Why Primavera P6 Client Users Should Move to the Web
Oracle Primavera has a distinguished history of providing superior project management controls and functions throughout the project management office (PMO), like better configurations to meet stringent project management demands, as explained in this ebook. Project managers around the globe used terminal-based Primavera P6 systems, otherwise known as Oracle Professional Project Management (PPM), Oracle Primavera Windows or Oracle Client, depending on the version of system used. But, the age of the internet brought new changes to this standard in project management.
Oracle developed a web-based version in Primavera Web, built to make the most of your investment, known as Primavera enterprise project portfolio management (EPPM), or Primavera Web for short. This application offered the same benefits and functionality as terminal-based systems with the added capacity for enterprise-uses and new functions. In fact, using a web-based system is key to taking advantage of all the benefits included with your Oracle investment, as explained in this ebook. Moreover, this is achieved while giving your PMO the tools it needs to succeed. Before writing it off, think about the benefits of moving your P6 system to an innovative web-based application.
In order to improve and truly maximize your Oracle Primavera investment, it’s critical to understand the implementation process and maintenance.
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What Are the Possibilities or Benefits of a Web-Based Application?
The internet was a revolution in business technology. It held great promise for project managers, but it came with risks. What happened if a system was needed in remote locations, and how would project managers ensure their data reflected changes made by others, including supervisors or member of the C-Suite? Or, what if the data used in today’s decisions was gathered last month?
These were the possibilities of terminal-based systems and could result in severe problems for your PMO, diminishing the value of your Oracle Primavera investment. But, the core benefits of the newer, web-based version of P6 mirror the benefits of today’s cloud-based technologies. Web-based P6 could give project managers in remote areas access to similar project data. Additionally, PMOs in a project’s planning phase can leverage historic data through P6 Web, critical to preventing poor outcomes and maximizing your Oracle investment, by assuming variables and forecasting resource availability, schedules and more.
Through Primavera Web, team members can improve collaboration by working independently and concurrently within the system. The opportunities and reasons to switch to a web-based application are extensive. But, it boils down to four, fundamental benefits, which include the following:
- Reliable access to the system’s recent, accurate data.
- Decreased maintenance and support costs.
- Greater functionality.
- Cloud-based upgrades and improvements.
To advance processes in your PMO, including maintaining data integrity, take a closer look at each benefit.
1. Reliable Access to the Internet Ensures Maximum Operability. “The project management system is down.”
These words can trigger fear in even the most accomplished of project managers. If the system goes down in your local network, your entire project could be put on hold for days until the system is restored. But, this risk can be mitigated by moving to a web-based system, like Primavera Web.
Primavera Web uses internet browsers to access all relevant project data. But, the information is not limited to a project manager’s existing, current project. He or she can access information from any project, within his or her level of administrative controls, in the Oracle EPPM database. This is termed, reliable access to the internet and system.
Anyone using Primavera Web can access the system from any location with internet connectivity. In today’s world, the ability to access systems via mobile devices and in areas lacking internet access has replaced traditional, in-office systems. But, Primavera Web has this covered too.
Using Primavera Web gives project managers and other users access to a purpose-built mobile application, noted in a previous blog post. But, the mobile app allows users to access recent data while in dead zones lacking internet connectivity. Now, this might seem counterproductive, especially among PMOs using terminal-based systems that update periodically. However, the cloud-based software powering the mobile app can eliminate redundancies, isolating changes made locally and from all other locations, storing the information in the cloud and updating all users’ systems simultaneously.
It should sound like a lot of processes happening behind the scenes, and it is just that. Of course, Primavera Web mobile app users dealing with limited connectivity may lack access to information added to the database since the period that the device lost connectivity. But, the key feature remains the same. Users can make changes without the “locked for editing” messaging in terminal-based systems, helping the entire team stay connected and working together. This leads to an unsurpassed level of operability in the system and across your PMO and company.
2. Fewer Maintenance and Supportive Costs Promote Flexibility and Agile Processes.
Take a moment to think about the maintenance and support costs associated with terminal-based versions of Primavera. First, the software cost itself can easily soar when increasing the number of users. And, the costs of managing an internal information technology (IT) department go along with the initial investment costs. If something goes wrong, IT costs increase, and your team is left with idle hands. But, Primavera Web can reverse these challenges too.
Primavera Web has fewer maintenance and supportive costs than its terminal-based sister. If something goes wrong, the support of the full Oracle IT department will be working to correct the issue in the background. This eliminates disruptions caused to your project, and it has additional benefits to PMOs working with agile methodologies.
Agile project management relies on flexibility to accommodate changes in activity levels, scope, budget and resource availabilities. But, being able to deliver the project on time and within the prescribed budget are hallmarks of agile project management. Since Primavera Web offers additional analytics and tools that allow for agile project management processes, it is best for PMOs using this methodology.
Flexibility in using Primavera also depends on the level of experience your team members have with the system. As a web-based system, the chances are good that experienced project management professionals in your PMO have used the system previously. This means less time spent trying to train team members on the system as well. But, this ebook emphasizes the need for continued, relevant training in Primavera Web as a cornerstone of using the system’s latest functions and features.
The web-based system provides an additional layer of collaboration to program or portfolio managers too.
For example, program and portfolio managers may be responsible for overseeing numerous projects running years, if not decades. In the course of the program, multiple program managers may be assigned. As a result, the information used by the previous manager should be the foundation for the subsequent program manager.
During periods of transition between project managers, the “hand-off,” having all resources in a cloud-based system can eliminate confusion and ensure compliance with all necessary scheduling and resource requirements. This promotes flexibility and attention to detail during project hand-offs.
3. More Functionality Lets Your Team Do More to Please Stakeholders and Clients.
Web-based applications are built in innovation and new systems or processes in mind. One of the most important things to remember in using any project management software remains obtaining support from stakeholders, executive-level leadership, clients and your internal IT department, explains this ebook.
Getting the support you need is simple; your team needs to do more with fewer costs and know how to use the system to its fullest potential. This a fundamental concept behind all schedule and resource decisions. Thus, a web-based application that can empower executive-level support needs to have broad functionality and easy accessibility. In fact, these are two of Primavera P6 Web’s greatest achievements.
P6 Web allows all teams to communicate with the PMO, but the flow of information is multi-directional. In other words, information may flow through the system to the PMO from upper-level management and from skilled workers or team members under the supervision of your office. Moreover, a web-based interface can eliminate many of the repetitious activities in project management, like running reports and sending status updates to stakeholders.
Web-based Primavera also goes further by promoting responsible and a seamless experience across all users. Unique dashboarding tools and the ability to drill down into metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) lend themselves to more interaction among team members and better report details to stakeholders.
4. Web-Based Improvements or Upgrades Reduce Downtime and Offer the Latest Software and Technology.
The successful delivery of your project can improve your candidacy for future project management opportunities and increase your skills, explains a previous blog post. But, delivery hinges on having proper project controls in place to perform concurrent, repetitive analyses to identify risks and make data-based decisions.
While this sounds good on paper, it is susceptible to errors. Analyses rely on a series of algorithms and data streams to isolate trends and derive real value from business-intelligence (BI) tools. This is the same concept that power Oracle Primavera. Yet, terminal-based systems can only perform these critical functions to the extent of the most recent upgrade.
In other words, older software versions lead to the propagation of errors in BI. As a result, analyses may skew in incorrect directions, leading to poor decisions and greater risk of failure. However, web-based technologies and systems allow for the immediate access to the recent software version and accurate data, as required for making informed decisions in this ebook. This means having the latest algorithms and functions at your fingertips.
In addition, the nature of a cloud-based system implies freedom from the downtime associated with upgrading terminal-based systems. Moreover, all team members can access the latest software version at any time, promoting better collaboration and teamwork to ensure the successful delivery of your project.
Speaking of collaboration, Oracle Primavera has a reputation for increasing the ability to visualize or predict how a project’s current use of resources will play out in both short-term and long-term scenarios. This goes back to intensive, comprehensive risk analysis. But, it also means all team members need to be on the same page. Through a web-based application, your team can communicate both triumphs and struggles in a central location, ensuring continuity in decision making throughout the project.
Take Full Advantage of These Game-Changing Benefits Now.
Your PMO is only as good as the weakest links in the chain of tools used. Since terminal-based P6 systems have an inherent risk of inaccuracy, are susceptible to equipment downtime, may lack the latest upgrades and only offer functions from the last-update period, risks are greater than you realize. Yet, a web-based version of P6 can keep your team working at its full potential, increase the accountability in your project controls and turn these challenges upside down, transforming each risk into a cloud-based benefit.
Your PMO needs a web-based system to succeed, but even more, your team needs to know how to make it work for them!