How to remove the gap between actual bar and remaining bar in schedule update in Primavera P6

In the schedule update of Primavera P6, there are occasionally gaps (empty spaces) between the actual bars and the remaining bars as illustrated in picture below.

The reasons and solutions for the issue are described in this article.

Reason 1:

Primavera P6 schedules and displays the activities on Gantt chart in a very detailed and precise manner – to the level of minute.

By default, the Data Date (blue line) is displayed at 00:00. The activities usually start at 08:00. That’s why there are gaps between the Data Date and the remaining bars.

Solution 1:

• Go to menu Edit -> User Preferences. Select the option to show the time:

• When running schedule (F9), set the time of Data Date to 08:00:

• Finally, the gap has gone:

Solution 2:

• Right click on Gantt Chart -> Select Bars
• Change the value of Timescale of “Remaining Work” and “Critical Remaining Work” to “Current Bar”:

• Select the “Actual Bar” and click the Shift Down button until its position is below the “Remaining Work” and “Critical Remaining Work” bar:

• Finally, the gap has gone:

Explanation:

• The “Current Bar” in Timescale represents the Start Date to Finish Date;
• So, the “Remaining Work” and “Critical Remaining Work” bar are actually displayed from 29-Jan-20 to 02-Feb-20;
• However, the “Actual” bar are displayed on top of “Remaining Work” and “Critical Remaining Work” bar. Therefore, the “Remaining Work” bar seems to start from the Data Date.

Reason 2:

The activity started out-of-sequence and Schedule Option is set to Retained Logic as illustrated in picture below.

Solution:

The gap could be removed by switching to Progress Override mode in Schedule Option. Then, the start date of remaining work of activity B will move to the Data Date.

Finally, the gap has gone:

Important Note:

The decision to change from Retained Logic to Progress Override mode has to be reviewed and approved by all relevant parties of the project.

For more information about Schedule Options (Retrained Logic, Progress Override and Actual Dates), please refer to this article: How does Retained Logic, Progress Override and Actual Dates in Scheduling Options work?