Page 349 - Untitled-1

328 THE e REVOLUTION

from Radio Shack and getting one of the very first IBM PCs, with dual floppies
and a green screen monitor.

Now after two decades of networked PCs and four decades of using com-
puters, I am overwhelmed by the e revolution. My computers are still the cen-
ter of my computing and communication environment. But that environment
is rapidly changing and how I use the tools is changing with it. Terms that I
laughed about years ago—hypertext, virtual teams, gateways—have graduated
from jargon to reality.

Business-to-Business Computing (B2B)

At the crux of the e revolution is the ability to breach the confining walls of the of-
fice and factory and to reach into every corner of the world with ease. Business
can be conducted anywhere, at any time. There are no boundaries or barriers, ex-
cept those that are deliberately established to maintain security.

The e revolution has brought significant gains to the world of project manage-
ment. This is especially noticeable in two industries: construction and informa-
tion systems. In the architect/engineer/construct (A/E/C) industry, B2B systems
are being utilized to ease and speed communication among owners, prime con-
tractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. In information technology/application
development (IT/AD), B2B capabilities play an important role in workforce
management and outsourcing.

PlanView, Inc., is an important supplier of web-based solutions for project
management, professional services automation (PSA), and B2B applications. I
prevailed upon Patrick Durbin, CEO of PlanView, to discuss the B2B phenome-
non and its impact on PM in general and on IT/AD in particular. Here is the text
of our interview.

Briefly, What Is B2B, and What Does It Bring to the PM Practitioner?

In general, B2B for project management is an alternative way to procure goods
and services. The use of automation changes the requirements, bidding, selec-
tion, and payment processes. For example, on construction projects requiring
physical goods, the project is little affected by how the steel is delivered just as
long as it’s fabricated and shipped.

In IT/AD projects, the key impact of B2B is in the procurement of outsourced
services or the outsourcing of projects. In the case of outsourcing an IT/AD proj-
ect, B2B can act similarly to a general B2B. In other words, the exchange can au-
tomate the selection process.

In the past couple of years, there was an expectation of public labor exchanges