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Primavera Contractor 4.1

9 replies [Last post]
Tue, 2004-09-21 04:29
ahmad rashidi
User offline. Last seen 1 year 15 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 19
Groups: GPC Malaysia, Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas, Sarawak Primavera User Group (SPUG)
Hi everyone,

Have anyone tried the latest Primavera Contractor? Is it being accepted well in the other part of the world? :)

Rashidi.
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Replies

Mon, 2005-02-28 22:24
#1
Sara Dean
User offline. Last seen 12 years 44 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 16 Nov 2004
Posts: 13
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
We are currently implementing Contractor with one of our contractors as they are using MS Project and it was causing unneccesary additional work for us with fortnightly updates. We exported the contractors work from the main schedule (we use P3e), tidied it up and exported it to them to import in to their Contractor. This way we are both working off the same ’schedule’. They can then do their own updates and send it to us for us to import in to the main schedule. As they have more than 750 activities we suggested that they break their schedule down (ie Stage 1, Stage 2) and create individual projects per stage. It is limiting with only 750 activities and this was the best solution.
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Fri, 2005-01-28 09:46
#2
Tomasz Wiatr
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Joined: 22 Dec 2004
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Dear Martin,

We have not problem with effects of comparision P3 vs. PE because PE is simply successor of P3 (PE is better P3, meybe too heavy, but better). Your opinion in the aspect of missinformation about novelty of "programme management" features in PE are not right assumption, of course. Old P3 was able to control all projects in organisation too - in Concentric PM suite, i.e. with SureTraksPM on sites and with "one" P3 in the "headquarter"! Today schedulers use P3 like a standalone system, but P3 is concentric PM engine "for all projects" in organisation, like a PE (simmilar purpose) :-)

"Problem" in this sub-group of forum is comparison of FULL PE (specially Pe/c) and RESTRICTED Primavera Contractor because this comparison is worst than P3 vs. ST, because ST has not any restriction in the number of tasks, and other too. This kind of restrictions we know only from educational version of P3 (200 tasks), and working model (demo) of P3 (40 tasks). It is our "problem", not power of Pe/c engine but "deadlock" on the engine of Primavera Contractor! Primavera Contractor is the same branch (AEC) with Pe/c so we want to love Primavera "Light", but this is difficult love :-(

Good Luck
Tomek
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Fri, 2005-01-28 08:33
#3
Martin Tinsley
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Joined: 29 Apr 2004
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I don’t agree at all with you guys!

I am not familiar with the 750 task limited product but if you are an experienced planner and understand your business well, you must have a handle on the magnitude of your projects prior to purchasing the software.

I think also that it is fair to say that P3 and P3e are very different products in that P3 is very much rooted in the construction industry for on off large projects whereas P3e lends itself to a programme of many concurrent projects. P3 needed tidying up at some stage as there are some messy areas, for me the worst being the Auto Cost Rules. The Worst mistake Primavera may have made is that many construction companies who are already using p3 without any problems, take the line ’if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’ and thus the take up of P3e might not be that fast.

Ultimately there isn’t a mainstream product that can compete with Primavera for organisations that want to seriously and successfully get to grips with planning projects.
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Thu, 2005-01-27 13:44
#4
Tomasz Wiatr
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Joined: 22 Dec 2004
Posts: 35
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Hi everyone,

In other part of this forum I have written question related with comparrision of Pe/c vs. Primavera Contractor (redirected here by moderator - thanks) and I see that situation is not good :-(

Restriction of "max 750 tasks per project" it is not friendly restriction. Meybe number 750 is not small but it is bad condition for all "friends" of Primavera on the world! Comparision of Pe/c vs. Primavera Contractor is worst than comparision of P3 vs. ST, specially that ST have better graphics than P3 (even). But new Contractor is "sad joke", specially this ... last 50 tasks. Worst is only 699 tasks per projects :-(

Congratulations to Ahmad Rashidi with him list of features. I am waiting for it fom Primavera, but I have it here on the our Planet :-) I must to rethink the buing of Contractor accurately. I am unhappy with it.

Tomek from Poland
fanatic of UK-Pertmaster and US-Primavera
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Mon, 2004-11-01 06:06
#5
Lilii Leu
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Joined: 27 Oct 2004
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hi all,

my first post! :)
i agree on the fatal mistake part, i have my reservations on the reliability of p3e or p3ec compared to p3.

cheers.
Lili
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Tue, 2004-09-21 23:28
#6
MK TSE
User offline. Last seen 3 years 47 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 27 Feb 2002
Posts: 550
Groups: None
As a start on enterprise, seems this Primavera Contarctor 4.1 is better, not much investment but have similiar enterprise environment.
I think there is some improvement to user on the interface but not much benefit on overall picture on enterprise.
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Tue, 2004-09-21 22:39
#7
Alex Wong
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Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 874
Groups: TILOS
I think Primavera made a fatal mistake having try to map a product line same as Surtrack and P3. With Primavera Contractor and P3e. And try to compete with MSP

However, I guess what you get is what you paid for. Unless Primavera plan to downgrade their P3e $ line to a more attractive pricing model, the growth of users for P3e will be slow.

I do find P3e is very powerful and getting better and better in each version. Still their price is far too dear for a small firm. To tackle that market and still maintain the big corporate users is a very difficult task.

I guess you cannot please two women at the same time.
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Tue, 2004-09-21 21:00
#8
ahmad rashidi
User offline. Last seen 1 year 15 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 19
Groups: GPC Malaysia, Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas, Sarawak Primavera User Group (SPUG)
Exactly! I have tried to import a RM10mil worth of project with 1051 activities and guess what!?...

1. Maximum activities per project: 750 only.
2. Only 1 project can be opened at a time.
3. No project group/member structure. I was hoping it works like P3 3.1.
4. Have Send Project feature. It works. Nice.
5. Export to MSP in MPX only even though I have MSP 2002 on my PC.
6. No Web publishing wizards.
7. No Risks, Issues, Thresholds, WPs & Docs, Tracking Layouts. etc.
8.Import/Export to EC 4.0 no problem!

Happy venturing guys!

Rashidi.
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Tue, 2004-09-21 09:13
#9
Rafael Davila
User offline. Last seen 22 hours 42 min ago. Offline
Joined: 1 Mar 2004
Posts: 5229
Groups: Spider Project Team
Not me, and most probably I will never venture even to try a software that is limited to 750 activities per project.
Although our projects on average are about 400 to 600 activities I would advise not to invest time and risk finding yourself short in the long run.
This is certainly a downgrade if compared to Suretrak, not to mention P3, Open Plan, Artemis, Spider .....
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