This is the first entry in what I hope will be a long-running log of business cases, issues, solutions, and anecdotes that I encounter in my day/s as someone who runs a project-based business, implements ERP solutions for project-based businesses, and advises users in project-based environments. Here is a partial list of areas that I will cover in my entries:

1. Advantages and Issues in managing project
2. Project Management Processes
3. Project Management Discipline and determining where you stand.
4. What to look for in an automation solution for your project needs.
5. How Oracle Projects can help
6. Implementing Oracle Projects
7. Issues/Solutions in implementing/Running Oracle Projects
8. New Functionality in Oracle Projects FP.M and how it can help you
9. What is new in Release 12 for Oracle Projects
10. Thoughts on Oracle Fusion Applications
11. Good practices in implementation services
12. Project Partner Products and Services that will make your life easier

I welcome all comments/trackbacks/pingbacks/queries to my nascent venture here. I will try and respond to your comments, etc., in future entries. Now without any more delay, I’d like to get into my entry log for today. I am working with a professional services firm whose biggest client is the government. The complexities introduced in contracting with the government are enormous and the processes needed to manage the Opportunity to Order and Change Order cycles get convoluted quickly.

The trials and Tribulations of Government Contracting
Different Types of contracts, other proposals submission templates, the inclusion of various bases and options in terms of work scope elements and years in which work is to be executed, and all of this before a contract is even awarded. Once a contract is awarded, manage the different numbers that the government throws at you:

1. Maximum Possible Value of the contract
2. Value of Work Scope Awarded
   1. Base scope awarded
   2. Options awarded
3. Work assignment funded

With all these numbers providing a definition of the contract, which one should be used to manage backlog? The obvious answer is the most definite number, which is the “Funded Amount.” But, if we are only to consider this in the backlog reporting to the exclusion of all the other numbers, this leaves management unaware of the potential of the contract in terms of going after the awarded scope and even the Maximum possible value to ensure that the minimum likely dollars are left on the table at the end of the contract. Ok, if this has your head spinning, I will leave this thread for a future entry and would like to address two more areas in this first log entry.

Minor issues in implementing Oracle Project Management
The first deals with minor issues encountered by clients implementing Oracle Project Management (PJT-remember these acronyms, I will use them often).

1. 1. The user is unable to pick item categories on a node while setting up RBSs

Check if you have setup the Item Master and ItemCategory Set for the “Materials” resource class in the Resource Class setup HTML page accessed from the setup Menu under the Project Super User Responsibility.

1. 1. The user is unable to access the Structures setup option while setting up templates in HTML

Check if you have enabled the profile option PA: Licensed to use Oracle Project Management.

1. 1. Unable to determine jobs while including resources in Planning Resource Lists.

Check if you have specified the Job Group for the Planning Resource List and saved your work before going to the define resources screen.

Simplifying Life for the Project Manager
Besides a Project Scheduling tool like MS-Project, the single best friend of a PM is a spreadsheet. PMs use this tool to establish and manage budgets and forecasts, maintain lists of deliverables, issues, and any other list they need, generate status reports, etc.

The distinct advantage of spreadsheets is that they are always available to the PMs, even when they are not connected to their office systems or close to an internet connection. The distinct disadvantage of spreadsheets is that these sit on the PM’s laptop/desktop, and it is not easy getting the info from these sheets into a central database and hence is not available for easy visibility to the rest of the organization and management. Project Partners has now enabled this PM’s best friend by removing the disadvantage above. The UI Apps product from Project Partners allows PMs to use spreadsheets for any Project Management activity and provides two-way interaction between the spreadsheet and the Oracle Projects Application. In future postings, more juicy details on this tool, exclusively from Project Partners. For now, please see the UI Apps Link in the Links section of this log entry to download a copy of the datasheet for UI Apps. That’s it for now, and remember:

There is no better way to manage a business than to Manage by Project.