Activities (tipcs4101m000)

Use this session to list and define the activities by project.

Activities are used to perform network planning by project, and to:

  • Determine the rough material and capacity requirements of the project which are planned with activities;
  • Control the (final) assembly planning for the project;
  • Define modules in module planning;
  • Record a project structure in the Project Structure (tipcs2115m000) session.
Note: 

A record cannot be deleted if:

  • The project has Canceled, Finished, Closed or Archived status;
  • The hours spent are > zero;
  • Activity is used in the Project Structure (tipcs2115m000) session
  • Activity is used in the Activity Relationships (tipcs4110m000) session
  • Activity is used in the Module Planning (tipcs4120m000) session

Field Information

Project

project

Note: It is not allowed to have a project of the Budget type. Budgets are only used for financial transactions, so you cannot add activities for a budget.
Status

Indicates the current progress of the project.

Allowed values

Free

You can carry out project engineering. This means that you can:

  • Define the project master schedule (PMS) by using the Project Control module.
  • Maintain the project structure.
  • Maintain the customized product structure by using customized bills of material and routing sheets.
  • Carry out project estimating.
Simulated

You simulate the rough capacity requirements planning and the detailed material and resource requirements planning (RRP) based on the network planning. The capacity requirements for a simulated project are visualized separately. LN generates planned RRP purchase orders, planned production orders, and PRP warehouse orders for customized items. However, those orders cannot be released. Moreover, the RRP does not allocate standard items to the project.

Active

This status indicates the project's execution stage. You can release planned orders, so that the required purchase and production activities can be actually started and completed.

Canceled

The project has been canceled. You cannot release new orders for the project, but you can, however, finish pending logistical activities. You can close a canceled project, but a project can also remain canceled. If the project remains canceled, be aware that the final costs are not posted to Financials , and that WIP can still exist for completed orders. Costs are only posted if you close the project.

Finished

As far as manufacturing is concerned, the project is finished. Also all purchase and production activities have been completed or closed, and all sales orders have been delivered for the project.

Closed

Financially, the project has been closed. This means that the financial project results have been computed. Financial project transactions can no longer be posted to the project.

To be Closed

If you select the COS and Revenues Restricted to Financial Company of PCS Project check box in the Project Control Parameters (tipcs0100m000) session, financial transactions are posted on the financial companies of the sales office, service department, and/or warehouse instead of on the financial company of the PCS project. If internal invoices are sent from the PCS project to those departments, and the internal invoices are not completed yet, the Close Project (tipcs2250m000) session sets the project status to To be Closed instead of to Closed. You must first complete the internal invoices, and then run the Close Project (tipcs2250m000) session again to set the project status to Closed.

Archived

The project has been archived. This means that all project data has been stored in archive files and are removed from the original files.

Aggregated Capacity Requirements

The aggregated capacity requirements in hours, depending on work center where the activity is scheduled to be carried out. The aggregated capacity requirements are calculated with the Aggregate Estimated Capacity to Project (tipcs4201m000) session on the basis of the project structure and the project engineering. This is only possible if the operations have been linked to activities in the routing. Dependent on the value of the Critical in Master Planning field in the Work Centers (tirou0101m000) session, Labor Capacity or Machine Capacity is used to calculate the aggregated capacity requirements.

Note: The aggregated capacity requirements are only shown for your information and can be used for checking or monitoring the rough planned hours by activity.
Spent Critical Capacity

The actual hours spent on the relevant activity. Based on the transaction hours linked to the activity, LN automatically updates this value in the Process Hours and Expenses (bptmm1203m000) session.

LN displays the number of hours spent as calculated by the Generate Network Planning (tipcs4210m000) session.

Activity

This code identifies an activity in the network planning for a project.

Default value

As a rule, LN takes the last sequence number incremented with 1.

Earliest Start Date

The earliest start date for the activity is the earliest date on which the activity can be started. This date is determined using the Generate Network Planning (tipcs4210m000) session.

General
Search Key

search key

Task

The task you want to link to the activity.

The task entered is used:

  • In the Project (PCS) Hours (bptmm1170m000) session when hours are entered for an activity
  • To store more detailed information about the activity

Reference Operation

The reference operation ID.

Reference Operation Machine Type

The machine type ID.

Site

The site ID.

Note: Only visible if multisite functionality is active.

Reference Operation Site

The ID of the site where the reference operation takes place.

Work Center

work center

Reference Operation Work Center

The work center in which the reference operation takes place.

Machine Type

machine type

Available Capacity

Enter the available capacity in hours per day. This capacity is used to calculate the default activity-duration. The planning factor enables you to record the available capacity in hours per day for each employee or machine.

Based on this capacity, LN calculates the default duration of an activity using the appropriate formula:

Default activity duration = Rough capacity
			 requirement / (Planning factor x Available capacity)
Activity Duration

Enter the activity duration in days.

LN determines the default activity duration as follows, based on:

  • The estimated capacity requirements
  • The planning factor
  • The available capacity
Activity Duration = Estimated capacity
			 requirements / (Planning Factor x Available Capacity)
Actual Labor Hours

The actual labor hours that are the posted to and processed by People .

Actual Machine Hours

The actual machine hours that are the posted to and processed by People .

Activity Estimation

If this check box is selected, the field indicates whether the relevant activity must be included in the estimated standard cost calculation for the project. This can be especially important for indirect activities, such as engineering.

Capacity Load Table

Capacity load tables indicate how the rough capacity requirement is divided over the activity duration. The percentage of the lead time (activity duration) is on the horizontal axis. The vertical axis shows the percentage of the capacity requirement (that part of the activity which must be finished after a certain activity duration). This capacity requirement is the rough capacity recorded for the activity.

Activity Manager

activity manager

Rough Capacity Requirements

The globally needed capacity in hours for the execution of the relevant activity.

Enter the estimated capacity-requirements in hours for the relevant activity. Using the Generate Network Planning (tipcs4210m000) session, the capacity-load table is used for planning the global capacity-requirements for the relevant activity.

Aggr. Estim. Cap. [H]

The aggregated capacity requirements in hours of the work center where the activity is scheduled to be carried out. The aggregated capacity requirements are calculated in the Aggregate Estimated Capacity to Project (tipcs4201m000) session on the basis of the project structure and the project engineering. You can only do this if the operations have been linked to activities in the customized routing. Dependent on the value of the Show in Resource Master Plan field in the Work Centers (tirou0101m000) session, Labor Capacity or Machine Capacity is used to calculate the aggregated capacity.

The aggregated capacity requirements are only shown for your information and can be used for checking or monitoring the rough planned hours by activity.

Planning Factor

Enter the planning factor that is used in calculating the default activity duration.

The planning factor indicates how many employees or machines are employed simultaneously for the execution of an activity. LN only uses this factor to calculate the default duration of the activity on the basis of the global capacity requirements and the available hours by day.

Latest Start Date

The last start date of the activity is the last date on which the activity can be started. Determine this date by using the Generate Network Planning (tipcs4210m000) session.

Earliest End Date

The earliest end date of the activity is the earliest date on which the activity can be finished. Determine this date by using the Generate Network Planning (tipcs4210m000) session.

Latest End Date

The latest finish date for the activity is the latest date on which the activity can be finished. This date is determined using the Generate Network Planning (tipcs4210m000) session.

Desired Start Date

The desired start date is the date on which you want to start the execution of the relevant activity. This date is only used for information. However, the desired start date is compared to the earliest and latest finish dates and the reference date by the Generate Network Messages (tipcs4211m000) session, which can result in the creation of exception messages.

Desired End Date

The desired finish date is the date on which you want to stop the execution of the relevant activity. This date is only used for information. However, the desired finish date is compared to the earliest and latest finish date and the reference date with the Generate Network Messages (tipcs4211m000) session, which can result in the creation of exception messages.

Actual Start Date

Enter the actual start date, provided that the Percentage Completed field does not read 100%.

Note: The actual start date is also updated by the Process Hours and Expenses (bptmm1203m000) session once you have entered hours for the relevant activity using the Project (PCS) Hours (bptmm1170m000) session.
Actual End Date

Enter the actual finish date, provided that the Percentage Completed field does not read 100%.

Note: 

The actual end date is updated if you:

  • Enter hours for the relevant activity in the Process Hours and Expenses (bptmm1203m000) session.
  • Execute a network calculation in the Generate Network Planning (tipcs4210m000) session.
Free Float

The free float is the number of (work)days that the start of an activity can be delayed without affecting the float of subsequent activities.

The free float is determined by the network planning process. It cannot be modified by the user.

Note: 

The corresponding Free Slack field in MS Project is expressed in hours.

The conversion is based on the Work Center field and the Basic Day Capacity field linked to the specified work center.

Total Float

The total float of an activity is the maximum time expressed in (working) days in which that activity can be shifted without affecting the planned completion date of the relevant project.

The total float-time is calculated:

  • Total Float = Latest Finish - Earliest
    			 Start - Activity Duration
  • The latest finish date and earliest start date are expressed in project days.
Note: 

The corresponding Total Slack field in MS Project is expressed in hours.

The conversion is based on the Work Center field and the Basic Day Capacity field linked to the specified work center.

Automatic Update of Percentage Completed

If this check box is selected, the Percentage Completed field is automatically determined if you use either the Process Hours and Expenses (bptmm1203m000) session when hours transactions are processed, or if you use the Generate Network Planning (tipcs4210m000) session when a network calculation is performed for the project.

Percentage Completed

Enter the percentage completed for the activity. You can only enter a percentage if the Automatic Update of Percentage Completed check box is cleared.

If the Automatic Update of Percentage Completed check box is selected, the percentage completed is automatically determined. The calculation is as follows:

  • If hours are entered in the Rough Capacity Requirements field in the Activity Overview (tipcs4503m000) session:

    • Percentage completed = Spent hours /
      					 Rough capacity requirements
  • If no hours are entered in the Rough Capacity Requirements field in the Activity Overview (tipcs4503m000) session:

    • Percentage completed = Spent hours /
      					 (Planning factor x Available capacity x Actual duration)

The percentage completed shows the activity's progress. The Spent Critical Capacity field is updated if you book hours for the activity in the Hours and Expenses by Employee Overview (bptmm1100m000) session.

Note: Because of the nonlinear distribution of capacity requirements, the percentage completed is not related to the lead time but to the global capacity requirements. If you choose an automatic calculation of the percentage completed, this percentage is determined on the basis of the global capacity requirements and the actual hours spent.
Actual Calendar

The calendar code and availability type combination that is used by the work center manufacturing a production order during a specific period.

Show in Resource Master Plan

The value of the Critical in Master Planning field in the Work Centers (tirou0101m000) session for the relevant work center.

Allowed values

Labor Capacity

Labor capacity is used in Enterprise Planning to express the capacity use of the resource master plan.

Machine Capacity

Machine capacity is used in Enterprise Planning to express the capacity use of the resource master plan.

Activity Text

If this check box is selected, text related to the selected activity is present.