Part 3 of 3: Tools

By Kelly Maloney, Product Manager, Coreworx
Published in Collaboration, Management and Control Solutions (CMCS) Newsletter

Introduction

This article, the final in a 3 part series, continues the discussion on Interface Management with a focus on the tools required to ensure the success of the disparate project teams.

Our first article focused on the importance of alignment, and to apply this key project management practice when conducting Interface Management activities. Alignment of key stakeholders ensures everyone is working towards the same goals, with clear methods to resolve potential conflict.

The second article in this series focused on the communication channels and the importance of open clear communication between contractors.

This article discusses the tools required to support a proactive interface management system for mega capital projects. Interface Management tools capture, monitor and track project interfaces from creation to closure.

Project Oriented Tools

As discussed in the article ‘Communication & Coordination of Interfaces’, today’s mega capital projects must manage hundreds, if not thousands, of Interfaces throughout the life of a project. Interfaces exist within a contract or scope package, between contracts or scope packages and externally with other projects and/or agencies and will result in multiple agreements to coordinate the information flow and exchange of deliverables between contractors. It is very important to track and monitor transactions and, if deliverables are not being met, have the ability to determine the reason for the delay, understand where the delay has occurred and ultimately correct the problem.

As discussed in the article ‘Communication & Coordination of Interfaces’, today’s mega capital projects must manage hundreds, if not thousands, of Interfaces throughout the life of a project. Interfaces exist within a contract or scope package, between contracts or scope packages and externally with other projects and/or agencies and will result in multiple agreements to coordinate the information flow and exchange of deliverables between contractors. It is very important to track and monitor transactions and, if deliverables are not being met, have the ability to determine the reason for the delay, understand where the delay has occurred and ultimately correct the problem.

Tools must also be designed and built to support project teams, supply chains and project characteristics. Project teams have declared roles and levels of authority. They have practices and standards for recording and naming documentation. They have processes for review and approval of information. These requirements indicate the need for a structured and secure information management system. However, the investment you make must consider the dynamic nature of projects acknowledging that no two projects are identical. Tools that offer project teams the ability to customize forms, processes and data attributes in order to meet project-specific needs will fit the bill.

But flexibility has its pitfalls too. Resist the temptation to use a “platform” or “toolkit” approach and make sure you’ve got a box full of prebuilt templates accepted and proven in the industry.

Tools: Workflow

Workflow is the automation of business procedures that pass documents, information or tasks from one participant to another in a way that is governed by rules or procedures.

Workflows implemented with a specific purpose can significantly increase the efficiency and productivity of the project team and, in the case of Interface Management ensure awareness of all project interfaces. Automated processes offer the means to control delivery of tasks to the right individuals, capture a complete audit trail, and send notifications and alerts as required.

The many benefits of workflow automation include:

• Increased consistency and less errors – business rules built into the work processes and forms reduce the potential for errors and ensure consistency across all transactionse
• Increased efficiency – automation of business processes results in the elimination of many unnecessary steps, information is delivered to the right individuals at the right time so that they can make the right decisions
• Better process control – improved management of business processes achieved through standardizing working methods and the availability of audit trails
• More Flexibility – software control over processes enables their redesign in line with changing business needs – process can evolve, streamlining and simplifying the process over time
• Consistent Communication – notify key stakeholders if information related to an interface changes, send alerts on upcoming deliverables and items which are overdue and ensure the timely acceptance of requests and responses.

Tools: Reporting

An important component to Interface Management is the ability to monitor progress. Owner organizations, PMT and contractors need to be aware of work load, work progress and potential issues (e.g., deliverables are delayed and/or contractors are not communicating).

As work is processed, it is critical that information be easily accessible. Dashboards and reports provide the project team with the data they need to continually monitor progress and meet contractual commitments to provide reports on a scheduled basis.

Dashboards provide users with a quick glance of progress, with the ability to drill down to details when and if necessary.

Real time accurate information in the hands of the project team leads to better decisions; and better decisions will ultimately aid in the successful outcome of the project.

An upside to the use of software tools to track interfaces is the knowledge and awareness of contractor’s response time, quality of work and increase in interface scope during EPC. The knowledge gained during the project life cycle, feeds the valuable lessons learned and best practices into corporate memory.

Tools: Document Management and Audit Trails

Interface documents should be considered controlled documents and should be managed and maintained in a document management system (DMS). Interface Management document control requirements include document revisions, unique document numbering schema, as well as the ability to manage Interface Points and Interface Agreements as controlled documents that become part of the project handover package at project close out.

Documents are managed through the use of a DMS that offers control of separate repositories or archive configurations providing a structured approach to different projects and document types.

The DMS should provide information security and confidentiality amongst various contracting parties.

The DMS should provide information security and confidentiality amongst various contracting parties.

Conclusion

Workflow automation in handling interfaces is seen as a key differentiator for those starting to adopt the discipline of Interface Management. Automating existing processes involves more than technology, it involves innovation, best practices and cultural acceptance. Processes must have the ability to evolve and keep up with business demands to be successful.

A collaborative work environment to drive the management of interfaces and the decision making process, while also ensuring the ability to capture large volumes of information is a must. Through real-time access to interface status, progress and interface-related documents, stakeholders are equipped with the information necessary to proactively respond to trends and potential problems with corrective actions early in the project life cycle. No longer will interfaces be overlooked, roles unknown, work not completed or important data not shared. Workflow processes, a collaborative environment and strong reporting and audit trails are used to monitor and track all interfaces to successful closure.

PMO and Owner organizations are insisting on standardization across projects, while at the same time working to keep projects satisfied with the ability to customize to meet unique needs. Enterprise class software is needed to be able to adapt and respond quickly to these ever growing demands.

Software tools come in many shapes and sizes. The key to a successful implementation is to ensure that the requirements are fully understood, both from a PMO’s perspective and the project team, including contractors. Starting from scratch is not an option so look for tools with ready-to-use templates to serve as a basis for specific project requirements.

The proper tools can improve the efficiency of the team; provide standardization across projects, a unified method for documenting and exchanging data between contractors. The right tools can promote ‘out of the box’ thinking, encouraging users to find new and better ways to tackle problems.

<< Part 1 | << Part 2

Kelly Maloney is a Product Manager with Coreworx for the Interface Management product line. She brings over 15 years of enterprise software experience to Coreworx in product management, business analysis, software training, implementation, technical support and quality assurance. Kelly works at the Coreworx headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.