Dear Planning Planet Members,
Welcome to the newsletter; did you know that this newsletter goes to the largest community of project controllers on planet Earth? As many of you know we’ve transitioned to a new, faster, and more modern web portal that’s already benefiting our users. We appreciate your ongoing feedback in identifying the bugs or issues we need to fix.
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IMPORTANCE OF DEFINING SCOPE, WBS & EXECUTION STRATEGY
Successful planning and scheduling begin with a well-defined project scope.
Yet in many projects, scope, WBS, and execution strategies are either incomplete or misaligned… Leading to delays, inefficiencies, and costly rework.
In this article, I walk through how structured scope definition, detailed WBS development, and aligned execution strategies can transform project outcomes, improve coordination, and reduce both cost and schedule risks.
Read the full article to understand how to build the foundation for successful planning, scheduling, and execution in your projects.
Source: Kareem Khattab, Planning Manager
IAMTECH KNOWLEDGE: TWO PLANNERS. SAME JOB. TWO DIFFERENT ESTIMATES.
IAMTech Knowledge: Two planners. Same job. Two different estimates.
It happens on every shutdown planning team, in every industry. Not because planners don’t know their craft — but because every experienced planner carries their own norms, their own assumptions, their own bias.
AI doesn’t replace the planner’s judgement. It standardises the baseline.
When every work order is estimated against the same decades of industrial maintenance norms, the inconsistency disappears — and the schedule becomes something leadership can actually plan around READ MORE.
Wish your planning team all planned consistently? First look at iPlanSTO AI-Enhanced Planning: WATCH VIDEO — or VIEW BROCHURE. How would this transform planning in your world?
To arrange your demonstration, contact [email protected].
VALUE-ADD and FREE WEBINARS
- May 27 - Primavera Unifier Facility Management (Emerald Associates) - Oracle Primavera Unifier is a one-stop shop for all of your project management needs - and in their new consolidated accelerator release, that now includes Facilities and Asset management (FAM). With the new FAM configuration, Unifier offers a multitude of new modules, including asset management and space management. The asset management toolkit allows you to stay on top of your preventative maintenance requirement with ease. The space, facilities, and materials management allows you to easily record lease information. With the amount of new modules and functions, it can be overwhelming to figure out everything that you can do with this powerful technology, and that’s what we’re here for! In this webinar, we will be discussing and demonstrating a few of the main modules that have been added, specifically relating to Asset Management and Space Management. Come check it out to see how it all works and get a peak at just a few of the things that Oracle Primavera Unifier FAM can help you and your team to do. Save your spot...
- May 28 - Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) Integrator v2 - New Release (Emerald Associates) - Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) is a collaborative, fully SaaS, cloud-based project management tool that provides a single platform for managing the prioritization, planning, and execution of projects. To make the setup of OPC and the project data entry process less time-consuming, Emerald has created the OPC-Integrator. This flexible and secure tool simplifies OPC data extraction, loading, updating, and integration with third party tools like SAP or Oracle Fusion. Users can import and export many of the key data elements available in OPC, allowing for the movement of data back and forth between OPC and Microsoft Excel in a smooth and controlled manner. The latest feature include several new modules from workspace, projects, programs, portfolios, and risks to be added, edited and deleted via OPC-Integrator. Additional error handling and deleting capabilities for existing modules like WBS, activities, and resource assignments have also been added to this version. Save your spot...
- June 03 - ALICE Technologies launches new optimization mode: Targeted Optimization - Construction teams are constantly faced with challenging schedule decisions: Where can a project be accelerated? Which activities are actually driving delays? And what is the most feasible path to recovering a missed milestone? ALICE Technologies has launched Targeted Optimization, a new optimization mode helps teams identify which activities within a schedule are driving acceleration opportunities — and by how much — without requiring resource-loaded schedules or complex setup. To introduce the feature and showcase how it works, the ALICE team is hosting a live panel discussion and a product demonstration on Wednesday, June 3rd. Attendees will get an inside look at how Targeted Optimization works, hear practical use cases from the field, and have the opportunity to ask questions live. Save your spot...
- June 09 - Templates and P6-Loader - Building a Schedule From Scratch (Emerald Associates) - P6-Loader is not only for cleaning up and maintaining your P6 database. It has some amazing automations, fragnet, and template schedule development automation tools. Taking advantage of 30 years of integration expertise, Emerald Associates has built time-saving automations into P6-Loader, allowing a user to grab a project, fragnet, or template, and make placeholder replacements into activity IDs, names, UDFs, codes, WBS, and more. This feature is fantastic for automating program development, capital project development, turnaround and outage schedule development with different work order types, and also for maintenance program work. This new feature allows you to load and reload multiple times as templates change. It is a game changer on bid schedule development. Want to see it in action. Save your spot...
- June 10 - CAPPS - Visualizations, Auditing, and Snapshots from P6-Reporter (Emerald Associates) - Not all of your project team members are P6 EPPM experts, nor should they have to be! With Emerald’s CAPPS (Capital Projects Progressing System), a secure Primavera P6-EPPM add-on, your team has a simpler, more cost-effective way to provide P6 schedule and resource planning, timely schedule updates, and P6 project and portfolio Gantt and dashboard views - all in one digital, mobile-enabled tool. In this latest version of CAPPS v15, the software has grown from updating only to team collaboration, and really is not just for Capital Programs anymore. As we embed our technologies together, CAPPS is your one stop shop solution for P6 project team collaboration and updating. We have also added new crosstab grids, allowing your team to make lightning fast updates. If that isn’t enough, we have also added brand new Gantt charts, heatmaps, and dashboards for easy visualization of your tasks, priorities, due dates, and bottlenecks. Don't miss out Save your spot...
Contact us to get your event here - [email protected]
WHY TRADITIONAL EARNED VALUE CAN MISLEAD CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE CONTROL
Earned Value Management is one of the most respected tools in project controls.
It connects three things every construction manager cares about:
- What was planned.
- What was actually achieved.
- What it actually cost.
That is why EVM appears in many dashboards, monthly reports, progress meetings, and project control systems. On the surface, it gives management a clean set of indicators: PV, EV, AC, CV, SV, CPI, and SPI.
This is the practical issue, though.
Even if a project has an acceptable SPI, it may still be seriously behind schedule.. Read more...
Source: Mohammad Khalifa Talafha, PMP
CONSTRUCTION CPM CONFERENCE 2027
We’re finalizing plans to bring the Construction CPM Conference back in 2027 at the Hilton Palacio del Rio on San Antonio’s River Walk.
Mark your calendar for February 23–25 and get ready to register your team, as we continue building a conference for Constructors, by Constructors.
Our focus will be strengthening Planning to drive Performance—so every attendee leaves with practical takeaways they can use right away. We will be continuing the legacy that Fred has built since 2011.
P6 BLOGGER - AT COMPLETION DURATION UNITS CHANGE EVERY TIME PROJECT IS SCHEDULED
The at complete is an estimate of the duration at completion time for the selected activity. (At Complete Duration = Actual Duration + Remaining Duration). If the selected activity is in progress, type a new at complete estimate. For the most part, Primavera will only keep the Original Duration fixed in fixed duration & units activities. It’s basically allowing the user to say that the remaining or at complete could change. Actuals, will come in through timesheets.
For the most part, yes, the at complete should remain close to the original duration. It will be the same when the activity is created, but the remaining and at complete will change as the project progresses. Part of the update process is to update remaining units which would directly impact the at complete. Every week actuals are changing, PM updates the remaining (usually reduces them) and at complete will sync with Orig Duration.
In Activity Details, you can adjust any activity information, such as Expected Finish or Remaining Duration, that did not progress according to plan. Since you actuals pulling in, that’s the only field that will update once actuals are applied. Read the blog...
CONTRACTORS PROGRESS REPORTS – DOES ANYBODY READ THEM, NEVER MIND UNDERSTAND THEM?
PROCESSES No 10 – Contractors Progress Reports – Does anybody read them, never mind understand them?
Questions?
- Is yours 2 pages,100 pages, or both?
- Are you just sending information or analysed options for senior management?
- Are you just following the contract requirements or actually seeking co-operative management with the Client?
- Are they just including status lists or analysis of the top 5 problems/needs/actions?
- Are you laying down facts and records for project claims?
- Are they just meant to report the past or help in managing the future?
Look, all your reports contain biases and are usually optimistic – are you really interrogating them for best information value?
Source: Peter Holroyd
SHARE PROJECT XER / MPP NO INSTALLATION, LOGIN, OR REGISTRATION – JUST A SIMPLE LINK
XER Reader
Share your project schedules in XER and MPP format. No installation, no login, no email registration – just a simple link.
You have updated your schedule. Moved the data date and applied actuals. Adjusted milestones and progress on activities. You have calculated baseline variances and earned value values. You have gone and done all this work. All that effort. Why not share it.
- Share with the project team
- Share with steering group
- Share with suppliers
- Share with sponsor
- Share with partners
- Share with clients
- Share with owner
Try now and get 50% off using Planning Planet discount code PP50
Take a look...
UNIFIER FAM - SERVICE REQUESTS
Unifier FAM - Service Requests - Mini Clip It is a quick overview of how service requests work in the new FAM configuration of Oracle Primavera Unifier.
For more information or to schedule a demo, please reach out to us at [email protected].
GLOBAL CONVERSATION CLUB - BRITISH STANDARD PROJECT CONTROLS SPECIFICATION
Hello Conversation Club
Here is Ben Fitzgerald’ s material for the road test of the new BS202001 Project Controls Specification Standard
The video
The presentation Ben Fitzgerald Applying BS202001 Project Controls in Practice.pdf
The PAPER you must read this 2020522 - BS202001_Paper CAE.pdf
Source: Steve Wake
P6ETL for BI Reporting
Unlock and extract your Primavera P6 or Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) data that are hosted at Oracle, Loadspring, or On-Premise and create comprehensive Project Management dashboards and KPI's with Microsoft Power BI then share those dashboards with others in your organization.
P6ETL is a software utility that extracts P6 data and Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) data from any hosted environment, such as Oracle Hosting and Loadspring, and then stores the data into an MSSQL DB. Once the data is in the MSSQL DB, users can connect to the MSSQL DB and create an unlimited number of reports using any report development tool including Microsoft Power BI and Tableau. The MSSQL DB (we call it the P6ETL DB) is a reporting DB that simplifies dashboard and report development. P6ETL extracts the P6 and OPC data using Web Services.
WHAT IS THE STAGE GATE PROCESS AND WHY DOES IT MATTER FOR PROJECT SUCCESS? | BLOG
Most project failures aren’t caused by bad ideas, but by poor decisions along the way.
The stage gate process helps teams stay on track by breaking projects into clear stages, with decision points that determine whether to move forward, pause, or stop.
By evaluating projects before major resources are committed, organizations can focus on the initiatives that truly deliver value. This leads to better prioritization, stronger portfolio control, and more successful project outcomes.
The five stages explained
- Stage 1: Initiation - A quick assessment of the project idea: is there a clear objective and enough value to justify further investigation?
- Stage 2: Business case - Deeper analysis: stakeholder needs, resource requirements, risk assessment, and a high-level project plan.
- Stage 3: Planning and execution - The core project phase: detailed planning, task assignment, and active execution of project deliverables.
- Stage 4: Review and validation - Rigorous evaluation of deliverables, processes, and whether the project is meeting its defined objectives and success criteria.
- Stage 5: Closure - Formal project completion, handover of deliverables, and a post-project review to capture lessons learned.
[VIRTUAL EVENT] LIVE DEMO OF ALICE TECHNOLOGIES' TARGETED OPTIMIZATION MODE
On Wednesday, June 3rd, ALICE Technologies is hosting a live demo of Targeted Optimization, the fastest way to accelerate and recover project schedules.
During the event, ALICE will showcase how Targeted Optimization runs simulations to identify the most critical tasks that affect project duration and how those tasks can be optimized to help teams meet their target objectives.
You'll learn:
- How the algorithm identifies the critical and near-critical path tasks to surface the activities that actually move the needle
- Where project teams are leveraging Targeted Optimization to accelerate and recover schedules
- Ways to look for acceleration opportunities across the entire schedule or within specific milestones or activities
Register now to save your spot...
LET'S OPEN UP OPPORTUNITIES TOGETHER
To support every practitioner, employer, consultant, and recruiter in our network, we’re opening up free job postings for everyone. Whether you’re:
- An employer with a vacancy
- A regular practitioner looking to strengthen your team
- A consultant searching for standout talent
- A recruiter with a role to fill
…you’re invited to share your opportunities with the entire Planning Planet community.
No charge. Simply contact [email protected] and we’ll help you get your role in front of thousands of committed project controls professionals.
Let’s make this a space where opportunities flow freely, careers grow, and our community continues to lift one another. View Jobs... Post Jobs...
- Lead / Head Capex Planner - South Wales - £700 a day / Permanent
- MAX10714: Senior Scheduler / Toronto & Ontario / CAD $95,000 to $120,000 per annum
- Planning Engineer - Plymouth (Hybrid) -:£50-70,000 + car allowance + package
- Senior Planning Engineer - Cardiff (Hybrid) - £70-85,000 + package
- Construction Planner - Asta - Central London - £55-75,000 + package
- Senior Tender Planner - Manchester (Hybrid) - £80-90,000 + car allowance + package
- Planning Manager (MEP) - West Sussex (3 Days Site / 2 Days Remote) - £85-95,000 + car allowance + package
- Senior Planner - Cardiff (3 Days Site / 2 Remote) - £70-90,000 + package
- Project Planner - London
- London – Lead Planner (Main Contractor, Permanent)
- Planning Engineer – Rail (Permanent)
- Senior Planner
- Planning Claims Analyst
SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE TO THE "MOST POPULAR" SOFTWARE FOR US AS PLANNERS?
A superior alternative to the "most popular" software for us as planners?
Spider Project Team is a group of project management consulting and training companies. With headquarters in Moscow, Russia, we have branches, partners and representatives in other Russian cities, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Romania, USA. We develop professional PM software Spider Project that is the most powerful and functional tool for project, program, and portfolio management.
We develop advanced approaches and methods of project management that are widely used by our customers in 37 countries. We provide training on project management and Spider Project software for our customers around the world.
We manage projects for our customers and implement corporate project management systems in companies of different industries. We believe that good project management can improve our world and are happy to provide the best services and tools to our customers.
We are proud of our achievements. The current version is used in 37 countries. 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.
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... Ask questions here...
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THANK YOU FOR READING OUR MESSAGES
If you’d like to lend a hand to the small but enthusiastic team behind this newsletter, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. We know there’s still a lot of work ahead to make this an informative and eagerly anticipated bi-weekly read, so get in touch and be part of the journey.
Regards...
The Planning Planet Team