An idea, which is being pursued, goes into the "Initiation" stage. If the project is created manually (without a project idea), it also starts in the initiation phase.
Smart Project Manager allows the storage of project-relevant information and offers a systematic recording of project definitions. By default, frequently used data fields are available, customer-specific adjustments and extensions are possible with little effort.
In the master data screen, all master data required for the project is recorded in a structured manner. This includes:
Especially in an overall project portfolio, a consistent evalutaion of all projects is indispensable for decision-making.
Smart Project Manager provides evaluation options for projects in the form of a project analysis. Standardized questions are assigned to each valuation category. The responses are scored with points, so you will get a factor for each category. Because the categories are the same for all projects, a simple comparison of upcoming projects is possible and priorities can be derived.
It is important to record project risks and dependencies on other projects from an early stage on. It may be essential for decision-making to have this information in order to shift priorities or to define appropriate measures as conditions for approval.
In this stage, only a rough schedule is required. A milestone phase plan is enough to prepare the basic decision. This already gives a good feeling if the required time frame for the project is sufficient. Smart Project Manager is designed for simplicity: the milestone phase plan for a project can be created in just a few minutes. The phase structure is shown in a clear table.
The milestone phase plan can also be created from templates, which are defined for each project type in the global settings. The import of MS Project schedules is also available.
Smart Project Manager offers the possibility to choose the level of detail of your cost / benefit analysis. The cost structure is also freely configurable.
By default, the following items are used to calculate the cost of capital:
These items can be subdivided into the following sub-items:
The costs from the analysis are transferred to the cost structure of the project budget. For further refinement, costs are calculated for individual budget items, which in total form the total budget. If resources are already planned in the schedule, their costs can be included in the budget.
Already in this early phase of the project, there is the possibility to add resources to the project team. The individual employees are selected either directly or via Skill. More information on this topic can be found here: Resource Management
