Business Case Oracle Primavera P6 & IFS

Transcription

1 Business Case Oracle Primavera P6 & IFS ARAM Software & Consultancy 2909 LG Capelle aan den IJssel The Netherlands (0)

2 Introduction The IFS software suite contains a module for project planning. Although this planning module can handle all relevant planning information and fully integrate with other ERP data, it is not able to schedule a planning as well as Oracle Primavera (P6) software does, nor it is very user-friendly where it comes to defining relations. Therefore, efforts have been made to realize an integration between P6 and IFS: the interface software Flint. This document describes concept, process and procedures of the designed integration process for one of our customers. The concerning company builds large and complex structures for oil & gas, offshore and energy related industries. The production is project driven and is fully secured within IFS. This business case shows how the interface software Flint integrates IFS with P6 to achieve their scheduling purposes. Basic planning concept Because planning cannot be appropriately realized within IFS, P6 is used to add further details to contract- and production planning level. Next to this, the planning progress should be registered in both P6 and IFS. To ensure a complete and reliable registration for the progress that has been made, both systems should be maintained. With Flint a structural integration between both systems, on different levels, is realized. The graphic shows the basic principles of the planning process and the interface level(s) of Flint. From a global perspective, the enterprise project structure, the project(s) and the work break down structure(s) are created in IFS. Regarding this framework, P6 outlines the key points according to the business and contractual rules. This information is transferred (by Flint) to IFS, where work and purchase orders are created in combination with planning details. Subsequently, this information is imported into P6 where further planning details are added. In P6, the various work and purchase orders are placed according to the right point in planning perspective and this information is again exported to IFS. After schedule and progress the planning reports can be created. Mostly, IFS is used for internal reporting, while P6 is used for analysis, dashboards and (external) comprehensive reporting.

3 Systematic planning process Besides the key application P6, IFS and Flint, the customer uses a toolbox program which is able to upload data from P6 in IFS. The data to be uploaded in IFS is first downloaded by procedures within Flint. Within the toolbox module the user can upload project planning data (only once per project) and production planning data. The data interfacing from IFS to P6 is completely controlled by Flint. Flint does not transferring data directly into the IFS database, but into interim tables, divided from the root data structure of the business logic of IFS. The toolbox software first does some validity checks on the data, before everything gets processed into the IFS scheme against the business logic. Similarly, Flint is transferring data to P6 from designated views within IFS only. This setup results in the desired separation of responsibilities for both the data in IFS and in P6. The desired planning process can be roughly broken down into the following steps: Create a Tender planning in P6 and when awarded the contract, create an overall Project planning, also in P6. Transfer the scheduled Project planning to IFS, creating initial Production planning on the fly, using Flint and the toolbox software. Refine the production planning in IFS for the Structural division down to level X. Transfer this level X Production planning to P6 using Flint and create and/or update the relationships between all activities in P6. After this, schedule the Production planning in P6. Transfer the scheduling information (dates and durations only) back to IFS using Flint and the toolbox software. Create Shop Orders in IFS for all relevant Production activities. Transfer the Shop Orders operations to P6 and create and/or update the relationships between all Shop Order Operation activities in P6. The following step is to schedule the Production planning in P6. Transfer the scheduling information (dates and durations only) back to IFS using Flint and the toolbox software. Progress all activities in IFS. Transfer all progress information to P6. As you can see, IFS is leading, as soon as the original Project planning has been transferred into IFS. P6 is only used to maintain the relationships between the activities and to schedule the entire planning. Only the scheduled data is transferred back into IFS. Progress on any activity is recorded in IFS, and then transferred to P6.

4 Flint procedures Flint contains a few predefined sets of procedures to transfer information to and from P6. Each set of procedures has a configurable execution order and can therefore be started as a batch. Nevertheless it is also possible to schedule individual procedures. An essential note in using procedures is to create a test environment in order to do test runs with Flint procedures and toolbox routines. Besides this it is important to check the use of either Shared Procedures or Project Procedures with variables. This simplifies the use of Flint, as all procedures will become universal and a user can just select the appropriate project. Essence of Flint The essence of Flint is to integrate data between P6 and another IT system. Counting from the first implementation project, Flint makes data mutually accessible and with it the functionality of different information systems, for 15 years now. Within these 15 years, Flint predominantly has realized P6 - IFS interfaces. The software cleverly (re)uses existing knowledge. Misunderstandings can be resolved and project members only receive information that is relevant to them. Moreover, Flint is time-saving since it only takes a few simple actions to enter data. Flint is unique because of the fully variable settings. The distinctive feature of Flint is the 'function cooker which enables people to transfer data without any or extensive programming knowledge. The software has no limitations or dependencies because the interface is made through the API s. Users find Flint to be consumer-friendly and web-based. It allows for unlimited volumes of data to be integrated in the system suitable for any project. Using Flint can result in both long and short term cost reduction in terms of time and money. By using Flint you will get a verifiable and traceable link between P6 and IFS. Your project portfolio will be manageable and it will bring you reliability, effectiveness and efficiency.

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