Market leader scheduling and planning software

It was my daily driver for years and despite the steep learning curve, it was an extremely capable tool.

Pros

- has everything required for project scheduling using critical path method (WBS, activities, cost and resource loading) - Global change offers an unbelievably powerful solution to change thousands of activities on the fly. - Can handle very large schedules that include tens of thousands of activities at ease. - Works using databases rather than project files which makes it suitable for working on many projects and offers many types of databases (Oracle, SQL server, SQLite) - supports single or multiple users - now has the EPPM version which is cloud-based and has improved immensely over the years

Cons

- It shines for large and complex projects, for smaller and simpler schedules it tends to be more cumbersome. - It requires a very good understanding of how the software and CPM work when analysing results. Otherwise; mistakes can be done easily - While powerfull, the reporting feature of the Pro version (Standalone) looks antiquated in comparison to the EPPM cloud version. - The standalone version has not received any important feature updates for years. - Lacks the seamless integration with MS Office that MS Project has - Requires IT assistance to migrate the database from one computer to another

Primavera is a life saver

Overall I really love the software and the problems it solves. I am able to export to an excel file to analyze which makes things a lot easier for me. Then I can re-upload the excel file and it will adopt any changes I have made in the spreadsheet.

Pros

I love how easy is it to see linked attributes in the gantt chart. There is simple connecting and coloring that allows you to track exactly where you are on a program, project or task level. It is relatively easy to use. As long as you are familiar with Excel you should be able to use most of the basic features. The WBS structure is similar to other programs I've worked in and the ability to copy and past at different levels helps to speed up the setup of a project.

Cons

There are a ton of functionality with the software but I have found it difficult to get any instruction or help when I get into some of the more complex features. Googling is about your best bet when you have a questions about something. There have also been some issue when you switch between versions. New versions aren't able to connect to the older version's server and therefore do not have access to the other schedules.

Project Scheduling Software that works

No doubt, it's the best project scheduling tool that is available for construction industry till date. Overall I would prefer this software over any other similar software for its pros mentioned.

Pros

Oracle Primavera P6 is one of the best Project Scheduling tool that works on Critical path Method. I like the following features the most - Vast integration capability with Web, EPPM, Primavera Mobile and other oracle tools - Ability to generate large amount of data especially in the form of spreadsheet - Fully functional Earned Value Management

Cons

The software UI is old style and the options are not properly organised. There are some software bugs that are still persistent and oracle has been very slow in debugging them.

Powerful but not intuitive PM framework

Working as expected for experienced project managers. Poor interface for less experienced users.

Pros

Powerful platform with options for most of the PM areas of interest. I really liked the capabilities to manage resources and cost.

Cons

Not intuitive at all. The user interface may look complex and hard to use for not so experienced users. The data import feature is super confuse and had to be improved.

One of the best project scheduling software

Overall I am satisfied with the easy interface of the software. It is really a user friendly software.

Pros

You can easily link predecessors successors including the lag time as well. Scheduling and resource loading is very easy.

Cons

Sometimes when you refresh the software it automatically changes many dates even without a prior warning that you are making a mistake which is really annoying.

Precise calculations, great for complex scheduling of projects

I have been using Primavera for about 12 years now, and I've been training people how to use it, I've managed to train government engineers, construction contractors, engineering firms, and sponsors, it has been a great experience, the program is very precise when it comes to time, cost, resource, risk, and schedule calculations (CPM, PERT).

Pros

- Great for large scale projects - Detailed scheduling with time and cost breakdown - Perfect filtering features - High level resource management functionality - Expense distribution over activity duration

Cons

- Graphics are not very appealing - Jumping between tabs on the lower ribbons is very annoying compared to the tabs functionality available now on office software, and Autodesk products

Best project management in construction world

One of the required software in construction industry for early planning and monitoring the activities.

Pros

We can easily create activity with required input. We can easily monitor our progress and can make necessary decisions timely. We can forecast future delays and mitigate risks.

Cons

Premium for this software is considerably high. Some of the outputs from this software leads confusions and questioned on reliability

A One-Stop Shop in Project Management

As stated above, this tool is great as project management software. The time tracking capability was so easy to implement and met our companies needs, that we used it throughout.

Pros

The software seems straight forward and easy to use. Our company used it across our whole organization for time tracking, as that was such a useful feature. There are many more components that can be used in various project collaboration, as well as customizations to the software that can be made through coding.

Cons

As far as using it as a time entry tool, the interface does seem a little overdone, more like a glorified spreadsheet. I sometimes get the feeling "what's all this?" when I just want to enter time.

Primavera

Pros

It is an industry leading standard for CPM construction that does not materially change between updates.

Cons

It is not user friendly if you have not used similar CPM scheduling software before.

Primavera - an effective tool for project scheduling

An excellent tool for complex projects. Don't waste your time with other products like MS Project if you are serious about business

Pros

a very logical softare tol that can be used for complex projects. the structure of it is adaptable to projects large and small

Cons

To people who don't think logically or can't follow a detailed breakdown it can be hard to explain the impacts of changes to a project.

A must For Every Project Managers

I have used MS Project in my College days and we use to work on extracts of the Big Commercial and Private Project and it explained us the little and major differences between the MS Project and Primavera. Primavera is overall the best detailed software for Project Management Professionals out there.

Pros

The main thing WBS is seperated from the activties. You can add sub-activities and even the minor expenses like travelling and training costs. You can put in the percentage of completion in the sub-activities. Since it is EPPM software you can work on multiple projects. It's user defined controls and access makes it more easier to set roles and responsibilities to each and every OBS and activities and only allows multiple users to work at the set EPS & WBS level as per pemissions allowed. I was once working on a Villa project and we had the option to set more than one relationship between two activities. You can also create resources as per composition based on the Schedule of Rates(SOR) from whichever region you are working from. It makes it more easier to assign for a particular project. One another big benefit is that you can create 'n' number of Baselines as compared to other project management softwares. You can add risk and issues as well. Overall I feel Primavera P6 EPPM is a detailed project management software and you can work it at any verticals and horizontals.

Cons

What i don't like about this software is that it doesnt allow multiple entries on it's own based on the formulae set. Again you need to check out your project and schedule with correct date and time, well that is plus point definitely but in case you missed the proper date and time as per your working calender then it will affect the project at a minor level initially and major differences will be made if that remains ignored. Another drawback for it is that if you are working on a single project then it will require lot of detailing for WBS, OBS, EPS, Roles and responsibilities which can be unnecessary in some cases. You have to remember each and every detail wherever you are putting it.

Oracle Primavera has been a great tool to integrate different schedules.

Pros

Oracle Primavera provides the flexibility to integrate different schedules while maintaining each on as a stand-alone schedule when needed. The ability to create different layouts, filters and baselines is a great feature to satisfy different requirements from our stakeholders. We use Springboard platform to access the software through a web connection adding additional flexibility and real time access. We had use the software with a peak of seven planners including two CM companies in a Green Field project with great success. In addition, we are currently planning a shutdown and the ability to schedule using different calendars and resources has been very useful in identifying gaps and peaks in our plan. The option to have multiple baselines is also useful to compare current schedule through different phases of the project.

Cons

Resources/progress graph and histograms are not as good as I am used to get from other application like Excel. Data export is not always as expected and some data manipulation is required in the other application (like Excel) to get the appropriate formats.

Project Planning Sheduling & Monitoring with Primavera

Very like, my overall profession "planning engineer" fully based on this software. Now i am using since 3 years this Oracle Primavera Project Management Software for getting the most success in every project till the handover. Compatible with report generation. Esay for analyzing reviewing of project progress status. Can export to different files and easy sharing. Updated versions coming more features continuesly.

Pros

Complex, but it is full fix with more powerful tools which can help for more accurate project planning, scheduling and monitoring purposes.

Cons

Tools are little Complex - need more training and practice Undo feature is not enabled

Oracle Primavera

I would say that it is less challenging to use primavera than Microsoft project.

Pros

It is best project management software, planning, scheduling, resource managing, controlling can be done for any project . Eventhough it is a complex analysis and process, It is not much difficult to use. Some advance features like top-down scheduling, longest path critical activity definition , activity steps and etc are now available . VBA is not required to separate and material cost.

Cons

In my experience, It would be slightly difficult to adopt for beginner.

This is a review for P6: like democracy, it's not great, but it's the best we have

Anyone working in putting together a schedule, in particular intricate schedules such as those required in a construction project.

Pros

P6 is utilized industry wide in construction, so becoming familiar with it provides all the tools you need to generate and analyze schedules. It's very robust in the amount of things you can do with schedules. You can modify the relationships, type of activities, durations, calendar settings, views. Provides the ability to export data to excel, which is useful when analyzing schedule delays and performance.

Cons

It's not too user-friendly software. Since it operates as a database and does not work like Microsoft or Apple software (because it isn't) but it sort of looks like it, it's easy to believe it operates in the same way as software you are used to using, but it's fundamentally different. One example is how projects are "saved", which is not as straightforward as saving and/or copying files. There's more to it. P6 is rather rigid in that it's for the most part limited to Gantt charts. It has other views but they do't provide much value. One improvement the software could do would be to add flowline diagram features for producing and visualizing schedules.

Better thatn Scheduling

I use the P6 version of Primavera on a daily basis allowing me to maintain record of all milestones, resources and material needed on my projects. The many ways of reporting data, showing completed work, work in progress and progress completed it is very useful to keep track of the actual things happening at your project. Baselines are used to keep track of how a project has changed since day one, and re-baselining is so easy to do. The manpower can be entered and reported knowing how many employees are assigned to a specific line item.

Pros

powerful, multiple ES-FS, LS-ES, and many more ways of scheduling

Lots of Documentation

I liked it a lot more after I got access to their support portal and was able to actually get into their documentation and submit support tickets.

Pros

They are BIG and have been around for along time. This means there is a tremendous amount of support documentation they provide as well as user/administrator forums and notes.

Cons

Oracle products in general are a bit more expensive than other similar applications and their support is always extra.

Getting a job done in multiple sectors has never been this easy

It saves so much time from keying in entries and it is easy to teach older managers to use because of the ease of use. It just makes sense

Pros

This product allows me to work with people who work in different segmentation in our industry seamlessly on each and every project. It's so easy.. its a no brainer really. Approval processes are easy, everything is simple. If there is ever any kind of issue it has been resolved with in moments of reaching out to tech support. I also was able to teach myself this program which is always a bonus.

Cons

Exporting software to other platforms is hard. for our all employee meetings it is difficult to show some processes and such with ease. A mobile platform would also be beneficial to our company

Not an easy scheduling software for beginners, but excellent tool!

Pros

Most owners that my company works for require this type of scheduling, and for a basic schedule and a background in the program, it is easy to put one together. I went through a P6 training, and still have to refer back to my manual sometimes. Once you figure out how to manuever through, you can build great cost loaded, resource loaded schedules. Using these schedules for claims is beneficial as well when having to prove critical path activities.

Cons

I can always figure it out eventually, but some functions don't seem as user friendly. I went through a P6 training, and still have to refer back to my manual sometimes. I feel some type of training is required to build really good schedules rather than just being able to figure it out.

Comfortable to use and understand

I would highly recommend Oracle for anyone in the construction/blueprint reading/editing field!

Pros

I used Oracle software for 6+ years and I felt very comfortable with the software from the beginning. It wasn't hard to navigate and understand and made my everyday use of the program helpful and efficient.

Cons

I was not the purchaser of the product, however, I was told it was a bit expensive.

Great for large scale projects

I use it most for tracking the progress of over 500 road construction project. I find it great for reporting to the board. It's really easy to arrange data you want to see on your screen and report from that set of data.

Pros

Easy to learn and use. Great for reporting and managing big sets of data by all attributes.

Cons

Import and export functions is kind of basic, it would be more useful if there are greater options.

Great Product

We are a System Integrator and have implemented scalable project management solutions since 1993. Of all the applications available to support Project Portfolio Management, Oracle Primavera is the most robust and intuitive solution on the market. Our customers have raved about how Primavera helps them deliver their projects more effectively.

Pros

Flexible, Scalable, Intuitive and market tested.

Cons

To maximize the value, it's best you partner with a partner.

Great and easy product

Pros

It's a logical and accurate software that I use for scheduling construction projects. Keeps things organized and easy to update changes as they come up during a project lifecycle.

Cons

This product is pretty complex and takes a lot of getting used to. It's not very intuitive more user-friendly so you need to train yourself on the program before using.

P6 is a great product for schedule management

All in all, P6 is a great product to use for programs and projects.

Pros

P6 does a great job in managing schedule for large programs and projects. P6 gets very powerful as you cost load your schedules and use data to construct reports and dashboards.

Cons

P6 can get pretty complicated with their functionalities. P6 can use a better printable report for schedules.

Project Management has never been this easier...!!!

Primavera is been used in all the projects our company is involved in.

Pros

Primavera is the widely used modern world project management tool which is famous among Civil Engineers. The software allows to create planning, scheduling of all the different resource types such as materials, labour and whatever the scale of the project, it will create a comprehensive schedule to maximize the profits by minimizing overheads.

Cons

Primavera is a very sophisticated but complex software. If you are just starting your journey with the software mastering it will take some time. When I was new, it took me like 2 months to get familiar with the tools in my hand. But when you pass that frame of window, this is the only tool you ever need for project planning.

It worked for what we needed

We used Primavera primarily for Project Management. Submittals, Pay Apps, Transmittals. For the most part it was great. Especially once you got used to the system (It was not user friendly to all). The software was dependent on a particular version of IE and you could NEVER update your JAVA ever! Otherwise, it just wouldn't work. In the early years (before Oracle) the customer service was fantastic. However, since Oracle took over, the customer service has been terrible. We have since switched to a different software.

Pros

It managed documents very well. Once used to the system and formats it was easy to use. Early on customer support was amazing.

Cons

Current customer support by Oracle is terrible. EI and Java could never be updated otherwise the software would not function.

Oracle Primavera

Excellent tool. As a project scheduler I could not do my job without it. Although you could use other products, Primavera is the best.

Pros

The Best Project Scheduling tool on the market today. I have used it for 20 years.

Cons

It needs to be able to print a report that shows the Predecessors and Successors in a better format.

Comprehensive Software for Project Management

Oracle is used for project management where I am working. Software is helping to make lot of efficient decisions.

Pros

Oracle Primavera is the best software currently available for project management work in Civil Engineering Industry. Primavera is a very powerful tool to prepare project programs aligning labor and resources for a successful completion. Primavera helps to make effective decision making at the correct time to increase the efficiency of the project. Presentation of results are very clear and at a high quality level. System is based on a cloud so everybody can have the access and work for the greater good.

Cons

Software is complex for a beginner and it takes time to get familiar with the system. It is little difficult to what went wrong when you don't get the results you expected. I had to re do few programs from the beginning since I couldn't find what went wrong. Once an activity is changed, it cannot be simply undone.

Great scheduling program

Pros

Great scheduling software for construction Easy to work with Great reporting Able to integrate with other programs

Cons

Still windows based It was purchased by Oracle so the licensing costs have gone up Program has some weird quirks and requires fixes from time-to-time

P6 Review

Pros

It is driven by data, which is good as long as you feed it the correct information. It is pretty simple and easy to use.

Cons

There are not a lot of additional benefits. It would be nice if it had graphics, or other newer-age technology uses.

Very efficient construction project management software

I use it to manage construction projects and it’s very efficient in that. Actually we study primavera in engineering school as the very main software for construction management as it allows us to enlist all aspects of the project knowing that construction projects are very branched and require lots of details.

Pros

Well for starter it’s very easy to set up and takes no time and it’s not heavy on the processor of the computer. I don’t need to use any complementary software as it lets me include all aspects : resources, calender and business working days, managers and hierarchy .. etc.

Cons

Plain User interface like it has not been updated for ages yet I somehow like it because it adds simplicity to the work for you don’t need to get tangled with complicated layout when managing a project

P6 - Versatile and Useful

Pros

P6 is a powerful project management software that allows users to plan any size project. Because this software is cloud based, it allows users from all over to collaborate seamlessly. It makes project planning much simpler. From resource management, GANTT charts, activity tracking, it takes a lot of the work out of project tracking.

Cons

Sometimes P6 can be a little finicky to work with regarding Dates and activities. The only issue we have had is in regards to dates getting a little haywire from time to time. More often than not, it is user error with schedules, but it can be tricky to track down.

A must for complex projects

Excellent experience in managing complex projects with 10,000+ working activities

Pros

- schedule integration and maturity assessment functionalities - smooth interaction with other systems (SAP, PRISM, HEXAGON, etc.) - robustness in handling complex schedule

Cons

- better user friendly interface to be developed - introduce on the job support functionality - cluster functions into single modules easier to be run

Primavera P6

Program is getting easier to use with each new version.

Pros

I feel like this newer version of P6 Primavera might take the industry by hold. None of the scheduling software that is worth anything is intuitive. I am glad about very small updates in this, like the scrolling with a mouse, and speeding things up a bit for long and tedious projects.

Cons

Still clunky but gets the job done. All of the scheduling software I have used is clunky however. Microsoft Project is intuitive but not what we use for large projects at all.

Powerful, sometimes overwhelming

Pros

This is a very robust, very powerful software. Currently only really use it for tracking schedule and projecting cash flow, but it can do a lot more. Capable of doing very complex CPM with all the tools and needs to track impacts, logic, changes, resources, estimates, actuals and so forth.

Cons

Being powerful, it is a lot to learn to be proficient in the software. Not very intuitive and sometimes takes a lot of investigation to figure out why something isn't coming out they way you thought it would.

Dependable Planning and Scheduling

Very reliable and convenient to use specially the interfacing between Prism G2 and this software. In just one click of a button data are transferred instantly and assigned to the proper linked data in Prism. Schedule and progress between two software coincides with each other making it more better for Management to analyze schedule and cost result and can deliver good decisions to a project using this software.

Pros

User friendly scheduling and Planning tool, new cloud based data make it more easier to access remotely.

Cons

None, all functions works well for us for the project and from the company.

The most powerful Scheduling Software

Pros

There is almost no missing requirement/function in planning and scheduling already provided by P6. There is a variety of ability and functionality in P6, from the simple schedule to a very complicated delay analysis in construction or any other types of project. P6 can cover all the requirement of time management as one of the project management area of knowledge.

Cons

The feature of the software is not as beautiful as MS Project and learning the software needs a lot of effort and exercise.

Good Scheduling Software

Easy For Scheduling of Projects

Pros

Ease of Scheduling and resource management

Cons

I like very much because daily i'm using this software

Great for Project Management

Pros

I am a project manager for a large commercial construction company and use Primavera for my schedules. I switched from Microsoft Project doing my schedules and have not looked back. Primavera is much more intuitive and simply laid out than M-project. I did not like on Microsoft project that when I wanted to change it to a PDF none of the views looked good for the end-user. Primavera has a much better looking end-user version and easier to make one when you are done with the schedule. As far as making the schedule it is pretty easy to do with predecessors and the timeline. You can have it that you won't start framing until the slab is poured. That way when you go back and have to update the slab pour for earlier or later, then it will automatically update the rest of the schedule that is dependant on the slab. If you need to go back to Microsoft project you can easily convert the file into a project type file for use. I would definitely give Primavera a shot if you are a project manager and need scheduling software.

Cons

My only complaint is I wish there was more of a drag and drop type system versus of an excel type feel. This software is very similar to project and so if you know how to do project you will pick this up quickly. I just wish it wasn't so much feeling in cells though. Other than that it is easy to use and I recommend it.

Powerful project management software

Once you complete one project planning using this software, chance are you will prefer this software forever.

Pros

- very powerful and have different features, - it's oldest and well know in the industry - owned by one of giant company Oracle, so the product will continue, once you know how to your knowledge will not be obsolete.

Cons

- unlike other project management software it's not user friendly, so you have to learn the software probably it would take some time - expansive

Primavera made project management easier. Far Better than few other paid PM software.

Felt this is Much better software when I moved from MS project. Using wisely for my current project in Our building department in Sri Lanka.

Pros

It allows for combined working. Managing a large schedule plan by more people at a time. The professional package is actually free. Absolutely cheaper than few other PM software.

Cons

Doesn't have much shortcut access. And don't have custom search for activity in a particular period or particular cost etc.

Primavera P6 is the scheduling standard

Pros

The ability to build huge and complex schedules. P6 has been the construction scheduling standard for a while now. The ability handle the thousands of activities in a large project and adjust to the constant changes of the construction industry.

Cons

Primavera P6 is not an easy software package to learn and it is not very cheap. You get out what you put into the software and the skills it takes to learn it.

Using it as a database management system at work.

Database for work related items.

Pros

Tons of functionality. From an engineering point of view, the ability to customize the database system in identifying master items and its database points is ideal.

Cons

Interface is not too easy to identify and is slightly counter intuitive at times. Requires a user to perform additional steps that are sometimes unnecessary in carrying out functions.

Makes my life as a Project Manager easier!

My company was using excel sheets prior to buying Primavera. It took a long time for us to get used to it as it is very detailed. However, once we started using it, Project Planning became a must easier and visual process and calculating the lag time, the Critical Path, the milestones identification, all became much more easier and less error prone. Very happy with this product and the support that we have recieved.

Pros

Features of the product

Cons

Difficult to grasp the first couple of tries.

Powerful

Pros

This is the most detailed and power scheduling and management tool I have had the chance to use. Picked it up during my degree in Project Management and never stopped using it. Nothing i have seen tracks costs and schedule as well.

Cons

Take a bit of learning, as it has many many setting and is very detailed. If you don't need the level of detail is capable of you could get away with MS Project.

The Scheduler Hero

Pros

We use this program everyday, well some more than others but, all the extra add ins help with scheduling needs and requirements. The resource tab helps the most when identify bottlenecks in the project schedule. I am becoming a pro now

Cons

Some line items are not intuitive for editing and the print screen is hard to "fit to page" when needing to print for a meeting.

Tough learning curve

I had used a different software for most of my career. I needed to switch to P6 due to project requirements. I was able tp ick it up fairly quickly with some YouTube tutorials. I still have much to learn but I see the potential P6 has for these larger projects

Pros

I am able to easily update and track my projects.

Cons

the learning curve was a bit steep but nothing that YouTube won't fix.

The best schedule you need

I highly recommend it.

Pros

I used Primavera for so many years, it is a very strong scheduling software that has powerful functionality and allows you to generate sophisticated schedules.

Cons

The only problem is it takes time to get familiar with all its functions. If you used it to teach students it will take time for them to understand it comparing to MS projects.

Academic use

I have been satisfied overall

Pros

- Easy to use - Includes resources, cost, and risk

Cons

- Sometimes you would have to click on WBS and go back to Activities in order for it to allow you to add an activity (for add add activity not to be ghosted). Could be a glitch. - sometimes when adding WBS list, it does not show it in order you have listed it on the Activities

Oracle Review

Overall I think Oracle is a very beneficial software that can store important personal or company information in a secure environment.

Pros

What I like most about Oracle is that it is a very secure software that allows very sensitive information to remain protected.

Cons

It isn't as easy to reset your username and password as other sites, but that just secures the software more.