MAY 2014 LINEAR SCHEDULING WITH P6 PROFESSIONAL VISUALIZER

Linear scheduling has been around for a long time and serves a very specific need - to better visualize scheduling conflicts between stationary and moving construction activities. Don first became involved with the concept as a Chief Estimator bidding on DOT highway and pipeline projects in New York and Florida in the '80s. At that time, the argument was that "CPM Schedules did not meet the needs of highway or pipeline contractors." However, as scheduling technology advanced, Don found that a "linear schedule graphic" could be developed from a critical path schedule. Using the built-in capabilities of the Primavera scheduling tool, Don developed a technique in P3 that uses Activity Codes and Milestones combined with the Time Scale to create a linear graphic matrix. This was completed in a PDF format to demonstrate conflicts and the flow of work on a linear project. In 2012, this approach was detailed in a DRMcNatty Tech Tip using the most current version of P6 and PDF tools. Now, with the recent enhancements in P6 Pro 8.3 Visualizer tool, Don will show you how to create a simple linear schedule graphic with P6 Visualizer and PDF Annotator software. This approach is simple and not intended for large complex projects but can be an invaluable tool for analyzing and presenting conflicts in smaller subsets (fragnets) of larger schedules.