Web-Based Project Management
The Internet is changing project management, enabling managers to build teams with
people located in any part of the world. Web-based project management applications help
managers to improve communications among team members and shorten project cycle
times. By allowing team members to exchange documents and ideas easily, Web-based
project management solutions reduce errors caused by poor communication and eliminate
delays due to approvals and reviews.
Companies in a wide range of industries, including IT, manufacturing, banking, and
insurance, are taking advantage of Web-based project management. Most of them have
already been using Web technologies for some time. However, numerous companies in
industries like architecture and construction that require heavy use of project
management technologies have been slow to adopt IT–based project management
solutions. The reasons behind their slow adoption of Web-based project management
technologies include low profit margins, susceptibility to economic fluctuations, and high
costs associated with other IT investments.
A typical construction project involves the exchange of information such as budgets,
schedules, change orders, work progresses, and invoices. This information is usually
transmitted via traditional communication mechanisms: phone, fax, or mail. Architects
are also heavily involved in information exchange. For example, they share their
drawings with different contractors, who make revisions and add suggestions. Then,
architects review each revision/suggestion and approve changes. In addition, each
company involved in the architectural project typically has its own applications and
methods for recording changes. In many instances, duplicate efforts are required to enter
all the information in different systems.
A Web-based project management application can solve most of those problems by
providing a central Web site, or project portal, where all project-related information is
stored. As a result, every party involved in the project can retrieve up-to-date
information, share documents, review drawings, discuss and implement changes, and use
collaboration tools like discussion groups, chat forums, or net meetings. This exchange of
information and ideas improves communication among members, reduces mistakes
caused by duplicate information input and storage, and eliminates delays caused by
traditional delivery methods.
Consequently, it is not surprising that a growing number of companies in the architecture
and construction industry are beginning to implement virtual private networks, Web
project portals, and advanced project management applications. Early adopters mention
two main benefits: collaboration and work flow. Collaboration is possible because all
parties involved work with the same information. Collaboration tools decrease decision
time and increase efficiency. For example, an architect and an engineer can discuss a
problem using videoconferencing while updating drawings in real time. In the same way,
a builder can discuss drawing modifications with different contractors while highlighting
the sections affected. Additionally, collaboration software can be configured to monitor
possible problems. For example, the application can send an automatic e-mail notification
to the appropriate people if a task is completed, if a schedule is not met on time, or if
costs are too high.
Work flow allows the creation of a digital record on each project-related document.
Because everybody works with the same documents, it is possible to store information
concerning who makes requests and updates, from which location a user had access to the
information, and at what time. This data is important to guarantee the integrity of the
information and to avoid misunderstandings. Work flow also reduces project cycle time
because an online application, in which documents are sent automatically to the
appropriate people, can provide an ordered way to approve and reject documents.
ADD Inc., a Massachusetts-based architectural firm, has used project Web sites to
complete a project that involved clients in Boston and the midwest, a lawyer in Chicago,
and consultants in several U.S. locations. ADD maintains that the project portal helped
cut travel expenses and reduced the length of the project.
Kohn Pederson Fox Associates PC, a New York firm, recently set up a virtual private
network (VPN) to connect its offices in London, Tokyo, and some temporary locations.
The firm had to implement the VPN to host its Web-based project management, which
improved the communication between architects in different countries.
Two of the most commonly used software programs for online project management are
Microsoft Project and OnProject. Both programs offer similar capabilities, including
permission levels, automatic e-mail notification, customized reports, Gantt charts, and
critical path indicators.