User-friendliness in focus when JM chose Plancon Powerproject
Focusing on the time schedule
JM focuses on new production of residences with an emphasis on metropolitan areas and university towns in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Belgium. The projects are often large and complex. JM are often present where new districts are emerging. At the center of all the planning, all production and follow-up is the time schedule.
– The standard in the industry is that the site manager makes its own plan for the project because he is ultimately responsible. Our experience is that it’s much more effective to start with a standardized schedule and let time control rather than resources. We know that a major construction project can cost about 100 000 SEK/day only in fixed costs. Therefore, it is very important to ensure the schedule says Erik Kjellman, application manager at JM.
For the entire organization
The fact that the time schedule clearly stands in the center is also seen in JM’s organization. All levels of the company are working on the same plan. From working executives to site managers, supervisors to construction engineers, project managers, enterprise template section and all the way to the individual carpenter . There is even a central scheduling group that meets three times a year and go through enhancement requests and discrepancy reports.
– All 2000 employees have the right to suggest improvements and they often do. Every time schedule group meets, we have 15-20 new proposals to consider. At other companies, a carpenter can possibly change a detail in “their” projects. With us, the carpenter can improve overall business practices. Therefore, it was a big and important step when JM last year took the decision to change software for their time schedules. Earlier, JM used a self-developed system that basically was based on MS Project. However, it started to show signs of aging and did no longer cover the needs. Four vendors of alternative planning program were therefore invited to present their solution. The different software was thereafter tested by Erik, and his colleagues in the schedule group, for a few months.
Ease of use
The main requirement was simplicity. The company sought a powerful software where you have the possibility to switch on new features and interact with other programs. But all this would primarily be user-friendly.
– Our experienced employees who are 60 + must feel equally safe in the software as the 22 year olds, new graduated, who are hungry for advanced features. Another requirement was printing, because most of the time schedule to be printed on paper and up on a wall outside of the building.
The choice fell on Plancon Poweproject from Elecosoft, who also designed a training program for all users after JM’s wishes.
– The education element was a big advantage in choosing a supplier. Previously there have been one of us inside JM who also trained the users in various software applications, but here we have a partner that provides us with ongoing support throughout the contract.
Above and beyond
In September 2013, the old server was closed down. The whole company went over to Plancon Powerproject.
– The change went beyond expectations. Even the trainers were surprised how enthusiastically the company took on the new software. Maybe because the demand for change actually came from production, not only from management direction.
Today, JM 500 users and 250 server licenses of Plancon Powerproject. Moreover, all employees have access to a viewer that allows one to go in and study the plans for a construction project.