Keeping an Eye on Project Costs
The implementation of project management software provides eQ‑3 with an exact overview of the entire project situation; project duration, costs, and in particular the effect of projects on resource loading.
Using PLANTA since 2010
Initial Situation
Before the implementation of a multi-project management system, projects were not transparent and personnel planning was confusing. Especially development proposals which embrace several individual developments and involve a larger number of employees were not planable.
Implementation of PLANTA project
The objective of the software implementation was to obtain an overview of individual employee utilizations and to enhance the planning of new projects. Project runtimes and costs should also be clearly definable. At the beginning of 2010, after checking various possible products on the market, eQ‑3 decided in favor of PLANTA project by PLANTA. According to eQ‑3, this system offered the best overall concept and the best overview of resource utilization in comparison to other products. Further reasons why the PLANTA system was convincing are: the graphically editable schedule as well as a style of project planning inspired by MS Project, which had already been used before.
A dynamical implementation of the new system for 50 employees followed. An expert team consisting of 6 members worked as a steering committee. A multi-project manager planned approx. 130 projects for 50 employees with an average runtime of 10 months. The system went live on June 1st, 2010. With the help of the new software, 20 project managers and 2 multi-project managers carry out the planning for 50 employees and 7 stakeholders.
Conclusion and Benefits
The software implementation has solved many problems: project runtimes can be entered much more precisely, e.g. by entering individual working times, and project costs can be collected accurately due to freely definable cost centers and individual hourly rates.
“The implementation of PLANTA project instantly improved the overall view of all running projects. The use of resources is transparent and clearly evident in all company projects. As a result, resources can be planned more efficiently and project durations can be calculated more accurately. For the first time, the costs of individual projects can be entered and assigned precisely.”
Horst Janssen, multi-project management at eQ‑3
Company Profile
For more than 30 years, the ELV/eQ‑3 group, with its headquarters in Leer, has ranked among the leaders for innovation and technology in the areas of home automation and consumer electronics. As a manufacturer of electrical products in the areas of home and wireless control, consumer electronics and energy management solutions, it has been ranking among the leaders of technological innovation in Europe for more than 30 years. With more than 200 product types, eQ‑3 has the largest portfolio in this sector. eQ‑3 products can often be found in the home automation sector, for instance electronic heater thermostats. One of eQ‑3’s core competences is battery operation and communication between two or more battery devices. In the sector of home automation products, eQ‑3 is market leader. As a manufacturer of home control and energy management solutions with more than 200 product types, eQ‑3 has one of the widest ranges in the industry.
