Software Development & Implementation
PMWorks specializes in implementing and developing software tools tailored to meet an organization's business requirements and user needs by providing better visibility, management, and decision-making capabilities.
We have expertise in implementing and using Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) software tools for managing project scheduling, cost accounting, and performance metrics. However, we also recognize that, at times, there are process areas that are poorly addressed by many clients' software stacks. Our Custom Intelligence & Enablement Tools are unique and powerful and are designed to fill in the gaps where organizations have been forced to rely on manual processes, tedious data entry, or tenuous data links. Furthermore, the Enablement Tools focus on data integration and toolset augmentation through custom application development, specifically designed to meet our client's business requirements, existing technology, and user needs.
The Core Process Areas Our Tools Focus on Addressing Are:
- Forecasting & Resource Management
- Proposals & Estimates
- Baseline & Change Management
- Progressing and Work Package Management
- Project Performance Reporting
Our approach is different, it streamlines activities by focusing on the organization's existing data in various COTS applications. We create structures that integrate data sources for comparison, aggregation, and processing, and feed it back to source systems when required for optimal visibility and management.
Forecasting and Resource Management Tool
Case Study
PMWorks developed a set of resource management tools for a major Department of Energy National Lab to improve resource tracking across the enterprise, and to share resources more efficiently across departments. The solution provides the Lab with an accessible, intuitive application that displays data in a dynamic and interactive way. These tools give managers real-time data to see detailed resource forecasts by project, department, and skillset, and to easily compare those forecasts with existing supply. Request a demo of the Forecasting & Resource Management Tool by contacting us.
Work Order Management & Progressing
Large project schedules used in construction, manufacturing, design, and research programs often can't include all of the minute details of the tasks needed to deliver work product. A generally accepted practice is to include in the schedule only details down to the Work Package level, leaving onsite managers and foremen to lay out the specific work steps and tasks required for day-to-day front line work.
Line managers use a variety of tools to monitor the issuance of these tasks, and to track their progress towards completion. In many organizations, the detailed tasks are issued in work order documents that may be electronic or paper. Maintaining these documents and providing version control is often a labor intensive, manual process. Work order data needs to be fed back into the scheduling system to provide accurate progress metrics at the Work Package level. These progress measurements are critical for generating performance metrics and for meeting contractual obligations.
PMWorks has supported clients with tools to streamline work order management and maintain accurate progress measurements. We provide a centralized data system that can aggregate task progress details and feed the data directly back into scheduling tools.
Case Study
PMWorks developed a Work Order Management system for a commercial shipyard with a multi-billion dollar government shipbuilding contract. The complexity of the underlying detailed tasks and need for significant amounts of rework made accurate assessment of the detailed tasks difficult, time consuming, and prone to errors. In addition, processing the data to the higher level Work Packages was often inaccurate or not meeting key deadlines. This in turn slowed down payment for completed work and had impacts on monthly cash-flow.
PMWorks created a work order management system that connects to the client's scheduling tool and creates a database system for detailing work packages into standard templates of detailed tasks. These templates can then be modified by line managers to address specific scenarios and the addition of rework or design changes. The system can be used to quickly assign relevant weights to each task based on labor hours and material costs, where these weightings had been done manually in the past. Managers can then mark the progress of individual tasks, allowing the system to calculate the overall work package progress and push that data directly back to the scheduling tool.
Proposals Estimating
Virtually every project begins as a proposal, the heart of which is the detailed cost estimates for every component of the program. Most organizations rely on a variety of databases, spreadsheets and specialized applications to prepare these estimates. These systems are generally oriented to creating only the initial estimates but may not be optimized for retaining and maintaining the underlying data for future analysis or audits. PMWorks has supported clients with customizable tools that help them to organize and manage the cost estimating data.
We create standardized Basis of Estimate (BOE) tools that aggregate the cost data from various sources as needed, which are maintained on SharePoint and reported via a web-based interface. The BOE tool provides a standard interface for reviewers to analyze the underlying estimate data and review models or assumptions used to create the estimate. Web-based automated dashboards can be used to create a standard thread from presentations to the backup documentation. The BOE tool enables dynamic display and reporting from the schedule and cost tools with web based or pdf-based reports enabling drill down analysis to basis of estimate documentation.
COTS Implementation
PMWorks process and toolset experts work with you to collect and organize your business and project control requirements to create a path forward to enhance your current project control toolsets. The goal is to establish schedule and cost toolsets that are configured to accurately model the way you do business as well as to assist project personnel in accomplishing their tasks more efficiently.
Our consultants are experts with a variety of common commercial off the shelf (COTS) project control schedule, cost management, earned value management (EVM), performance analysis, and risk tools such as:
Oracle Primavera | Cost Manager, P6, Risk Analysis
Ecosys | Enterprise Planning & Controls (EPC)
Encore Analytics | Empower
Microsoft | Project, Project Server
Deltek PPM | Cobra, MPM, Open Plan, PM Compass, wInsight Analytics, Acumen Fuse and Risk
Software and IT Support
Whether supporting a new project or rescuing a failed implementation, PMWorks’ highly skilled IT and development team provides everything needed to design, deploy, and manage your solutions.
Our solutions are efficient, flexible, easy to maintain, and perform flawlessly across devices, browsers, and operating systems — your solution can be everywhere your users are.