The IPM Blog

Here at IPM we’ve been busy developing a new product in the IPM suite; an integration tool for Oracle Primavera P6. As an additional product in the IPM suite, the integration tool gives you the option of extending your project management capabilities by incorporating features from both systems.

But what exactly does the integration tool do? Primarily, it synchronises all your Primavera P6 job activities with IPM, which gives you a more comprehensive break down of all the work being completed on your job. Within IPM, you then have the ability to manage the job activity completion dates and update resource, purchase order item and subcontract item information for each activity. This gives you a better overall view of each of your projects as you have the ability to link job activities to information that is not available in Primavera P6.

The integration tool also works both ways, so once you have finished adding information to job activities in IPM, you can synch the information back to Primavera P6 to accurately record and track the expenses on your project.

This tool is an exciting addition to the IPM suite as it gives project managers a way to fill small gaps in their project information, and it also means you get a fully encompassing view of exactly what is happening on your project.

We are currently running the Beta version of the Primavera P6 integration tool, so if you’re a current IPM customer and would like to be involved with putting it through its paces, please contact us or leave a comment below. Feel free to contact us too if you’d like more information on the whole IPM suite.

Managing projects can often be a very demanding task, one that requires skill, dedication and a very cool head. But there are also a few tips and tricks you can implement to ensure your projects run smoothly.

1. Plan for everything
One of the best things I’ve heard when it comes to project management is that failing to plan is planning to fail. Bringing your projects in on time and on budget needs a great deal of planning, even before the very first foundations are laid. What’s more, you have to keep planning as you go along to ensure you always stay one step ahead. You need to continually monitor the schedule to anticipate which tasks need to be done next and what effect any notices of delay from subcontractors will have. It is also imperative to keep a comprehensive and updated issue and risk register so nothing catches you off guard. In other words, hope for the best but plan for the worst.

2. Keep track of communication
There’s nothing worse than having to trawl through six months worth of emails or project documents to answer an RFI, or misplacing a vital piece of communication in the event of a dispute or claim. That’s why good project managers keep track of all their project communication, no matter how small. It helps to have a central database that everyone on the project team has access to and can store all project documents and can keep a history of any edits or changes made to a document. Automatic email filing can also help, and IPM’s facility can file all incoming and outgoing emails against a transaction, rather than against the job.

3. Introduce a little automation
While sometimes computers and IT may feel frustrating, you have to admit technology really has made our lives a lot easier, particularly when it comes to project management. When done right, automation can be a project manager’s best friend; completing certain tasks so you don’t have to worry about them and ensuring all the right data is in all the right places. Using project management software is one of the best ways to bring automation to managing your projects. IPM’s project management software has features like customisable workflows you can use to convert change requests into change orders or subcontract change orders, automatically file your emails, automatically generate email reminders for meetings and track and store the information for RFIs and RFQs as it is emailed back and forth.

4. Keep all your team members on the same page
Managing a project is not just about juggling the schedule, subcontracts and budget, but also about managing the people you are working with. Many different people contribute to a project and in order to be able to manage everyone and ensure they all know what their job is, it’s important that everyone has access to the same, up-to-date information. You can make sure of this by using a central database that team member can access from anywhere, both online and offline. This means there are not multiple spreadsheets being emailed around and creating confusion as to which is the most up to date. Another simple way to keep everyone on the same page is to have standardised project reports across your whole organisation, meaning people are all familiar with the report design and know exactly where the content they are looking for is located in the report.

Are there any other fail safe ways you use to manage your projects? Have your say in the comments below :)

If there is anything the global economic crisis has taught us is that there's no escaping globalisation. Whether we like it or not, the marketplace we operate in is global, and things that happen in one country affect people and organisations in another. No longer are we our own islands, responsible for our own directions, and immune to the decisions of others.

The same is also true for projects, with construction, IT and community projects often spanning different countries, but all team members working towards the same outcome. Case in point, I know an estimator based in Brisbane, Australia, working on a project in Gladstone, North Queensland. Parts of the project are being subcontracted to companies in Australia, other parts to companies in Malaysia, who in turn are subbing work out to companies in India. Gone are the days where projects are run, subcontracted and completed all in the same country, let alone the same city.

So how do we go about managing these projects across a broad range of countries, languages, cultures, timezones and currencies? The good news is the tool that has helped facilitate this global market is also the tool that can help us work effectively in it. Technology. Technology is now more important than ever when it comes to managing projects in the global marketplace.

With advancements in technology like cloud computing, project information can be available to users instantly, regardless of their location or time zone. Online central databases mean users have access to all the same information, and it is the most current and up to date. Databases like those used in IPM also have the ability to store all subcontractor information, including the currency each one operates in. Exchange rates can be applied to convert currencies so all your figures are telling the same story.

What’s more, developments in mobile technology like the one just released by Microsoft on Monday mean you can take your project information with you where ever you go, and access it from anywhere in the world – very handy should you need to visit any of your project stakeholders in other countries.

So even though coordinating a global project can seem like a logistical nightmare, the exciting developments in technology in recent years are helping project managers navigate the global marketplace and ensure nothing gets lost in translation.

For more information about how IPM can help with managing your projects, both national and international, please do not hesitate to contact us.

I’m very pleased to let you know we have recently developed a brand new addition to the IPM Suite called the IPM Mail Manager. As an additional product, the mail manager can extend the capabilities of IPM’s current RFI and RFQ functions, so it works well for both project managers and estimators.

So how does this neat little tool work? Basically, you link an email account to IPM (either your own email or a generic team email address multiple people can use) and when you create a new RFI or RFQ, indicate you want to use the mail manager. The mail manager will add a specially formatted area to your outgoing email, where the person receiving the RFI or RFQ can add their response and email it back to you. The mail manager then takes the information from the return email and automatically updates the appropriate area of IPM.

This means that when you receive an answer to an RFI or a quote from a vendor, that information is automatically updated in IPM for all the appropriate team members to see. Not only does this save time re entering data from emails, it also means the information is available to everyone, even if the team member who receives the email is absent from work, or briefly out of the office.

We are currently running the Beta version of the mail manager, so if you’re a current IPM customer and would like to be involved with putting it through its paces, please contact us or leave a comment below. Feel free to contact us too if you’d like more information on the whole IPM suite.

I’ve been writing this blog for over a year now, and we have started to see a steady increase in our readership as the months have gone by. So I thought I’d like to start off 2012 by finding out a little bit about my readers and what sort of topics you’d like to see me cover this year. If you’d like to be involved, I’ve put a super short survey (60 secs tops!) at the bottom of this entry so you can tell me what you’d like to hear in 2012. Be it new IPM product updates, quick guides on how to use a particular feature of IPM or more industry news, let me know! I really appreciate your help for making the IPM Blog bigger and better in 2012.

At the end of last year, I came across a study conducted by Forrester Consulting on The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, which was released in May. Looking closely at the findings, they are impressive. So I thought what better way to kick off the New Year than to highlight just how much benefit using a CRM system for your project management needs can give you. If you’re already using Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 with IPM, then rest assured, you’ve made a solid investment. And if you’re not, then perhaps you may have just come across a belated New Year’s resolution?
 
The study found that a 2000-employee composite organisation with an initial CRM deployment of 50 users would see a “three-year, risk-adjusted ROI of 243 percent”. That sure is a solid ROI. But what I found even more interesting in the study’s findings was the increased productivity of 5% due to CRM’s ease of use and interoperability with Microsoft Outlook. There is also a productivity saving of 16 man-hours per month associated with using Microsoft Dynamics CRM due its better reporting tools, data consolidation, reporting automation and dashboard capabilities.
 
I have mentioned many times before on our blog the benefits project managers can gain from using project management software such as IPM, combined with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. But now there is independent, quantifiable proof that using Microsoft Dynamics CRM increases productivity. And even though these benefits are based on the CRM system, IPM users have access to all the same functionality when managing their projects with IPM. What’s more, IPM is built around this functionality, so the CRM features that increase productivity are key to the way IPM works, meaning they also increase productivity for IPM users. Interoperability with Microsoft Outlook in particular is one of the main reasons project managers find using IPM so easy, as they are already familiar with the Outlook environment.
 
You can check out the Forrester study on the economic impact of CRM here, and if you would like any further information about how to increase your productivity and ROI with IPM, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
 

As we near the end of the year and begin winding down for the festive season, I thought I’d take the opportunity to reflect on the year that was for IPM Global.
 
We’ve had a very busy year at IPM and here are just some of the standout achievements we are really proud of this year:
 
-   The development and release of IPM 2011 to be compatible with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
-   The release of the hosted version of IPM
-   Signing of new channel partners, Hardhat Technologies and Stenstrom Group
-   Attendance at various tradeshows and exhibitions throughout Australia and North America such as Civil Contractors Federation, Major Projects Conferences, CMAA and World of Concrete
-   The signing of our new North American clients - this market is still tough, but our North American partners are seeing the enormous benefits that IPM gives them
 
It has definitely been a whirlwind year of growth for IPM and we are incredibly excited at the possibilities the New Year will bring.
 
All of the team at IPM wishes you the very best for Christmas and the New Year and I look forward to sharing more blogs with you in 2012. Merry Christmas!

With 2011 drawing to a close and 2012 on our doorstep, many predictions and trends for the new year are beginning to emerge in the media and on the Internet. From consumer trends, to economic trends, everyone has something to contribute about what they think 2012 will bring. IT is no different of course, with Gartner releasing its Top 10 IT trends for 2012 last month.

And as IT continues to evolve and push new boundaries, the list is definitely exciting. From cloud computing to developments in social media and collaboration tools for business, IT in 2012 will consolidate and build on trends from 2011 and push us further forward by changing the way we work.

One such company already embracing the trends in collaboration and file sharing is tech firm Atos, which has eliminated all internal employee email communication, instead opting for online collaboration tools. The positive response from employees and the fact Atos has managed to cut down on email spam shows a more collaborative framework in our working life is not only a trend that will stick, but also one that could bring big improvements to the way we communicate and operate in teams at work.

Of course, IPM users will not be left behind in 2012 either. IPM’s compatibility with Microsoft’s collaboration tool Sharepoint means users can create websites to share content, manage documents and publish reports online. IPM’s Microsoft Dynamics CRM framework also means users can take advantage of the developments in social media tools and social CRM that Microsoft has been making this year and will continue to move forward with in 2012.

So even though social media and online collaboration started out as consumer oriented applications, all reports suggest 2012 will be the year this kind of technology will start to impact on the way we conduct business and how we communicate in our offices and project teams. And at IPM, we can’t wait to see what the year will bring.

What about you? Are there any trends for IT in 2012 you are particularly excited about? Feel free to leave a comment below.

I’ve been doing a lot of travelling lately and a few things have caught my attention as I’ve been getting on and off planes, buses and trains. The first one happened when we were due to take off and the air hostess came over the loud speaker asking everyone to make sure all electronic equipment, “such as iPods, iPhones and iPads” was switched off. I remember when I used to fly as a child and the safety card in the seat pocket depicted electronic equipment as a Furby, the Ewok-like children’s toy with eyes that blinked. My, haven’t we come a long way?

The second was in a train where every single passenger around me, including myself, was using either an iPhone, iPod or iPad, and sometimes all three. The girl beside me settled herself in for the two hour ride with a virtual game of Monopoly on her iPad, frequently receiving calls and texts on her iPhone.

Both these instances not only go to show the influence Steve Jobs and his Apple products have had on the world, but also how we have become a society of mobile technology. We don’t go anywhere now without our mobile devices, and even though they originally started out as companion communication devices and entertainment consoles, mobile devices are fast becoming the norm in the way we conduct business.

Apple has definitely been one of the pioneers, but other technology giants are quickly following suit, with Microsoft addressing the CRM user group summit last month highlighting plans for its CRM technology for the next year and beyond. Sparked by Apple’s iPads and iPhones, the evolution of tablet computers and a mobile technology society is revolutionising Microsoft’s development of the next versions of CRM.  New developments mean future Microsoft CRM technology will be context aware as to whether we are on the go, on a desktop, or projecting onto a big screen. What’s more, the limitations of tablets such as document creation and powerpoints, mean Microsoft is also putting time and effort into enhancing the PC experience. Sure to bring a smile to many Mac users faces, Microsoft is developing a plug in for Mac in order to make CRM accessible for all PC users.

For project managers using IPM on the CRM framework, this means managing projects either from a desktop or on a mobile device will become increasingly easier and more efficient. And as the very nature of project management requires you to be more flexible, mobile and accessible, developments in mobile technology propose exciting possibilities for project managers.

So whilst at times we may feel we’re living in an Apple dominated world, the technology and innovation that has enabled the existence of these products means other technology giants are also working hard to push the envelope in order to stay in the race. And this can only mean great things for us as consumers as we continue to benefit from development and advances in technology to make managing and organising both our personal and professional lives easier.

One of the qualities you will undoubtedly find in every good project manager is an ability to stay organised. With a constant stream of communication about RFIs, contracts and budget and schedule changes, it takes a very organised project manager to stay on top of everything.

But dealing with the huge number of incoming and outgoing emails that are generated by a project every day can test even the most organised project manager. Previously, the answer to this has been to manually sort and file information and communications into separate email folders. But due to the proliferation of email communication these days, the sheer amount of communication means manually filing is just not feasible.

Many project management software products have tried to come up with a solution to this by introducing automatic email filing. But what many products claim to be ‘automatic’ filing is far from it, and often has huge limitations.

That’s why Microsoft Dynamics CRM has developed an automatic email tracking function that is truly automatic, whereby a tracking code is assigned to the subject line of each email. This way all incoming and outgoing emails with the same tracking code are grouped together and stored in the database. And with IPM’s ability to utilise all the features of Dynamics CRM, the email tracking feature is also incredibly useful for project managers, and is unlike anything else currently available to project managers. Here’s why:

1. Email filing is not automatic in other project management software applications. Some other applications do have email filing, but this often means you have to forward the email to a central job email address, so the process is not automatic.

2. Other applications can only file all emails under the Job. Just think of how many emails you may send and receive on one Job, and how difficult it would be to sort through them all to find the one you are looking for.

3. With IPM email tracking, each transaction has a unique code. This means you can click on an RFI for example, and see all the communication related only to that RFI.

So by utilising the tools and features available in CRM, IPM can make the process of email tracking for companies in the construction industry easy and automatic.

To find out more about IPM’s automatic email tracking, please contact us.