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286 SEARCH FOR AUTOMATED, INTEGRATED EPM

entry. These tools should also provide for management review and con-
trol of time reporting.
• Expanded costing, accounting, and cash flow functions.
• Posting and retention of project data in an open, SQL-type database. This
database acts as a repository for the data produced by various PM tools, as
well as connectivity to other data of the enterprise.

Needs: Communication and Access

The database is an element of the solution, but is worthless unless we can get
timely information to it and disseminate appropriate information to all the project
stakeholders. In an enterprise-wide system, this two-way flow of information will
come from and go to many individuals in several locations. Therefore, these sys-
tems must support diverse methods of access. Networked and web-enabled sys-
tems are essential. Reports should be composed to meet the needs of each
individual involved, customized for each as required to provide a clear picture of
the project and to prompt corrective action as needed.

Needs: Operations Management

Section 9 discussed issues associated with project portfolio management. We saw
PPM as a means of bridging the gap that often exists between the Projects and
Operations functions within the enterprise. Therefore, our EPM system must
provide for the needs of the Operations community as well as the Projects com-
munity, and must integrate the data systems so that the effort is not duplicated
and so that the data is consistent. Decisions that need to be made on the Opera-
tions side should be based on up-to-date knowledge of the Projects situation.
They need to know what projects are in the pipeline, how these projects are doing
(relative to stated objectives), and how the project work is impacting on the firm’s
resources, cash flow, and strategic initiatives.

Impact on PM Tools

We can divide the description of an EPM supportive tool set into two parts. First,
we define the capabilities that the tool set must support. Next, we define the op-
erating environment for this tool set. We already listed capabilities that are de-
sired to support traditional project planning and tracking.

For EPM, we add remote inputting of time spent and task status.
To integrate with Operations, we add the ability to define objectives, at high
and detailed levels, and to coordinate these objectives with the projects data.