The IPM Blog

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 :)

I’ve talked often on this blog about the availability of project management software for the past 20 years being limited to highly specialised, inflexible, out of the box solutions. And in order to make these solutions fit their organisation, companies were either forced to change their processes, or pay for customisations to be made in order to suit them better. Both these options seem unappealing, so what is the answer?

With many software programs, customising the software to suit your business needs often requires changes to the code, which can be expensive. Not only that, extensive customisation will often take you out of the upgrade loop, as the software is either now too specific to be compatible with the upgrade changes, or customisations you have made will be overridden by the upgrade changes.

On the other hand, you can go with software out of the box, with little or no extra customisation, and adapt your working processes to fit the way the software has been designed. This option is cheaper, and means the software can be upgraded with minimal disruption to the existing code as there are very few customisations.

But neither of these options sounds very appealing. On the one hand, you have the added expense of customisation that can take you out of the upgrade loop, or you have to change your business process to suit the software. But with the introduction of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 this year, there is now a way you can have the best of both worlds.

Using the foundation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, IPM is one particular project management software program that can be configured very flexibly without the need for code changes. By using workflows and simple customisations such as field labels, role based forms and dashboards, IPM can be configured to suit each individual organisation’s processes without making any changes to the original code.

What’s more, these configurations and workflows can often be executed and managed by users with the appropriate security level, reducing the need for (and costs associated with) outside consultants.

If the simple configurations are not enough to suit your processes, the software can also be easily customised. In the past, we did have problems with these customisations being overridden during the upgrade process, but now with the introduction of CRM 2011 all customisations can be carried through to new versions. This means IPM can support both user defined configuration and customisation without limiting you in the future by taking the software out of the upgrade loop.

If you would like to know more about how IPM can be configured for your business, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a free demo.

Throughout The Workflow Series, we have shown you many ways you can use workflows to automate and customise your use of IPM. As we are continually adjusting and changing IPM in our development process, new ways to use workflows are appearing all the time and one such way is the conversion of Site Diary information into official Change Requests.

During the development of IPM, we have added the SD Change Requests section to the Site Diary form, so users can quickly and easily add details of any changes that arise on site to their Site Diary. However, what happens if they then need to create an official Change Request in the Contract Control section, and send it on to relevant stakeholders to be approved? The SD Change Request is merely a record of potential changes, so would this mean users would have to duplicate all the information into the Change Request form? Not likely, and it’s all due to workflows.

To make the best use of the SD Change Request feature, users can create a workflow that will automatically take the information from the SD Change Request and create an official Change Request in the Contract Control section. The workflow can be set to run on demand, or when a new SD Change Request is added, whichever suits the user best. This means there is no duplication of data and your site diary records are an accurate reflection of happenings on site and your Change Requests are ready and waiting in Contract Control for you.

If you want to see how this process can be taken even further, check out another post in the Workflow Series, Converting Change Requests to Change Orders.

Note: for simplicity, I refer only to Change Requests and Change Orders in this post, but please note these are referred to as Variation Requests and Variations in countries outside the USA.


Previous entries in the Workflow Series:
Creating Forecast Tracking Reports
Monitoring Meeting Minute Items
Making Purchase Order Approvals Simpler
Creating RFIs and Change Requests from an Issue
Converting a Change Request to a Subcontract Change Order
Converting Change Requests to Change Orders

Lately, we’ve been looking at how workflows can make the process of managing changes to the project specifications a little easier, and this post follows on from that in helping you convert change requests into change orders.

This workflow will probably suit those of you in the Electrical and Civil industries a little better, but of course any IPM user can create it if it suits their needs.

We know that changes and variations are often inevitable in projects, and they are a process to be managed to ensure everything is initiated, actioned and approved quickly to keep the project running smoothly. So we wanted to show you a simple workflow that can make that process a little easier.

Once you know about a potential change or variation to the specifications of the Job, no doubt you would go into IPM and enter a Change Request and send it off for approval. Well the sample workflow we created monitors that Change Request document, and when it is approved, the workflow then automatically creates a Change Order document. This saves you having to manually go in and enter details of the Change Order. Not only that, it can also create a contract item in the head contract to ensure the Change Order does not get missed during the billing process. Of course, this is just an example of how workflows can help automate the Change Request to Change Order process, so you can choose to add extra steps, or not include certain steps according to your own business processes.

As changes can affect different areas of the project, check out another post in the Workflow Series that can help you create a Subcontract Change Order from a Change Request.

Note: for simplicity, I refer only to Change Requests and Change Orders in this post, but please note these are referred to as Variation Requests and Variations in countries outside the USA.


Previous entries in the Workflow Series:
Creating Forecast Tracking Reports
Monitoring Meeting Minute Items
Making Purchase Order Approvals Simpler
Creating RFIs and Change Requests from an Issue
Converting a Change Request to a Subcontract Change Order

In the previous post, we looked at how workflows can assist you in taking the information from an issue and creating a change request or RFI . This post will look at one of the next steps in this process, which you may need if the change required has an effect on one of the subcontracts.

Due to feedback from our customers, we knew that users wanted a way to take information from a Change Request and create a Subcontract Change Order with it. To accomplish this, we developed the Subcontract Change Order Price Request section in the Change Request, which lets you send out a request to your subcontractor for a price on the work and materials for the change. This is a really handy feature already, even if you don’t end up using it to create Subcontract Change Orders.

Then, to create a Subcontract Change Order, users can create a workflow to take the information in the Subcontract Change Order Price Request and create a Subcontract Change Order with it, using the particular subcontract and subcontractor you requested the price for the change from. Simply set the workflow to run how you want it to and it will do the rest, for example you may wish for a Subcontract Change Order to be automatically created once the subcontractor’s price has been entered in the Subcontract Change Order Price Request and approved. And as the Subcontract Price Request is part of the Change Request, there is now a valid link between a Change Request and a Subcontract Change Order, which wasn’t possible before.

To learn more about the impact workflows can have on Change Requests and Change Orders, check out some of the other posts in our Workflow Series.

Note: for simplicity, I refer only to Change Requests and Subcontract Change Orders in this post, but please note these are referred to as Variation Requests and Subcontract Variations in countries outside the USA.

Previous entries in the Workflow Series:
Creating Forecast Tracking Reports
Monitoring Meeting Minute Items
Making Purchase Order Approvals Simpler
Creating RFIs and Change Requests from an Issue

This is the fourth post in the Workflow series, which we hope has been helpful so far in showing you a few examples of how workflows can help automate some key areas of IPM you use every day.

In this post I’m going to cover the beginning of the change management process, and the next few coming will show you additional workflows you can use to help make manage changes to the project a little easier.

Typically many changes to a contract or part of the project will result from the identification of a certain issue. IPM has a comprehensive Issues register where you can record and monitor details of all the issues that arise on a project. Sometimes though, it may also be necessary to take the issue further, and the use of workflows can greatly assist this.

This workflow is a simple one, but one that can save you time and means you don’t have to enter duplicate data. Once an Issue is added to the Issue you register, you may discuss it will others involved in the project, and you may then need to create an RFI to get more information or a Change Request if the issue needs to be addressed with a change to the original plans.

To avoid re-entering all the information in the issue record into IPM in order to create an RFI or a Change Request, you can simply set up a workflow to run on demand that can automatically create these documents for you, using the information from the Issue. Simply select which Issue you wish to address, and run the appropriate workflow to turn it into either an RFI or Change Request. Of course, you can also create workflows with slightly different processes, for example you can turn an issue into a meeting minute item so that it can be discussed before the decision is made to proceed.

We have more posts coming in the Workflow series that show you how workflows can help you manage Change Requests once they are in the system, so stay tuned...

Note: for simplicity, I refer only to Change Requests in this post, but please note these are referred to as Variation Requests in countries outside the USA.


Previous entries in the Workflow Series:
Creating Forecast Tracking Reports
Monitoring Meeting Minute Items
Making Purchase Order Approvals Simpler

This is the third post in the Workflow series, showing you easy ways you can use workflows to enhance and automate IPM to suit your own business processes.

This week, I’m going to show you a workflow we came up with that can make the process of approving purchase orders simpler. In your organisation, you may have employees who are only authorised to approve purchase orders up to a certain amount, but anything over that must be approved by an employee with a higher approval limit, such as the project manager.

In order to make this distinction simpler, we created the PO approval workflow. The workflow monitors each purchase order and kicks in when the status of a purchase order is changed. It will immediately recognise if the person changing the status can approve purchase orders of that amount. If not, it will keep the purchase order status as pending, and send an email to the project manager (or appropriate employee) informing them there is a purchase order in the system that requires their approval. If necessary, the approval can be escalated further up the chain until a team member with the appropriate level of approval can approve the PO. It’s entirely up to you.

This way, employees can update the status of the purchase order without worrying about their approval amount, or having to create an email themselves when a purchase order requires higher approval. The workflow will ensure no purchase order gets approved unless the person has the correct security level, and cuts out unnecessary emailing back and forth to get purchase orders approved.

Previous entries in the Workflow Series:
Creating Forecast Tracking Reports
Monitoring Meeting Minute Items

This is the second post in The Workflow Series, which shows how workflows can enhance and automate different areas of IPM to suit your business processes better. Of course, due to the nature of workflows, you can decide how and where you use workflows, so these are only examples in an almost infinite list of possibilities.

Last week, I outlined the use of workflows in the creation of forecast tracking reports, used to track the changes to your forecast to complete figures as the project progresses. This week I’m going to talk about how workflows can help you ensure meeting minute items are followed up and actioned on time.

Do you find yourself, after every meeting with architects, subcontractors, general contractors and the like, constantly chasing up attendees to ensure they have actioned the items on the agenda they are responsible for? Or setting yourself countless outlook reminders and scribbling on post it notes in the hope that nothing will slip through the cracks?

Well, you will be pleased to know that as this is a blog about solutions, there is an easier way to manage your meeting minute items. And, you guessed it, the answer lies with Microsoft Dynamics CRM workflows. In other examples we have shown you of workflows, they have been set to run on demand or when part of a record is changed. But workflows can also be created when a record is created. This is perfect in the case of meeting minute items, as it means that each time you create a meeting minute item, a workflow can kick off and constantly run in the background. One way you can use this is to have the workflow regularly check today’s date against the due date on the meeting minute item. If the due date rolls around and the item has not yet been actioned, the workflow can then automatically send an email reminder to you, and the person responsible for the item. So all you have to do is create the workflow and add your meeting minute items into IPM as you normally would, and it will do the rest for you. No more chasing people up, setting countless outlook reminders or scribbled post it notes.

We have plenty more tips and ideas for workflow uses, so keep checking back for more in The Workflow Series.

I know it’s human nature to hang onto things we’ve outgrown or no longer have use for. Be it some emotional connection we have to the tattered pair of jeans that no longer fit, or the fact we’re just too lazy to change mobile phone providers or switch from the energy supplier who is clearly charging too much. We’ve all been guilty of it at some point.

But many construction companies also tend to hang onto the software they have used for years, despite the fact that it may no longer fit the size of the business and type of work they are doing, or that it hasn’t kept pace with the changing nature of the industry. But in this economy it makes no sense to stick to software that could ultimately be costing you time and money.

So how can you tell you’ve outgrown your project management software and that it’s time to part ways? Here are five telltale signs...

1. Loss of productivity
Many older style applications require employees to enter the same information more than once, which ultimately leads to a loss of productivity. You should be able to integrate your project management software with your accounting system to avoid duplicating data, as well as giving you accurate reporting of costs with one version of the truth. If not, you are unnecessarily paying employees to do the same job twice.

2. Inflexible software
There are so many developments in software nowadays, such as workflows, that there should be no reason for a software application to dictate the way you run your business. If you can’t add customisations to your software and choose how you interact with it, it could be costing you time and money by hindering your efficiency.

3. Inability to access data remotely and from a central database
The nature of construction means there are times you need to access data when you are not in the office. If your current solution is to save information in spreadsheets on your laptop, there is a better way. Software that can be used in a web browser is far more efficient, and IPM’s central database means you can access the same information as everyone in your office. If there is no access to the internet, simply use it in offline mode and it will automatically sync up to the main database when internet access is restored.

4. Inability to provide accurate, real time reporting
It’s no good finding out at the end of the month that your project spend has overrun by 40%. You need to be able to access that information quickly and easily and with up-to-the-minute accuracy. Only solutions with accurate and easy to use reporting facilities can give you this information when you need it.

5. The software is not user friendly
If your employees still can’t find their way around your current software solution and are spending countless hours on menial tasks to get the right information in the right place, and then can’t find that information again later, your software is not user friendly. Software with a simple and familiar look and feel throughout, and that takes less time to do more work is definitely in order.

If you recognise these symptoms in your own organisation’s current software solution and would like to see how IPM cures them, please don’t hesitate to contact IPM Global for a free demo.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about the power of workflows in customising and automating your project management software. Well this got me thinking about all the nifty ways IPM can use workflows to better suit your project management needs, and I decided it was time for a blog series to show you how a few of them work. So, welcome to the first post in The Workflow Series.

I will start off with showing how workflows have helped develop quite a new feature of IPM, the forecast tracking report. Not long ago, IPM developed the enhanced forecasting tool in the Job Tasks Progress screen. This easy to use tool enables you to continually update detailed forecast to complete information for each job task as the job progresses. However, we found that once the forecast was updated, the original forecast was overridden with the new one.

Was there a way to view what your forecast to complete was three months ago and compare it to now? With workflows, the answer is yes. We added a forecast tracking report to the Job and Job Task forms, which is created by a workflow. Now you can decide how you want the workflow to run.

As an example, we created a workflow that would run every time the forecast to complete figure in the Job Tasks Progress screen was changed. When the forecast is updated, the workflow runs in the background and creates a forecast tacking report to show you what the forecast looked like before it was updated. Now each time the forecast is changed, a forecast tracking report is created in the Job and Job Task forms and they will soon develop into a comprehensive and searchable tracking log for all the forecast updates on the project. This way you can compare what your forecast looked like three months ago to how it looks now.

Of course, the nature of workflows means you can choose how you want them to work. Instead of automatically creating the forecast tracking report, you could set the workflow to run on demand, so it only creates the reports when you want it to. Workflows are also simple to create if you have the appropriate security access level, so you are in control without the need for external consultants.

This is just one way IPM is utilising workflows, so stay tuned for more in the Workflow series...