Microsoft Project / Asta Powerproject
The scheduling tools used by construction and infrastructure project managers to build programmes, track progress, and manage float.
What it is
About Microsoft Project / Asta Powerproject
Microsoft Project and Asta Powerproject are the two dominant project scheduling tools in UK construction and infrastructure. Microsoft Project is the more widely known: it produces Gantt charts with task dependencies, resource assignments, critical path analysis, and baseline tracking, and is used across industries from IT programmes to major civil works. Asta Powerproject is the specialist tool preferred by UK construction contractors — it handles the complexity of construction programmes particularly well, with stronger support for resource histograms, site calendars, delay analysis, and the NEC/JCT contract reporting formats that UK projects require. Both tools are built around the same concept: a work breakdown structure (WBS) of tasks with durations, predecessors, successors, and resource assignments. The critical path — the sequence of tasks with zero float — determines the project end date. Delays to critical path activities delay the project; delays to non-critical activities consume float without affecting the end date. Understanding this distinction is the core competency that project managers and planners develop with these tools.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Build a project programme from a work breakdown structure — enter tasks, assign durations, and link predecessors to generate the critical path automatically
Set a baseline at project start and track actual progress against planned dates to calculate schedule variance week by week
Assign resources to tasks and use the resource histogram to identify over-allocation before it becomes a site problem
Produce an NEC programme submission in Asta that shows the accepted programme, compensation event impacts, and revised completion date
Run a delay analysis to calculate the impact of a late design release on the programme completion date and quantify float consumed
How to learn it
Learning Resources
Microsoft's free Project training at support.microsoft.com/project — covers the web and desktop versions
Elecosoft's Asta Powerproject tutorial library at elecosoft.com/resources — includes free video training for basic use
APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) study materials cover scheduling theory that applies to any tool
Build a real programme for a personal project (home renovation, event) — the learning is in building linkages and watching the critical path shift
Pro Tip
Always update progress by entering actual dates, not by dragging bars. Dragging bars moves the task but does not record what actually happened — you lose the ability to calculate earned value or support an extension of time claim. Log actual start, actual finish, and remaining duration separately.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool