A Comparative Analysis of Primavera P6 and Industry Alternatives for Construction Management and Scheduling

Fazil T. Najafi; Rajarajan Subramanian; Sofia M Vidalis; Ashish Sunny Abraham

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference
Location: Mississippi State University, Mississippi
Publication Date: March 9, 2025
Start Date: March 9, 2025
End Date: March 11, 2025
Conference Session: Professional Papers
Tagged Topic: Professional Papers
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--54134
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/54134
Download Count: 18

Paper Authors

biography

Fazil T. Najafi University of Florida

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For more than 40 years, Dr. Najafi has worked in government, industry, and education. He earned a BSCE 1963 from the American College of Engineering, University of Kabul, Afghanistan. In 1966, Dr. Najafi earned a Fulbright scholarship and did his B.S., MS, and Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia; his experience in industry and government includes work as a Highway Engineer, Construction Engineer, Structural, Mechanical, and Consultant Engineer. Dr. Najafi taught at Villanova University, Pennsylvania, and was a visiting professor at George Mason University and a professor at the University of Florida, Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. He has received numerous awards, such as Fulbright scholarship, teaching awards, best paper awards, community service awards, and admission as an Eminent Engineer into Tau Beta Pi. The Florida Legislature adopted his research on passive radon-resistant new residential building construction in the HB1647 building code of Florida. Najafi is a member of numerous professional societies and has served on many committees and programs; and continuously attends and presents refereed papers at international, national, and local professional meetings and conferences. Lastly, Najafi attends courses, seminars, and workshops and has developed courses, videos, and software packages during his career. Najafi has more than 300 refereed articles. His areas of specialization include transportation planning and management, legal aspects, construction contract administration, public works, and Renewable Energy.

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Rajarajan Subramanian Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg, The Capital College

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Rajarajan Subramanian currently holds the position of Associate Teaching Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction (SDCET) programs at Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg. He has 25 years of experience in academia, in teaching roles, including 10 years at Annamalai University in India and three years at Linton Institute of Technology in Malaysia. He also has 10 years of professional engineering experience. Prior to joining Pennsylvania State University, he worked as a Transportation Engineer at the Maryland State Highway Administration.

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Sofia M Vidalis Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg, The Capital College

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Sofia M. Vidalis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Technology at Penn State Harrisburg. She received her Ph.D., Masters, and Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from the University of FL. Her background is in construction management, transportation planning, and operations. She has had industry experience as a Transportation Engineer at Florida Design Consultants and as a consultant for Applied Research Associates.

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Ashish Sunny Abraham

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Abstract

Construction project management has become more complicated because of changing customer demands, unforeseen circumstances, and the inherent uncertainty of project completion. In addition to the copious amounts of paperwork associated with scheduling and planning, these difficulties have made software solutions necessary to optimize the process. The industry offers many tools to help with project management, planning, scheduling, and control, all of which strive to simplify the otherwise tricky and labor-intensive duties.

Compared to other top industry solutions, Primavera P6, one of the most well-known software programs for scheduling and construction management, is compared in this study. This study assesses Primavera P6's scalability, adaptability, and efficiency in managing intricate construction projects. Essential features, including resource allocation, project scheduling, cost control, and risk management, are analyzed, contrasting Primavera P6 with related tools and Microsoft Project substitutes.

A multi-criteria evaluation framework will be employed to compare the mentioned software. The primary functions of each program will first be evaluated according to how well they can do standard project management tasks, including resource leveling, Gantt charts, critical path analysis, and baseline development. The assessment of performance criteria, such as user interface flexibility, speed, and simplicity of use, will be conducted utilizing case studies derived from actual projects. To measure learning curves, implementation obstacles, and user satisfaction, both seasoned users and recent adopters will provide quantitative and qualitative data. Each software's scalability to various project scales and ability to interact with other enterprise solutions (such as ERP systems and financial software) will also be evaluated. We'll pay close attention to the price of implementation, software upgrades, and the ongoing upkeep that each instrument needs. These components are critical in construction because project budgets and schedules are frequently limited.

The analysis is particularly pertinent to construction education since it offers insightful information about the software's potential for professional and instructional development. This paper discusses Primavera P6's usefulness for future professionals in construction and project management courses by outlining how it helps more structured and effective project management procedures.

The conclusions seek to add to the body of knowledge by summarizing the main advantages and drawbacks of Primavera P6 compared to alternative options. In the end, optimal practices for incorporating software into practice and instruction in construction management are informed by this work.

This study is still under development; to guarantee thorough and current results, research and software trials will continue.

Citation
Format

Najafi, F. T., & Subramanian, R., & Vidalis, S. M., & Abraham, A. S. (2025, March), A Comparative Analysis of Primavera P6 and Industry Alternatives for Construction Management and Scheduling Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi. 10.18260/1-2--54134

TY - CPAPER
AB - Construction project management has become more complicated because of changing customer demands, unforeseen circumstances, and the inherent uncertainty of project completion. In addition to the copious amounts of paperwork associated with scheduling and planning, these difficulties have made software solutions necessary to optimize the process. The industry offers many tools to help with project management, planning, scheduling, and control, all of which strive to simplify the otherwise tricky and labor-intensive duties.

Compared to other top industry solutions, Primavera P6, one of the most well-known software programs for scheduling and construction management, is compared in this study. This study assesses Primavera P6&#39;s scalability, adaptability, and efficiency in managing intricate construction projects. Essential features, including resource allocation, project scheduling, cost control, and risk management, are analyzed, contrasting Primavera P6 with related tools and Microsoft Project substitutes.

A multi-criteria evaluation framework will be employed to compare the mentioned software. The primary functions of each program will first be evaluated according to how well they can do standard project management tasks, including resource leveling, Gantt charts, critical path analysis, and baseline development. The assessment of performance criteria, such as user interface flexibility, speed, and simplicity of use, will be conducted utilizing case studies derived from actual projects. To measure learning curves, implementation obstacles, and user satisfaction, both seasoned users and recent adopters will provide quantitative and qualitative data. Each software&#39;s scalability to various project scales and ability to interact with other enterprise solutions (such as ERP systems and financial software) will also be evaluated. We&#39;ll pay close attention to the price of implementation, software upgrades, and the ongoing upkeep that each instrument needs. These components are critical in construction because project budgets and schedules are frequently limited.

The analysis is particularly pertinent to construction education since it offers insightful information about the software&#39;s potential for professional and instructional development. This paper discusses Primavera P6&#39;s usefulness for future professionals in construction and project management courses by outlining how it helps more structured and effective project management procedures.

The conclusions seek to add to the body of knowledge by summarizing the main advantages and drawbacks of Primavera P6 compared to alternative options. In the end, optimal practices for incorporating software into practice and instruction in construction management are informed by this work.

This study is still under development; to guarantee thorough and current results, research and software trials will continue.

AU - Fazil T. Najafi
AU - Rajarajan Subramanian
AU - Sofia M Vidalis
AU - Ashish Sunny Abraham
CY - Mississippi State University, Mississippi
DA - 2025/03/09
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - A Comparative Analysis of Primavera P6 and Industry Alternatives for Construction Management and Scheduling
UR - https://peer.asee.org/54134
DO - 10.18260/1-2--54134
ER -