CM PRO / P6 XER, dynamic CPM and EVM project planning software
Planning & Scheduling
Connect P6 XER schedules and WBS/floors with dynamic CPM, direct or Excel progress updates, recovery plans and standalone EVM reporting with separate physical and financial forecasts.
7-day trial · no setup fee · your own company workspace
One programme. Two ways to update. Two clearly separated completion forecasts.
A master programme should remain connected to site reality. CM PRO brings P6 XER activities, WBS/floor paths and real logic links into a workspace where the planner and site team can review the same progress records.
Update one or two activities directly, or upload reviewed Excel progress for a larger work front. Dynamic CPM, status filters, recovery monitoring and standalone EVM/KPI reports help teams distinguish the physical schedule position from manually entered financial earned progress.
Inside the module
Features in detail
01
P6 XER and WBS/floors
Import activity dates, work-breakdown paths and real FS/SS/FF/SF predecessor/successor links with lag days. Select the intended project when an XER contains several programmes.
02
Dynamic CPM Gantt
Review early/late dates, float and critical activities from the full network. Actual starts and finishes affect the forecast; filtering never recalculates a smaller network.
03
Clickable activity filters
Find completed, overdue, pending or in-progress work quickly. Gantt adds normal and critical filters; the task planner groups activities by WBS/floor.
04
Direct activity updates
Use the pencil for small changes to actual start, actual finish, status and remarks. Progress is shared with calendar, Gantt, recovery monitoring and reports.
05
Excel progress roundtrip
Download, sort or filter a schedule workbook, update progress and upload it through Master Calendar. Review matched changes and validation errors before saving, preserving baseline dates and logic links.
06
Recovery plans
Focus on one week, two weeks or one month. Review selected activities, monitor the configured end condition and return to the master schedule when the plan ends.
07
Standalone EVM & KPI reporting
Enter total budget, work done and actual cost manually, independently of QS and Accounts. Review PV, EV, SV, CV, SPI, CPI, EAC, ETC, VAC and TCPI with planned/actual dates and printable formulas.
08
Physical and financial forecasts
See the full-network CPM completion forecast separately from a financial-progress extrapolation based on manual earned value. Monetary inputs never determine the physical date.
Who it serves
Specialist workflows. Wider business value.
Planning engineers, site engineers, project managers, PMOs and teams tracking multiple delivery programmes.
Information in
P6 XER, Excel or CSV schedule
WBS/floor paths and FS/SS/FF/SF relationships
Actual starts, finishes and progress remarks
Manual total budget, work done and actual cost
Reporting date and recovery window
Operational output
Filterable CPM Gantt and master calendar
WBS/floor-grouped task planner
Reviewed Excel progress updates
One-week, two-week and monthly recovery plans
EVM/KPI print reports with formulas
Separate physical and financial completion forecasts
The working sequence
From first entry to management review
STEP 01
Import the programme with its structure
Select the correct project from a P6 XER file and review activities, planned dates, WBS/floor paths and predecessor/successor relationships before saving. FS, SS, FF and SF links and lag days support the network calculation. Keep the approved baseline under planner control.
Select the correct project from a P6 XER file and review activities, planned dates, WBS/floor paths and predecessor/successor relationships before saving. FS, SS, FF and SF links and lag days support the network calculation. Keep the approved baseline under planner control.
For small updates, filter the Master Task Planner by completed, overdue, pending or in-progress status, group by WBS/floor and open the activity pencil. Record actual start, actual finish and remarks. For larger updates, download the schedule Excel, edit progress and upload through Master Calendar. Review changes and errors before applying; baseline dates, WBS and logic links are not edited by progress uploads.
The Gantt calculates CPM across the full activity network before applying normal, critical or status filters. Actual progress anchors the forecast and the reporting date limits unstarted work. Examine driving activities and float after progress updates rather than treating an early start as proof that the project will finish earlier.
Enter BAC, work done and actual cost manually in EVM & KPI Report; no QS or Accounts purchase is required. Select the as-on date, review planned and actual project dates, the physical CPM forecast and the separate financial-progress forecast. Print the KPIs together with their formulas and calculation assumptions.
Choose one week, two weeks or one month, review the activities selected and confirm resources and access. Monitor the active plan until its configured duration or completion condition ends; the dashboard then returns to the master schedule.
Professional practice
The detail behind the workflow
01
P6 import without flattening the work breakdown
An imported programme is more useful when a supervisor can find the floor and work front, not just a long activity list. WBS/floor grouping preserves the imported hierarchy for review, while real relationship types and lag days connect the activities. Multi-project files still require a deliberate project selection. CM PRO supports operational schedule tracking, not every specialist P6 calendar, resource-levelling or contractual delay-analysis function.
02
Baseline-safe progress from the site
Direct task updates and reviewed Excel uploads write the same activity progress used by the planner, calendar, Gantt, recovery monitoring and EVM report. Keep activity identifiers intact and upload against the intended project. Sorting and filtering the downloaded workbook are supported; preview the resulting matches and edits before saving. Progress updates preserve planned dates, WBS and P6 links. Conflicting edits require refreshing rather than silently overwriting a colleague's update.
03
Critical paths and filterable work fronts
Normal, critical, completed, overdue, pending and in-progress filters make the schedule easier to investigate. Filters only change the visible rows; they never remove activities from the underlying CPM calculation. The dynamic network uses actual dates, planned durations, links and the reporting date. It does not currently accept measured remaining-duration percentages or reproduce all Primavera scheduling modes. Review sequencing, missing actuals and unrealistic durations with the planning engineer.
04
Standalone EVM with transparent formulas
Planning can be purchased without QS or Accounts. BAC, work done and AC are manual entries; PV follows scheduled task-days. The report includes EV, SV, CV, SPI, CPI, EAC, ETC, VAC and TCPI, plus planned/actual dates and day variances. Blank work done can use completed activity-days for the EVM earned fraction, but the financial forecast specifically requires manual earned progress. All formulas and zero-input fallbacks are printed so a reviewer can understand the basis.
05
Two forecasts answer different questions
The Physical Schedule Forecast is the latest finish in the full CPM activity network and never uses monetary inputs. The Financial Progress Forecast extrapolates planned project duration using manual earned progress against scheduled planned progress; it is not based on cash spent alone. An Excel activity update may change the physical forecast while financial inputs remain unchanged. Neither date guarantees handover: activity logic, reporting completeness and assumptions require review.
06
Recovery planning is a management commitment
One-week, two-week and monthly plans focus the team's attention without replacing the approved master baseline. Check labour, materials, inspection hold points, access and subcontractor commitments before adopting a recovery window. A monitored plan does not authorise acceleration, establish entitlement or decide an extension of time.
CPM uses planned durations and actual dates, not measured remaining-duration percentages. Review imported logic and forecasts; retain specialist P6 and contractual analysis where required.
Getting started
A practical implementation, not a long setup project
Agree the starting records
Create the company workspace, select the modules the team needs and review who is responsible for each record. Begin with one operating project or location and a small set of checked inputs. Keep existing source documents available during the transition so reviewers can compare the first entries with their original evidence. A trial is an opportunity to evaluate fit, not a reason to abandon established approval procedures immediately.
Review one complete cycle
Take a representative record through the available workflow from input to output. Ask the person who enters the information and the person who reviews it to check the result together. Confirm dates, units, references and reporting periods before adding larger volumes. Where another module is needed for a connected operation, enable it deliberately. Access remains controlled by company, role and module; public free tools do not expose enterprise records.
Establish the review rhythm
Decide when records are entered, how exceptions are handled and when managers review the operating position. Keep ownership clear rather than assuming everyone will update everything. Use the shared reports as a starting point for discussion and reconcile them with the business's source evidence. Add further modules as the workflow grows. Export and document requirements should be checked with the receiving team; software output still needs authorised review before external issue.
Before vs after
What changes on day one
Before: spreadsheets & WhatsApp
After: CM PRO
Programme and site tracker drift apart
Shared activity progress across planner, calendar and report
Two small updates need a spreadsheet
Direct activity pencil with date validation
Large updates retyped activity by activity
Reviewed Excel progress upload
One forecast with an unclear basis
Separate physical CPM and financial-progress dates
EVM depends on other paid modules
Manual financial inputs within Planning
By role
Who uses it every day
01
Planning Engineer
Reviews imported logic, critical paths, progress and reporting assumptions.
02
Site Engineer
Finds the work front by WBS/floor and updates actual dates directly.
03
Project Manager
Compares physical and financial forecasts and monitors recovery commitments.
04
PMO / Client
Reviews a consistent KPI report with calculation formulas and day variances.
Economics
Priced to be economical, not to lock you in
No setup fee
Many construction ERPs charge one-time implementation fees before you enter a single record. CM PRO has none.
Pay per module
Start with the module you need. Add more as the company grows.
Free tools for everyone
35+ calculators, site formats, Rate Analysis Pro, Contract Specialist Pro and Smart Floor Planner Pro stay free.
No. Plan directly or import a programme. P6 XER import retains activity structure and links; advanced P6 analysis and contractual review remain separate professional tasks.
Can I update progress without Excel?
Yes. Filter the Master Task Planner and use an activity's pencil for actual dates, status and remarks. Excel upload is available for bulk updates with a review preview.
Does Excel progress change the baseline?
No. Progress updates preserve planned dates, WBS and P6 links; review the matched project and changes before applying.
Does EVM require QS or Accounts?
No. Budget, work done and actual cost are entered manually in Planning. The report prints the EVM formulas and fallback assumptions.
Why are there two completion forecasts?
The physical date uses activity CPM and actual progress. The financial-progress date uses manual earned value against scheduled planned progress. They are different indicators, not guaranteed handover dates.
Does the CPM calculate measured remaining-duration percentages?
Not currently. It uses planned durations, actual dates, logic links and the reporting date. A planning engineer should review the resulting forecasts.
What does the recovery plan do?
It tracks a reviewed set of activities for one week, two weeks or one month until its configured duration or completion condition ends.
Start with Planning & Scheduling.
No setup fee. Your own company sub-domain. Start with a 7-day trial.
