Primavera P6 Interview Questions and Answers

Primavera P6 is a project management software created by Oracle that aids people in managerial roles in managing processes and resources. Project Managers, Project Engineers and Planning Engineers in construction projects frequently use Primavera software. 

Activity refers to a specific piece of work performed within a project. An open-end Activity is an activity which is not followed by any other activity. As a result, open-ended activities end on the last day of the project.  

Both are extremely popular Project Management software; however, MS Project is commonly used for small to medium-scale projects with lower complexity. In comparison, Primavera P6 is used for more complex large-scale projects that require multiple users working simultaneously on the same project. 

Critical Path refers to the longest path within a schedule of a project. It is made up of a sequence of activities, and it has the least amount of float. Critical Paths are used to determine the shortest time needed to reach project completion. The method required to calculate the Critical Path in a project is called CPM. 

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Earned value is a metric to determine the monetary value that is supposed to be spent based on progress. Planned value, on the other hand, is the estimated and original budget of the project itself. 

WBS can be considered a hierarchical arrangement of activities within a project. It allows you to take a project and divide, arrange and organise it into smaller achievable tasks. 

OBS is used to show the people working within an organisation. In Primavera, it can refer to different teams and departments within an organisation. An Organisation Breakdown Structure is arranged according to the WBS in an organisation. 

Milestone and Flag are both events related to activities in Primavera. Their core difference is that while you can update a Milestone manually, you cannot do the same with a Flag. Additionally, Flags are used to track the logic of main events, while Milestones mark points in time. 



 

The project management lifecycle has five phases, which include: 

1) Initiation: The start of the Project Management Lifecycle is called the initiation phase. This phase includes deciding upon the intention and scope of the project. 

2) Planning: The planning phase includes the creation of tactics and strategies on how to meet the end goal. The planning phase is necessary to create a roadmap for achieving results in Project Management Life Cycle. 

3) Execution: The execution phase marks the beginning and end of actual work in the Project Management Lifecycle. 

4) Controlling: The control phase of the Project Management Lifecycle includes the analysis of work done and the results achieved.  

5) Closing: The closing phase is the last phase of the Project Management Lifecycle, where the team members the finished product to the clients and customers. Additionally, people would often document any valuable insight gained during the previous four phases as a reference for the future. 

CPI is the ratio of earned value cost to actual cost in project management. If the CPI value is lower than one, it means the work cost is over the budget. If the CPI value is higher than one, it means the work cost is under the budget. 

SPI is the ratio of earned value cost to planned value cost in project management. If the SPI value is greater than one, it means work is ahead of schedule. If the SPI value is lower than one, it means work is below schedule.   

The Schedule Variance (SV) is the difference between Earned Value and Planned Value, and it helps you establish if you are ahead or behind schedule. Meanwhile, the Cost Variance (CV) means the difference between the Actual Cost incurred and the Earned Value determined, and it helps you establish if you are over or under the budget. 

Float is a measurement for flexibility of schedule within a project, and it is the duration of the gap between two activities of a project. Float is also known as Slack or Lag. There are two types of floats in primavera, Free Float and Total Float. 

Constraint refers to the limitations applied to a project, which can alter the functioning of the project and limit its efficiency. There are five types of constraints commonly used in project management to describe distinct characteristics of the limitations: 

  a) Scope Constraint 

  b) Schedule Constraint 

  c) Cost Constraint 

  d) Resource Constraint 

  e) Quality Constraint 

Risk refers to any event or factor that can limit or reduce the productivity of a project and the people working on it. Some common types of Risk include Hazard Risk, Legal Risk, Operational Risk, Market Risk, Governance Risk, Performance Risk, Schedule Risk and Cost Risk.  

Risk mitigation methods refer to the creation of methods that can mitigate or avert Risks. The five most common Risk mitigation methods are Acceptance, Avoidance, Controlling, Transference and Monitoring.