and you have become very familiar with it. However, Power BI operates differently than Excel. You should also expect to be uncomfortable when you first use the software. Do you remember how frustrating it was when you used Primavera P6 or Excel for the first time? However, you had to force yourself to go through the process and continue using the tools anyway. After you put in the reps and navigate your way around the software, you have become better, quicker, more efficient and more confident in achieving the results that you expect from the software. Well, Power BI is not any different and it is worth going through the unfamiliarity and discomfort that are associated with the initial learning of this tool because the rewards are much higher than the pain.

Myth# 03 – I don’t have any coding experience to use Power BI

You don’t need any coding or programming experience to start using Power BI in project control. The software is in fact incredibly user-friendly and straightforward. Progress analysis and report preparation typically involve a set of routine tasks and predictable behaviour. In some sense, we attempt to “codify” the process but I don’t refer to the literal javascript kind of coding. By using Power BI, you can capture the required inputs from P6 and develop a model that processes pre-defined mathematical operations to achieve the desired outcome. For example, this model, if developed correctly, can immediately calculate your SPI value and update your progress curve, trend analysis, breakdown analysis and variance analysis with zero effort from your end.

Myth# 04 – Power BI is a paid service

As the software has many amazing benefits, many planners think that it is a paid service but Power BI is free for the most part. There are some additional advantages related to team collaborations if you upgrade to Pro at $10 per month. However, for planning engineers, I found that most users get their work done using the free version. This means that you can prepare interactive dashboards and eye-catching reports using a free service.

Myth# 05 – I don’t need Power BI because I am happy with my tools

First ask yourself: Are you satisfied with the value that you offer in your projects? Do you feel overwhelmed with the workload? Do you feel that you can offer a lot more but you can’t? In my experience, 99% of planning engineers suffer from these problems because they lack the systems, automation, leverage and efficiency that Power BI can offer you. If your existing tools don’t help you achieve the desired results, you need to change what you do. “If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you will continue to get what you’ve always got” – Henry Ford.

Myth# 06 – I don’t need Power BI because I am an advanced Excel user

Both Excel and Power BI are Microsoft products. If Excel is enough to do your work, why did Microsoft introduce Power BI in the first place? Although both tools operate differently, they share some similarities in practice. For example,
you can use Macros inside Power BI without creating them (it is called “Applied Steps” in Power BI). Moreover, you can enjoy the benefits of “Power Pivot” inside Power BI without the challenges that you face inside Excel.

Myth# 07 – I don’t need Power BI because it is not a requirement by Contract or Client

The Contract or Client might specify the project control deliverables such as progress reports, KPIs, etc. However, the tools that should be used to produce these deliverables are not often spelled out in the Contract. The requirements might obligate the Contractor to use a specific scheduling software but it won’t mandate using Excel, Power BI or any other tool to fulfill the project control requirements. However, whether you are on the Contractor’s or Consultant’s side, you can maximize your outputs and offer significant value by using Power BI.

Myth# 08 – learning new software from scratch is not worth it

Using Power BI can help you achieve the following:

  • Complete progress reports in seconds.
  • Analyze any area in the project with a click of a button.
  • Have all planning work in one location under one layout using one tool.
  • Not worry about validating excel formulas errors or calculations every single time you prepare a report.
  • Connect your drawings with the progress data and present photos.
  • Not waste time importing several XER files or browsing reports to find the information that you need.
  • Extract data from the model and prepare a complete presentation in seconds.
  • Create systems and complete tasks on auto-pilot.
  • Create themes that save a lot of time on report formatting.
  • Impress stakeholders and build a powerful brand in front of clients.
  • Provide massive value to the team toward project success.
  • Have all the answers in a progress meeting immediately on the spot.
  • Show beautiful dashboards and a link to the interactive report in your CV to get shortlisted for vacancies.
  • Avoid preparing progress reports manually.
  • Not worry about workload and meeting deadlines.
  • Show supreme competencies and skills.
  • Gain recognition from your team and stakeholders as a planning engineer who is knowledgeable and expert.
  • Acquire superior planning skills.
  • Develop a strong data analytics mindset that will help you solve future problems and set you up for success.
  • Do all of the above using a FREE software service.

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4 common mistakes planners make in Power BI https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/4-mistakes-planners-make-in-power-bi/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/4-mistakes-planners-make-in-power-bi/#respond Mon, 29 May 2023 14:13:50 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=416 It is very easy to make mistakes and generate tons of misleading data in Power BI if you don’t know what you are doing. Data analytics is a specialization area in which many people pursue a whole career. Planning Engineers are encouraged to focus on improving their P6 and Excel skills to prepare their reports […]

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It is very easy to make mistakes and generate tons of misleading data in Power BI if you don’t know what you are doing. Data analytics is a specialization area in which many people pursue a whole career. Planning Engineers are encouraged to focus on improving their P6 and Excel skills to prepare their reports and do their job. However, if you are not using Power BI, I can assure you that you feel overwhelmed with your work. I also know that you are drowning in the data and not swimming for insights. As the data analytics domain is not popular among planning engineers, it is easy to struggle with Power BI and make mistakes, especially at the beginning. Here are the most common Power BI mistakes that planners make.

1- Primary and Foreign Keys

Your model will ideally consist of multiple queries for different purposes (e.g. Activity Codes, Progress Data, Cost and labor assignments, etc). Each query should have a primary key which is a unique identifier that all other fields in the same query can correspond to. Here are a few examples.

Baseline Query

This may include

  • Activity ID (it is a unique identifier and therefore can be primary).
  • Activity Description (Foreign)
  • Budgeted Total Cost (Foreign).

Activity Code Query

  • Activity Code ID (Primary)
  • Activity Code Description (foreign)

You must set the primary and foreign keys properly so that the model can process your requests accurately.

2- Duplication of Fields

This mistake is very common. Engineers who lack data analytics knowledge show the same field in multiple queries. For example, they may populate the “Budgeted Total Cost” as a foreign key in two different queries. This can be disastrous in your model and there will be a high chance that your interactive report is not generating the expected results because the configuration is not set up properly. Avoidance of field duplications is key and aligns with the data normalization principles.

3- It is not Excel

Yes, there is an intersection between Excel and Power BI but they are quite different. For example, Pivot Tables in Excel are similar to the Queries in Power BI. Moreover, the Power Pivot in Excel is similar to the model relationships in Power BI. However, both function in an entirely different way. In Excel, you can deal with individual cells (e.g. sum the values located in two different cells). On the contrary, Power BI doesn’t recognize individual cells and only deals with rows and columns. Many planning engineers don’t understand this concept and even worse, they try to construct the model in a way that will facilitate the return of individual cells because it brings the excel familiar. Hence, this can cause misleading results.

4- Cardinality

Many planners choose to have (many to many) relationships in their model because why not? It feels safe. However, I always construct my model to have “one to many” or “many to one” relationships. It is also a natural outcome when the primary and foreign keys are set properly.

Why do you need data analytics in project control?

Data analytics is a specialization area but you don’t have to master every aspect. You only need to understand the principles so you can get by. The effective implementation of data analytics in project control can help you:

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

Learn More!

Check out our comprehensive courses

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Bored from your planning task routine? Think Again! https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/bored-planning-task/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/bored-planning-task/#respond Tue, 14 Mar 2023 08:38:45 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=338 As a planning engineer, you probably follow the below routine every week. 1- Collect progress data. 2- Update the schedule. 3- Prepare the weekly report and dashboards (input data in the same fields, apply the same formula, do the same formatting, etc) 4- Review the outcome. 5- identify project delays. 6- Prepare progress presentations for […]

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As a planning engineer, you probably follow the below routine every week.

1- Collect progress data.

2- Update the schedule.

3- Prepare the weekly report and dashboards (input data in the same fields, apply the same formula, do the same formatting, etc)

4- Review the outcome.

5- identify project delays.

6- Prepare progress presentations for meetings.

7- Voila! Rinse and repeat.

Boring, right? Well, I am here today to tell you that there is a golden opportunity in this routine.

Here is an example of just one routine step. Every week, you calculate the SPI on Tuesday morning. It is when you’ve just completed the schedule update and started preparing the report. You divide the Earned Value Cost by the Planned Cost. This means that you apply the “same” mathematical operation every week on Tuesday morning. It doesn’t matter if you use excel for calculation purposes. You would still need to copy data from P6 or input a figure manually into your excel report. The same concept will apply when you try to calculate the Actual %, variance %, etc. In other words, you actively participate in the development of your report. Despite the current technology and software tools that we currently have at our disposal, 99.9% of planning engineers perform their duties in such a traditional way which impacts their productivity and limits their potential to add value.

Planning Engineers should find a way to apply technology leverage and code such routine tasks so that most of their work is passively completed; thanks to our boring routine. On the other hand, doctors can’t follow an exact routine every time they diagnose a patient because factors such as gender, age, and health problems must be taken into consideration. Hence, doctors must perform their duties in an active manner on a case-by-case basis. Planning engineers are just so lucky to have a routine whenever a reporting task is requested or completed.

Disadvantages of performing task routine

According to the above, when you “actively” perform your tasks and follow the routine, you will:

1- Feel bored by an overwhelming amount of repetitive work to produce static reports which make your work less enjoyable.

2- Spend more time, effort and energy performing the same tasks on weekly basis.

3- Have high friction in your workflow as you would need to apply numerous steps to prepare your report. Moreover, you will need to constantly review your outcome, apply P6 filters, deal with formula errors, format reports, update the cell range of your excel formula and refer to the baseline schedule as necessary.

4- Follow the “same” steps to prepare your progress presentation manually.

5- Struggle with meeting deadlines.

Advantages of coding your task routine

In this case, it makes far more sense to use data analytics processors such as Power BI to code the task routine which helps planning engineers:

1- Automate tasks and complete interactive reports and presentations on autopilot within seconds.

2- Analyze any area in the project with a click of a button using one tool.

3- Save time and effort by eliminating low-impact activities such as formatting or applying mathematical operations.

4- Not feel bored by doing the exact same work every week.

5- Enjoy less friction as you will need to worry less about excel formulas errors, reviewing your outcome or constantly referring to the baseline schedule, as necessary.

I am not talking about a few routine steps here. I mean the whole process that you follow to complete your reporting tasks such as trend analysis, progress curve, breakdown analysis, variance analysis, etc.

 

Conclusion

Your biggest enemy is sometimes your best ally. Your “boring” routine that you always complain about could be the reason for you to become more productive, add more value and unlock the best career opportunities. Your routine can be the way to have the time, freedom, clarity, efficiency and energy that you exactly need for a prosperous career. It is also how you stand out from the competition.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

Learn More!

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Don’t spend time preparing progress reports https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/spend-time-reports/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/spend-time-reports/#respond Tue, 14 Mar 2023 07:47:04 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=340 Planning Engineers are mainly hired to prepare progress reports. Well, this article will demonstrate why planning engineers should NOT spend any time preparing progress reports. In fact, this task is what limits planning engineers’ ability to add value to their projects. Early in my career, I was told that preparing progress reports is the main […]

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Planning Engineers are mainly hired to prepare progress reports. Well, this article will demonstrate why planning engineers should NOT spend any time preparing progress reports. In fact, this task is what limits planning engineers’ ability to add value to their projects. Early in my career, I was told that preparing progress reports is the main task that I should focus on. I did not question that because of my limited experience back then so I did what everyone else around me was doing. Several years forward, I believe that spending time on progress reports should be entirely avoided if you want to thrive in your project control career.

I understand that this statement might be shocking to you but I am a practical person who loves to make conclusions based on logic and practical frameworks so let’s break this down. First, let’s review what “experienced” planning engineers currently do after they complete the schedule update.

  • Assign the Baseline Schedule to the Schedule Update inside P6.
  • Apply filters as necessary.
  • Copy data into a configuration Excel sheet where formulas are established.
  • Review the front end (the report itself) and make sure that there are no errors.
  • Repeat the same cycle as many times as necessary to complete other report sections and dashboards (e.g. milestones, progress curve, resources, cost, work categories, variance analysis, breakdown analysisdelay highlights, long lead items, performance %’s and other indicators).
  • Import historic XER files to analyze the progress further.

Preparing progress reports is a time and effort vampire. Project control is simple because most of the above reporting tasks are repetitive. You probably apply the same steps and perform the same mathematical operations in the same order when you prepare the report every week. While this workflow is perceived by many planning engineers as a lot of boring work, I see a golden opportunity. Power BI allows planning engineers to code the process, automate these tasks and complete the whole report within seconds on autopilot. This means that planning engineers don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time they prepare a progress report.

With every client I do consultations with, project managers expect more contributions and involvement from their planning engineers. However, they don’t want to push their planners further because they can see them work so hard on preparing reports. At the same time, companies don’t want to hire more expensive “qualified” planners because this will compromise their budget. It is an endless loop that got many large projects completed late and over budget. After planning engineers use power BI and have so much time saved up, they can focus on things that matter the most. They can do the followings:

  • Identify and communicate project delays to their team.
  • Prepare and monitor recovery measures.
  • Identify more opportunities for Extension of Time Claims.
  • Draft correspondences to Subcontractors that are in default to ensure that the progress is in accordance with the plan.
  • Perform more comprehensive interactive analysis, give recommendations, attend meetings and prepare progress presentations for the decision-makers and the client.
  • Monitor the progress of engineering and procurement and work closely with the respective departments.
  • Review performance trends and highlight the potential delays before they occur to the project.
  • Analyze the causes of payment deficits and recommend actions to get back on track with the original cash flow.

Nobody has enough time in a day to “manually” prepare a comprehensive progress report AND carry out the above tasks effectively. Both the decision makers and Planning engineers are fully aware of what is expected to perform effective project control. The number one challenge faced by planning engineers is not the lack of knowledge; it is the lack of time. We need to shift our mindset on progress reports and consider them as input instead of output to deliver the results we need. It is something that project control books or certifications don’t teach. This poor mindset of solely focusing on progress reports has been sold to all planning engineers across the globe and got us nowhere. As a result, planning engineers continue to struggle with delivering what is expected from them.  In other words, the main work of planning engineers should start AFTER the progress report is completed. The quicker you complete the report, the more effective and qualified you become. Finally, not only can Power BI help planning engineers achieve amazing results but also help companies hire fewer planning engineers to do even more work.

Don’t work for your report. Make your reports work for you.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

Learn More!

Check out our comprehensive courses

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Automate formatting for progress reports and presentations https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/report-formatting/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/report-formatting/#respond Sun, 05 Mar 2023 19:12:52 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=181 Formatting is one of the most time-consuming low-impact activities for planning engineers. Although formatting is necessary, it is not considered a key value activity compared to delay analysis, schedule update, etc. In other words, if you have limited time during the day, you would better spend that time on high-impact activities such as claim submission, progress analysis, highlighting delays to the site […]

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Formatting is one of the most time-consuming low-impact activities for planning engineers. Although formatting is necessary, it is not considered a key value activity compared to delay analysis, schedule update, etc. In other words, if you have limited time during the day, you would better spend that time on high-impact activities such as claim submission, progress analysis, highlighting delays to the site team, attending meetings and so on. On the other hand, formatting doesn’t have the same high impact on the project control deliverables. Although formatting is an essential element of high-quality reports and presentations, it takes a lot of the scheduler’s valuable time.

I believe that formatting should be the first task that should be automated in your workflow. However, many planning engineers don’t really know how this can be done in a practical way. You might have tried to prepare excel templates that can be updated on weekly basis. However, here are some of the challenges that you typically face when you format your reports inside excel.

  • You still need to do formatting for any new reports or dashboards.
  • It is challenging to ensure the same colour selection and formatting consistency across the whole report.
  • You might need to prepare quick ad-hoc reports for your own analysis where formatting will be required to make the findings clearly and easily readable.
  • You might need to report certain data that are requested by stakeholders. High-quality formatting for the final product will still be needed.
  • You will be using “format painter” a lot inside excel.
  • You will format fonts and tables most of the time too.

Each of the above takes time. When you add up this time, you realize that you wasted many hours that could have otherwise been spent on performing effective analysis that helps the project move forward.

You can incorporate tools such as Power BI in your workflow to automate formatting. Here is what you can do inside Power BI.

1- Create Themes

When you develop your design inside Power BI, you can define your preferences which may include some of the following:

  • Font Size and type for chart data, title, labels, etc
  • Font colours for chart data, title, labels, etc
  • Chart colours and background colours

Not only will this save you a lot of time in formatting new charts but will also ensure consistency across the whole report or presentation because pre-defined characteristics will be automatically applied to each element in the same report. Such characteristics include, for example, the exact colour grade and font colour.

2- Bulk formatting

Unlike excel where you have to format each cell, Power BI allows you to format a whole report, page or chart within seconds. Select the elements that you wish to format and customize the associated font, colours, charts labels and data. All changes will be immediately applied to your selections.

3- Professional looks

Power BI is designed to analyze data and report findings. Therefore, a Power BI report will look way more professional and beautiful than excel. Although you can have great formatting inside excel, you will need extremely good software skills to prepare beautiful dashboards. On the other hand, it is a lot easier to produce the same quality or even much higher using Power BI.

Here are a few examples of progress reports that are developed using Power BI. Pay attention to the consistency in all elements such as font types, colour grades, etc.

In conclusion, planning engineers should find ways to free up their valuable time to focus on high-impact deliverables such as variance analysisbreakdown analysis and activity trends. One of the most time-consuming low-impact activities is formatting. Power BI helps planning engineers automate formatting and prepare professional reports and presentations.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

Learn More!

Check out our comprehensive courses

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How to deal with workload and deadlines in project control? https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/how-to-deal-with-workload-and-deadlines-in-project-control/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/how-to-deal-with-workload-and-deadlines-in-project-control/#respond Sun, 05 Mar 2023 19:10:19 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=178 Many planning engineers complain about the workload and deadlines. They really wish to deliver more value to their projects but they fail to do so. They have the required expertise, knowledge and ambition but there are challenges that prevent them from reaching their potential. In this article, I will explain some of these challenges and how to overcome them. The […]

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Many planning engineers complain about the workload and deadlines. They really wish to deliver more value to their projects but they fail to do so. They have the required expertise, knowledge and ambition but there are challenges that prevent them from reaching their potential. In this article, I will explain some of these challenges and how to overcome them.

The first area that contributes to a significant workload is progress reporting. Planning engineers are required to plan, monitor and report the progress of different project aspects which include construction, engineering, procurement and authorities. Moreover, the process requires dealing with multiple communication channels that include the site team, head office management, subcontractors and local and international suppliers. That’s a lot of work. I understand the pain and frustration because I have been there myself. Despite these challenges, there are amazing career opportunities. Because the market will naturally filter the huge pool of planning engineers and reward those who have the knowledge and tools to manage such a huge workload and still add significant value. Utilizing your limited time, applying smart leverage and delivering value will help you rise and thrive in today’s highly competitive project control market.

Many planning engineers aim to fulfill such requirements manually which is not a feasible option for the human brain. No planning engineer has enough time and effort in a day to do all of the above. In fact, the best planning engineers will barely get the job done and won’t be able to do any other work. Why? Because there is a huge misconception in the project control industry which made us conditioned to believe that progress report preparation is the ultimate and main deliverable that is expected from planning engineers. However, planning engineers are expected to do a lot more work to deliver value.

Another area that requires more of the planning engineers’ time and is meetings. Not only should planning engineers prepare progress presentations for meetings but also initiate meetings. As planning engineers are the first ones who can identify progress issues, they should plan and manage meetings with relevant stakeholders. However, meetings require a lot of work which includes preparing and formatting the slides. Planning engineers will need to extract and analyze relevant information to clearly present the issue and the associated solutions.

In my opinion, planning engineers should build their machines and design an effective workflow. They should spend most of their time performing analyses inside their operation center. The term “Project Control” implies that you should control the project and not be controlled by the overwhelming amount of its requirements. Planning engineers should come from a place of strength and create their products using multiple control panels that are designed for different purposes. However, planning Engineers have always felt the burden of “reacting” to the project requirements which include:

  • Report submission before the deadline.
  • Preparing dashboards and presentations for progress meetings.
  • Preparing ad-hoc reports and answering questions whenever requested by the team and management.

 

Most planning engineers are in the “reaction” mode. They should rather be in the “action” mode where they can analyze the progress status quickly, prepare the necessary recovery measures and help the project move forward. The only way to do so is to utilize your limited time towards executing high-impact activities such as progress analysis instead of low-impact activities such as report formatting. The idea is to create systems and automate as many tasks as possible. You are literally competing with thousands of people for the same vacancy. I have realized that hiring managers have become more interested in candidates who have the potential to add value rather than just preparing a report. It is really up to you which tools you can use to create such systems but one of my favourites is Power BI which is of the best data analytics processors.

Power BI helps planning engineers do the following:

  • Complete progress reports in seconds.
  • Analyze any area in the project with a click of a button.
  • Have all planning work in one location under one layout using one tool.
  • Ensure the accuracy of progress reports without the constant checking of excel formulas.
  • Create systems and complete project control tasks on auto-pilot.
  • Create themes that save a lot of time on report formatting.
  • Impress stakeholders and build a powerful brand in front of management and clients.
  • Provide massive value to the team toward project success.
  • Code your reporting tasks and workflow so you don’t reinvent the wheel every time you prepare a report.
  • Execute most of the planning work using a free Power BI service.
  • Get shortlisted for vacancies by showing unique skills that very few planners have in the market.
  • Have all the answers in a progress meeting immediately on the spot.
  • Do all of the above using a FREE software service.

 

To sum up, planning engineers should not spend most of their time preparing reports and meeting deadlines. We need to focus more on analysis, providing feedback, communicating recovery measures, highlighting potential delays before they occur, inviting subcontractors to meetings and discussing the possible recovery actions. At the same time, planning engineers need to find ways to automate delays identification, presentation preparation, report preparation and formatting. This leverage gives you the time, space, clarity and energy that you need to focus on the things that matter the most and add more value.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

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Variance Analysis in Project Control https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/variance-analysis/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/variance-analysis/#respond Sun, 05 Mar 2023 19:07:14 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=175 The determination of Early & Late Planned %, Actual % and Variance % is one of the key components in project control. Many planning engineers spend the time and effort to determine these percentages in every progress update cycle. They calculate and report these percentages for the overall project and the key project areas. However, variance analysis should […]

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The determination of Early & Late Planned %, Actual % and Variance % is one of the key components in project control. Many planning engineers spend the time and effort to determine these percentages in every progress update cycle. They calculate and report these percentages for the overall project and the key project areas. However, variance analysis should not be static, it is a dynamic process that is often implemented based on your own needs. It is not uncommon to have thousands of activities in a schedule. Therefore, reporting variance indicators for the overall project and the key areas is meaningless unless it is accompanied by a more detailed analysis. At the same time, it is inconvenient to report the variance status for all activities. You need targeted analysis that is driven by causes and meaning because the human brain doesn’t know what it is looking for until it sees “triggers”.

For example, you prepare a report that shows an overall variance of -5%. As the project is in delay, you are motivated to investigate further. After some analysis, you found that concrete is the dominant cause of delay in the project. You analyzed further and determined that the formwork activities take longer than planned. However, you wouldn’t have looked at the formwork activities if you didn’t see a “trigger” in the concrete activities. Similarly, you decided to analyze the concrete performance when you saw a “trigger” related to the overall project delays. An interactive report or dashboard allows you to review the progress status and act on “triggers” with a click of a button and within seconds. Moreover, Power BI provides planning engineers with the below 8 pillars that are required to perform effective variance analysis.

 

1- Speed

How long does it take you to analyze the variance at different project levels?

2- Efficiency

How many intermediate steps do you need to follow to perform the variance analysis?

3- Reliability

How many connection points do you incorporate into your model? How easy is it to diagnose and resolve system issues? Working with 10 excel sheets and several XER files is not a reliable model. One Power BI file and one data connection source make a better model.

4- Convenience

Is the system easy to use? Do you need to be a tech person? Do you have to validate your formulas or calculations EVERY SINGLE TIME you analyze the variance?

5- Clarity

Are the data well organized? Can the reviewer analyze the outcomes without being confused?

6- Flow

Large projects have huge data. Does your model process data slowly? Do you have redundant data that affect your results?

7- Communication

What are your channels to communicate the results with your stakeholders? Are these channels user-friendly?

8- DFP (Done For Presentation)

How effective are you to extract data and quickly prepare a presentation for a meeting or any purpose? A presentation that is professional, beautiful, eye-catching and valuable and also keeps the reviewer engaged and impressed.

 

It is not really a science. The idea is to find a way to code the process. Your project control duties start with identifying where we are (a.k.a variance analysis). This is the basis of everything that happens afterward which may include recovery measures, progress curvestrend analysisinteractive reportsdashboardsbreakdown analysis, risk analysis, etc. Therefore, effective variance analysis must have the above 8 pillars in order to add value to our projects. Unfortunately, many planning engineers follow the traditional analysis methods which include applying P6 filters and copying data into excel. This process will cause serious limitations in their workflows and will reduce their abilities to explore the variance in depth. On the contrary, Power BI provides great leverage to perform effective project control.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

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The Power of ONE https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/the-power-of-one/ https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/the-power-of-one/#respond Sun, 05 Mar 2023 19:00:31 +0000 https://blog.smartpmtraining.com/?p=172 Planning Engineers are overwhelmed with so many tools and files. They use different tools such as Primavera P6 for progress review, excel for progress analysis and PowerPoint for progress presentation. Moreover, they use many excel sheets for different purposes which may include: Variance Analysis, Breakdown Analysis, Trends, Dashboards, Progress Curves, a Progress Matrix, Gantt Charts, etc. You can apply […]

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Planning Engineers are overwhelmed with so many tools and files. They use different tools such as Primavera P6 for progress review, excel for progress analysis and PowerPoint for progress presentation. Moreover, they use many excel sheets for different purposes which may include: Variance Analysis, Breakdown AnalysisTrendsDashboardsProgress Curves, a Progress Matrix, Gantt Charts, etc. You can apply intermediate formulas among different files but each file has its own configuration setup.

Here is what the main workflow for most planning engineers looks like.

  • Assign the Baseline Schedule to the Schedule Update in P6.
  • Apply filters as necessary to perform the analysis.
  • Copy data into multiple Excel sheets where formulas are established.
  • Compile all outputs into a single report.
  • Prepare presentations using PowerPoint.

The Problem

Here are some of the problems associated with working with multiple files:

  • You might run the risk of referring to the wrong XER file while you work.
  • You forgot to update some excel formulas when you prepare the report.
  • You may have typing errors.
  • You will most likely deal with excel formulas errors.
  • It is hard to set up validation points to identify the root cause of the problem in your configurations.
  • You will waste a lot of time following this process.

Moreover, this workflow has many problems beyond the progress report preparation. The report review doesn’t get any easier. You will probably need to import multiple XER files as necessary or navigate among different files in the report to look for the information that you need.

Working with many files causes huge friction, constraints, limitations, congestion and tasks traffic. Dealing with many planning files may help you arrive at the desired destination but you never reach your full potential. Moreover, you will also feel exhausted and unable to deliver “value”. In addition, this process often produces static reporting, not interactive.

The solution

You should have all your project control work in one file under one layout using one tool only. This helps you connect all project control data easily and build interactive reports effectively. Here is what it looks like inside Power BI.

 

Your project control model should operate like a subway where you:

  • Avoid friction and the constant task “traffic”.
  • Utilize systems to reach your full potential and add value.
  • Create presentations with a click of a button without the need to spend time using PowerPoint.

You simply have full control when you have everything available and connected in one place. While you still need scheduling software such as P6, you will definitely need a powerful data analytics processor to have everything under ONE.


 Power BI provides planning engineers with great tools that help them complete most of the project control tasks on autopilot and in a seamless way. That’s the power of ONE in project control.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

Learn More!

Check out our comprehensive courses

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