Results and Reporting

Tip

To view any result chart next to risk or ranging inputs, open the same file in another instance of NetRisk and snap them each side-by-side.

Chart Layouts 

Layouts store the configuration preferences of the results charts to the computer for applying across multiple files. The following items comprise a layout and will be discussed in more detail in this chapter:

To save the active configuration preferences for all charts:

1. Click the Layouts icon

   

   in the Chart pane toolbar
2. Choose New Layout
3. Enter a name and click Save
4. To rename or delete, repeat step 1 and choose accordingly.
5. To apply a different layout to your file, click the dropdown next to Chart Layout and choose accordingly.

Key Milestones 

key milestones allow you to filter the table to only the most important milestones (or activities) in the schedule quickly and easily. For example, major stage gates, completion of important phases, enclosure of a building, or substantial completion of the project. Key milestones are only available in the Results view.

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. In the Key column of the Table pane, click once in the star icon

   

   until it turns yellow. 
3. Click the Filter icon above the table and select Key, or type "key" into the search box.

Distribution Charts

Distribution charts show bars representing the number of iterations a value was observed during simulation, as well the cumulative total via the cumulative curve. Distribution charts can be viewed for start date, finish date, duration, drift, float, total float, cost, probabilistic cash flow, and float risk envelope. As different activities or WBS nodes are selected in the Table pane, the chart will update accordingly. 

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. Click the Simulation dropdown in the Table pane and choose a desired simulation.
3. Click the Chart Type dropdown in the Chart pane and choose the desired chart.
   
   

Tip

Hover over any bar or any data point to see the actual values.

In the Table pane, activities and their data correspond to the state when the simulation was ran, regardless of whether or not the model has since been updated.

Adding/Removing Markers

Markers perform the following functions:

Four types of markers exists, as follows:

Marker Type	Definition	Inputs
Delta Marker	Shows the variance between two values, for example, the deterministic duration and the P80 duration. Not available for Cash Flow. The horizontal portion of the delta marker will be drawn at whatever height is entered in the Percentile column.	Value 1: the low Value 2: the high Color: the line color Percentile: the height at which to draw the delta label Line: whether or not to show the vertical lines
Deterministic Marker	Shows the planned (pre-simulation) value or data. For the Cost chart, if an activity was in-progress and had both a Planned Cost and Actual Cost entered on the Ranging tab, two deterministic markers will show up on the chart: one for "Planned Cost" and one for "Projected Cost". Projected cost is equal to the planned cost minus the actual cost for the remaining duration.	Color: the line color (not applicable for Cash Flow) Line: whether or not to show the vertical lines (not applicable for Cash Flow)
P Value Marker	A P value is the value which was observed during at least X% of iterations. For example, the P80 Finish Date is the finish date observed during at least 80% of the iterations. To put it another way, 80% of the iterations completed on that date or earlier. The P80 cash flow is the cash flow observed during at least 80% of the iterations.	Color: the line color (not applicable for Cash Flow) Percentile: the desired percentile Line: whether or not to show the vertical lines (not applicable for Cash Flow)
Variance Marker	Shows the variance between two points at the selected percentile. Only available when comparing more than one series (e.g. simulation, activity, or cash flow percentile)	Value 1: the EARLIER data Value 2: the LATER data Color: the line color Percentile: the p value for comparison (not applicable for Cash Flow) Line: whether or not to show the vertical lines Cash Flow: an option for choosing between cumulative variance (bars) or non-cumulative variance (curves) (only available for Cash Flow) Date: the date for comparison (only applicable for Cash Flow)

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. In the Chart Properties pane, click the Add button next to the Markers list.
3. Click the dropdown in the Type column to change marker types.
4. To remove, select the row in the list and click Remove.
   

Recalculating the X-Intervals for Cost Charts

The x-axis of the cost distribution chart can be grouped into smaller or larger buckets, e.g. $100, $1,000, $10,000 etc. Larger intervals will reduce the number of bars and smaller intervals will increase the number of bars. For example, with an interval of $1,000, an iteration with a total cost of $500 and an iteration with a total cost of $1,000 would be represented by a single bar with 2 hits rather than two separate bars each with one hit.

The cash flow chart can be recalculated based on days, weeks, months (default), quarters, or years. When choosing weeks, whichever day the project starts on will define the beginning of the week. To recalculate the x-axis interval:

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. In the Chart pane, click the dropdown next to Chart Type and choose either Cost or Cash Flow.
3. In the toolbar above the chart, click the dropdown next to X-Axis Interval and choose as desired.

Scatter Plots

Distribution charts show a single variable (completion, OR cost, OR duration). The problem is, if we target a date with an 80% probability of being met, there are many costs associated with that date, some of which are not 80% likely to occur. Similarly, if we target a cost with an 80% probability of being met, there are many dates associated with that cost, some of which are not 80% likely to occur. Targeting the P80 cost and P80 finish will not result in an overall P80. Scatter plots combine two variables and allow us to see the joint probabilities. Scatter plots are available for Completion & Cost or Duration & Cost.

Scatter plots are divided into four quadrants, which can be adjusted by moving the vertical and horizontal lines. Each quadrant shows the percentage of iterations that fall within the quadrant. To see, for example, the joint P80, move each line until the quadrant at the bottom left (Q3) shows 80%. You'll see there are many combinations of cost and date to achieve this. A curve can be drawn connecting all of the combinations called the joint confidence level curve by clicking the Joint Confidence Colors icon in the chart toolbar. The curves default, and are fixed, to 20%, 50%, and 80%. 

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. In the Chart pane, click the dropdown next to Chart Type and choose either Completion & Cost or Duration & Cost.
3. Click on either line or at the center and adjust until you see the desired probability or value for each line.
4. To change color scheme, click the Joint Confidence Colors 

   

    icon in the chart toolbar.

Overlaying Scatter Plot and Cash Flow 

While viewing the cash flow chart, the scatter plot can be overlayed on top of it. To do so:

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. In the Chart pane, click the dropdown next to Chart Type and choose Cash Flow.
3. In the toolbar above the chart, click the Scatter button.

Tornado Charts

Tornado charts show results organized from high to low for a variety of data sets.

Tip

When the number of results is larger than the amount of vertical space, bars will be merged to make them fit on a single screen. To view every bar individually, use the scroll wheel on your mouse to "zoom in". The chart can then be scrolled up and down.

Chart	Definition
Activity Priority	The significance of an activity on the project's duration defined as criticality * (1+cruciality). Milestones, WBS summaries, hammocks, or LOE's will not show up.
Criticality	The proportion of iterations activities were observed on the path with 0 days of float (GPM) or total float (CPM).
Duration Cruciality	The correlation between activity durations and the duration of the project. Milestones, WBS summaries, hammocks, or LOE's will not show up.
Risk Priority	The potential gain in calendar days or dollars after removing each risk during simulation. Non-working calendars are NOT treated as risks/removed when calculating risk priority.
Risk Sensitivity	The correlation between existence of a risk and the duration or cost of the project. A positive result suggests that when the risk occurs, the project takes or cost more; a negative result suggests that when the risk occurs, the project takes or costs less: Result Meaning 0 - 0.2 The correlation is very weak, or essentially random.  0.2 - 0.6 There is some correlation 0.6 - 1 The correlation is strong
Safe Float	The number of days an activity can be delayed without delaying a desired probabilistic finish date (p value).

As different activities or WBS nodes are selected in the Table pane, the chart will update accordingly, as well as be filtered or recalculated as indicated. To view tornado charts:

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. Click the Simulation dropdown in the Table pane and choose a desired simulation.
3. Click the Chart Type dropdown in the Chart pane and choose accordingly.
   
   

Tip

Hover over any bar or any data point to see the actual values.

Safe Float

Total float is a fundamental scheduling concept; however, it is measured to the deterministic project completion date. During risk analysis, the project completion depends on the p value, or likelihood, chosen by the team. Total float to the P80 project completion date is not the same as total float to the P70 completion date - in fact, it's greater, since, despite the fact that the confidence must be higher, the P80 project completion date is ultimately later. To solve this issue, NetRisk introduces Safe Float: the number of days an activity can be delayed without delaying a desired probabilistic finish date (p value). In addition, NetRisk provides the date by which the activity must start so as to not delay the designated probabilistic finish date, i.e. the Safe Float Start Date.

Safe float and the safe float start date can be viewed in the table for any p-value in increments of 5. For details on customizing columns, see Interface Tour.

Safe float can be viewed as a tornado chart for up to 2 p-values simultaneously. For instructions, see tornado above.

Chart Properties

The Chart Properties Pane will update depending on the selected chart type. Any modifications are stored with the file.

Labels

Legend

Markers

A table for adding, modifying, and removing annotations to the chart. See .Results and Reporting v2.0.0.101#Adding/Removing Markers above.

Series

Tornado Charts

Property	Definition	Available for
Significance Level	The significance value, for example 90%, tells us the likelihood that the result is truly correlated vs. the likelihood that the correlation is random (for example, 20%). From a statistical perspective, a significance of 90% or higher is ideal. Anything below 20% is basically random. Hover the mouse over any bar on the chart and look for the value in parenthesis at the end.	Duration Cruciality Activity Priority Risk Sensitivity
Hide values between	A toggle for filtering out values from being displayed. For example, to hide negative values, enter -100 to 0. To hide positive values, enter 0 to 100.	All tornado charts
Correlation Method	The Pearson method uses original simulation values and is a measure of the linear relationship between the two variables. The Spearman method takes original simulation values, assigns each one a rank, and then applies the pearson method. Pearson is considered better if the values being compared are normally distributed while spearman may be better if the data is more scattered or outliers exist.	Duration Cruciality  Activity Priority Risk Sensitivity
Risk Priority Percentile	The percentile by which to measure the potential gains. For example, entering "80" would tell us the number of days or dollars potentially gained during at least 80% of the iterations.	Risk Priority
Risk Priority Sorting	An option for sorting the risk priority tornado chart. When sorting by Potential Gains or Potential Savings, the chart is arranged from the risk that contributed the highest gains at the top to the risk that contributed the lowest gains at the bottom.  When sorting by Order Removed, the chart is arranged from the first risk removed during simulation to the last risk removed during simulation.	Risk Priority
Label Format	A toggle for choosing what combination of ID and description to show for each bar.	All tornado charts
Risk Sensitivity	A toggle for choosing what to display on the risk sensitivity tornado chart. Checking Risks will display a single bar for a risks/scenario's schedule sensitivity and a single bar for cost sensitivity. Checking Risk-Activity Assignments will display multiple bars, one for every activity to which a risk/scenario has been assigned.	Risk Sensitivity
Risk Sensitivity Order	An option for sorting the risk sensitivity chart. Schedule, Cost will sort schedule from high to low with no sorting of cost. Cost, Schedule will sort cost from high to low with no sorting of schedule.	Risk Sensitivity

Chart Formatting

The following chart elements can be formatted directly on the chart:

Element	Supported	Not Supported
Chart Title	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color, case, alignment
X-Axis Line	Color	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, case, alignment
X-Axis Values (as a group)	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color	Case, alignment
X-Axis Label	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color, case	Alignment
Y-Axis Line	Color	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, case, alignment
Y-Axis Values (as a group)	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color	Case, alignment
Y-Axis Label	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color, case	Alignment
2nd Y-Axis Line	Color	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, case, alignment
2nd Y-Axis Values (as a group)	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color	Case, alignment
2nd Y-Axis Label	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color, case	Alignment
Bars/Values	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color	Case, alignment
Curve/Values	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color	Case, alignment
Marker/Values	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color, position To modify the position, click and drag with the mouse.	Case, alignment
Legend	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color	Case, alignment
Quadrant Labels	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color, position To modify the position, click and drag with the mouse.	Case, alignment
Dots	Color	Font style, font size, bold, italics, underline, color, case, alignment

To do so:

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. Select the desired element directly on the chart with the mouse. The selected element will be confirmed in the toolbar above the chart, e.g. "Title Formatting".
3. Click the desired icon or font picker immediately to the right.

Comparing Charts

The following comparisons can be made:

• Simulation to simulation, for example completion dates for the same activity in multiple simulations
• Activity to activity, for example completion dates for multiple activities within the same simulation
• Multiples, for example completion dates for multiple activities in multiple simulations

Charts of different types cannot be compared to one another. When comparing tornado charts for multiple simulations, the order of the simulation selected will determine the order for the tornado.

To compare Risk Priority for two simulations, select the first simulation group (to determine the tornado order) and then select each run individually beneath the second simulation group. If you select the second group parent, the first simulation group will be deselected.

Simulation to Simulation

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. Click the Simulation dropdown above the Table pane
3. Check the box next to each simulation desired.
4. Click Close.

The table will only show activities and their data for the LAST simulation clicked, indicated above the list. If an activity existed in the last simulation clicked but did NOT exist in one of the other simulations, a series will NOT show up for it on the chart. If an activity didn't exist in the last simulation clicked, it will not show up in the table at all.

Activity to Activity

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.

2. In the Compare column, check the box next to each activity desired.

Printing or Exporting Charts

Charts can be printed to paper or to PDF or copied to the clipboard as an image for pasting into reports. 

When printing to PDF, it is recommended to choose "Adobe PDF" rather than "Microsoft Print to PDF" for best results.

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
   
2. In the toolbar above the Chart pane, click the dropdown next to Chart Type and choose the desired chart.
3. To generate a screenshot, click the Copy to Clipboard icon 

   

   in the toolbar above the chart.
4. To print, click the Print icon

   

   .
5. Customize using the operating system's print window and click OK.

Portions of a chart can be printed by hovering over the chart with the mouse and zooming in using the scroll wheel.

Exporting Percentile Results to P6

Percentile data, or p values, can be exported to XER user defined fields (UDFs) for importing into P6. In P6, this data can be used to illustrate, for example, the entire schedule on P80 dates, side-by-side with the deterministic schedule on the Gantt chart. 

When exporting out of P6, UDFs must have data for at least one activity to be included the export.

1. Click the Results 

   

    icon.
2. Click the Export

   

   icon above the table and choose Export Percentile Results to P6 XER.
3. Click the Add button and customize as desired.
4. When finished, click Export.
5. Enter a filename and click Save.

P values can only be mapped to UDFs of the same type. For example, a start date CANNOT be mapped to a finish date UDF, or vice versa. Nor can it be mapped to cost, indicator, integer, number, or text.

P Value-to-UDF Columns

Column	Description
P Value (NetRisk)	The percentile from the simulation results, from 0-100.
Date Type	A toggle for choosing between Start and Finish data.
User Defined Field (P6)	A dropdown containing all user defined fields that were imported (if any) if the project began from an XER file. If no selection is made, a new UDF is created, named after the P value/Date Type.

Available Table Columns

For details on customizing columns, filtering, sorting, and organizing by WBS, see Interface Tour.

Results Columns...

Column	Description
Abbr. Description	A NetPoint-unique field limited to 48 characters for describing the activity.
Calendar	The schedule that work on the activity can take place.
Codes	A submenu containing one column for every code in the schedule. The organization and visibility of code columns is NOT saved with the application. Code columns must be turned back on every time the tab is changed.
Constraint #1	The primary constraint, if any. The following abbreviations are used: ALAP (As Late As Possible), MEO (Finish On), MEOA (Finish On Or After), FNL (Finish On Or Before), MS (Mandatory Start), MF (Mandatory Finish), MSO (Start On), SNE (Start On Or After), and MEOB (Start On Or Before).
Constraint Behavior	A toggle for controlling how constraints behaves during simulation (only enabled if an activity/milestone has a constraint). If an activity has two constraints and Maintain is chosen, both will be maintained unless one is triggered, in which case the second one will be ignored. ALAP constraints will never be maintained and this option disabled for activities with only ALAP constraints (if an ALAP and another constraint exist and Maintain is chosen, only the other constraint will be maintained).
Constraint #2	The secondary constraint, if any. The following abbreviations are used: ALAP (As Late As Possible), MEO (Finish On), MEOA (Finish On Or After), FNL (Finish On Or Before), MS (Mandatory Start), MF (Mandatory Finish), MSO (Start On), SNE (Start On Or After), and MEOB (Start On Or Before).
Criticality Index	The proportion of iterations activities were observed on the path with 0 days of float (GPM) or total float (CPM).
Cruciality Index	The correlation between an activity's duration and the duration of the project.
Description	The text field for describing the activity. This column cannot be removed from the table when organized by WBS.
Deterministic Drift Percentile	The p value or percentage of iterations where a value equal to or less than the deterministic drift (i.e. the drift value before any simulation was ran) was observed during simulation.
Deterministic Duration Percentile	The p value or percentage of iterations where a value equal to or less than the deterministic duration (i.e. the duration value before any simulation was ran) was observed during simulation.
Deterministic Finish Percentile	The p value or percentage of iterations where a value equal to or earlier than the deterministic finish date (i.e. the finish date value before any simulation was ran) was observed during simulation.
Deterministic Float Percentile	The p value or percentage of iterations where a value equal to or less than the deterministic float (i.e. the float value before any simulation was ran) was observed during simulation.
Deterministic Start Percentile	The p value or percentage of iterations where a value equal to or earlier than the deterministic start date (i.e. the start date value before any simulation was ran) was observed during simulation.
Deterministic Total Float Percentile	The p value or percentage of iterations where a value equal to or less than the deterministic total float (i.e. the total float value before any simulation was ran) was observed during simulation.
Drift	The amount of the time an activity may advance before advancing the project start.
Duration Correlations	A summary of activities that have been correlated by ID with the coefficient showing in parenthesis.
Duration Sampling	Displays the distribution type and range if the activity's duration was enabled for sampling during simulation as well as the "existence probability" (P).
Earliest Finish	The earliest finish date observed during simulation.
Early Finish	The date the activity completes when its drift is equal to zero.
Earliest Start	The earliest start date observed during simulation.
Early Start	The date the activity begins when its drift is equal to zero.
Finish Date	The date the activity completes.
Float	The amount of the time an activity may be delayed before delaying the project completion.
Floating Sampling	Displays the distribution type and range if the activity's float was enabled for sampling during simulation, as well as the "% of iterations" (P) and "threshold" (T).
ID	The user-entered unique identifier.
Included Risks	A summary of all risks and/or scenarios by ID that were assigned and included in the selected simulation/run.
Key	A toggle for designating important milestones or activities to be filtered on quickly.
Late Finish	The date the activity completes when its float is equal to zero.
Latest Finish	The latest finish date observed during simulation.
Late Start	The date the activity begins when its float is equal to zero.
Latest Start	The latest start date observed during simulation.
Max Duration	The highest duration observed during simulation.
Max Drift	The highest drift observed during simulation.
Max Float	The highest float observed during simulation.
Max Total Float	The highest total float observed during simulation.
Mean Duration	The average duration observed during simulation.
Mean Drift	The average drift observed during simulation.
Mean Float	The average float observed during simulation.
Mean Start Date	The average start date observed during simulation.
Mean Finish Date	The average finish date observed during simulation.
Mean Total Float	The average total float observed during simulation.
Min Duration	The lowest duration observed during simulation.
Min Drift	The lowest drift observed during simulation.
Min Float	The lowest float observed during simulation.
Min Total Float	The lowest total float observed during simulation.
Planned Duration	The amount of time the activity takes to complete.
PX Drift	The "X" percentile drift (p value), i.e. drift value observed during at least X% of iterations. P values available from P5 to P95 in the Drift submenu.
PX Duration	The "X" percentile duration (p value), i.e. duration value observed during at least X% of iterations. P values available from P5 to P95 in the Duration submenu.
PX Finish Date	The "X" percentile finish date (p value), i.e. finish date value observed during at least X% of iterations. P values available from P5 to P95 in the Finish Date submenu.
PX Float	The "X" percentile float (p value), i.e. float value observed during at least X% of iterations. P values available from P5 to P95 in the Float submenu.
PX Safe Float	The "X" percentile safe float (p value), i.e. safe float value observed during at least X% of iterations. P values available from P5 to P95 in the Safe Float submenu.
PX Safe Float Start Date	The "X" percentile safe float start date (p value), i.e. safe float start date value observed during at least X% of iterations. P values available from P5 to P95 in the Safe Float Start Date submenu.
PX Start Date	The "X" percentile start date (p value), i.e. start date value observed during at least X% of iterations. P values available from P5 to P95 in the Start Date submenu.
PX Total Float	The "X" percentile total float (p value), i.e. total float value observed during at least X% of iterations. P values available from P5 to P95 in the Total Float submenu.
Priority Index	The significance of an activity on the project's duration defined as criticality * (1+cruciality).
Resource Cost	The total cost of the activity, as calculated by resource assignments.
Sampling Behavior	The behavior for sampling of in-progress activity durations. For definitions and examples, see .Results and Reporting v2.0.0.101#Sampling of In-Progress Durations.
Start Date	The date the activity begins.
Total Float	The float + drift.
Type	The type of object, e.g. activity, milestone, hammock, etc.
WBS Sequence	A value for sorting when organized by WBS.
Weather Event Calendars	A summary of all event calendars assigned by ID.
Weather Window Calendars	A summary of all window calendars assigned by ID.