Dear Planning Planet Member,

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Like many large-scale organizations, the oil and gas division at AECOM found themselves struggling to effectively leverage their project data. Managing projects with advanced-macro spreadsheets proved to be highly unreliable as the manual processes made it difficult to meet timing and integration expectations.

Through their partnership with us, AECOM was able to find an integrated project management solution that could:

• Improve repeatability of analysis
• Deliver consistent reports
• Offer standardization of processes

Resulting in a 25% reduction in project costs per project over 2 years through a combination of process improvement and efficient system implementation.

Learn how AECOM improved visibility and increased data confidence with Contruent Enterprise

IAMTech Celebrate 40 years of iPlan

We are filled with immense pride and gratitude for the almost 40-year-long journey we have shared together.
For four decades, our flagship product, iPlan, has been at the forefront of supporting plant asset owner-operators and maintenance contractors in the oil, gas, chemical, offshore, and energy industries.
This journey has been both humbling and inspiring, and I would like to take a moment to reflect on the values that have brought us here and our relentless passion for innovation.

Our values have always been the bedrock of our success. They bind us together, fuel our drive for excellence, and guide our decision-making. Here's a glimpse into the values that define us – as an acronym they spell CREATIVE:

• Communication: Open and honest communication has always been our priority. We believe that by discussing and overcoming challenges together, we can achieve great things. If ever we find ourselves stuck, we never hesitate to ask for help, knowing that our colleagues are always there to support us.
• Respect: Treating each other and our customers with respect is paramount. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated for their unique perspectives and contributions.
• Excellence: Our 40-year legacy has taught us the importance of leveraging our knowledge and skills to deliver the best service to our customers. We never shy away from learning and constantly improving our craft.
• Accountability: We take personal responsibility for our tasks and always strive to give our best. We understand that our actions have a direct impact on the success of our company and our customers.
• Teamwork: We work towards common goals, sharing achievements, and trusting our teammates to have our backs. When we fail, we fail as a team, learning from our mistakes and emerging stronger.
• Integrity: We project our values in all interactions and hold each other accountable for upholding these principles. If we falter, we take it upon ourselves to remind one another of the values that define us.
• Vision: We are always aware of our company's vision and actively work towards achieving the priority and goals set forth. Embracing change and positively contributing to it is an integral part of our journey.
• Empathy: We respect our colleagues' and customers' life circumstances and strive to create a work-life balance that fosters a supportive environment.

It is through the steadfast adherence to these values that we have been able to grow and succeed. And our passion statement reflects this commitment:

• "We are not trying to be the biggest; we want to be the best!"
• We choose to work with people who embody our values and share our passion for excellence.
• We take pride in the fact that we can share the learning from our mistakes with our customers, saving them time and money by helping them avoid the pitfalls we have encountered.

Our journey has taught us that true success lies in being able to create lasting value for our clients, and that is something we are deeply passionate about.

As we celebrate 40 years of iPlan, let us take a moment to appreciate how far we have come, driven by our shared values and passion for excellence. 

Our commitment to innovation and collaboration has made us a trusted partner in industry, and we will continue to forge ahead on this path for years to come.

To our customers, thank you for placing your trust in us and joining us on this incredible journey. To our employees, thank you for your unwavering dedication and for bringing our values to life every day. Your passion and commitment are what make iPlan the leading force it is today.

As we look towards the future, let us continue to be guided by our values, fuelled by our passion, and inspired by the endless possibilities that lie ahead. Together, we will continue to innovate, adapt, and grow, shaping industry and redefining what it means to be the best.

Join the free upcoming webinar on ScheduleReader and ScheduleCleaner, where you will learn about tools that can enhance your Primavera project environment and improve your business process and workflows.

If you're a Project Manager, Scheduler, Planner, Project Controls or a project management professional working with Primavera P6 software, this webinar is for you.

Most will have heard the idiom “missing the forest for the trees.” It speaks to a struggle we often face – being so focused on the details that we miss the bigger picture. This is a trap project-driven organizations can fall into if they aren’t careful. When working on a slew of projects, it can be easy to treat them as separate entities, but doing so can result in misalignment between your project efforts and your strategic business objectives. To prevent this, project-focused organizations rely on portfolio planning to keep their efforts aligned and on track. What’s portfolio planning and why is it important?

Read more here...

Isolating the Earliest and Latest Predecessor Start Dates of a Milestone in P6 PPM Professional

I recently asked the question about P6: “How does one show a milestone's date to reflect the earliest start date of the group predecessors' activities rather than total float driving from the group predecessors' activities.”

After I little bit of thought I devised the following solution.

To show the earliest Start Date and Latest Finish date of multiple predecessors for a Milestone you need to make the Milestone Task a LOE and hook up to all the predecessor tasks with both a FS and a FF link as per the picture below: 

Then format the LOE Tasks to show only a Start shape and Finish shape, such as below:

If you want to show other LOE activities as a LOE then you will need to create an Activity Code for normal LOE activities and Milestone LOE activities and a bar style for both and apply the filter to the two LOE bar styles in the Bars form.

Accelerate your understanding of scheduling software to advance your scheduling career and be able to prepare better schedules with Eastwood Harris books, training courses and online videos on the following software packages:

• Microsoft Project,
• Oracle Primavera P6 and 
• Elecosoft (Asta) Powerproject 

Online videos available through Udemy by following these links:

• Microsoft Project,
• Oracle Primavera P6 and 
• Elecosoft (Asta) Powerproject 

Please follow these links:

• Eastwood Harris books and training materials are available here>>>>
• Eastwood Harris inhouse, one-to-one and public training courses are offered through Primaskills Pty Ltd, more details here>>>>.
• Resources for Oracle Primavera P6 users such as third party software that works with P6 and technical papers on Primavera P6 at here>>>>.

Paul E Harris

Director Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd

Primavera P6 look-ahead schedules are compressed versions of the overall project schedule.

Look-ahead schedules can be prepared easily and efficiently in Primavera P6 by using filters to show only activities of interest that fall into the parameters set in the P6 filter. 

Learn more

Are you ready to have full power over your projects? Join this webinar with Cleopatra Enterprise experts, Sharon Bosch and Sofia Herrero!

With many factors, parameters, and stakeholders included in the projects, the cost management process may be demanding on many levels. But what if there is a painless solution?

You will learn how to:

• Overcome the main challenges when controlling your projects
• Provide the proper definition of control accounts
• Track progress by using earned value management
• and more...

Register Now...  

Cleopatra Enterprise is heading to PetroChem 2023!

In the fast-paced world of petrochemical projects, efficiency and accuracy are paramount. Cleopatra team brings digitization and automation to all stages of project controls and turnaround events. With their comprehensive suite of advanced tools and functionalities, they are committed to helping petrochemical companies achieve optimal time-efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Join Cleopatra Enterprise in Canada, and witness the power and capabilities of their software firsthand as demonstrated by their in-house experts: Elmer Sachteleben & Richard van Tricht!

Let's embrace digital transformation and take your petrochemical projects to new heights!

Cleopatra Enterprise launches a new website!

Cleopatra Enterprise is delighted to introduce its newly redesigned website, elevating project controls and turnaround management to a whole new level!

Cleopatra Enterprise aims to enhance project and cost efficiency through the power of digital transformation. They have now taken another leap forward as they present the updated website, designed to provide a seamless and comprehensive experience for project professionals across the globe.

Visit the new website...

A superior alternative to the "most popular" software for us as planners?

Spider Project 

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...

The next LIVE event for Construction CPM Conference 2024 will be held at San Antonio January 14-17 2024

More info here... Seeking Presenters... Latest News...

A FULL DAY of lectures from the SmartPM team on Basics through Analytics and Oversight

To obtain your Zoom Invite please send request to info@constructioncpm.com.

Our Continuing Mission Since 2011

• To explore leading edge CPM scheduling concepts
• To seek out new expert schedulers and software solutions
• To boldly go where no scheduling conference has gone before