It became apparent during conversations with customers inside and outside of our focus groups that integrating Programs with SPM Assets is key. While there’s no need for another application to manage and maintain extra information, there is a need for an application that can take data, combine it, easily manipulate it, present its results, and update with minimum effort.
When we at SPM Assets think about integration with our own software, the end result is easy to envisage... Lifecycles provides you with a forecast and budget template and Programs will help you to transfer and combine that into an actual plan. The idea is simple and the result will be great. There is just one challenge: how are we actually going to do this?
We can think of a number of ways of how this can be achieved – and we’d really like your feedback on these options:
Project planning within SPM Assets is used by a number of customers to group components together and attach them to a project. This project can now be planned and executed on and the result will be a renewed set of assets. We can take the projects from Project Planning easily into Programs to make them part of the planning.
When you check a 'tick box', in (almost) real time, a Project will be added to Assets (and Programs) to plan for renewal of this particular asset. You can imagine such a 'tick box' in the renewals profile besides the risk score. And/or you can imagine a similar tick box within the PQS forms. This option will raise Projects for individual components or issues.
This option builds on the previous option, but will have an additional function. You can combine or morph individual projects (ticked boxes) into one that will replace the individual projects with a summarised one.
Components or other items can be simply transferred into a project and this project will go in a ‘To Do’ bucket within Programs. From there they can be activated, moved and planned.
The palette is a rethink of project planning from a different angle. The palette starts with the project or action you want to undertake to solve a specific problem. It will then provide you with an easy way to combine the project or action with issues identified within the data like: existing projects, component renewal, maintenance, work orders, PQS issues, etc.
The AI-ette is the Palette + with suggestions made by our Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engine trying to filter out issues to address them in a logical way.
Please contact us to let us know suggestions.
Do you have a preference for one of the above options for how this process can be best managed for you, from ‘Asset State’ or ‘Requirement’ to ‘Planned Work’? Please have your say to help us to make this integration a successful one. You can vote for the option and/or leave a comment here.
We will present the outcomes and further thoughts at the Conferences in March. Please join us for an insightful and educational day - register now.
If you want to find out more, or want to be part of the Programs focus group, please contact us.