ScheduleReader is a software application that lets you open, print, and export projects in .xer, .xml, or .xls file formats, without requiring Oracle Primavera P6. The application converts data from the above-mentioned formats and visually presents project schedules, project plans, and portfolios as well as Oracle P6. This option can help transfer project data between software, perform health check analysis, costs, and risk assessments, which reduces the risk of schedule overruns without deploying Primavera P6.
So, if you are in charge of delivering a project, program, or portfolio, then you must have a clear understanding of how expensive Oracle® Primavera P6 professional licenses can be, which can be quite a lot if you need multiple licenses, for your entire team.
This is where third-party tools for project professionals come into play and therefore using them can be beneficial as well.
ScheduleReader viewer features can be a true savior for many project teams to be able to evaluate the schedule quality, during both planning and scheduling. Assessment of schedule quality can be done collectively by multiple project participants at the same time. The tool is built to help manage and report complex projects instantly, among all parties involved without p6 licenses. ScheduleReader uses the standard Primavera P6 interface which is a great feature that enables organizations to implement easily. This allows project managers to get comfortable with the app and start using it right away, without a lot of practice. It is an ideal solution for single-project users as well as companies that need to manage multiple projects and sign tasks effectively.
Because different project participants use ScheduleReader, along with their different responsibilities there is an option to match different users with their roles by creating custom plans and tailoring templates for each level of proficiency.
Every ScheduleReader user can customize dashboards to create an individualized and
focused view of the specific project categories (activities, resources, roles, assignments, etc.)
that are most relevant to their role in the process of managing projects and resources.
Viewing Project Information
We have all been frustrated when the .xer file on our computer is taking too long to open or freezes for a few seconds every time we try to export it from a database. On the contrary, Schedule Reader has larger processing power - as a matter of fact no other tool runs .xer file extensions faster than this reader. The application is not connected to any database directly and that is the reason it runs files so smoothly in a matter of seconds.
Once the project schedule is open in your environment, you can preview your project data, through the following views (Activity, WBS view, Project, Assignments View, Linear scheduling, OBS, etc.) The key feature is called Auto Filter. The responsibility of this feature is to transform column headers into dropdown lists so you can structure data along with your project goals.
Making decisions about project processes in Schedule Reader saves time and
money. Since the reader works and feels excel-like Primavera P6 you will have a clear understanding of how data sorting and filtering works in your preview.
As you already know there are multiple ways to communicate and analyze project schedules. Customizing Gantt Chart forward or backward in time is one of the best ways to show how project resources are scheduled on a specific day. On a Gantt chart, you can easily see
start and due dates of a project, how tasks are grouped, and how long the will task to be completed - which represents task duration.
ScheduleReader allows you to dive deep into the schedule and determine if the plan is realistic and executable. “Trace Logic” view enables you to visually represent predecessor/successor relationships that occurred at a specific time. You might “trace'' fundamental elements forward and backward and discover inspect activities that were delayed somewhere in the past. Trace Logic features will better help you to track critical activities, critical relationships, and tasks that somehow can violate the rest of the schedule. As your project grows, some of the activities that are not completed or simply labeled as not started need to be organized differently to gain enough insight or organize according to the original duration.
There are several key features that ScheduleReader contains that make it more than just a simple XER viewer. One of these facilitates project management is the ability to compare up to four updated versions of a project file at a time. This allows you to have a clear visual comparison of the activity’s updates from the previous version and helps you better understand and diagnose issues associated with schedule delays.
One of the pillars of ScheduleReader is the Progress Update Feature. Throughout the project lifecycle, project managers, shareholders can submit a series of reports status to the project scheduler depending on the activities that they are tracking. Afterward, the project scheduler can decide whether to accept newly created parameters in the project schedule and import them in P6.
In addition to the standard reports, the Pro version of ScheduleReader enables you to create custom reports and dashboards so you can visualize and communicate correct information even easier. ScheduleReader offers two types of reports:
· Predefined Reports & Dashboards (DCMA 14 Schedule Analysis and Project Schedule Analysis report) and
· Custom Graphical Reports
The work breakdown structure chart displays project details and status.
Final Words
Schedule Reader is a third-party desktop-based solution for managing projects of any size, or complexity to match each team member’s needs and responsibilities. It is the most powerful and easy-to-use viewer for your entire project team. Instead of sharing project information through .pdf files, users can access their project information quickly and easily and make timely decisions.
By providing an accurate overview of the critical path, project controls and managers can be confident that their project is aligned with company goals. Schedule Reader presents project information timely and accurately, over the life of the project. All project managers can routinely perform assessments and see whether company resources are being used rationally to maximize the likelihood of on-time project performance.
ScheduleReader is an incredibly useful tool for team collaboration. Project data from Primavera p6 can be reviewed in two versions: Standard and PRO. There are some privilege features in the PRO version such as Graphical Reports, Linear Scheduling view, and costs a bit more. You can learn more about ScheduleReader on their website here.