After all these years, I am delighted to announce that PlanLab.AI has launched the Critical Path Drag calculator for P6 files. It will be free to use for a brief period.
You can try it here: https://lnkd.in/eW_22ExK [1]
The calculator is 100% secure because the data never leaves your computer. It was engineered to run completely inside your browser – just drop an XER file in, and get an Excel table with the drag values back. It does not send your file anywhere – you can even use it with Wi-Fi tuned off.
It also works on large schedules, as long as your laptop has some processing power to spare.
Critical path drag of an activity is simply how much time the activity adds to the total project duration. Activities with the highest drag are good candidates for prioritization or acceleration, as speeding them up will have the biggest impact the project’s finish date. It has been gaining recognition as an analytical tool and was eventually included into some scheduling software like Spider Project and ASTA PowerProject. Nevertheless, users of Oracle P6 still have had to compute it manually. (This despite the fact that Primavera Founder Joel Koppelman wrote a quarter century ago that "Critical path method needed a shot in the arm and Devaux delivers it in Total Project Control. His new book is an invaluable and much-needed advance in the art and practice of project management. Every project manager (and software developer) should read this book to understand what project management is all about.")
So try it out and let the PlanLab folks know how you like or what you'd like to see them do next! They are eager to listen to you!
Steve the Bajan