assignment rate type in primavera

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Primavera p6 rate types and how to use them, introduction to primavera p6 rate types.

Primavera P6 allows the user flexibility when it comes to rate types and types of project costs. Project teams may run into situations where different rate types are necessary depending on the type of project that is being set up. For example, one project schedule may require internal costs only, while a proposal project schedule may require an external rate that includes fees and other associated costs in the project.

Primavera P6 allows the project team to assign up to five different rate types to assignments in the project schedule. In addition, any of these five rate types can be set up as the default rate in Primavera P6 and for new resources. This article will address how to set up different rate types in Primavera P6.

Setting Up the Rate Type

The first part of the process can be performed with the Primavera P6 project open or closed. The Primavera P6 user must first establish a user-defined title for the rates. Go to the Admin tab and select “Admin Preferences…”:

When the Admin Preferences dialog box opens, select the Rate Types tab on the left side of the screen and highlight one of the rates that you want to change:

Once highlighted, you can change the user-defined title of the rate type. In this example we are going to use an external proposal rate:

Go to the Enterprise tab and select “Resources”. In this example we will assign the new external rate to the Operator under our Trades category in Primavera P6:

Right-click and select “Columns” and then “Customize…”:

The Columns dialog box will open and you will be able to see the new rate type under the General section. Select the new rate type and use the top arrow in the middle of the dialog box to move the selection over to the Selected Options area and then click “OK”:

Go back to your resources tab and you can see that the new rate type has been added to the assigned resource. Take note that the “Calculate Costs from units” checkbox is checked by default. This option means that new assignments for this role will automatically have their costs recalculated when there is a quantity update. Primavera P6 will also default to hours for the unit value. A project team member can input a price and the unit will default to hours.

Go to the Primavera P6 bottom section and select the Units & Prices tab. Right-click on the header and select “Customize Resource Rate Columns…”:

The Resource Rate Columns dialog box will open. Select the new rate type from the Available Options and use the arrow in the center of the dialog box to transfer the selection to the Selected Options section and click “OK”:

You can see the new rate type:

Assigning a Rate Type as a New Default Setting

To assign the new rate type as the default rate type for a new resource assignment in Primavera P6, select the Projects tab and select and highlight your current project. Go to the Resources tab at the bottom of the Primavera P6 screen and use the pull-down menu to select the new rate type under “Specify the default Rate Type for the new assignments”:

Primavera P6 will now assign the new rate type to new resources assigned to this project by default.

New Resource Assignments and the New Rate Type

To assign a new resource that will employ the new rate type, the project must be open first. In this example, we will highlight the task “Explore Opportunity” and select the Resources tab from Primavera P6’s bottom menu.

Select “Add Resource” and choose Operator under the Trades category. Click the green plus sign to add this new resource to the highlighted task:

Take note of the pay rate default that we set for this resource from our previous steps:

Primavera P6 gives the project team flexibility when assigning rate types to resources and roles. Planning boasts more accuracy when different rates are employed since not all project costs are the same and different rates are often required for internal versus external costs. Using up to five saved and pre-determined rate types means that the project team can keep internal costs separate from external costs that may include a fee.

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​​ Primavera P6 Rate Types and How to Use Them By:  Melanie Calverley Introduction to Primavera P6 Rate Types Primavera P6 allows the user flexibility when it comes to rate types and types of project costs. Project teams may run into situations where different rate types are necessary depending on the type of project that is being set up. For example, one project schedule may require internal costs only, while a proposal project schedule may require an external rate that includes fees and other associated costs in the project. Primavera P6 allows the project team to assign up to five different rate types to assignments in the project schedule. In addition, any of these five rate types can be set up as the default rate in Primavera P6 and for new resources. This article will address how to set up different rate types in Primavera P6. Setting Up the Rate Type  The first part of the process can be performed with the Primavera P6 project open or closed. The Primavera P6 user must first establish a user-defined title to the rates. Go to the Admin tab and select “Admin Preferences…”:    When the Admin Preferences dialog box opens, select the Rate Types tab on the left side of the screen and highlight one of the rates that you want to change:    Once highlighted, you can change the user-defined title of the rate type. In this example we are going to use an external proposal rate:     Go to the Enterprise tab and select “Resources”. In this example we will assign the new external rate to the Operator under our Trades category in Primavera P6:     Right-click and select “Columns” and then “Customize…”:    The Columns dialog box will open and you will be able to see the new rate type under the General section. Select the new rate type and use the top arrow in the middle of the dialog box to move the selection over to the Selected Options area and then click “OK”:    

Go back to your resources tab and you can see that the new rate type has been added to the assigned resource. Take note that the “Calculate Costs from units” checkbox is checked by default. This option means that new assignments for this role will automatically have their costs recalculated when there is a quantity update. Primavera P6 will also default to hours for the unit value. A project team member can input a price and the unit will default to hours.   Go to the Primavera P6 bottom section and select the Units & Prices tab. Right-click on the header and select “Customize Resource Rate Columns…”:    The Resource Rate Columns dialog box will open. Select the new rate type from the Available Options and use the arrow in the center of the dialog box to transfer the selection to the Selected Options section and click “OK”:    You can see the new rate type:     Assigning a Rate Type as a New Default Setting To assign the new rate type as the default rate type for a new resource assignment in Primavera P6, select the Projects tab and select and highlight your current project. Go to the Resources tab at the bottom of the Primavera P6 screen and use the pull-down menu to select the new rate type under “Specify the default Rate Type for the new assignments”:  Primavera P6 will now assign the new rate type to new resources assigned to this project by default. New Resource Assignments and the New Rate Type To assign a new resource that will employ the new rate type, the project must be open first. In this example, we will highlight the task “Explore Opportunity” and select the Resources tab from Primavera P6’s bottom menu.  Select “Add Resource” and choose Operator under the Trades category. Click the green plus sign to add this new resource to the highlighted task:   

Take note of the payrate default that we set for this resource from our previous steps:   Conclusion Primavera P6 gives the project team flexibility when assigning rate types to resources and roles. Planning boasts more accuracy when different rates are employed since not all project costs are the same and different rates are often required for internal versus external costs. Using up to five saved and pre-determined rate types mean that the project team can keep internal costs separate from external costs that may include a fee.

​© 5/25/2021

Original article by author, Melanie Calverley, first posted by Leopard Project Controls at:  https://consultleopard.com/primavera-p6-rate-types-and-how-to-use-them/

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1-800-931-1582, primavera tutorial : resource assignments window.

by Mary W | Aug 22, 2017 | Primavera Tutorial | 0 comments

Primavera P6 Training

Welcome back to our  training  blog! Today we are going to cover the resource assignments window in Primavera P6.

The Resource Assignments window allows you to view and add resource & role assignments to activities in your current projects. Information regarding resource cost and quantity can also be viewed in spreadsheet format.

Here are some quick things to remember about the Resource Assignments window:

• The Resource Assignment pane shows a list of the currently opened project’s (or projects) resource assignments and details. The layouts in this pane can be grouped by resource, role, activity, project, cost account as well as many other options. Additionally, users can apply filters and modify the columns.
• The Resource Usage spreadsheet illustrates resource usage and cost over time.
• The Display options bar selects the timescale interval and can change the values in the Resource Usage spreadsheet.
• The Assignment Details window contains the General and Planning tabs
• Use the General tab to view and modify assignments
• Use the Planning tab to enter units, units/time, and duration

The General tab

The General tab is where you can find all of the information about the assignment, such as the resource and role assignment. This is where you can specify a resource’s rate type. The rate type determines the price per unit used to calculate the cost for the assignment.  A resource can also be assigned as the primary resource in the General tab.

You can also use the General tab to adjust the resource assignment. For example, if a resource is over-allocated, the general tab can be used to replace the resource with an alternative resource.

The Planning tab

The Planning tab is where all the resource information is stored.  When a user assigns a resource to activity, each field shows the specific resource information based on: 

• The activity duration
• The calendar assigned to the resource
• Its default units per time

The Planning tab can also be used to adjust a resource’s units, etc for an activity to help manage allocations.

The Resource Assignments Window video below also demonstrates how to view and modify non-linear resource assignments by assigning a resource curve to an activity assignment by adding the resource curve column to the Resource Assignments pane.

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Calculating cost when using multiple resource rates

The total cost for a resource assignment takes into consideration any changes in the price/unit over the course of the activity.

When connected to a P6 Professional database: Enter a price/unit for each rate type (defined in Admin Preferences, Rate Types) in the Units & Prices tab in the Resources window.

When connected to a P6 EPPM database: An application level setting determines whether cost spreads account for changes in resource and role rates over time. Enter a price/unit for each rate type (defined in P6, Application Settings) in the Units & Prices tab in the Resources window.

Select the rate type you want this assignment to use in the Resources tab in the Activities window. The cost of the resource assignment is based on the Rate Type assigned to the resource assignment.

For example, a 3-day activity has a resource that works 8 hours per day. The activity begins on Monday, 12-Aug-02 8:00 AM and ends on Wednesday, 14-Aug-02 5:00 PM. Price/unit for the resource is defined as:

The cost of the first 16 hours of the resource assignment is $160 (16 hours x $10.00/ hr). The cost for the last 8 hours of the resource assignment is $240 (8 hours x $30.00/ hr). The total cost for the resource is $400.00 ($160.00 + $240.00).

• If you have resources with shifts that use timesheets, costs calculate using the price of the first shift for the resource.
• When activity dates change, run Recalculate Assignment Costs to update resource costs based on the new dates.
• Multiple resource rates are not reflected in the Activity Usage Spreadsheet or Resource Usage Spreadsheet.

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Project Assignment List

Review Resource Assignments in a Project or Program

The Assignment List page at the project level displays all of the resources assigned to the project. This page is also available at the program level for resources assigned to the projects within the program.

You can view resource assignments and their data in two different layouts: Grid or Spreadsheet.

Use the standard Grid layout for a view of total values for your resource assignments and their data. The data is displayed in customizable columns and grouping criteria depending on your needs. Because the Grid layout doesn't include a breakdown of the data over time, you can use this view to report high-level data to stakeholders. Some cells can be updated by selecting the cell and entering a new value or selecting a value from the drop-down options available. Multiple cells can be updated with the same value by selecting the highlighted corner of the cell and clicking-and-dragging the cell up or down to fill-up or fill-down the rows in that column with the selected cell value. You can also use Shift + Click to highlight multiple cells or use Ctrl + Click to select multiple cells, and then use the right-click Fill Down menu option.

Spreadsheet

Use the Spreadsheet layout to view resource assignments and their data in a customizable table format with a breakdown of values along the timescale configured for the page. Add vertical columns to view general information, dates and durations, and rolled up unit and cost fields for each resource. The same unit and cost fields can be displayed in horizontal spreadsheet rows so that their values can be analyzed along a timescale. Time-phased values for each row roll up to a corresponding Total column.

The first column of the table shows each resource assignment's name. Resources can be grouped by their activity assignments, associated roles, projects, codes, and more. These same fields can also be shown as columns. If a resource is grouped by a role or has an associated role listed in a column, it means that the role is staffed by the resource. If a resource is grouped by a role with a grouping band value of None, or if the associated role column is blank, it means that the resource is directly assigned to the project and has no associated role. If a resource name field is blank, it means that an unstaffed role is assigned to the project. You may need to add a column for role name or ID or group by roles to see which roles are staffed or unstaffed.

Some cells can be updated by selecting the cell and entering a new value or selecting a value from the drop-down options available. Multiple cells can be updated with the same value by selecting the highlighted corner of the cell and clicking-and-dragging the cell up or down to fill-up or fill-down the rows in that column with the selected cell value. You can also use Shift + Click to highlight multiple cells or use Ctrl + Click to select multiple cells, and then use the right-click Fill Down menu option.

If you're using the Spreadsheet layout to review an assignment list for a specific project, you can export and download a copy of the entire spread of resource and role data. Select Download Entire Spread in the lower toolbar to download. You will receive a notification when the file is ready to be downloaded.

You can save your page layouts as named views. Create as many named views as necessary for different displays of your data.

To review resource assignments in a project or program:

• In the object selector, select a project or program.
• In the sidebar, hover over  Resources or  Schedule , and select Assignment List .
• On the Layout  menu, select Grid or Spreadsheet .
• Select  Settings in the toolbar to configure view options such as columns, filters, grouping, timescale, spreadsheet rows, and currency.
• Use columns to view resource details and rolled up values.
• (Spreadsheet layout only) Use spreadsheet rows to view time-phased unit and cost values. To start the spreadsheet timescale at a specific date, in the Go to field, select a date.
• Use the Search field to search for keywords in the table.
• Update the value in a cell by selecting the cell and entering a new value or selecting a value from the options available. Not all cells can be edited from the assignments page.
• Select the cell and then click-and-drag the corner of the cell box up or down to fill-up or fill-down those rows with the selected value.
• Select a cell and then Shift + Click a cell in the same column to highlight multiple cells. Right click a highlighted cell and select Fill Down . The cells are updated with the value from the first cell you selected.
• Select a cell and then Ctrl + Click multiple cells in the same column. Right click a highlighted cell and select Fill Down . The cells are updated with the value from the first cell you selected.
• When you apply a filter to a view, the filter icon changes to indicate that the data on the page has a filter applied.
• You can adjust column settings directly from the table using the  Open Column Menu of any column header. See Configure the Table from the List Page .
• You can quickly delete activity resource assignments directly from this page. Select one or more resource rows, select the  Context menu, and then select Delete . To delete large groups of related assignments, group by Resource ID, Role ID, or Activity ID, select the  Context menu in a grouping band, and then select Delete .
• If all labor or nonlabor assignments have been deleted from an activity, you will be prompted to retain or delete all unit and cost values of that assignment type. Select Yes to reset all activity labor or nonlabor unit and cost values to 0. Select No to retain the activity labor or nonlabor unit and cost values. After all material resources have been removed, all activity material costs will be reset to 0.
• When an activity is set to Completed , you cannot use fill-down or fill-up with some date values from an In Progress or Not Started activity. If you do attempt to use fill-down or fill-up with data from a Not Started or In Progress activity, a warning icon is displayed, and the cell value is not changed. To remove the warning icon select the cell.
• Activity data can sometimes be lost when cutting or copying and pasting assignments between more than one project in a program; however, existing timesheet records will always be associated with the pasted activity. This means that the user can see spread data for approved timesheet records. Any new timesheet data associated with approved records that is pasted into a new project will display in the destination project.
• When performing fill-down or fill-up in the Rate Source column, the resource or role rate must match what is assigned to the activity.
• To quickly view the details of the activity associated with the resource, select  Activity Details . The Activity Details panel displays important information such as Project name, WBS name, Start date with indicators for Actual Start date, Finish date with indicators for Actual Finish date, Status , Constraint indicators, and Percent Complete . See Configure Activity Date Indicators to enable indicators.
• You can provide a hyperlink that directs team members to an internal or external site with more information than the grid can provide. See Create a Hyperlink in a Grid .

Next: Assignment List Fields

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