Dear Planning Planet Members,
Welcome to the newsletter — shared across the largest community of project controllers on the planet. Our new, faster, more modern web portal is taking shape, and that’s thanks in no small part to all of you. Your feedback, your bug reports, and your suggestions are helping us refine and improve the platform every day.
If you’ve written something on project controls — an article, a thought piece, a lesson learned, or even just a rough idea you’d like to explore — we’d love to collaborate with you. Share it with us and we’ll feature it in future posts. It’s free, and it strengthens the collective knowledge of our community.
THE PM WANTS CONFIDENCE. THE ENGINEERS WANT FLEXIBILITY. THE CLIENT WANTS CERTAINTY. THE SITE TEAM WANTS CLARITY. YOUR JOB IS TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED...?
If you think the job is about Gantt charts and software, wait until you get on a real project — and you realise the planner sits at the centre of everything. Project Manager above you. Engineers to the left. Client to the right. Site team below.
Every single one of them needs something from the programme. And none of them speak the same language.
The PM wants confidence. The engineers want flexibility. The client wants certainty. The site team wants clarity. Your job is to give all of them what they need — from one document. That's not a scheduling job. That's a communication and judgment job, wrapped around a technical one.
Read the narrative and join the conversation...
Source: Virgil Andrei
INTRODUCTION TO THE PLANNING PLANET COMMUNITY FROM MUSTANG TECHNOLOGIES
Introduction to the Planning Planet Community from Mustang Technologies
Mustang Technologies has been serving Oracle Primavera users since 2000, providing innovative software solutions and consulting services that help project controls professionals improve efficiency, reporting, and data management.
Our products and services include:
- XENA – XER Scrubbing Tool - Used by thousands of schedulers worldwide, XENA streamlines the preparation of Primavera P6 and Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) data by removing unwanted coding, demoting global data to project-level data, and helping ensure accurate, reliable imports into P6. Learn more at: www.xenautilities.com
- P6ETL® for Business Intelligence Reporting - P6ETL® extracts Primavera P6 and Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) data from virtually any hosted environment, including Oracle Cloud and Loadspring. Once extracted, the data can be used to build Microsoft Power BI dashboards, create custom reports, or populate enterprise data warehouses. To learn more about P6ETL® or register for an upcoming webinar, visit: www.p6etl.com
- Auto Baselining for Primavera P6 - Automatically create and maintain project baselines on a scheduled basis, ensuring historical project data is preserved without manual intervention. To learn more about Auto Baselining, visit https://www.mustangtechnologies.com/p6etlautobl
- Oracle Analytics Report Development - Custom report development services using Oracle Analytics Publisher (formerly Oracle BI Publisher).
- Microsoft Power BI Development - Design and development of interactive Power BI dashboards and reporting solutions for Primavera P6 and Oracle Primavera Cloud data.
- Custom Primavera Integrations - Development of custom interfaces and integrations for Primavera P6 and Oracle Primavera Cloud to streamline business processes and improve data connectivity.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your reporting, integration, and project controls requirements.
For additional information or to schedule a meeting, please contact us at:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone (USA & Canada): 888-763-8533
We look forward to connecting with members of the Planning Planet community.
WBS SUMMARY ACTIVITIES ARE NOT CALCULATING REMAINING UNITS AND % COMPLETE CORRECTLY
WBS Summary Activity
The WBS summary activity type combines the summary capabilities of the WBS structure with task-level attributes such as relationships, resource assignments, and notebooks. This activity type is used to roll up date, duration, and percent complete values for a group of activities that share a WBS code.
Rollup values for a WBS summary activity are calculated when the project is scheduled. Start dates for a WBS summary activity are set to the earliest start date of all activities in the group; finish dates are set to the latest finish date of all activities in the group. Duration is calculated based on the earliest activity start and latest activity finish in the group.
The WBS code of a WBS summary activity determines which activities comprise the group.
To set up a WBS summary activity...
Source: Bob Malin
SHARE PROJECT XER / MPP NO INSTALLATION, LOGIN, OR REGISTRATION – JUST A SIMPLE LINK
XER Reader — Share Your Schedules Instantly
Share your project schedules in XER and MPP format with anyone — instantly. No installation. No login. No email registration. Just upload and share a simple link.
Why keep your schedule locked away?
You’ve updated your programme. You’ve moved the data date, applied actuals, adjusted milestones, updated progress, checked variances, and calculated earned value. You’ve done all the hard work.
Now make it easy for others to see it.
Share your schedule with: - Your project team, Steering groups, Suppliers, Sponsors, Delivery partners, Clients or Owners
One link. Zero friction. Full visibility.
Try it now — and get 50% off
Use the Planning Planet discount code: PP50
Take a look...
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].
WHY GOOD DECISIONS OFTEN LOOK WRONG UNDER UNCERTAINTY
Projects often assume the purpose of QCRA is to identify the best option.
But under uncertainty, that assumption can become surprisingly dangerous.
Because the option that produces the best number is not always the option that produces the best outcome.
- The lowest expected cost.
- The shortest expected duration.
- The smallest contingency.
- The highest expected value.
These can all appear attractive on paper. Yet projects are rarely delivered under average conditions. They are delivered in environments shaped by uncertainty, changing assumptions, and emerging constraints. That distinction matters.
Source: Amin Jalili
SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL, WITHOUT THE HEAVYWEIGHT SOFTWARE
Hello, we are SMACT®, a browser based schedule management and control tool built in Perth Western Australia by planners and project professionals who got tired of clunky, expensive tools. Upload an XER, MPP or XML and get straight to work, with nothing to install.
- SVIEW - Schedule Viewer - Open any XER, MPP or XML in a clean online Gantt, free.
- SPRINT - Schedule Printer - Export to Excel or print a tidy schedule in seconds.
- FCA - Fundamental Check Analyser - Validate and report schedule quality before you issue.
- SVA - Schedule Variance Analyser - See exactly what moved between revisions, in a click.
The bit people remember: SMACT® turns a complex schedule into a clean, fully traceable block view, so you stop rebuilding the plan in PowerPoint every cycle.
Built by practitioners, and already used on major Australian resources and energy projects.
SVIEW is free to use, always. Try the full toolset for 7 days, no credit cards, no commitment, cancel any time.
Try it free on your own schedule
SMACT® is a registered trademark of FSH Tech Solutions Pty Ltd, Perth, Western Australia. smact.com.au
VALUE-ADD and FREE WEBINARS
- June 28-30 AACE’s 70th Anniversary Conference & Expo, Las Vegas, United States (Cleopatra Enterprise) - Join Cleopatra's speaking slot on Monday, 29 June from 11:05–12:05 in Room 124, where we’ll discuss “Cost Data You Can Trust: Calibrating Commercial and Internal Cost Data.” Save a spot...
- July 16 - Resource-Constrained Planning & Scheduling Spider Project Introduction - Charity Donation, not Training Fee (Salute Enterprises) - The masterclass introduces participants to a different way of thinking about project planning and control. Based on the principles of resource-constrained scheduling, Resource Critical Path, project optimisation, and Success Driven Project Management (SDPM), the course provides practical insights into creating and managing realistic project schedules using Spider Project. Participants will gain an understanding of the basic concepts that underpin Spider Project and learn how these concepts can be applied to improve planning, forecasting, and decision-making across projects, programs, and portfolios. Save a spot...
- 21 July - Keeping Projects on Track: Applying Constant Control Systems in Project Controls - (PC Expo / Adelaide, Australia | ibis Adelaide) - Discover how integrated control systems, continuous feedback loops, and proactive decision-making can improve cost, schedule, and overall project performance. Gain practical strategies from industry experts and leave with actionable techniques to apply across your projects. Register now...
- 30 July - Project Controls is Evolving—Are Your Offices and Intelligence Keeping Up? - (PC Expo / Washington, D.C., USA | JMT, 4th floor, 601 New Jersey Ave NW) - Explore how AI, transformation strategies, and future-ready project control offices are reshaping the profession. Learn how to build stronger capabilities, drive greater value, and prepare your organisation for the next generation of project controls. Register now...
- Project Controls Awards (Project Controls Expo) - Every year, this industry moves forward because of the people and companies who dare to do things differently — those who take risks, build with intention, and raise the bar for everyone around them. The Global/UK Project Controls Expo Awards exists to celebrate exactly those people. And this year, we are inviting you to make sure they don't go unrecognised. Nominate today!
Contact us to get your event here - [email protected]
REIMAGINING PROJECT CONTROLS WITH AI
Andy Gabele, Director of Solutions Engineering at ALICE Technologies, joined TechTalk Series hosted by Project Controls Academy on June 11th. Unlock Smarter, More Proactive Planning with AI-Driven Scheduling and Optimization.
Here's what we covered:
- How AI shifts project controls from reactive firefighting to proactive planning
- Secrets to rapidly generating multiple recovery and optimization scenarios using AI
- How to build antifragile schedules that adapt and thrive under change
- Key AI features that promote proactive, data-driven decision-making
- Real-world examples from multi-billion-dollar projects showing AI’s real impact in the field
Take a look...
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR PLANNING ENGINEERS ISN'T PRIMAVERA… IT'S COMMUNICATION!
The Biggest Challenge for Planning Engineers Isn't Primavera… It's Communication!
Many people think that the Planning Engineer's role is all about schedules, updates, and reports.
In reality, one of the biggest reasons projects face delays is the communication gap between the Planning Engineer and other project stakeholders.
Have your say, are 104 "thumbs up right?
Source: Mahmoud Saad | Senior Planning Engineer
PCE MEET: WHERE PROJECT CONTROLS PROFESSIONALS LEARN, CONNECT & GROW
Project Controls Expo brings you a new initiative called PCE Meet. This July, PCE Meet offers two exclusive workshops designed to help project controls professionals strengthen capabilities, embrace innovation, and deliver better project outcomes.
Adelaide, Australia | ibis Adelaide | 21 July 2026
Keeping Projects on Track: Applying Constant Control Systems in Project Controls
Discover how integrated control systems, continuous feedback loops, and proactive decision-making can improve cost, schedule, and overall project performance. Gain practical strategies from industry experts and leave with actionable techniques to apply across your projects.
Register now...
Washington, D.C., USA | JMT, 4th floor, 601 New Jersey Ave NW| 30 July 2026
Project Controls is Evolving—Are Your Offices and Intelligence Keeping Up?
Explore how AI, transformation strategies, and future-ready project control offices are reshaping the profession. Learn how to build stronger capabilities, drive greater value, and prepare your organisation for the next generation of project controls.
Register now...
HOW TO PREPARE A LABOUR HISTOGRAM FOR A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT USING EXCEL
A construction schedule may look acceptable on paper while still being impossible to deliver on site.
The activities may be logically linked. The bars may fit neatly inside the contract duration. The baseline may even show a clean critical path. But one question often exposes the weakness of the programme: Does the project have the manpower required to deliver the planned work?
This is where a labour histogram becomes more than a reporting chart. Used properly, it becomes a project-control instrument. It helps planners, project managers, resident engineers, contractors, and consultants test whether the planned sequence of work is supported by realistic workforce allocation.
In many construction projects, delay is not caused by one dramatic event. It develops gradually through weak planning, poor site coordination, subcontractor underperformance, unrealistic productivity assumptions, late mobilisation, and insufficient labour deployment. A labour histogram helps make these issues visible before they become formal delay claims, recovery disputes, or progress meeting arguments.
This article explains what a construction labour histogram is, why it matters, how planned versus actual manpower should be interpreted, and how an Excel-based labour histogram can support stronger project-control decisions.
Source: Mohammad Khalifa Talafha, PMP
THE GLOBAL / UK PROJECT CONTROLS EXPO - CALL FOR PAPERS
Join one of the industry’s leading platforms dedicated to advancing project controls, where global experts come together to share real-world insights and innovation. This is your opportunity to shape conversations, build credibility, and stand out.
From cutting-edge tools to proven methodologies, your perspective can inspire change and drive progress across the community. Be part of the knowledge exchange that defines the future of project delivery.
The Call for Papers at Project Controls Expo is now open, with submissions welcomed for the USA, UK and Australia editions.
Checkout these regional offerings and submission deadlines...
Source: Anil Godhawale, IEng, CCP, PSP
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.
BEYOND DCMA 14 POINTS. MISSING DEPENDENCIES
A project schedule can pass every DCMA assessment and still be unreliable. It reflects a common misunderstanding in project controls: passing schedule health checks does not prove that a schedule is correct. It only demonstrates that certain quality criteria have been satisfied.
In mathematics, there is a concept known as a ‘Necessary but not sufficient condition’.
A necessary condition is something that must be true for a desired outcome to occur. If the condition is not met, the outcome will definitely be negative. However, satisfying a necessary condition alone does not guarantee success. Other conditions may also need to be met.
This distinction applies directly to project schedule validation. A widely accepted rule of thumb is that every activity should have at least one predecessor and successor. While there are exceptions, this is generally considered good scheduling practice. Having predecessors and successors is a necessary condition for a quality schedule. It is not a sufficient condition. A schedule may satisfy this rule completely and still contain missing dependencies.
Source: Alex Lyaschenko, Program & Portfolio Planning & Delivery
CONTRACTORS PROGRESS REPORTS – DOES ANYBODY READ THEM, NEVER MIND UNDERSTAND THEM?
PROCESSES No 12 – MENTORING young Project Control Staff
To be honest when I first became a planning manager and had responsibility for professional development of my staff I had it easy. I had the luxury of a very good HR department, excellent experienced staff, well developed and funded internal courses and a clear CPD route. Most (not all) had gone through a 3 or 4 year management graduate development programme which gave them 6 to 9 months experience in numerous company departments allowing them time to gain a basic grounding in their work. They made contacts, they began to understand the challenges, questions, and language of each of these departments. At the end of their development programme, they could choose a career path in Engineering or Project Services departments. We also had planning staff that had been on the tools, worked in construction management, and had O&M experience as our project work was very varied.
So, posting on LinkedIn, I was surprised to receive numerous posts from young graduates who felt isolated in their work, confined to just updating schedules and producing reports, and lost as to where to obtain resources to develop a career path. As most of these posts are from GCC/EMEA work area I asked a consultant what they were looking for as an employer and 2 very experienced project control engineers what help was available in their area to mentor new starters. I also received a post from a young pc engineer who seems to have had a brilliant experience so far in his career and the company should be celebrated for providing this.
This blog is just supposed to kick off the debate...
Source: Peter Holroyd
MAKE SCHEDULES CLEARER, UPDATES FASTER, AND GOVERNANCE STRONGER
Introducing CAPPS (Version 15.0).
This new release isn’t just an upgrade — it’s a step forward in how planners and project controllers can think, work, and collaborate.
We’ve added a series of improvements designed to make schedules clearer, updates faster, and governance stronger:
- Update activities and steps directly inside any crosstab - No more jumping between views. You can now analyse and update in the same place, making progress reviews smoother and more intuitive.
- Reschedule work directly in the Gantt chart - Drag, adjust, and immediately see the impact. Perfect for “what‑if” thinking and rapid scenario exploration.
- New heat maps & visualisation profiles - Spot risks, bottlenecks, and workload imbalances at a glance. These visuals help teams understand the story behind the data — not just the numbers.
- Baselines added - Track drift, measure performance, and strengthen governance with proper baseline control.
Behind the scenes, we’ve also introduced:
- Activity cancellation & explicit finalisation - Clearer lifecycle control so teams know exactly what’s active, what’s done, and what’s been removed — improving auditability and reducing noise.
- A two‑stage review and approval workflow - This supports stronger assurance, better accountability, and cleaner separation between “submitted” and “approved” updates.
- Smarter filtering & performance improvements - Faster navigation, cleaner views, and less time wasted hunting for the right information.
And finally:
- Project QA and update auditing - You can now quality‑check your projects and audit every update submission and approval. This is a major step toward transparent, defensible project controls.
Read more...
For more information or to schedule a demo, please reach out to us at [email protected].
SWITCHING TO CLEOPATRA AND PRIMAVERA: NAVIGATE YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS!
Managing shutdowns and turnarounds with outdated or disconnected tools can lead to delays, budget overruns, and missed opportunities for improvement.
This webinar shows you how switching to the combination of Cleopatra and Primavera creates a fully integrated turnaround management solution—combining work package planning with Primavera’s powerful scheduling and resource planning to transform how you plan, execute, and deliver. You’ll gain valuable practical insights, proven workflows, and the lessons learned from end-to-end digital approach.
If you’re looking to modernize your processes, streamline collaboration, and achieve consistent turnaround success, this webinar will show you exactly how to make the transition.
In 50 minutes, you will learn:
- The current state of turnarounds and where the industry is heading
- How to plan work packages using Cleopatra
- Why having an integrated scheduling solution is a key success driver
- How Cleopatra works as an integrated solution with Primavera
- Lessons learned from a high complexity turnaround at a Cleopatra client’s facility
THE 10 BIGGEST LIES IN PROJECT CONTROLS — AND WHY THEY COST PROJECTS MILLIONS
Project managers and construction managers don’t always set out to mislead. Sometimes it’s optimism bias, pressure to “make the numbers work,” or simply repeating what they’ve heard for years. But when these statements slip into planning, scheduling, and forecasting, the damage to project controls is real — and expensive.
In our new paper, “The Ten Biggest Lies in Project Controls” (PM-4867)", Glen R. Palmer and I pull back the curtain on the most damaging untruths we’ve encountered across decades of megaprojects, forensic analysis, and dispute resolution.
From “I can perform 1,800 loop checks in 30 days!” and “Engineering doesn’t need construction’s input” to “Our schedule is only behind because of the weather” and “The schedule is wrong because I know what should be on the critical path,” each lie is dissected with:
- Real-world case studies (refineries, nuclear plants, power facilities, commercial builds)
- The hidden risks and forensic red flags
- Practical mitigation strategies grounded in AACE Recommended Practices
- These aren’t just annoying sayings — they erode schedule integrity, trigger rework, fuel claims, and destroy trust between owners, contractors, and project controls teams.
Source: Chris Carson FRICS, FAACE, FGPC, PSP, DRMP, CEP, CCM, PMP
[VIRTUAL EVENT] RECORDING OF TARGETED OPTIMIZATION MODE
This webinar introduces ALICE’s Targeted Optimization, a new optimization mode designed to help teams identify the fastest path to schedule acceleration.
Targeted Optimization is built for everyone on the project team, not just the scheduling experts, who want to identify exactly where a project can be shortened and by how much. With a proprietary task-based algorithm, you can generate actionable insights regardless of where you are in the planning phase.
See how Targeted Optimization allows you to run targeted simulations to determine the tasks that should be optimized based on your specific objectives.
In this recording session, you’ll learn:
- The Logic Behind Targeted Optimization: How the algorithm identifies the critical and near-critical path tasks to surface the activities that actually move the needle
- Rapid Setup: How project teams are leveraging Targeted Optimization to accelerate and recover schedules without resource loading
- Surgical Schedule Crashing: How to look for acceleration opportunities across the entire schedule or within specific milestones or activities.
Don’t leave your schedule to chance. Ready to see which tasks are worth the hustle?
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
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
- Senior Planning Engineer - Cardiff (Hybrid) - £70-85,000 + package
- Construction Planner - Asta - Central London - £55-75,000 + package
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...
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADVERTISE ON PLANNING PLANET?
We want to give more of our members the opportunity to advertise on our site. Click here to get started!
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