Benefits of D365 Project Operations for Professional Service Firms
From managing complex projects and contracts to gaining visibility over resource availability, project management software is an invaluable tool in the toolkit of world-leading professional services companies.
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Deriving their revenue primarily from the effective management of human capital, professional services firms traditionally rely on a myriad of legacy or distributed systems such as sales applications, finance and accounting software and resourcing / HR tools to manage their business. But with each of these systems working independently of each other, duplication of effort and labour-intensive reconciliation of data can have a detrimental impact on the organisation's bottom line.
The latest addition to the Microsoft project management portfolio, D365 for Project Operations has been developed specifically to address the challenges of the rapidly evolving professional services industry. It brings together key business solutions from across the project life cycle, from sales, to project delivery right through to invoicing, thanks to seamless integration with the Microsoft D365 suite of business applications.
But just how does D365 for Project Operations differ from other project service automation tools available and most importantly how can it help your business?
A Tailored Solution
While many project operation software developers come from a pure CRM or ERP background, Microsoft's solution benefits from Microsoft's broader business experience spanning not only CRM and ERP but also their legacy as a leading provider of project and work management software.
In addition to this technical expertise, Dynamics 365 for Project Operations has been developed specifically with professional services firms in mind, providing the flexibility to respond in line with market shifts and harnessing the power of automation to streamline day-to-day processes. Bringing the power of CRM and ERP technology into the solution further enhances visibility and ensures the professional services firm can take advantage of emerging opportunities and react quickly to shifts in resource availability.
With a proven track record, D365 for Project Operations improves operational performance and growth through;
Improved Project Management Capabilities
With a solid reputation for the development of Project Management solutions including Project Online, Project for Web, it is little wonder that Microsoft's Project offering leads the charge when it comes to offering the exact functionalities needed to ensure project success. From Gantt charts to customisable dashboards and scheduling tools, D365 Project Operations provides project managers with the right fit tools to effectively manage projects, regardless of size and complexity. Plus with real-time analytics built in, your entire team can stay in the loop on project progress.
Resource Utilisation Optimisation
For professional service firms, time is money and reducing bench time is key to ensuring long term business profitability. Providing at a glance insight into overall project requirements and resource availability, D365 for Project Operations helps your team to carefully match the right people and resources to the right projects based on skills and availability, ensuring optimum resource utilisation and enhancing project outcomes.
Plus intelligent resource skills based assignments help your organisation predict future resource needs, helping your team anticipate future resource requirements and take action.
Enhanced Deal Management
Integrating seamlessly with D365 Sales enables your team to deliver outstanding deal management experiences. Personalise customer engagements with instant access to the customer data you need to drive business growth all in a single location. Plus standardised templates, adaptable billing models and customisable resource-based costing and pricing enable your sales team to swiftly create detailed estimates, schedules and quotes. Closing the loop on project delivery D365 for Project operations supports project billing, enabling the manual or automatic creation of invoices based on specific project types (fixed price or time & material).
Streamlined Time & Expense Management
Requiring employees to submit time and expenses on the go can prove a labour-intensive exercise, particularly in the fast past professional services industry. To help streamline these business-critical processes, D365 for Project Operations has been designed to empower employees to manage time and expenses on the go with the hand mobile app or via a browser. The user-friendly interface can be customised to ensure compliance with your business policies, ensuring compliance and guaranteeing accurate reporting.
Improved Overall Visibility
By bringing all aspects of the project lifecycle from sales through to invoicing into one central location, D365 for Project Operations helps break down the operational silos that can create blindspots within your organisation. Make decisions faster than ever before with the help of Power BI visualisations and dashboards, and ensure the right people across your organisation have access to the information they need to drive the business forward.
To find out how D365 for Project Operations can transform your services organisation, contact Storm Technology today.
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