PROJECT DATA ANALYTICS TRAINING
11 hours of advance training on Project Data Analytics
The construction industry is reshaping and adopting the most advanced and intelligent ways to handle the project data and make data driven decision for the success of the business. Project data is huge and never gets stopped, it generates every passing day. If we do not have automated processes for structuring the data, we cannot confine the data and simply we are lacking to do systematic computing for analysis. In construction there is tons of experience available in the industry related to technical knowledge and plenty of professionals with core acquaintance of project management, but there seems to be a lacking in data driven solutions and implementation of business intelligent tools for analytics, one of the reason is that, most of the professionals in construction industry do not have advanced data analytical skills which require knowledge of data structuring, data mining, data cleaning and data modeling using coding, thus they follow conventional tools and methods to steer the projects.
The projects are getting more and more complex now a days, and it has become the need of the hour to adopt the latest tools and techniques to automate the project data. We train individual professionals and Organizations for project data analytics with our own developed Query Scripts (M Codes) and advanced methods of data modeling. We teach DAX to develop robust performance measurement system for any construction related project. We develop skills to practically implement data analytics in your project by combining your project management knowledge with our advance method of analytics.
Bring your technical knowledge and experience, combine it with data analytics and start making best out of the available options. Data is the new dollar (Ammar Hanspal SVP Autodesk)
Course Content
Part-1
• Introduction to Data Analytics
Understand the term data analytics how it plays important role in construction industry, why it is important for project planning and control professionals, what benefits we can have by developing systematic approach of converting raw data into information
• Process Flow Chart of Project Data Analytics with P6 and BI Tool
Understand the importance of data source (P6 in our case) and the type of data you are going to deal with, where the data will be generated, how the data will travel from source (P6) into its destination BI Tool (Power BI in our case)
• Concept of Database & Data Warehouse inside P6
For Project planning and controls professional these terms are very new with no or minimum knowledge, it is important to understand that whatever we as a P6 user see is different from whatever is happening behind the software, so we need to understand what database is and data ware house does and which of them will be used in our training
• Concept of Schemas in Data Warehouse
I have always believed that Project planning and controls professional can be very good data analyst because they deal with huge amount of data every day, but the problem is most of them are using old techniques to do data analysis, The advance methods, tools and languages of data analytics are not common for many individuals in construction industry the main reason is that, they don’t understand how data analyst actually play with big data, in order to understand it, they must know the basics of Datawarehouse, in this part the concept of star, snowflake and galaxy schema, fact tables dimension tables, primary key foreign key, dimensions attributes, is explained to create the foundation of your journey towards project data analyst
Part-2
• Understanding of The Schema in P6
This is the most interesting part for many advance and expert P6 users, in this part we will validate and verify all the concepts of data warehouse schemas and see how P6 is using the tables and columns and how are they relating to each other, what are fact and dimension tables in P6, which one are the primary and foreign keys
• Developing the Data Source for Power BI
Once user has understood the how data is different from user end and developers point of view then is the time to understand how data is stored in P6 vertically and time phased (Horizontally), how P6 deals with Earned value data and resource management data, what is the concept of baseline data and budgeted data, how performance measurement system(EVM) actually works in P6, what are the relevant fields (columns) we need to consider for data extraction and how we need to take data out of P6, what table or tab we need to use, what kind of data we will require. (our method is just a general guideline for data extraction, user can extract as much data they require, we will only use data related to earned value management and resource management)
Part-3
• Introduction to Power Query
This is the point where things start getting bit more advanced, for many professional power query may be a new term, but I assure you, power query and power pivot are the two most amazing things of Microsoft. In this part a brief introduction to power query will be given.
• Data Structuring and Data Cleaning with Power Query
So far until this point majority of Project Planning & Controls professional were dealing with data in old fashion using lookup formula and excel charts. From this point onwards you will start automating your project program and portfolio data.
Here we will learn once the data comes from the data source, how it appears and what we actually want it to appear and why, for that we need to clean our data and structure it which will be further used for data modeling. We will give unified names to all the tables, this unified naming will help us in part 6 for creating PMS. Data structuring and cleaning is one time process we don’t need to perform these steps every time, unless there are some major modifications required, this portion is covered in part 10.
• Data Modeling and Developing Schema in Power Bi
Once the data is structured and clean as per our requirement, then we will learn data modeling, here we will recall all the concepts of star snowflake and galaxy schema. We will develop star schema from our own hand, we will learn types of relationships in star schema, we will see P6 again and compare how P6 user interface data is actually appearing in our data model inside Power BI after cleaning and structuring in Power Query editor, we will apply those concepts on our data to create a very powerful data model, this data model will be so powerful that it can acquire data from any project schedule (Baseline or updated) of Primavera P6 and automatically convert data into information using KPIs visuals and matrix. The model is a template for every P6 project with standard project performance measurement system.
Part-4
• Concept of Performance Measurement System in Projects & in Primavera P6
Until this point in our journey to become project data analyst we have learned need of data analytics in project industry, concept of schemas in P6, data extraction from P6, data structuring and cleaning in query editor and data modeling in power BI, the next step is to use the backbone of Power BI (DAX) data analysis expression to modify structured and cleaned data into some KPIs. Its obvious that, 1st we need to know what kind of KPIs we will be required to develop from DAX, for that we should know what the standard methods in industry are for controlling the project.
In part 4 the two most commonly used techniques for controlling the projects are explained and conceptually an understanding is developed about performance measurement system/baseline in project management and descriptive, predictive & prescriptive key performance indicators, which will be developed using DAX.
Part-5
• Getting Started with DAX (Introduction to Data Analysis Expression)
So far We have shaped our data and we know what kind of KPIs we need to develop for our performance measurement system, but we don’t know DAX yet (for majority of professionals this might be the 1st time using the DAX), so here we will get started with DAX slowly and will deep dive into some of the key and very important DAX functions.
This is a dedicated video only for DAX functions, here user will get to know the syntax of some key DAX functions, we will learn different ways of writing DAX codes like implicit and explicit, we will learn where to use a measure, where to use calculated column base on our data model.
Part-6
• Write DAX Codes in Power BI to Develop Standard Earned Value KPIs.
Once you reach to this part, you already know basics of DAX, and you have a dataset ready for you to apply DAX. So lets deep dive into our data set and start using DAX for an automated project performance measurement system.
In this video we will create descriptive, predictive & prescriptive key performance indicators, we will apply the DAX coding to develop Cumulative values, S-Curve, descriptive trends, predictive trends, prescriptive values, scalar values, variances and indices.
• Create industry standard Performance Measurement system
After creating all the relevant KPIs and their trends, we will now use the unified coding of tables which we created in part 3 and organize our KPIs according to these tables, this is very important step, we need to know where KPIs lie in our data set, in which table they are present and what is the name we have given to them, what are single value KPIs what are time distributed KPIs, what is cost based KPI which one are unit based KPIs. How we will measure our progress cost wise or labor unit wise.
Part-7
• Prepare Project Controls Dashboards and Reports
All the of our project, program or portfolio that is present in Primavera P6, is now available in Power BI, in a highly structured and organized way. The next step is a story telling, this is very crucial part of your journey to project data analyst, in your data set you have huge amount of data available and now you need to decide what data you want to bring out and convert into useful information. This is the longest part of the training fully dedicated top development of dashboards and reports, here we will develop some standard dashboards and put some KPIs and their trends.
Part-8
• Integrate Project Layouts/drawings with Performance Reports and Dashboards
Graphical representation is always fascinating in storytelling, so we brought the project drawings and combined it with KPIs to make the dashboard and reports more interesting.
In this part you will learn some tricks to bring your project drawings into Power Bi and integrate them with your dashboards and reports. So far we are connecting only 2d models due to limitations of different 3d software’s compatibility with power BI and our dataset.
Part-9
• Understand Project Controls Dashboards and Reports with various Filter Context such as, (BOQ, Area, Floor, Zone, Cost Account, Control Account etc)
At this point in training we are done with 1st stage of the journey to become project data analyst, that is making an automated robust reporting system which will convert data into information and bring out useful insight for decision making.
Now let’s move to “analyzing the data” part, here we will see how to use activity codes to break down information, how to travel from one report to other report, how to reach to root cause of an issue, how to see the information from data analyst’s eye, what to take from the information and reach to conclusion (part 9 contains a general over view of looking at project data, method of analysis ,may very project to project)
• Learn the flow of data and filter context in star schema
Part 9 also explains filter context, that how the data is travelling through our data models when you apply the filters, Analysis in Power BI is all about filter context, and reliability and authenticity of the data is all about good and strong data model that makes our data flow from one table to the other based our relationships, so here we will learn how powerful our model is and how it makes our data flow
Part-10
• Transform Project Dashboards and reports into Program and Portfolio reports
What if you need to analyze more than one project in your reports?, this is the video where we will learn how to change your queries from project to portfolio dataset.
• Learn how to resolve some specific errors in M.code (Query Editor)
You may find some errors while bringing different type of projects from P6 into Power BI, so we explained here the solution to some specific errors that may come in M.code
Part-11
• A detailed guide on Financial period calendars, how to create and store financial period data in latest and older versions of P6.
Financial periods in P6 may be not important for you previously, but if you are going to be project data analyst you can not compromise on slightest of loopholes in your data, for that reason part 11 is fully dedicated for financial periods, like what are financial periods, why they are important, how to use them, and what impact it will create in your analysis if used or not used.
• Learn how to preserve true trends of EVM in P6
Once we understand that we need to use financial periods in P6, the next challenge is how to modify our data model according to them, so in this part we will learn how easily we can transform our non-financial period data into financial period data
• Learn the most advance method of P6 and power BI integration
• Learn to convert project data into visuals and trends
• Learn P6 from data warehouse point of view
• Learn DAX and Power Query to modify KPIs as per the need
• Detailed understanding of schemas and data warehouse
• Control Project data and shape your reports and dashboard in your way
• Learn Data flow and filter context for your data
• Integrate project drawings with earned value
• Spend less time in data handling and more in analyzing
• Learn to interpret project data and extract useful information out of it
• Data-driven solution and enhance the strategic decision making
• Be the Master of Project Data analytics
How it Works?
During the entire training, you will learn several new skills to automate your reports and dashboards, how to visualize data, how to drill down to the root cause and convert data into information that will strengthen your decision-making skills. In our training we will teach
• How to take data out from P6 in the simplest and quickest way
• How to import data directly into P6, without any modification in excel.
• How to clean the data
• How to structure the data and develop tables with our unique M.Code scripting
• How to standardize the names of tables to later use them in DAX.
• How to develop schema relative to a time scale that will enable you to generate trends.
• How to write DAX codes to generate automated earned value KPIs, Project Elapsed and Remaining Durations, and Forecasted Delays.
• How to create industry-based standard performance reports and dashboards in a highly interactive way.
• How to Integrate earned value with project drawings
• How to perform analytics on Project data and convert your data into useful visuals and information.
Why our Training is Unique?
• We train professionals with the advanced techniques of data handling.
• From project to portfolio level all your data will be reshaped as per your need
• We don’t work on excel, we directly throw data into Power BI
• Our automation works in three steps, update progress, run our designed reports and refresh the Power BI dashboards
• Our model will automatically accept data from any P6 project and any ERP that you will integrate with
• Our M.Codes and DAX codes automatically generates trends, visuals and KPIs for your portfolios and projects
