Canea Consulting, Sweden, has worked with the development, marketing and introduction of PPM-solutions since 1999. It has released the Canea Projects 2011 Software for Project Portfolio Management, which provides the following benefits to the users:
* A new generation project and portfolio management software.
* Focus on social project management in the whole solution.
* Flexible time planning with drag-and-drop.
* Fully integrated communication platform.
* Powerful functionality, eg, management of WBS models.
* Very easy to use with a modern Web interface.
* Built from scratch with new Web technology.
* Completely flexible configuration, which can be managed by the customer.
With the reliance of the processes of the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge Fourth Edition, PMBOK, Canea Projects 2011 is issued as a software as a service through browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox.
System requirements are:
Hardware: Server with 2GB+ RAM
Operating system: Windows Server with MS .Net; Framework 4.0 and IIS 6+
Database: MS SQL 2005/2008
As a SaaS tool, Canea Projects 2011 will provide the client with not only improved and consistent opportunities for communication, interaction and co-operation within and between projects, but also increased opportunities to complete projects on time and within budget.
This will result in easier involvement of external interested parties in projects, reduced administrative costs and less searching for information.
As a contender in the enterprise project management space, Canea Projects 2011 supports and aids the development of project management maturity together with the need for IT support. It is therefore critical for the organisation using Canea Projects 2011 to ensure that the maturity of project management supports the system usage.
For the users, Canea Projects 2011 is a simple integrated tool. With the team structure and project information in place, Canea Projects will provide the right information at the right time to the right people. Effective administration will support the users and provide access and read rights to the required information at the required level.
The consolidated front-end of Canea Projects 2011 will provide a portal view as per figure 2, which is customisable based on access rights, as well as user requirements and needs.
The communication highlight of Canea Projects 2011 is a social communication function with avatars through the 'Project Stream' tab. The Stream will allow for discussions and comments to be shared, discussed and commented on. Teamwork and communication is enhanced through this portal function.
Canea Projects will run a life cycle methodology issued by the performing organisation across the process, split by review gates.
This is aligned to the PMBOK and can be customised for the organisation's specific methodology.
The governance will enable the projects to follow the right processes, procedures and templates, using the life cycle; and will allow the gatekeepers the ability to review at a point in time to decide on whether the project progresses or must be checked, reworked, held or stopped.
As part of the governance process the projects will be assigned names, numbers, staff, etc, and will align to strategies. A portlet view will be created for this for all projects dependent on the governance rules.
A portlet indicates the statues of scope, time, cost, quality, risk, and satisfaction using a 3-point stoplight principle of Red, Amber and Green. These statuses together, and individually, will allow for decision-making to be made on actuals.
The rules for what constitutes the risk process and RAG status are customisable to the governance of risk within the performing organisation. The process will be performed on the risk tab.
All portlets are customisable per function, and the front-page portal view of a project is flexible as per information required and based on administrative rights.
As indicated, the flow of the information is performed through tabs on the top of the screen, which will allow for updates and tracking to be performed.
Canea Projects 2011 allows for the build of a WBS, schedule and budget as per figures 3, 4 and 5 below. These views are updated within the tool by the project manager together with the team, following the PMBOK best practice process.
Following the project governance process for all projects will allow for the portfolio manager to assess all the projects in their portfolio to ascertain status and performance on the portfolio from an asset, resource and investment perspective.
The portfolio manager will use this information of the projects as per figure 6, to confirm the links to strategic objectives and be able to issue changes and permissions as required to meet the strategic objectives of the portfolio.
Similarly, a program manager uses a rolled up view of the projects and programs under their control, as per figure 7 below, to ascertain the performance and progress of the program to meet the required resourcing and benefit realisation of the program. This is a customisable view.
Charts and reports may be defined through the Portfolio, Program and Project Structures for reporting purposes as required through the governance process.
Although Canea Projects will issue charts and reports within the system, the organisation may have customised charts and reports created for their specific requirements.
These will be developed as required.
As with all portfolios, programs and projects, there is a requirement to ensure alignment of the resources to the work.
Canea Projects assesses this through resource reviews and will allow for work to be allocated accordingly.
The tracking of this can be performed through a timesheet system, which will ensure the actuals are reported against plan, and usage is aligned. Either the portfolio, program or project manager may then perform resource levelling.
Based on this review, this an easy-to-use customisable and comprehensive toolset for Project and Portfolio Management, aligned to the Guide to the PMBOK Fourth Edition in terms of project management.
For more information, contact EBS at 011 545 7660 or info@ebsza.com.
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