Milestones Tracker: An interactive project monitoring and reporting tool
- Marty Fuentes
- | January 5, 2021
Having reliable reporting tools are vital in properly managing construction projects. One such instrument is the Milestone Tracker as developed by this author. The tracker provides comprehensive information about the overall status of the projects. Details are configured in such as way that they can readily be conveyed and easily understood by various stakeholders.
About
The Milestones Tracker provides a comprehensive and cohesive array of information to better control and monitor the progress of projects. Specifically designed to handle multiple projects or contracts, the Milestones Tracker is embedded with VBA codes (Macros) for ease in navigating through various reports in the file and for a more dynamic utilization of various project stakeholders.
The Milestones Tracker features interactive and dynamic dashboards. It also includes reports generated from progress information in Primavera P6 schedules. It contains function buttons to select tabs to display, automatically generate an outlook e-mail, instantly convert the report to PDF, etc.
Updating of the Milestones Tracker is simple by “copy-and-paste.” After the Primavera P6 schedules are updated, the list of activities is copied from it and pasted to the tracker (click here to download Milestones Tracker Users’ Guide for more information).
If used and maintained properly, the Milestones Tracker is a powerful tool for an effective and efficient management and overall control of projects or a portfolio of projects. The tracker has been helpful in managing a number of contracts for Sydney Metro’s City and Southwest Project and is also now being developed for the upcoming West Project.
Features
What sets this Milestones Tracker apart from your typical project dashboards? Well, it has everything and way more!
- Dashboards are dynamic and interactive (meaning, you can configure what you want to look at).
- Actually, the whole workbook is interactive with the function buttons set up in the Command Center.
- Reports are accurate to the single source of how the Primavera P6 schedules are updated.
- Updating of the Milestones Tracker is as easily as the literal “copy-and-paste” steps.
Get the feel on what Milestones Tracker can bring you by downloading it for free! (NOTE: Password for protected buttons is 1234. Since the file is loaded with Macros, it’s better to run it in a computer).
Updating the Milestones Tracker
Activities and milestones details are sourced from the Primavera P6 schedules. As such, updating the Milestones Tracker is only possible after the schedules are updated. Assuming that no milestones or key activities are added into the Milestones Tracker, this can be updated by direct copying of the schedule from P6 and pasting it in the Milestones Tracker’s P6Raw tab (click here to download Milestones Tracker Users’ Guide for more information).
Below are the steps in updating the tracker:
- Update the Primavera P6 schedules.
- Arrange the Primavera P6 columns as shown in Figure 14 below. Select all activities (Ctrl + A) then copy (Ctrl + C).
- Open the Milestones Tracker. In the Work Mode in the CommandCenter, toggle “Update Schedule from P6” button and enter the password.
- In tab “P6Raw,” select cell “K5” and paste (Ctrl + V) the copied Primavera P6 activities.
- Refresh the PivotTables in the Dashboard (Managers), Dashboard (All Activities), and Dashboard (Interface Matrix).
- That’s it! All dashboards and reports are now completed updated.
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