vpvi-80: maximizing efficiency & information with user defined ...€¦ · vpvi-80: maximizing...
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VPVI-80:Maximizing Efficiency & Information with User Defined Components & Workflows
Kim Young and Julie Jewitt, Millennium EMS Solutions Ltd
• An employee-owned company that specializes in providing a diverse range of environmental, health and safety consulting services
• Offices in Canada: – Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton and Grande
Prairie
– British Columbia: Victoria
• 150 employees
• 1000 - 1200 active projects at any time
• Vision 7.6 on premise
The Mission
• To possess a state-of-the-industry enterprise management system encapsulating: MEMS Human Capital, Projects, Clients, Proprietary Knowledge, Finance and Legal Obligations
• Create executable project platform information in Vision to allow coordination and increased efficiency in work execution
Issues
• Project Initiation (using a fillable PDF form)
Incomplete information provided
Duplicated effort
Some info entered from memory
• Budgeting (using spreadsheets)
Multiple rate schedules used for a single client
Forgetting to include add-ons
Not knowing Billing Codes (labour codes) for employees
How is Vision helping us achieve our mission? How is Vision helping us to solve these issues?
Efficiency
Workflows to automate standard info
Complete and accurate information
Less reliance on ‘institutional knowledge’
Tracking and Reporting
Statistics that weren’t possible before
Our Wins …so far
Converted forms and spreadsheets into Info Centers (IC)
Reduced potential for incorrect data through automation
Increased information available to PMs in the Projects Info Center and Dashboard
Addition of user defined fields
Workflow Overview
Replacing Forms and Spreadsheets
with User Defined Info Centers
Project Initiation Form (PIF)• Used for initiation of new projects
• 4-page fillable PDF (checkboxes & dropdowns)
• Emailed to Billers for entry into Vision
• Issues with PIF:o Incomplete/wrong information!
o People not using latest version of the form
o Hassle updating the dropdowns when information changed
o Duplicated the effort of opening a project
Vision Solution Project Set-up UDIC
• Project Managers can enter a Set-up before a client is created
Able to create a new Client and Contact from here
• Pulls Client-specific data from the Client Info Center
• Pulls Project Classifications and Phases/Tasks from WBS Template UDIC
Project Classifications are maintained in the UDF Management UDIC
• Automatically notifies the Project Team
• Automated workflows allow for risk management
Other Three User Defined Info Centers
• User Defined Fields Management• LEM
Labour, Equipment and Materials• Basically the building blocks of a Rate
Schedule
• Rate Schedules also used for Project Budgets
User-Defined Fields Management UDIC
• Why did we create a UDIC to manage User-Defined fields?
The fields are used in multiple Info Centers
Add or update data in one place
People who use the info can manage it
Don’t have to give them access to User Defined Components in Configuration
If a record is no longer valid, the status is changed to ‘Dormant’. This isn’t an option in User Defined Components.
Budgeting and Planning UDIC
We’ve outgrown Project Budgeting but aren’t ready for Resource Planning so we made our own Budgeting Info Center.
Enables budget entry before project is created
Ensures that correct rates and add-ons are used
Budget vs Billing tab – Project IC
• Shows financial information at all levels of the project
Budget
Billed
WIP
Unposted
Balance remaining
Preventing incorrect data –one method we use
• Employee IC– Checkboxes to limit who may
be selected
– Stored procedures to prevent unassigned selections
Challenges
• Change Management
Getting user buy in
Continual training required
• More transparency and automation results in identification of previously unknown issues
Other Accomplishments
• Project Management Dashparts
• Production Support Request UDIC
• Archiving UDIC
• Addition of EleVia Field Services Suite
• Addition of EleVia Electronic Invoicing
• Addition of EleVia AR Management
• IT Helpdesk Info Center
• Vision Helpdesk Info Center
What’s Next?
• CRM
• HR Management
• Milestone tracking
• Subcontractor Management
Appendix
Screenshots
Other UDICs
Production Support Request
• Outlook form
Checkboxes, Dropdowns, Text boxes
• Main Issues
Incomplete info
Unable to track
Vision Solution –Production Requests UDIC
• Initiates in Projects IC
• Creates a record in the Production UDIC
• Email to Production Dept
• Status updates to the Project IC