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Anyone using Teamplay to update their schedule?

11 replies [Last post]
Thu, 2008-04-17 11:14
Oliver Melling
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We are looking at using Teamplay to update the schedules using the timesheet hours and remaining units.
Does anyone have experience of doing this?
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Sun, 2008-04-20 07:29
#1
Niek Zonneveld
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In my industry, the person performing the work, normally has the best view on the remaining units, so he or she should provide that information. Primavera provides the functionality to use the primary resource for doing this, when multiple resources are assigned to the same activity.

The one who owns the budget normally approves timesheet and (when that’s done) applying the actuals to the schedules is nomally performed by the PMO as this can comprise multiple projects (owned by multiple project managers).

H.T.H.

Niek.
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Fri, 2008-04-18 14:51
#2
Dieter Wambach
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Oliver
Who is responsible for the quality of work and for the project - remaining units --> estimate at completion? It’s the PM. So he or an representative should approve.
This will be some workload. The timesheet data is in few tables within the database and you’ll find, that most of the sheets will be ok - my experience. Just an idea: create some rules for a good timesheet, e.g. total working time, ratio planned to actual units. Start an automatted approval by SQL, and just focus on those which are not accepted.
Establish a time frame: Last entry to ts, period for approval, time for apply actuals and reporting. If you’ll report Wednesday data status previous Friday, this might not leed to success.
I believe, you are on a good way with your timesheets.
Good luck
Dieter
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Fri, 2008-04-18 11:04
#3
Oliver Melling
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All the project staff already use Primavera timesheets anf the programmes are planned by the PM’s.

The idea is to make staff book to activities instead of codes and only report actual hours and remaining units via Teamplay, using fixed units and unit % complete to force dynamic scheduling. Using P5 as the users guide describes, we are going to create resource managers (who will be functional leads) that will assign resource to the PM plans (that will only be resourced with roles).

We are going to have 1 or 2 dedicated people to admin the timesheets and have created a standard PRINCE2 style template for the PM’s to use as starting point.

It is pretty much setting up a PMO office. If the PMs that can plan alright are left to do their own plans and the planners pick up the rest of the business units plans, then we hope to be able to resource level all live plans in the EPS on a weekly basis.
Its not rocket science, but the difficult bit will be changing the culture of the company to become more project orientated.
Who do you think should approve the timesheets that will progress the plans.

Should it be the PM’s who own the budget, or the functional leads that can access the amount of technical work progressed?
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Sat, 2008-04-19 03:04
#4
Andrew Dick
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Oliver,
If it helps I’ve done some research into how you need to add and remove resources (People) to a Primavera 5 database to allow for their use in the timesheet module.
Of particular interest to me were ther things I discovered during my research into how to make a resource inactive and essentially remove it fromn the pool.

It may give you some clues.

Should you like to have a copy of these Visio workflows in PDF just let me know.

Andy
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Fri, 2008-04-18 09:49
#5
Niek Zonneveld
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Yeah, all true!

Often these systems are brought in as just another MS Office application, and management doesn’t have the faintest clue on the journey they’ll embark.

On the other side of the pendulum managers seem to believe these systems will walk their dog and turn crap schedules into magnificent plans leading to smooth project execution.

Not strange that most of these attempts fail miserably.

Have a great weekend; we won’t be out of a job soon!

Niek.
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Fri, 2008-04-18 09:15
#6
Dieter Wambach
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Andy
May be a punching ball will help.
What Niek said is absolutely right: "Your management actively supports it", which is obviously not the case in your organization, i.e no chance for a succesful implementation. I assume, nobody takes it for serious,which will result in a poor quality of data.
Andy, you’ll better use your time to read a book, ...
Nevertheless: Have a nice week-end!
Dieter
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Fri, 2008-04-18 08:50
#7
Andrew Dick
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Dieter,
As you say, that’s all the stuff that the executive management thought was not required, as it wasn’t in the original business proposal for the purchase and implementation of Primavera at the company where I was.

Neik,
I particually like the bit about a dedicated PMO - where I was didn’t know what it was - I think they thought it was a rash or something.


That’s why I keep my hair cut really short - so I can’t actually pull it out. Problem there is I’ve got no padding when I bang my head against the wall.

Andy
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Fri, 2008-04-18 08:49
#8
Niek Zonneveld
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Agree with Dieter here.

I would recommend to have a look at: http://www.planningplanet.com/forum/forum_post.asp?fid=&Cat=8&Top=40442

Timesheets can work if:

- Your schedules reflect reality
- Your organisation has the project management maturity and discipline, embedded in simple but sound procedures.
- Your management actively supports it
- Your people understand it and won’t be beaten up with it
- You keep schedules high-level (1-2 week average duration for activities, with steps underneath is required)
- Your resources only track time in one system
- You have a dedicated PMO to respond immediately to any time tracking issues

Not a lot as you can see ;-) But with Primavera it can work (because it’s near real-time in the critical areas), and it is certainly worth the effort! I’ve ran multiple successful P4-5-6 implementations over the past ten years, and these were not lucky shots.

H.T.H.

Niek.
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Fri, 2008-04-18 07:49
#9
Dieter Wambach
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Hi
Sorry to have a different opinion. In Germany quite a few customers use timesheet module since some years. Some of those installations I accompanied.
Andrew you are right: without a concept it will become a desaster. Concept e.g. for:
- Who has to report and when - the intervals
- Who has to hunt for time-sheets
- Which level for resource assignments --> how in detail to be reported
- Training for the staff (about 2hours)
- Reviews / approvals
- "Reporting cycle"
It isn’t difficult to implement, but without a concept --> see Andy’s post.
Regards
Dieter
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Fri, 2008-04-18 05:50
#10
Imran Arshad
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Thanks Andrew,
I completely agree with you.I tried my best to implement timesheet module but fialed and your post helped me alot as you help always on all issues.
Thank again.

Best Regards,
Imran Arshad
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Fri, 2008-04-18 05:02
#11
Andrew Dick
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Oliver,
Not ever using teamplay, but having had to use the timesheet module in P5, I can say that if I were to ever be offered work ANYWHERE for ANY amount of money and was told that the company was using the Primavera timesheet module, I’m afraid I’d laugh at them in their face and still be laughing when I got home.

The overhead required as far as I saw was horrendous. This may have been because the mental midgets that implemented the system did so without process being agreed let alone documented, Resources who were just told to book time each week, as as you would suspect they just picked the first job code that was in their project.

I tore my hair out for 8 months, and couldn’t get the company to understand that they needed a seperate resource to run the timesheeting on each project (due to size and complexity), they even had difficulty in understanding that a documented process would be of benifit.

Anyway I’ve even heard that the official Primavera reps here in Australia are now NOT reccomending that the timesheet module be used.

I’m telling you I would laugh in the face of any company who said they were going to use it.

My two bobs worth

Andy

P.S. Congratulations to anyone who has seen this part of Primavera work seamlessly, I take my hat of to you.
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