Mastering Activity Codes in Primavera P6: A Step-by-Step Guide

Welcome! In this post, we'll delve into an efficient method for creating a comprehensive list of activity codes that mirror the detailed activities you've assigned. Stop wasting time typing everything by hand. Learn a faster way to get your work done.

Why Efficient Activity Code Creation Matters

Creating a long list of activity codes manually in Primavera P6 can be time-consuming and prone to errors. By adopting our data import method, you'll save valuable time and ensure accuracy, especially for complex projects like multi-story buildings or those with numerous unique work packages.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Activity Codes

1. Define Your Activity Code Types

• Navigate to the Enterprise tab and select Activity Codes.
• Identify the activity code types you need, such as BOQ divisions and the four WBS levels defined in your WBS ID coding template.

(Image 1: Manually Adding activity codes)

2. Prepare Your Data for Import

• Export Your Project:

  • Go to the File tab, select Export, choose Primavera PM, and save it to your chosen folder.
  • Ensure you create a duplicate copy of your xer file to prevent data loss.

(Image 2: Export project)

• Edit with Notepad and Excel:

  • Open the exported xer file with Notepad. (Right-click on xer file, select Open with and click on Notepad)
  • Locate the section for Activity Type and Activity Code, then copy it into a new Excel sheet.
  • Insert rows for BOQ divisions and add the division list data from your master file. (Right-click on rows and click insert)

(Image 3: Editing xer file with Notepad)

(Image 4: Copying activity code data to Excel)

(Image 5: Inserting new rows to add more activity codes)

3. Customize Your Activity Codes

• Ensure each activity code ID is unique, starting from the last ID number generated by Primavera.
• Use formulas to increment numbering by 1.
• Maintain consistent %R and color codes for all rows.
• Assign sequence numbers: 0 for the first list and 100 for subsequent lists.

(Image 6: Adding new activity codes)

4. Import Your Activity Codes Back into Primavera

• Replace the old data in Notepad with your new activity code data.
• Save the file and import it back into Primavera via the File tab by selecting Import.

(Image 7: Copying new activity codes)

(Image 8: Replacing activity codes data from Notepad)

(Image 9: New activity codes data)

5. Verify and Finalize Your Activity Codes

• Ensure all BOQ division lists are correctly imported.
• Address any duplicate codes, such as changing "MB" for mobilization to "MO".
• Repeat the process for Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5 activity codes, ensuring no duplicates exist.

(Image 10: Successfully imported activity codes)

Conclusion

By following these steps, you've successfully created a comprehensive list of activity codes that align with your BOQ items and WBS ID levels to easily create your project baseline schedule. This method enhances efficiency and accuracy, preparing you for the next phase of importing detailed activities into Primavera P6. Stay tuned for our next lesson, where we'll explore this process in detail.

We explore this topic in detail in Section 7 of our course, 'Master Baseline Scheduling with Primavera P6 and Excel.' See below for more information.