13 REASONS TO USE ASTA POWERPROJECTRATHER THAN MICROSOFT PROJECT FORMANAGING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

1 100% designed for construction2 Easier to use3 Top quality presentation of project plans 4 Free Project Viewer – share plans with anyone5 Import/export into Microsoft® Project6 Import/export into Primavera®

7 Better protection against delay events8 Easier to manage trade contractors9 Construction-specific training courses10 Schedule more precisely11 Plan and manage repeated tasks easily12 Cost-effective licensing13 Used by 43 of the top 50 UK main contractors

and many smaller companies

www.astadev.com/msp

3

1 100% DESIGNED FOR CONSTRUCTION

� First released in 1988, Asta Powerproject was the brainchild of Richard Ormerod, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building and holder of a first class BSc (Hons) degree in Class Construction Technology.

Development of the software has been driven since then by feedback from construction professionals via regular user group meetings.

� Help desk support is tailored to the needs of construction customers, with a dedicated team providing Asta Powerproject support.

� Customise the borders around your plan withflexible header and footer page surrounds,including your own logos and references.

� Show only those parts of the plan that arerelevant by turning different aspects of the barchart on and off, e.g. float, critical path,holidays, links, etc.

� Highlight important information by addingannotations such as text, pictures, colourshading and Windows® objects (Excel®

spreadsheets, AutoCAD drawings, etc.).

� Gain total control over printouts: you definewhere you want the page to break; what yousee on screen is what ‘is printed’; and there isno ‘white space’ on printouts.

2 EASIER TO USE

� Construction-specific project templates are provided withpre-set reporting codes, calendars, resources, standardreports etc. so you can get up and running quickly.

� Draw in tasks quickly and easily using the mouse.

� Perform unlimited ‘undos’, even after a ‘save’ or‘reschedule’.

Three founders of Asta (l-r)Richard Pleace, Michael McCullen, Richard Ormerod

Save Asta Powerprojectfiles in Microsoft

Project format

Communicate plans clearly

4 FREE PROJECT VIEWER – SHARE PLANS WITH ANYONE

� You don’t have to pay anything to look at Asta Powerproject files. The free AstaProject Viewer enables anyone to open and print Asta Powerproject plans at no cost.

� Use Asta Project Viewer to read Microsoft Project files (MPX and XML formats) andPrimavera files (XER and P3 Batch formats) for free too!

5 IMPORT/EXPORT INTO MICROSOFT® PROJECT

� Excellent data interchange with Microsoft Project – you can use AstaPowerproject even if your project partners are using Microsoft Project:- Export your project data from Asta Powerproject in

Microsoft Project format.- Import Microsoft Project files into Asta Powerproject.

� Microsoft Project file formats supported are XML (compatible withMicrosoft Project 2000 and up) and MPX (compatible with MicrosoftProject 1998).

TOP QUALITY PRESENTATION OF PROJECT PLANS

“Asta Powerproject isvery powerful but also

very easy to use.”Phil Solomon, Planning Operations Director, Mace

7

8

www.astadev.com/msp

� Highlight the work of different trade contractors withcolour codes. The colour codes are shown as alegend on the output and allow specific task lists foreach subcontractor to be created quickly.

� Trade contractors do not need Asta Powerproject toread their task lists – you can email them the AstaPowerproject file which they can open using the freeAsta Project Viewer.

� Ask trade contractors to update the plan in eitherAsta Powerproject or Asta Easyplan, the entry-levelsister product. You can then automatically updatetheir changes in your main Asta Powerproject planwithout any data re-entry.

BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST DELAY EVENTS

� Progress in each Progress Period is displayed in a separate colour. You decide the lengths of the Progress Periods: weeks, months etc.

� Information on how much progress was recorded in a specific Progress Period is kept, even when the task is completed.

� Create an unlimited number of baselines as a ‘snapshot’ of the project, so you can compare the evolving plan against an original version.

� The baselines are a copy of the whole project and not just key data, so changes to calendar working time can be demonstrated and not lost.

Progress in each Progress Period isdisplayed in a separate colour

The Asta training centre

Order free comparison demoCD at: www.astadev.com/msp

EASIER TO MANAGE TRADE CONTRACTORS

9 CONSTRUCTION-SPECIFIC TRAINING COURSES

� Training courses are designed specifically for the construction industry, with practicalexamples for main contractors, trade contractors, housebuilders, technicalconsultants etc.

� A wide range of courses are available to suit all users, from beginners to advancedusers, including specific courses for housebuilders.

� Choose to attend either open courses or bespoke courses. Open courses aredelivered at the Asta training centre in Thame, Oxfordshire, and at regional trainingcentres around the country. Bespoke courses are delivered at your own premises.

6 IMPORT/EXPORT INTO PRIMAVERA®

� Excellent data interchange with Primavera:- Export your project data from Asta Powerproject in Primavera format.- Import Primavera files into Asta Powerproject.

� Use Asta Powerproject even when the master program is held inPrimavera – simply save the project in Primavera format before sharing.

� Primavera file formats supported are XER (compatible with P3e versions 3.1, 4.1, P5 and P6) and P3 Batch (compatible with P3).

Save Asta Powerproject files in

Primavera format

Produce schedules for individual contractors quickly and easily

The Critical Path is outlined in red

11

12

13

COST-EFFECTIVE LICENSING

� If you have multiple users, you can purchase a concurrent licence. This means that users can access the same licence across the network atdifferent times. A 10-user concurrent licence could be used by 30 people, so you only need to buy 10 licences not 30. This makes AstaPowerproject very cost effective.

� You can connect standalone Asta Powerproject licences to Enterprise clients. Microsoft SQL Server® is optional, but not required.

� The free Asta Project Viewer enables you to share plans at no cost.

Asta Development plcKingston HouseGoodson MewsWellington StreetThameOxfordshireOX9 3BXUnited KingdomT +44 (0)1844 261700F +44 (0)1844 261314W www.astadev.com/mspE enquiries@astadev.com

©2008 Asta Development plcAsta Powerproject is a registered trademark of Asta Development plc.Microsoft, Excel and SQL Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the UnitedStates and/or other countries. Primavera® is a registered trademark of Primavera Systems Inc.All trademarks recognised. E & OE.

Find out more and order free comparisondemo CD at www.astadev.com/msp

* Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) awards, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2003…

PLAN AND MANAGE REPEATED TASKS

� Display multiple tasks per line. This saves time and avoids theneed to laboriously create tasks on dozens of different rowswhen planning repeated tasks. Information is presented in avery compact form – use a single sheet rather than multiplepages.

� For house building each row can represent a house (or flat) and the tasks represent the stages of construction. This approach isalso highly-effective for the finishing stages of fit-out work or multi-storey construction.

� The procurement stages for each work package in a plan canbe detailed as events on one row and linked in to the firstconstruction event. This technique unifies the procurement andconstruction phases and provides realistic information aboutrequired dates for the design team.

USED BY 43 OF THE TOP 50 UK MAIN CONTRACTORS AND MANY SMALLER COMPANIES

� Used by 43 of the top 50 UK main contractors and by 13 of the top 15 UK housebuilders.

� Over 40,000 construction users worldwide.

� Rated no. 1 project management software in the UK building industry in a survey by Planning Engineers Organisation.

� Used to deliver 70% of successful UK construction projects, both large and small*. Some of the better-known projects include theEmirates Stadium, the Eden Project, the Welsh Assembly, the restoration of the HBOS headquarters in Edinburgh (CIOB Project of the Year2007) the restoration of the Oxford Castle complex (RICS Project of the Year 2007) and Cadogan Hall, the new home for the RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra in London.

The build stages for a housecan be shown on one line

10 SCHEDULE MORE PRECISELY

� Create and edit links both by typing in the spreadsheet and bydrawing in the bar chart.

� Create links by drawing without having to specify the link type.This makes it much faster to link tasks.

� Links are clearly displayed between tasks, allowing you toevaluate the importance of each link by sight.

� Create any type and number of links between two tasks. It isoften important to set a link not just at the start of a task, butalso at the end. So if a task is extended, or partiallyprogressed, any knock-on impact is shown.

� Produce an accurate Critical Path Analysis every time – withjust one click.

� Navigate the logic and edit existing links quickly and easily.