*** B10 *** *** THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2010 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH SPECIAL REPORT PROJECT MANAGEMENT *** The Daily Telegraph PHOTOLIBRARY Heart of the matter Imagine the complexity of managing a major project such as the upgrade of a busy London Underground station or an Olympic Park preparation project for the London 2012 Games. The men and women tasked to make sure that these projects run on time and to budget need all the help they can get. Increasingly, they are being assisted by sophisticated software, often customised by specialists. And it is not just über project managers (PMs) who are getting software to take the strain. There are dozens of off-the-shelf products that can help PMs to keep a tight rein on what they are achieving, and where they could do better. Gone are the days of paper trails and spreadsheets for keeping work under control, says Hans Thalbauer, head of Solution Management for Product Lifecycle Management at software provider SAP. Businesses are changing the way they organise their work. The global working environment is also becoming more collaborative, and the expectation is for companies to be transparent about what they are doing. With the recession still making itself felt, businesses are also more careful with their spending, wanting to control and manage their work and budgets more precisely. Software that allows managers to track their work and budgets, and see where their money is being spent is increasingly vital, says Thalbauer. Companies such as SAP create tailored computer software systems that can track every individual task within a project, follow where money is being spent, what materials are needed, where personnel are working, and where things are running behind schedule and why. The discipline of project management has developed in leaps and bounds over the past 15 or so years, but still the amount of projects that have gone over budget and time is enormous, says Craig Dennis, UK & Ireland programme control services lead at management consultancy firm Accenture. The new systems tell you exactly what it cost to make a particular product, and where that money was spent. While these computer systems can make a major difference to a companys bottom line, it takes some skill to use PM packages There are many project management software packages available here are five of the latest that can be used at home or in the office. Developer Microsoft Corporation Software Microsoft Project Standard 2010 Key point It is easy to integrate Microsoft Project with other programmes, which helps cut down time spent on exporting projects from one place to another. Guide price 499 www.microsoft.com/proje project-desktop-solutio Developer Tenrox Software Tenrox Project Management Software: Summer Heat 2009 Key point Helpful communications systems built into the software mean that project teams are always kept up-to-date with any changes to the project plan. Guide price From around 66 per person per module per year. www.tenrox.com/en/newse pressreleases/ 2009/2009-08- 27.htm Developer Experience in Software Software Project KickStart Standard 5 Key point Simple to use and also integrates easily with programmes such as PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Great for simpler projects. Guide price 130 www.projectkickstart.co products/project_kickst Developer Genius Inside Software Genius Project for Domino Key point Easy for beginners to navigate, this software is also sophisticated enough to handle large-scale and complex projects. Guide price 230 www.geniusinside.com/ Developer MatchWare Software MindView 3 BE Key point One key aspect of this software is the mind-map option, which allows a project manager to organise their work in a way they might visualise it in a brain-storm session. Guide price From 260 www.matchware.com/en/ buynow.htm Want to increase the chances of a project running smoothly and to budget? Then access all areas by integrating the latest software systems into your business structure, says Adam Ramsay them properly. This is where outfits such as Accenture can play a key role, helping firms install and integrate the software into their business structure. The systems are highly sophisticated tools, which can give you incredibly useful outputs and impact on important business and strategic decisions, adds Dennis. But its a major change in terms of company organisation, so sometimes expert integrators are needed to act as a bridge between the software developers and the end users to help them get the most out of the system. Its a major overhaul and we have to have people who understand the direction of the client company, as well as technical experts who work to set up the system so that it meets the end users needs. Every employee in any department may be linked in to the new computerised system, which acts as a huge repository of instantly accessible information and links the people completing individual tasks to project managers and company decision makers. In practice, an employee can check online which projects they are due to work on and see what changes have been made to the plans, while a project manager can oversee digitally all the different work streams within their project, organise resources, plan teams across departments and analyse work that is going on. The directors can isolate and view on a dashboard-like screen every detail of their company, including which areas are losing or making money and where things could be made more efficient. The benefit is really down to one thing business growth and efficiency, says Peter Handley, head of project controls at nuclear research and development company, the National Nuclear Laboratory, which installed Microsofts Enterprise Project Management System in 2006. We are working in a high-profile industry where reputation is vital, and so when we agree a date for delivering a project, we cannot exceed that. We understand that it is only with a top class project management capability, involving highly skilled PMs and cutting- edge technology, that we can push all aspects of our company to its limits. The systems can give you useful outputs and impact on business and strategic decisions Feel the connection: the new software keeps employees up to date and helps you grow your business PROJECT ENGINEER KEN GROVES, 61 As head of project management for Military Air Solutions (MAS) at BAE Systems, Ken Groves has a diverse portfolio of work, and uses sophisticated technology to make it all happen. Heading up a project management team of around 1,650 people, Groves makes sure everything runs smoothly, dealing with the latest engineering innovations for aircraft, juggling billion pound budgets, managing a workforce of 16,000 people, and working with high-profile clients. PM software tools are essential to support project teams in terms of scheduling, resources, costs, and personnel, and we have a range of cutting-edge project systems around the company, says Groves. MAS has a huge portfolio of programmes and projects including our F-35 large aircraft programme, our Typhoon aircraft and export programme with the MoD and international partners, plus our autonomous systems programme, and it all needs careful handling. The software means we have an integrated system that is flexible enough to support small projects but also able to deal with huge portfolios of highly important work with thousands of activities, huge amounts of resources, and diverse personnel spread around global locations. Full details at www.projectchallenge.co
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*** B10 *** *** THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2010 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH SPECIAL REPORT PROJECT MANAGEMENT *** The Daily Telegraph PHOTOLIBRARY Heart of the matter Imagine the complexity of managing a major project such as the upgrade of a busy London Underground station or an Olympic Park preparation project f
*** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2010 *** The Daily Telegraph Learn while you earn Make the most of your employment by picking up the skills of a project manager along the way, says Gabrielle Collett-White PROJECT MANAGEMENT SPECIAL REPORT *** B11 The way forward Construction project
