Public research projects differ significantly from those in the private sector. This industry is often characterized by projects with a very long duration combined with many uncertainties that can impact planning. Furthermore, funding from different public sources, associated with frequent and detailed reporting to the public funders, is typical of these kinds of projects. In addition, the research facilities usually work with fixed annual cost budgets that cannot easily be transferred to the following fiscal period.
Research environments often work with a heterogeneous set of tools that has grown piecemeal over the years. This leads to complex communication channels and inconsistent analyses. Project participants often work with outdated data, and there is usually no way of obtaining a complete overview of all projects throughout the organization.
Professional organization-wide project management is based on an integrated solution that eliminates all of the above problems. This is why it is becoming increasingly prevalent in public research projects.
For over 20 years, TPG The Project Group has carried out numerous projects in the field of public research.
Expand the following text modules and read about the proven components of solutions for project management in the public research sector based on Microsoft or Planisware technologies.
Microsoft Project Server / Project Online (Microsoft PPM) is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for organization-wide project and portfolio management (PPM). Research directors, project managers and project staff all use a common work and information platform.
More information on Microsoft Project Server or Project Online.
Microsoft Project Server / Project Online is a powerful tool for centralized, enterprise-wide project management. Used in conjunction with an add-on tool designed especially for multi-project management and program management, it enables users to easily monitor the status of sub-projects and communicate top-down targets from the program level to the sub-projects.
Bottom-up planning is also available, as project participants can report current plan data from their sub-projects to program management for further control.
More information on TPG ProjectLink or TPG MultiProject(QS).
Microsoft Project Server / Project Online can be extended with “Softlinks” to show users important tasks in other projects. In the context of in-kind collaboration, users can easily share important information within Microsoft Project plans.
More information on TPG ProjectLink or TPG MultiProject(QS).
Project managers plan best in a PM system (e.g. Microsoft Project or Planisware), while financial controllers prefer to work with the ERP system (e.g. SAP). The integration of both systems streamlines processes and makes things a lot easier for everyone.
More information on TPG PSLink®.
Microsoft Project Server / Project Online provides important reports on individual projects or project portfolios at your fingertips. A role-based concept and access rights ensure that project members and managers only see the reports intended for them (“seeing instead of searching”). The automated reporting system is tailored to your needs, bringing a wealth of benefits to the entire organization.
More information on TPG ReportPack or Microsoft Power BI.
“During the preparation phase for the IT project, TPG provided us with advice that was fully customized to our needs and demonstrated which project management approaches work in a scientific environment and which don’t. Working with TPG, we were then able to quickly develop the processes required for a successful IT solution. We’re extremely impressed with their professional approach and with the solution we collaborated on together that meets our requirements.”
Birgit Kellner-Leidl, Project Manager, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)