Primavera construction project 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 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, the requirement to submit bids or construction projects via P6, may find the cost prohibitive.
Oracle’s standalone licensing model requires the firm to either pay a licensing fee for each person on the project or limit licenses to only a few team members, increasing the risk of reduced real-time transparency.
What does Powerproject construction project management software do better than P6?
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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 the 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 (Powerproject), 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 the other software vendors in the market. My end users are giving it rave reviews, and so far they like it much better than p6.
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Powerproject has licensing options that can save teams up to 50% over P6.
P6 software is licensed per individual user, which can become expensive when project teams have extensive access needs. Powerproject, on the other hand, offers shared licenses, potentially reducing overall costs by up to 50% for stakeholders who only need 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 a 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 in this scenario $16,792.
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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 making 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 licenses not required
- Progress can be uploaded at the 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 modeling, can carry their 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?
