Real estate portfolio management: land acquisition to handover
Project portfolio management in real estate is the discipline of tracking every development in a firm’s pipeline, from site acquisition and entitlement through design, construction, and handover, within a single unified view that connects financial performance, schedule status, and resource allocation across all active projects. For real estate CTOs, this means replacing the spreadsheet-and-email approach that most developers still use. When budgets live in one file, schedules in another, and stakeholder updates happen through ad hoc phone calls, portfolio-level visibility doesn’t exist. Capital exposure stays hidden until it’s too late to course-correct. PPM connects what’s happening on each site to how the overall portfolio is performing against investment targets. That connection is what protects IRR and keeps capital partners confident. The operational reality: Why most developers still run blind The scale of the challenge is well documented. Nearly 70% of real estate projects exceed their original budgets, and over 60% face significant schedule delays (Invensis Learning, 2026). Research shows construction projects exceed initial budgets by an average of 27%, while schedule delays average 31% (Invensis Learning / Harvard Business Review, 2026). In 2024, more than 70% of multifamily construction providers reported significant project delays, often beginning with permitting and design approvals (Swiftlane / NMHC, 2025). Only 35% of projects worldwide finish successfully, meeting all goals and timelines (PMI / ProProfsProject, 2026). Why spreadsheets fail at portfolio scale 12% of project investment is lost due to poor performance, amounting to trillions annually (PMI / ProProfsProject, 2026). 66% of organizations report frequent project delays caused by unclear requirements (Wellingtone / ProProfsProject, 2026). 45% of project managers spend more than one day per week manually compiling status updates (Wrike / Forbes, 2026). When a developer is managing five to fifteen concurrent developments across different phases, the reconciliation problem becomes a critical risk. Budgets tracked in Excel can’t flag when a permitting delay on one project creates a resource conflict on another. Schedule slippage at one site doesn’t automatically adjust cash flow forecasts across the portfolio. The market is investing in digital portfolio tools The global PropTech market was valued at $36.55 billion in 2024, growing to $40.19 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach $88.37 billion by 2032 at an 11.9% CAGR (Fortune Business Insights / International Banker, 2025). 81% of commercial real estate leaders identified data and technology as the area where they’re most likely to focus spending (Deloitte 2025 CRE Outlook). Construction technology alone captured $4.8 billion in 2024 funding, accounting for 32% of total PropTech investment (Qubit Capital, 2026). The investment signal is clear: real estate firms that can see their entire portfolio in real time make better capital allocation decisions. Where the industry is heading AI-driven cost forecasting and risk detection AI is moving beyond generic project management into real estate-specific applications. Predictive models trained on historical project data flag potential budget overruns based on permit processing times, material price trends, and subcontractor performance patterns. The shift is from monthly reporting that shows what went wrong to continuous monitoring that catches deviations as they happen. PwC’s Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2025 report describes the emergence of a “property operating system” combining AI agents, digital twins, and data integration layers that will allow property managers to oversee vastly larger portfolios from a single back office (PwC / ULI, 2025). Portfolio-level visibility as an investor requirement Institutional investors increasingly require real-time portfolio dashboards that show capital exposure, schedule risk, and return projections across all active developments. Generic project tools that track individual sites without connecting them to portfolio-level financial performance don’t meet this requirement. Lifecycle continuity from acquisition to operations The most damaging visibility gaps occur at phase transitions: when a project moves from entitlements to design, from design to construction, or from construction to operations handover. Data lost at each transition creates the reconciliation overhead that keeps teams in spreadsheets instead of making decisions. How OnePlan fits the real estate portfolio stack OnePlan was named a Strong Performer in the Forrester Wave for Adaptive Project Management and Reporting, Q2 2024, with the highest scores for integration and product roadmap (Forrester, 2024). OnePlan is Microsoft’s PPM Partner of the Year for five consecutive years, with native integration across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Portfolio-level financial tracking OnePlan connects individual project budgets to portfolio-level financial views. When a change order is approved on one development, the budget impact ripples through the portfolio dashboard automatically. Capital partners see updated exposure across all active projects without waiting for monthly reconciliation. Resource demand planning across concurrent developments Real estate firms running multiple concurrent developments compete internally for the same project managers, architects, engineers, and construction supervisors. OnePlan’s resource demand planning shows capacity across the entire portfolio, so staffing decisions on one project account for commitments on every other active development. Scenario modeling for capital allocation When a new acquisition opportunity appears, OnePlan’s scenario modeling shows how adding the project affects resource capacity, capital deployment, and portfolio risk across all existing commitments. This is the “should we take this on” analysis that spreadsheets can’t perform at a portfolio scale. Microsoft ecosystem integration OnePlan connects natively with Microsoft Teams for project communication, SharePoint for document management, Power BI for custom reporting, and Dynamics 365 for financial integration. Real estate teams don’t need to leave the tools they already use to get portfolio-level visibility. How Advaiya helps real estate firms implement PPM Advaiya works with organizations across real estate, construction, and infrastructure on project portfolio management implementations within the Microsoft ecosystem. When Advaiya deployed Dynamics 365 Business Central for a real estate consulting firm managing 15+ business units and 1,000+ employees, the results demonstrated what unified portfolio management delivers: 80% improvement in billing accuracy, 60% reduction in approval dependency, and integration with CRM and HRMS systems that previously operated in isolation (Advaiya Case Study Compendium). Advaiya brings enterprise architecture expertise that connects OnePlan’s portfolio capabilities to the specific way real estate development teams manage acquisitions, entitlements, design phases, construction execution, and handover workflows. Connect with Advaiya
What is Microsoft PPM? Project portfolio management explained
Managing multiple projects across an enterprise without centralized visibility creates bottlenecks, resource conflicts, and misaligned priorities. Microsoft PPM (Project Portfolio Management) addresses these challenges by providing a unified platform that connects project execution with strategic business objectives. As organizations scale operations, portfolio-level oversight becomes critical to ensure resources are optimized and initiatives deliver measurable value. The question isn’t whether to implement portfolio management, it’s how quickly you can deploy the capabilities that separate high-performing organizations from their competitors. Why portfolio management matters for enterprise strategy Strategic alignment drives competitive advantage Portfolio management bridges the gap between strategy and execution. Without centralized oversight, organizations fund projects based on political influence rather than strategic value. Teams work on initiatives that made sense when approved, but no longer align with current market conditions or business priorities. Microsoft PPM provides executives with a single source of truth for all portfolio data. Leaders can quickly assess which initiatives align with strategic priorities, reallocate resources to high-value projects, and sunset initiatives that no longer serve business objectives. Resource optimization becomes measurable Organizations face persistent talent shortages and budget constraints. Traditional project management approaches lack visibility into capacity across the enterprise, leading to over-allocation in some areas and under-utilization in others. Portfolio management transforms resource allocation from reactive assignment to strategic capacity planning. Microsoft PPM can increase resource utilization by approximately 20%[1], helping organizations maximize return on talent investments. This isn’t about working people harder; it’s about eliminating the gaps and conflicts that waste available capacity. Data-driven decisions replace intuition Executives make investment decisions with incomplete information when project data lives in disparate systems. Portfolio management consolidates project performance, resource allocation, financial data, and strategic alignment metrics in a centralized platform. This enables analytics that would be impossible with disconnected tools. Portfolio managers can identify patterns, compare performance across projects, and use historical data to improve estimation accuracy. Decisions move from subjective assessments to evidence-based evaluations. Risk visibility enables proactive intervention The project portfolio management market grew 11.5% to $7.46 billion in 2024[2], reflecting increased enterprise adoption of centralized portfolio management solutions. This growth stems from organizations recognizing that reactive risk management no longer suffices in fast-moving markets. Portfolio-level risk visibility allows executives to identify dependencies, resource constraints, and strategic misalignment before they impact delivery. Project managers can proactively address issues before they escalate, improving overall portfolio success rates. Core capabilities that drive project portfolio management Microsoft PPM consists of several integrated tools that work together to support enterprise project management. The platform architecture is built on Microsoft 365, integrating seamlessly with Teams for collaboration, SharePoint for document management, and other productivity tools. Strategic portfolio planning and prioritization Portfolio managers gain a comprehensive view of all projects across the organization. You can prioritize initiatives based on strategic alignment, compare projects using custom scoring models, and make decisions based on resource availability and business value. The platform enables: Standardized project intake processes that capture requests from across the enterprise Scoring models that evaluate projects against strategic criteria Scenario modeling to assess portfolio composition under different constraints Investment mix analysis to ensure balanced risk and return This moves beyond ad-hoc project approval to systematic portfolio optimization aligned with business strategy. Enterprise resource management and capacity planning The resource management module provides visibility into capacity, utilization, and availability across the enterprise. You can identify resource conflicts before they impact delivery, balance workloads across teams, and forecast future capacity needs. Key capabilities include: Skills inventory management to match resources with project requirements Capacity planning that forecasts resource needs 6-12 months ahead Utilization tracking that identifies over-allocation and under-utilization Resource request workflows that streamline allocation decisions Organizations implementing project portfolio management with AI-driven resource optimization report significant improvements in utilization rates and reduced scheduling conflicts. Detailed project planning and execution Project managers can create detailed schedules with task dependencies, critical path analysis, and Gantt chart visualization. The platform allows you to define milestones, set baseline schedules, and track variances between planned and actual progress. Integration with workflow automation capabilities eliminates manual coordination overhead. Tasks route intelligently, approvals trigger automatically, and project status updates across systems without manual intervention. Executive dashboards and portfolio analytics Built-in dashboards and custom reports give executives real-time visibility into portfolio performance. Integration with Power BI enables advanced analytics, trend analysis, and predictive insights. Reports track: Budget variance across the portfolio Schedule adherence and on-time delivery rates Resource utilization and capacity constraints Strategic alignment and value realization Risk exposure and mitigation effectiveness This transforms portfolio management from periodic reviews to continuous oversight that enables rapid decision-making. Business value and measurable outcomes Improved project delivery rates Organizations that implement portfolio management experience measurable improvements in project outcomes. With better visibility into dependencies, resource constraints, and risks, project managers can proactively address issues before they escalate. Centralized portfolio management helps organizations standardize processes and templates, ensuring consistency in project delivery across the enterprise. This systematic approach drives higher success rates than ad-hoc project management. Enhanced cross-functional collaboration Integration with Microsoft Teams and SharePoint enables seamless collaboration between project teams, stakeholders, and executives. Team members can access project information, submit timesheets, and update task status without leaving their familiar Microsoft 365 environment. This reduces the friction that often accompanies portfolio management tools requiring separate login credentials and unfamiliar interfaces. Strategic investment optimization Portfolio management enables executives to make informed investment decisions based on data rather than intuition. When individual project budgets are exceeded, portfolio visibility helps leaders assess potential impacts to other projects and determine whether continuing an over-budget project will create multiplied financial overages elsewhere. When projects fall behind schedule, leadership can evaluate ripple effects across dependent initiatives and reallocate resources to protect strategic commitments. Scalability for growing organizations Over 1,210 companies worldwide use Microsoft Project Portfolio Management, with the majority located in the United States. The platform is most commonly adopted by large enterprises with 10,000 or more employees, though mid-sized organizations increasingly adopt PPM solutions. The small and medium enterprise segment is expected to register the highest CAGR
Portfolio Management vs. Project Management: key differences
Are your teams always busy, but you’re not sure if they’re busy with the right things? You see projects getting completed, but you don’t see the needle moving on your company’s biggest goals. A situation like this is common, and a situation like this comes down to a simple but powerful idea: the difference between project and portfolio management. One is about doing projects right. The other is about doing the right projects. As Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan’s Execution emphasizes, strategy without execution is worthless. Project management provides the execution discipline, while portfolio management ensures that execution energy is directed toward the initiatives that matter most for long-term success. Understanding project portfolio management vs project management is the first step to closing that gap and ensuring every bit of effort pushes your business forward. This guide will give you a clear look at the roles of Project Management and Portfolio Management, how they differ, and why you need both to succeed. What is project management? Let’s start with Project Management. A project is a temporary effort with a specific start and end date, designed to create a unique product, service, or result. Project Management is the discipline of planning, executing, and completing that work. A system like this is all about tactical project execution. Think of a project manager as the builder of a single house. The builder’s job is to: Manage the budget and make sure costs don’t spiral out of control. Create a schedule and ensure the house is built on time. Coordinate the resources—the carpenters, electricians, and plumbers—to get the job done. Ensure the final house meets the blueprint’s specifications and quality standards. The project manager’s focus is tactical. Success is measured by delivering the project on time, within budget, and according to scope. A project manager is focused on the “how” and “when” of a single initiative. A project manager worries about project risk management for a single project, like a supplier delivering materials late for their specific house. What is portfolio management? Now, let’s zoom out to Portfolio Management. A portfolio is a collection of projects, programs, and even other portfolios that are grouped together to achieve strategic business objectives. Portfolio Management is the centralized management of that collection. If the project manager builds the house, the portfolio manager is the real estate developer who decides which houses to build, where to build them, and which ones will provide the best return on investment for the company. Richard Rumelt’s Good Strategy Bad Strategy teaches us that effective strategy requires choosing what not to do as much as what to do. Portfolio Management operationalizes this principle, providing the framework to systematically evaluate, prioritize, and sometimes eliminate projects that don’t align with strategic objectives. A portfolio manager’s job is to: Select and prioritize projects that align with the company’s strategic goals. Balance the portfolio to manage overall risk and resource allocation. Monitor the performance of the entire portfolio to ensure a system like this is delivering the expected value. Make tough decisions about which projects to fund, which to put on hold, and which to cancel. The portfolio manager’s focus is strategic. Success is measured by the overall performance and value of the entire portfolio, not just the completion of individual projects. A portfolio manager is focused on the “what” and “why” of all the company’s initiatives. A system like this involves a portfolio risk assessment, worrying about having too many high-risk projects or if a market downturn will affect all construction projects. The key difference between project and portfolio management While both disciplines are crucial, their objectives and approaches are fundamentally different. Here’s a breakdown of project management vs project portfolio management. Focus: tactical vs. strategic The most important difference between project and portfolio management is the focus. Project management is tactical. A project manager is concerned with the day-to-day work of delivering a specific outcome. The main questions are, “Are we on schedule?” and “Are we on budget?” Portfolio management is strategic. A portfolio manager is concerned with the big picture and business objective alignment. The main questions are, “Are we working on the right things?” and “Is this portfolio helping us achieve our business goals?” Timeline: temporary vs. ongoing Project management deals with temporary endeavors. A project has a defined start and end. Once the house is built, the project is complete. A system like this is focused on short-term planning. Portfolio management is an ongoing process. A portfolio exists as long as the organization has strategic goals to pursue. As the business strategy evolves, the portfolio of projects changes with it. A system like this is focused on long-term planning. Scope: defined vs. dynamic Project Management works within a defined scope. A project manager’s job is to prevent “scope creep” and deliver what was originally agreed upon. Portfolio Management deals with a dynamic scope. A portfolio manager is constantly evaluating the mix of projects, adding new ones, and removing ones that no longer align with the strategy. Change is not something to be avoided; a system like this is designed to manage change. Success metrics: outputs vs. outcomes Project management success is measured by outputs and project success criteria. Was the project delivered on time, on budget, and to the required quality? Portfolio management success is measured by outcomes and portfolio performance metrics. Did the portfolio deliver the expected business value? Did we achieve strategic value realization? Resource management: project-level vs. portfolio-level Project management focuses on securing and managing resources for a single project. A project manager needs to make sure their house has enough lumber. Portfolio management focuses on resource allocation across projects. Eliyahu Goldratt’s The Goal demonstrates that every system is limited by its constraints. Portfolio Management applies this insight at enterprise scale, identifying resource bottlenecks and project resource constraints that affect multiple projects, then optimizing allocation to maximize overall throughput and resource utilization efficiency. Decision-making: execution-focused vs. investment-focused Project management decisions are about how to best execute the
10 best Project Portfolio Management PPM software & tools in 2025
What is project portfolio management (PPM) software? Are you juggling too many projects with too few resources? Do you feel like your teams are working hard, but you’re not sure if they’re working on the right things? When you can’t connect your projects to your company’s strategic goals, you end up wasting time, money, and effort. You need a way to see the big picture. You need project portfolio management (PPM). As Lawrence Hrebiniak demonstrates in Executing Strategy, the most brilliant strategies fail without proper execution mechanisms. Modern PPM software serves as the critical bridge between boardroom vision and project-level reality, ensuring every initiative contributes to strategic objectives. A good PPM tool helps you select and manage the right mix of projects—your portfolio—to maximize your business value. This guide will give you a clear look at the best PPM software on the market and help you choose the right one to align your projects with your goals. Top project portfolio management software for 2025 Here’s a look at some of the top PPM tools available today. 1. Microsoft Project Microsoft Project is one of the most well-known names in project management, and its modern cloud-based version is a powerful PPM solution. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, we have deep expertise in helping organizations get the most out of a system like this 1. Key features: You get robust scheduling, portfolio optimization techniques, demand management, and detailed financial planning. A system like this integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Microsoft ecosystem, including Power BI for intelligent portfolio dashboards and Teams for collaboration. Best for: Organizations of all sizes that are invested in the Microsoft platform and need a comprehensive, enterprise PPM solution. 2. Jira Align Jira Align is an enterprise agile planning platform from Atlassian. A system like this is designed to connect your business strategy to your technical execution. Key features: You get features for strategy mapping, portfolio roadmapping, and tracking the flow of value. A system like this provides strong support for the scaled agile framework portfolio. Best for: Large enterprises that have adopted agile at scale and need to align multiple agile teams to a common strategy. 3. Planview Planview offers a suite of solutions for strategic portfolio management and enterprise agile planning. A company like this provides tools for the entire strategy-to-delivery lifecycle. Key features: You get capabilities for strategic planning, investment and capacity planning, and project portfolio management. A company like this has strong financial management and scenario planning software. Best for: Large enterprises that need a comprehensive solution for connecting strategy to execution across different work methodologies. 4. Broadcom clarity Clarity is a long-standing enterprise PPM tool that provides comprehensive capabilities for managing large and complex portfolios. Key features: You get robust features for portfolio planning, resource management, and financial tracking. A system like this is known for its powerful investment planning and what-if analysis tools. Best for: Large, mature organizations, particularly in industries like finance and government, that need a highly structured and powerful PPM solution. 5. Smartsheet Smartsheet is a flexible work management platform that can be configured to handle project and portfolio management. Key features: You get a familiar spreadsheet-like interface with powerful features like automated workflows, reporting dashboards, and resource management. A system like this is highly customizable. Best for: Businesses that need a flexible, easy-to-use platform that can be adapted for a wide range of use cases, including PPM. 6. Wrike Wrike is a versatile work management tool that offers features for project and portfolio management, designed to improve collaboration and visibility. Key features: You get customizable dashboards, Gantt charts, resource management, and automated workflows. A system like this has strong features for cross-functional collaboration. Best for: Marketing and professional services teams, as well as any organization looking for a collaborative platform with solid PPM capabilities. 7. Monday.com Monday.com is a visual and flexible Work OS that can be customized to serve as a PPM tool. Key features: You get highly visual dashboards, multiple project views (like Kanban and Gantt), and powerful automation capabilities. A system like this is known for its ease of use and customizability. Best for: Teams and organizations that want a flexible, user-friendly platform they can tailor to their specific PPM processes. 8. Asana Asana is a popular work management tool that has expanded its features to support portfolio management. Key features: You get portfolio-level views to monitor the status of all your key projects in one place. A system like this offers workload management to see team capacity and real-time reporting dashboards. Best for: Organizations that are already using Asana for task and project management and want to add a layer of portfolio visibility. 9. Planisware Planisware provides a comprehensive PPM solution that is particularly strong for R&D, engineering, and new product development. Key features: You get robust features for strategic roadmapping, cost management, and resource planning. A system like this excels at managing complex product portfolios. Best for: Large organizations in manufacturing, life sciences, and other product-driven industries. 10. Sciforma Sciforma is a flexible and scalable PPM software that can be adapted to different project management methodologies, from waterfall to agile. Key features: You get tools for demand management, portfolio simulation, resource management, and financial tracking. A system like this is designed to be configurable to your specific needs. Best for: Organizations that need a single tool to manage a hybrid project methodologies portfolio. Benefits of using PPM software A dedicated PPM software is more than just a fancy to-do list. A system like this is essential for any organization that wants to make smart, data-driven decisions about its projects. Higher visibility and control: You get a complete, real-time view of your entire portfolio, from end to end. Strategic portfolio management: You can score and rank potential projects based on how well they support your business goals. A setup like this ensures you’re investing your limited resources in the work that matters most. Compliance and risk management: A PPM tool helps you
Project scheduling techniques: Benefits and best practices
Managing a project without a solid schedule is like trying to build a house without a blueprint. You might get something done, but it’s likely to be late, over budget, and not what you planned. Effective project scheduling and management is the key to turning a complex project into a manageable series of steps. If you’re a project manager, or you’ve just been handed your first big project, you’re in the right place. Our guide is designed to be super helpful. We’ll walk you through the most important project scheduling techniques, explain the benefits, and give you practical advice on how to use them. We’ll cover the different types of scheduling methods and help you see which scheduling techniques in project management are right for you. Why project scheduling is so important Before we dive into the methods, let’s quickly cover why this matters so much. Good project scheduling techniques aren’t just about creating a timeline. A good schedule helps you: Set realistic deadlines Allocate resources effectively Identify risks early Improve communication Ultimately, a solid schedule is your roadmap to success. A schedule provides the structure and clarity needed to navigate even the most complex projects. What are the basic principles of project scheduling No matter which of the project scheduling methods you choose, all methods rely on a few basic principles. Getting these right is the foundation of a good schedule. Break down the work: you need to start with a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). A WBS is just a fancy way of saying you need to create a detailed list of every single task that needs to be done to complete the project. Estimate task duration: for each task, you need to estimate how long a task will take to complete. Be realistic and involve your team in these estimates. Identify dependencies: some tasks can’t start until others are finished. you need to map out these dependencies to see the correct sequence of work. Assign resources: you need to know who is responsible for each task. A step like this is key to managing workloads and ensuring accountability. Common project scheduling techniques So, what are the methods used in scheduling a project? There are many different project scheduling techniques, each with its own strengths. Let’s look at some of the most common and effective ones. Critical Path Method (CPM) The critical path method is one of the most fundamental scheduling techniques in project management. A method like this is all about identifying the longest sequence of dependent tasks that determines the absolute shortest time the project can be completed. A sequence like this is your “critical path.” How cpm works: you map out all your project tasks and their dependencies. The critical path is the longest chain of tasks from start to finish. Any delay on a task on this path will delay the entire project. tasks not on the critical path have “float,” meaning a task can be delayed slightly without affecting the project’s finish date. A method like this is a form of deterministic scheduling, where you use single-value estimates for task durations. Pros: a method clearly identifies the most important tasks you need to monitor. a method helps you prioritize resources for critical activities. Cons: a method can be rigid and doesn’t easily account for uncertainty in task durations. a method requires a clear understanding of all task dependencies from the start. Best for: projects with predictable tasks and clear dependencies, like in construction or manufacturing. Critical path method example Consider a software feature with four sequential activities. Requirements gathering takes 3 days. Design takes 4 days. Development takes 5 days. Testing takes 3 days. Because each activity depends on the one before it, the critical path runs through all four: 3 + 4 + 5 + 3 = 15 days. Any slippage on any single activity pushes the delivery date out by the same amount, because no activity has float. Real projects usually have parallel branches, and the critical path is the longest among them. The math is the same: sum the durations along each dependency chain, and the longest chain controls the schedule. Program Evaluation and Review Technique (pert) PERT is a project scheduling technique that is great for projects with a lot of uncertainty. instead of using a single estimate for how long a task will take, PERT uses a three-point estimate. How pert works: for each task, you estimate: optimistic time (o): the fastest possible time. pessimistic time (p): the longest possible time, if everything goes wrong. most likely time (m): the most realistic estimate. you then use a weighted average formula (o + 4m + p) / 6 to calculate the expected duration. A formula like this gives you a more realistic timeline that accounts for potential risks. A method like this is a form of probabilistic scheduling. For a deeper dive into the statistical models, you can check out our white paper on project scheduling techniques. Pros: a method provides a more realistic schedule for uncertain projects. a method helps you manage stakeholder expectations by showing a range of possible outcomes. Cons: a method can be more time-consuming to create the estimates. The estimates are still subjective and depend on the experience of your team. Best for: complex, large-scale projects where there is a high degree of uncertainty, like research and development (R&D) or new technology implementation. If you’re dealing with a project like this, let’s discuss your project management needs. Gantt charts Gantt charts are one of the most popular ways to visualize a project schedule. A gantt chart is not a scheduling technique on its own, but rather a tool used to represent the schedule created by methods like CPM or PERT. How a gantt chart works: a gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart. Each bar represents a project task, and the length of the bar represents the task’s duration. The chart shows the start and end dates of tasks, their dependencies, and the overall
The edge of project tracking with Advaiya’s Tracker App
Effective communication and seamless progress tracking are crucial for successful project execution. The Project Progress Tracker App simplifies project management processes and reforms how projects are monitored and executed. The app streamlines communication and progress tracking among various stakeholders, including field workers, site engineers, professional engineers, and project managers. Its main objective is to bridge the gap between project management and execution on field. One of the app’s critical features is empowering field workers and site engineers to effortlessly report quantity-based progress on their daily project activities on diverse UOMs. The user-friendly interface allows users to update activity/task progress, add comments, and attach pertinent photos or documents. This ensures meticulous documentation and fosters a robust repository of project information crucial for effective monitoring. The app also enables user to effortlessly and monitor their real-time status. With integrated notifications, the team can stay informed about task progress, categorized as completed, in progress, or pending, ensuring seamless information dissemination across the team. The app was designed with a significant emphasis on user experience and is compatible with mobile devices, allowing field workers and site engineers to contribute on the go, enhancing accessibility and productivity. Moreover, the app offers customization options for project activity measures , empowering project managers to tailor project plans to align with specific project and industry requirements, ensuring adaptability for various use cases. Project Progress Tracker App is a transformative tool that streamlines project management processes, enhances communication, and documentation and ultimately boosts overall project success. Explore the key features of Advaiya’s Project Progress Tracker App! Real time insight for advanced project oversight: Immediate updates concerning project milestones provide project leaders with up-to-the-minute visibility into the status of tasks and activities, enabling strategic decision-making based on current data. Elevated communication and transparency: Establishing direct communication pathways between onsite personnel and project overseers reduces reliance on time-consuming email exchanges, telephonic conversations, cumbersome reports on Excel/WhatsApp and data reconciliation, promoting transparency and collective effort. User’s ability to upload the site pictures, allows to track the real time progress and compare with the data inputs provided. Quantity based project progress monitoring: Integrating automated tracking and computation based on work completed in terms of quantity allows for the precise assessment and surveillance of task and activity advancement, guaranteeing accuracy and operational efficiency in project management. Revealing a competitive edge in project management The distinction of the Project Progress Tracking and Reporting Application lies in its steadfast dedication to enhancing user experience and functionality. This application sets itself apart from traditional project management tools, which are often criticized for their cumbersome interfaces and restricted mobility. Designed with user-friendliness and exceptional mobile compatibility at its core, the app ensures that field personnel and site engineers can seamlessly report their daily project advancements, irrespective of their physical location or the device they are using. Simplifying daily updates with ease A notable feature of this application is its capability to simplify daily reporting tasks for individuals working on-site. The app offers an intuitive interface that allows users to efficiently document project activities, enabling the capture of vital updates in real-time. This not only cultivates a culture of accountability and transparency among project teams but also allows for the updating of task progress, the addition of notes, and the attachment of photos and documents for added context with minimal effort. Consequently, users can concentrate on their core responsibilities, free from the burden of cumbersome administrative duties. The pivotal role of mobile compatibility Acknowledging the importance of mobility in the contemporary, fast-paced environment, the app features a design that is optimized for mobile use. This design ethos ensures that the app remains accessible and functional across a variety of devices, thereby enabling field workers and site engineers to engage with and contribute to project data while on the move. This mobility facilitates continuous connection and involvement with project tasks, regardless of the user’s location, thereby driving improvements in productivity and operational efficiency. Conclusion The introduction of the Project Progress Tracker App marks a significant evolution in the concept of project management. By leveraging the power of effortless communication, transparent tracking of progress, and unmatched mobility, the app enables project teams to overcome traditional barriers and achieve remarkable efficiency and success. In a business environment where leveraging every possible advantage is crucial, the commitment to innovation becomes imperative. This application not only embodies this innovative spirit but also paves the way for achieving excellence in project management.
How to utilize Microsoft Teams to manage projects more efficiently
We’ve received inquiries like the one above, asking if Microsoft Teams can be utilized as a project management tool. Why use Microsoft Teams for project management? Many are familiar with Microsoft Teams as a hub for communication. They understand it allows users to voice and video calls their coworkers, but that is often where their understanding ends; Microsoft Teams offers much more than simply keeping people connected. Microsoft Teams’ top intuitive features: Microsoft Teams is an all-inclusive communication and collaboration platform. It features document collaboration, presentation, whiteboarding, and other renowned communication tools. Stay informed with Teams and channels Microsoft Teams offers a platform for open, transparent communication between project managers across all aspects of the projects they manage. Let’s assume you’re a project manager in an IT company and have three projects for each customer. Create a team for each customer using the Teams tab, then create communication channels within those teams for each project you need to manage. It takes only a click of your mouse to add appropriate people or resources from within your staff members to each of these channels and teams. Make work accessible to everyone. Time tracking is of the essence when managing a project. Are you spending too much time trying to locate and work on essential documents in multiple folders or repositories? Doing so could be costing you valuable hours in the long run. MS Teams can save you time! To access and co-author Word documents and Excel spreadsheets from within Teams, just connect it to SharePoint. Don’t miss another deadline! Project management professionals understand the importance of deadlines. Microsoft Teams provides you with the ability to share an Outlook group calendar from within its platform. You can utilize Planner to assign task lists and stay organized. With Microsoft Planner integrated into your Teams platform, you’ll have another means of keeping tabs on tasks and project timelines. Be brave and customize your teams for maximum efficiency! Teams offer numerous integrations that can be customized. Don’t be intimidated to explore those options to make Team truly yours – there are countless third-party apps and services available in Teams’ Apps tab that you can choose from! Check out our blog Apps for project management in Microsoft Teams to explore some wonderful apps for efficient project management. Microsoft Teams can assist in solving project management issues. Project management challenges present themselves on a regular basis. As a project management professional, your role is to overcome these obstacles and deliver the desired business outcomes. There are various tools and techniques that can be employed for this purpose. Let’s examine some of the most pressing project management challenges Microsoft Teams can assist you with. Lack of communication Project managers face many difficulties, including poor communication. Poor communication can cause major delays to projects and cost overruns. Many times, different stakeholders in a project work in silos. This means they don’t share important updates with the entire team. MS provides numerous features that promote open working. Poor data management Project teams deal with a lot of data. It can be challenging to keep it organized and structured, leading to chaos in storage if not handled properly. Navigating and searching for accurate documentation becomes challenging due to these inefficiencies which cost valuable time essential for project management; ultimately leading to reduced business productivity levels as a result. Microsoft Teams’ seamless integration with SharePoint, OneDrive, and other Microsoft products enables you to efficiently manage your data while ensuring its security. Stakeholder alignment Project management involves many stakeholders. Internal stakeholders such as your project team, managers, and executives are important; but you also have external stakeholders like customers, suppliers and contractors, investors, and vendors – the list is endless! Coordinating all the different project stakeholders can be challenging. Sending different messages to each person involved in a project isn’t effective – make sure everyone is on the same page about project progress without needing mediators between parties. Microsoft Teams makes this possible. Teams allows you to bring together multiple departments and teams in one workspace where they can collaborate and communicate more efficiently. Knowledge management Sometimes, knowledge sharing is insufficient after a project’s completion. All the lessons learned from past and future endeavors can serve as valuable teaching points. Knowledge management is fundamental for successful project management. It allows you to identify best practices and provide reference points for your teams. Microsoft Teams can assist in solving this problem, by creating a knowledge base where all business documents can be stored securely. Project budgets and timing Any project manager should strive to finish within budget and on schedule. Various reasons could go wrong, causing delays or additional costs that should not have occurred in the first place. Microsoft Teams can assist in solving silo work, miscommunications, lack of accountability, and collaboration failures by helping solve these issues head-on. Microsoft Teams offers an easy-to-use integration with both native and third-party project management software, so you can communicate and collaborate with anyone regardless of the platform they use. To guarantee everyone stays aware of their tasks, Teams allows for connecting task management applications. Furthermore, Teams record all conversations for accountability purposes – making it simpler to hold everyone accountable for the project. Adherence to project management guidelines Every team working on a project should have clear project management guidelines with detailed instructions and steps. Collect best practices and create these guidelines; share them with your team members and give them all of the tools they need to automate certain tasks so they can focus on the project at hand. However, it is possible to disobey these guidelines and continue using antiquated techniques which bog down project management. Microsoft Teams can assist in solving this issue. It allows you to transform your project management guidelines into an action plan that your team can follow. Final thoughts on Microsoft Teams for project management Microsoft Teams has revolutionized the way project managers work. Teams require a solution to address all stakeholders involved in the project management
5 ways telecoms benefit from project portfolio management
Project Portfolio Management (PPM) isn’t just an IT method; it’s a valuable management process that allows organizations to achieve their full potential. Project portfolio management in the telecom industry Many different companies are involved in the telecom industry. They all have their own products, goals, and work methods. Telco employees are required to work in constantly changing environments and various organizational structures. Diversification is a challenging task, that’s for sure. While project managers from all industries may have similar backgrounds, telco project team members are comprised of professionals from different departments. The essential skill for a telco project manager is to recognize and utilize all team members’ expertise and skills, trust them all, and delegate appropriately. What are the characteristics of telecommunications projects when it comes down to services? Projects to add capabilities to an already existing public network Establishing a network of businesses specialized in your field Projects for the establishment and dissolution of a temporary network The relative importance of each category’s constraints on quality, time, and cost varies greatly! In reality, quality is the primary condition for public services. For enterprise networks, the cost is the primary concern. Temporary installations are crucially important. Projects in telecom industries have complex interfaces, both internally and externally, international orientation, multidisciplinary activities, no mass production but many user requirements, and a long planning stage (even temporary installations). Project portfolio management solutions can address all these challenges. The proper foundation and maturation in portfolio management strategies and capabilities will allow telecom organizations to manage their IT departments as a business. This means that they can think and act in terms of business outcomes and business values and provide flexibility for workflows. Telecom companies should be able to adapt PPM best practices and develop and implement a well-defined, end-to-end portfolio management process, capabilities, and services. PPM solutions can provide a wide range of capabilities if done correctly. Facilitates leadership-level enterprise goals & objectives planning Coordination with senior leadership in order to identify areas of strategic and operational growth Leadership guidance through strategic discussions Through enterprise/IT exercises, empowers strategic investment planning Develops program and project delivery frameworks Implements governance processes for portfolio and program management. Delivers projects and programs using a comprehensive and efficient PMO catalog of services Why is project portfolio management valuable in the telecom sector? Project portfolio management is valuable and necessary in the telecommunications sector for many reasons. Organizations that adopt PPM solutions achieve their strategic business goals. They also experience greater productivity, cost savings, and less chaos. This allows them to deliver high-quality results that give their team the best chance to serve the clients. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons why PPM is so important in the telecom sector. To clearly define the objective of projects If the scope of a project is unclear, problems can arise because the most important thing, which is the goals, tasks, costs, deadlines, and costs for each project, was not completed. Insufficient resources may also cause a project to lose money rather than make it rich. The initially unattainable budget means that success is not on the horizon. Project justification and governance are critical components of project portfolio management. PPM solutions allow organizations to evaluate ongoing and proposed projects and programs to accurately assess the allocations of resources, time, and budget. PPM can help improve an organization’s return on investment (ROI) and on-time delivery. Looking for a project portfolio management solution implementation partner? Connect with us. To enable automation Automation is a key feature of PPM. The program management module eliminates multiple-point tools and paper manuals. It automates processes to manage scope, risk and quality, budgets, schedules, and other details. Provides scalability Setting unrealistic deadlines is a bad idea. Not even close. No one expects tasks to be completed in perfect condition. PPM can help telecom companies to scale up or down as required based on critical factors such as unplanned spikes or changes in project estimates, shifts in enterprise strategy or priority, resource constraints that cannot be mitigated, inability to secure the right resources or allocate the right skill sets at the right time, and inability to obtain or allocate the right amount of resources. PPM can guide project managers to help them implement the most appropriate levels of project and program management. Reduces time spent on low-value projects Organizations often fail to stop lower-value projects and instead spend more time on work that doesn’t add value. PPM covers the entire project life cycle, from idea generation through to operation. With project portfolio management solutions, telecom teams can collect more information earlier in the project life cycle, allowing them to drive projects and programs faster and execute them more efficiently. Alleviates Resource Planning Challenges Resource planning is an essential aspect of project and portfolio management. It’s crucial to ensure the best resources are available for the right projects at the right time. Enterprise PPM solutions collect vital information from cross-functional teams (IT Finance, HR, etc.). Portfolio management and IT management teams can align resources at an earlier stage in the project management cycle. This allows for proper analysis and resource reservation. Then resources can be allocated to prioritized projects according to organizational needs. Final thoughts: Project management in the telecommunication industry requires a high level of skill and knowledge. Project managers are responsible for managing and controlling work execution and wave rolling plans, analyzing new constraints and requirements, and reducing time and costs. Effective communication between stakeholders across the globe is essential for team management. It is time-consuming and can be frustrating. The telecom industry has been able to meet all of these challenges thanks to digital transformation. Telcos are taking advantage of AI-powered PPM solutions to simplify their work and give employees a chance to live a more humane life, which increases the likelihood of reaching the project’s goals and allows you to respond to the needs and expectations of project stakeholders proactively and healthily. Looking for PPM partners to get a custom PPM solution ready to cater to your telecom business needs? Connect
Office365 Operations with Azure AD Multifactor Authentication
While working with Office 365 custom applications sometimes, certain non-browser applications do not support multifactor authentication. Eg: In Project Online/SharePoint Online for various custom operations we make use of ODATA, RESTand CSOM operations. To carry out these operations we require a service account, and it should have Azure AD multifactor authentication disabled. However, nowadays due to security concerns, organizations prefer to use service accounts also with multifactor authentication enabled which the custom applications do not support. I will be sharing here how we can handle and perform the custom project online operations with an account with multifactor authentication enabled. We can carry out the operations with multifactor authentication-enabled accounts in 2 ways: App Password Azure AD App authentication. Let’s discuss both the above methods: App Password: Using app passwords, the applications work correctly by bypassing multi-factor authentication and thus replacing the user’s regular credentials. Sign-in using app-password does not give any additional verification prompt and authentication is successful. These passwords are automatically generated which makes them secure. To create an app password admin needs to enable the app password feature. To generate the app password below steps can be followed: Sign in to Azure Portal(portal.azure.com) Go to Azure Active Directory Select Security under Manage. Select the Conditional Access option from the left. Select the Named location from the left. Click on Configure Multifactor authentication trusted IPs On the multi-factor authentication page, select Allow users to create app passwords to sign into non-browser apps Now, let’s see how we can generate an app password. Log in using your office 365 account and go to the My account page and select Security info. Under the Security Info page click on Add sign-in method. Choose the App password and add it. It will ask to enter a name for the app password. Copy the password for future use as it will not be shown again and then you will have to generate a new one. Click on done. You are now ready to use this app password in your applications. You can use this in any Office365 operations using CSOM, Odatawith MFA enabled account. You can delete the app password from the list under the security Info page or can create a new one. Creating the Azure AD App for Multifactor Authentication Here, I will be showing the configuration to perform Project Online operations using a multifactor authentication-enabled account using Azure AD App. This option will be helpful in case the app password also does not work due to security configuration. Using an Office 365 account log in to https://portal.azure.com. From the home page select Azure Active Directory. If you already have an Azure Active Directory App you can use the same to set the required permission else can create a new one. Click on All applications to select the existing app. To create a new app, Click on Add and select App registration. Below screen will display. Give a name to the app and register. Keep the default setting for permission. The app will get created. Open the app and click on Authentication->Add a Platform and select Mobile and desktop application. Configure the redirect URL by selecting https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/nativeclient Enable Allow public client flows by selecting Yes and Save Select API permission from the left section. Then click on Add permission. A list to select the API will appear. Under Microsoft API select SharePoint to set the permission for Project operations. In a similar way whichever API we want to fetch data, we can grant permissions for that. Under this permission selects Delegated permission. Under Project Select Read and Project. Write permissions and add. If you only want read access, then can select only read permission. Permissions get added and now click on Grant Admin Consent to give the admin consent. Click on Overview and copy the Application ID i.e., the client Id that will be used in the application. The configuration is complete. Let’s see how to use it in non-browser applications. Here you can create a console application and put the below code. The things that you need to consider are: Add a reference to the latest MSAL (Microsoft.Identity.Client ) and Microsoft.ProjectServer.Client from Microsoft.SharePoint Online.CSOM. Need to define the scope which is the permission URL like“<SharePoint URL>/Project. Read. Here we will only get the list of projects so have used the read URL and we can use it as per the operations. The redirect URL is fixed and is the one which we have added under the AD app above. Use the Tenanat ID and client ID of the AD app. When we use the user credentials then we use SharePointOnlineCredentialsclass to set the credentials. Here, in this case, we will pass the token in the request header using the Authorization header as authentication will be done using the Azure AD app. private static void GetProjectsUsingCSOM() { string domain = “abc.sharepoint.com”; string PWAUser = “abc@domain.com”; string scope = “<SharePoint URL>/Project.Read”; string redirectUri = “https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/nativeclient”; string pwaInstanceUrl = “PWA URL”// your pwaurl var AzureTenantId = “Enter the Azure Tenant value”; var ClientID= “ClientID of Azure AD app”; //Retrieved above PublicClientApplicationBuilder pcaConfig = PublicClientApplicationBuilder.Create(ClientID .WithTenantId(TenantId); pcaConfig.WithRedirectUri(redirectUri); // This section uses to get the token Var TokenResult = pcaConfig.Build().AcquireTokenInteractive(new[] { scope }) .WithPrompt(Prompt.NoPrompt) .WithLoginHint(PWAUser).ExecuteAsync().Result; // Load project context and get projects. ProjectContext projectContext = new ProjectContext(pwaInstanceUrl); projectContext.ExecutingWebRequest += (s, e) => { e.WebRequestExecutor.RequestHeaders[“Authorization”] = “Bearer ” + TokenResult.AccessToken; }; projectContext.Load(projectContext.Projects); projectContext.ExecuteQuery(); foreach (PublishedProject Project inprojectContext.Projects) { Console.WriteLine(Project.Name); } Console.ReadLine(); } Here, one thing that happens is, it will ask for a pop-up to enter the credentials if it is not cached. In a similar way, you can perform any Project Online/Office365 OData call also. All other calls can be carried out after adding the appropriate permissions in the AD app. Happy Coding! Supriya Khamesra Supriya is currently working as a Senior Consultant – Business Applications with Advaiya and has more than 10 years of experience in application development. Microsoft Certified Professional in EPM, Supriya has extensive knowledge in technologies including – SharePoint, Enterprise Project