P6 Filters Most Used in Schedule Reporting (Activity Filtering)-Part1

Suppose you are working on a project or maintenance schedule with thousands of activities, then you might want to make the report (layout) for the activities scheduled to start in next 3 weeks, weekly plan(weekly progress status) report, executive summary report, milestone reports, traffic-light report, and schedule analysis reports and so on. You can set the criteria that determine which activities in P6 displays in the layout or project report. With the combination of filters criteria and grouping activity column, you can make customized layouts (reports) for your team. 

The most used filters in schedule reporting and activity filtering are

(1) Lookahead filters

(2) Schedule Analysis Filters

(3) Activity Name & ID Filters

(4) Resource Filters

1-How to Prepare Lookahead Filters

1-1. Check existing filters first,

It is good to check any existing filters when you think you need a filter so as to avoid a mess of filters in your filters list. You don’t have to start from scratch when you built a filter.

1) To view the existing filters, go to “View” then go to “Filters”,

Otherwise, simply click on filter icon as show in fig below.



2) You could find predefined filters: 2 Week Lookahead, 6-Moth Lookahead, 8 Week Lookahead filters in Global Filter section.

3) Then select 2 Week Lookahead Filter for instance, select Modify to see and understand filter criteria.



4) Once you click on “Modify”, you will see predefined “2 Week Lookahead Filter box as shown below. Click “Ok” if you are fine with filter criteria.

5) Use this predefined filter to display any activity planned to start in 2 week from data date (progress cut of date) and in-progress activity. For example, see below snapshot.



If you have the privilege to modify Global Filter, you can see this. But don’t worry. You can copy it to see in your use filter list if you are not authorized to modify in Global Filter.  

1-2 In case you need to prepare “Customized Lookahead Filter” 

1) Then copy the Global filter to your user filter.

2) Select and copy one of the Lookahead Filters as shown below.



3) Select “Paste” to see that filter to your user defined filter list.

4) Select “2 Week Lookahead” Filter in User Defined filter list and Click “Modify”. Then, Filter box will appear to start modify as you need.

 
5) Enter high value parameter “DD+3W” for 3 week schedule (“DD” is for Data Date, “W” is for Week). Enter DD+5D for 5 Day Lookahead schedule (D is for Day).

1-3 How to Build “Lookahead” filters that also show completed or in progress in last week

Your project team might want to highlight the activities either in-progress (started) or completed in last week from data date and activities going to start in 3 weeks. Your project member may want to take credit on not only for the activities that are in progress but for the activities that have been completed. In this case, 

1) Select an existing Lookahead filter, and then select copy and paste.

2) Once you have copied an existing filter, a new filter will appear with “_1” as a suffix to existing filter name.

3) Select that new filter with “_1”, then click on “Modify” tag and give a new filter name “3 Week Lookahead for easy reference.



4) Change the filter Parameter as below.

Any of the following;

Where Start Date is within a range of DD-1W, DD+3W

OR      Finish Date is within a range of DD-1W, DD+3W



Once you applied above filter, activity list within criteria will be displayed. For instance, see below.




1-4 How to Build Filters that Show Critical Activities in 3 week

You might also want to search critical activities or longest path activities within 3 weeks so that you can highlight your project team to take immediate action. You just need to select “Critical” and 3 Week Lookahead filter to review Critical Activities within 3 Week time.

1) Select predefined filter “Critical” in Default filter list.



2) Select 3 Week Lookahead Filter in your User defined Filter list.




Create a new filter if the 3-Week Lookahead Filter is not in your filter list.

To create 3 Week Lookahead Filter, follow the steps as stated in 1-2 In case you need to prepare “Customized Lookahead Filter and “1-3-How to Build “Lookahead” filters that also show completed 
or in-progress activity in last week”.

If you want to find out more about the schedule layout Filters and Reportings, go to Part 2 to learn more.