Should I bother?

Asta Powerproject Version 11 has now been released. Further information, brochures and a FREE 30-day trial can be found at www.astadev.com/powerprojectv11

Hi Craig



All the best with Asta Powerproject,



Regards



Matthew Edwards

Hi Craig,



If you would like further guidance, Asta have a reseller in Australia. Would you like the details ?



As regards for the MSP v APP, that is an Asta source brochure that we use as a comparison.



Apologies for not pointing this out in my last post to you and Mike,but if you would like further info then please send me a prvate message.



Hope this helps and hope that you go with Asta Powerproject as your planning software of choice.



Regards



Matthew Edwards

Hi Craig



Yes I think you should bother.



MSP is a lightweight piece of kit and there are much better software packages out there.



PowerProject is one of the better ones and I would suggest you download a trial version and play with it for a while before you make any pitch to your employers.



You can import from MPX which works OK from MSP but not too good back again.



Powerproject will send out a sales team to clinch any changeover.



Best regards



Mike Testro

Hi Matthew



When you lift the entire text from the v10 sales brochure you should - at least - acknowledge the source.



Best regards



Mike Testro.

Hi Craig



Please find points below :



1100% DESIGNED FOR CONSTRUCTION

 First released in 1988, Asta Powerproject was the brainchild of Richard

Ormerod, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building and holder of a first

class BSc (Hons) degree in Class Construction Technology.

Development of the software has been driven since then by feedback from

construction professionals via regular user group meetings.

 Help desk support is tailored to the needs of construction customers, with

a dedicated team providing Asta Powerproject support.

 Customise the borders around your plan with

flexible header and footer page surrounds,

including your own logos and references.

 Show only those parts of the plan that are

relevant by turning different aspects of the bar

chart on and off, e.g. float, critical path,

holidays, links, etc.

 Highlight important information by adding

annotations such as text, pictures, colour

shading and Windows® objects (Excel®

spreadsheets, AutoCAD drawings, etc.).

 Gain total control over printouts: you define

where you want the page to break; what you

see on screen is what ‘is printed’; and there is

no ‘white space’ on printouts.

2 EASIER TO USE

 Construction-specific project templates are provided with

pre-set reporting codes, calendars, resources, standard

reports etc. so you can get up and running quickly.

 Draw in tasks quickly and easily using the mouse.

 Perform unlimited ‘undos’, even after a ‘save’ or

‘reschedule’.

Three founders of Asta (l-r)

Richard Pleace, Michael McCullen, Richard Ormerod

Save Asta Powerproject

files in Microsoft

Project format

Communicate plans clearly

4 FREE PROJECT VIEWER – SHARE PLANS WITH ANYONE

 You don’t have to pay anything to look at Asta Powerproject files. The free Asta

Project Viewer enables anyone to open and print Asta Powerproject plans at no cost.

 Use Asta Project Viewer to read Microsoft Project files (MPX and XML formats) and

Primavera files (XER and P3 Batch formats) for free too!

5 IMPORT/EXPORT INTO MICROSOFT® PROJECT

 Excellent data interchange with Microsoft Project – you can use Asta

Powerproject even if your project partners are using Microsoft Project:

- Export your project data from Asta Powerproject in

Microsoft Project format.

- Import Microsoft Project files into Asta Powerproject.

 Microsoft Project file formats supported are XML (compatible with

Microsoft Project 2000 and up) and MPX (compatible with Microsoft

Project 1998).

TOP QUALITY PRESENTATION OF PROJECT PLANS

“Asta Powerproject is

very powerful but also

very easy to use.” Phil Solomon,

Planning Operations Director, Mace

7

8

www.astadev.com/msp

 Highlight the work of different trade contractors with

colour codes. The colour codes are shown as a

legend on the output and allow specific task lists for

each subcontractor to be created quickly.

 Trade contractors do not need Asta Powerproject to

read their task lists – you can email them the Asta

Powerproject file which they can open using the free

Asta Project Viewer.

 Ask trade contractors to update the plan in either

Asta Powerproject or Asta Easyplan, the entry-level

sister product. You can then automatically update

their changes in your main Asta Powerproject plan

without any data re-entry.

BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST DELAY EVENTS

 Progress in each Progress Period is displayed in a separate colour.

You decide the lengths of the Progress Periods: weeks, months etc.

 Information on how much progress was recorded in a specific

Progress Period is kept, even when the task is completed.

 Create an unlimited number of baselines as a ‘snapshot’ of the

project, so you can compare the evolving plan against an

original version.

 The baselines are a copy of the whole project and not just key

data, so changes to calendar working time can be demonstrated

and not lost.

Progress in each Progress Period is

displayed in a separate colour

The Asta training centre

Order free comparison demo

CD at: www.astadev.com/msp

EASIER TO MANAGE TRADE CONTRACTORS

9 CONSTRUCTION-SPECIFIC TRAINING COURSES

 Training courses are designed specifically for the construction industry, with practical

examples for main contractors, trade contractors, housebuilders, technical

consultants etc.

 A wide range of courses are available to suit all users, from beginners to advanced

users, including specific courses for housebuilders.

 Choose to attend either open courses or bespoke courses. Open courses are

delivered at the Asta training centre in Thame, Oxfordshire, and at regional training

centres around the country. Bespoke courses are delivered at your own premises.

6IMPORT/EXPORT INTO PRIMAVERA®

 Excellent data interchange with Primavera:

- Export your project data from Asta Powerproject in Primavera format.

- Import Primavera files into Asta Powerproject.

 Use Asta Powerproject even when the master program is held in

Primavera – simply save the project in Primavera format before sharing.

 Primavera file formats supported are XER (compatible with P3e versions

3.1, 4.1, P5 and P6) and P3 Batch (compatible with P3).

Save Asta

Powerproject files in

Primavera format

Produce schedules for individual contractors quickly and easily

The Critical Path is

outlined in red 11

12

13

COST-EFFECTIVE LICENSING

 If you have multiple users, you can purchase a concurrent licence. This means that users can access the same licence across the network at

different times. A 10-user concurrent licence could be used by 30 people, so you only need to buy 10 licences not 30. This makes Asta

Powerproject very cost effective.

 You can connect standalone Asta Powerproject licences to Enterprise clients. Microsoft SQL Server® is optional, but not required.

 The free Asta Project Viewer enables you to share plans at no cost.

©2008 Asta Development plc

Asta Powerproject is a registered trademark of Asta Development plc.

Microsoft, Excel and SQL Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United

States and/or other countries. Primavera® is a registered trademark of Primavera Systems Inc.

All trademarks recognised. E & OE.

Find out more and order free comparison

demo CD at www.astadev.com/msp

* Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) awards, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2003…

PLAN AND MANAGE REPEATED TASKS

 Display multiple tasks per line. This saves time and avoids the

need to laboriously create tasks on dozens of different rows

when planning repeated tasks. Information is presented in a

very compact form – use a single sheet rather than multiple

pages.

 For house building each row can represent a house (or flat) and

the tasks represent the stages of construction. This approach is

also highly-effective for the finishing stages of fit-out work or

multi-storey construction.

 The procurement stages for each work package in a plan can

be detailed as events on one row and linked in to the first

construction event. This technique unifies the procurement and

construction phases and provides realistic information about

required dates for the design team.

USED BY 43 OF THE TOP 50 UK MAIN CONTRACTORS AND MANY SMALLER COMPANIES

 Used by 43 of the top 50 UK main contractors and by 13 of the top 15 UK housebuilders.

 Over 40,000 construction users worldwide.

 Rated no. 1 project management software in the UK building industry in a survey by Planning Engineers Organisation.

 Used to deliver 70% of successful UK construction projects, both large and small*. Some of the better-known projects include the

Emirates Stadium, the Eden Project, the Welsh Assembly, the restoration of the HBOS headquarters in Edinburgh (CIOB Project of the Year

2007) the restoration of the Oxford Castle complex (RICS Project of the Year 2007) and Cadogan Hall, the new home for the Royal

Philharmonic Orchestra in London.

The build stages for a house

can be shown on one line

10SCHEDULE MORE PRECISELY

 Create and edit links both by typing in the spreadsheet and by

drawing in the bar chart.

 Create links by drawing without having to specify the link type.

This makes it much faster to link tasks.

 Links are clearly displayed between tasks, allowing you to

evaluate the importance of each link by sight.

 Create any type and number of links between two tasks. It is

often important to set a link not just at the start of a task, but

also at the end. So if a task is extended, or partially

progressed, any knock-on impact is shown.

 Produce an accurate Critical Path Analysis every time – with

just one click.

 Navigate the logic and edit existing links quickly and easily.





Hope this helps,



Matt

Dear Craig,



When you have the opportunity to improve the process with your knowledge, you should. People usually appreciate a good advice, you will become a source for good information especially if your advice works. This is the building block to good business.



My recommendations would be to give them your comments, the good side, and how they can improve.



With kind regards,



Samer