Primavera construction management software (P6), has long been the industry standard for construction project management.
In the case of P6, many users find that despite it being the robust old standard, it has some significant downsides:
What are the downsides of using Primavera construction management software?
P6 is notoriously difficult to use.
New users may find themselves overwhelmed or intimidated by a steep learning curve and intensive training required to attain any level of useful ability
Some cursory searches for “Primavera construction management software reviews” on Google presented the following comments:
“P6 is like the Lamborghini you have that you never actually drive anywhere unless it’s for a special event since the Camry gets the job done with less gas and more comfort/peace of mind.”
“..requires so many mouse clicks and offers more features than most people need. It is very overwhelming and has a steep learning curve.”
A non-intuitive user interface may mean increased ramp-up time, decreased staff confidence, increased margin for error and increased training expenses.
P6 isn’t cheap.
For smaller construction firms that are required to submit bids or construction projects via P6, they may find the cost of P6 is prohibitive.
The way standalone licensing is billed with Oracle forces the firm to either choose between a licensing fee for every person on the project or provide licenses for only a few people of people on the project, which can increase the risks associated with decreased real-time transparency.
What does Powerproject construction project management software do better than P6 ?
- Powerproject is easy to use:
Powerproject was developed with input from the construction industry it serves. As such, Powerproject is essentially a drag-and-drop GANTT chart. Creating new projects, activities, costs and calendars can be done with a simple point-and-click.
Powerproject construction project management software also understands testing out multiple options for feasibility is part of the daily life of a construction project manager. Powerproject makes it easy to edit your project plan to see how your timeline would be impacted by various changes. Multiple “undo” and “redo” options make editing fast and easy.
Some online reviews of Powerproject echo this sentiment:
It seems to be very user-friendly and robust. We’ve been looking at it and comparing it to some of its competitors. It’s definitely a step above. My end users are giving it rave reviews and so far they like it much better than p6.
- Powerproject has licensing options that can save teams up to 50% over P6.
P6 software is licenced per individual user, which can get costly when project teams and access requirements are greater than individual needs alone.
Powerproject offers the option of shared licenses, which can cost reduce the overall spend by up to 50%, should some stakeholders only require part-time access.
Let’s say for example a construction company has a planning team of 10 and each team member requires access to the software ranging from full-time to part-time.
A sample calculation of a scenario with 10 staff requiring access to P6 comes out to at total cost of $33,550 for 10 standalone licenses.
Whereas with Powerproject construction project management software, the 10-person team has the option to choose the shared licensing model. In this example, their needs would be met by getting 7 shared licenses. This lowers costs and would save the company over $16,792 in this scenario.
- Powerproject is faster to learn
Powerproject was developed and is continually refined based on the workflow, ideas, logic, and input from real construction planners.
Powerproject construction project management software has intuitive functionality much appreciated by construction project management professionals, including:
- Spreadsheet-like functionality makes for a shorter learning curve.
- Drag & drop functionality for adding tasks, codes, resources, calendars, etc.
- Unlimited undo & redo.
- Site mobile progressing based on project work assignments & relevant tasks.
- Site progress mobile updates via project subscription making licences not required
- Progress can be uploaded on the job site without access to the internet.
- Access is only required for submitting the progress.
- Superior reporting, including fully editable WSYIWG printing and histograms.
- Advanced resource modelling, can carry its own calendars & characteristics.
- Earned value analysis reporter using duration, costs, resource effort, or Overall Percent Complete (OPC) weighting.
- Tasks can have weightage assigned to them for the EVA calculations.
- Preset filters for managing subcontractors
- Superior linking and viewing of task relationships
- Simple printing options
Powerproject is used by 92% of the UK’s Top Contractors and is growing in adoption in the US and Canada at over 100,000 users in the US alone, giving many construction planners a choice of software tools to use.
Powerproject is easier to use, faster to learn and less costly than P6. So, why wait?
