Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions

Transcription

1 Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions Building integrated project teams The foundations of the Sage Project Lifecycle Management platform Sage Project Lifecycle Management supports integrated project teams. Sage Project Lifecycle Management creates a unique information and business process environment for an organization s projects or program management, facilitating and enhancing a collaborative working environment. It promotes transparency; it encourages higher levels of uniformity and re-use of information to increase productivity; and it supports organizations looking to re-engineer their business processes, both internally and across their supply chains. By adding further applications, the already-extensive functionality of the core Sage Project Lifecycle Management platform can be extended to create a powerful project control resource.

2 Contents Delivering productivity through integrated teams Collaboration What is Sage Project Lifecycle Management?... 4 The Sage Project Lifecycle Management platform...5 How to use the Sage Project Lifecycle Management platform Sage Project Lifecycle Management: Sophisticated service features... 7 Sage Project Lifecycle Management: Benefits... 7 User efficiency benefits...7 Management benefits...8 Enterprise benefits...9 Creating truly integrated project teams through online collaboration... 9 Software as a Service Better team integration that translates into budgetary confidence

3 Delivering productivity through integrated teams When it comes to the life cycle of any built asset, the last thing an organization needs are surprises. But with so many project teams still sharing their information through antiquated means such as faxes, phone calls, reports, and even word of mouth, unexpected breakdowns in communication are inevitable. Information exchanged on the fly results in a project team that is often disconnected with limited visibility into the full scope of the project contributing to disputes, delays, and even claims. Owners, contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, consultants, and all stakeholders that comprise an extended project team require a more effective way to communicate, interact, and share information if they intend to reduce the typical risks associated with complex projects. The right collaboration technology can break down communication barriers, eliminate silos, and foster creative, efficient teamwork throughout the project life cycle of built assets. Complex, high-value, high-risk projects demand a versatile, powerful, and easy-toadminister management tool, such as Sage Project Lifecycle Management, to facilitate true collaboration across the entire project team in order to successfully address the following five critical project requirements: Total project visibility and increased accountability. Project process discipline. Control across multi-disciplinary and geographically diverse teams. A secure, centralized online location for all project-related information and documentation to reside. Financial and cost control. Sage Project Lifecycle Management helps organizations: Promote integrated team effectiveness. Improve project efficiencies. Reduce risk. Integrate disparate technologies. Manage whole-life asset performance. Encourage re-use of information. Help organizations re-engineer their business processes both internally and across their supply chains. The core of the system is its powerful collaboration platform, but depending on the organization or a team s requirements, additional functionality can be added to create a fully-featured project control system. This document focuses on the collaborative capacity of the core system and touches upon additional applications that can be integrated with the base platform. 3

4 Collaboration The process of shared creation: two or more individuals with complementary skills interacting to create a shared understanding that none had previously possessed or could have come to on their own. 1 As this suggests, collaboration is a process of value creation that cannot be achieved through traditional communication and team work structures. The key is an environment in which authorized users have equal access that they can use to interact in real-time towards the achievement of agreed objectives. Effectively, this becomes a collaborative platform that people can use to create synergies, where the outputs from the group are greater than the sum of all individuals expertise and knowledge inputs. Whether for individual projects or for multi-project programs, Sage Project Lifecycle Management enables creative interaction. Customers (and their supply chain partners) may be unsure about which way to proceed, and Sage Project Lifecycle Management can help them respond to a range of both tactical and strategic business options, including: Enabling traditional project-based team communications. Re-engineering existing project delivery processes (eg: to improve document/drawing management and/or authorization). Displaying timely and valuable management information as a by-product of day-to-day activities. Providing a platform for better delivery of complete program management. Producing life cycle information, especially on costs, and for re-use on subsequent projects. Benchmarking by setting performance indicators (eg: drawing approval times, team participation, and contribution, etc.). Simplifying the management of corporate standards. What is Sage Project Lifecycle Management? Sage Project Lifecycle Management is a new, comprehensive, Web-based collaborative project management service platform that greatly simplifies an organization s overall workflow by making all project-related information and documentation available online in a secure, centralized location. Ideal for virtually any organization that builds or maintains built assets, Sage Project Lifecycle Management not only allows the project team to easily share and quickly act upon accurate, timely information throughout the life of a structure, it also optimizes workflows to match an organization s current business procedures as well as rapidly introduce new processes. Using this flexible and powerful online collaboration service, the extended project team gains greater insight, control, and access to more accurate, timely information that results in reduced risk, lower costs, and on-time delivery. Sage Poject Lifecycle Management is designed to open up the lines of communication and eliminate the silos created by more traditional team approaches to maximize efficiency at every stage of the project life cycle. 1 (Michael Schrage, Shared Minds: the New Technologies of Collaboration, 1990) 4

5 Sage Project Lifecycle Management CONSTRUCTION CONS. MGR GEN. CONTR SPEC. CONTR SUPPLIERS ENGINEER PRE-CONSTRUCTION ARCHITECT Sage Project Lifecycle Management OWNER FACILITIES POST CONSTRUCTION SERVICE SUPPLIERS Sage Project Lifecycle Management helps organizations gain visibility over the full life cycle of projects with the end result being a structured, searchable Knowledgebase of completed assets on a by-project basis. The Sage Project Lifecycle Management platform Easily accessed online, the Sage Project Lifecycle Management is a sophisticated Webbased collaborative platform that acts as a central hub for all project information. It meets the information requirements of the many different organizations, professions, and disciplines involved throughout the life cycles of a program or series of projects owners, funders, design teams, general contractors, subcontractors, operations teams, maintenance organizations, auditors, insurers, and other stakeholders. Each client is provided with a unique environment created around a knowledge database specific to the project or program (eg: a factory, a shopping center, an office development, a multi-phase business park, a series of assets distributed across the country). Focused on the built asset(s), the application promotes transparency and participant involvement while maintaining a fine degree of control. All information is available to every authorized team member from the earliest concepts and specifications of a project, through detailed design, pre-fabrication, construction, maintenance, operation and improvement, to the eventual decommissioning of the facility. Participants can create and share information (drawings, comments, requests for information, procedures, minutes, team member details, orders, photographs, video, etc.) through the Internet. Up-to-date, accurate information is constantly available. Team members can view, manipulate, mark-up, and comment on drawings and documents, manage business processes, and both create and receive alerts regarding new information or requests. However, Sage understands that constant flows of high levels of information can result in information overload, affecting users productivity and morale. That s why Sage Project Lifecycle Management focuses on delivering just the right information to the right person at the right time. Required actions and response times are highlighted so that users understand clearly what is expected of them and when. 5

6 Users are not limited by a system that is unavailable after normal business hours. As a provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or on-demand applications, Sage makes its platform available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from a secure location. All data is held securely in a central repository, and all accesses to information are logged, providing a complete audit trail. Who did what and when is clear to all authorized participants. The application is also useful where groups of businesses come together for prolonged periods, perhaps combining finance, design, build, and operation activities on long-term projects. Instead of focusing on construction, teams can consider wider issues influencing how the asset is to be designed and how it will be managed after completion. For multi-project or multi-phase developments, experiences, information, and best practices generated during early project stages can be captured to promote continuous performance improvement and reduced risk on later projects. From their use on real projects of various sizes and types, Sage Project Lifecycle Management Web services are proven to offer solid benefits to clients, consultants, professionals, and contractors. These include: Improved information exchange, co-ordination, and communications flow. Improved forecasting and decision making. Reduced project risks. Reduced project costs and lifetime costs. Increased efficiency of design, build, and other processes. Better oversight of key management processes and activities. More efficient project and/or program team processes through systems integration. How to use the Sage Project Lifecycle Management platform Sage Project Lifecycle Management grows as new information is created and as team members start to use and share it, adding comments, reminders and requests for information, authorizations, etc. You log on to a Home page unique to you; this highlights any information relevant to your role and responsibilities. You can then pull information to you when you need it (it does not push out automatically-generated s). A comprehensive menu structure also gives you access to all the historic data and documents that you are permitted to view. The system can also provide information feeds tailored to particular interest areas, such as for certain work packages. Construction work packages are developed to describe the scope of work and facilitate the integration between cross functional disciplines. You can search for and view drawings, and drill down for more detail. You can comment on drawings, including placing comments on specific areas. Your comments are then fed back to the originator, who can in turn reply. In this way, on-line discussions that revolve around these drawings and documents can take place across the team. Changes to design information automatically generate entries into a change order log that allows users to track instructions required and received, along with related cost implications. 6

7 Sage Project Lifecycle Management: Sophisticated service features Ease of use; limited training requirements. Robust yet flexible system architecture. CAD software not needed for viewing drawings. Ability to handle large numbers of concurrent users accessing large volumes of data. Full audit trail of every access, change, and download of information. Total security of each information environment; availability only to the client and authorized users. Each user sees only pages authorized within security set-up. Central servers securely housed, with high availability and resilience. Full security measures, including, if required, secure server certificate (HTTPS) encryption. Roles-based security that gives organizations control over which people have access, the degree to which they have access, and their ability to interact with the system. Sage monitored, fully backed-up, supported by Sage Customer Support services. Integration with back office applications and with business partners business systems. Sage Project Lifecycle Management: Benefits Sage Project Lifecycle Management creates a unique information environment based around a knowledge database, for an organization s project or program management. It promotes transparency, encourages higher levels of uniformity to increase productivity, maintains a fine degree of control, and reduces administration requirements. The result? Lower internal costs. User efficiency benefits Greater accessibility Information is accessible quickly online 24 hours a day from any Internet connection, and the production and use of information becomes more visible and transparent. Better security Only authorized individuals can access information, and what they can access is limited to the necessary information they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Shared understanding All users share a single knowledgebase, a unified, consistent bank of core information that includes details of all participating companies and users as well as data specific to particular projects or program, and more. Faster, more accurate information flow As a central repository of all relevant project information, Sage Project Lifecycle Management gives all participants immediate access to the most accurate, up-to-date information they need. Problems can be identified earlier and resolved more quickly, ultimately reducing the duration of a project. More efficient processes Standard distribution lists can be established so that individuals are automatically notified about information relevant to their roles, responsibilities and interests on specific projects, and templates can be agreed upon for particular types of information, for example. By recreating common working methods within the system, some processes can be automated, providing more consistent and reliable workflows, cutting operational costs and reducing risk. 7

8 Fewer errors Constant availability of the most current information reduces the capacity for errors or oversights. Any unforeseen surprises can be dealt with immediately allowing managers and users to list outstanding activities and monitor progress to ensure nothing has been forgotten. Fewer design changes Coordination between designers and constructors is improved. Online collaboration allows build-related issues to be identified earlier in the process, with any resulting design changes more carefully considered. Greater standardization and interoperability Sage Project Lifecycle Management enables clients to manage projects using either their own or industry-recognized protocols. Basing information on industry standards means that data created by one participant can be used and re-used by others without conversion or reformatting. Designers and other professionals can focus on adding value rather than reinventing the wheel. Core data can be quickly re-used by other team members, and then stored for easy access by those involved in any future processes. Greater productivity The constant flow of high levels of information can easily result in information overload. Deliver the right information to the right person at the right time. Information that requires a reaction (eg: acknowledgement, review, action, approval) is highlighted, along with an indication of the time-span for response, helping users to prioritize their workload and manage their time more effectively. More timely outputs Sage Project Lifecycle Management delegates responsibilities to users to maintain their own information and to publish information in a timely manner. As a result, peer group pressure, supported by the transparency of the system, helps keep projects on schedule. More collaborative working By improving individual time management and information flow and enabling online discussions, create time and space for the development of new ideas, with outputs that reflect the team s collective expertise and input. Fewer disputes Many claims arise due to allegedly late, incomplete, or inaccurate information. Sage Project Lifecycle Management s detailed audit capabilities allow managers to review a fully documented history of a project. Many potential disputes can be quickly resolved by establishing the facts, while awareness of the audit trail will often discourage false claims. Management benefits Better control of information flows Sage Project Lifecycle Management enables users to track and manage project documentation and information during the delivery process, helping them to control the flow of information to different members of the project team. Better management reporting Managers can track and review who is undertaking which activity and when. Standard reporting processes can be implemented across projects or programs. Milestones can be established and monitored online. And, outstanding actions can then be identified and managed as necessary. Improved allocation of work package information Many contractors procure, manage and/or build through work packages. Construction work packages are developed to describe the scope of work and facilitate the integration between cross functional disciplines. Information published to Sage Project Lifecycle Management can be associated with specific work packages. Main contractors can collate and disseminate essential information more efficiently to sub-contractors responsible for the different elements of projects. 8

9 Better change management The control and management of change is an essential part of the design and construction processes. Sage Project Lifecycle Management offers a critical change control mechanism allowing the issue and receipt of authorizations to proceed and requests for information (RFIs). To support the change management process, appropriate and relevant documents and drawings can be associated with each RFI, etc. Enterprise benefits Improved whole life cycle asset management New emphasis on managing value-adding activities throughout the whole life cycle of an asset means the system can capture all information from inception to operation adding tremendous value. Sage Project Lifecycle Management provides a complete living archive of all project documentation relating to an asset. This is stored in a structured central environment, where, for example, design and construction information can subsequently be accessed for operation and maintenance purposes. Better portfolio management Cross-project environments can be configured to share information and knowledge between parallel projects and people, and to establish areas of standardization where required. The resulting knowledgebase can become a valuable aid to corporate decision-making about future investment in an asset portfolio. By capturing best practices on initial projects, for instance, organizations can create benchmarks for the benefit of subsequent projects. Better use of intellectual capital Having captured an organization s asset knowledge, Sage Project Lifecycle Management can then help that organization share its intellectual capital with that of its business partners improving collaboration between organizations as well as their collective capacity to innovate. Creating truly integrated project teams through online collaboration Sage Project Lifecycle Project Management is a powerful communications platform in its own right. But powerful options can extend its capabilities and deliver further benefits, throughout an organization s effort to create a complete project control system. Depending upon the customer or a team s requirements, the collaboration platform can be expanded to include: Project Management Financial Control Workflow Management Fixed Assets Standards Document Management Punch List Bid Management Asset Management Outlook Integration AutoCAD Integration Project Archive WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FIXED ASETS PROJECT MANAGEMENT STANDARDS PROJECT ARCHIVE Sage Project Lifecycle Management DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT AutoCAD INTEGRATION PUNCH LIST OUTLOOK INTEGRATION BID MANAGEMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT 9

10 One size does not fit all. For truly effective collaboration, Sage Project Lifecycle Management tailors the base methodology to suit each client s requirements and each team s different skill levels. Software as a Service Traditional approaches to the way corporate information and communication technology (IT) is delivered are now being challenged by new types of technology providers who combine the role of software developer and supplier. Learning from the approach of application service providers (ASPs), today s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) vendors streamline the delivery of their software, and are able to pass on greater efficiency and better ROI directly to their customers. As a result, SaaS is causing many organizations to rethink how they procure their software, and also prompting many independent software vendors (ISVs) to reconsider how they deliver their applications. Sage Project Lifecycle Management provides organizations with a shared user interface in an easy-to-administer, easy-to-maintain Web-based solution offered through a SaaS model. This means organizations won t have to secure IT resources and a team of experts to install, configure, and maintain the system. And because it s a shared platform, all documents, schedules, contracts, drawings, budgets, forecasts and more, are available on-demand to all authorized project team members with Internet access anytime, anywhere. Our service approach focuses on extending proven best practices and sharing value-added experiences that we ve gained from deployments with both client teams and existing teams working for large, repeat clients. Sage Project Lifecycle Management reduces risk and reassures new clients that Sage can respond on key issues such as: Ensuring reliability Managing security Achieving buy-in Delivering consistent performance Supporting improvement processes Implementing within a chosen timescale Meeting archive needs Either directly or through its network of business partners, Sage s comprehensive portfolio of value-added services is designed to support the efficient introduction of its technologies into the workplace. But one size does not fit all. For truly effective collaboration, Sage Project Lifecycle Management business partners will work directly with your organization to tailor our base methodology to meet your unique requirements and skill levels. Better team integration that translates into budgetary confidence Team-wide integration not only vastly improves communications and reduces project cycle time, it greatly enhances your team s overall effectiveness and agility, which of course translates into savings. Sage Project Lifecycle Management allows you to break through the road blocks set by your current workflow from pre-construction through the as-built and facilities management phases of the building life cycle giving you confidence that your capital project budget is in line with your organization s overall strategic, operational, and financial objectives. For more information on Sage Project Lifecycle Management or to receive our whitepaper on the benefits of Software as a Service, please contact us at or visit 10

11 NOTES 11

12 Sage Construction and Real Estate NW Greenbrier Parkway Beaverton, OR Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. At Sage, we live and breathe business every day. We are passionate about helping our customers achieve their ambitions. Our range of business software and services is continually evolving as we innovate to answer our customers needs. Our solutions support accounting, operations, customer relationship management, human resources, time tracking, merchant services, and the specialized needs of the construction, distribution, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit, and real estate industries. Sage North America employs more than 5,000 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 14,800 people and supports 5.7 million customers worldwide Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners /0709