One of the most critical tasks for any planning engineer or project control team is reviewing and validating monthly schedule updates. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to do it effectively using the Plannex Excel Tool — specifically its Schedule Comparison feature.
📁 What We Compared
In our example, we compared two Primavera P6 XER files:
📅 Baseline: 30 November
📅 Updated: 28 December
The update simulates a typical monthly progress submission. With just a few clicks, Plannex helps generate a comprehensive report highlighting key changes.
⚙️ Using the Plannex Schedule Comparison Tool
The process is simple:
Open the Schedule Comparison file from the Plannex tool.
Load both XER files (baseline and update).
Choose a location to save the report.
Click Compare — Plannex generates a summary in seconds.
📊 What the Report Tells Us
Here are some of the key insights we pulled from the generated Excel sheets:
🔗 1. Relationship Changes
Identify changes in logic: FS → FF, relationships added or removed.
Flag out-of-sequence progress for investigation.
📉 2. Budget and Cost Variance
Unexpected increases in budgeted or actual cost?
Compare labor and non-labor resource units.
Justify major cost jumps or reallocations.
🕒 3. Schedule Logic and Critical Path
Detect shifts in total float and changes in critical activities.
Highlight changes in early/late dates beyond expected update window.
📆 4. Start/Finish Date Adjustments
Spot date overrides — did actual start/finish move?
Ensure changes are properly justified and aligned with site records.
🟩 5. Earned Value vs Actual Progress
Earned value mismatches? Negative variances?
Validate contractor performance against submitted progress.
✅ Why Use Plannex for XER Comparison?
Plannex helps you:
Save hours of manual Excel work
Get clear visual feedback and variance reports
Improve decision-making with accurate, quick insights
Support claims or defend progress justifications
The Schedule Comparison feature is part of the PRO version, but a free trial is available.
🎥 Watch the Full Video Walkthrough
We’ve recorded two versions of the tutorial:
🔹 English: https://youtu.be/80-oEUjobxQ
🔹 العربية: https://youtu.be/7W0W96oRgB4
📥 Try Plannex Today
Explore more features and download your trial version:
👉 https://plannexcg.com/plannex-tool
💬 Have Questions or Suggestions?
Drop your comments below or reach out to us — we’re always improving based on your feedback.
