Progress tracking : PMS or office suite?

Abstract

The objective of this dissertation is to compare the Progress Tracking functions for Construction Management using the Microsoft Projects and the Microsoft Office Suites. The Microsoft Project is designed specifically for Project Management and has all the built-in functions to produce the necessary charts and reports. However, due to the complexities of Construction Projects, the Progress Tracking using time-based method has its limitations and could not fulfill the actual need of the Construction Manager. The more practical approach to Progress Tracking in Construction Projects would be using the quantity-cost based report. The Tracking function is done by using the weightage factor of each activity, based on quantity and unit cost. This would enable the Project Manager to know the actual amount of work that has been done and the amount of work that would be needed to be done in quantity and cost.