Commercial Electric company schedule

[Jeffrey Penny]

Hello All,

I normally don’t write questions in forums, but after trying to find some context with the search feature, I thought maybe I would give it a try.

I am a manger of a mid-size electric company in upstate New York. Its a family company and we have been growing steadily. We are probably past the point of implementing something like this, but its never too late to start, amiright?

So here’s the elevator pitch.

I know there are many scheduling programs for construction, but the reason I chose MSP is because of the fixed work feature that would alter the duration based upon resources.

I have a basic working knowledge of how this program works, but as you all know, this is a very powerful program.

We have app 20 projects going at anytime, with a labor force that hovers around 50.

I am trying to determine if I should use a master project with sub project linked in, or a bunch of independent projects all sharing a resource pool.

I am also looking to learn as much as possible about the team planner view.

I’m open to any advice.

I’d also be open to a consultation if anyone knows the best way to go about it.

Thanks for your time

[Larry Christofaro]

Hi Jeffrey. Your questions are pretty broad but I’ll give you a quick answer. If your projects are not interconnected (relatively speaking), then I would prefer independent projects with a shared resource pool. The number of projects and resources are pretty high (doable but high) for a master project without a defined need requiring a master project. That said, there are a few caveats with using a shared resource pool, the biggest is to keep them in a single folder, and do not copy, save as, or move them. Otherwise you’ll have to reconnect the resource pool. There are several recorded webinars that can provide good how tos and best practices for doing what you are planning. I suggest doing your share of research and recordings before you begin. Another option which is more work and money to setup but will provide a lot of simplicity long term is to use Project Online. Just a thought…
BTW, I grew up near Elmira, NY…:-)

[Jigs Gaton]

Hi Jeffrey, I agree 100% with Larry above, and only wanted to add that I grew up in Poughkeepsie but now train project managers in South Asia. Also, in addition to Project Online, you should check out http://www.projectplan365.com as that also works well for construction companies (you can view/edit/update .mpp files on the job site using a phone or tablet). Let me know if you need any help with that 🙂
Cheers,
Jigs

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