Planning Planet Newsletter - 26th January 2015

Dear Members,

Please find some Guild news from us and also some messages from some of our trade partners. Enjoy... The PP Admin Team.

A Belated Prosperous New Year to you all!

PP HAS JUST RETURNED FROM THE CONSTRUCTION CPM CONFERENCE, MARRIOTT MARQUIS MARINA - SAN DIEGO

Last year we returned from this conference with our eyes opened to the expertise and enthusiasm displayed by many of the attendees in CPM SCHEDULING and PROJECT CONTROLS in particular...

This years' event was the same again, with more attendees!

PP enjoyed its own track with some quality presentations given!

THIS EVENT IS A MUST IF YOU WISH TO:

Network
Learn
Establish yourself as a thought leader in Project Controls
Sell your products and services

Many of the vendors who attended are already part of the PP vendor programme which we find gratifying as we hope to select the very best!

IF YOU WISH TO PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCTS TO OUR COMMUNITY CONTACT PP and never look back!

Guild of Project Controls New Update

IMPORTANT Guild News this week:

Here is a Q & A from the aforementioned San Diego Conference:

A selection of questions given to PP AT THE EVENT......

How do I prove how competent I am at my Project Control role?
How can I join the 'Thought Leaders' at this or any other Conference?
How do I and my employer improve our profile to the Project Control Community?
How do I improve my expertise in an area I do not use in my day job?
How do I improve my earnings?
How do I reduce the risk in employing a new Project Control practitioner?
How do I find impartial career advice?
How do I find out how others define their Project Control group?
How do I join a global Centre of Excellence in Project Controls?
How do I change industry?
How can I find a well paid role overseas?
How can I give something back to an industry that has supported me for years?
How can I re-establish the roles within Project Controls?
How can I save money and improve efficiency in pan-industry project delivery?

Some questions from the Construction CPM Conference ALL with the same answer!

The Guild of Project Controls...

Email Guild Admin [1] if you'd like to know more OR join us!

Guild Assessors...

Do you really want to give something back to your industry? Want to improve your profile?

If you believe yourself to be at Guild ADVANCED Level (or Above) and you wish to be a Guild Member?

Become a Guild ASSESSOR......help others and be RECOGNISED then contact Guild Admin [1]

This is a WORLDWIDE and OBVIOUSLY PAN-INDUSTRY ROLE...

Foundation Level Beta Examination Test...

With the GUILD EXAMINATIONS DUE FOR IMMINENT LAUNCH WE SEEK CANDIDATES FOR THE HISTORIC (In as much as it is the first ever)

FOUNDATION LEVEL GUILD TEST - IT WILL BE FREE TO ENTER - WE SEEK YOUR IMPRESSIONS... YOUR FEEDBACK...

Contact Guild Admin [1] to register your interest in participating in the very first Guild Exam!

Final applicants will be chosen from the applicants list...

Please give a summary of your background when submitting your application...

Training for Guild Applicants...

The Guild will shortly be starting recruiting Guild recognised Training Providers. If you wish to be involved, anywhere in the world, please contact Guild Admin [1]

Are you interested in, and capable of SUPPLYING GUILD TRAINING ON-SITE, CLASSROOM OR INDIVIDUAL? TO THE LARGEST CORPORATIONS IN THE WORLD?

SEND US YOUR APPLICATION! contact Guild Admin [1]

We did say important GUILD NEWS UPDATE... that's all from us, now please do read on for some news and information from some our Planning Planet partners...

Estimating & Risk Review Methods for Owners and Contractors
Estimating is the core function of all construction projects. Owners start with conceptual estimates when a project is first proposed. These estimates get refined as the project develops and ultimately, contractors and subcontractors will prepare detailed take-offs and estimates to prepare a bid or establish a budget. Before microcomputers came around in the 1980s, estimating was primarily a manual function, aided by the use of handheld or desktop calculators. Today, a significant amount of estimating is automated, even to the point where they can be performed on smartphones. There are three general elements to an estimate: 1) the direct cost of the installed materials, including labor; 2) indirect, or support costs, such as scaffolding, crane usage, testing, inspection and punch lists; and 3) markups, such as overhead, profit and contingency, or risks. Frequently, particularly for small projects and for change orders, the indirect costs are included as part of overhead.
Planning Planet's media partner ConstructionPro Network is working on a series of articles on estimating and is interested in hearing our feedback, including learning about best practices, challenges and what we see as future directions in construction estimating etc.	[2]
Results will be published here in Planning Planet in February.

Synchro Unveils Mobile 4D Construction App

Synchro Software Ltd. (synchroltd.com [3]) held its fourth annual 4D Construction conference last week at the San Diego Marriott Marquis Marina. Over 120 people were present to see the unveiling of the new mobile app the company is developing to bring their 4D technology to construction sites. “At Synchro, it is our tradition to provide continuous software improvements to keep pace with the user communities’ demand for increased capabilities within 4D Construction Project Management.” Said Tom Dengenis, CEO.

In addition to the mobile app, the company released an update to its award winning Synchro PRO software. The new release, PRO 5, has a long list of new features such as a direct integration with Navisworks and Bentley iModel, improved workflow enhancements and a new Risk Analysis tool. A complete description of the new features is available at https://synchroltd.com/synchro-pro-5-release-notes/ [4].

The Visual Planning Awards were also announced at the conference. A wide variety of projects were submitted and Brazil stood out from the crowd by taking home the awards for the Industrial Project category, 4D Planner- Synchronian of the Year and Partner of the Year. Winners included:

Building Project winner: Forrester Construction, 1800 K Street, USA
Industrial Project winner: CNCC, Abreu e Lima Refinery, Brazil
Infrastructure Project winner: Ryan Companies, Marina Heights, USA
Specialty Project winner: TIC, 103 Mega Watt Simple Cycle Facility, USA
4D Planner of the Year: Gabriel Henrique Ferreira Goncalves, CNCC Brazil
Project of the Year: Crossrail, London, England
University Challenge Winner: Texas A&M
Commerce Partner of the Year: Verano, Brazil

Following the Synchro Conference, the Construction CPM Conference was held at the same hotel. Attendees noted there were a number of presentations made by companies using Synchro PRO and that there was significant buzz around Synchro as it becomes the standard for improving construction project delivery in the industry.

Clearly this is a company to follow if you are involved in construction.

EcoSys EPC, the industry standard for enterprise project controls software.

We invite you to review our case studies:

LA Metro Implements Enterprise-wide Program Management System for $40 Billion Transportation Relief Program

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) is the third largest public transportation system in the US. In 2008, they committed US$40 billion for traffic relief and transportation upgrades over the next 30 years. To address demand for greater cost accountability and reporting, LA Metro implemented an enterprise-wide web-based program management information system inclusive of capital planning and staffing analysis with EcoSys EPC as the program’s central hub. Download the Case Study to learn more [5].

How AREVA Improved Project Certainty with EVM Standardization Initiative

In 2011, AREVA successfully implemented EcoSys EPC for controlling one of the company's largest engineering services projects. As a result, the US project management organization (PMO) selected EcoSys EPC as their enterprise standard for project controls and Earned Value Management. Download the Case Study to learn more [6].

Considering a move from your existing scheduling software? - Asta Powerproject

Asta saw a lot of interest from delegates at the Construction CPM event in San Diego reflecting the growing demand for Asta Powerproject [7] in the USA as an easy-to-use, cost-effective scheduling tool.

There was very positive reaction shown in particular to Asta Powerproject BIM [8] with strong feedback that this is a solution which is delivering what the market requires. Read more [9]...

Thats all from us.

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