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Pertmaster like a tool without MonteCarlo features

3 replies [Last post]
Tue, 2004-12-28 14:58
Tomasz Wiatr
User offline. Last seen 2 years 27 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 22 Dec 2004
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Dear Forum contributors,

I am new member of Planning Plannet and I am very happy with it :-) Planning Planet Forum (PPF) it is my best discovery in this year! Other dicovery (but 10 years earlier) was for me old Pertmaster Advance (for DOS). In the end of XX century I have found NEW Pertmaster (i.e. Pertmaster Professional) but today we have only Pertmaster Risk (very good of course but only with risk analysis). I know other PM systems of course and I am fanatic of scheduling and project modelling in general but this post is related with non-risk features of Pertmaster (apart from Monte Carlo risk simulation and any risk specific features).

My post is related with non-risk potential of Pertmaster and oppinion of best experts in project scheduling (from Planning Planet Forum) about utility of it in practice. I am interested in oppinion of other experts in aspect of importance and acceptance of non-risk features of Pertmaster (internal @worksheet, hierarchical/sub resources, DCF analysis etc.). Actually production of Pertmaster without Monte Carlo simulatation was abandoned (unfortunately) and I want to know oppinion with this aspect. Meybe other simmilar (?) products are used for deep project analysis. Meybe we can to change decision of Pertmaster Ltd.

I will be very happy to know any oppinion of Planning Plannet Experts in aspect of it (risk is not important here). I need only discussion :-)) and oppinion of expert from other countries of the world :-) Maybe place of it new item (risk corner :-) is not good but here Pertmaster is most frequently cited ;-)

Thanks in advance for any discussion :-)
Good luck for all PlanningPlannetExperts =:-)
Tom
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Replies

Thu, 2005-01-06 05:42
#1
Philip Rawlings
User offline. Last seen 8 years 31 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 16 Nov 2004
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Tomasz
Thanks for your thoughts (and appreciation). I will pass your ideas onto Pertmaster. Incidentally, prices are currently $3000 for Pertmaster Risk and $8505 for Pertmaster Risk Expert.

You might also like to join the Pertmaster User Group, jointly moderated by Pertmaster and Euro Log Ltd, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pertmaster/join.
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Wed, 2005-01-05 09:32
#2
Philip Rawlings
User offline. Last seen 8 years 31 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 16 Nov 2004
Posts: 41
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Thomasz
Pertmaster are now concentrating (as you say) on the risk market. It is still, however, one of the better scheduling packages around - unlike Microsoft Project it will not let you disobey basic scheduling and progress/update rules. It is fairly expensive (about 2400 euros)if you do not want the risk capabilities but I cannot see Pertmaster selling a risk-less version - they find it difficult to compete against MSP (any, maybe, SureTrak). It is good at reading P3/P3e/MSP plans directly, though.
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Wed, 2005-01-05 16:57
#3
Tomasz Wiatr
User offline. Last seen 2 years 27 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 22 Dec 2004
Posts: 35
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Dear Philip,

I am very happy to read reply of You, i.e. famous, big EXPERT - specially in fantastic risk features of Pertmaster. I love these risk capabilities too (I love it, really) but it is only second (!) factor of love ;-) (by the way - congratulations with perfect "Software Review" from year 2000 - It was perfect paper about Pertmaster, fair and objective in all aspects, congratulations).

In my opinion Pertmaster it is the best (!) scheduling package i.e. "number 1 for schedulers" (meybe not number 1 for PMs in opposition to P3/ST concentric "suite"). I am dead sure and I will prove it in my book (by the way of general aspects of scheduling). In the Pertmaster we can make customised schedules with deep resource analysis (specially inventory and cash flow). With older price Pertmaster Standard (7-7.5) was better than ST3.0/MSP200x - in aspect of scheduling analysis (absolutely). Meybe not popular/standard but better.

Concentrating on the risk it is big loss for schedulers on the world (specially in Europe) ;-( It is problem of price, only. With price 4000$ Pertmaster will be only "for sole experts" (like You and me :-)). In some countries difference 4000-1000=3000$ is critical barrier for the site-planners in the firm - because we don’t need risk capabilities on "every computer" in the firm. Pertmaster Risk is better than P3+MonteCarlo but on the world we have maybe 2000 users of MonteCarlo for P3 (it is big number in relation to 5000 users of Pertmaster but not big in general). Planning it is not only Risk simulation (in most not).

I understand strategy of Pertmaster Ltd in the aspect of risk analysis (it is OK). Second important aspect is avoiding of competition with Primavera and Microsoft (too simple interpretation of loyalty). Pertmaster LT (without Risk capabilities) would be the good addition for MSP and ST because we need here inventory and cash flow analysis too (i.e. hierarchical analysis) - we have not any dis-loyalty here!!! Pertmaster without risk capabilities it is solid scheduling system but we must to pay for Monte Carlo engine in every licence - it is BARRIER or (in better case) WASTE (if we pay for it "for all that"). In most cases we don’t pay ... (not every scheduler need to have Monte Carlo!).

Thanks for arguments pros Pertmaster with Risk capabilities (I accept it radically dear Philip) but my intention was promoting (accentation) of non-risk capabilities of Pertmaster because I am fanatic of Pertmaster. From this point of view I am DonKichote :-) or Sancho’s donkey ;-) baecause I see that it is fight with windmills... Thanks for "consolation", dear Philip ;-)

sorry for long text ;-)
Tom from Poland

P.S. I would like to find cheaper system with inventory analysis and meybe I have found it. I have own model of construction project (from my Dr thesis and practice research) which was applied in the Pertmaster but this model is not competitive today - in practice. Price 4000$ it is barrier for common using of this tool :-( My model will be "wider" in near feature but I am thinking (every week) what base-system is better. Older version of Pertmaster Pertmaster i.e. Professional+Risk (7.5) was ideal – with perfect price 1000Ł (optimal solution). Changing the strategy "in track of game" is bad practice. New product is better of course but change off price is bigger. For example price of other scheduling systems is stable from 20 years… I love Pertmaster still but I am unhappy/worried ;-(
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