28 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 - 75% 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

A big thank you to the Planning Planet members who joined Part 1 of our CPM Bootcamp and shared such great feedback! We’re excited to continue the series with 3 more free sessions designed specifically for professionals like you—focused on practical strategies to improve schedule quality, track performance, and drive better project outcomes.

Upcoming Sessions:

• April 1 – Developing a Quality Baseline Schedule
• April 16 – Schedule Updating Best Practices
• April 29 – Schedule Oversight & Analytics

Led by Michael Pink and Billy Upchurch, these sessions are built for serious planners and schedulers who want to elevate their skills.

Register now [3]– and if you missed Part 1, no worries— it is not a prerequisite and you can watch it on demand here [4])

iMindQ empowers Project Managers, Team Leads, and Analysts to brainstorm freely, organize project scopes visually, and present strategies with impact. 

From building WBS structures and planning timelines to aligning teams around clear goals, iMindQ makes complex project data easier to understand, share, and act on.

Who benefits most:

• Project Managers: Break down complex scopes into digestible, visual mind maps.
• Team Leaders: Align teams with clear, interactive WBS structures and meeting visuals.

Use it before your next planning session to get instant clarity.

Discover iMindQ [5]...

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 [7] 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.  [8]

Every project faces roadblocks, but what if you could turn them into stepping stones for success? 

Learn how to: 

• Streamline processes and optimize project efficiency 
• Overcome bottlenecks with innovative solutions 
• Harness data to make smarter decisions

Is your project at risk of Cost Overruns? 

Managing large-scale projects is challenging. Unexpected obstacles, design errors, and poor planning can all contribute to costly overruns that derail timelines and budgets. However, with the right strategies, these issues can be mitigated.

Cleopatra’s blog dives into the causes of cost overruns and shares actionable insights on how to prevent them or manage them when they occur. 

Don’t let cost overruns ruin your project’s success. 

Read the full blog here... [10] : 

Shutdowns, Turnarounds, and Outages (STO) are high-stakes projects with no margin for financial errors. This is where the expertise of a cost engineer proves invaluable.

Cost engineers ensure that each phase of the project is meticulously planned and executed within budget. From building accurate cost estimates to managing vendors and mitigating risks, they play a vital role in keeping the project on track financially.

Interested in understanding how a cost engineer can make a significant impact on your STO project?  Explore Cleopatra Enterprise's blog written by expert Zachariah Varghese to delve into the critical responsibilities of cost engineers in STO preparation.

Read the blog now...  [11]

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 [13])

ScheduleCleaner keeps your XER and XML files clean, compliant, and ready for both internal collaboration and external sharing without altering the original schedule.

Why it matters for you:

• Schedulers & Planners: Remove sensitive project data like costs, units and POBS with a few clicks no manual rework.
• PMO Teams: Maintain control and consistency across projects by standardizing shared schedule outputs and ensuring compliance with internal policies and client expectations.

Quick Tip: Use cleaning templates to stay consistent across projects and clients.

Explore ScheduleCleaner... [15]

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 [16]...   Ask questions here [17]...

Construction CPM Conference 2025 has concluded, but offers to our friends at Planning Planet to view recorded sessions here [18].

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