Dear Reader,

What a start to the year it has been for PPM. It must be said that although the general mood out

there is rather glum in Ireland and the UK, we still see opportunities for individuals and clients

alike to make money and profiteer from the current economic crisis.

At PPM, we are staunch supporters of BIM technology and we continue to deliver consistent re-

sults for our clients in terms of training, professional development and consistently winning work.

The competitive edge is alive and well thanks to the recession and we believe that this will make

better professionals out of us all. To have continued with the past boom, would have only led us

into a false sense of security and have been no advantage to us in terms of professional develop-

ment. We also feel that we have to hand it to the people who have taken up the challenge and gone

to or back to University to continue with their studies with a view to improving their education

and business skills. This is great for the construction industry in Ireland and the UK and can only

bode well for the image of the industry.

From

The Project Programme Management Ltd Team

Newsletter Title

May 2010

Summer Edition

Inside this issue:

Main Feature:

Planning Planet

Sub Feature:

Contractors : Win a Tender … In 2 days flat…

Training Updates

Competition

Contact Us:

Project Programme Management Ltd contact details

Page 2

Page 4

Page 5

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This professional resources website is a key player in the knowledge sharing of planners and schedulers throughout the

world. We have found that as part of our training strategy, we have to be more involved in the accreditation of planners

and schedulers. To date, no real attempt has been made by any organisation to develop an accreditation scheme and this

has now been left to PP.

Planning Planet Consul Ireland

As part of our committed drive for the accreditation of planners and schedulers in the world, we have become the Plan-

ning Planet Consul in Ireland. Planning Planet (www.planningplanet.com) has been in existence as a website for just

over 10 years now and in that time has become the largest global community for planning and project control profession-

als with over 31,000+ members.

Planning Planet is a brilliant website with members exchanging ideas, work practices and data from which user commu-

nities developed across all the main areas of planning and scheduling, including;

• Airports & Aviation Projects • Automotive Industry

• Bridge Building • Building Services / E&M

• Building Works • Civil Engineering

• Defence Sector • Demolition Works

• Design Related Planning • Fit - out & Finishes

• Forensic Claims Analysis • Healthcare Industry

• Heavy Civil’s • Heavy Engineering / Shipbuilding

• IT Engineering Projects • Mining Works

• Petro - Chemical / Oil & Gas • Pharmaceutical Projects

• Power Generation & Nuclear • Railway Construction

• Renewable Energy / Wind farms • Roads & Infrastructure

• Tunnelling Works • Water - Related Works

Planning Planet is run by professional planners and is an indispensable source of information and support resources for

its members during their working day. It’s mission is to promote the value of planning and controls in project delivery

teams to organisations across the globe while seeking to develop an interactive community for its members and the best

possible partner/supplier experience. Planning Planet is also committed to developing an accreditation programme for

professional planners supported by a competency and assessment process for its corporate clients. Planning Planet be-

lieve that the best planners should be recognised and rewarded. It must be noted that to date no formal qualification,

accreditation or assessment process exists and Planning Planet feel they are best placed, with the support of the plan-

ning community and corporate partners, to design and deliver a best of breed continued professional development pro-

gramme (CPD) across all industries.

These programmes will also be of immense value to many corporate clients that currently have no formal assessment,

quality controls or CPD pathways for their planning professionals. Planning Planet is also recognised as having the most

comprehensive knowledge base for planning professionals and aims to double its membership numbers and add addi-

tional communication, support and development opportunities for members to help cement their position as market lead-

ers.

Planning Planet is also expanding with future developments planned to engage directly with what is the largest user

group in the world in planning and scheduling.

We will be holding a Planning Planet consul event in Ireland in 2010. For further details on Planner and Scheduler ac-

creditation feel free to drop us a line : matthew.edwards@planningplanet.com

Planning Planet are introducing Corporate Subscribers.

What could becoming a Corporate Subscriber do for your company?

• Promote your Company and the experience it has in Planning and Project Controls.

• Encourage your team to utilise Planning Planet

• Improve efficiency, quality and motivation in your Project Control and Planning Team

• Become involved in the development of Project Controls and Planning Accreditation.

• Improve relationships with other Organisations globally who share your concerns and motivation.

• Advertise your skills, vacancies, environment to the Planning Planet community.

If you would like more information on becoming a Corporate Subscriber email

PPAdmin@planningplanet.com

.

Contractors : Win a Tender … In 2 days flat…

BIM is here to stay. BIM is slowly becoming child’s play and is going to be the next major learning activity for profes-

sional of all seasons within the Irish Construction Industry. When I first started out in 4d modelling 10 years ago, it

was a very expensive and laborious exercise that produced yet tangible results. It was for the professional consultancies.

We have to now realise that the dawn of 3d modelling can be made free to everyone including teenagers. This may

sound like complete nonsense, but the reality is, is that is wake up call to everyone to take on this technology and har-

ness it to its full potential.

Recently, we were asked to complete a 4d BIM tender for a major contractor (shall remain nameless!) for a multi million

euro commercial project. Challenging as it may seem, we new we could deliver this one as PPM loves a challenge!

So, you may ask where we started…

Day 1 : The hard bit - Firstly, we took the tender drawings (not to scale) and imported them into our 3d software to

create the model. This took about half an hour and we ended with a 2d floor plate of the project. We then went onto cre-

ate our 3d objects in line with the construction programme. (Note that the constructability factor is a major influence in

4d modelling). These 3d objects comprised of walls, columns, floors etc. As we constructed the 3d model we gave each

element a name such as 1st floor columns or piling group 3. We then coloured the model external elements such as clad-

ding and roofing and then compared the 3d model in line with the tender programme.

Day 2 : The easy bit - The tender programme undertaken in Asta Powerproject V11 was then imported into Synchro

and the 3d model was then imported into Synchro also. Once the model was imported then we interlinked the 3d objects

with the programme activities individually.

Typical Synchro BIM View for M&E plant installation

What we had then was an all singing and dancing tender 4d simulation that demonstrated the contractor’s intentions at

tender stage in terms of project delivery. We then created a 2 minute 4d video file from Synchro which was shown to the

client, much to his appreciation and the project was awarded. ( Note, most tenders at moment are being won on demon-

stration / presentation besides cost).

This is a story that will be repeated time and time again at tender stage as the economy picks up.—Matthew Edwards

Focus: Software

20% Discount on Version 11*

Asta Powerproject Version 11

*All the above information is taken from the Asta Powerproject Version 10 Brochure. A full copy of this brochure can be obtained from Project Programme

Management Ltd. 20% discount is only available on standalone license. *Offer valid until 30th June 2010.

Asta Powerproject is proven amongst all types of organisation in construction -

from clients and professional advisors to civil engineers, main contractors, trade

contractors and house builders.

It is ideal for managing both large and small projects.

Outstanding Presentation of Project Plans.

Customise all 4 sides of the page via a custom border, with your own logos and

References.

Highlight important information by adding annotations such as text, pictures, colour shading and Micro-

soft Windows objects (Excel spreadsheets, AutoCAD drawings etc.).

Gain total control over printouts: you define where you want the page to break; what you see on screen is

what is printed; and you can automatically scale your project to a single page.

Show only those parts of the plan that are relevant by turning different aspects of the bar chart on or off,

e.g. float, critical path, holidays, links etc.

Asta Powerproject also allows you to:

Create plans faster

Plan and manage repeated tasks

Schedule more precisely

Share project plans

Record and track costs

Manage labour, plant and materials

Accurately record and show progress

Monitor Actual v Planned progress

Powerful, tailored reporting

Who is it for?

Flexible, Cost-Effective Licensing.

As an alternative to standalone licences, concurrent licenses are available for use on a local area net-

work. Concurrent licenses significantly reduce the price per user, for

example, a 1 user concurrent license will typically be sufficient for up to 3 occasional

users.

Full training and technical support is available.

Project Programme Management Training

Project Programme Management Ltd is now providing a range of highly specialised training courses

focusing on every aspect of planning and scheduling from Building Information Modelling to software

proficiency.

We have 3 spaces remaining at the next Synchro BIM Course on the 28th May in Kilkenny.

Training Course Calendar

Due to demand for planning and scheduling training courses in the UK, PPM have a Forensic Delay Analysis

training course for planners and schedulers on the 7th and 8th of July 2010 at Asta Developments offices in Thame,

Oxfordshire. FDA techniques taught on the course include:

- Collapsed As-Built

- As-Planned Impacted

- As-Planned v As-Built

- Windows Analysis

- Time Impact Analysis

- BIM FDA Course Preview

The outcome of the course will allow the student to become aware and knowledgeable of the different type of FDA

techniques currently used on projects.

Kingston House

5 Goodsons Mews

Wellington Street

Thame

Oxfordshire, OX9 3BX

The cost of the course is £450 per delegate incl. course literature and food. The software used is Asta Powerproject

and places are limited to 8 delegates per day. This FDA course will be accredited by Planning Planet

(www.planningplanet.com) and will observed by a senior member of Planning Planet.

If you would like a booking form then please email: training@ppm5d.ie

Please note that PPM are running a number of training courses throughout the year in the UK and Ireland. All of

our courses can be found on www.ppm5d.ie/trainingcalendar.shtml

Project Programme Management Ltd is an authorised reseller of Asta Powerproject Products,

Nomitech CostOS, On Screen Take-Off and an authorised partner of Synchro. If you would like

further information on the software featured in this months Focus Section or on the services pro-

vided by Project Programme Management Ltd, you can contact us at:

Project Programme Management Ltd

Cappagh

Inistioge

Co. Kilkenny

E-mail: info@ppm5d.ie

www.ppm5d.ie

If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter or obtain past issues please e-mail us at info@ppm5d.ie

© 2010 Project Programme Management Ltd .

Enter our Grand Draw!

Due to the success of our new training courses we are celebrating by giving you the chance to win a

place on a course of your choice provided by Project Programme Management Ltd.

The draw will take place on the 1st July 2010 so don’t miss your chance to win.

To enter simply email your name, contact details and the answer to the following question:

What is the critical path of a programme?

A. The longest series of activities

B. The shortest series of activities

C. All the activities combined

Best of Luck!

Terms and conditions:

1. The closing date for competition entry is Wednesday, 30th June 2010.

2. Prize consists of 1 place on a training course of the winners choice provided by Project Programme Management Ltd

3. The winners will be notified by email or telephone.

4. All entrants must be 18 years or over.

5. Only one entry is allowed per unique email address. Multiple entries will not be accepted.

6. Incomplete, illegible or late entries will not be accepted. No responsibility will be accepted for entries lost or delayed in the course of transmission.

7. Employees of Project Programme Management Ltd and their families, and any third party included in this promotion are not eligible to enter this competi-

tion.

8. The prize is non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash or any other equivalent.

9. Project Programme Management Ltd reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of an equivalent or greater value to that specified, should any part of

the prize become unavailable.

10. The winning entry will be selected in a random draw. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence or communication will be entered into.

11. Winners must agree to participate in any promotional activities that may be organised by Project Programme Management Ltd in connection with the

competition.

12. Project Programme Management Ltd reserves the right in its absolute discretion to disqualify any entrant, to add to or waive any rules without prior notice

to the entrants or in the event of circumstance beyond the control of Project Programme Management Ltd arising which in its opinion makes it desirable to

cancel the competition at any stage.