Build a Better Schedule
July 30, 2010
Interoperability. This one word seems to be the root of many challenges in the construction industry today. However, consulting companies are coming up with solutions to help the industry share information.
For example, according to Accelerated PM, www.acceleratedpm.com, Sherman, Texas, a provider of project management consulting, training, and systems integration, the most common reason for importing project scheduling data is to update the status of current projects in a master schedule—and this could create challenges when a subcontractor without access to a system is trying to update the schedule.
The company’s experience shows these status updates are performed by a company or subcontractor without access to the user’s scheduling database, meaning scheduling software users are required to repeat project imports every reporting cycle. Since partner or subcontractor databases are maintained differently, this could create the potential for large amounts of unwanted data in the database.
In order to help, Accelerated PM has partnered with Mustang Technologies, www.mustangtechnologies.com, Green Bay, Wis., to create the XENA XER Import Utility to solve import problems. With the solution, project schedulers can import a revised XER file into Primavera P6 from Oracle, www.oracle.com, Redwood Shores, Calif., allowing for improved importing.
The solution is a standalone application, and the initial set up is only performed once. According to the company, this tool allows for faster data imports that will help management evaluate the status of the projects.
Interoperability is an ongoing issue in the construction industry. However, solutions providers are coming up with options to make the data transfer process a little bit easier for users.