When a project is dependent on a limited amount of resources, Primavera P6 Professional’s Leveling function can be a useful tool in addressing overload situations.

The Leveler tool allows activities to be scheduled in a way that ultimately reduces or eliminates an over-commitment of available resources. This also applies to more than one activity within a project across many projects.

The Leveler can be a profitable tool to utilize in regards to capacity planning and running certain mock scenarios.

Determining priorities is the best place to start.

With Primavera, it is possible to determine priorities at the project level, activity level or both. Look for “Project Level Priority” under the general category of columns. Set a number and see how the project adjusts. The lower the number, the higher priority (think: one equals a top priority, two equals a high priority, etc.). The Leveler will calculate and move activities as the projects are being leveled.

Constraints can also be time sensitive, such as with a specific date.

If you do adjust the dates of the project you are trying to level without telling Primavera P6 Professional, the dates will return to their original position. To combat this, simply make the certain edits in “Level Resources,” “Schedule Options,” and the “Status” tab of the “Activity Details.” This will fix the start date for the activity to be in its new, proper location.