PC Based PM Software and Planning & Scheduling

Dear Shane,

You posted the same question on Linkedin, and I answered it. Here you will have more traffic. Good luck.


With kind regards,

Samer

The process was synthesized and corrupted by those who knew how to use computers but never learned how to build.

Today, it was never understood that you need to learn how to build first in order to create a meaningful schedule.

So from A0s transparent papers, colorfull schedules are now contained in A3s and A4s.

For the Old Builders, please educate the young ones!

Dear Anoon,

I think that you have touch a good point. Learning of Scheduling should not stop at Level 1 and 2, they should keep on going up to level 10 until you get the right feel for scheduling. Because Learning never stops and these programs keeps on getting bigger and bigger.

Besides this is a good opportunity for the tool makers to make more money in training.

With kind regards,

Samer

Dear Samer, Before (from my observation), Engineers or Builders puts what’s in their mind directly on paper. Now, without learning how to use the latest softwares/computers, these old Engineers/Builders are supposed to rely on the young ones that are computer addicts but never seen a gravel or doesn’t know that water and cement are ratiod or calculated as well. So the process goes from the old minds to the young minds, which goes into the computers. And this is corrupted. For me, there is a big gap in between. Only those old minds that continues to learn (computers) can catch up with the current trend. Best regards

Dear Anoon,

I agree with you fully. Each one has a different task to do. With the years of experience, you are supposed to become a manager; idenitfy the people who really want to work on scheduling, giving them the right tools and guidence and telling them excel at it. You need to keep up with the latest information as well.

So you can become a senior scheduler who knows every button in the software and what is the difference between each version of the softwares. Usually, at this level, you will be a system administrator who is managing few others 2-30 planners.

So either you become a manager if you don’t want to learn the details of the new revisions or a senior scheduler and you become an expert in the tool and dominate by updating your knowledge in each feature. You become creative in solving new problems.

With kind regards,


Samer

I think it is a chicken and egg story. It’s either you learn the trade first, then learn the software. Or learn the software first then learn the trade in order to be a fully qualified planner. Both take time

I think the current trend is shifting to the latter. Honestly I know project manager with 20 yrs of experience who pump money into learning basic and advanced primavera course but in the end, he still cannot do it well.

The reason why many feel that the system is "corrupted" is because the usage of primavera is getting more and more popular and become a contractual obligation. Thus there is an ever increasing demand for primavera user. That is when market arises and young blood are drawn into the market.

Perhaps in many years to come, using it will become a norm just like other software like excel and words. And the "corrupted" system will soon extinguish.

Lucas,

It must be the trade first ( you can never reverse it). The software cannot plan by itself, it is just a tool.


Best regards