Case Studies

Project Availability Management with SharePoint

Posted in Digital Workplace Solutions, SharePoint, Specialty Machinery

Summary

DMC worked with a multinational manufacturer of construction equipment, to streamline their project management using SharePoint synchronization.

Solution

The client's engineering group was using Windchill, a product lifecycle management software, to manage their projects. They manufacture large, complicated machinery that often requires change requests, notifications, and new orders throughout the project process. While Windchill monitors these system events, it does not manage the amount of effort per task needed for a change.

DMC synchronized the client's Windchill data with an on-premise SharePoint solution. This enabled the client to assign project start and end dates as well as the anticipated amount of time. Dashboards were created to display employee availability and project hours needed. DMC also implemented project sites to more efficiently store documents, track milestones, and manage project issues. DMC developed custom Gantt charts with the flexibility to display project tasks in a timeline. The result was a more comprehensive project management system with increased accessibility.

Customer Benefits

  • Ability to see if projects are understaffed
  • Assign dates and amount of effort required
  • Project data is managed together
  • Realistic deadline forecasting

Technologies

  • dhtmlxGantt JavaScript Gantt chart
  • SharePoint 2010
  • SharePoint 2010 Client Object Model
  • SharePoint Designer 2010
  • SharePoint Webparts
  • Windchill