Users transitioning from Primavera P6 to Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) will find many familiar tools and functions, such as the ability to create baselines and compare the current schedule to a baseline version. However, along with baselines, OPC has introduced a new tool for creating, saving, and comparing schedule versions with the addition of schedule scenarios. Similar to baselines, scenarios allow you to create a copy of the project schedule at any point in time.

Scenarios can be used to analyze a what-if version of the schedule that can be adjusted without affecting the current schedule. Schedule scenarios allow you to evaluate a variety of different project situations and conditions – all while keeping the project schedule intact.  Additionally, you can always choose to replace the current project with the scenario, making the scenario data a permanent part of the project schedule.

Scenarios in Oracle Primavera Cloud can be thought of similarly as reflections in Primavera P6. However, whereas reflections were created as a separate project within P6, scenarios will be added as a part of the project it was created from. This allows you to easily open and adjust scenario data without needing to open up an additional project.

Multiple scenarios can be created for a single project, and these scenarios can be created as a copy of the current project schedule, a baseline, or even another scenario. Once created, these scenarios can also be quickly compared with other schedule versions using the Schedule Comparison page. Here, you can quickly see how the scenario changes will affect the current schedule’s dates, durations, and float values.

In this article, we will cover how to work with schedule scenarios in Oracle Primavera Cloud. We will go over how to create, open, and edit scenarios, along with how to replace the current schedule’s data with a scenario’s data.

CREATING A SCENARIO

To create a schedule scenario, you will first need to have a project created in Oracle Primavera Cloud – you can find instructions on how to do that here. You will most likely want activities already added to the project, as the scenario will be created as a copy of the current schedule.

Within the open project, you will need to be on the Activities page, which can be accessed by hovering your cursor over the Schedule app and selecting Activities.

On the Activities screen, select Actions > Add Scenario.

In the Add Scenario window, give the scenario a distinct Name and Description. In the Source field, you can choose what to create this scenario from. You can create a scenario from the current schedule, a created baseline, or another scenario.

If you choose either Baseline or Scenario, you will then be able to choose which one you would like to copy for the new scenario.

With the scenario data entered in, select Add.

The scenario will automatically open up within the Activities screen. With a scenario open, a banner will appear at the top of the page to remind you that you are currently making changes to a scenario – rather than the current schedule. Any adjustments made within the Activities screen with the scenario open will be saved only to the scenario and will not affect the current schedule.

You can now perform any adjustments needed to the scenario on the Activities page.

OPENING & CLOSING SCENARIOS

With the scenario created, you can now access it at any time from the Open menu on the Activities page. The Open menu will allow you to switch between schedule versions – such as the current schedule, baselines, or scenarios.

From the Open menu, you can switch back to the Current Schedule from the scenario, and back to the scenario from the Current Schedule. Any changes made to the activities in the table will only save to the opened project version. If you have a scenario open, changes will be saved to the scenario and not to the current schedule. With the Current Schedule open, changes will be saved only to the current schedule and won’t affect any previously created baseline or scenario versions.

ADD NEW ACTIVITIES FROM THE CURRENT SCHEDULE TO THE SCENARIO

With the scenario created, it will remain as a static copy of the project it was created from. Only adjustments made with the scenario open will be saved to the scenario. If, for example, changes are made to the current schedule, these changes will not automatically be reflected in the scenario version.

However, if new activities are added to the project schedule that you would like to be added to the scenario version as well, you can use the Get Activities tool. Up to 100 activities can be added to a scenario from the current schedule as needed. All of those activities’ data will also be added to the scenario, including dates, durations, and assignments.

To add activities to the scenario from the current schedule, first make sure that the scenario is open. Then, select Actions > Get Activities.

In the Get Activities window, you can search through the WBS layers of your project and select any of the activities to add to the scenario. You can choose a single activity or multiple ones – you don’t have to automatically add them all.

Once selected, press Get.

The activities will automatically be added to the open scenario.

SETTING THE SCENARIO AS THE CURRENT SCHEDULE

If you decide to make the scenario adjustments permanent, you can choose to set the scenario as the current schedule. Setting the scenario as the current schedule will essentially set the scenario to overwrite the previous schedule.

Before performing this action in Oracle Primavera Cloud, it’s important to note that this can not be undone – once you change the scenario to the current schedule, you can not revert back to the previous schedule version. You may want to create a baseline of the current schedule before converting a scenario so you can always return to that previous version in the future. 

To replace the current schedule with the scenario version, first open the scenario. Then, select Actions > Set as Current Schedule.

A window will open, warning you that this action can not be undone. Select Set to continue.

Once set, the current project will open, and it will now take on the settings of the previous scenario version.

MANAGING SCENARIOS

Scenarios can be edited, deleted, and managed from the Manage Scenarios window. To open this window, select Actions > Manage Scenarios.

In the Manage Scenarios window, you’ll see a list of scenarios with their associated data. From this window, you can do a variety of different things:

DELETING SCENARIOS

If you need to delete a scenario, select the context menu next to a scenario and select Delete.

RENAMING SCENARIOS

To rename a scenario or adjust its description, double click within the current Name or Description field to adjust it.

ADJUSTING SCENARIO VISIBILITY

To hide a scenario from the Open menu, select the visibility icon to either hide or show the scenario as needed.

ADJUSTING SCENARIO TYPE

Under the Type field, you can switch the scenario status to either What-if or Closed. Closed scenarios will automatically be hidden from the list, and should be used for any scenarios that are no longer actively being used. What-if is the default status type for active scenarios

Select Save to save any adjusted settings.

COMPARING THE SCENARIO WITH ANOTHER SCHEDULE VERSION

With a scenario created, it can be compared with the current schedule, any baselines, or any scenarios. Schedule comparisons allow you to compare the activities, dates, durations, resources, and all other data types between one schedule with another. With scenarios, this allows you to quickly assess the effect of the scenario changes on the overall schedule.

To perform a schedule comparison, hover over the Schedule app and select Schedule Comparison.

On the Schedule Comparison page, you can choose two schedule versions to compare. Using the Original and Revised dropdown fields, select a schedule version. You can choose from the current project schedule, a scenario, or a baseline.

Once selected, press Compare.

Using the table, Gantt Chart, and details section, you will be able to compare the data for the two schedules selected to be compared. For scenarios, the Schedule Comparison can help you to analyze how the changes can affect the current schedule, and whether or not to move forward with them.

Lauren Hecker is an Oracle Primavera Cloud Instructor and teaches onsite and virtual Oracle Primavera Cloudcourses. To see her next open enrollment course, please visit our calendar. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!