Activity ID

Keep a version of initial baseline for activity id reference. In this version do not delete old activities just use a text field to indicate it has been deleted/inactivated and date of deletion. As you add new activities the software will prevent you to create duplicate activities ids. Then go to the version you want to incorporate the new activity and use the new unique id(s).

Thank you for your reply. Yes, Activity IDs are unique, but when create actitiy with some Activity ID (or primavera will generate), after some time I delete this activity I need to be sure that this Activity ID will not able to use again.

Thank you for your reply. Yes, Activity IDs are unique, but when create actitiy with some Activity ID (or primavera will generate), after some time I delete this activity I need to be sure that this Activity ID will not able to use again.

Is there any possibility in P6 to use an unique idetificator for activity. This code should not apper anymore, even after deleting this acitivity.  

Some threads in this discussion seem to mix up ”Activity ID” and ”Activity Code”. The original question was “ID” and many talk about “Codes”.



The activity reference (mostly ID) should be as simple as possible, like 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. or 00010, 00020, 00030, etc. or similar. Nothing intelligent, just pure and simple for everybody to locate quickly. I’ve been in several programmes meetings, where some “smart-theoretical-office-engineer”, having no concept of what is going on on a construction site, have “intelligent” activities ID’s like “BPCCT45FS3017” (Phase B, PreCast Concrete, Type 4, 5th floor, Section 3, activity 017) or similar. Then one says “Look at activity BPCCT45FS3017” and all the remaining people in the meeting will then flip through 20 pages of A3-printout trying to locate this activity having no idea of which page it is on. Much easier to say “activity ID #543” and with approx. 50 activities per page one can quickly make a guesstimate that it must be around page 11. Found in 2-3 seconds instead of 2-3 minutes – and this repeated several times in such meetings. Especially when having these meetings with foremen, gangers, site supervisors etc. things can sometimes start to get a bit heated when going through activities that can’t be found easily.



The “BPCCT45FS3017” should of course be included in the programme as it is intelligent, but under some sort of activity code instead for those interested in this, not under the ID as the ID in most planning software is used to locate an activity when looking at a programme.



Asta Powerproject is doing a pretty good job here in my opinion. It just call all the activities by a line number (1,2,3,4,etc.). When you insert a new task it renumbers all the following activities. Then you have all sorts of columns for unique ID’s and codes one can insert as required.



Regards,



Bo

Larry,

WBS is grouping and not individual as per activity Id. The use of intelligent activity id is to identify the activity itself for most of the cases. (i.e. tag number, isometrics, equipment, instruments...etc.) Activity Description may refer to Handling, Fabrication, Calibration, Installation/ erection, NDT, Hydrotest, etc...

Rodel,



In regards to bullet points 1-3: I advocate the use of WBS, Coding, and Activity Description before compromising the integrity of Activity IDs.



Bullet-points 4: If it is a prerequisite to extensively manipulate activity IDs in order to link to external software, it might not be worth the compromise.



Cheers,

Larry

Larry,

As I mention there are so many reason why intelligent Activity ID is used even on a single project.

Examples:

1) Export to excel: If intelligent activity id is used it is easy to find activity to update and also by the used of intelligent activity id filtering and sorting are very easy.

2) Assigning to Activity Codes, WBS and resources: Using intelligent activity filtering the activity is easy and just on entry to top activity and fill down (all filtered activities are assigned that quick) as well as the use of Global Change.

3) Working on a project like Pharmaceutical, Oil & Gas and refinery. Using intelligent activity id make it easy to derive and update all in-line items (valves, pressure indicator, etc), instruments, equipments, isometrics, supports, cable trays, cables and etc…With the use of activity codes will help them to group by system or area or discipline and etc… but not per tag-number otherwise you will end up to 1 activity per group while working on multiple thousands of activities. Activity UDF can be used to identify them but not on all modules it will be present. Say Resource Assignment Window (module) Activity Codes will be present to group and sort but not the UDF so identifying those items are very difficult unless it was define in intelligent Activity ID.

4) Interface to external software like AutoCAD/ Microstation, ISO Gen/ Spool Gen and others... Using an intelligent activity id can easily link to that external software while working on a multiple thousand of items and defining from the database will be very useful.



And many more usage that is why it called intelligent Activity ID.

Larry,

there are a lot even in a single project.

I don’t use P6 but these approaches are not software specific.



All projects contain the similar works that are done in different places. Let’s say Concreting.

There is a choice to add to the activity name that this is Concreting in the special place, add UDF that specify the place of work, or use intelligent coding system that may be used for filtering and sorting, and will show that this specific Concreting refers to the special place.

You may decide that coding will not have any special sense but in this case you will need to replace good coding by additional work that may be avoided.

Rodel,



You have found a good exception to my comments.



However, P6 recognise this particular problem of potential generating same ID to activities on an enterprise level. Hence, there is a functionality to automatically generate ID prefix on project levels.



Do you have other good exceptions?



Cheers,

Larry

Larry,

I beg to disagree to your comment. The used of intelligent Activity ID will depend on the usage or projects requirement.

For example: Working on a multiple projects or alliance projects with multiple projects.

Cost account will be general (As one across the board). WBS will be standard up to level 1 & 2 the rest of level will be depending on deliverables.

Without the use of intelligent Activity Id, it is very hard to identify which projects it belongs especially if global grouping is used or if group to cost account or WBS path (level 1 or 2) at enterprise level. If codes are added to identify each project on management report it will come up with multiple pages long instead of manageable pages. If the project is pull out per project then it will be simple but the requirement is enterprise so it too difficult.

Note: Activity ID is unique only per project and not by enterprise level.

That is only one sample and many other usage of intelligent Activity ID especially if you’re using API to other external system.



I agree that once the activity is created/ allocated and baseline, it should not be change otherwise the integrity and connectivity of baseline will be lost.

Planners,



I beg to differ, activity IDs should not mean anything else than being a unique numeric id for an activity. It is tempting to allocate underlying meanings to IDs but, I think, should be avoided.



The main reasons are:

* Unnecessary data entry prone to mistakes and confusion.

* When applying meaning to the ID, it tends to become unnecessary long.

* Keeping IDs solely numeric will help when exporting and analysing in Excel.

* If there is no underlying meaning to the ID, there should be less reason to change the ID. Changing an ID result in loss of the activity’s baseline association.



If the intent is to improve the meaning of a particular activity description to team members, I think it is better done through headings and code column(s).



Kind Regards,

Larry

Dear Planners,



Very very important.



If you use Activity ID’s formed from codes representing project, areas, work types(EXCA = Excavation) then you can make your site teams to monitor and involve in to the project schedule more.



Addition to Samer: according to me Activity ID shall give you a good guess about activity at first glance.



Regards,



Safak VURAL

Dear Arun,



The activity ID is used to filter activitie, create reports and sort layouts.



The Definition in the AACE recommended practice 10S-90 is:

Activity Code: "Alphanumeric designation system, with code(s) assigned to an activity to group of categorize its properties. Codign is ued for detail and summary reporting purposes."



The definition in PMI Practice Standard for Scheduling:

Activity Code: One or more numerical or text values that identify characteristics of the work or in some way categorize the schedule activity that allows filtering nd ordering of activities within reports.



The Good Practice stated in the PMI standard: "Activity Codes should be used to facilitate sorting, organizing, summarizing and grouping."



Hope that it’s importance is clear now.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi Arun,



Important that you can’t ignore it.



I advise to use intelligent Activity IDs.



Best regards,

R. Catalan

Hi



Activity IDs are identifiers used in the software in general all the attributes of activities such as resource and cost are refereed only through Activity ID

Arun,



I supposed this is not the proper place for your query, but let the moderators do the transferring by the way.



My answer is that: As you are working in a database, IDs are supposed to be the unique identifyer of each of your data, so as the name - Activity ID.



hope that answers your question