Gantt, Critical Path and Voice Programme Features | Praevius
construction programme software, construction scheduling software, Gantt chart, critical path scheduling, voice programme updates, import MS Project, import Asta Powerproject, import Primavera XER, export MS Project XML, export Primavera XER, construction programme AI assistant, MCP server
Construction Programme Features: Gantt, Critical Path and Voice
Talk to your programme. Import it from MS Project, Asta or Primavera, update it by voice or keyboard in the browser, and export it for MS Project or Primavera.
Construction Programme
Critical path, Gantt, baselines and progress in the browser, with nothing to install. Included in every plan—the plan sets how many programmes, baselines and imports you get.
Critical Path Scheduling
Dates are calculated by the critical path method on the programme calendar, with working days and holidays. See straight away which tasks drive your finish date.
- Critical tasks marked on the Gantt
- Total float and free float columns
- Finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish and start-to-finish links with lags
- Deadlines that warn when they are missed
Gantt and Keyboard Grid
Build and change the programme with the mouse or the keyboard. The task grid works like MS Project.
- Drag bars on the Gantt to move, stretch and link tasks
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Type links as
3, 5SS+2dand durations as2wor2ed - Edit several tasks in one step
- Undo and redo
Structure, Constraints and Calendars
Model the programme the way you plan it, from the WBS down to individual milestones.
- 8 constraint types: as soon as possible, as late as possible, start or finish no earlier or no later than, must start or finish on
- Deadlines, milestones and hammock tasks
- WBS structure with indent and outdent
- Project calendar with holidays and site shutdowns
Baselines and Progress
Know where you are against the programme you agreed, and show it clearly at the next progress meeting.
- Save baselines and compare with a baseline or a saved version
- Baseline bars and finish variance on the Gantt
- Progress by status date, percent complete and actual dates
- Progress line that shows tasks behind or ahead
Validate
Check programme quality before you issue it, so logic problems do not reach the client.
- Open ends
- Negative float
- Constraints that fight the logic
Built for the Team
Keep every programme for a job in one place and see who changed what.
- Several programmes per project, with one marked current
- Multi-user, with full change history
- Conflict protection when two people edit the same programme
- Custom fields and activity codes
Limits, stated plainly: the programme has no resource or cost loading. Each programme holds up to 2,000 tasks (150 on the Free plan). There is no native .mpp or .pp export. See programme limits by plan.
Import and Export: MS Project, Asta, Primavera
Start from the programme you already have. Every import and every export comes with a report of what could not be carried, so nothing goes missing without you knowing.
Import
Bring in MS Project, Asta Powerproject and Primavera files. Each import arrives as a new draft and never overwrites an existing programme.
- MS Project .mpp and MS Project .xml
- Asta Powerproject .pp and Primavera .xer
- Up to 20 MB, 2,000 tasks and 3,000 links per file
- Import report before you confirm: task and link counts, how many dates move, what could not be carried
Export
Export the programme for MS Project or Primavera, or as a PDF or spreadsheet for the meeting.
- MS Project XML and Primavera XER
- PDF (A3) and Excel
- Export report lists what the format could not carry (XML: hammocks, activity codes as text; XER: elapsed durations and lags)
- No native .mpp or .pp export. Asta Powerproject can import the MS Project XML (it may convert the calendars)
What an Import Keeps
- WBS, milestones, notes and hammocks
- Finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish and start-to-finish links with lags
- 8 constraint types and deadlines
- Project calendar and holidays
- Progress: percent complete, actual dates and status date
- Activity codes and custom fields
What an Import Does Not Keep
These items are listed in the import report.
- Task calendars and split tasks
- Percentage lags
- Resources and costs
- P6 secondary constraints
- Links to tasks outside the file
- Links on summary tasks (moved or dropped)
- Baselines stored in the file
How to import an MS Project, Asta or Primavera programme
1. Upload your file
Open the programme page and upload an MS Project .mpp or .xml file, an Asta Powerproject .pp file or a Primavera .xer file. Files can be up to 20 MB, with up to 2,000 tasks and 3,000 links.
2. Check the import report
Before anything is saved, the import report shows the task and link counts, how many dates move and what could not be carried.
3. Confirm the import
Confirm, and the programme arrives as a new draft. Nothing is overwritten. Update it by voice or keyboard, then export it for MS Project or Primavera.
Voice and AI Assistant
Say what you want to change the way you would say it on site, or type it. The programme assistant makes the change, explains the result on screen, and you can undo ordinary edits. It is on every plan; the plan sets how many requests you get.
Just Say It
- “Create a programme starting next Monday: groundworks 3 weeks, then frame 8 weeks, then fit-out 6 weeks.”
- “Push frame out a week.”
- “Piling can’t start before 3 March.”
- “What’s driving the finish?”
- “Shut the site for Christmas.”
- “Baseline this as the contract programme.”
- “Piling started on 3 March and is 60% done.”
How Voice Works
- Click the microphone in the assistant panel and speak
- Your words appear as a live transcript you can edit
- After a short pause, a visible countdown runs and the request is sent
- Correct yourself as you speak: “ten days, no, twelve”
- Replies appear on screen
- Works in Chrome, Edge and Safari with an internet connection
- English and Polish
- Typing always works too
What the Assistant Does
18 programme tools, from building a programme to exporting it.
- Builds a programme from a spoken or typed description, asks for missing durations and lists every assumption
- Edits many tasks in one request (up to 200 changes)
- Explains the critical path and driving predecessors, and lists tasks by float
- Sets links, calendars and holidays, baselines, custom fields and activity codes
- Compares with a baseline or saved version, validates, imports and exports XML or XER
You Stay in Control
- Ordinary edits apply at once, and you can undo the last 25 steps
- Larger or destructive changes are proposed first and run only when you confirm: deleting more than 10 tasks, imports, restores, deleting a programme or field, and changing the current programme
- Confirm by voice with “yes” or “go ahead”; cancel with “no” or “cancel”
Praevius and MS Project, Asta, Primavera
Praevius works alongside the tools your main contractor uses. Here is where it differs, and where your current tool is still the right choice.
Where It Runs
Praevius: in the browser, with nothing to install.
Desktop scheduling tools: usually installed on each planner’s computer.
Files In and Out
Praevius: imports .mpp, MS Project .xml, .pp and .xer; exports MS Project XML, Primavera XER, PDF and Excel, with a report of what could not be carried.
Desktop scheduling tools: work in their own native file formats.
How You Update
Praevius: by voice, by typing a request, or in the Gantt and keyboard grid.
Desktop scheduling tools: by mouse and keyboard.
How It Is Priced
Praevius: one monthly price per company, with a set number of team members on each plan and unlimited on Scale. No per-user fees.
Desktop scheduling tools: usually a licence or subscription for each user.
Programme Size
Praevius: up to 2,000 tasks per programme (150 on Free). Made for subcontractor, package and mid-size main-contractor programmes.
Keep your current tool for very large programmes, such as 10,000-activity P6 schedules.
What Praevius Does Not Do
No resource or cost loading and no resource levelling. No native .mpp or .pp export. If your work needs these, keep your current tool for that part of the job.
Cost Control on the Same Platform
Cost Control is a separate module on the Essential, Professional and Scale plans. It runs on the same platform and the same projects as your programmes. Read the cost variance tracking guide.
Budget Tracking
Budget against actual cost, with traffic-light status.
- On budget within ±5%
- Watch 5–10% variance
- Over budget more than 10%
- Live cost performance index (CPI)
Variance Reports
Ask for the report you need and get plain-English explanations of the numbers.
- Variance explanations
- Trend analysis
- Executive summaries
Part of AI Assistant and Agent Access, on Professional and Scale
Change Order Management
Track every variation from inception to approval to payment.
- Variation register with status tracking
- Entitlement flagging
- Impact assessment and pricing tools
- Approval workflow
Progress Claims
Build payment applications from your budget data instead of a spreadsheet.
- Percentage complete with audit trail
- Retention tracking and claim history
- UK JCT, AU SOPA and US AIA formats
Schedule of Values
Map your internal cost codes to the client’s billing structure.
- UK JCT/NEC, US AIA G702/G703 and AU SOPA formats
- Cost code to SOV line mapping
- Payment application tracking
Integrations
Connect the accounting and document tools you already use.
- Xero Invoicing, QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct
- Google Drive Sync, SharePoint Document Sync
- Procore ↔︎ SharePoint Sync (Scale)
- Essential: 1 accounting integration; Professional and Scale: all 3
Bring Your Own AI Agent
Praevius MCP Server
Connect your own AI agent to Praevius. Agent access is available over MCP with OAuth sign-in; read on every plan, write actions need Professional or Scale and your confirmation.
- Works with agents that support remote MCP servers, such as Claude, Cursor or Codex
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Server URL:
https://app.praevius.app/api/mcp; sign in with Google or Microsoft - Remove an agent at any time under Settings → Security → Connected agents
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Praevius replace MS Project, Asta or Primavera for my programme?
For subcontractor, package and mid-size main-contractor programmes, it often can. Praevius gives you critical path scheduling with total and free float, a Gantt chart, 8 constraint types, deadlines, milestones, baselines and progress against a status date, in the browser with nothing to install. You import MS Project, Asta Powerproject or Primavera files and export MS Project XML or Primavera XER, so you can still exchange programmes with the main contractor. It does not do resource or cost loading, and a programme holds up to 2,000 tasks (150 on the Free plan). If you need resource levelling, cost-loaded programmes or very large P6 programmes, keep your current tool for that work.
Can I import an .xer or .pp file without Primavera or Asta?
Yes. Upload the Primavera .xer or Asta Powerproject .pp file itself; you do not need Primavera or Asta on your computer. Praevius also imports MS Project .mpp and MS Project .xml files. Files can be up to 20 MB, with up to 2,000 tasks and 3,000 links. Before you confirm, an import report shows the task and link counts, how many dates move and what could not be carried.
Can I export back to MS Project or Primavera?
Yes. Praevius exports MS Project XML and Primavera XER, plus PDF (A3) and Excel. An export report lists anything the format could not carry: for XML, hammocks and activity codes (written as text); for XER, elapsed durations and lags. Praevius does not export native .mpp or .pp files. Asta Powerproject can import the MS Project XML, and it may convert the calendars.
What happens to my programme when I import it?
Each import arrives as a new draft programme and never overwrites an existing one. Praevius keeps the WBS, finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish and start-to-finish links with lags, 8 constraint types, deadlines, milestones, notes, the project calendar and holidays, progress, hammocks, activity codes and custom fields. It does not keep task calendars, split tasks, percentage lags, resources and costs, P6 secondary constraints, links to tasks outside the file or baselines stored in the file. Links on summary tasks are moved or dropped. The import report lists every item that was not carried.
How does voice input work?
Click the microphone in the assistant panel and speak. Your words appear as a live transcript that you can edit. After a short pause, a visible countdown runs and the request is sent. You can correct yourself as you speak, for example “ten days, no, twelve”. The assistant replies on screen. Typing always works as well as voice.
Which browsers and languages does voice support?
Voice input uses the speech recognition in Chrome, Edge and Safari, and needs an internet connection. It does not work in Firefox; you can type your request instead. Voice understands English and Polish.
Does the AI assistant change my programme without asking?
Ordinary edits apply at once and you can undo the last 25 steps. Larger or destructive changes are proposed first and run only when you confirm: deleting more than 10 tasks, imports, restores, deleting a programme or a field, and changing the current programme. You can confirm by voice with “yes” or “go ahead”, or cancel with “no” or “cancel”.
What is the Praevius MCP server?
The Praevius MCP server lets you connect your own AI agent to Praevius. Agent access is available over MCP with OAuth sign-in; read on every plan, write actions need Professional or Scale and your confirmation.
How does construction variance tracking work?
The Cost Control module compares budgeted and actual project costs. When costs move away from the budget, a traffic-light status shows it: green within ±5%, yellow at 5–10% variance and red over 10%. Cost Control is on the Essential, Professional and Scale plans.
How does construction change order management work?
Praevius tracks every variation from inception to approval to payment in a variation register with status tracking, entitlement flagging, impact assessment and pricing tools, and an approval workflow. It is part of the Cost Control module on Essential and above.
What is progress claim automation?
Progress claim automation takes the manual work out of payment applications. Praevius calculates percentage complete from your budget data, tracks retention, keeps an audit trail and exports claims in UK JCT, Australian SOPA and US AIA G702/G703 formats. It is part of the Cost Control module on Essential and above.
Talk to Your Programme
Start on the Free plan, or try Professional free for 30 days with no credit card. Request a demo or learn about our team.