The Problem: The Limitations of P6 in Modern Construction
Traditional tools like P6 often create a "scheduling vacuum" where only a few specialists can operate the software. This leaves field teams, owners, and subcontractors dependent on static PDFs that are often outdated the moment they are printed.
- Prohibitive Learning Curves: Training new team members on P6 requires extensive time and effort. Harley Paugh, Owner of LINC Professional, notes: "A lot of people don’t know how to use P6. It’s complicated… and most of the time they resort back to something just as simple as an Excel spreadsheet."
- Visual Clutter and Complexity: Experienced industry veterans often find P6's Gantt-chart format difficult to use for collaborative planning. Roger Giles, Senior Project Manager at CEC, observes: "You can see the sequence of work on a Gantt chart with relationship lines, but it’s often cluttered and hard to make sense of, especially with complicated networks."
- Siloed Expertise: Because P6 requires specialized training, scheduling becomes a backend function. Chris Wadsworth of Cal Wadsworth Construction explains: "We wanted everyone, project managers and superintendents included, to understand scheduling... But the software made that almost impossible."
The Solution: Collaborative, Visual Scheduling with Planera
Planera offers a whiteboard-style "Canvas" that allows teams to visually map sequences and dependencies in real time, mirroring the natural way construction professionals think and plan.
1. Rapid Adoption and Onboarding
While P6 requires weeks of training, Planera users report becoming proficient in hours.
- "The learning curve for someone with scheduling experience is really quick, far faster than P6. I can log in, do my update in 5 or 10 minutes, and move on." — Mitch Deusenbery, Senior Project Manager, Big-D Construction
- "I can sit there in a room with a group of experienced, like-minded, smart people and put together a schedule that makes sense to all of them in about a quarter of the time it would have taken me with P6." — Roger Giles, Sr. Project Manager, CEC
- "The visual interface... made it possible to get people on board in an hour [compared to P6]." — Joshua Scherr, Project Delivery Lead, Charcoal Blue
2. Democratizing the Schedule
Planera removes technical barriers, allowing superintendents, subcontractors, and even creative consultants to participate directly in the planning process.
- "By democratizing scheduling this way, Planera has helped us to make our schedules more accurate and more efficient." — Troy S. Thompson, COO, Big-D Construction
- "It puts scheduling back in the hands of the guys that are actually building the work. You don’t need a master’s in P6 to use it." — Todd Von Krosigk, Senior Superintendent, HITT Contracting
- "In Planera, it’s so easy for anyone to be able to put their thoughts on the screen, link them together and put a sequence to it." — Dan Ngo, Vice President, Silverado Contractors
The Impact: Quantifiable Results and Risk Mitigation
Companies moving from P6 to Planera are seeing immediate improvements in profitability and claim avoidance.
- Significant ROI and Efficiency: Big-D Construction forecasts an ROI of over $1.5M in the first year alone and aims to significantly reduce the $5M annually lost to general condition inefficiencies.
- Avoiding Liquidated Damages: HITT Contracting used Planera’s "schedule fragnet" feature to document a design delay, successfully justifying a schedule extension and avoiding multi-million dollar penalties. Bryce Buckingham, HITT Project Leader, states: "This feature helped us identify the real impact of the delay and justify a push to the end date, thereby exonerating HITT from liquidated damages."
- Faster Baselines: Cal Wadsworth Construction moved from siloed P6 expertise to a team-wide skill where a logical critical path schedule can be built in 20 minutes.
- Seamless Contractual Compliance: For firms that must still provide P6 files for contractual requirements, Planera allows teams to work in a user-friendly environment and then export to XER format for the owner.
Conclusion: A Live Roadmap for Success
The shift from P6 to Planera is about moving toward transparency and team alignment. As Nolan Downing, Project Manager at Castle Rock, summarizes: "It’s just a better way to look at a schedule. Planera makes it easier to understand what’s going on—especially if you’re not used to reading master schedules." By bridging the gap between the office and the field, Planera ensures that every stakeholder is working from a single source of truth.
