Role of Planning and Scheduling Tools in Improving Construction Project Performance

Authors:

Vishvam U. Purani

Student, Department of Civil Engineering, U. V. Patel College of Engineering,

Ganpat University, Kherva, Mehsana

Darshan Shah

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, U. V. Patel College of Engineering, Ganpat University Kherva, Mehsana

Jayraj Solanki

Head PG & Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, U. V. Patel College

of Engineering, Ganpat University Kherva, Mehsana

Jagdish Khatik

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, U. V. Patel College of Engineering, Ganpat University Kherva, Mehsana

June 2025

ABSTRACT

Construction and infrastructure projects are consistently plagued by cost overruns and schedule delays, with average budget exceedances of approximately 30% reported in the absence of structured project management tools. This paper investigates the comparative effectiveness of two dominant project management software platforms — Oracle Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project — in improving construction project performance across five dimensions: time management, cost management, resource management, reporting and monitoring, and ease of use. A dual-methodology approach was adopted: a systematic review of nineteen peer-reviewed studies published between 2013 and 2025 was carried out, supplemented by an analysis of six documented real-world project implementations and a structured survey administered to eighty construction industry professionals across Gujarat, India. It was found that Primavera P6 demonstrates decisive advantages in time management (3.96 versus 3.11), resource management (4.00 versus 2.87), and cost management (4.01 versus 2.38) on a five-point Likert scale, while Microsoft Project was found to outperform in user-friendliness (3.90 versus 2.33) and cost-effectiveness ratio (2.88 versus 1.63). Survey findings revealed that resource allocation was perceived as the most valued software benefit (mean = 3.40), whereas Earned Value Management recorded the lowest mean (2.65), confirming its status as the most critically underutilised feature in the Indian construction sector. A context-calibrated software selection framework was developed, recommending Primavera P6 for projects exceeding ₹50 crore and 18 months' duration, and Microsoft Project for smaller, budget-sensitive projects. The study concludes that while software adoption is near-universal among project managers, the performance benefits of such tools are contingent upon the depth of feature utilisation, organisational readiness, and trained human capital.

Keywords: Oracle Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Construction Project Management, Schedule Management, Cost Overrun, Earned Value Management, Resource Levelling, Indian Construction Sector