Project management in real time

Project management helps to handle tasks more efficiently. That is why the tools and methods are necessary in many areas of a company today: in product development and customer projects as well as in trade fair planning and the restructuring of business processes.

More than just to-do lists and appointments

For project management, companies can choose from a variety of applications. But with most programs, in addition to task and schedule planning, costs and working hours must also be manually added and continuously updated. The double entry of figures in several systems then quickly becomes an additional burden for employees. The information is therefore often incomplete and outdated.

However, project managers need precise and up-to-date data for integrated time, cost and, above all, resource management. The latter includes, in particular, comprehensive resource planning. This is because employees are often involved in several projects. Therefore, resources must be planned across all projects. This can be achieved with the help of multi-project management.

This is the only way to avoid massive delays and, in the event of bottlenecks, to find alternatives in good time.

All if-then loops under control

Only a project manager who has an eye on dependencies between resources and departments can react sensibly to changes in the project. Which order can be brought forward in case of a delay? Production can only start when the necessary parts and raw materials have arrived. Timely purchasing in turn depends on the approved parts lists from the design department.

Especially long-runners have to be ordered as early as possible. Especially when a lot is happening in parallel, a professional project management tool helps to maintain an overview. This high degree of transparency can only be achieved by integrating current order, time and resource data - condensed into clear visualizations, from the structure plan to the Gantt chart.

Transparency for stakeholders

If all departments work with a common system, a lot has already been achieved. However, providing all project partners with a separate project management tool is neither practical nor cost-efficient. This is because most stakeholders only need a section of the extensive project information. Ideally, project management is integrated into the ERP system. Then the employees have all the necessary information at their fingertips in their daily work environment: work preparation in production planning, the controller in the financial system.

In addition to figures and data, projects also generate extensive documentation, from drawings to contract documents and confidentiality agreements. Document management, which is also integrated, helps to keep all relevant information centrally and to archive it after the project has been completed.

Identify project risks in real time

One of the core components of sound project management is ongoing cost control. It is important to continuously record expenses and efforts and to compare them with planned figures. With a running cost estimate, project managers keep all project and production costs under control. It is important to take into account not only the expenditures already made, but also the commitment, i.e. the obligations already entered into.

On this basis, it is easy to determine whether the total costs are within the planned range. An additional advantage: If project management is integrated directly into the ERP system, as is the case with proALPHA, for example, costs incurred are allocated to the project in real time and booked in cost accounting at the same time.

Optimize resources, quickly reschedule in case of delays, provide all employees with relevant information and always keep all costs under control: Project management integrated into the ERP system facilitates and accelerates project coordination. This is because all data is always available in real time. Project risks can thus be identified and avoided at an early stage.

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