Global Player

Employees of the Andritz Group are spread out across the globe just like their customers. This requires the implementation of global project structures which are based around virtual teams. For this reason, the company required a software solution that improves communication between team members who are often at separate locations. A solution that could be implemented quickly with transparent costs, one with minimal requirements and one that ensures the highest security and availability.

The Solution is Software as a Service

Andritz AG chose ProjectNetWorld®, the project management software from EngineeringNetWorld Internet Services AG (ENW). ProjectNetWorld® was customized to the corporate design of Andritz AG and has been deployed for four years under the internal product description AndritzEngineeringWorld (AEW). Currently, 14 major projects are being managed in Europe, Asia and North America.

ProjectNetWorld® itself is available via the Internet (software as a service model). Operation, maintenance and further development remain in the hands of ENW.

Product Introduction

A customized company solution was created within 2 weeks after an intensive know-how transfer, productive training phases, the development of an organizational handbook, as well as a successful start to a pilot project. Employees received intensive system training and internal company key users act as contacts for any questions.

Product Advantages

The advantages of ProjectNetWorld® lie first and foremost in project communication. The software enables a structured, centralized and unified exchange of data with automatic revision management. This applies to all project-relevant documents regardless of their size and quantity.

For the company, this provides several additional advantages:

• A uniform and centralized project management platform
• The system prevents documents from being stored in multiple locations thus containing the flow of data
• Traceability of data exchange thus facilitating communication
• No dependence on postage and transport
• Global access via the Internet 24/7
• Project-specific allocation of costs thus maximum cost transparency

Starting with the company-wide document exchange, additional ProjectNetWorld®modules such as online databases, a project calendar, scheduling, etc., are implemented step-by-step to optimize the project work.

Michael Czakert, project manager at Andritz AG:

"Our goal of providing an international, modern and, above all, centralized communications platform for all project members worldwide was met by ProjectNetWorld®."

Project Figures

ProjectNetWorld® is currently being used by the Andritz Group for 14 major projects in 11 countries on three different continents. Approximately 400 project members are generating more than 700 new documents per month for a total volume of 30,000 project-related documents up to this point.

The Company

The Andritz Group headquartered in Graz, Austria is an international technology company in the five following business segments:

• Pulp and paper
• Rolling mills and strip processing
• Environment and process
• Feed and biofuel
• Hydro power

The company employs around 13,000 people and has subsidiaries and sales offices all over the world.

A commentary by Anna Gebert

Client: South Africa; consortium members: Austria, Germany, USA; suppliers: South Africa, Austria, Germany, USA, India; five countries in different time zones, multiple locations and companies, one project. And all that against the backdrop of rising cost pressure and ambitious deadlines in a complex project environment.

Companies working at an international level recognize these challenges and counter them to save costs and resources by outsourcing or relocating services that either affect or support the core business. For example, this can be the relocation of production to a country with lower labor costs, or the outsourcing of classic support processes.

The globalization or liberalization of international trade supports this trend and is the main reason behind the move away from dependence on location by companies and the development of international cooperation.

In the automotive industry, up to 70% of the value chain is already outsourced to other companies. Numerous other sectors, including plant construction, have been following a similar strategy for years - with great success.

However, this requires an increased effort level when it comes to communications and coordination. People need to be kept informed and in the loop if you expect them to be productive.

What does this mean for project work?

New challenges are created for project work as a result, above all in terms of the organization of project teams in separate locations and different time zones. The projects often involve cooperation between different "cultures" that speak different languages and that may have different approaches to the various professional assignments.

In this context, a joint, clear (project) goal is just as important as the existence of a uniform work environment with the latest data accessible at any time.

Studies show that around 17% of work time is spent on searching for information – irrespective of whether this information is actually up-to-date.

A centralized work environment is essential in order to make information searches easier and also ensure that the information is always current.

It is only in this way that all project participants can be kept in the loop - regardless of their location or company.

Centralized work environments as a basis

Separate work environments and different storage locations make coordination more complex, as information has to be synchronized. They also make communications more complex in terms of the distribution of information.

Centralized work environments are vital for the success of projects managed on a decentralized basis. They increase efficiency and reduce the susceptibility to error that arises almost inevitably as the result of different filing systems. They make projects clearer and more traceable, facilitate project documentation, and increase understanding of the relevant contexts. This also increases acceptance of the project.

Companies would therefore be well-advised to implement uniform planning, control, and filing systems. In the project management sector - if internal company security guidelines make it hard to involve external project members - independent, web-based platforms are a suitable alternative for cooperation across multiple locations and companies.

New technologies for secure, efficient cooperation

These days, web technologies and various software tools facilitate the limitless exchange of information and provide support for communications and cooperation in projects. Virtual application areas offer a central work environment for the whole project team - regardless of where the individual is or which company he/she is working for.

One particular example of these new technologies is the range of "Software as a Service" (SaaS) platforms: web-based applications that are playing an increasingly important role, particularly in project management. They offer many advantages:

• The software is rented for the duration of the project
• There is usually no need for additional investments in hardware or software
• All you need to access all the project information is an Internet connection
• The costs are transparent, easy to calculate and can be assigned directly to the relevant project and participants
• SaaS also means less work for internal IT personnel and makes it possible for all those involved to participate simply and securely in the project

Direct access to all project information (documents, schedules, tasks, etc.) at any time and from any location makes it possible for all participants to gain an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of the project. The result: a significant reduction in coordination effort, thus making all project-related work flow much easier.

However, anyone interested in these solutions should bear in mind the following criteria:

• Can the software be adapted quickly and easily to varied requirements (company-specific and/or project-specific requirements)?
• Is the user interface intuitive and easy to use?
• Does the software comply with modern security standards (access control, authorization concept, encryption, etc.)?
• Is it permanently available (hosting, computer center, database connections)?
• What support services are offered by the SaaS provider?

If these criteria are sufficiently met, there are no other technical or organizational reasons to prevent you implementing such a solution.

P.S.

Remember that the one thing technology cannot always compensate for is the "human" factor. Each piece of software is only as good as the people who use it. For this reason, it is vital not only to provide appropriate training for all those involved, but also to ensure that the necessary discipline is maintained when it comes to data management.

Project templates with ProjectNetWorld®

Knowledge is one of the most valuable intangible goods of our time. And it is (re)used far too little.

It can be lost in numerous ways: Through employees who choose to go in a new direction and leave the team. Through lack of archiving or documentation. Through the fact that it seems too much of an effort to collect that knowledge, manage it and prepare it for future use. In the latter case, it helps to use well-designed templates that combine the documentation of tried and tested processes and structures, the experiences collected from projects and the know-how of the participating employees and make all this information available in a central location.

With the templates module, ProjectNetWorld® offers a tool that allows you to (re)use existing standards and knowledge quickly and simply for future projects. Above all, using project templates makes it much easier to start a new project and ensures that tried and tested structures are used for such projects.

On one hand, you can create templates from successful projects (or parts of them) and reuse them for future projects ("Best Practice").



You can also use company-specific project standards and methods as the basis for creating project templates and template pools for various project types and/or sizes and using them for future projects.

The same applies to transferring the various structure areas across, including any relevant authorization concepts. This may include folder and project structures, as well as forms, schedules, etc.

You can use the templates module to

• Start new projects as quickly as possible
• Ensure the continuous optimization of project standards

You can find detailed information about our tools at www.projectnetworld.com/EN/Projectnetworld/functions.html.

For a free 30-day trial, please register at enw.projectnetworld.com.