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Quanto vs Excel, email and WhatsApp
Most projects are run on spreadsheets, email and messaging groups. They are free and familiar. Here is where they stop working, and what changes with one shared project record.
| Excel, email and WhatsApp | Quanto Management | |
|---|---|---|
| Where records live | Files on laptops, inboxes and phones | One project record, shared by owner, consultant and contractor |
| Contract deadlines | In someone's head or a calendar reminder | Every period of your form of contract counted, with reminders before it runs out |
| Versions | Several copies of the same register; nobody is sure which is current | One register per record type; drawings carry their revision status |
| Who changed what | Usually unknown | Every change logged with who and when; nothing silently deleted |
| Instructions and variations | Instructions on WhatsApp, prices in a separate sheet | Each instruction answered as no cost, variation or disputed, with its approval trail |
| Payment applications | Rebuilt in a spreadsheet each month and re-checked by the consultant | Built from progress by BOQ line; the Engineer certifies line by line in the same system |
| Photos | On personal phones, without date, place or link | Tagged by area and linked to events, BOQ lines, variations and letters |
| When someone leaves | Their knowledge and inbox leave with them | The project keeps everything; the next person opens the same records |
| Cost | No licence cost; the cost is staff time and lost entitlements | A monthly subscription; invited parties join free |
When spreadsheets are enough
For a single small project run by one person, with no consultant to coordinate and no contract periods at stake, a spreadsheet can be enough. Quanto pays off when several parties, contract deadlines and money are involved.
Moving from Excel
- Import suppliers, cost codes and projects from Excel.
- Import the programme from Primavera P6 or MS Project.
- Onboarding imports your BOQ, programme, suppliers and letterhead and trains your team.
- Keep exporting registers to Excel whenever you need them.
See it on a real project
Open the live demo with sample data, or start a 30-day free trial for your company.