Methodology Manager - recent experience?

We have many clients who want their new projects to be based on a template.

We recomend copy/paste from an EPS node called "templates"

The only issue with this is that EPS level codes can be a bit of a pain.

The "fragnet" issue can be dealt with by copy paste as well - you can copy paste "bits" of a project’s WBS structure with ease.

Hi Dennis

If you are looking for topics in old threads try the new Search button next to All Forums.

It works well.

Best regards

Mike Testro

Hi Dennis,

Try this:

http://www.planningplanet.com/forum/forum_post.asp?fid=&Cat=8&Top=58395

Regards,

Arnold

Thanks all for your advice. MM could be very useful, I will explore it more fully.

Mike: I did a search on Methodology Management and did not find much, and less that was ’current’. Arnold’s link was titled "Storing Activities in P6 then re-using" and did not come up.

Arnold: Once again you pull another rabbit from your hat. Thanks. Have you used MM very often? It seems to make storage and retrieval of fragnets fairly easy, but will not know until I test it.

FWIW: P6.7 seems to isolate the PMDB and MMDB functions, so that MMDB will not be an option when logging into PM, if I remember correctly - never used MM in P5-6.2, so not really sure. Not a big deal, just requires another Start menu shortcut. MM did not appear in my ’All Programs’ file listing after installation. I had to go to the ORACLE folder, then P6, then Methodology Management, then to the MM.exe to establish the shortcut.

Hi Dennis,

We use the MM every day. We created a series of fragnets for elements that are frequently done so it is possible to cherry-pick "one of those" and "one of those" etc. and very quickly get a standard structured programme out. It can then be used with our estimating tool and hey presto - a fully costed and resourced programme in the blink of an eye. Well, not quite, but you get the picture.

If your projects have a lot of common components it is the way to go particularly if you populate your fragnets with Roles to allocate resource against. That saves time as does allocating typical resource demands that only need tweaking.

David;

Thanks for the ’review’. MM may be ’hiding its light under a bushel basket’. I knew of its existence, but not its power. Looking forward to more exploration and utilization.

Linkage to estimates sounds intriguing. Any details?

Ah, now, estimating... we have a couple of tools which help us wrangle the data. We developed an Access database tool which sucked in the programme (SQL) and then put a front end on it for Engineers to plod through it applying "norms" based on how tough the job was; easy, normal or difficult. This applied established norms gathered from experience and populated the programme resource demand.
The trouble was it was a bit slow and the Engineers lost interest (got bored) so we ditched at as a step too far at this point. We’re an Engineering company not software developers.
Now we use the same principle but in Excel. Everyone has Excel and doesn’t need a special client loaded etc. The down side is that we still have to enter the data manually from the estimating output but we use junior team members to do that!

Hmmmm.... Too bad, the DB would have been the way to go. How long ago was this tried?

Anyone else have anything similar?

Am I sending us off point - MM? Should we start a new thread?

I find the concept of estimate/schedule interface most interesting.

Dennis,

We are the Primavera consultants to a major International construction company who are installing "Hard Dollar" to replace at least a dozen separate instances of an Access based estimating system that fed the old P3. Never seen an estimating package that drives P6 so well. Check it out.

Hi David,

That looks like an excellent package for civils oriented projects but ours are more bespoke "nookliar" and naval M&E with some process. We don’t often get involved in digging holes, we leave that to the best qualified. We do have an airports division and I shall pass on this nugget to them as it seems more in their line.

David,

That was our reaction ar first as well (I’m in oil and gas, lots of hot fluids going through tubes and lots of rotating equipment) but it fits us perfectly. Indeed the fit is uncanny. Estimating has always been the poor relation in my world, fabulous planning system - shame about the estimate has been the story for years. Now the estimating system looks more sophisticated and a better fit than the planning system!

Don’t be confused by the ditch-digging vocabulary! None of our clients are in civils, a lot of them are looking at it and several have bought/are about to buy. Wish I had found it first.......