Mastering Enterprise Project Portfolio Management: The Planisware Enterprise Advantage 

In the expansive landscape of Project and Portfolio Management (PPM), the choice of a robust tool can determine the trajectory of success for enterprises. Planisware, distinguished as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Adaptive Project Management and Reporting Tools, stands out as a versatile solution designed to meet the diverse needs of organizations across industries. 

For enterprises seeking a powerful PPM tool, Planisware emerges as a beacon of excellence. Its universal appeal is evident in its recognition as a preferred choice across various sectors, embodying adaptability and innovation.  

Overview of Planisware Enterprise Modules: 

• Project module: Efficient project planning is a key factor for project success, and Planisware’s project module offers a variety of features to enhance this aspect. The platform provides a simplified interface for activity planning, along with Gantt and timeline views for a quick overview. The inclusion of a stage-gate process facilitates deliverable management, while the Baseline and versioning feature captures snapshots of financial data to track progress and allow adjustments to the project plan. Additionally, the platform features tools for project managers to manage demand and supply effectively. 

• Resource module: Planisware’s resource module provides a range of options for effective resource management. It supports optimized resource utilization, enabling efficient allocation and improved planning while minimizing wastage. The platform also includes an equation or parametric estimation function, automating demand generation based on business logic. This simplifies high-level resource forecasting, contributing to enhanced overall resource management.

• Planisware explorer: Data analysis, crucial for organizational success, empowers better decision-making and contributes to improved ROI. Planisware offers an out-of-the-box feature that allows customers to design reports and dashboards with real-time data. This feature includes the capability to create charts, tabular reports, and share dashboards with specific users or user groups as needed. 

• Integration capabilities: In an enterprise, the use of multiple systems for various purposes is common, including HR systems (ERP), project management, timesheet systems, ticketing systems, knowledge management, or analytics/reporting tools. Ensuring a seamless data exchange channel among these systems is crucial. Planisware offers multiple options for interfacing with other systems, with well-known approaches such as: 
• Batch mechanism: Planisware provides a powerful import-export capability, through which you can exchange (import/export) small to huge amounts of data in the form of files i.e. csv, JSON etc. or with direct database connection on ad hoc or required interval. 
• Soap/Rest API: To exchange the data in real-time, Planisware provides an option to design custom APIs as per the need. These APIs can play a crucial role establishing sync between the systems. 
• OData (Open Data Protocol): With the latest versions (V6 and onwards), Planisware provides an option of OData API to exchange real-time data. The OData is a data exchange norm defining a set of best practices for building and consuming RESTful APIs. It is an enhanced version to use restful API with number of inbuilt methods to simplify its utilization. 

Best practices for implementation: 

As an enterprise-wide system, Planisware encompasses various modules for end-to-end project and portfolio management. Be it resource management, demand and supply, resource forecasting, scenario planning, portfolio prioritization, idea or epic management, setting up roadmaps or timeline views you name it Planisware offers it. 

Given the complexity of such a system, ensuring optimal application performance is crucial. This can be challenging without adhering to best practices during feature implementation. 

• Begin by consolidating master data before initiating module implementation, establishing rules and parameters for processes in advance. 

• Finalize and freeze requirements to achieve expected results within the agreed timeline. 

• Define various users/user groups and their required access before commencing the module implementation process. 

• Discuss and define various reports along with their capabilities with stakeholders in advance. 

• Preferentially utilize out-of-the-box configurations over custom implementations where feasible. 

• Follow L1 configuration, as much of the L2 configuration is transitioning to L1 (with eventual decommissioning/disabling of L2) and implementing in L2 requires additional efforts to convert it into L1 configuration later. 

Building a PPM analytics framework 

Planisware offers a robust feature for generating reports or dashboards. However, managing visualizations can become a challenging task when organizations use diverse applications to handle their processes, and data sources are scattered. One approach to overcome this situation involves setting up a data lake. This data lake can receive data from various systems such as HR, Planisware, timesheet, ticketing, or any other system, allowing organizations to build their visualizations seamlessly. 

i2e Consulting is the trusted Planisware partner and can help build a PPM analytics framework. Our team of experts are not only well versed with Planisware, but also have hands-on experience in data management and ETL processes. We have helped global companies build a scalable, and flexible PPM analytics framework, which can deliver real-time insights and reports. 

If you’d like to get a live session on Planisware Enterprise or have inquiries on Planisware or PPM, i2e consulting is ready to assist. Get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to schedule a non-binding demo appointment.