Planview Supports Real-Time Project Processes

To advance productivity for project teams

AUSTIN, TX — November 12, 2002 — Planview, the world leader in integrated resource, project and service management software, has updated Version 7.2 of its enterprise web software to improve work performance and resource productivity through real-time project processes. Planview has enhanced its web software to model and walk managers through the steps they need to be successful. This new software functionality, called Planview Project Models, defines guidelines for project lifecycles, associated content, project collaboration, project budgets, and the project work breakdown structure and associated resource skills. These guidelines and templates are associated with the project when it is requested and immediately prompt project team members to fulfill their duties on project lifecycle roles, including direct access to documents and forms needing their attention. A Planview project collaboration portal is initialized and made available to all interested parties — including guests.

This expert mentoring for managers and their team members encourages organizational consistency by modeling the project lifecycle and automatically notifying team members when they need to take an action. The project team is also made more productive by providing them the tools to do it in real-time. Document templates are embedded in the lifecycle to show each team member exactly what is expected of them, including check in/check out, version control and a full access audit trail.

"Many project managers grow into their jobs with little or no formal project management training," stated Planview founder and CEO, Patrick Durbin. "Over the years organizations have implemented project processes defining how they select work, budget and manage it, but it is hard for each manager to be an expert in all that makes up project processes." He listed investment analysis, budgeting, scheduling, resource assignments, risk management, and change management as just a few of the process areas in which Planview's project models offer on-line mentoring.

Planview is currently shipping with eleven standard Project Models for Information Technology projects, Product Development projects and one built to support the Microsoft Project scheduler. Organizations can use the standard Planview Project Models, customize them or add their own Project Models.

Planview Project Models leverage the functionalities introduced early in 2002 with the general availability of Version 7.2. To recap, some of those functionalities included:

• Knowledge Management: Planview now includes a full-featured document repository that links content management with opportunities, projects, resources, budgets, and service agreements. Managed content can be any electronic document or web address maintained in Planview or addressable in another system. The most precious asset of most organizations is the compiled knowledge of its people, which can be leveraged in Planview to improve global collaboration and work and resource management processes.
• Planview Project Portal allows everyone with an interest, including guests, to collaborate while communicating the project schedule, budget, workflow and knowledge management appropriate to their role in the organization. The portal includes group calendars, threaded discussions, polling, and other collaboration tools, and can be interfaced with additional communication tools, such as virtual meeting software, electronic whiteboards, etc.
• Project Lifecycle & Organizational Workflows: The project lifecycle in Planview lets users define roles and events to generate notifications and actions that keep work moving through the organization. To help make work practices repeatable and organizations more efficient, Planview has defined dozens of these process steps for automation. Typical project lifecycle models improve the budgeting workflow, approval of project status changes, time & billing updates, knowledge and content management requirements, etc.
• Organizational & Project Budgets: Top-down organizational budgets are integrated with bottom-up project budgets to support tracking of revenue, benefits and expenditures. New Planview budgeting features include organizational defined time periods, multiple models lockable budgets, support for executive reporting, flexible cost accounts and more.
• Portfolio Management: New analytics and opportunity analysis features are fully integrated with Planview's performance measurement to support investment decision-making. Features include additional Scoreboard reports on customizable portfolio attributes of work and resources, such as: business alignment, ROI quarter, investment type, risk potential, cost variances, and more.

About Planview

Planview Web Software is unique in that it allows an organization to manage its work based on the availability and skills of its people, both present and projected, including contractors and other outsourced staff. Founded in 1989, Planview is the world leader in integrated project, service and resource management software and services to Global 3000 organizations. Allianz, Baltimore Life, Discover, Katun Corp., National City Insurance, Pfizer, Reuters, Volkswagen America, Zurich North America, and others make up the over 350 clients who have licensed more than 200,000 copies of Planview software. The company has headquarters in Austin, Texas, with field offices across the US, in Germany, the UK, Italy, Benelux and France. Planview is privately held, financially conservative, and has enjoyed ten straight years of profitability and increasing revenue. For more information contact Planview at www.Planview.com.

Planview is a registered trademark of Planview Inc. All other trademarks are acknowledged.