If you don’t want to just survive but thrive in today’s ever-changing data jungle, then you need effective tools that tame your project data and make it nimbly accessible.
After all, every team member and project ultimately depends on having the most up-to-date and relevant data on hand. The collection process itself must be airtight, but more importantly, the data must be connected and updated immediately as a project proceeds.
If your business struggles to have a single source of truth that consolidates project information, you need software that brings sense and order to your project data.
InScope steps in to give your business a project management plan, a streamlined system that collects disparate data sets across projects and programs, and creates nimbly accessible pathways through the data jungle so your team can see exactly the information they need as it updates in real time.
By understanding the following two truths when it comes to collecting project data, you will be well on your way to untangling even the messiest data set issues.
- EVERYTHING RUNS ON DATA
By understanding that everything runs on data, and how data accuracy depends on connection, the importance of a functional project data system becomes clear.
Variables like who was involved, what resources were deployed, when, where, and, of course, the raw quantitative numbers themselves are all key data points. However, it’s incredibly easy for all the data to become lost in the everyday shuffle as there’s a staggering amount of data to manage.
This overwhelming amount of information is the data jungle, and InScope is here to help you collect, understand, and manage it better within your business. No matter your industry, project data lists go on and on:
- Programs
- Projects
- Scopes
- Schedules
- Forecasts
- Resources
- Cashflows
- Budgets
- Expenses
- Contact Information
- Certifications
- Document Management
- Sub Contractors
- Employees
- Project Roles
- Office Locations
Even with just this abbreviated list, it’s easy to see how all this information could become tangled, isolated, and inaccessible without a plan and a tool that connects it all and provides nimble access.
InScope tracks and connects all these different but related data points, and then presents a picture that you and your team can understand.
2. Data is interconnected and dependent on other data
All project data affects other data, and we can illustrate this concept in action by exploring the answers to some basic project questions:
Basic Question #1 – “What is the remaining budget?”
The answer to this question depends on project budget data and project actual amounts spent data. Factors that affect the answer include:
- Resource Allocation
- Personnel Cost – hours, billing rates
- Equipment Charges
- Initial Budget Amounts
- Expense Allocation
- Actual Expenses
- Markups
- Allowable Expenses
- Budgeted Expenses
- Sub-consultant Costs
- Agreements for specific project work
- Sub-services within the set budget frame
Resources, Expenses, and Sub-Consultants are all linked to Project Scope, Elements, and Budgets in InScope, giving the information your organization needs to keep projects on track.
Basic Question #2 – “Are We on Schedule?”
While the previous question centers on the financials and resource data, here we shift to a time-focused perspective. This answer can be found by gathering the following project schedule data and comparing it with the remaining work and milestones. Criteria include:
- Scope Data
- Project Phases
- Scope Element
- Sub-Scope Elements
- Schedule Data
- Start Data
- End Date
- Duration
- Dependencies
- Progress Data
- Scope Element % Completed
- Budget Scope Element
- Actual Scope Element
- Forecast Data
- Remaining Resources
- Remaining Scope Elements
- Scheduled Time Constraints
Again, Scope Elements, Resources, and Schedule data are all linked in InScope to instantly produce Schedule % Complete and Work % Complete.
These are just the simple questions when it comes to project data! Programs, projects, and agencies are complex entities that necessitate organization and effort to rein in and understand. To satisfy these data questions requires an equally—or more so—complex database to answer more specific and demanding questions like:
Complex Question – “How is the Kansas City North Office doing on their portion of the airport project phase 1?”
Complex Question – “How many new hires and what disciplines do we need to handle the workload next year?”
Complex Question – “How many pedestrian bridges did we design in the last five years?”
Complex Question – “ What is our monthly revenue forecast for the next two quarters”?”
No matter the questions, InScope is the central node into which all your project data flows, connecting project management documents, organizing data sets, and providing powerful filters for clear and easy access to the answers you need.
Inscope tamed the data jungle making transforming project management from a hassle into a highly effective tool for your team, creating a single source of truth to help you navigate even the most complicated jungles of data.