Primavera® P6: Get Interview Ready with These Questions and Answers

If you are exploring options as a Primavera® Planning Engineer, or just want to start your career in Primavera®, these questions will make you interview ready.Critical Path, which is a sequence of activities, determines the complete duration of the project. It is the longest path of the network diagram.

1. What is the difference between Free Float and Total Float?

• Total Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project delivery date.
• Free Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without effecting the following activity completion date. 

2. What is different between Float and Slack in Project Management?

This is a trick question. Float and Slack is the same thing. 

3. What is the difference between a “Mandatory Start or Finish” and a “Start On or Finish On” constraint?

• Mandatory Finish/Start constraint sets the early start and late finish dates for an activity. It eliminates any float on the activity and defies logic in some cases.

Mandatory Start sets the Early and Late Start dates equal to the constraint date. Mandatory Finish sets the Early and Late Finish dates equal to the constraint date. 

• Start On or Finish On constraint sets the early or late dates equal to the constraint date. It respects the scheduled logic.

Start On constraints set the Late Start date equal to the constraint date. Finish On constraints set the Early Finish equal to the constraint date. 

4. What is a Critical Path in Primavera®?

Critical Path, which is a sequence of activities, determines the complete duration of the project. It is the longest path of the network diagram. Critical Path calculations are used to determine the shortest time possible to complete the project. 

5. What is WBS?

WBS stands for Work Breakdown Structure. As the name suggests, it is used to break the project down into manageable pieces. 

6. What is an Open Ended Activity in Primavera®?

An Open Ended Activity is an activity that does not have any successor, and can be completed at any time during the project without effecting the project end date. Usually, an open ended activity is not followed by any other activity, and it can be delayed in order to focus on more important activities. 

7. What is the difference between Retained Logic and Progress Override?

Primavera® P6 enables the user to select between Retained Logic and Progress Override in order to identify how the progressed activities will be scheduled. With Retained Logic, the activity cannot finish until the predecessor activity is finished. In case of Progress Override, the relationship between the activities is ignored by Primavera® P6. It doesn’t respect the network logic. 

8. What is the difference between Resource Smoothing and Resource Leveling?

• Resource Leveling is driven by resource constraints, and it applies those constraints to the project. It may change the duration of the project.
• Resource Smoothing is confined to the desired limits. It comes into the picture after Resource Leveling, and does not result in change of the project duration. 

9. What is an S-Curve?

An S-Curve is a graphical representation of costs, hours, units or other values over time. It gives a quick and easy-to-understand view to the managers. Multisoft Systems offers different trainings on Primavera®, like Primavera® P6 Certification Training, Primavera® Analytics Training and Primavera® Advanced Training. These trainings are specifically designed for Project Managers, Construction Managers, Site Managers, Civil Engineers, Project Engineers and Planning Engineers. About the author: Nisha Negi is a Technical Content Writer at Multisoft Virtual Academy. She writes blog posts and articles on various technical subjects. She is an experienced IT professional and bears immense knowledge of the latest technology. She stays current with all the ongoing and upcoming certifications. Her way of expression is contemporary and crisp.