capital projects - rebooting project intelligence - workflow and collaboration

7/29/2019 Capital Projects - Rebooting Project Intelligence - Workflow and Collaboration

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2012SabisuLtd Page1of35

RebootingProjectIntelligence WhitePaper

V1.0

RebootingProjectIntelligence:Workflow&Collaboration

Workflow&collaborationchallengesfacedbycapitalprojectsandhow

newtechnologycanovercomethem

WhitePaper

By

TimSharpeCEO&co-founder

[email protected]@timjsharpe


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Contents

1. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................4

2. EXECUTIVESUMMARY................................................................................................5

3. PROJECTPERFORMANCE:ROOMFORIMPROVEMENT?..............................................7 3.1. PERFORMANCEOFLARGECAPITALPROJECTS...................................................................................................7 3.2. MANAGEMENTOFPROJECTPERFORMANCE.......................................................................................................8

3.2.1. Decision Making During Early Stages ................................................................. 83.2.2. Skills & Project Leadership .................................................................................. 93.2.3. Enhancing Project Value ................................................................................... 10

3.3. ORGANISATIONOFMEGA-PROJECTS................................................................................................................11

4. WORKFLOW&COLLABORATIONCHALLENGES..........................................................14

4.1. AD-HOCPROJECTMANAGERCOLLABORATION...............................................................................................144.2. EMAIL&EXCELPROLIFERATION ......................................................................................................................15 4.3. COLLABORATIONTHROUGHOUTTHESUPPLYCHAIN....................................................................................17

4.4. LABOURINTENSIVEDATAHANDLING..............................................................................................................18 5. NEWTECHNOLOGY...................................................................................................19

5.1. THEPROJECTINTELLIGENCECENTRE........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .........195.2. TOTALINTEGRATION...........................................................................................................................................205.2.1. INTEGRATION=VISIBILITY..............................................................................................................................205.2.2. KEYDESIGNCRITERIA......................................................................................................................................21 5.3. HYBRIDCLOUD.....................................................................................................................................................22 5.3.1. WHATISAHYBRID-CLOUD?........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ..225.3.2. WHYCHOOSEAHYBRID-CLOUD?..................................................................................................................23 5.3.3. KEYDESIGNCRITERIA......................................................................................................................................24 5.3.4. GOMOBILE.........................................................................................................................................................24 5.4. TRUECOLLABORATION .......................................................................................................................................25 5.4.1. TRUECOLLABORATIONNEEDSASHAREDEXPERIENCE...............................................................................25 5.5. SOCIALWORKPLACE.......... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .........265.5.1. ENTERPRISE2.0................................................................................................................................................26 5.5.2. ASOCIALPERSPECTIVE.......... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ..27

6. MEETINGWORKFLOW&COLLABORATIONCHALLENGES..........................................28

6.1. EASY&FOCUSEDCOLLABORATION..................................................................................................................28 6.2. USER&COMMUNITYAUTONOMY.....................................................................................................................30 6.3. USERCOMMUNITYFOCUS...................................................................................................................................306.4. CONTENTDISTRIBUTION....................................................................................................................................31 6.5. FRICTIONLESSBUSINESSPROCESSES........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ..316.6. EXCEPTIONALSERVICEDELIVERY........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......32

7. SABISU......................................................................................................................33

7.1. FUNCTIONALFIT..................................................................................................................................................33 7.2. ABOUTTHESABISUTEAM...................................................................................................................................34 7.3. TYPICALINDUSTRYSECTORS.............................................................................................................................35 7.4. CASESTUDIES.......................................................................................................................................................35 7.5. NEXTSTEPS...........................................................................................................................................................35


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FiguresFigure1.FrontEndDevelopmentInfluence...........................................................................8Figure1.Mega-projectorganisations&responsbilities.................................................11Figure2.Scalingoutamega-project........................................................................................12Figure3.DaisychainingofDelays............................................................................................15Figure4.SameIssue,DifferentTools......................................................................................17Figure5.RequiredPICIntegrationCapability.....................................................................20Figure6.TheIdealArchitecture................................................................................................22Figure7.TwoPersonalisedViewsofaSituation...............................................................25Figure8.ASocial,EventDrivenView.....................................................................................27Figure9.InPlatformChat,ShowingCommunityFocus..................................................28

Definitions/Glossary

Abbreviation Description

BI BusinessIntelligenceCIO ChiefInformationOfficer

DCS DistributedControlSystem

EPC Engineering,ProcurementandConstructioncontractorERP EnterpriseResourcePlanning

FEED FrontEndEngineeringDevelopment;theearly,pre-investmentdecisionpartofaprojectwhereopportunitiesareidentified,

plansarecreatedandprojectsdefined.FEL FrontEndLoading;processforconceptualdevelopmentofaproject,supportingordescribingprocesseswithinFEEDstage.

FID FinalInvestmentDecision;decisiontoproceedwithaproject,usuallymadepriortoappointinganEPC.

hybrid-cloud ITinfrastructurethatincorporatesbothOn-PremiseandCloudservercomponents

IPA IndependentProjectAnalysis,Inc(Projectbenchmarkinganddeliveryconsultancyorganisation.)

KPIs KeyPerformanceIndicators

MES ManufacturingExecutionSystem

MIS ManagementInformationSystemMRP ManufacturingResourcePlanning(historicallyderivedfrom

MaterialsResourcePlannning)

PIC ProjectIntelligenceCentre;Anewclassofsoftwareprovidingreal-timesituationalawarenessandcollaborationforprojects.

PMO Project/ProgrammeManagementOffice

TIC TotalInstallCost

PAR ProjectAssuranceReview

PVP ProjectValueProcess

Sabisu Sabisuplatform,incorporatingOn-PremiseandCloud

components


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1.IntroductionOil&gasorpetrochemicalssectorcapitalprojectsofferuniquemanagementchallenges.Theyaresomeofthelargestprojectsintheworld,rangingincostfrom$500mforsmalllocallymanagedprojectsupto$30bnformega-projectsinvolvingjointventuresandmultipleEPCcontractors.Thesearehighriskprojectswithcorrespondinglylargeandcomplexorganisationsthatsupportthem,includingcomplexsupply-chainsthatoftenrequiredistributedvirtualteamstorealizetheEPCdelivery.Givencapitalexpenditureandfinancinginvolvedinmega-projectsthereisarelentlessfocusonmanagementandmitigationofrisk.Theconsequencesofnotdoingsoaresignificant,includingscheduleslippage,impactonthetotalinstalledcost(TIC),capitalcostpenaltiesandrevenuepenaltiesasproductionstart-upisdelayed.Theseprojectsarecoretothegrowthandcontinuedprofitabilityof

thosethatfundthem.Theseprojectsfacemajorchallengesduetothecomplexinterfacemanagementofwidelydistributedvirtualteamsindifferingtimezones,theinherentcommunicationdifficultiesandassociatedcomplexbusinessprocesses,andgettingreliableuptodate,realtime,accuratetransparentprogressdata.Thisleavestheclientsthatfundtheseprojectsoftenlargeenterprises,jointventuresorgovernmentsatadisadvantage;thecomplexandmassivenatureoftheprojects,combinedwiththelimitationsofhistoricallyavailableprojectcontroltoolsets,meanclientsdecisioninformationinvariablylagsthetrueprojectpositionresultinginlatedecisionswhichhavescheduleimpact.Thiswhitepaperlooksatthekeychallengesrelatedtovirtualteamcollaborationandworkflowefficiency,qualitativelyassessingtheimpactsandrisksoflimitedvisibilityandprojectcontrol.Thiswhitepaperalsoshowshownewtechnologyoffersaalternativeapproachtoconventionalprojectcontroltoolsusedbyclients,EPCsandvendors,improvingmanagementtransparencyandprovidingreal-timedecisionsupportthatallowsclientsandEPCstomitigateimpactandinfluenceaproject.

Insummarythispaperwillexamine: TypicalproblemsfacedbyProjectDirectors,ProjectManagersand

Project/ProgrammeManagementOffices(PMOs).

HownewITarchitecturescanprovideunrivalledlevelsofprogresstrending,visibility,collaborationandmanagementcontrolofcapitalprojects.

Theimportanceofvisibilityandresponsivenesstomanagingrisk.OtherwhitepapersintheProjectIntelligenceseriesare:

SituationalAwareness&ProjectControls

DecisionQuality

WarRooms:TotalProjectVisibility


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2.ExecutiveSummaryMegaprojectsfacecomplexitychallengesnotaddressedbyconventionalproject

controlstools.Newwebbasedtechnologyandcommunicationsystemscanprovide

realtimevisibilitytoeffectivelymanageworld-classprojectswithdistributedvirtualteams.Independentbenchmarkingorganisationsfindthat56%ofmega-projectsfail,havelargecostoverruns,scheduleslippageandoroperationalstartupproblemsthatpersistlongafterhand-over.Thesecomplexprojectsareinvariablyfragile,withcostandschedulecontinuallyatrisk.ExperiencedProjectManagersareinstinctivelyawareoftheriskstheirprojectsfaceanddomuchinthewayofad-hoccollaborationtomitigatetheirprobabilityorimpact.RiskreviewsofcostandscheduleareamajortoolinaPMsarmory,butthelackofreal-timedatafromtheirdistributedprojectcommunitymakes

trendingalaggingindicatorandconsequentlyresultsinlatedecisions.SmartercollaborationvianewtechnologywouldprovideProjectManagerswithbetterdataandtrendstoidentifyandmitigaterisksproactively.Asclient,EPC,vendorsandsub-vendorsmaintaintheirowninternalbusinessprocessestomanageriskandcontroltheirrespectiveprojectelements,thereisinevitablyafocusondatagathering,manipulation,trendingandtransfer,leadingto:

Discussionofwhichfiguresarecorrectandrepresentthetruth,insteadofwhatthefiguresortrendsmean

Dialogandreconciliationbetweensystemstoensurerespectivepartiesagreeswiththedetailtosupportinvoicing

Significantamountsofman-hoursburnedindatamanipulationinMSExcelandsuchlike

Significantman-hoursspentsending,readingande-mailingdatafrompoint-to-point,consumesvaluableprojectmanagementtimeandleadstoduplicationofdataonalargescale

Thesechallengesreflectthelimitationsoftraditionalprojectcontrollegacytechnology.Yetnewtechnologiesandapproachesincludinghybrid-cloudarchitecture,personalization,self-serviceandvendordiagnosticsintegrationcan

deliverastep-changeinprojectcontrolsbusinessprocesses.Usingnewweb-basedtechnology,mega-projectchallengescanbemitigatedmorequicklyandeffectively,withreal-timeprocessingprovidingthefollowingadvantages:

Project control KPIs built directly, in real-time, from client, EPC, vendor and sub-vendor data systems, (i.e SAP, Primavera, Oracle, DCS, databases or Excel forexample),

A single, incontrovertible view of project progress, shared with every user throughoutthe project supply-chain according to their needs.

An end to data gathering, manipulation, trending, emailing spreadsheets, datavalidation and duplicating data.

Consistent and trustworthy KPIs delivered through a collaborative platform, allowingdecisions to be reached quickly.


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Self-service portals to allow any user to analyse issues and expedite resolutions.

Accurate, real-time data to give early influence on project issues and the projectlifecycle.

Shared client, EPC and vendor KPIs to support collaborative decision making.

Improved process compliance, whether through standardized project metrics, KPIs,or through ad-hoc collaboration.

Collaborative war room communications technology for specific focus areas ofproject risk.

Thispaperdescribesindetailhowthesenewtechnologiescansolvemanyofthetraditionalchallengesfacedbyprojectcommunitiesinmanagingcapitalprojectstoday.


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3.ProjectPerformance:Roomforimprovement?Howdothechallengesexaminedinthispapershowintermsofprojectimpact?Is

thereevidencetoproveprojectscouldbemoreefficientlyrun?

3.1.PerformanceofLargeCapitalProjects

Itwouldbeeasytoassumethatamegaprojectismorelikelytounder-perform;thatdistributedvirtualteamsaddcomplexityandaremorelikelytoexceedcostandscheduletolerances.Clearlytheimpactofasmallpercentageslipismoresignificantincostterms.Otherbusinesssectorsdoseevastscheduleslippageandcostincreasesonlargerprojects.Publicsectorprojectsarewellknownforit,withthe12.6bnNHSNationalProgrammeforITbeingtheobviousexampleforecastin2008tobe4yearslate,thenlargelyabandoned,writingoffcostsof2.7bn.

Exampleslikethisareclassifiedasafailure.Intheoil&gassectorawrite-offlikethiswouldcertainlyberegardedassuch,butatotalwrite-offisunlikelyprojectstendtocomplete,soafailurewouldbeanunplannedexcursionoutsidecostorscheduletolerances.Usingthisdefinition,theindustrybenchmarkingorganisationIndependentProjectAnalysis,Inc(IPA)pointsto56%ofprojectscostedat$1bn+(mega-projects)asfailing;

Schedulesslippedby25%ormore Costsgrewby25%ormoreOperationalproblemspersistedfor1year+afterhand-overAsEdwardW.Merrow,Founder&PresidentofIPAInc,putsitinhisbook,IndustrialMegaprojects:Largecostoverruns,majordelays,pooroperability,andfartoomanysafetyincidentscharacterizewelloverhalfoftheindustrialprojectsof$1billionormorearoundtheworld.Clearlythisshowsthatwhilstmega-projectsarenotinthesameleagueaslarge

publicsectorprojectsintermsoffailurethereisstatisticalevidencethatmaintainingcontrolofmega-projectsisdifficult;theyarecomplex,fragileandcangoofftrackeasily.Costandschedulearecontinuallyatrisk.Tounderstandthechallengestheseprojectsfaceweneedfirsttounderstandtheirorganisationandscale.


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3.2. ManagementofProjectPerformance3.2.1. DecisionMakingDuringEarlyStagesEffectivedecision-makingandFrontEndLoading(FEL)ofaprojectduringFEED

isessentialinordertoensurehighqualityFEEDdeliverablesareavailableandoptimized,thusincreasingthelikelihoodofahighqualityexecutionoftheimplementation(EPC)phase.KeyFEEDdeliverablesincludingtheProjectSpecification,+/-10%budgetestimateandlevelII/IIIintegratedschedulesthatreflecttheprevailingmarketconditions,allofwhichgotosupporttheFinalInvestmentDecision(FID).

Figure1.FrontEndDevelopmentInfluence

Asshowninthefigureabove,itisrecognisedthatdecisionsmadeduringFEEDhavethegreatestinfluenceonoverallprojectperformance,particularlycost,schedule,quality,commissioningandstart-upefficiency.Manyproductsinformtheprojectspecificationandrisks,thoughallultimatelyresolveintoa10%estimateandschedule.OftenaProjectAssuranceReview(PAR)willprovidesafeguardswhichensuretimelydeliverablessupportconsistencyinsubsequentdeliveryphases.Giventhescaleofinvestment,clientsoftenchoosetoinvestininternalorexternalbenchmarkingwhichcomplimentstheinternalPARs,andthenfurthersupplementthemwithpeerreview

programmestoensurethatopportunitiestopositivelyimpactthecostandschedulearerealised.


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3.2.2. Skills&ProjectLeadershipOwner/clientandFEED/EPCContractormanagementteamsassembledformajorprojectsintodaysmarketinvariablyhaveskillsshortageswhichresultinworkpackagesbeingdistributedonaglobalbasistowherevertherequiredskills

canbefound.Virtual,distributedteamsarecommon,addingcomplexitytotheprojectaseachteammayoccupyadifferenttimezoneandtheinterfacesbetweenteamsmustbemanaged.Itisaprovenfactthatprojectperformanceislinkedtothequalityandcapabilitiesoftheprojectleadership,supportingteamsandprojectcontrolprocesses.Ahighlymotivatedandhighperformingteamwithstrongcorevaluesandsharedobjectivesisanessentialingredientinachievingsuccessfulprojectdelivery.

Foraprojectteamtobeeffectiveeachmembermusttrusttheother,theirprocessesandtheirdata.Yettrustisfragile;unreliable,infrequentorunavailableprojectcontroldataissuretodamageit,withimmediateandlastingimpactontheprojectastheteamcanceasestofunction.Theseproblemsoftenmanifestthemselvesaslate,unexpectedsurprisesbycriticalpathcontractorsorvendorswhichtheclienthaslittleornotimetomitigateorinfluence.Whenaprojectstartstodeviatefromapredictedplanitsdependentontheawarenessandexperienceoftheprojectleadershiptorecognisethepotentialimpactand/orconsequencesoftheprojecttrendsintimetotakecorrectiveaction.However,sometimestheprojectcontrolsdatalagsreality,oris

deliberatelywithheldfromtheclientbythirdpartiesduetomisreportingorfearoflossofface.Thissituationoftenleadstoaquestioningoftheeffectivenessoftheleadershipteamatthesethirdparties,followedbyabelatedattempttointroduceaprogrammeofteambuilding,focusedKPIsandwarroomcommunitiestotackletheproblem.Anosurpriseandnoblamecultureisessentialinhighperformanceteamsiftheyaretoachievethelevelofperformancerequiredtosuccessfullyimplementcomplex,widelydistributedprojectsandmega-projectsintodayschallengingenvironment.Governance,assurance,organisationalleadershipandprojectperformancemeasurementareallkeybenchmarkingprojectperformanceandreadinesscriteria.


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3.2.3. EnhancingProjectValueProjectsandmega-projectsidentifyvalueduringFEEDphase,whichistheneffectivelyrealisedthroughtheapplicationofaprogrammeofProjectValueProcesses(PVPs).Weakprojectexecution,projectmeasurementorcontrol

erodesthebestpreparationandmakesdeliveryinefficient.Infact,anythingotherthanstrongprojectexecutionandcontrolposesaproblem,asitisalmostimpossibletoaddsignificantvalueafterFrontEndDevelopmentwithoutincurringadditionalcostandscheduledelays.ThereforeownersandclientsoftenrequireindependentbenchmarkingtogiveprojectsponsorsandshareholdersconfidencethataprojectisontrackwithagoodFrontEndLoading(FEL),i.e.,acomplete,high-qualityFEEDstage.OrganisationssuchasIPAIncprovideindependentbenchmarkingbasedonmetricsofcollectedfrommanyprojectsandapplystatisticalanalysisto

determinethelikelihoodofprojectsuccess.Thebenchmarkingrequirementisusuallyspecifiedinaprojectmandateandembeddedintothegovernance,assuranceandfinancialapprovalsprocess.WhilstthebenchmarkingprocessproduceslaggingKeyPerformanceIndicators(KPIs)itneverthelessidentifiesperformancegaps,businessandprojectrisksandopportunities.Thescheduleandeffortpressuretobringtheprojecttorealizationisoftenarootcauseofweakbenchmarkingperformance.Also,fundamentalbusinesscontrolsandprojectdeliverystepsareoftenmissedintheFEEDphase,resultinginpoorFrontEndLoadingindicesandimpactingoverallprojectdelivery.Inbothcircumstanceseffectivemanagement,monitoringand

mitigationcanhelp.


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3.3. OrganisationofMega-ProjectsThesemega-projectstypicallyhaveacomplexorganisationstructuredesignedtodelegateandminimiserisk.Arelativelysimple,singlefacilityconstructionprojectmayhaveasingleengineering,procurementandconstructioncontractor

(EPC),whereasacomplexrefineryandpetrochemicalcomplexwithsignificantfinancialriskmayusemultipleEPCs.Inthesecases,thefinancialriskneedstobespreadacrossanumberofimplementationcontractors.EPCsthensub-contracttheirdeliverablecontractualobligationstovariousprocurementvendorsanderectioncontractors.Vendorsanderectorcontractorswilloftenusesub-vendorstosupplycomponents,materialsorservices.Theorganisationstructureofamega-projectthereforeeffectivelyseparatesconcernssothatriskcanbedelegated:

Figure2.Mega-projectorganisations&responsbilities

Howeverthisquicklyscalesouttobeacomplexorganisationstructure:


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Figure3.Scalingoutamega-project

Amega-projectoftenaggregatesmultiplecollocatedindividualprojectsbuteveryelementapartfromthesiteitselfisgloballydistributed.UsuallytheclientandEPCwillbeheadquarteredindifferentcountrieswithengineering,constructionandcommissioningteamswhoemigratetositeastheengineeringprogresses.Procurementvendorsandsub-vendorsnormallydonothaveapresenceonsitethougherectioncontractorswillbenormallybasedonsiteoradjacenttothesite.Inadditiontothesiteteams,theprojectwilluseoff-siteprojectsupport,procurement,inspectionandtechnicalteamsfromtheclient,vendorsandsub-vendors.Theseteamscouldbebasedanywherewhichmakescommunicationandmonitoringofprogressallthemoredifficult;theprojectteammadeupofvirtual,globallydistributedteamseachwithaccountabilityforon-timeandon-budgetdeliveryofadifferentpartofproject.Intermsofmonitoringofprogressanddatagatheringandsupportsystems,theclientandEPCwilleachruntheirrespectiveprojectcontrolssystems,withtheclientssystemsfocusingspecificallyonfinancialprogress.AstheEPChasoverallresponsibilityforprogressreportingtheirsystemsarefocusedonhard

deliverablesastheymanagetheinterfaceandsupplychain.CostandschedulearestillimportanttotheEPCgiventhattheyaretheendproductofcompoundingindividualdeliverables.ThesiteisresponsibleformonitoringconstructionandcommissioningprogressandhavetheirownplanningteamwhoreportbacktotheEPChead-quarters,wheretheengineering,procurementconstructionandcommissioningprogressisaggregatedintooneoverallprojectprogresschartanS-curve.OftenthereisapointintheprojectwhereEPCplanninggroupresponsibilityispassedtosite,wheretheconsolidationofprogressinputfromthenumerousinterfacesaroundtheworldcontinuesandisreportedbacktotheclientnormallyonamonthlybasis.


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Eachprojecthasitsownsupply-chain,supportteams,ITinfrastructureandcorporateorganisationeffectively,eachprojectisaseparateenterprise.Therecanbesignificantdataaggregationandscalabilitychallengesacrossamega-project.

Theglobaldistributionandvirtualnatureofthisteammakesitmuchlesslikelythatcollaborationwillhappen.Userswillmostlikelysharedataonlyifandwhenitismandatory,muchreducingthelikelihoodofreceivinginformal,earlywarningofincipientissues.


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4.Workflow&CollaborationChallengesSomecommonchallengesfacingcapitalprojectsthatprojectintelligence

implementationsshouldbeabletoaddressbuttypicallydont.

4.1.Ad-hocProjectManagerCollaboration

ExperiencedProjectManagersareinstinctivelyawareofmanyoftheriskstheirprojectsface.TheyalsoknowthevalueofcollaboratingwithotherProjectManagerstoensurethattheserisksaremitigatedorlessonslearnedaremadeavailableelsewhere.ProjectManagersalsoknowthatvendorsaremotivatedbyfillingtheirorderbook.UsuallyitfallstotheProjectManagerstoworktogethertoensurethatconflictingsupplyrequirementsaremanagedasitmustbeassumedthatthevendorhaslittleinterestinthis,orhaslimitedmanagementcapabilitytodoit.

ThisiswhyinformalnetworksofProjectManagersalreadyexist,formedonthebasisofpersonalrelationshipsandexperience.Whenthesenetworksstarttoshareinformationaboutbestpracticeorareasofjointinterestsuchas,forexample,supplierloadingitcanprotectcriticalpaths.Giventhecomplexnatureofthesupply-chainandtherelianceonasmallnumberofvendorsforlonglead-timekeycomponents,suchasreactorsorcolumns,thereisclearbenefitinthesecollaborative,virtualteams.Ifanything,thesecommunitiesofsharedinterestsshouldtobeeasiertoform,includingclients,

EPCs,vendorsandsub-vendorsasrequired.Suchcollaborationisad-hocatpresent;thenetworksformbasedonloosecriteriaandarenotmanagedassuch,whichallowsthemtobeagileandresponsive.Howevertheymightseerealbenefitinbeingabletoshareandcollaboratearoundusingcurrentprojectmetricstoillustratebestpracticeoraccelerateresolutionofissues.Easierandsmartercollaborationcanresolvecomplexglobalprojectandmega-projectissuesmoreefficientlythechallengeistomakeitso.Recentadvancesincollaborationandsocialtechnologycouldmeetthischallenge.


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4.2. Email&ExcelProliferationAmega-projectwithmanyusergroupscanresultinfeedbackloops,delayedresponseandoutofdateinformation.Thesystemsarchitecturethatsupportsamega-projectisunusuallycomplex;usershavetobefamiliarwithmanydifferent

systemsinordertogetthedatatheyneed.Onceauserhasaccessedtherequireddatathereisoftenasignificantamountofmanipulationneededinordertomakethedatarelevant,asisseenwiththelargequantityofMSExcelspreadsheetandMSAccessdatabaseworkthattypicallytakesplace.Oncethedatahasbeenmanipulated,theuserhasonlyemailasamethodoftransfereffectivelyanon-contemporaneoussnapshothasbeentaken.Notonlyisthedataisalreadyoutofdatebutthisprocessproducesalargeamountof

end-usercomputingandduplicationofdata.Itsverydifficulttofindtheaccurate,currentdataunlesstheuserwhocreateditcandirectothersuserstoit.Whereveraninteractionbetweenorwithintheclient,EPC,vendorandsub-vendorisdependentonemail,theprocessisartificiallyslowedbyacycleofmanipulation:

Snapshot extract the data required from the source system

Manipulate import into spreadsheet/database, transform content as required

Email attach spreadsheet/database to email

Wait

Process Response discuss, re-snapshot, re-manipulate or otherwise act.

Whentheimpactofthisisconsideredacrossmultipleactorswithintheprojectasshowninthefigurebelowitseasytoseethatmakingadecisionbasedoncurrentdataisunlikely:

Figure4.DaisychainingofDelays


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Thisinefficientworkflowproducesalargeamountofend-usercomputingandduplicationofdata.Itsverydifficulttofindtheaccurate,currentdataunlesstheuserwhocreateditcandirectothersuserstoit.


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4.3. CollaborationThroughouttheSupplyChainWhilstaCIOwilloftenrightlypointtotheirERPorMRPsystemasthetoolofchoiceforallbusinessprocesses,suchsystemsusuallydonotcoveradhocprocesses,localoperationalprocessesorprojectprocesses.Itsnocoincidence

thattheseprocessesofteninvolvecollaborationwiththirdpartiessomethingthatERP/MRPsystemsarenotarchitectedtoaddress.Ofcourseusershaveachoiceofcontinuallyimprovingsimplemessagingsystems,includingtelephone,email,SMSandtodaysinstantmessagingsolutions.Theseallowadegreeofcollaborationbutnonemeettheneedsofamega-projectasdescribedintheEmail&ExcelProliferationsectionabovetheyreslowandmainlyreactive.Collaborationneedstobemorethanjustamessagewithattacheddata

changingdatahighlightsadevelopingsituationsowhenthedatachangesallcollaboratorsshouldexperiencethisinreal-time.Agingsnapshotsofdatadisconnectcollaboratorsfromthesituation,andmanipulatingthisdatainaseparateenvironmentdisconnectscollaboratorsfromthecollaborationitself.Thismakescollaborationunnecessarilydifficult.Screensharingisntasolutionasitmeanscollaboratorscedingauthoritytooneother.Forashortmeetingthisisfinebutitsnotanoperationalsolutionasitdoesntprovideeachuserwiththetoolstocontribute,e.g.,eventhoughtheyredealingwiththesameincident,aProjectManagermaywantcurrentproductiondataonhisscreenwhereastheProjectDirectorwantstoseehistorical

productiondata,pluslogisticsandenvironmentaldata.Mostexistingsolutionsaredesignedtohaveallusersexperiencethesamedatainthesameway,ignoringthefactthatusersareindividualswithdifferingneeds,toolsandexpertise.Asshowninthefigurebelow,itscrucialthateachuserhastheuserexperienceandtoolstheyrequireinordertodealwitheachsituation.

Figure5.SameIssue,DifferentTools


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4.4. LabourIntensiveDataHandlingEveryorganisationisdifferentwithdifferentlevelsofprocessmaturity,expertise,andPMOorProjectControlsteamcapability.PMOshavetheirworkcutoutwiththeircoretasks,whichmayincludefinancialreconciliations,project

controlsandensuringcompliance.Howeverinourexperienceonefeatureiscommon;labourintensivemanipulationand/orre-entryofdata.Thismanipulationisubiquitous,generallymanifestingitselfintheformofmultitudinousExcelspreadsheetsholdingcomplexmacros.Thisisoftentheonlywaythatprogress,planningandfinancialinformationcanbebroughttogetherforreconciliationorreporting.Re-entryisalsorelativelycommon,whetherre-inputtingthirdpartydatasuchasEPCorvendorplanninginformationintotheclientplan,ormanuallymapping

internalclientdatabetween,SAPandPrimaverausinguniqueidentifierssuchaspurchaseordernumbers.Lookingattheplanningdisciplineasaunifiedsystem,eachoftheclientprojects,EPCs,vendorsandsub-vendorsonamega-projectmaintaintheirownplanandthereisinevitableduplicationofdataacrossmultipleplatforms;Primavera,MicrosoftProjectServer,MicrosoftProjectProfessionalandExcelbeingtypicalexamples.Whilstsomeorganisationshavetakenstepstoreduceduplicationandre-entryofdatatherehas,inourexperience,beenpartialuptakeofthis.Forexample,some

clientsallowEPCstoupdateplanswithprogressinformation,butthishasntbeenwidelyadopted.Otherorganisationsofferwaysforavendortouploadaprojectplanbutthesearetypicallyheldasdiscretefiles,sotheresnowaytoeasilyaggregatemultipleplansfrommultiplevendors.ReducingmanualmanipulationandduplicationwouldsavetimeandallowPMOresourcestobemoreeffectivelyutilisedoncore,value-addactivities.YetitsalsoessentialifProjectDirectorsandManagerswantincreasedvisibility,earlywarningofissuesandeasyidentificationofbestpractice.


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5.NewTechnologyAdvancesintechnologyallowanintegrated,collaborative,real-timeexperiencefor

projectteams.

5.1.TheProjectIntelligenceCentre

Currentprojectintelligenceofferingsareeithersimplereportsontheprojectscheduleandresources,orareaggregationsofprojectdataforbenchmarkingpurposes.Theydonotaddressthechallengeslaidoutinthispaper.Thechallengesexaminedabovecouldbemetbyacombinationoftechnologiesthatprovided:

Real-time visibility of data from all parties in the supply-chain, regardless of systemlocation or complexity

A single, unified view of the project or mega-project optimized to each users needs

Notification of issues Collaborative tools to allow the project to react and deal with issues

Thesefeaturesconstituteanewtypeofplatform;theProjectIntelligenceCentre(PIC).Theyalsodescribeanimprovedwayofoperatingaprojectormega-project.Thesefeaturesrelyonnewtechnologies:

Total integration; flexible, extensible, vendor agnostic

Hybrid-cloud architectures

True collaboration through shared experience

Social workplace

Thispaperwilllookbrieflyateachoftheseareas,beforelookingathowtheycontributetomeetingthechallengesdescribedpreviously.


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5.2. TotalIntegrationUntilnowitsbeendifficulttoaccessproprietaryformatorlegacydatasources;newconnectivitycapabilitiescanpresentaconsumerstandardintegrateduser

experience.

5.2.1. Integration=Visibility

Inordertodeliverthesituationalawarenessanddatatransparencyrequired,thePICneedstobeabletodelivervisibilitythroughoutthesupply-chain.Modernintegrationtechnologiescanconnectthesystemsthatpoweryourprojectsatclient,EPC,vendorandsub-vendorlevels,bringingallthedataneededtomanageaprojecttogetherinoneplace.AsaminimumthisneedstocoverERP,planning,documentmanagementand

existingMIS/BIplatforms.However,connectivitytoMES,datahistorians,DCSandotherplantsystemswilleasethehandoverintoproduction.

Figure6.RequiredPICIntegrationCapability

ThisconnectivityallowsthePICtobeasinglepointofreferenceforallandeliminatescomplexityfortheuser.Whenalliedwiththehybrid-cloudarchitecturediscussedinsection5.3,HybridCloud,itallowstheclientand/or

EPCdirectvisibilityofallvendorandsub-vendorprogress.


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5.2.2. KeyDesignCriteria

InsummarytheidealPICsystemshouldbeofferingasstandard:

Self-serviceplatformsrequiringnoITinvolvement

Genuineend-userdrivendataaccessbuiltaroundmodernuserexperienceprinciples

Real-time,orasnearasmakesnodifference

Simultaneousdirectaccesstosourcedataforall,soastoprovidea

platformforcollaboration

Somewaytoactiontheintelligence;tocurateitforacommunity,makeit

actionable,orstartcollaboratingwithothers

Controllableexpense-there'snowaytheenterpriseshouldbepenalised

withincreasedexpenseorcomplexityforauserwantingtoextractor

sharedata


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5.3. HybridCloudHowintelligentuseofcloudcomputingcandeliveravalueaddarchitecture,ratherthanjustanoutsourcedinfrastructurerisk.

5.3.1. Whatisahybrid-cloud?

Ahybrid-cloudarchitecturehastwokeyrolesinmeetingthechallengesfacedbylargecapitalprojects;externalcollaborationanduniversaldataaccess.Thetermcloudisoftenappropriatedtomeananumberofdifferentthings.Forthepurposesofthisdocumentitwillhelptodefinethecloudasserverresourcewhichis:

Off-site; centralised application deployment to clients and servers, minimisingdeployment costs ande delivering a standardised user experience.

Scalable on-demand; to permit new collaboration partners and meet data exchange

requirements. Virtualised; spread across multiple hardware platforms to minimise risk.

Private; limited to enterprise customers with appropriate provisions for data security

Thisclearlydifferentiatesthisusageofcloudfromothersolutionsthatmaybesomeornoneoftheabove.Thetermhybrid-cloudmeansthatbothcloudcomputingandOn-Premiseresourcesareused;

An On-Premise component which connects to enterprise systems, authenticatesusers, aggregates and serves data and manages communications to the cloud

servers. A cloud component which permits centralised delivery of client and server updates

and manages communications with external users and On-Premise servers.

Figure7.TheIdealArchitecture

Youcanfindamoredetailedarchitecturediagramathttp://www.sabisu.co/_artifact/sabisu-architecture.pdf.


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5.3.2. Whychooseahybrid-cloud?

Asmentionedbrieflyabove,thehybrid-cloudarchitecturehastwokeyrolesinmeetingthechallengesfacedbylargecapitalprojects;externalcollaborationanduniversaldataaccess.

Thehybrid-cloudarchitecturefundamentallyredefinesprojectreporting,bringingthereal-timereportingandcollaborationfunctionalitysofarreservedforexpensive,hardtoimplementoperationalintelligencesystemsintoanagile,quicklydeployedprojectintelligencecentre.Thisnewapproachallowstheprojectintelligencecentretomeetchallengesthatpreviouslycouldbesolvedonlywithsignificantinvestmentandrisk:

Situational Awarenesso When combined with advanced, real-time integration capabilities can deliver

genuine situational awareness to any user anywhere.

Decision Supporto Decision support systems require hybrid-cloud architectures to provide a

single, incontrovertible version of the truth and a platform for globalcollaboration.

Workflow Efficiencyo Modern project workflows benefit from easy data transfer and instant, data-

centred collaboration.

Project Controlso Project controls teams benefit from direct access to client, EPC, vendor and

sub-vendor data, improving reporting quality and easing reconciliation.


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5.3.3. KeyDesignCriteria

Thehybrid-cloudofferssomerealadvantages.Aswithanynewtechnologycareshouldbetakenwhenlookingatsystemcapabilitiesthefollowingcriteriawillminimizerisk:

1. No line of business data should be persisted outside the corporate network.

2. No corporate data is transmitted outside the corporate network unless external users

are specifically authorized to access it.

3. Corporate data should be provided to end-users in real-time on demand, i.e., without

caching.

4. Design for the thinnest possible client; smallest footprint, lowest cost ideally throughstandard browsers without reliance on plug-ins.

TheidealPICshouldbeprovenwithasmallpilotdeployment,whichwillshowhowit:

Adapts to your business processes and end-user requirements without requiringsignificant development work or configuration.

Delivers significant business benefit even from a deployment to a niche businessfunction or limited number of users.

5.3.4. GoMobile

Thehybrid-cloudalsoallowsthecapitalprojectchallengeslaiddowninthispapertobesolvedforanotherusertype;themobileuser.Indeed,withonlyminormodificationsrequiredtotheuserinterfacetoadapttodifferentdisplayrequirementsanddevicecapabilitiesanyuserwithamobiledevicecanbeconnectedtotheproject.Giventheglobalnatureofsuchprojectsandthefrequencywithwhichmanagementarerequiredtotravelthisisabenefitwhichbecomesmorecompellingasmobiledevicesbecomesmarterandbetter

connected.Indeed,thereisagrowingtendencyfordevicessuchasiPadsandiPhonestobeusedwithintheenterprise,particularlybyseniormanagement.Thehybrid-cloudarchitectureallowstheserequirementstobemetwithoutfurtherexpenseorcomplexity.


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5.4. TrueCollaborationCollaborationismorethansimplemessaging;atrulycollaborativeenvironmentpromotesteamworkingandeliminateslotsofemail.

5.4.1. TrueCollaborationNeedsaSharedExperience

5.5. Asdiscussedaboveinsection4.3,CollaborationThroughouttheSupplyChain

allusersmustseethesamedevelopingsituationinreal-time.Thisisntsimplyaonesizefitsalldashboard;thisisanindividual,yetshared,experienceofthesituation.Thereiscommunalcontrolandresponsibilityforresolution.Thusallcollaboratorsneedaccesstothedatathatdescribesthesituationor

businessprocess,yetwithoutcompromisingthepersonalizedenvironmenteachuserneedstodotheirjob.Eachindividualhastoaccesstothisdataontheirownterms,i.e.,alongsideotherdata,documentsandtoolstheyneedtocontextualizethesituationormovetheprocessforward.

Figure8.TwoPersonalisedViewsofaSituation

TheroleofthePICisthereforeoneoffacilitatingthesharedexperience;creatinganenvironmentwheredataiseasilyaccessiblewhethercollaboratorsare

basedwithclients,EPCs,vendorsorsub-vendors.


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5.6. SocialWorkplaceSocialcapabilitycanenhanceaprojectseffectivenessandabilitytorespondbutthosethatcanalignusersaroundcoredatacanseeanexponentialreturn.

5.6.1. Enterprise2.0

ThePICasdiscussedsofarhasmanyEnterprise2.0,orenterprisesocialsoftware,properties:

As discussed in all the previous sections, personalization is crucial to the success ofan PIC solution; the end-users autonomy must be respected. This is also a crucialtenet of Enterprise 2.0, or enterprise social software.

The platform as described also has significant communication features which supportits unique, genuine collaboration capability.

The platform has an appreciation of which users are linked thanks to the communitymodel, which also gives it a method for easy adoption throughout the project.

The ease with which users can share data and content makes user links andcommunities useful and therefore likely to be used, so all the ingredients for asuccessful enterprise social network are in place.

The ease with which new users can be added to communities allows for viral growth,whilst the implementation of a corporate administrator allows this growth to bemanaged.

StudiesarebeginningtoshowthebenefitsofdeployingEnterprise2.0technology;theemphasisinsocialbusinesssoftwareisnowstartingtoshifttowardsbusiness.AMcKinseystudyfoundthatexternallynetworkedorganisationswereinthetop3%oftheirsectors.Byplacingprojectdataatthecentreofanycollaborationorcommunityactivity,theplatformactuallydevelopssocialcapabilityintosomethingnew;asocialworkplacededicatedtofinding,sharingandcollaboratingonprojectdata.ThissharedpurposeisonlypossiblebecausethePICcanbringthedatatogetherinashared,yetpersonalized,environmentthevendorandplatformagnostic

integrationcapabilityisessentialtothesuccessoftheproject.OrganisationsadoptingaPICsolutionwiththesepropertiescanatlastleveragepersonalization,communityworking,enterprisedataandsocialnetworkingtoproducegenuineimprovementsinefficiency.


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5.6.2. ASocialPerspective

Thetraditionaldashboardviewofaprojectassumesthattheuserwillbemonitoringitconstantly,yetthisisnotpractical;userswillbedivertedforgoodreasonatcertaintimes.Alsonotalldataisbestpresentedinadashboard,e.g.,

conversations,statusorprogressupdates.ThereforethePICneedstopresentactivityinanevent-driven,timelineview.Doingsowillkickstartcollaborationandallowofflineuserstobebroughtuptodateprovidedofcoursethatthetimelineisrelevant.Fortunatelythereisawaytoensurerelevancy;whenausernominatesdataasrelevanttotheircommunityorcommunities,theyarefilteringoutalltheirrelevantdataandthusensuringthetimelineremainsuseful.BuildingontheconceptsintheTotalIntegrationsectionabove,thevastconnectivityandself-

servicecapabilitiesofthePICallowstheusertonominatedatafromvirtuallyanywhereintheenterprise.AstheidealPICprovidesawealthofcollaborationoptionsitisalsoideallysituatedtoupdatethetimelinewiththelatestdiscussions.ThismeansthatanofflineusercangetthefullpicturefromthePICandbereadytocontribute.Thisistrulyasocialplatform.Asdiscussedthroughoutthispaper,projectsdependonbringingpeopleindifferentorganisationstogether.Sothetimelinefacilityisvaluabletoallpartiesasitpromotestransparencyandrapidresponsefurtherbreakingthedelaying

cyclesshowninFigure3.

Figure9.ASocial,EventDrivenView


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6.MeetingWorkflow&CollaborationChallengesNewtechnologybroughttobearonprojectandmega-projectchallenges,breaking

downboundariesanddeliveringvisibilityandcontrol.

6.1.Easy&FocusedCollaboration

AdhoccollaborationbetweenProjectManagersasdescribedinsection4.3isclearlybeneficialandshouldbeencouraged.Whencombinedwithnewtechnologywhichallowsuserstoshareprojectdataasdescribedin4.2,messagingfeaturescanbecomepowerfulcollaborationoptions.Agoodexampleisinstantmessaging,orchat;byputtingprojectdataatthecentreofthediscussion,itbecomesavaluablecollaborationtool.Ithastheadvantagesofbeingimmediatewhilsthavingjusttherightlevelofintrusion;likearingingtelephone,itencouragesareactionbutcanbeignored.

Giventheimportanceofcollaborativecommunities(section6.3)anymessagingmechanismshouldallowgroupsofinteresteduserstoeasilycollaborate.Ifausercanbringanentirecommunityintoareal-time,shared,collaborativeenvironmentthentherecanbenoquickerwayofexposinginsights,resolvingincipientsituations,orexpeditingbusinessprocesses.

Figure10.InPlatformChat,ShowingCommunityFocus

Perhapsmoreintrusivebutlikelytogaininacceptabilityisvideochat;facetofacediscussionviawebcam.High-resolutionwebconferencingcapabilityisnottheaimheremorearapidlyaccessedcollaborationfacility.Oftenpreferabletotextonlymessagingasinterpersonalandenvironmentalconsiderationscanbemade,itsawelcomedevelopmentprovidedthecollaborativeenvironmentisnotcompromised;iftheuserhastosacrificetheirviewofthedata,situation,orprocesstogetthevideochatsoftwareinitialized,thenitsnon-optimal.


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Obviouslyaccommodationsneedtobemadeforoffline,non-real-timecollaboration.Theseshouldstillbedata-centricintheiruse,usingsomesortofnotificationprocesssothatuserscanbebroughtuptospeed.


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6.2. User&CommunityAutonomyGivingeachuserapersonalperspectiveonasharedexperiencemeanssubstantialcomplexity;eachuserneedsapersonalizedenvironment.

Somedegreeofassistanceindeterminingthisenvironmentisappropriate.Ascommunitiesofusersclusteraroundcommoninterests,itseemslogicalthatthePICprovidesthefacilityforcommunitiestodetermineadefaultprojectdashboardthatcanthenbecustomisedbyindividualusersifrequired.Thesecommunitypageswillthemselvesevolveovertimeasdatasourcesevolve,mergeoraresuperseded.AsthePICisanenterpriseplatform,careshouldbetakenaroundadministrationofcommunities,theirproliferationandtheirprotection.Inparticular,thefollowingconsiderationsshouldbemade:

Administration has to be an end-user responsibility; awaiting IT involvement everytime a user needs to be added to a community will lead to delays.

End-users should be able to create communities as situations require, yet with someoversight from a corporate administrator.

Communities must have some sort of privacy structure to ensure they stay relevant,corporate intellectual property is protected and confidentiality respected.

6.3. UserCommunityFocusUsercommunitiescomeinallshapesandsizes.Eachprojecthasmany

communitiesandtheydontnecessarilymirrortheorganisationstructure.

Communitiesarereliable,robustandinclusive;theyleadtobetterdecisionsand

bytheirverynatureengageusersandensurethattherelevantdatagetsto

interestedparties.

ProjectManagersalreadyshareinformationsoastoprotecttheoverall

programme,particularlywithregardtovendorproductioncapacity.Thead-hoc

communitiesthatformasaresultgivegreatbenefitinandacrossprojects,sothe

PICneedstosupportthis;itneedstobeintuitivesothatcommunitiescan

organicallygrowasneeded.Anintuitiveandeasytodeploysolutionwillgrowat

therequiredpacewithouttrainingorITconstraintstopreventitfromreachingtherequiredconstituencies.

Communitiesarethekeyorganisationalconstructforbringingmega-project

teamstogether;bringingallprojectconversationsintooneplacebuildsa

reusablelibraryofexpertiseandbestpractice.Itsalsotheeasiestwayfora

ProjectManagerorDirectortoseewhichissuesarebeingactivelyworked.

Filteringandmakingdatadirectlyavailabletoacommunityremovesthe

traditionalrelianceonemail,oranyotherformofserialinformationdelivery.It

alsoopensthedoorforstreamliningcomplexbusinessprocessesandbreakingthebehavioursthatintroducedelay.


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6.4. ContentDistributionWiththeuser/communityrelationshipestablished,thePICisuniquelypositionedtoensurethatusersareprovidedwithrelevantcontent.Thiscontentisimportanttothebusinessintermsofensuringprojectefficiencyand

consistencyandtousersforunderstandingtrendsordevelopingnewinsights.ThePIChasaroleintermsofpropagatingbestpractice;astheplatformresponsibleforbringingcommunitiesofuserstogetheraroundprojectprocessesandissuesitistheidealplacefordetermining,communicatingandensuringcompliancewithrevisionstobestpractices.Theamountandvariednatureofprojectdataavailabletousersintheenterprisemeansenterprisesearchisoflimiteduse.Thisiswherecurationbecomesvaluable;byhighlightingthemostvaluableversionofcontent,orcollaboratingto

producenewversions,usersfilterthemostrelevantcontent.Thiscontentisthenpropagatedbyallowinguserstotheneasilysharethedatawiththeircommunities.Inthisway,thePICcanaddvaluetoexistingdocumentorcontentmanagementsystems,suchasSharePointorOpenTextLivelink.ThePICmusthaveatleastrudimentarylinktopermitthesharingandhencepropagationacrossthesocialnetworkofcontentfromthesesources.

6.5. FrictionlessBusinessProcessesThoughERPsystemsensurecomplianceinkeyfinancialandoperationalbusinessprocesses,manyprocessesthatdependonthirdpartiesfalloutsidetheERPsystemscontrol.ThePICmustsupporttheevolutionoftheseprocessesasnewcommunitiesareidentifiedandnewdatasetsareshared.Thiscouldbethoughtofasavirtualenterprisenetwork;apermanentlyavailable,zeroconfiguration,on-demandfacilityforcross-enterpriseworking.Everyprojectpartnercanbeincluded-independentconsultants,SMEsandcontractors.

Thiscapabilitymeansitsnolongernecessarytotreatcontractorsasemployees;theydontneedtobeon-site,orontheclientsenterprisenetwork,orprovidedwithITsupport.Allthirdpartiescanbeprovidedwithdirectaccesstothedatathattheyrequire,savingcostsandreducingtheriskofaccidentaldataexposure.Asreferredtoinsection5.6.1,Enterprise2.0,thisistheextendedenterpriseinaction;Enterprise2.0technologyappliedtothechallengesoflargecapitalprojectsisagreatexampleofhowdata-centredenterprisesocialnetworkscandeliverrealbusinessbenefit.


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6.6. ExceptionalServiceDeliveryWhilstthefocusofthePICsolutionisonprojectdeliveryfortheclient,itshouldbeacknowledgedthatexternalserviceprovidersofallkindscouldusethesameproperlyarchitectedPICsolutiontodeliversignificantbenefitforbothparties.

Thisisparticularlyrelevantduringcommissioningandhand-overtoproduction.Beyondtheimprovedinter-organisationcollaborationdescribedinsection6.5,serviceproviderscanlookforwardtoearlyinclusionindevelopingoperationalsituationsallowingearlierandlowercostresolutiontoissues.Suchaninvolvementisidealforthirdpartyconsultantsandknowledgeworkers.Serviceprovidersarealreadyusingthiscloud-basedPICcollaborationcapabilitytodifferentiatethemselvesfromcompetitors,providingon-demandaccessforcustomerstokeydataandinstant,pro-activecollaboration.

Serviceprovidersalsofindthatnewcustomerscancommissiontheirservicesmoreeasily;itssimplyacaseofmakingappropriateprovisionsforstoringthenewcustomersdataandallowingappropriateaccess.Theserviceprovideralsobenefitsfromarobust,scalablecomputingresourcethatwouldbecostprohibitivefortheserviceproviderstoimplementthemselves.


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7.SabisuTherewasntasolutiononthemarketthatcouldachievegenuineimprovementsin

efficiencyorcollaboration,orextendtheenterprise.Sowebuiltit.

7.1.FunctionalFit

WithSabisu,webelievewevebuilttheultimateprojectintelligencecentre,focusingonintegration,collaborationandtheextendedenterprise.Othersolutionsmaymeetsomerequirementsbutnoothersmeetall.Sabisuwasconstructedwiththeextendedenterpriseinmind;theplatformsOn-PremisecomponentisdesignedonindustrystandardoperatingsystemsanddatabaseserverssoastopermitrapidglobaldeploymenttolocationswhereITexpertisemaybelimited.

Sabisudeliversallthefunctionalityoutlinedinthisdocument.Allofthepracticesandimpactshavebeenprovenwithinexistingcustomers,e.g.,

Visibility throughout complex supply chains and business processes

Users migrating to centralised collaborative platforms, e.g., from email to instantmessaging.

Improvements in business process execution efficiency

Identification of operational cost savings

Improved service delivery from and to third parties

Reduction in IT expenditure, particularly around meeting new informationpresentation requirements

OurcustomersarefindingusesforSabisuthroughouttheirlargecapitalprojects;KPIdashboards,documentmanagement,commissioningandassetmanagement,andofcourseexecutivereportingandday-to-daybusinessprocessexecution.Sabisuisalsoinconstantusebythosewhocreateandmaintainit;itsusedtomonitorthevariousproductionenvironmentsandserviceourcustomers.


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7.2. AbouttheSabisuteamWereatechnologycompany;webuild,implementandhelpourcustomersexploitSabisu.

Sabisuisdesigned,builtandhostedintheUK.WehaveofficesinTeessideandManchester;ourcloudfacilityisadedicatedSabisuprivatevirtualenvironmenthostedfromourdatacentreinManchester.Sabisuwasestablishedin2003toprovideITservices,principallytothepetrochemicalsindustry.RealisingthatwehadauniquevaluepropositioninenterprisesoftwarewelaunchedSabisuintobetainJanuary2010withtheaimofbuildingaplatformtomakecomplexenterpriseseasytomanage.Ourapproachwastousethebesthybrid-cloud,socialandintegration

technologiestobuildaplatformwithunprecedentedreachandapplications.Weworkedinpartnershipwithanumberofearlycustomersintheoil&gassectortomakethishappen,withtheproductgoingliveinJanuary2011.Sincethenwehavebeenracingtokeepupwithdemandasexistingcustomersexpandandweaddnewcustomers.OurcustomersarefindingthatSabisucanbringdatatogetherfromdisparatesourcesregardlessoflocationtorefinebusinessprocesses,eliminatingtime-consumingmanipulationofdataandtheneedtomanuallymovedatabetweensystems.Asasmall,agile,responsivetechnologycompany,weregardourselvesashaving

partnersratherthancustomers;twoway,longterm,mutuallybeneficialrelationships.Foramoredetailedpresentationofourvaluesanddifferentiatingapproach,wewouldbepleasedtoprovideorpresentadditionalmaterial.


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7.3. TypicalIndustrySectorsDesignedinpartnershipwithleadingpetrochemicalsandrefiningcompanies,Sabisuisaperfectfitfortheoil&gasdownstreamsector.Itsbeendesignedandbuiltwiththeresilience,security,qualityandsystemintegritythatthismarket

demands.ThereforeSabisuwillbringbenefitstoanylarge-scalemanufacturingandprocessindustryoperation,withcompellingsuccessstoriesinchemicals&biofuelsinparticular.WithitsextendedenterprisecapabilitySabisuisalsothedeliveryplatformofchoiceforserviceprovidersasitenablesthecustomertodigitallycommissioneasilyandprovidesexcellentcollaborativefeaturestoensureoptimaldelivery.

7.4. CaseStudiesConstructionofSabisuwasstartedinmid-2010.Thesolutionwasdesignedandbuiltwithhelpfromleadingpetrochemicalmanufacturersandprocessindustryfigures,thoughthecompanyandallintellectualpropertyrelatedtotheplatformcontinuestobeprivatelyheldbyitsfoundersandteam. Athttp://www.sabisu.co/CaseStudies.aspxyoullfindagrowingnumberofcasestudies.

7.5. NextstepsContactus.Wedlovetohearyourcomments.Youcanreachusat:[email protected]:http://www.sabisu.co/contact-usOrourofficecontactdetailsare:

MANCHESTER

ArdenHallSaleM333SJ+441619733138GoogleMaps

TEESSIDE

A311TheWiltonCentreWiltonRedcarTS104RF+441642438124GoogleMaps

capital projects - rebooting project intelligence - workflow and collaboration

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