Wondering if Primavera P6 project management software is right for your organization? P6 Consulting can help. Below, find answers to some of our most-asked questions about the software and our training programs.
About Us
What is Primavera P6?
Primavera P6 is a project management software is owned by Oracle. P6 is a powerful tool that allows enterprises to manage every aspect of a project, from scheduling and collaboration to risk assessment and resource management. This software is used for major project management across a range of vital industries including engineering, oil and gas, aerospace, utilities, industrial manufacturing, finance, transportation, healthcare, and government.
Who is P6 Consulting?
Beginning in 1991, CPM Solutions Ltd. developed professional training courses and configuration services for Primavera P6. When CPM’s CEO retired, CPM’s senior P6 trainer Tracy Mah started P6 Consulting to carry on that tradition of training excellence. Tracy is a Primavera® P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management 8 Certified Implementation Specialist, and she personally developed and updated the training manuals for several of our P6 courses. Through P6, Tracy works with teams in a variety of industries, teaching professionals in a wide range of industries to use Oracle Primavera P6 software.
Training
P6 Consulting offers training in a variety of formats, to best accommodate the needs and culture of your organization and your team.
What types of Training does P6 Offer?
We currently offer training in the following formats:
- Virtual: live instructor led training via screen sharing programs. This is currently only offered to North American clients.
- eLearning: our self-paced online learning course. ELearning is interactive and is modeled after our popular Primavera Fundamentals for P6 Professional course. This eLearning course is available to all of our learners globally.
- Classroom: in-person, instructor-led courses in a classroom setting.
- On-Site: Canadian clients can request an instructor to visit their workplace and teach the courses. Please contact us for a custom quote.
Learners in all training formats are given access to Primavera P6 Professional (Windows) Client and/or to the P6 Web Access software. Across a number of topic-focused courses, learners are given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the P6 platform through workshops and case studies.
Courses are offered at both a fundamental level and an advanced level, so you can tailor your learning experience to suit your specific software configuration requirements and the level of access of specific stakeholders.
We also offer our courses in a condensed format which allows the opportunity for users to learn the fundamentals in a shorter period of time. Condensed format courses are recommended for smaller class sizes (5 or less).
For a full overview of our courses, visit our Training Courses page.
Do I Need to Have Primavera P6 Installed on my Computer to Take a Course?
Virtual, Classroom and On-site training styles do not require you to have Primavera P6 installed on your computers. For Virtual training, you will be connected to one of our training computers, on which Primavera P6 is already installed. You will have full control of P6 to allow you to work on our training cases during the course.
For Classroom and On-site training, we will provide training laptops for learners to use. Our mobile training centre will be set up at the venue prior to the training date.
Am I Able to Keep Practicing with Primavera After the Course?
Oracle offers a free 30-day demonstration license of Primavera P6. After you have taken a course, we can provide detailed instructions on how to download and install the Primavera P6 PPM Professional version of the software. You will be able to use this demonstration license to practice what you learned during the course. If you wish to keep Primavera P6 after the 30-day trial is over, then you should purchase a license from the Oracle Store.
Software Setup and Installation
Does P6 Consulting Offer IT or Installation Services?
While most companies have an in-house IT team that can handle traditional software setup and installations, installation of Primavera P6 requires additional specialized knowledge to configure the server, the database, and the software setup of required programs like Weblogic and Java. If your organization does not have an IT person or team, our P6 IT consultant is very experienced and can handle activities such as:
- Installation
- Configuration
- Infrastructure Consulting
- Troubleshooting
- Product Support
- Patching and Upgrades
What Additional Support is available?
Aside from direct IT services, P6 offers tutoring support for organizations that are already experienced with Primavera P6, but need help with a specific challenge or issue, or need a customized course to address a particular or niche topic within P6. Tutoring support is available in person or in a virtual environment.
Why Have P6 Configured by an Implementation Specialist?
One primary reason is that it is very important that security and user access settings are configured to be properly scalable depending on the size and scope of your organization. The off-the-shelf installation of Primavera P6 comes in a basic setup configuration and requires additional customization of settings and features to suit each individual organization. Oracle relies on partners and certified P6 implementation specialists to finalize the implementation of the licenses. Due to the complexity of the software, it’s ideal to have P6 consultants conduct an audit of your organization’s needs for the P6 software, and then work with you to configure the software so it fulfills your company’s needs.
How Long is the Implementation Process?
Implementation, in the Primavera world, is the functional configuration of the software. It is the setup of the Global/Enterprise data elements that P6 users will have access to. It also heavily involves the setup of Global and Project Security profiles through which P6 users will have access to the various sections, tools, and functions of P6.
We recommend blocking off a minimum of 8-10 hours of time for our P6 consultancy services to learn about your organization, assess your needs for the p6 software, and configure basic settings.
For simple installations and smaller, less-complex organizations, P6 installation can be completed in as little as a few days. A small number of companies who are new to P6 will sometimes want Implementation services to help further customize the functionality of P6. This is usually rolled out with our P6 training for organization Project Managers.
Can I Configure P6 for my Organization Myself?
If you wish to configure P6 internally, we recommend taking our CPM106a course, designed to convey the fundamentals of functional administration within the P6 software. This course will teach you the steps needed to configure and implement P6 on your database, and customize settings as needed.
Purchasing
How do I purchase a P6 licence?
You can purchase a P6 licence directly from Oracle.
P6 Consulting is not an Oracle Partner reseller, however, we are experts on the intricacies of Oracle’s product line, and we are happy to help you navigate options, determine what type of license is the best for your organization, and complete the purchasing process. Check our FAQ for more detailed information about licensing.
What Types of Licenses does Oracle Offer?
As of 2020, Oracle has stopped offering annual licenses for Primavera P6. All P6 licenses purchased after September 2020 are perpetual licenses.
Two types of Primavera P6 licenses are available: PPM and EPPM. The PPM license includes Primavera P6 Professional Windows client with built-in administrative menu items, while the EPPM comes with the P6 Windows client as well as P6 Web Access. The installation process is more complex with EPPM licenses, as EPPM requires setup of both Windows client and web programs.
The annual Oracle Support Fee is an optional add-on to a perpetual license, however we recommend it especially if you plan on long-term use of the software, because Oracle support is the only way to access software upgrades and newer versions.
Can I try Primavera P6 before I Purchase a License?
Oracle offers a free 30-day trial of Primavera P6. You can download and install this trial of Primavera P6 to test it out and determine if it is the right Project Management software for you.
Once the 30 days are finished, you should remove your copy of Primavera P6 as per Oracle’s Terms and Conditions (to which you agreed to when you downloaded the software). According to the free trial license agreement, the P6 database must not be used for commercial or production purposes and must be deleted once the trial period is over. If you wish to continue to use Primavera P6, you do not have to delete your copy, but you must purchase a license from the Oracle Store.
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