E-Business Suite 1 | Jeannie Dobney | Oracle Project Management for Users of Project Costing Billing.pdf

The most comprehensive Oracle applications & technology content under one roofThe most comprehensive Oracle applications & technology content under one roof

Oracle Project Management for Users of Project Costing / Billing

Jeannie Dobney andLoretta Bayliss – Prescience Technology

(updated paper available from jdobney.com)

The most comprehensive Oracle applications & technology content under one roof

Objectives

This paper asks – and attempts to answer:

• If you already use Oracle Project Costing and Billing, what value does Oracle Project Management add?

• Are the HTML pages just another way of looking at the same data?

With the author’s thanks to the Ipswich City Council support team for the questions above.

Voltaire: “Judge of a man by his questions rather than by his answers”.


Agenda

• Brief history of the Oracle Projects Suite

• The value Oracle Project Management proposition

• Implications of the introduction of Oracle Project Management

• Overview of some of the available ‘similar’ functionality (including gotcha’s and irritations)


First, a little history

• Once upon a time…– Oracle released the Project Accounting application c.1993

– Included the functionality we now know as Project Foundation and Project Costing - with Billing added soon

– Those were the dim, dark ages of character based Apps, -although Projects was converted to ‘GUI Forms’ fairly quickly – so most early Projects adopters recall it as a purely Forms based product

– Projects introduced the HTML interface when the Oracle Projects Suite was introduced (c.2005)

– So just a short digression about ‘user interfaces’…


Oracle Projects chronology …

Oracle Projects suite milestones

1996

2000

20022003 2003

2004

2005

1995

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

Project

Costing

Project

Billing

Project

Foundation

Project

Resource

Managem

ent

Project

Managem

ent

Project

Collaboration

Project

Intelligence

Project

Portfolio

Planning

Original Release Date

Slide is reproduced from http://www.cronininc.com


Character Based Apps

Note that this screen is from Oracle Cost Management, not Project Accounting


GUI Forms Interface

Also known as the Professional User interface


HTML Interface

Also known as the Applications Framework Interface


Oracle Projects Apps Interfaces• Some modules are primarily designed for

HTML others for Forms

Slide is from Oracle Projects Suite- Security Options by Timothy Cronin


Projects HTML vs.. Forms…• Selected functionality by HTML or Forms

Slide is from Oracle Projects Suite- Security Options by Timothy Cronin


So….The initial answer to the HTML Pages question is:

• They were created to support the expanded Oracle Projects Suite.

• You must use the HTML pages if you wish to use specialised functionality such as that available through Project Resource Management

• For most of us Oracle Project Management may be the most relevant ‘new’ Application – and coincidentally has led to some of the most obvious ‘parallel’ and ‘shared’ functionality…


Oracle Project Management• Some of the apparently similar functionality

was introduced to support Oracle Project Management, for example:

So let’s look at the value proposition for using Oracle Project Management first and then return to specific (shared) HTML functionality

Forms HTML

Budgets Financial Plans

Project Status Inquiry Project Performance Reporting

Resource Lists Planning Resource Lists & Resource Breakdown Structures


The Project Manager’s Tools (prior to Oracle Project Management )

Information Requirement

• Cost Vs. Budget

• Work schedule (Gantt chart)

• Risk management

• Issue management

• Stakeholder comm’s

• Deliverables

• Change Requests

• Status Reporting

Software / Tool (examples)

― Oracle Project Costing

― MS Projects or Primavera

― Document

― Spread sheet

― Email

― Intranet (for storage etc.)

― Document

― Assembled laboriously from all of the above


Imagine a Solution….• Develop your work schedule in MS Projects

• Import it into Oracle Projects to generate a budget from the work plan based on rates stored in Oracle

• Link changes in complex work plans to integrated (simpler) financial plans (i.e. update once and replicated across systems in background)

• Link the budget variation process into new budget versions

• Publish updates automatically to the team’s homepages (no more ignored emails or use of out-dated plan versions…)

• Tailor those team home pages to focus on key data – and automate the display of current tasks

• Store issue lists in the same place and add the ability to assign and track actions for them

• Workflow supported and semi-automated production and publication of project status reports from this integrated project data


A Day in the Life of the PM• The Project Status Report is due...

– Is the project within budget?– What is the progress against schedule?– What risks does the project face?– What is the status of logged issues?– What is the status of change requests?– Where can deliverable documents be accessed for review?– Where are other project documents stored?

(Project Management Plan etc.)

• Oracle Projects can provide a repository of all this information and semi-automate the production of status reports if required.


A Day in the Life of the PM, cont...• Time for a project team meeting, need to:

– Review the schedule for upcoming milestones etc.– Focus the team on those upcoming tasks– Identify any roadblocks, tasks which have not been completed– Review progress on issues assigned to the team– Gather input about potential risks etc.

• Oracle Projects can provide:– A team member home page which ‘pushes’ specifically relevant

upcoming tasks (and actions required for issue resolution) to each team member

– Allow decentralised updating of issues assigned to team members

– Allow decentralised percentage complete entry for tasks


Checklist for an Integrated PM Solution• Workplans / progress tracking

• Cost against budget tracking

• Status reporting – (multiple audiences?):detail and / or traffic light status

• Sharing / repository of deliverables

• Repository of other project documentation

• Issue tracking

• Risk Register ?

• Change Requests / Orders

• Stakeholder communications (push / pull?)

• Team member home page / communication method


Oracle Project ManagementAvailable functionality includes:• Parallel integrated WBS structures

i.e. Workplan, Financial (and Deliverables)• Integration with Project Management tools such as MS Projects and

PrimaVera• Budget generation from work-plans• Configurable HTML pages for reporting and project communication

(using page layout functionality and Framework personalisations)• Includes performance and exception reporting (incl. traffic lights)• Attachment functionality for storage of project documents• Sophisticated access control by project role• Progress reporting: Workflow supported and semi-automated

production of project status reports • Change orders that can be linked to budget changes• Issue lists etc.


A Quick Tour of Oracle Project Management

• Gantt Chart / work plans

• Cost against budget tracking

• Status reporting

• Repository of project documents

• Issue tracking and change orders

• Team member and stakeholder communication


Workplans – Gantt Chart View


Workplans – Dependencies


Workplans – Resource Assignment


Integration: Oracle Proj Mgmt and Schedule Management Software


Structure Mapping

Workplans may be integrated with specialised project management tools e.g. MS projects. (If you do not use workplans, some HTML page functionality may not be applicable e.g. Earned Value Management)


Project Performance Reporting• Uses the same basic cost data as the project

status inquiry (PSI) window, however…

• It includes:

– Periodic and QTD display

– An ability to report in multiple currencies or calendars – useful for multi-nationals

– It also displays earned value analysis and progress against plan in effort terms

– Users can personalise their own views

– Requires additional update processes


Analysis of Costs by Task


Analysis of Cost by Resource


Budgeting and Forecasting


Standard Earned Value Reporting


Earned Value Management (EVM)• A key advantage of combining work tracking

and cost tracking in one system is the ability to do EVM reporting

• EVM is a project management practice that integrates:– Schedule – Scope– Cost

• EVM measures the value of work performedFrom an Open World Presentation:

Oracle Project & Portfolio Management for DoD Earned Value Compliance


Task One 80%

Task Two 24%

Task Three 50%

Task One 80%

Task Two 24%

Task Three 50%

Create Status Reports

• Different reports for different

audiences

• Automatic reminders for due reports

• Existing project info automatically

included

• Exec. summary with status indicator

• Enter additional textual details

Publish Status Report

• Send to stakeholders

• Online or email access

• Track history

Project

Customer

Management

Team

Project

Task One 80%

Task Two 24%

Task Three 50%

Project

Oracle Status Reporting

These slides from Carl Morley’s OpenWorld 2010 presentation


Attachments (Project Documentation Repository)


Issue Lists and Change Control


Team Member Home Page

Slide is from a 2004 Oracle presentation


Project List View


Exceptions

Exception Reporting - KPIs

Financial

Schedule

Execute

Single Project Status

Overall Project Status

Key Performance AreasException

Cost Variance %

Cost Variance %

10 % and more

0 to 10%

-1% and less


So Why Would You Not Use It?• Does it fit with your organisations project management (PMO)

practice and project development process?

• What are the preferred tools already in use by your PMO, e.g. substantial investment in the use of an Intranet?

• Who’s running the implementation and can they ‘sell’ an integrated business process to the PMO?

• How much of your project management work is outsourced and what impact will that have?

• How do contractors fit in your project process (Oracle Projects supports them – but will your IT and HR department?)

• Have you factored in the system maintenance and training required for another software tool?


So…• Some functionality is new and unique to the

HTML pages and may offer value to existing users

• However, this powerful functionality involves complexity and there are some gotcha’s and annoyances

• Oracle Implementation and User Guides, don’t make a clear distinction between features and functions available and usable in Forms vs. HTML


The Same or Similar• Some functionality may be used in either

Forms or HTML, e.g. project definition

• Existing users of Project Costing are probably licensed to use this type of functionality (cfMOS # 815154.1 and similar notes)

• Some Billing and Capital project functionality only exists in Forms

• HTML Dates may default in non-intuitive ways to Forms users (refer MOS # 361507.1)


Different Name, Same Feature• Customers and Contacts in Forms is the same as

Billing Accounts in HTML pages

• Key Members in Forms is the same as Team Members in HTML pages

• DFF defined at Project-level in Forms displays in the Other Information section of Additional Information in HTML pages

• DFF defined at Financial Task-level in Forms displays in the Other Task Information section of HTML pages


User Defined Attributes (UDA’s)

• UDAs – like context sensitive descriptive flexfields (DFFs) that are only accessible from the HTML-based application pages

• DFFs may be visible in both interfaces

• Both may require custom reporting

• Data from both can be used for AutoAccounting, Account Generation and Subledger Accounting (R12)


User Defined Attributes: Complete Solution

User Defined Attributes appear for projects and tasks based on the

context and the level

Context Data Level Usage

Project Type Project

and/or Task

Enable a set of attributes based on

a specific project type

Class

Category

Project

and/or Task


a specific project class category

Class Code Project

and/or Task


a specific project class code

Task Type Task Enable a set of attributes based on

a specific task type

UDA slides are from a presentation by Carl Morley at Oracle OpenWorld 2010


Budgets Vs. Financial Plans• New HTML “Plan” Types introduced in 2005

• Existing Budget Types convertible during upgrade

• Enhanced budgeting unique to HTML pages:

– Excel data input (via webADI) is standard functionality

– Budget amounts may be generated from work plans using planning rates

– Initial Forecast version created from original budget and then generated from actuals etc.. using ETC methods

• Different implementation path to use Budgetary Control and/or Budget Integration (Forms budgets)

• New HTML Plan types are not compatible with Budgetary Control and Budget Integration functionality


Forms Budgets vs. HTML Financial Plans

• A key implementation decision

• Conceptually the same – however quite different system functionality:

– Do you need Budgetary Control / Integration? (If so, use Forms Budgets)

– Will you integrate workplans and use EVA? (Use HTML)

– HTML Financial Plans have standard Excel integration (webADI), however, More4Apps provides the same functionality for Forms (if this is the only drawcard)


Resource Lists…

• Forms Budgets use Resource Lists for budgeting and reporting

• HTML Financial Plans use Planning Resource Lists for budgeting and Resource Breakdown Structures for reporting

• Also note: PSI implications (MOS # 405219.1)

Interface Budgeting Reporting

Forms Resource Lists Resource Lists

HTML Planning Resource Lists Resource Breakdown Structure


Resource Lists…

• An upgrade process is available

• After running UPG: Upgrade Resource Lists to Planning Resource Lists process:

• Subsequent changes are propagated from the original Resource List to the upgraded Planning Resource List (but not the RBS)


HTML Project Home Page


Conclusions

The most comprehensive Oracle applications & technology content under one roofThe most comprehensive Oracle applications & technology content under one roof

Oracle Project Managementfor Users of Project Costing / Billing

Loretta Bayliss

Managing Director, Prescience TechnologyVice-President, AUSOUG (Qld)

www.prescience.com.au

http://www.prescience.com.au/


Agenda

• A User’s Perspective


Oracle PjM

• Loretta’s tools of choice include:

• Oracle PjM

• Microsoft Project Server

• Primavera EPPM

• Order of the day is largely defined by client requirements and corporate PMO mandates.

Is it my tool of choice?


Oracle PjM

• Narrowing it down further:

• Oracle PjM

• Microsoft Project Server

• Primavera EPPM

• This combination does have the potential to provide a true enterprise platform.

Is it my tool of choice?


Words of (?) Wisdom

• Do not expect a miracle, or a golden goose‐ Either from Oracle PjM or Primavera

• Understand the impacts on/from other Oracle modules ‐ Oracle PjM does not operate in isolation

• Plan for and build up to the change ‐ an enterprise model is not achieved overnight

• Use all of the tools/reports at your disposal until the enterprise model is sufficiently robust to support project, program & portfolio‐ Costing, Billing, AP, PO, AR, OTL can all add value

System and Process


Questions & Comments


From the coal face

Prescience Technology is on our Oracle E-Business services supplier panel. They are a

niche player who know the area in which they operate. They have a good

knowledge of the product and the market; access to skilled resources;

and a good understanding of the requirements, especially if a problem is a bit more

difficult. They apply their expertise and do the analysis, without trying to run too

fast.

My experience with Prescience Technology over the past four years gives me the absolute confidence to recommend them for Oracle related projects and support.

Prescience demonstrates professionalism and maturity and is committed to

working closely with us to deliver clear value for money and outcomes that

either meet or exceed Tourism Australia’s expectations, every time.

Hein Bouman, Information Systems Manager, Tourism Australia