LOE Activities in Primavera P6: Why They Matter and How to Use Them

Discover why Level of Effort (LOE) activities are essential in Primavera P6 and learn how to create, link, and display them on your schedule in 3 simple steps.

Introduction

Level of Effort (LOE) activities represent support or management work that runs parallel to construction tasks — project management, QA, safety oversight. Unlike fixed-duration activities, LOE automatically adjusts based on related work. This guide shows you how to create, connect, and display LOE activities on the bridge replacement project (EC00630).

Step 1: Create the LOE Activity

Step 1. Open Activities. Go to Project > Activities. Right-click where you want the activity and select "Insert Activity". (See Figure 1 below.)

Figure 1: Right-click context menu showing Insert Activity option.

Step 2. Enter Activity Details. Type an Activity ID (e.g., "MGMT001") and Name (e.g., "Project Management"). (See Figure 2 below.)

Figure 2: New activity row with ID and Name filled in.

Step 3. Set Activity Type to LOE. In Activity Details pane (bottom), click the "General" tab. Find "Activity Type" dropdown and select "Level of Effort". Set Duration Type to "Effort". (See Figure 3 below.)

Figure 3: Activity Type set to Level of Effort in General tab.

Step 2: Connect with Logical Relationships

Step 4. Open Predecessors Tab. Click the "Predecessors" or "Logic" tab in Activity Details. (See Figure 4 below.)

Figure 4: Predecessors tab in Activity Details panel.

Step 5. Add Start-to-Start Link. Click "Add Predecessor". Select the first construction activity (e.g., Excavation). Set Relationship Type to "Start-to-Start" (SS) with 0 lag. (See Figure 5 below.)

Figure 5: Start-to-Start relationship configuration dialog.

Step 6. Add Finish-to-Finish Link. Add another predecessor link to the last construction activity with "Finish-to-Finish" (FF) relationship, 0 lag. This spans the LOE across the entire construction phase. (See Figure 6 below.)

Figure 6: Both Start-to-Start and Finish-to-Finish relationships configured.

Step 3: Display LOE in Gantt Chart

By default, LOE bars may not show. To make them visible:

Step 7. Right-Click Gantt Chart. In the Activities window, right-click on the timeline area (right side). Select "Activity Bar Styles" or "Bars...". (See Figure 7 below.)

Figure 7: Right-click context menu showing Bar Styles option.

Step 8. Enable Level of Effort Display. In the Bar Styles dialog, find the "Level of Effort" row. Check the Display checkbox to enable LOE bar visibility. (See Figure 8 below.)

Figure 8: Bar Styles dialog with Level of Effort display enabled.

Step 9. Click OK. Click OK to apply. LOE bars now appear in the Gantt chart, typically as dashed lines spanning from the first to last construction activities. (See Figure 9 below.)

Figure 9: Gantt chart with LOE activity bar now visible.

Conclusion

LOE activities are essential for accurate project management modeling. By creating a LOE activity, connecting it with SS/FF relationships, and enabling Gantt display, you model support work realistically. The EC00630 bridge project now shows Project Management running alongside construction, making dependencies and duration changes transparent to all stakeholders.