Float is computed, not imported.
A real forward and backward pass over your network, so critical means critical, not a color from the file.
Ask the schedule.
Import the P6 or Microsoft Project file and Specset computes the network itself: total float, the critical path, and variance against baseline. Then ask what slipped, what is driving the finish, and what the crews should do next week, with every answer linked to its activities.
Schedule · Ridgeview CenterRev 14 · Monthly update
Data date Sep 1ActivityLevel 3 · InteriorsOverhead MEP rough-inFrame & hang drywallPrime & paintInstall caseworkSubstantial completion
+8d
06 41 00 · Approved
+6d
Critical path · 14 activities · float ≤ 0Baseline · Rev 9 · pinned
Answers cite activities.
What slipped, what is driving the finish, what is near-critical. Every answer opens the Gantt where it points.
Every edit leaves a version.
Agent changes run with approval and snapshot the schedule first, named and restorable.
Trusted by the teams delivering public work
“The monthly update used to be a day of clicking through P6 filters. Now we ask what slipped and the driving chain comes back with the activities linked.”
475+Projects in production, bid through closeout
50+Construction organizations running Specset
01 · From file to network
The schedule joins the project record.
The .xer lives on a scheduler's laptop and everyone else reads a PDF of it. Import it once and the whole team, and every agent, can question the live network instead.
01 · Import
Ridgeview_2026-09.xerPrimavera P6 · 1,240 activities · 88 WBS groups
Sitework_pkg.mppMicrosoft Project · via the same importer
Activities, the WBS tree, dependencies, and the data date come in as built. Monthly updates re-import against stable activity IDs, so links and lookahead plans survive the swap.
02 · Compute
The network, natively
- Total float on every activity
- Critical and near-critical chains
- The predecessor driving each date
- Variance against the pinned baseline
Specset runs its own forward and backward pass: all four dependency types with lag, constraints, actuals, and workday math. Float is computed, not imported.
03 · Work it
“What slipped this month, and why?”
“What is driving substantial completion?”
“Plan a three-week lookahead for Level 3.”
Answers cite their activities and open the Gantt. Edits run only with your approval, and every agent change snapshots a named version you can inspect or restore.
02 · The question that matters
What is actually driving the finish?
Not the longest bar, the binding chain. Specset walks the driving predecessors behind any date and returns the sequence in forward order, with the link and lag at each step and the constraint where it stops. That is the conversation your schedule review should start from.
Driving chain · substantial completionForward order · the link binding each step
Switchgear deliveryConstraint · on or after Oct 6
FS · +5d lag
Energize & terminateFloat 0 · critical
FS
Elevator inspectionFloat 0 · critical
FS
Substantial completionNov 12 · +6d vs baseline
Chain span 41 workdays · stops at the constraint
Common questions
What teams ask about schedule intelligence.
01What schedule formats can it import?
Primavera P6 (.xer) and Microsoft Project (.mpp), including the WBS tree, all four dependency types with lag, constraints, actuals, and the data date. The schedule also exports back out in both formats, including any saved version.
02Does Specset compute the CPM itself?
Yes. It runs its own forward and backward pass over the imported network: early and late dates, total float, critical and near-critical identification, and the driving predecessor behind every date, all in workday math with the data date applied to unstarted work.
03What can we actually ask?
The overview numbers, filtered activity lists by float, progress, company, or WBS branch, the driving chain behind any finish date, variance against the baseline or any saved version, and the lookahead window on screen. Every answer cites its activities and links back to the Gantt.
04Can the agent change the schedule?
Only with your approval. Edits run as batch changes you confirm first, and every agent change automatically snapshots a named version with its change summary, so the before state is always inspectable and restorable.
05How do monthly updates and baselines work?
Each re-import upserts against stable activity IDs, so links and lookahead plans survive the monthly swap. Versions capture baselines, monthly updates, and recovery schedules; the pinned baseline drives every variance figure, including how far substantial completion moved.
06Is scheduling available on every plan?
Scheduling is in beta. It ships behind an add-on your account team enables, and the rest of Specset works the same with or without it. If you want the schedule in the record, ask and we will turn it on.
Start with this month's update
Put the schedule in the record.
Send the current .xer or .mpp. We'll return the computed network, the chain driving your finish date, and the variance against your baseline.