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P6 SECURITY AND ADMINISTRATION – BEST PRACTICE
OVERVIEW FOR ENTERPRISE ADMINISTRATION
Brian Criss, PSP
DRMcNatty & Associates, Inc.
Abstract: For larger Enterprise deployments of P6 EPPM, the system administration is a key component for long-term and
successful use of Primavera P6 and lays the foundation for successful implementation across the entire
organization. P6 System Administrators are not simply those with the most application privileges, but represent a
key driver in the overall success of the implementation, both from a knowledge and leadership perspective.
This session will focus on the aspects of successful P6 Administration and Security for large Enterprise
deployments. This will include discussion of key aspects of the Enterprise deployment such as makeup of the
organizations user base, recognizing unique lines of business working within the application, and how to effectively
manage the growth of the P6 Enterprise within the organization.
Topics covered will include the methods by which P6 controls access to projects for individual users as well as an
overview of the Enterprise Data Structures and how to effectively control the content of these fields.
Overview:
Large capital programs increasingly benefitting from the use of Primavera P6 for Enterprise level planning of
projects for the tracking of items such as milestones and resources. In an Enterprise environment, it is often the
case that the user base for access to Primavera P6 is extended beyond a single or small group of individuals. For
this reason, the role of the P6 database administrator takes on a significant level of importance in the effective use
of the Primavera P6 environment.
In these environments, it is the responsibility of the database administrator to facilitate the beneficial use of Global
P6 data for use in Enterprise reporting, as well as ensure the streamlined user experience for those who will access
P6 via security settings. The overall cleanliness and organization of the P6 database is the primary responsibility of
the database administrator and this paper will assess common areas where the effectiveness of the P6 database
administrator is readily apparent.
Administration of User Security / Access:
For larger enterprise deployments of Primavera P6, establishment of a useful and reliable security model is
essential for successful implementation. The successful setup of security within P6 should benefit the overall
implementation in two direct ways.
First, the security model should make only those projects available to the user that they are working on. That is to
say, it is the responsibility of the P6 administrator to ensure that users are quickly directed to only those projects
for which the user may be responsible for. In a large, enterprise P6 environment, it is not uncommon to have
thousands of projects reside in the P6 database. As a result, asking users to develop filters and perform other work
items simply to access the projects for which they are responsible often leads to adoption issues among the user
base.
Secondly, the security model should also limit users in their ability to modify certain data within P6, particularly the
Global data. Often is the case in larger enterprise deployments that the user base (PM’s for example) is afforded
the responsibility to update their schedules and furthermore, these users may be new to P6 and learning it for the
first time. Additionally, these users are often provided with some limited training on how to update a schedule,
but may be unaware of the consequences of making changes within P6. Common examples of this may be the
ability to create and edit global filters and layout can adversely affect everyone who relies on P6 for multi-project
data and reports.
Primavera P6 Global Data:
Global data within Primavera P6 represents data (often dictionaries) which are available to all projects and all users
within the P6 environment. These Global data structures are essential for Enterprise reporting as well as any
desired integrations which may eventually evolve as part of the implementation. Global data represents items
such as the Enterprise Project Structure (EPS), Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS), Resource Dictionary, and
several others.
As a P6 database administrator, a primary function is to establish security as well as process and procedures which
support the preservation of the Global data for the benefit of the organization. That is to say, the P6 database
administrator must view their responsibility to the Enterprise as equal, if not more important than the satisfaction
o f the users. The modification of Global data in P6 should adhere to strict change management procedures within
the organization.
To this end, it is essential that the P6 database administrator must be familiar with how Global data is entered and
maintained within the system. In certain Enterprise environments, it may be necessary to import data from
outside sources (i.e. contractor schedules, etc.) and as such, it is the responsibility of the P6 database
administrator to develop process and procedures whereby the importing of an externally generated P6 schedule
will not pollute the Enterprise production environment.
Administration of Project Templates:
A majority of Enterprise deployments track the execution of projects which are similar in nature. As a result,
organizations will often seek to develop template project schedule which serve as the starting point for new
projects and benefit the organization by speeding up the process of schedule development. While this approach is
certainly sensible, there are areas for which the P6 administrator will be integral to this process.
The first consideration is to what level of detail should templates be developed? This should be well thought out
at the onset of template development given the fact that a project may have several decision points throughout its
lifecycle and the organization needs to be cautious to not have the need to create dozens of slightly differing
templates to account for all the various project scenarios. Arriving at a consensus opinion among users to finalize
template schedules are also a consideration when embarking on the task of template schedule development.
The P6 administrator should take careful consideration in the final development of template schedules to ensure
all the proper project level details (such as codes, details, defaults, etc.) are in alignment with the desired activities.
In addition, an effective P6 administrator will ensure that all codes, roles, or resources are properly populated
within the template prior to deployment. Failure to make these considerations can lead to hundreds of hours of
time required to go back through the projects which are in production and make the necessary modifications.
Conclusion:
The P6 database administrator maintains a vital role in the effective Enterprise deployment of Primavera P6.
Effective administration allows for users to quickly and efficiently access projects for which they are responsible,
make preservation and usefulness of P6 Global data a priority, and helps establish effective process and
procedures used by the Enterprise.