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Do Primavera Planners Accept MS Project Jobs?

13 replies [Last post]
Colin Cropley
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Those of us who have worked extensively using SureTrak and P3 sometimes are confronted with job opportunities that require the planner to use MS Project.

Given the flaws and frustrations in using MSP (even MSP 2000), do you accept such jobs or walk away from them?

Replies

Shahzad Munawar
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In very rare cases, P3 planner accept MS project planner but mostly not
Dayanidhi Dhandapany
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Most likely Primavera Planners will not accept MS Projects related jobs, but if situation demands to do it, we have to see our best to use MSP at minimum required level.
Shahzad Munawar
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I Think, to establish claims and CPM alongwith resource and cost loading P3 is the best tool and such items can easily be analysed and perfectly in P3 than MS and MS project is only presentation tool of bars.
Shahzad Munawar
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I Think, to establish claims and CPM alongwith resource and cost loading P3 is the best tool and such items can easily be analysed and perfectly in P3 than MS and MS project is only presentation tool of bars.
Brennan Westworth
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I agree with the above comments that the software is just a tool... I think that the bulk of a project planners work should be done away from the keyboard, communicating the plan to project stakeholders.

That being said I would advise a client against using MSP for a contract programme as I find that it is not consistant and rigid enough to depend on for critical path analysis and substantiation of claims
Raj Maurya
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For preparing a bar chart or CPM network with MSP is very handy and you don’t need to be expert. But When you do critical analysis of resources & costing user have to be very attentive specially when you are assigning or changing the task units that needs expertise and then you will feel this exercise is very easy with P3 in comparision with. But as a planner you have to develop the skills of planning requirement and fundamentals and offcourse experience so that as a planner you can utilise the best all available resources to maximise the output.
Ajit m
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Hi...
I can understand the situation from shifting from P3 to MSP as I’m facing the reverse situation i.e. MSP to Primavera.

I used to work in MSP & now my boss somehow is convienced that Primavera is more friendler than MSP (Which I doubt as a beginner). But the fact is P3 is complex than MSP and I dont understand why you should face problems to work in MSP.

See, MSP is as easy as any planning kit as far as I’m concerned. When I was a beginner in Planning Plannet, I was forced to learn this software within 3 days...that too on my own. You know how much time the trainer had spent for me?...5 mins/day (Ha ha ha...not a joke)..and see on the 4th day I had to submit a full fledge msp plan for 200 odd resources working on 20 processes.

So...have a dep breath and it wont take much time to be a giant in msp as you are in P3.

Cheers
Ajit
Dayanidhi Dhandapany
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Rajesh,

The selection of software tool entirely depends on the size of the project, client, and of course the contractor’s ability to buy P3 etc......,

Imagine, so far the contractor did not buy any P3, but he got a project, insisting to use P3 as per contractual requirement, so the contractor has to buy P3 and use it, of course the planner has to use it, if he doesnt’ have such a planner, the contractor has to hire a new one, or if the exisitng one is ready to upgrade his knowledge, he has to go for training in P3.

In the same, if the client knows only about MSProject, we have to submit our schedule in MSP only. so there is no choice. but MSP is really easy to use.

Regards

Daya
Rajesh Moolakkandam
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Yes I agree with Mr Han Pekelharing’s viewthat good planner uses planing software as a tool rather than a solution. But I assume anyone used both software would like to stay with Primavera. I also. I will call P3 as an intelligent software. I feel it is made for planning.Rather I think MSP has also have limitations on number of activities it can handle.Accepting a job on MSP is the second matter to me.
Forum Guest
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I Have an example, we as a client use P3, but most of our contractors use MSP, I started to use MSP and integrated with WBS chartpro and PERTpro (this tools really improve the MSP) and it looks good enough for small subprojects.
John Alba
Ali Hamouda
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HI,

One day it happens to me that I got a job and the client need MS-Project rather than P3.

I did not refuse and I start to learn MS-Project while I am working, I did not give the client the feel that I am new in MS-project, and I make for him the reports that he need.

Actualy I found it easy because I was having the experience of Planning using P3.

I think , If you understand planning , you can use any softeware..it is not a big deal.

isnt it?
Colin Cropley
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Han’s observation is valid - a good planner can work with different tools. However, I know someone who declared that he would not choose to accept a position which used MS Project, because he found it so frustrating to use, after the power and relative user friendliness of P3 & SureTrak.

To some extent, this attitude may be a product of lack of in-depth use of MS Project. I have certainly seen some people capable of making MSP fly. Nevertheless, it doesn’t change its intrinsic shortcomings for certain purposes.

I would much prefer to use P3 or ST rather than MSP for statusing projects that do not go pretty much to plan. Also, schedules incorporating resources and costs or that require resource levelling are harder to status accurately with MSP.
Han Pekelharing
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A good planner uses planing software as a tool rather than a solution. So any planning software would suffise if it is assumed fit for the project of course.

This is up to the planner to advise and for the project management to decide.