14 Mar 2025 Project Controls News

Dear Planning Planet Member,

Join the Global Community [1] - welcome to the newsletter; did you know that this newsletter goes to the largest community of project controllers on planet Earth? 

WEBSITE UPGRADE NEARING COMPLETION - 70% Complete

Hello PPers,

We are working with a prominent tech-centre who wish to explore using Agentic AI to point out shortfalls in our P6 schedules; to help compare, contrast Current Schedules and Baselines and also offer insight to predict outcomes when comparing a series of progressed schedules.  This is not a "for-sale" type product, it's about learning an collaborating.

We are sharing XERs from our members with the tech-centre and involving the XER submitters in trials and requirement-setting.

If you are willing / able to share an XER of a project, or several XERs showing progress updates on a monthly basis, then please send them to PPAdmin@planningplanet.com [2] and we will put you in touch with the people doing the research - we may all learn something...

Thanks... PP Admin Team

We are bringing back our highly requested CPM Scheduling Bootcamp [3] starting March 20th! Join us for our FREE 4-part educational webinar series with Michael Pink and Billy Upchurch!

Across four live sessions they will cover:

• CPM Scheduling Basics: Build a foundation for proactive project control (March 20th)
• Developing a Quality Baseline: Set schedules up for success from day one (April 1st)
• Schedule Updating Best Practices: Track performance & prevent slippage (April 16th)
• Schedule Oversight & Analytics: Identify risks early & make data-driven decisions (April 29th)

Don't miss the chance to master CPM scheduling with industry experts.

Register today to secure your spot! [3]

• Receive task updates from team members
• Review project members’ work progress
• Accept, reject and comment on the received task updates

Managing Shutdowns, Turnarounds, and Outages (STOs) using disparate tools like Excel, SAP, Maximo, and Power BI often leads to data silos, inefficiencies, and increased risk of errors.

iPlanSTO [6] by IAMTech offers a unified platform that seamlessly integrates with your existing systems, enabling bidirectional data flow.

This integration ensures real-time updates, enhances collaboration, and streamlines workflows, resulting in more efficient and cost-effective STO processes.

Click here to download our free eBrochure.  [7]

Understanding Total Installed Cost (TIC) factors is essential for accurate cost estimation, particularly in the early stages of a project.

In Cleopatra Enterprise’s latest blog, expert Raymond Hagedoorn explores how to apply TIC factors, the value of tailoring TIC factors for specific domains, and highlights how Cleopatra Enterprise can streamline the development and implementation of these factors.

Read the full blog here [8]...

IAMTech Knowledge:

The challenges of managing Shutdowns, Turnarounds, and Outages (STOs) are growing ever more complex, with tighter budgets, stricter regulations, resource scarcity, and increasing pressure to reduce downtime. By embracing innovations like IoT, AI, advanced analytics, and cloud-based platforms, managers can leave behind the inefficiencies of the past and step confidently into the future.

(Read more [10])

We are pleased to announce the release of ScheduleReader 9.8, the latest version of our standalone software designed to streamline the process of viewing and managing project schedules.

This update brings improvements, offering enhanced functionality and greater compatibility with Primavera P6 files, providing users with a more efficient and reliable tool for project schedule management.

Learn more about effective project prioritization and how ScheduleReader 9.8 can support your project management efforts.

Find Out More [12]

Try ScheduleReader 9.8 today

Download a free 15-day trial of the latest version of Schedule Reader.

Download Now [11]

A superior alternative to the "most popular" software for us as planners?

Spider Project

Spider Project offers numerous unique functional features and is the only PM software that optimizes resource, cost, and material constrained schedules and budgets for projects and portfolios.

Check it out here [13]...   Ask questions here [14]...

Construction CPM Conference 2025 has concluded, but offers to our friends at Planning Planet to view recorded sessions here [15].

This is over 60 hours of accredited continuing education by software developers Oracle, Deltek and Elecosoft, as well as industry experts from around the world.

Thank you,
FRED