Tips for Networks
Task 3 Assigning Activity Elements, Material Components, and Milestones
Use an activity element to add detail to an activity in your project. Using an example, look at the manual assignment of material components. Plan the release of activities using the milestone function.
1. Plan costs in the amount of 800 Euros for a customer presentation that should begin when activity 1010 Customer Acceptance begins. Use an activity element.
2. Plan the procurement of a shaft framework (material number E-1203a) for the elevator using material requirements planning (MRP). The requirements date should lie 3 days before the end of activity 1080 Procurement of Mechanical Equipment.
3. Use a milestone for Start Execution. The milestone should be released directly following activities if you set the user status Order for activity 1010 Customer Acceptance. According to the plan, this milestone should be reached at the end of the activity. Save your project.
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Solution 3: Activities and Networks
Task 1 Customizing Networks
Create your own profile for networks in Customizing for the SAP Project System and look at the various setting options. Enter your network profile in the project profile you created in the "Work Breakdown Structure" lesson.
Optional: You can make settings in the tables Confirmation Parameters for Network Type and Check Control of the availability check, which are required when you execute networks.
Hint: In the following exercises, ## refers to your group number (## = 01, 02, and so on).
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1. Create the network type GR## with the name Group ## in Customizing.
Use the network type PS04 as a template. Which user status profile is intended for this network type? To which number range is your network type assigned after you have saved?
a) To access Customizing enter the transaction SPRO or choose from the SAP menu Tools → Customizing → IMG → Edit Project.
To get to Customizing for the Project System, choose SAP Reference IMG.
Copy the network type. Choose Customizing Project System → Structures → Operative Structures → Network → Settings for Networks
→ Maintain Network Types.
Select the network type PS04, Network for Customer Project (int.no.).
Choose Copy As. Change the identification and the description according to the task. Confirm your entries with Copy. Then choose Save.
b) To access the detail screen for your network type, double-click GR##
in the overview of network types. 13000000 PS Customer Project (IDES) is entered as the status profile.
To check the assignment of your network type to a number range, choose Number range general. When you copy the network type PS04, your network type GR## is automatically assigned to the same number range 900000 - 999999.
Hint: If you create a network type without a template, you must manually assign your network to a number range.
To exit network type maintenance, choose Back (more than once).
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2. Define parameters for your network type GR## for plant 1300 (copy the parameters from network type PS04 of plant 1300 to copy from). Adapt the parameters to your network type so that the system creates only one purchase requisition per network, if necessary. Due to the settings, does account assignment occur on the header or activity level?
a) Choose Customizing Project System → Structures → Operative
Structures → Network → Settings for Networks → Specify Parameters for Network Type.
Select the row with the combination Plant: 1300 and Network Type:
PS04. To copy data, choose Copy As.
In the Network Type field, enter the network type GR## and set the Collctve Requstn indicator. Because the ActvtyAcctAsgn. indicator is set, account assignment for networks occurs for these parameters always on the activity level. Confirm your entries with Copy. Save the network parameter. To exit, choose Back.
3. Create your own network profile GR## with the name Group ## and the template of the network profile 1004. Change the data of your profile so that the system uses the network type GR##, and so that the system creates reservations and purchase requisitions only after they have been manually triggered. Enter the default value 001 as the purchasing group for the procurement of external services.
a) Choose Customizing Project System → Structures → Operative Structures → Network → Settings for Networks → Maintain Network Profiles.
Select the row 1004 Elevator Model Group 4 for the network profile.
To copy the profile, choose Copy As.
Change the Key and Definition of the network profile according to the task. Enter the network type GR## in the Network Type field.
Enter the value 1 (never) for the Res./Purc. req. indicator. On the Activities tab page, enter the Purchasing Group 001 as the default value for service and externally processed activities. Confirm your entries with Copy. Save your network profile. To exit, choose Back.
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4. Create scheduling parameters for your network type GR## for plant 1300. Copy the scheduling parameters of network type PS04 in plant 1300. Adjust your scheduling parameters so that the start dates can be 999days in the past and the system begins with forward scheduling when scheduling networks.
a) Choose Customizing Project System → Dates → Scheduling → Specify Parameters for Network Scheduling.
Select the row with the combination Plant: 1300 and Network Type:
PS04. To copy data, choose Copy As.
Enter the network type GR## in the Order Type field. Set Forwards as the scheduling type and enter the value 999 in the Start in the Past field. Confirm your entries with Copy. Save the changes. To exit the scheduling parameters, choose Back.
5. Enter your network profile GR## in the project profile GR## Sales Projects you created in the "Work Breakdown Structure" lesson.
a) Choose Customizing Project System → Structures → Operative
Structures → Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) → Create Project Profile.
Select your project profile GR## to branch to the profile details.
Go to the Plg board/dates tab page and enter your profile GR## in the Network Profile field. Save the changes. To exit project profile maintenance, choose Back (more than once).
6. Optional: Define confirmation parameters for your network type GR##
in plant 1300. Once again, copy the parameters of network type PS04 in plant 1300. Change your confirmation parameters so that it is no longer possible to confirm dates that lie in the future.
a) Choose Customizing Project System → Confirmation → Define Confirmation Parameters.
Select the rows for the combination Plant: 1300 and Network Type:
PS04. To copy data, choose Copy As.
In the Network Type field, enter the network type GR## and deactivate the Date in future indicator. Confirm your entries with Copy. Save the changes. To exit the scheduling parameters, choose Back.
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7. Optional: Activate the availability check for your network type GR## in plant 1300 (both for created and released networks). Once again, copy the settings of network type PS04 in plant 1300.
a) Choose Customizing Project System → Material → Availability Check → Define Checking Control.
Select the row with the combination Plant: 1300 and Network Type:
PS04 for created orders (Business Function: 1). To copy data, choose Copy As.
In the Order Type field, enter the network type GR## and deactivate the No Check indicator. Confirm your entries with Copy.
Carry out the same for open orders (Business Function: 2). Save the changes and exit.
Task 2 Creating and Working with Activities and Networks
Create two networks, one with a template and one without a template, for your project E-99## in the Project Builder. Use your Customizing settings for networks from the last exercise. Use relationships to define time dependencies between the networks.
1. Enter your network profile GR## in the project definition of your project E-99##. Plan costs for your team meetings in the amount of 1000 Eurofor cost element 466000 using a general costs activity for the highest-level WBS element of your project E-99##. Distribute the costs over a period of 20 days. The respective network should use your Customizing settings. Have an external provider carry out quality assurance for your project. Plan this using an externally processed
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activity, External Quality Assurance, for the WBS element Quality Assurance. Use data from the purchasing info record 5500000057. Save the changes to your project.
a) Open your project E-99## in the Project Builder. Choose Logistics → Project System → Project → Project Builder.
Select the project E-99## in your worklist to open the project.
Change the Network Profile field on the Control data tab page for the project definition. Select your network profile Group ##.
Drag a general costs activity from the template area of the Project Builder (under Individual Objects → Activity) and drop it on the highest-level WBS element E-99## of the project. Enter the following data in the detail screen of the activity and confirm your entries with Enter.
Hint: After the data has been released, the system creates the activity and the network header using a preliminary number.
The system uses the network profile defined in the project definition as the network profile for this network.
Drag an externally processed activity from the template area and drop it on the WBS element E-99##-4 Quality Assurance. Enter the following data:
Field Name Field Value
Description External Quality
Assurance
Info record 5500000057
Confirm your entry and the dialog box that follows. To save your changes, choose Save.
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2. Create a second network with the description Design, Procurement, and Assemblyfor the WBS element E-99##-1 Engineering/Design of your project. Copy the standard network E-1002. Once again, use your Customizing settings for the network profile and the network type for the new network. Not all activities of this network are intended for the elevator design. Assign the new activities appropriately to the WBS elements in your project.
a) Open your project E-99## in the Project Builder. Select the WBS element E-99##-1 Engineering/Design in the structure tree and open the context menu (right mouse click). Choose Create→ Copy Network from the context menu. In the dialog box that follows, enter the value E-1002 in the Std network field and choose the Network Parameters tab page. Enter GR## as the network profile, GR## as the network type, and 1300 as the plant, and confirm your entries with Continue.
The system displays the detail data of the new network header in the processing area. Enter Design, Procurement, and Assembly as the description for the new network. Confirm your entry and the warning message (if required) for the start date of the network so that the system creates the network.
The system displays the new network and the copied activities in the structure tree of the Project Builder. Assign the following by dragging the activities in the structure tree one after the other to the corresponding WBS elements.
3. Using the tabular relationship overview, create finish-start relationships for activity 1010 Customer Acceptance to 10 Meeting Costs and for activity 1140 Assembly to activity 20 External Quality Assurance. Use the network structure graphic to change the relationship between activities 1000
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Layout and 1010 Customer Acceptance. In place of the original relationship, create a start-start relationship from activity 1010 to activity 1000. Save your changes.
a) Select activity 1010 Customer Acceptance in the structure overview.
Choose Relationship Overview to view the tabular overview of relationships. Find and select activity 10 Costs for Meeting in the Activity Selection. To create a link between both activities, choose Create Relationship. So that activity 10 Meeting Costs becomes the successor to activity 1010 activate the Scs (Successor) indicator in the Relationships area for activity 10 Meetings Costs.
Do the same to create a finish-start relationship in the table for activity 1140 Assembly to activity 20 External Quality Assurance.
Hint: When you select a relationship in the tabular overview, you can display the relationship data in a detail screen by choosing Detail View.
Choose Network Graphic to work (graphically) with the relationship between activities 1010 and 1000. Select this relationship and choose Delete. Confirm the dialog box.
Choose the Connect symbol and drag a relationship from the beginning of the predecessor 1010 Customer Acceptance to the beginning of the successor 1000 Layout.
Hint: You can display the new time dependencies in another way by adapting the entire diagram using the Adjust
symbol and then choosing Relationship display to create a time-dependent display.
To return to the Project Builder, choose Back. Confirm the dialog box (if required) to save the positions of the nodes. Then save your entire project.
Task 3 Assigning Activity Elements, Material Components, and Milestones
Use an activity element to add detail to an activity in your project. Using an example, look at the manual assignment of material components. Plan the release of activities using the milestone function.
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1. Plan costs in the amount of 800 Euros for a customer presentation that should begin when activity 1010 Customer Acceptance begins. Use an activity element.
a) Select your project E-99## in your worklist to open the project. If required, expand the entire structure of your project in the structure tree.
Drag a cost element from the template area (Individual Objects → Activity Element) and drop it on activity 1010 Customer Acceptance.
Enter the following data in the detail screen of the activity element and confirm your entries with Enter.
Field Name Field Value
Description Customer
Presentation
Amount 800 dollars
2. Plan the procurement of a shaft framework (material number E-1203a) for the elevator using material requirements planning (MRP). The requirements date should lie 3 days before the end of activity 1080 Procurement of Mechanical Equipment.
a) Drag a material component from the template area and drop it on activity 1080 Procurement of Mechanical Equipment. Enter the following data in the detail screen of the material component and confirm your entries with Enter.
Field Name Field Value
Material E-1203a
Item Category L
Requirement qty 1
Offset -3 Days
If the system suggests more than one procurement option, choose WBS Element Reservation for the procurement.
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3. Use a milestone for Start Execution. The milestone should be released directly following activities if you set the user status Order for activity 1010 Customer Acceptance. According to the plan, this milestone should be reached at the end of the activity. Save your project.
a) Drag a milestone from the template area and drop it on activity 1010 Customer Acceptance. Enter the following data in the detail screen of the material component and confirm your entries with Enter.
Field Name Field Value
Milestone (Description) Release following
activities
Use 00004(Start Execution)
Indicator Milestone functions x
Indicator Offset to fin. x
Change to the Functions tab page of the milestone and enter the following data:
Field Name Field Value
Indicator Release following activities x
User Status Orde
Change +Status Set
Activa. _Function is activated by
status
To save the changes that you made to your project, choose Save.
I n t e r n a l U s e S A P P a r t n e r O n l y I n t e r n a l U s e S A P P a r t n e r O n l y Lesson Summary
You should now be able to:
• Explain the purpose and setup of networks
• Use options for creating and editing networks (Project Builder, network graphic)
• Make the required Customizing settings for networks and activities
• Use relationships, activity elements, milestones, and subnetworks Related Information
• You can find important consultant notes with detailed information about networks and other SAP Project System topics in the collective consultant note 494487. This note is updated regularly.
I n t e r n a l U s e S A P P a r t n e r O n l y I n t e r n a l U s e S A P P a r t n e r O n l y Unit Summary
You should now be able to:
• Explain the purpose and setup of networks
• Use options for creating and editing networks (Project Builder, network graphic)
• Make the required Customizing settings for networks and activities
• Use relationships, activity elements, milestones, and subnetworks