Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 sets out a vision for innovation and reform in infrastructure delivery.

The purpose of Transforming Infrastructure Performance is to transform how government and industry intervene in the built environment to drive a step change in infrastructure performance. 

Since launching TIP in 2017 there has been considerable progress in improving infrastructure performance in design and construction. This Roadmap to 2030 builds on that success and goes further to encompass the challenges of delivering infrastructure in the context of net zero and the wider requirements of society to balance building with the natural environment.

The Roadmap to 2030 presents a vision for the future where we collectively prioritise the societal outcomes we need, and use data, technology and improved delivery models to achieve them through our interventions in the built environment.

The 2023 digital benchmarking report identifies best practice and areas of further improvement for members of the Infrastructure Client Group’s Digital Transformation Task Group. The 2023 digital benchmarking report, powered by the Smart Infrastructure Index, identifies best practice and areas of further improvement for members of the Infrastructure Client Group’s Digital Transformation Task Group, which evolved from the Project 13 Digital Transformation Pillar.  Half of the respondents are Project 13 Adopters.

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This is the fifth year of the survey and included:

• More responses than ever before
• Revised questions to ensure greater relevance for organisations and the industry
• Suppliers included for the first time
• Case studies illustrating the findings

The report identified four overarching cross-category insights:

• Shortage of regular collaboration within and across enterprises.
• Poor data quality restricting the ability for individuals to consistently make effective data-enabled decisions.
• Traditional business models restricting the transformation of new processes and ways of working.
• Lack of focus on data integration causing duplication and information loss at system boundaries.

The Data and Digital Principles for Project Success are intended as core propositions or ‘basic truths’, to be used to guide thinking and behaviour in project delivery. They are intended to sit alongside the Infrastructure & Project’s Authority Principles for Project Success. Designed as short, memorable headlines unpacked by supporting bullets: a quick guide for practitioners on things to get right for any project to succeed. The eight principles were developed following consultation with project professionals across the Infrastructure Client Group and Project 13 Adopter stakeholders and beyond.

The Project 13 Infrastructure Governance Code supports the effective operation of the project board and its governance arrangements to create a platform for success. It recognises that good governance is founded on a systematic interaction between ‘executive’ and ‘non-executive’ that provides sufficient scrutiny to support effective decision-making and a greater ability to deliver the mission.

This Code consists of several themes, each of which is supported by a series of principles. The principles, in turn, are expanded via a number of provisions that suggest what needs to be done, although not how to achieve it – this is left to the user to ascertain in their specific time and context to maintain alignment with the goals of the project and the enterprise.

Produced by the Project 13 Governance Development Group in collaboration with practitioners across the industry. The Code has been endorsed by leading industry organisations and government including the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, the Institution of Civil Engineers, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Association for Project  Management and Major Projects Association.

The Construction Playbook is focused on getting projects and programmes right from the start. Whether the delivery or refurbishment of a school, hospital or major infrastructure project, the principles and policies in this Playbook will transform how we assess, procure and manage public works projects and programmes.

The Playbook will, by creating the right environment, enable us to:

• Improve building and workplace safety to ensure that we are creating safe facilities, operating within safe environments and protecting our workforces.
• Take strides towards our 2050 net zero commitment, using whole life carbon approaches to reduce carbon emissions linked to buildings and infrastructure and within the construction supply chain.
• Promote social value which will help level–up local communities, tackle economic inequality, promote equal opportunities, enhance training, skills and employment opportunities and improve health and wellbeing.

This guidance from the Construction Innovation Hub (the Hub) defines operational energy and carbon dioxide emissions information exchanges for Government Soft Landings (GSL) and other Soft Landings projects. Digital technologies and innovation present a vital opportunity to improve the way that we deliver and extract maximum whole-life value from buildings and infrastructure.

The Hub is collaborating closely with industry, government and academia to support this transformation, not just by promoting digital ways of working but also by making sure that we are demonstrating the very real benefits of digital transformation and providing the guidance and tools needed to help the sector adapt and thrive. Written by Dr Roderic Bunn and James Warne at WMEBoom, this guidance provides a framework for the analysis of operational energy and emissions within a digital representation of a project.

It applies to all construction, infrastructure and civil engineering projects where powered systems are used. The purpose of this tool is to enable information to be managed, transparently and clearly throughout the asset lifecycle so that it forms a record of what decisions are made and when. Ultimately tracking the performance of our decisions through the use of GSL.

The National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. Their report uses their experience of auditing programmes to draw together insights to help decision-makers determine whether they should reset a programme and how to increase the chances of a reset succeeding. They have identified eight key insights and, for each, provided those involved, especially senior decision-makers, with examples and questions to ask.

As of March 2022, government expected to spend £678 billion across its 235 largest, most innovative and riskiest programmes. This includes strategically significant programmes to build railways, schools and IT systems and transform public services. Many of these programmes are complex and we often see government bodies needing to improve how they are managed. As these programmes often take years, changes in the external environment, such as movements in inflation rates, may affect the programme and create further complexities. These factors, whether internal or external, may mean a programme can no longer achieve its intended outcomes, or it is too costly to do so. In these cases, a programme reset may be needed.

The National Audit Office (NAO) have audited many of the largest and most challenging government programmes. In some cases we have reported multiple times on the same programme at different stages, including before and after a reset.

Their report uses their experience of auditing programmes to draw together insights, with examples and questions to ask.

What are the main internal audit competencies needed and how can new internal auditors develop these required skills?

To help you shape, plan and deliver the complex change, companies can use the principles of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), to make appropriate recommendations to improve Client’s organisational governance processes.

By employing the Institute of Internal Auditors’ (IIA) Internal Audit Competency Framework, companies can develop 3 broad internal audit competencies:

1. Technical auditing or accounting skills;
2. Skills relating to critical thinking and business understanding; and
3. Interpersonal and communication skills.

This framework defines four knowledge areas (Professionalism, Performance, Environment, Leadership & Communication), with three distinct competency levels that progress from (1) General Awareness to (2) Applied Knowledge, and finally, (3) Expert practitioner.

Use our Building Information Modelling (BIM) templates as part of our journey in developing your organisation’s BIM level 2 capabilities. They will help to provide you a consistent level of service across your civil and structural disciplines, as defined in PAS 1192-2:2013: Building Information Modelling (BIM): process of designing, constructing, or operating a building or infrastructure asset using electronic object-oriented information.

Download “BIM Assurance Method Statement Template” DADA-Enterprises_BIM_Assurance_Method_Statement_Template-1.pdf – Downloaded 74 times – 258.42 KB
Download “BIM Execution Plan (BEP) Template” DADA-BIM-Execution-Plan-BEP-Template.pdf – Downloaded 76 times – 1.21 MB
Download “BIM Training Curriculum” DADA-Enterprises_BIM_Training_Curriculum.pdf – Downloaded 54 times – 181.01 KB

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has developed an integrated suite of tools to support project set-up?

The toolkit comprises of:
1️⃣ Project / Programme Outcome Profile – focuses on why the project should be delivered
2️⃣ Opportunity Framing – focuses on what the project will deliver
3️⃣ Project Route map – focuses on how the project will be delivered

Applying these tools to more of our projects – at the right phase in their life cycles – will be another step towards realising our ambition of world-class delivery.

Want more info?:

• Project Routemap – Setting up projects for success
• Green Book supplementary guidance: Project/Programme Outcome Profile

Here, we share parts of our Business Continuity toolkit and framework that aligns with the ISO 22301 standard (Societal Security – Business Continuity Management Systems) to which we aspire to. These resources are part of our Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) to which aligns with the ISO 22313 recommendations which contain the following:

• Business Continuity Management System Strategy Outline
• Business continuity plans
• Risk assessment
• Business Impact Analysis
• Suppliers and Contractors assurance
• Business Continuity Checklist Forms

Download “Business Continuity Risk Assessment Template” DADA-Enterprises_Business_Continuity_Risk_Assessment_Template.pdf – Downloaded 71 times – 115.89 KB
Download “Business Impact Analysis template” DADA-Enterprises_Business_Impact_Analysis_Template.pdf – Downloaded 61 times – 247.67 KB
Download “Business Continuity Checklist Forms templates” DADA-Business-Continuity-Checklist-Forms-Templates.pdf – Downloaded 57 times – 207.83 KB

Here we share parts of our Site Works Planning Checklist covering:

• Work planning meetings
• Site information provided (hazards, access point, welfare arrangements)
• Safe System of Work Pack(s)
• Task Briefing(s)
• Emergency arrangements (including WPPs and Task Briefings)

Our Work Package Plans (WPPs) describes the temporary works associated with work package, including any temporary structures required. A WPP can include an outline schedule, bar chart and critical path lifting plans and details of exclusion zones around plant and equipment if this will improve understanding. The purpose of this WPP allows Client and main Contractors to assess the risk control measures in the context of the work being planned through detailing the following categories:

• Work Package Details
• Description of work
• Control of Activity Risks
• Resources
• Permits
• Access
• Site Layout
• Control of Site Risks
• Protection and Isolation
• On-track Plant and Machinery Movements
• Communication & Contact Details
• Emergency Arrangements
• Welfare
• Interfaces
• Site Briefing Arrangements
• Site diagrams showing Identified Activity & Hazards and Risks

Download “Site Wate Management Templates” DADA_Enterprises_Site_Waste_Management_Plan_TEMPLATE.pdf – Downloaded 51 times – 308.02 KB
Download “Site Inspection Form template” DADA_Enterprises_Site_Inspection_Form_TEMPLATE.pdf – Downloaded 51 times – 760.98 KB
Download “Site Works Planning Checklist template” DADA_Enterprises_Site_Works_Planning_Checklist_TEMPLATE.pdf – Downloaded 51 times – 357.29 KB

Here we provide the Deltek Cobra Help System, which provides help for all areas of the Cobra application.

Download “Deltek Cobra 8.4 Essentials” DeltekCobra84InstallationGuide.pdf – Downloaded 51 times – 3.79 MB
Download “Deltek Cobra 8.4 Release Notes” DeltekCobra84ReleaseNotes.pdf – Downloaded 51 times – 3.18 MB
Download “Deltek Cobra 8.4 Technical Overview and System Requirements” DeltekCobra84TechnicalOverviewandSystemRequirements.pdf – Downloaded 51 times – 821.71 KB
Download “Deltek Cobra Data Structure” DeltekCobraDataStructure.pdf – Downloaded 50 times – 641.73 KB
Download “Deltek Cobra Database Size Estimator” DeltekCobraDatabaseSizeEstimator.xls – Downloaded 50 times – 159.50 KB

This E-Book will look at how Agile frameworks can help Project Managers follow an iterative development approach to planning and delivery using practices from Lean , ITIL and the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) Project 13.

We look at Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Agile framework from a project, program, and portfolio delivery point of view, to provide Agility for projects that are not software development related.

See how best practices can still be adopted under your existing project governance, using hybrid portfolios including both Waterfall and Agile delivery reporting.

Rich with information, architects are using BIMs for all sorts of design-centric tasks – energy analysis, sun studies and specification management to name a few. Given the success of BIM in the design realm, building firms are turning to BIMs for their own uses, such as constructability analysis, trade coordination, clash detection, quantification and cost estimation. BIM for Project Managers – which provides market insight into organisational strategic issues and the role and functions of project managers in BIM implementation.

The RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) paper “BIM for Project Managers” also looks to the future, at how roles might evolve as BIM continues to develop.

If you are a project manager working in client, consultant and constructor organisations, across any market across the globe, this paper is a must-read.

Overview document on the Border with the European Union covering Importing and Exporting of goods. This document outlines the processes for moving goods between GB and the EU from 1 January 2021 onwards, including processes to be introduced in April 2021 and July 2021.

Even with the new EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement in place, there will be big changes on 1^st January 2021. The EU and the UK will form two separate markets: two distinct regulatory and legal spaces. This will create barriers to trade in goods and services and to cross-border mobility and exchanges that do not exist today – in both directions.

So, what must UK & EU companies do if they wish to continue to trade post 1^st January 2021?

Download your FREE Wall Chart on the new EU-UK cross-border processes.

We have selected some best practices from our proven structured approach to establishing a PMO to deliver predictable outcomes effectively to support integrated delivery including; safety, schedule, cost, stakeholder management, risk management and quality.

Read CIPS Knowledge Insight on Contract Management. This guide is intended to cover all those activities associated with contract management from the establishment of the business case and the confirmation of need, through contract administration and relationship management to the review of contract performance. The activities themselves are divided into two distinct but interdependent phases, upstream and downstream of the award of the contract.

In these uncertain times it is important for organisations to assess their risk framework to meet the current changing circumstances and to update to them by working through a methodological review. As part of this review into risk reporting companies can review the change processes, risk oversight mechanisms and periodic review sessions by management.

Here we provide the patch availability information for Critical Patch Update April 2022 for Oracle Primavera Products.

⚠️We share some Critical Security Updates to P6 Unifier 17.12, 18.8, 19.12, and 20.12.

🛑Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorised update, insert or delete access to some of Primavera Unifier accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Primavera Unifier accessible data.

⚠️Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorised update, insert or delete access to some of Primavera Unifier accessible data as well as unauthorised read access to a subset of Primavera Unifier accessible data.

Support Ticket Resolution Notes

Download “PRIMAVERA UNIFIER INTERIM PATCH 17.12.11.11 (Patch)” p34063509_1712000_Generic.zip – Downloaded 8 times – 96.08 MB
Download “PRIMAVERA UNIFIER INTERIM PATCH 18.8.18.10 (Patch)” p34063500_188000_Generic.zip – Downloaded 5 times – 69.83 MB
Download “PRIMAVERA UNIFIER INTERIM PATCH 19.12.16.3 (Patch)” p34063489_1912000_Generic.zip – Downloaded 5 times – 51.14 MB

The IPA is the centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects, sitting at the heart of government and reporting to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury in the UK.

The Project Routemap is the Infrastructure and Projects Authority’s (IPA) support tool for novel or complex major projects. It helps sponsors and clients understand the capabilities needed to set projects up for success, incorporating learning from other major projects and programmes.

The Routemap modules provide practical advice to help set up projects for success. The modules have been developed by the UK government in collaboration with industry and academia. They capture best practice and learning from common causes of project failure and success over the past decade from £300bn of capital programmes.

This Risk Management module can help to assess whether existing or proposed risk management arrangements are suitable for the scale or the complexity of your project.

Companies using Primavera P6 EPPM on premises can now upgrade to Primavera P6 EPPM 20.12. This annual release is a culmination of monthly updates that Oracle Cloud users have enjoyed throughout the year.

P6 Professional can connect to two databases, a P6 Professional database and a P6 EPPM database. Depending on which database you are connected to, some topics within the user’s guide and some information within certain topics will be relevant while others will not. Within Oracle’s documentation, some content might be specific for cloud deployments while other content is relevant for on-premises deployments.

As part of the Oracle Partner Network, DADA Enterprises can be contracted directly to help you with your migration. Here are some resources that we provide to our subscription clients to help them make the right decisions on whether to upgrade:

1. ‘Cumulative Features‘ overview comparison spreadsheet which allows you to compare and review changes from your Current release and then compare it against a potential Target release (up to Oracle Cloud v20.11). Remember when as the Oracle’s Primavera P6 Professional and EPPM tools are released annually you need to compare the v19.12 to v20.12.
2. Client system requirements for Primavera P6 EPPM Database, P6 Web, P6 Web Services, P6 Team Member Web, P6 Professional Cloud Connect and P6 Professional Version 20 cloud deployments.
3. What configurations work for an on-premises server deployment? You can download information about the configurations (including browsers) that we’ve tested and verified to work on your desktop or laptop.
4. P6 Professional Administration Guide (v20) on how to configure consent notices in P6 Professional and how to install multiple versions of P6 Professional.
5. PrimaveraP6 Professional User Guide Version 20

Download “P6 20.12 Cumulative Feature Overview (CFO)” Primavera_CFO_v1.1.xls – Downloaded 122 times – 559.50 KB
Download “Client system requirements for v20.12” p6_eppm_client_system_reqs.pdf – Downloaded 76 times – 66.58 KB
Download “P6 Professional User Guide Version 20” p6_pro_user.pdf – Downloaded 75 times – 1.49 MB
Download “P6 Professional Administration Guide Version 20” p6_pro_admin.pdf – Downloaded 72 times – 64.76 KB

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY “How to ‘Brexit-Proof’ Your Project Strategy” guide to be able to fully exploit the Brexit transition period.

Following on from the prestigious event at the IoD (Institute of Directors), covered in the press, DADA have released an E-book to explain the Brexit timeline, scenarios and their impact on your supply chain, cost base and resource pool.  Dada’s speaker line-up included Rohit Talwar who was a keynote Futuroligist speaker at the Association of Project Management Conference 2018 as well as Stuart Easton, CEO of Transparent Choice.

Here is your copy of the E-Book giving you a head-start in understanding the Brexit timeline, the situation envisaged by the Withdrawal Agreement during and after the transitional period, as well as under a “No Deal” scenario. We also provide tips on how to manage the resource impact as well as mitigating the trade friction impact.

Download “How to ‘Brexit-Proof’ Your Project Strategy guide” Brexit_E-Book_Final.pdf – Downloaded 85 times – 13.39 MB

Download a ‘Cumulative Features‘ comparison spreadsheet which allows you to compare and review changes from your Current release and then compare it against a potential Target release (up to Oracle Cloud v20.3). This allows you to then decide which progressive release is ‘right’ for you as some users on a day-to-day basis may not use the more recent features

Download “Primavera Cumulative Features Overview 20.3” Primavera_CFO_v1.1.xls – Downloaded 92 times – 537.50 KB

This document covers the client system requirements for Primavera P6 EPPM Database, P6 Web, P6 Web Services, P6 Team Member Web, P6 Professional Cloud Connect and P6 Professional version 19 cloud deployments.

Download “Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Version 19 Client System Requirements” eppm_19_client_system_req.xls – Downloaded 62 times – 54.50 KB

This document covers the tested configurations for Primavera P6 Professional Database and Application.

This WBS Generator developed by Jerome Smith allows you to create a work breakdown structure by updating an Excel table and clicking a button. Users can create conditional formats to highlight keywords, change the options to modify the look and feel, maintain the WBS with on-the-fly updates, and add second- and third-level boxes. By creating custom conditional formats, such as on the word “GREEN”, “RED” or “DONE”, project managers focus stakeholder attention to key points in the WBS.

Users can also format the headers, number formats, styles, body background colours and fonts of individual detail boxes. To add more details within a box, simply add another column. To rearrange the details within a box, rearrange the columns in the table. To add more boxes, add a row. Each of the values within the WBS will be updated real time as the PM updates the table.

There are a dozen options that come with the WBS Generator template, including the ability to display the last field as vertical or horizontal and to display a legend, indicating which each detail within the box represents.

Use this project template developed by Lee Wallace to track and manage resource costs for any type of project; it is simple to load and update, easy to modify and customize as a project key deliverable and—most importantly—easy for any end user to understand and interpret (regardless of experience or skill level).

It is designed to show projected budget costs for project human resources (a consulting team, for example) and provide a comparative analysis of actual money spent on those resources and hours used to date by those resources. It can be easily updated as desired (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.). The tool provides an immediate illustration of the state of the project at any point along the project life cycle by showing whether the money and hours utilized to date are above, at or below the projected budget amount.

It can be easily understood and immediately comprehended by anyone in the organizational hierarchy, from executive leadership to mid-level managers to line staff members. It is broken into multiple analytic work streams common to most projects (Finance, Project Governance, IT, etc.) and shows both budgeted versus actual dollars and budgeted versus actual hours side by side.

It also provides a simple red, yellow and green indicator showing the project’s current fiscal state. A second tab allows basic project assumptions to be entered for reference, and also has a weekly burn rate tracking analysis chart. Even clients that manage their own project budgets appreciate this tool as a simple way to validate their system data figures (as well as vendor invoices)—and assure that the project remains on time and on budget.

To use this template, enter a 3-point estimate for any bell-shaped uncertainty, then choose a subjective opinion about the most likely outcome. Examine the SPERT probabilistic estimates for various confidence levels, and choose any planning estimate you want. This version includes a special tab for release forecasting for agile teams.

This new version of the estimation template includes these new/enhanced features:

Introducing Statistical PERT

In the 21^st century, why are some of us still using the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) to create project estimates? PERT was created by the U.S. Navy in the 1950s–a time before Microsoft Excel existed and even before personal computers existed.

As project management has grown into a full-fledged profession, we still require aspiring PMP exam takers to have a rudimentary knowledge of PERT and the most common PERT formula for creating a risk-adjusted estimate:

[Optimistic + (4 x Most Likely) + Pessimistic] / 6

Beyond just having knowledge of PERT estimation, some project managers actually use PERT (or a variant) to create estimates for work effort, task duration and/or project-related costs.

PERT does offer benefits to project managers. That’s why A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) still mentions it. It’s easy to create PERT estimates using a three-point estimate for optimistic, most likely and pessimistic outcomes. It’s quick, too, and you don’t even need a spreadsheet. It arguably makes planning more accurate, because it creates risk-adjusted estimates that place more weight on a “most likely” outcome, while also factoring in best-case and worst-case scenarios, too.

Monte Carlo simulation offers a lot more value to project managers than using PERT, because it executes a project hundreds or thousands of times, finding all the possible critical paths that may ensue as individual tasks complete in a variety of randomly sampled ways. But Monte Carlo simulation requires solid knowledge of statistical probabilities and modeling, and it takes time to construct an effective and accurate simulation model. It’s expensive, too! (Palisade’s popular Monte Carlo simulation program, @Risk, costs $1,300 for a single license and one year of support.)

Isn’t there a no-cost way to create accurate, probabilistic estimates using just Microsoft Excel–without buying any Excel add-in programs, without installing new software and without having to return to college to take a statistics class?

Yes, there is: It’s called Statistical PERT (SPERT).

Statistical PERT uses standard functions for the normal distribution that come built-in to Microsoft Excel: NORM.DIST (normal distribution) and NORM.INV (normal inverse). Using these two functions, SPERT can create endless estimates with probabilities ranging between 0 and 100%. Excel has a built-in function for the beta distribution on which PERT estimation is based, but using the normal distribution is easier to do. Estimates using the normal curve align very closely with PERT beta distribution for many estimation scenarios, as we’ll see in this article.

Moreover, Statistical PERT can do one thing more that PERT and even Monte Carlo simulation cannot readily do: SPERT allows estimators to subjectively indicate how likely the most likely outcome really is. With SPERT, an estimator’s subjective opinion changes the SPERT standard deviation, and that affects the SPERT-created probabilities associated with SPERT estimates.

Let’s see how this is all done (download the accompany Statistical PERT Task Estimation Worksheet). Statistical PERT starts with the same three-point estimate that PERT starts with: minimum (optimistic), most likely and maximum (pessimistic). Then Statistical PERT uses the familiar PERT formula to obtain an estimate of the arithmetic mean for the implied normal curve. What’s different about SPERT is that SPERT uses Excel’s NORM.DIST and NORM.INV functions to create risk-adjusted estimates for any point between the minimum- and maximum-point estimates.

The first of these two functions, NORM.DIST, calculates the cumulative probability of any X-value on the normal curve between the minimum and maximum anchors. Conversely, NORM.INV starts with any cumulative probability between 0% and 100%, then finds the matching X-value that lies on the normal curve. Let’s examine NORM.DIST more closely.

NORM.DIST requires four arguments:

1. X
2. mean (the arithmetic average)
3. standard deviation (for the normal curve)
4. A TRUE/FALSE Boolean to indicate whether the result should be a cumulative probability or not

With NORM.DIST, we can freely choose any X value and find its corresponding cumulative probability, but we need some more information before we can do that. The PERT formula gave us the mean, but we need to find the standard deviation, too. How can we do that?

One way might be to use the PERT standard deviation formula:

[Pessimistic – Optimistic] / 6

But when you use SPERT, you instead use ratio-scale multipliers using the SPERT-7 Rule, which is simply a set of ratio-scale multipliers which are multiples of the number 7, and which correspond to a subjective opinion about how likely the most likely outcome really is:

• 7% (nearly certain)
• 14% (high confidence)
• 21% (medium-high confidence)
• 28% (medium-low confidence)
• 35% (low confidence)
• 42% (guesstimate)

When an estimator has high confidence in the most likely outcome, the ratio-scale multiplier should be smaller; when the estimator has low confidence in the most likely outcome, the ratio-scale multiplier should be bigger.

To create SPERT estimates that are akin to running a Monte Carlo simulation using a beta distribution, we’ll choose 21% (medium-high confidence) as our ratio-scale multiplier and use it in this SPERT standard deviation formula:

[Pessimistic – Optimistic] * 21%

The result is a standard deviation we can use as the third argument in the NORM.DIST function. Let’s try this out on a sample estimation problem.

Suppose I want to estimate how long it takes to leave my house, drive to the airport, park my car, check my bags in, go through security and arrive at the airport gate just as the last boarding call is given. This is a skewed, bell-shaped uncertainty, very suitable for SPERT estimation.

For this example, I will say that under absolutely ideal conditions, a trip to the airport gate from my home will take 60 minutes. It most likely will take 120 minutes, though. And in a worst-case scenario, the trip will take 240 minutes. My PERT-style, three-point estimate is 60-120-240.

PERT gives me the mean, or average, for the normal curve:

[60 + 4(120) + 240] / 6 = 130 minutes

Next, I need to find the SPERT standard deviation so I can use the NORM.DIST function in Excel. The SPERT standard deviation is:

[240 – 60] * 21% = 37.8 minutes

Now I can use Excel’s NORM.DIST function. Let’s say that I want to find the probability of giving myself a 30-minute buffer beyond the 120 minutes I think the trip to the airport gate will most likely take. So, I’m estimating the cumulative probability of the trip taking 150 (120 + 30) minutes. The Excel function looks like this:

NORM.DIST(150, 130, 37.8, TRUE) = 70.2%

If I give myself only a 30-minute buffer beyond the most likely outcome, I can expect to arrive at the airport gate on time or early 70% of the time. But for 30% of the time, it will take longer than 150 minutes. How does this calculation compare to a Monte Carlo simulation using the beta distribution instead of the normal distribution?

Using Palisade’s @Risk Excel add-in, I simulated this trip to the airport 100,000 times using the same three-point estimate. The Monte Carlo cumulative probability for 150 minutes was 72.1%, about two percent greater than SPERT’s estimate of 70.2%. Very close!

Where SPERT really shines is being able to easily manipulate the standard deviation used in Excel’s NORM.DIST and NORM.INV functions by choosing a different SPERT-7 ratio-scale multiplier. Suppose I was nearly certain that the trip would take me 120 minutes. My SPERT standard deviation would be:

[240 – 60] * 7% = 12.6 minutes

…and the probability of getting to the airport in 150 minutes would rise as a result:

NORM.DIST(150, 130, 12.6, TRUE) = 94.4%

And if I was uncertain about my most likely point-estimate (maybe I’m traveling during rush hour, which is highly unpredictable), I might choose a SPERT-7 ratio-scale multiplier of 35%. In that event, the SPERT standard deviation would be:

[240 – 60] * 35% = 63 minutes

…and the resulting cumulative probability for 150 minutes would be:

NORM.DIST(150, 130, 63, TRUE) = 62.5%

I’ve just created three probabilities associated with a 150-minute trip from my home to the airport gate: 70.2%, 94.4% and 62.5%. Which one is correct?

They all are! Each probability reflects the estimator’s different, subjective opinion about how likely the most likely outcome really is:

• Under “normal” uncertainty, there is a 70% chance of getting to the airport on time before the airport gate is closed.
• When there is very little uncertainty about the most likely outcome, there is a 94% probability of arriving on time with a 30-minute buffer.
• When there is a lot of doubt because of highway traffic, the probability that a 30-minute buffer will be enough shrinks to just 63%.

SPERT lets project estimators use subjective opinion about how likely the most likely outcome really is to influence SPERT’s probabilistic estimates.

SPERT still suffers from some of the same problems of PERT estimation, such as relying on the estimator’s ability to select minimum, most likely and maximum point-estimates. But SPERT opens up probabilistic estimation to anyone who has a copy of Microsoft Excel, and it allows estimators to use subjective opinion to pick which SPERT-7 ratio-scale multiplier best fits a particular estimation scenario.

Digital Business Platforms (DBPs) consist of managing digital processes, applications, and transactions in a mostly electronic manner and do so by leveraging the latest or emerging digital technologies. The Aragon Research Tech Spectrum evaluates 23 key providers who are leading the charge in the DBP market…and guess what? Dada Enterprises are Technology Partners with many of them.

To use this template, enter a 3-point estimate for any bell-shaped uncertainty, then choose a subjective opinion about the most likely outcome. Examine the SPERT probabilistic estimates for various confidence levels, and choose any planning estimate you want. This version includes a special tab for release forecasting for agile teams.

This new version of the estimation template includes these new/enhanced features:

Introducing Statistical PERT

In the 21^st century, why are some of us still using the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) to create project estimates? PERT was created by the U.S. Navy in the 1950s–a time before Microsoft Excel existed and even before personal computers existed.

As project management has grown into a full-fledged profession, we still require aspiring PMP exam takers to have a rudimentary knowledge of PERT and the most common PERT formula for creating a risk-adjusted estimate:

[Optimistic + (4 x Most Likely) + Pessimistic] / 6

Beyond just having knowledge of PERT estimation, some project managers actually use PERT (or a variant) to create estimates for work effort, task duration and/or project-related costs.

PERT does offer benefits to project managers. That’s why A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) still mentions it. It’s easy to create PERT estimates using a three-point estimate for optimistic, most likely and pessimistic outcomes. It’s quick, too, and you don’t even need a spreadsheet. It arguably makes planning more accurate, because it creates risk-adjusted estimates that place more weight on a “most likely” outcome, while also factoring in best-case and worst-case scenarios, too.

Monte Carlo simulation offers a lot more value to project managers than using PERT, because it executes a project hundreds or thousands of times, finding all the possible critical paths that may ensue as individual tasks complete in a variety of randomly sampled ways. But Monte Carlo simulation requires solid knowledge of statistical probabilities and modeling, and it takes time to construct an effective and accurate simulation model. It’s expensive, too! (Palisade’s popular Monte Carlo simulation program, @Risk, costs $1,300 for a single license and one year of support.)

Isn’t there a no-cost way to create accurate, probabilistic estimates using just Microsoft Excel–without buying any Excel add-in programs, without installing new software and without having to return to college to take a statistics class?

Yes, there is: It’s called Statistical PERT (SPERT).

Statistical PERT uses standard functions for the normal distribution that come built-in to Microsoft Excel: NORM.DIST (normal distribution) and NORM.INV (normal inverse). Using these two functions, SPERT can create endless estimates with probabilities ranging between 0 and 100%. Excel has a built-in function for the beta distribution on which PERT estimation is based, but using the normal distribution is easier to do. Estimates using the normal curve align very closely with PERT beta distribution for many estimation scenarios, as we’ll see in this article.

Moreover, Statistical PERT can do one thing more that PERT and even Monte Carlo simulation cannot readily do: SPERT allows estimators to subjectively indicate how likely the most likely outcome really is. With SPERT, an estimator’s subjective opinion changes the SPERT standard deviation, and that affects the SPERT-created probabilities associated with SPERT estimates.

Let’s see how this is all done (download the accompany Statistical PERT Task Estimation Worksheet). Statistical PERT starts with the same three-point estimate that PERT starts with: minimum (optimistic), most likely and maximum (pessimistic). Then Statistical PERT uses the familiar PERT formula to obtain an estimate of the arithmetic mean for the implied normal curve. What’s different about SPERT is that SPERT uses Excel’s NORM.DIST and NORM.INV functions to create risk-adjusted estimates for any point between the minimum- and maximum-point estimates.

The first of these two functions, NORM.DIST, calculates the cumulative probability of any X-value on the normal curve between the minimum and maximum anchors. Conversely, NORM.INV starts with any cumulative probability between 0% and 100%, then finds the matching X-value that lies on the normal curve. Let’s examine NORM.DIST more closely.

NORM.DIST requires four arguments:

1. X
2. mean (the arithmetic average)
3. standard deviation (for the normal curve)
4. A TRUE/FALSE Boolean to indicate whether the result should be a cumulative probability or not

With NORM.DIST, we can freely choose any X value and find its corresponding cumulative probability, but we need some more information before we can do that. The PERT formula gave us the mean, but we need to find the standard deviation, too. How can we do that?

One way might be to use the PERT standard deviation formula:

[Pessimistic – Optimistic] / 6

But when you use SPERT, you instead use ratio-scale multipliers using the SPERT-7 Rule, which is simply a set of ratio-scale multipliers which are multiples of the number 7, and which correspond to a subjective opinion about how likely the most likely outcome really is:

• 7% (nearly certain)
• 14% (high confidence)
• 21% (medium-high confidence)
• 28% (medium-low confidence)
• 35% (low confidence)
• 42% (guesstimate)

When an estimator has high confidence in the most likely outcome, the ratio-scale multiplier should be smaller; when the estimator has low confidence in the most likely outcome, the ratio-scale multiplier should be bigger.

To create SPERT estimates that are akin to running a Monte Carlo simulation using a beta distribution, we’ll choose 21% (medium-high confidence) as our ratio-scale multiplier and use it in this SPERT standard deviation formula:

[Pessimistic – Optimistic] * 21%

The result is a standard deviation we can use as the third argument in the NORM.DIST function. Let’s try this out on a sample estimation problem.

Suppose I want to estimate how long it takes to leave my house, drive to the airport, park my car, check my bags in, go through security and arrive at the airport gate just as the last boarding call is given. This is a skewed, bell-shaped uncertainty, very suitable for SPERT estimation.

For this example, I will say that under absolutely ideal conditions, a trip to the airport gate from my home will take 60 minutes. It most likely will take 120 minutes, though. And in a worst-case scenario, the trip will take 240 minutes. My PERT-style, three-point estimate is 60-120-240.

PERT gives me the mean, or average, for the normal curve:

[60 + 4(120) + 240] / 6 = 130 minutes

Next, I need to find the SPERT standard deviation so I can use the NORM.DIST function in Excel. The SPERT standard deviation is:

[240 – 60] * 21% = 37.8 minutes

Now I can use Excel’s NORM.DIST function. Let’s say that I want to find the probability of giving myself a 30-minute buffer beyond the 120 minutes I think the trip to the airport gate will most likely take. So, I’m estimating the cumulative probability of the trip taking 150 (120 + 30) minutes. The Excel function looks like this:

NORM.DIST(150, 130, 37.8, TRUE) = 70.2%

If I give myself only a 30-minute buffer beyond the most likely outcome, I can expect to arrive at the airport gate on time or early 70% of the time. But for 30% of the time, it will take longer than 150 minutes. How does this calculation compare to a Monte Carlo simulation using the beta distribution instead of the normal distribution?

Using Palisade’s @Risk Excel add-in, I simulated this trip to the airport 100,000 times using the same three-point estimate. The Monte Carlo cumulative probability for 150 minutes was 72.1%, about two percent greater than SPERT’s estimate of 70.2%. Very close!

Where SPERT really shines is being able to easily manipulate the standard deviation used in Excel’s NORM.DIST and NORM.INV functions by choosing a different SPERT-7 ratio-scale multiplier. Suppose I was nearly certain that the trip would take me 120 minutes. My SPERT standard deviation would be:

[240 – 60] * 7% = 12.6 minutes

…and the probability of getting to the airport in 150 minutes would rise as a result:

NORM.DIST(150, 130, 12.6, TRUE) = 94.4%

And if I was uncertain about my most likely point-estimate (maybe I’m traveling during rush hour, which is highly unpredictable), I might choose a SPERT-7 ratio-scale multiplier of 35%. In that event, the SPERT standard deviation would be:

[240 – 60] * 35% = 63 minutes

…and the resulting cumulative probability for 150 minutes would be:

NORM.DIST(150, 130, 63, TRUE) = 62.5%

I’ve just created three probabilities associated with a 150-minute trip from my home to the airport gate: 70.2%, 94.4% and 62.5%. Which one is correct?

They all are! Each probability reflects the estimator’s different, subjective opinion about how likely the most likely outcome really is:

• Under “normal” uncertainty, there is a 70% chance of getting to the airport on time before the airport gate is closed.
• When there is very little uncertainty about the most likely outcome, there is a 94% probability of arriving on time with a 30-minute buffer.
• When there is a lot of doubt because of highway traffic, the probability that a 30-minute buffer will be enough shrinks to just 63%.

SPERT lets project estimators use subjective opinion about how likely the most likely outcome really is to influence SPERT’s probabilistic estimates.

SPERT still suffers from some of the same problems of PERT estimation, such as relying on the estimator’s ability to select minimum, most likely and maximum point-estimates. But SPERT opens up probabilistic estimation to anyone who has a copy of Microsoft Excel, and it allows estimators to use subjective opinion to pick which SPERT-7 ratio-scale multiplier best fits a particular estimation scenario.

Digital Business Platforms (DBPs) consist of managing digital processes, applications, and transactions in a mostly electronic manner and do so by leveraging the latest or emerging digital technologies. The Aragon Research Tech Spectrum evaluates 23 key providers who are leading the charge in the DBP market…and guess what? Dada Enterprises are Technology Partners with many of them.

Download the FREE Dada Project Manager Maturity Assessment tool-set. Share your results and build on them.

Download your free P3M3 Project Maturity Questionnaire sample and see how you can customise it to your own industry and processes. Get in touch to see how you can build on your results. Once completed in your own time, the assessment provides a personalized assessment of your scores against seven perspectives:

1. Organizational governance
2. Management control
3. Benefits management
4. Risk management
5. Stakeholder management
6. Finance management
7. Resource management

At Dada Enterprises a P3M3 assessment is important to us, not just as an auditing tool, but to drive performance. At Dada we use it to ensure that the implemented system has the right (a) People; (b) Skills; (c) Processes; and (d) Tools. The analysis and systems solutions are then captured in a blueprint that ensures that the right organisation roles, systems and support networks are in place

Contact us to learn more about our P3M3 assessment tool-sets and what your assessment score means

Although this simple model has been developed to explain the concept on a no fee-basis we usually provide this via an on-line questionnaire as part of our Subscription Packages based around your company’s processes.

Download “FREE P3M3 PROJECT maturity assessment questionnaire” Dada-Enterprises-P3M3-Project-Maturity-Model_Simple-Example-1.xls – Downloaded 762 times – 925.50 KB

A portfolio, programme and project management (P3M) Maturity Model is a reference guide for improving performance in portfolio, programme and project management. It categorises portfolio, programme and project management best practices into key areas to enable organisations to assess their current level of capability within each area.

Use our P3M3 assessment to determine their strengths and weaknesses in delivering change.

Learn more about our P3M3 maturity assessment questionnaire and how you can use it  from our article here

Download “FREE P3M3 Maturity Self-Assessment Facilitation Questionnaire” P3M3-Maturity-Assessment-Questionnaire.pdf – Downloaded 682 times – 76.45 KB
Download “FREE P3M3 PROJECT maturity assessment questionnaire” Dada-Enterprises-P3M3-Project-Maturity-Model_Simple-Example-1.xls – Downloaded 762 times – 925.50 KB
Download “FREE P3M3 PROGRAMME maturity assessment questionnaire” Dada-Enterprises-P3M3-Programme-Maturity-Model_Simple-Example.xls – Downloaded 439 times – 1.43 MB

This June 2017 we will see the publication of a new, streamlined and updated NEC4. Download an overview of the changes, benefits and the new forms of contracts added to the suite

Read about the new forms of contract:

• The Design, Build and Operate Contract brings together design, construction, operation and maintenance allowing procurement from a single supplier for a whole-life delivery solution.
• The Alliance Contract allows clients to fully integrate the design team into a single contract with many participants allowing deep collaboration between all parties.
• The Adjudicator’s Contract has been renamed as the Dispute Resolution Service Contract.

Overview of the NEC3 Main Options.

There are six main options as set out below. The Contractor carries the greatest risk under options A and B, and least risk under options E and F.

•  Option A: Lump Sum priced contract with activity schedule
• Option B: Re-measurement priced contract with bill of quantities
• Option C: Target Cost contract with activity schedule
• Option D: Target Cost contract with bill of quantities
• Option E: Cost Reimbursable contract
• Option F: Management Contract

Overview of the main NEC Compensation Clauses.

Learn more about NEC Contract Clauses and how to constructively use Early Warnings, one of the most important management tools contained within the NEC3 ECC contract and how you can use it  from our article here

An Early Warning is one of the most important management tools contained within the NEC3 ECC contract. Simply put both the Contractor and the Client are each obliged to warn the other as soon as either is aware of a matter that could effect time, cost or quality. The following process chart sets out the common scenarios on how a Early Warning is raised and validated as well as the relevant NEC3 form used at each stage. There are 4 Phases to this process (1) Raising of Early Warning Notice (EWN), (2) Validating a Compensation Event (CE), (3) Review of CE and Quote and (4) Instructing a CE.

Finding software can be overwhelming. Although DADA will soon be releasing news of obtaining Qlik partnership status we still want provide impartial advice to clients on finding the best Business Intelligence (BI) Tools for their organisation. Choosing a BI vendor is all about finding the ‘right’ fit. Here we’ve made available a free Best Buy Vendor report to choose the ‘right’ BI Vendor to be able to track project performance and make decisions based on data-driven insights.

To help you prepare for the GDPR, here at Dada Enterprises we have developed a Data Protection Policy template specifically designed for compliance with the GDPR. Why is this important? If a company doesn’t comply with the Data Protection Act enforcement notice thy could be fined up to £500,000. To The Policy is high in detail and, in many areas, reproduces key provisions from the GDPR itself with a view to being as informative as possible.

Data Policy Template builds on the 8 Data Protection Act principles below:

1st Principle: Data should be processed fairly and lawfully

2nd Principle: Data should be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes

3rd Principle: Data should be adequate, relevant and not excessive for the purpose of processing

4th Principle: Data should be accurate and up-to-date

5th Principle: Data should kept as long as necessary

6th Principle: Data should be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subject

7th Principle: Data should be kept secure

8th Principle: Data should only be transferred to countries with adequate protection

Our webinar held on the 5th June 2019 DADA explained how to develop a Blue Print that integrates your data from the start. We also explained how you can initiate a rolling-wave of smaller scale implementations to get to that comprehensive ERP solution you want; with less risk and more value being realised early on. Download Webinar

Learn the benefits from integrating your enterprise systems together:

• The components of a Project Controls Solution
• The contents of a System’s Blue Print and how it is used
• How to define the ‘right’ solution for your own company
• Defining a successful Change Management and Go-Live strategy

Although we have not provided the sound recording DADA is happy to go over the presentation material again.

If you would like to go over the presentation material again on a 1-to-1 basis or if you would like to discuss some parts again in more detail with relation to your understanding and project challenges then don’t wait. Contact us to arrange a time!

**REMEMBER** As the file format is a PowerPoint Show you need to download a local copy first and then open the presentation in order for the animation to work correctly.

Why not watch our Watch our Q&A video following the webinar on questions sent in. on the benefits of, and how to get, an integrated Cost Management system. Get in touch with us to repeat the webinar on a 1-to-1 basis to go through your individual systems integration challenges…go further with the ideas discussed with our FREE P3M3 comprehensive assessment at no risk to you.

Does your job involve preparing Application for Payments (AfP) or Earned Value Performance Reports, Financial Close Out positions or Retentions payments? Is this a challenge each time and involves reconciliations of different data extracts in different formats from different systems? Does Senior Management actually understand the challenge and do they actually believe and use your reports?

To download the presentation itself feel free to use the link below.

**REMEMBER** As this is a PowerPoint Show it is best to download a local copy and then open this local copy and view the file for the animation to work.

Here DADA has given a brief overview of the Project Controls lifecycle as well as deep-diving specific Cost Control tool-sets such as Ecosys, Ares Prism and Deltek Cobra. Here we explain the tools-sets not from a glossy brochure perspective but what it actually means to run these tool-sets at a daily practitioner level.

Start your infrastructure projects with a clear understanding of what you want to deliver. (a) Know what has to be done; (b) Know how actual performance compares against your baseline; (c) Know what remains to be done; (d) Identify and implement corrective actions; and (e) Check results of corrective actions. Deliver projects successfully at lower costs.

This video shows the business perspective and benefit of an integration of enterprise systems like the exchange of: master data, structures, networks as well as dynamic data like forecast work, cost revenues & budgets, time postings and actual costs.

Learning points that you will get from this video tutorial

• The benefits from integrating your enterprise systems together
• The components of a Project Controls Solution / Cost Management System
• How to define the ‘right’ solution for your own company
• The contents of a System’s Blue Print and how it is used
• The steps involved in a successful ERP implementation
• Example of potential systems integrations and data flows
• The components of a successful Change Management strategy

Or click here to watch our free on-demand webinar

Learning points that you will get from this video tutorial

• How Project Portfolio Management (PPM) gives companies a “bird’s eye” view of upcoming, current and past projects.
• Real-life examples of best Practices for PPM reporting focusing on Variance and Exceptions.
• How to write a Report Specification to get Automated Portfolio Status reporting, combining source data from different systems.
• An overview as to which Cost Control solutions can be supplied though PPM reporting.

Or click here to watch our free on-demand webinar

Automate your processes and workflows. We’ve already created template workflows to give you a head-start.

Sorting and sifting through spreadsheets or piles of paper takes time. Dada makes quick work of “what goes where,” so the systems that keep your company moving move even faster. By automating processes, you can ensure appropriate review and reduce the risk of internal fraud and better manage cash flow. When projects get stuck in the approval process, it can lead to missed deadlines, poor customer service, and other bottlenecks for downstream projects. Automating workflows can keep everything running on schedule.

 See the Dada App platform in action and put commercial and construction process in its place with automatic workflows. Connect people, content, data and systems, in a few clicks.

Download “Screenshots of Dada project management app” Dada-Project-Management-App.ppsx – Downloaded 95 times – 1.26 MB

Here at Dada we put ourselves in their positions, with real-life important problems to solve, how could we do it, fast, economically and deliver value on the ground…

“Currently an inspector has to review security standards of equipment at various construction sites and factories. Whilst on these remote site there is not always an internet connection and so they now note everything manually down by hand and copy the inspection out formally again when back-in the office.”

Learning Points you will get from this video

• How we can develop your company’s customised inspection forms
• How you can fill in your own personalised mobile forms remotely and submit the inspection data electronically to a central data repository
• How you can data mine across projects for safety issues using the central register
• How you can automate the process to approve a safety inspection certificate to ensure that the “right” people review and approve on-time removing bottlenecks
• How a safety inspection certificate can be issued as a PDF and saved in Office 365

Click here or the image below to see the video on-demand webinar

In this webinar Nintex and Theobald Software will provide an overview on SAP integration possibilities using the Nintex Workflow Platform and Theobald’s ERPConnect Services. In a live demo we will show you how to connect SAP and Salesforce using the Nintex Workflow Cloud. We will also provide insights on how your SAP integration could work with Nintex for Office365.

Or click here to watch our free on-demand webinar

Watch our webinar on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can transform In-House recruitment and get new employees recruited quicker and starting to add value from day one. See how AI-powered technologies can minimise the time, effort, potential for error, and frustration that used to be part of getting each new employee to a point of productivity. New employees can get right to work on day one!

HR is a very “paper-heavy” function with 50% of HR departments’ time spent processing employee information. Watch our Webinar on how you can implement Big Data and Workflow Automation to get new employees to get right to work – on day one!

Managing your human capital takes an elaborate set of processes and procedures

• 50% of HR departments’ time is spent processing employee information

• 40% of their time is spent on administrative work— either re-entering data from one system to another, or on other tasks

Why use Nintex to improve HR processes?

• Improve productivity
• Mitigate risk
• Improve productivity
• Ensure compliance
• Improve data accuracy
• Reduce paperwork
• Expedite approvals
• Boost employee satisfaction

50% of HR departments’ time is spent processing employee information. 40% of their time is spent on administrative work. It’s time to make HR great again! Take our challenge to see if your company can automate processes to allow new employees adding value – on day one.

Trusted by managers from 15,000+ companies in 150 countries. Pipefy’s growth is in the top 2% of SaaS companies.

Pipefy is ideal for managing medium to high complexity business processes, where speed to value is critical. The “no-code” approach to deployment and management means technical resources are minimal and total cost of ownership is much lower. Pipefy enables agile process management by empowering subject matter experts to control workflow. Pipefy’s speed-to-value deployments have been demonstrated by past databases being built specifically for Global 100 Companies and delivered within 2 weeks. Their customers are better positioned to respond quickly to changing operational dynamics while still ensuring standards of execution.

Click here or the icon below to see a video overview

Trusted by managers from 15,000+ companies in 150 countries. Pipefy’s growth is in the top 2% of SaaS companies.

Pipefy is ideal for managing medium to high complexity business processes, where speed to value is critical. The “no-code” approach to deployment and management means technical resources are minimal and total cost of ownership is much lower. Pipefy enables agile process management by empowering subject matter experts to control workflow. Pipefy’s speed-to-value deployments have been demonstrated by past databases being built specifically for Global 100 Companies and delivered within 2 weeks. Their customers are better positioned to respond quickly to changing operational dynamics while still ensuring standards of execution.

Download “Pipefy Overview” Pipefy-Full-Presentation-.pdf – Downloaded 10 times – 9.43 MB
Download “Pipefy Product Overview” Pipefy-Product-Overview.pdf – Downloaded 6 times – 2.08 MB
Download “Pipefy for Financial Services” Pipefy-for-Financial-Services.pdf – Downloaded 8 times – 7.97 MB

• Team communication & collaboration;
• Database;
• Connections;
• Automations;
• Advanced Reports;
• Automated Approval workflows;
• Email Templates;
• Automated Email Flows;
• And much more!

• Contact us to challenge us to develop a Proof Of Concept free for your deployment!

The toolkit consists of:

• a summary sheet for rating project assurance
• a detailed breakdown of evidence that should be sought when rating each criterion

Application of the toolkit

The assurance assessment toolkit is intended as a reference for assurance practitioners to help provide a measure of their confidence in the potential for a project (or programme or portfolio) to succeed. While assisting assurance practitioners to be thorough when performing assurance, we rely on their professionalism to adapt this guide to the circumstances of the project to be assured.

The assurance assessment toolkit provides a common generic basis for the assessment of portfolios, programmes and projects (hereafter generally referred to as projects) of all sizes, in all sectors, at any project life cycle phase and at all levels in the supply chain. The toolkit can also be successfully applied to sub-projects or work packages in a project.

It can be used by independent assurance providers or project teams both for self-assessment of their projects or as a checklist to support the development of their approach to managing and assuring the project.

A number of default roles are defined in PRINCE2. Practitioners can tailor them based on their project environment, as long as they follow some rules; e.g. the Executive and the Project Management roles shouldn’t be merged into one, while some others may.

Here we provide the Prince2 Summary Table for the following default PRINCE2 roles and what their responsibilities are:

• Project Board, a group of the following roles:
  • Executive, the business-oriented person who’s ultimately responsible for the project
  • Senior User, one or more people who represent the final users’ requirements in the board
  • Senior Supplier, one or more people who represent the interests of the suppliers
• Project Assurance, assures the interests of the primary stakeholders
• Change Authority, decides on some of the request for changes in behalf of the Project Board
• Project Manager, responsible for the day to day management of the project in behalf of the Project Board
• Project Support, helps the Project Manager in project management activities
• Team Manager, one or more people responsible for ensuring the quality and other variables of production in the teams

From this risk awareness training slides you will obtain the following learning points:

1. Introduction to Risk Management
2. The Human Element
3. Separating Risk, Uncertainty and Opportunity
4. Risk Management Process
5. The Exposure Life-cycle
6. Clear Expression of Risk Discipline
7. Conclusion and Key Lessons
8. Questions and Group Discussion

Within our Subscription Packages we provide trained risk facilitators who can hold workshops to quantify, identify and help you manage your risks, opportunities and issues.

At Dada Enterprises we use our P3M3 and Risk Maturity Models as well as other assessment tools to design Project Controls Systems to manage Project Delivery, the Application for Payment and Fee Schedule.

Whereas the Risk Maturity Model (RMM) was designed to be used more at the Programme Level some Engineering Leaders wanted a more high-level questionnaire that could be run at the Enterprise Level.  For them we have created an extract from a compliance test that we usually tailor to individual client’s processes and industry.

Once again this would ideally be done via an on-line questionnaire as part of our Subscription Packages but a simple extract was developed to further introduce the basic concepts on a no-fee basis.

Please just fill in the back sheet Compliance Matrix sheet to get your company’s assessment score in a few minutes

Overview on risk, issue and opportunity management process. The inputs and outputs to each stage.

Within our Subscription Packages we provide trained risk facilitators who can hold workshops to quantify, identify and help you manage your risks, opportunities and issues. We have many techniques for risk reporting dashboards and tools for carrying out Quantitative Schedule / Cost Risk Analysis. However we developed this simple overview to introduce the concept on a no-fee basis for companies who may not have yet a mature in-house risk management team.

A Risk Maturity Model (RMM) outlines key indicators and activities that comprise a sustainable, repeatable and mature enterprise risk management (ERM) programme. Use our risk maturity assessment to identify current strengths and weaknesses of your risk management implementation.

Although this simple model has been developed to explain the concept on a no fee-basis we usually provide this via an on-line questionnaire as part of our Subscription Packages based around your company’s processes.

Learn more about our RMM tool and what your assessment score means from our article here

Manage Your Risks! Use the project Risk Register for the day to day management of the risks in your project – It just may be the most useful tool in your PM toolbox. The Risk Register contains a listing of all risks identified for a project. Since It includes Risk Scores, Risk Waterfall charts, Responses, triggers and Risk Owners it is a critical tool for Project Managers.

Within our Subscription Packages we provide useful macros which allow users to consolidate multiple risk registers together, risk reporting dashboards and tools for carrying out Quantitative Schedule / Cost Risk Analysis. However we developed this simple template to introduce the concept on a no-fee basis for companies who have not invested yet in risk management software yet.

Overview of some of the most common techniques for identification and assessment.

Within our Subscription Packages we provide trained risk facilitators who can hold workshops to quantify, identify and help you manage your risks, opportunities and issues. We have many techniques for risk reporting dashboards and tools for carrying out Quantitative Schedule / Cost Risk Analysis. However we developed this simple overview to introduce the concept on a no-fee basis for companies who may not have yet a mature in-house risk management team.

Here are some simple steps which we wanted to share to explain how we have run a successful Schedule Risk Analysis:

1. Agree Interim schedule: Construct the activity schedule (a) for the Work Stream; and then (b) the integrated Management Schedule (IMS)
2. Define uncertainty: Define activity time and estimate the uncertainty in the activity durations
3. Run Monte-Carlo simulations: Run multiple project progress simulations
4. Interpret the simulation results: Interpret the sensitivity measures

Within our Subscription Packages we provide trained risk facilitators who can hold workshops to quantify, identify and help you manage your risks, opportunities and issues. We have many techniques for risk reporting dashboards and tools for carrying out Quantitative Schedule / Cost Risk Analysis. However we developed this simple overview to introduce the concept on a no-fee basis for companies who may not have yet a mature in-house risk management team.

Download “Process map for schedule risk management” Process-Map-for-Schedule-Risk-Analysis-DADA-ENTERPRISES.pdf – Downloaded 111 times – 82.73 KB
Download “Step-by-Step Schedule RIsk Analysis” Step-by-Step-Schedule-RIsk-Analysis-DADA-ENTERPRISES.pdf – Downloaded 79 times – 278.72 KB

Read our quick guide on what is Enterprise Risk & Value Management. Dada Enterprises provides an overview on how Risk and Value Management (R&VM) can provide a structured approach to ensure that value is created and protected through the proactive management of risk in a prioritized, consistent, effective & efficient manner at all levels.

With P6 17.7 Oracle customers will now be able to print from the EPS, Activity, and Resource Assignments views. They’ve also added new HTML5 Activity Network and Trace Logic views to help customers better understand the relationships and organisation of their schedules

Oracle have provided a very useful ‘ Cumulative Features‘ comparison spreadsheet. This spreadsheet allows you to compare and review changes from one release to the next for Primavera P6. So if you’re a Primavera Administrator, IT Applications Owner or Planning Manager then you can put in your Current release and then compare it against the potential Target release (note: this does not have to be v17.7) and you get a report (in excel) of the delta functionality. This allows you to then decide which progressive release is ‘right’ for you.

For a more detailed look at the latest release, please download the “What’s New” release document

Here we also include a more detailed ‘presentation’ document given by Oracle to support the release.

Following on from our previous article on the new features included in Primavera v17 we’re providing an update on the summary features of Primavera v18.8 as this will be a significant release for on-premise users as this brings together some of the features of earlier 18.x versions previously only available to Oracle cloud users ~ yes there’s been 8 releases of v18 just this half-year alone hence delaying to write this update.

So firstly in the article you can download below we’ll go through each earlier iteration first as on-premise users will get these for the 1st time with v8 and then say what’s new specifically to v8.

We have also provided Oracle’s own summary sheet on the key features of v18.8 for further analysis

‘ Cumulative Features‘ comparison spreadsheet ~ put in your current release and then compare it against the potential Target release (note: this does not have to be v18.8)

Oracle have provided a very useful ‘ Cumulative Features‘ comparison spreadsheet. This spreadsheet allows you to compare and review changes from one release to the next for Primavera P6. So if you’re a Primavera Administrator, IT Applications Owner or Planning Manager then you can put in your current release and then compare it against the potential Target release (note: this does not have to be v18.8) and you get a report (in excel) of the delta functionality. This allows you to then decide which progressive release is ‘right’ for you.

Moving from Java to HTML5

A video has been released by Oracle on the new features in HTML5 in Primavera P6 EPPM. Moving from Java to HTML5 P6 v18 continues the process of removing Java-based applets from the application in exchange for pages written in HTML5.

…..So what?

The benefit is that HTML-based pages load faster and do not require additional plug-ins.

Common elements of new HTML pages are demonstrated in the video using the Activities View as an example:

1.      Use the Grid to add, edit, and view items on the page, such as resources.

2.      Select or hover over an item, and the Row Actions menu becomes available with functions that can be performed on that item. For example, use the menu to cut, copy and paste resources.

3.      Use Detail Windows to view and edit the properties of the selected item in the grid.

4.      The Toolbar contains various buttons and menus. Features common to many pages include Print and view Full Screen.

5.      The Toolbar often contains an Actions menu that offers various functions for the page. For example, on the Resource Administration page, the menu contains options to import from Microsoft Excel.

6.      Many pages also contain an option to Customize View. Use this to access the column, filter, grouping and other settings that affect the appearance of the page.

During the configuration of a Primavera P6 EPPM system, one of the main tasks is to develop the access privileges for all the different users. Users in Primavera P6 require two different profiles to control what they can do in the system; a Global Security Profile and a Project Security Profile.

Global Security Profile

The Global Security profile determines what global items in the system the user can add, edit or delete. For example, do you want the user to be able to modify the Organisational Breakdown Structure (OBS), edit the Enterprise Project Structure (EPS) or define their own project or activity codes? Access to all the global elements of the system are controlled by this profile, which in turn is assigned to the appropriate users.

Project Security Profile

The Project Security profile determines what users can do within projects. This covers such things as creating or deleting projects, adding activities, deleting activities, saving a baseline, importing or exporting data and so on. This profile is assigned to users via the OBS, creating a very flexible way of controlling user’s project access across the system.

Profile Options

The options are numerous with 64 global security options and 54 project security options to choose from. Primavera P6 ships with a number of pre-configured profiles including Project Manager, Resource Manager, Read-only rights and so on. However, you will likely need to modify these existing profiles or add new ones to the system to satisfy the needs of your particular organisation.

Getting the settings just right for the different roles can be time-consuming and often requires a little trial and error before everyone is happy. To assist you in designing each of the global and project security profiles you need, we’ve created a work sheet that lists all the global and project settings.

You can download this free PDF and use it to help you design your security profiles for the different roles within your organisation.

Oracle Primavera publishes a tested configurations document with every release of Primavera P6 Professional and Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management (EPPM). The purpose of the document is to inform IT professionals what versions of software such as operating system, database, java, browser and web server should be used for a particular version of the P6 deployment.

If you are experiencing any issues with your Primavera P6 system, particularly the EPPM deployment, you should consult the Tested Configurations document for your particular release to verify that you have used a supported browser, java version, database, web server etc., in your P6 deployment. If one of these elements is incorrect it can impact the performance of the system, and possibly introduce errors to its functionality.

You can obtain copies of the Oracle Primavera P6 documentation on the Oracle documentation web site at the following URL:

http://docs.oracle.com/

A good general library index link is:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/documentation/primaverappm-098696.html

To save you some searching around, we have included some download links to the Primavera P6 Tested Configs.xls file for some recent versions of Primavera P6 Professional and Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Releases.

Please note that the tested configs.xls files are owned by Oracle corporation that hold all copyright and intellectual property claims.

Primavera P6 Version R15.2

P6 Professional Tested Configurations.xls

P6 EPPM Tested Configurations.xls

Primavera P6 Version R15.1

P6 Professional Tested Configurations.xls

P6 EPPM Tested Configurations.xls

Primavera P6 Version R8.4

P6 Professional Tested Configurations.xls

P6 EPPM Tested Configurations.xls

Primavera P6 Version R8.3

P6 Professional Tested Configurations.xls

P6 EPPM Tested Configurations.xls

Primavera P6 Version R8.2

P6 Professional Tested Configurations.xls

P6 EPPM Tested Configurations.xls

1. Installing SQL Server
2. Configuring the SQL Server to allow Primavera connection
3. Installing Primavera

With greater flexibility and enhanced customization, the interface for the latest version of Oracle Primavera P6 Professional is a vast improvement over the earlier versions. You can completely customize every Tool Group’s location and its available tools. However, with such flexibility comes a small price; a little learning to do to find where all the new stuff is and what the names of these new Tool Groups are. You need to know this because if you right-click on any of the toolbar areas around the sides of the screen, you get a list of Tool Groups to select from. The problem is; if you don’t know the name for each Tool Group, you’ve no idea what you’re selecting.

We have compiled a a comprehensive Toolbar Map to show you two important things:

• A picture of the Tool Group and its name
• A complete list of every button within those tool groups and their names

This article demonstrates how to create and save views and then share them between Microsoft Project schedules.

This spreadsheet can be used to estimate the database size required to support your use of Cobra.

Change the values in the Parameters column to calculate the total database size.