What should a Primavera P6 schedule health check examine?
A schedule health check tests whether the programme can support credible forecasting and management decisions. It should examine the structure behind the dates, not simply count activities or report a score.
Logic and network integrity
Activities should be connected through relationships that reflect the intended construction or delivery sequence. Open ends, weak relationship choices, excessive lags and out-of-sequence progress can break the forecast even when the Gantt chart appears complete.
- Missing predecessors and successors
- Relationship types, lags and unusual logic
- Out-of-sequence progress and retained logic
- Continuity from data date to completion
Critical path, float and constraints
The controlling path should be traceable, technically plausible and responsive to change. Hard or unnecessary constraints, inappropriate calendars and disconnected logic can create misleading float or hide the real driver of completion.
- Longest-path and critical-path credibility
- Negative, excessive and unusual total float
- Mandatory and date constraints
- Calendar effects and near-critical paths
Progress, resources and delivery readiness
A useful review also considers how status, resource loading and time-phased quantities support management reporting. Where the input contains sufficient data, S-curves, manning profiles, quantities, look-ahead activities and milestone trends add important delivery context.
- Data-date and status quality
- Labour and cost S-curves
- Resource-wise manning and loading coverage
- Material quantities, milestones and look-ahead work
The output should lead to action
A list of technical exceptions is not enough. Findings should be prioritised by delivery significance, explained in plain language and linked to practical corrective action. The management view and technical evidence should remain connected.
Questions about this assessment
Which files can be reviewed?
3A accepts Primavera P6 XER and Microsoft Project XML schedule files for the online Schedule Health Check.
Does a high score prove that a schedule is reliable?
No. A score is an indicator, not a substitute for professional judgement. The critical path, logic, assumptions, progress quality and project context must also be considered.
Can the results be reviewed before purchase?
Yes. The Golden Eagle Sample Project provides a read-only tour of the executive summary, technical checks, S-curves, resources, quantities and delivery analytics.
Move from guidance to a working example.
The Golden Eagle Sample Project demonstrates the management summary, schedule checks, progress views, resource profiles, quantities and delivery analytics available through the platform.