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P6 Schedule Analytics

DCMA 14-point assessment

3. Lags

Relationships into incomplete work with a positive lag.

Default threshold
No more than 5% of relationships
On the demo programme
Pass3.29% (21 of 638)

Definition

A lag is a wait between two activities. DCMA counts every positive lag, because a wait that matters is usually work, or a hold, that should be an activity in its own right.

How the app counts it

  • Counted on relationships into incomplete work.
  • Any positive lag counts. The lag setting on the dashboard can raise the bar for comparison with tools that only count long lags.

Thresholds, the counting basis and whether the check counts towards the score can all be changed. See settings.

Why it matters

Lags can't be statused. A lag that stands for an approval or a delivery hides who is responsible and when it really happened, and it's hard to defend when a delay is argued.

How to fix it in P6

  1. Replace waits that stand for work or holds with a named activity, such as 'Await approval of design'.
  2. Keep lags only for genuine technical waits, like concrete cure, and say so in the activity or relationship notes.
  3. Insights flags long lags that hide real work and lags across calendars with different working weeks.

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