The IPM Blog

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.

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.

There’s no denying the economy is struggling.  The ripple effects of the 2008 ‘Global Financial Crisis’ are still being felt across the world, worse in some places, but still being felt all the same. Australia hasn’t been quite as hard hit as our European and North American counterparts, but there is still a noticeably sluggish feel to the economy compared to the boom years of 5 – 10 years ago.

One of the sectors that has seen a slump all over the world is construction, and with a slump comes reduced profits, and ultimately less confidence in ‘expensive’ investments such as new software.

But software could actually be a smart investment during a downturn. As John Chaney pointed out in the CFMA’s May/June issue of Building Profits, in previous economic downturns the contractors who have emerged stronger from recessions are those who have embraced new technologies.

Cloud computing is one such new technology that is becoming a buzz in the IT industry. And, according to Joe McKendrick of Forbes, in the present economic climate cloud computing makes sense. Cloud computing is essentially like renting a house.  You pay a monthly fee to use the software housed on someone else’s servers, and the fee is calculated on a per user basis, so you only pay for what you need.

This means less upfront costs for your own infrastructure and more flexibility and innovation to customise software. Updates and maintenance are also taken care of by the software provider, and the data is backed up and safe in the event of a natural disaster or power outage at your office.

Cloud computing is paving the way for small business start ups and larger companies to test new innovations without a large capital investment and long term commitment. Through developments in cloud computing, construction companies are able to, in the middle of a downturn, invest in new software to help streamline processes and save money. And this is exactly the kind of innovation and forward thinking needed to steer construction companies through the current economic downturn and come out stronger at the other end.

If you’d like to know more about the cloud version of IPM’s project management software, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In the information age, nothing is more valuable than data. Data is one of those tricky, intangible assets that we can’t really put a monetary value on, but we know it’s precious. We have pins and code tokens to access our money, and it’s no different with data – passwords and logins protect virtually every company’s data set in the world today.

These days, you would be crazy to hide your money under your mattress. Well it’s the same with data. In an information rich world, it’s madness storing valuable project information on an individual person’s laptop, or (and I have seen this done, believe it or not) on an external portable hard drive.

Many smaller companies may feel they can’t afford to invest in specially designed software to store their project information safely and securely, but I think the question is whether you can afford not to. Although the protection of your information against loss or (in very extreme cases) theft is one major benefit of dedicated project management software, it’s not the only one with relation to security of information. There are a number of other benefits in having your information stored securely in one place:

Future opportunities and learning from previous experiences
Everything that happens on a project can teach you something for the next one. The mistakes that were made and the things that worked well all provide good guidelines for how to tackle future projects, and whilst the very next project may not necessarily benefit from any of this data, one five years down the track might. But what if the project manager who worked on the previous project stored all his data on his own personal laptop, which was wiped when he left and handed to another staff member? All that valuable data is lost.

Easy information access in the event of claims and disputes
No one likes it, but it’s a fact of life that in construction there will sometimes be disputes. The best way to tackle these is by constantly arming yourself with every possible piece of evidence that can back up your position – emails, contracts and records of phone conversations all make up a wealth of data that can back you up in the event of a dispute, a possibly end up saving you a lot of money. And it’s no use having all this data scattered between different people on the project team, or worse, in people’s memories.

Safety from tangible threats
With developments in cloud computing and storing your data on external servers, your project information is also continually backed up and safe from more tangible threats, such as physical damage to your offices and servers through natural disasters, or blackouts and server failure.

Project management software is a considerable investment and one that takes much research, evaluation and comparisons of different offerings to get right. So to help you choose the best software for your organisational needs, here are seven things to look for when making the all important decision of which project management software to go with:

1. Job Costing
The software should be able to handle your job costing needs, including giving you instant access to actual project costs and the ability to alert users to potential cost overruns before they send the project too far off budget. Good project management software will also be able to produce cost projections easily and regularly.

2. Document Control
One of the main advantages of project management software is that all your job information is stored in a central database accessible to everyone who is working on the project. Therefore, an easily accessible database with the ability to store all the information relating to the project is a must. Documents stored in the database must also be easily tracked and retrievable in the event of a dispute, claim or change of scope.

3. Reporting
Good project management software should come with built in comprehensive reporting facilities that can be easily customised to suit your organisation’s specific needs. Reports should be able to be generated quickly and easily with up to the minute information to give you the most accurate view of your project. A bonus is also the ability to report on all aspects of the project, not just document control but also costs as well.

4. Ability to Customise
With the nature of project management, no two organisation’s processes are the same and that’s why it’s important to be able to customise the software to suit your organisation. Small configurations to the software that do not need external consultants and are free for users to do themselves are so important when it comes to any kind of software. Customisable forms, field labels and dashboards all help make project management software easy to use and relevant to your users, as well as user-defined workflows to streamline and automate your processes.

5. Integration
In order to keep everyone in your organisation on the same page and reduce duplicate data entry, project management software should be able to integrate with your ERP system. Good project management software will have seamless integration with a number of ERP systems that allows smooth transfer of information between the two applications. Integration between other applications is also a plus, such as email integration with Outlook.

6. Web based/SaaS option
With advancements in cloud computing and hosting software online, many project management software applications are moving towards this new technology. Although it may not suit every organisation, good project management software provides the option to buy an online version of the software. This gives you the opportunity to assess which is the best option for your business needs and the ability to choose to use the software either on premise or online.

7. Scheduling
This may seem obvious, but some project management software applications do not provide the ability to schedule work on the project. Gantt charts are an easy way to see at a glance the project schedule, and if these are integrated with other areas of the software to automatically update should something change elsewhere on the project, it’s even better.

If you are in the market for a new project management software solution, feel free to contact us for a free demo of IPM and all of the above features.

The recent Chilean volcano ash cloud and resulting closure of airports across southern Australia and New Zealand really goes to show how easily our travel plans can go awry. If you happened to be one of the many stuck at Melbourne airport last Monday, I’m sure the delays were not only frustrating, but also straining on your time. And even though this happened on a public holiday in Australia, there were still delays for people returning to work for days afterwards.

Project management often involves travel, and unexpected travel delays and long stopovers can have big impacts on your work. But what if you had the tools to use these delays to your advantage?

I recently read a blog entry posted on the PMI’s Voices on Project Management site by Dmitri Ivanenko about how project managers can effectively use travelling time. The blog talks about how project management often involves the need for travel, and this travel time is a perfect opportunity to catch up on emails, project documentation or review schedules.

But what if it only takes you a few minutes to catch up on those emails, or the documents you really need to work on are still at the office, or saved on the office PC? Sometimes free airport Wi-Fi and remote access to your emails can only take you so far. What you really need is the ability to access exactly the same information on the go as you would if you were in the office, especially in the event of an unexpected delay like the volcanic ash cloud.

With software like IPM, the database is central and can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. So you can work from the office, home or gate lounge 3 of an airport whilst waiting for your plane to take off, and you still have access to all the same data you would have if you were in the office.

One of my posts a couple of months ago also looked at how virtual communication is changing the face of project management, and this same technology can help you make the most of any unexpected travel delays or long stopovers. Microsoft’s CRM technology means certain project management software programs, such as IPM, can be accessed remotely from your smart phone, so even if you are stuck without your laptop, you can still get full access to the database.

The ability to use software offline is also important. In the event you are delayed and can’t get internet access, you are still able to work on your project documents using the project management software, then sync the information you have entered with the main database once an internet connection is restored.

We all agree that travel delays are frustrating and inconvenient, but they are also sometimes unavoidable. But with the right tools you can turn your travel delays into effective time to work on your project.

Good communication between a project manager and his or her project team, clients and subcontractors has always been an important aspect of successful project management. There are tons of blogs out there on how to improve project communication, and many project failures can often be attributed to poor communication between the project team. Project management is as much about good communication as it is about good management.

But as little as five or ten years ago, project communication was difficult for teams with employees in different locations, or constantly out in the field. One of our clients even told us of their managing director using an analogue phone connected to a fax machine in his car in order to stay in communication with the team!

But now with developments in smart phone technology, cloud computing and instant messaging, virtual communication is moving project communication forward in leaps and bounds. Technology such as cloud computing has enabled the development IPM Cloud, an onlineproject management software solution where teams in a number of different locations can all connect to the same project database, collaborate with one another and communicate easily with tight email integration.
 
The popularity of smart phones is also rapidly increasing, with demand expected to grow by almost 50% this year, according to IDC. And given the fact that you can access IPM on your smart phone, communication between team members is now easier than ever. Thanks to smart phones, travel between the field and the office, and commuting to and from work are now no longer leeches of time, but opportunities to catch up on any communication with your team members, subcontractors or customers.

Of course, this constant stream of virtual communication can also have negative effects on teams with problems of over communication, expectations of instantaneous responses and an overreliance on non face-to-face communication. That’s why if you do implement virtual communication within your team, it’s also important to set a few guidelines for how your team members can interact using virtual communication. And while nothing beats good old fashioned face to face time, virtual communication is also facilitating other ways of communicating in project management that were never possible before. If it’s used to complement and enhance your face to face communication, virtual communication can put your project team ahead of your less tech savvy competitors.

If you’d like to know more about IPM Cloud and the benefits of virtual communication, feel free to contact us for a free demo, or post a comment below.

There has been a lot of buzz around the concept of ‘cloud computing’ lately, and you may have seen Microsoft’s ‘to the cloud’ global advertising campaign. But even after all this buzz, I still find the concept hasn’t been fully explained for the average ‘non techie’. Starting out at IPM Global as a ‘non techie’ myself, I will do my best to explain it as I have come to understand it, and in completely ‘non techie’ terms.

Cloud computing means you can choose where you want to host your software. Rather than hosting software on your own company servers, you can pay another company a monthly service fee to host your software for you. This means you don’t have to pay upfront costs for hardware and server infrastructure, but rather ‘rent’ a hosting company’s server to host your software. You also have someone take care of all the IT infrastructure maintenance, and your data is safe in the event of a black out or natural disaster at your office.

 A post from Ryan Plourde at the CRM software blog gives a nice analogy of cloud computing, where he explains that the difference between purchasing your own software up front and cloud computing is similar to buying your own house versus renting another house and paying in monthly instalments. Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages for both options, just as there are advantages and disadvantages of hosting your own software or investing in cloud computing. In short it comes down to what suits your organisation best.

So in order to further explain cloud computing and help you decide whether this option may be for you, here are some of the benefits of hosting IPM in our cloud vs. purchasing the software up front:

-  Flexible monthly payment options with low set up costs
- Automated backups to insure the integrity of your data
- No hardware and server infrastructure investment required
- Automatic software upgrades and patches
- Access IPM data on site from any computer with an internet connection
- Full use of all areas of IPM

IPM Project Management deployed in the cloud is a good solution for small businesses that may not have the IT infrastructure or funds to host the software themselves, or may wish for a hosting solution that doesn’t need ‘looking after’, with all the backups and updates taken care of.

Let us know if you’d like more information on the cloud version of IPM by contacting us for a free a demo, or posting a comment below.