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In today’s digital, fast paced, and interconnected world, it becomes imperative that projects need to be run at speed and efficiency. Project lifecycles have condensed and focus on collaboration between project stakeholders has never been more critical. Success clearly lies in cooperation, trust, reducing risk and increasing efficiency between intra and inter organizational members.
The complexity of modern projects demands a seamless integration between various stakeholders - owners, contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, facility managers, and authorities.
This challenge posits a question: “How can project managers increase project efficiency, transparency and reduce the complexity of information exchange - between internal and external project stakeholders - while maintaining their individual objectives and incentives”?
Project Collaboration Management as part of SAP Project and Resource Management addresses this specific whitespace.
Need for Project Collaboration Management
Project activity Interdependency: Stakeholders in cross company projects sometimes cut across different geographies and organizations. Coordinating with these diverse members requires a robust collaboration framework to ensure that all parties are on the same page.
Inefficiency in Traditional Methods: Traditional methods of collaboration, such as emails and phone calls, are not only time-consuming but also error prone. Information shared through different systems can lead to miscommunication and delays.
Compliance to Standards: In industries such as Engineering and Construction, adhering to standards like building information modelling (BIM) and maintaining a common data environment is crucial for project success. Projects also have their templates to comply with and adhered by all members.
Capabilities of Project Collaboration Management
Share Project Information: This centralized and integrated toolset provides a single source of truth to enhance project transparency and collaboration to also to track and control both management and execution processes. Features such as GANTT chart and KANBAN board provide visibility to activities and enable agile decision making. Project Managers can share project plans with external partners and import project timelines from 3rd party scheduling tools using various file formats such as .mpp, .mpx, .mpd, .xer. This enables Project Managers to manage multiple versions of project plans e.g., from tools like Oracle Primavera or MS Project and use these versions to compare against initial timeline.
Native integration with Enterprise Projects in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public edition allows users to import project WBS elements from underlying system and use them as the basis for project structure. In addition, one can also import the projects WBS structure from Project System in SAP S/4HANA by using the SAP Integration suite. For integration with EPPM (Portfolio and Project Management) in SAP S/4HANA, a consulting service is offered to define the corresponding iFlows in the SAP Integration Suite. This approach utilizes APIs for custom integrations which enables users to bring-in project timeline information from any kind of project scheduling tools.
Support for Digital Twin: SAP Project Collaboration Management is an open, flexible, and expandable solution that supports digital twin lifecycle from as-designed to as-built. Project Managers can share digital models in a central repository to connect cross company and organizational processes. Distributed project information can be visualized and connected using a digital twin that complies with local and international standards and actions on the digital twin can be monitored by assigning issues, changes, and tasks.
Issue and Change management: The tool helps Project Managers simplify Task, Risk, Issue and Change Request by providing option to classify and document project problems with detailed information such as notes, member responsible, related objects and photos. It provides flexibility to manage authorizations at both individual and team level. Project Managers can use the automated review and approval process to collaborate across internal and external stakeholders on topics that impact project cost, scope, quality, and schedule.
Benefits of Using Project Collaboration Management
Streamlined Processes: The tool provides a digitized and automated information flow between all internal and external project stakeholders. This helps avoid manual steps, reduce errors, and decrease waste of time and materials. Collaborative project management ensures that all stakeholders are aligned, leading to faster project completion times and adherence to higher quality standards.
Enhanced Efficiency: Features like document management, cross-company project master plans, risk, task and issue management, and visual budget control significantly improve process efficiency. Automation of manual tasks leads to a more productive workforce.
Increased transparency: An integrated toolset for project management and work management results in a single source of truth for project information. It provides users visibility to upstream and downstream processes and the right information leading to fewer claims disputes, resulting in better customer relationships.
Reduced Rework and Cycle time: By improving collaboration, companies can reduce rework and waste by up to 50%*. This not only saves time but also reduces costs associated with time and material wastage. Collaborative project management can also reduce cycle times for approvals and workflows by up to 60%*, ensuring that projects move forward without unnecessary delays.
*Source: SAP experts estimate based on co-innovation customer engagements
Conclusion
A study by PMI states that collaborative project management tools can increase the success rate of projects by 71%. With its numerous benefits, SAP Project Collaboration can help Project managers deliver real business value. Thus, by leveraging Project Collaboration Management within SAP Project and Resource Management, companies can increase efficiency, build trust and transparency, and meet the complexity and demands of new-age projects.
You can learn more about SAP Project and Resource Management at the following pages:
- SAP Product Page: SAP Project and Resource Management
- SAP Help portal: SAP Project and Resource Management | SAP Help Portal
- SAP Community Page: SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition and Project Control
