My P6 Administration Log: Improving your Primavera Database Security by Managing the “Responsible Manager Code” (RMC) field.

1. Primavera Scheduling
Tips and Tricks 04-13
Improving Primavera Database Security by
Managing the “Responsible Manager Code”
field
2013
Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP®, CCEC, PMI-RMP®
Revision 2: July 6, 2013

2. 070313-Primavera Scheduling Tips & Tricks 04-13 (RMC) Page 2 of 8 7/10/2013
Author: Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP, CCEC, PMI-RMP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
1.0 SITUATION/PROBLEM...................................................................................................................3
2.0 RELATED TOOLS............................................................................................................................4
3.0 DEFINITION...................................................................................................................................4
4.0 PROBLEM ANALYSIS (PA) ..............................................................................................................4
5.0 EXPLANATION/SOLUTION.............................................................................................................5
6.0 REFERENCES..................................................................................................................................6
7.0 ADDITIONAL READING MATERIALS...............................................................................................6
8.0 FOOD FOR THOUGHT....................................................................................................................6
9.0 ILLUSTRATIONS.............................................................................................................................7
10.0 INDEX............................................................................................................................................8

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Author: Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP, CCEC, PMI-RMP
1.0 SITUATION/PROBLEM
1.1 Project’s request to restrict access of other Users to their project
schedules & portfolios seemed to have failed. Unauthorized access
remains a problem. Contractors working concurrently in the same
database were able to sometime see the client’s schedule and
modified certain critical attributes despite the security protocol being
enforced. Worst of all, one schedule was completely deleted by
someone and have to be recovered from the back-end by the
Database Administrator through the existing back-up and recovery
protocol.
1.2 Dorothy was checking Marco’s security access because he couldn't
add resources and found that all his projects have the Responsible
Manager’s Code set to the Contractor’s OBS code. She figured that
Marco might have used the contractor’s original schedule as a starting
project file in developing his project schedule.
1.3 Back in June 2010, Primavera User John and Mark had put together a
schedule that sat on the back burner while the Project team worked
on other priorities. When it came time to set the baseline, John and
Mark decided to do a quick check to make sure nothing had changed.
Mark hit the F9 button and about 80% of the activities moved to the
right. The dates moved by 4 to 20 days.
The two of them checked the calendar they were using but they were
fine. The Primavera database Administrator checked who else was
using the calendar and the schedule and found that only John and
Mark were given direct access to this schedule.
John now went back to the schedule, changed some lags and logics
trying to correct the schedule discrepancies. The effort took more
than a day to complete, time which the project really do not have.
What has gone wrong?

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Author: Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP, CCEC, PMI-RMP
2.0 RELATED TOOLS
2.1 Project Management (Primavera 6.1 SP1, 6.2, 6.7 SP1, 6.7 SP2 and
higher)
3.0 DEFINITION
3.1 The term “User” in this document is the person using the Primavera
scheduling tool. He can be the planner, the scheduler, the Project
Manager or anyone.
3.2 EPS = Enterprise Project Structure.
3.3 OBS = Organizational Business Structure
3.4 RMC=Responsible Manager’s Code
4.0 PROBLEM ANALYSIS (PA)
4.1 The Lead Planner of the project usually has the capability to assign the
Responsible Manager code and has the bottom line responsibility of
making sure that all the projects has the same code (or corresponding
OBS code) as the EPS node it belongs to.
4.2 As the situation described in Section 1.2 underlined, copying the
schedule from one EPS node to another will not automatically update
nor change the Responsibility Manager setting such that it will
correctly inherit the Responsibility Manager code of the header it is
now under. This is the reason why the Contractor who previously
owns the original schedule still has access to the copy of his/her
schedule which is now located under the new EPS node but has not
relinquished the previous Responsible Manager code.
4.3 The problem mentioned in Section 1.3 was brought about by one of
the User who has previous access to the original schedule before it
was moved to the new EPS Node. This is similar if not entirely the
same situation as the situation in Section 1.2.
4.4 The risk to the schedule and the project as a whole in terms of quality,
scope, time and money can be low to high, not to mention the
possible threat to information security and the accompanying feeling
of frustrations and stress.

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Author: Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP, CCEC, PMI-RMP
5.0 EXPLANATION/SOLUTION
5.1 Rules to follow to maintain the Scheduling tool security framework.
5.1.1 The robustness of the project security access must
be reinforced by proper assignment of the "Responsible
Manager" code.
5.1.2 The Users should note that the RMC is in fact the OBS code
element directly associated with the EPS.
5.1.3 When any Primavera User creates a new project, he/she must
make sure that it is assigned the same Responsible Manager
as the EPS node it is under.
5.1.4 The Lead Planner and/or the Schedule Owner must see to it
that this is religiously followed.
5.1.5 Example (See Figure 1): If someone copied a project folder
from the “PSG” EPS node to the “PE&C TEST” EPS node with
the intention of developing new schedule, chances are the
PSG contractor or Schedule Owner, will still have access to
that particular project schedule being developed unless the
Responsible Manager is changed accordingly to reflect PE&C
TEST.
5.1.6 Controlling the proper assignment of the Responsible
Manager code was not being done by a lot of Primavera
Users and Administrator and that will always create
unwanted access to restricted nodes by some Users in many
instances.
5.1.7 It is about time that all Users and Database Primavera
Administrators are made aware of this.
5.1.8 The project therefore should exercise prudence by checking
and periodically auditing their Primavera Users to find out if
they should really have the access rights to the projects
they currently have access to.
5.1.9 The responsibility of maintaining the Responsible Manager
column basically resides with the projects while the
Primavera Database Administrator does regular monitoring.
This responsibility is best captured in the company’s standard
and procedure/work instruction governing Primavera Security
Profiles.

6. 070313-Primavera Scheduling Tips & Tricks 04-13 (RMC) Page 6 of 8 7/10/2013
Author: Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP, CCEC, PMI-RMP
6.0 REFERENCES
6.1 Help, About Primavera, Project Management (Primavera), V6.1 SP1,
V6.1 SP2, V6.7 SP1, V6.7 SP2 and higher.
7.0 ADDITIONAL READING MATERIALS
7.1 Presentation called “070613-Managing P6 DB Security using RMC” by
Rufran C. Frago, Revision 1, July 3, 2013
8.0 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
8.1 With the project maintaining and updating the Responsible Manager
fields through the Lead, Schedule Owner, Supervisors, Database
Administrator, and all who can potentially help, we can rest assured
that the security setting we’ve set for each User will ultimately work.
8.2 As the saying goes, housekeeping should start in each of our own
backyard.

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Author: Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP, CCEC, PMI-RMP
9.0 ILLUSTRATIONS
9.1 Figure 1
Projects grouped by EPS, showing the Responsible Manager column.

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Author: Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP, CCEC, PMI-RMP
10.0 INDEX
"Responsible Manager" code ............................................................................................. 5
“User”.................................................................................................................................. 4
ADDITIONAL READING MATERIALS...................................................................................... 6
capability to assign the Responsible Manager ................................................................... 4
DEFINITION.......................................................................................................................... 4
EPS....................................................................................................................................... 4
Figure 1– Project Portfolio showing EPS............................................................................. 7
FOOD FOR THOUGHT........................................................................................................... 6
ILLUSTRATIONS.................................................................................................................... 7
INDEX................................................................................................................................... 8
OBS...................................................................................................................................... 4
OBS code............................................................................................................................. 3
PROBLEM ANALYSIS............................................................................................................. 4
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 6
RELATED TOOLS................................................................................................................... 4
SITUATION/PROBLEM.......................................................................................................... 3
SOLUTION............................................................................................................................ 5