Partner & Sponsor News October 2012

Plan your future with AMEC

As an international organisation and world leader, working on a vast range of exciting projects within a range of disciplines and locations, AMEC knows the importance of recruiting and developing the best people.  That is why we have established the AMEC Academy, to support the development of both employees and AMEC.

• the career paths frameworks (which identify development needs)
• the knowledge portal (which includes support material and supplementary information as well as foundational or basic learning modules)
• coaching and mentoring (which supports development)
• the development programmes themselves

AMEC also works alongside industry organisations such as the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB).  Through consultation with industry employers such as AMEC, the ECITB has developed a suite of Project Controls qualifications at Level 2 to Level 5 which focus on all the key aspects needed to deliver a project successfully.

AMEC promotes and fully supports their employees working towards these Project Controls qualifications, as Rob Knox, a Project Controls Graduate from Aberdeen has found out.

“I feel that the ECITB Level 3 Diploma in Project Controls has helped to increase my knowledge of how to deliver a project successfully,” says Rob.  “It also highlights just how important it is that we do have the correct processes, procedures and systems in place in order to ensure a predictable outcome that meets and exceeds our customers’ expectations. I am now looking forward to furthering my career by undertaking the ECITB Level 5 in Project Controls which will be invaluable to what I want to achieve in the future.”

Neil Atkinson, AMEC’s Head of Project Controls, commented “Focused training and development is fundamental to the future success of our industry and AMEC supported by the ECITB, provides a perfect opportunity to not only develop our employees’ core skills but also allows them the opportunity to take an active role in building relationships with external stakeholders benefiting both the individual and the company.”  Visit Us.

Free white paper shows how why enterprise project management should be regarded as a strategic tool for business.

This free white paper, Driving Business Success, looks at how business leaders may be missing a vital opportunity to employ strategic project management software tools which could directly underpin, assure and provide critical oversight of their efforts towards strong recovery and future business success. The aim of this paper is to help executive management teams, from all sectors, understand the fundamental supportive role that project management excellence plays inside their business.

Click here to download the white paper

Asta Powerproject webinar

For an introduction to Asta Powerproject sign up for this webinar which will last approximately one hour from 11.00 UK time on 20^th November. Click here to reserve a place

Follow Asta on Twitter @astadev.com

You can now purchase Schedule Inspector 1.1 separately from Full Monte!

Barbecana's Schedule Inspector™ is an add-in to Microsoft Project® (2007 and above). Schedule Inspector is the fast and easy way to improve schedule quality by identifying potential problems in your Microsoft Project schedule.

Schedule Inspector is flexible. You only need to perform those tests you think are appropriate, and most of these can be customized.

Customizations include the ability to exclude tasks without baselines, completed tasks, milestones, summary tasks, LOE tasks and planning packages.  Some tests also have user-definable parameters, while they all have user-definable goals (proportion of tasks which need to comply).

Supported tests include all those in the Defense Contract Management Agency's 14-point schedule assessment guide, plus many others like:

• redundant relationships
• out-of-sequence progress, etc.
• connectivity index (ratio of relationships to tasks)
• resources or relationships on summary tasks.

You can purchase Schedule Inspector 1.1 for only $595

Not ready to purchase? 

You can take Schedule Inspector on a free 30-day test drive.

We also have an upgraded version of Full Monte 2.1 now available, which you can evaluate FREE for 30 days Full Monte 2.1

If you are ready to purchase 2.1 for only $795  Purchase Full Monte.   

For any questions on Full Monte 2.1, Schedule Inspector, or in general please email us at [email protected] or call 713.595.6688.

Deltek Risk+ Users

Risk+ Upgrade Offer

If you are currently using Risk+ and looking for an upgrade path, check out Full Monte. It is being offered for a limited time to bona fide Risk+ users for 25% off its already low price of $795. (Sorry, this cannot be combined with volume discounts.)

Please contact us at [email protected] to redeem this offer.

If that does not persuade you, try it free for 30 days. Download from barbecana.com

SCIFORMA...

Sciforma 5.0: when agility meets project management

As a result of its adoption of the SCRUM method, Sciforma has once more distanced itself from the competition due to its flexibility and its ability to quickly bring visible results to projects

London, October 2012 -Sciforma, a world leader in web-based project and portfolio management solutions, has confirmed the success of its Sciforma 5.0 software in adopting and applying Agile methods. The company is cooperating with PCO Innovation on several projects based on this method.

"Agility is a significant challenge for PCO Innovation, as it is consistent with our business, our values and the demands of our customers. Sciforma 5.0 fits in perfectly with the most popular Agile development: Scrum development." said Simon-Pierre Jooris, a senior consultant at PCO Innovation.

With the Scrum method, projects are no longer delayed

"By using Scrum development in Sciforma 5.0, projects are much more collaborative and the players much more involved. Project delays can no longer slide; only the implementation of new functionalities may be temporarily held back. With Scrum, we can move forward in iterations “sprints” and more easily assess the critical aspects of a project before focusing our efforts on secondary functionalities that will have less impact on the overall success of the project" added Simon-Pierre Jooris.

Normally, Agile development is associated with the use of post-its, which means that all the team members meet in one place. However, with the Agile development included in Sciforma, a project can be managed from several sites. "Daily Scrum Meetings" are held and all the players have access to the same level of information.

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Among the new roles to be defined is that of "Scrum Master", the person responsible for the successful implementation of the successive iterations of the project. These new roles bring about a new way of doing things and Sciforma and PCO Innovation are able to accompany customers in this approach.

"The Sciforma 5.0 interface is top-class: very visual, pleasing and easy to understand. The users I have worked with on Sciforma for a year have noted how its user-friendliness makes the work of each project member easier. It's possible to personalise Sciforma 5.0's Agile configuration, which is very important, as Agile is not a method but an approach that needs to be changed to fit the context." commented Simon Pierre-Jooris.

"Sciforma 5.0 is the only project and portfolio management tool that currently offers customers a choice between using a classic and/or an agile method of integration. Our experience and the association of our skills with those of PCO Innovation allow us to be the provider of choice for the Scrum method, which has a number of advantages, one of which  being able to standardise the terms and the languages used, no matter where the teams are located" said Stephane Louit, Assistant General Manager of Sciforma.

Read more...

Synchro User Conference

Birmingham, England (26 October 2012)     Synchro Ltd is pleased to announce that on Saturday and Sunday, January 26 and 27, 2013, The Second Annual Synchro User Conference will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.  Please note that the Construction CPM Conference will directly follow at the same venue.

Building off of the success of The Synchro Inaugural User Conference held at Walt Disney World, Florida, USA in 2012, this conference will bring together the Synchro user community for 2 days of learning, networking, and entertainment.

Construction companies of all shapes and sizes from the US, UK, EU, and Brazil, along with owners, consultants, and members of higher education will enjoy:

• Opening remarks by Mr Thomas Dengenis, Synchro CEO, providing an overview of where Synchro has been, where we are going, and how we intend to get there.
• Presentation of case studies from a cross section of users / categories of construction.
• Training opportunities at several levels.
• Presentation of awards for the innovative use of Synchro in several construction categories.
• Networking with users, peers, advocates, and the entire Synchro team.
• Visit beautiful, historic, vibrant New Orleans in the middle of its world renowned Mardi Gras celebrations and preparations for this season’s Super Bowl, along with award winning cultural, music, and culinary opportunities.

The cost of the 2 day conference is $375.  Registration opens on November 1, 2012 - Visit Us

September was a great month for planning recruitment across the UK, especially in London where the success of the 2012 Olympics has prompted considerable investment in large scale infrastructure projects. As a result we are seeing significant demand for planners with all levels of experience to work on rail projects related to the upgrade programme for the London Underground as well as HS2 and Crossrail. In addition, the ongoing works at Heathrow and Gatwick has led to fairly consistent demand for planners and project controllers with airports experience.

Demand in the Midlands and Anglia has remained steady over the past few months. Recently we have seen an increase in the number of roles requiring security clearance. Planners at both junior and intermediate level are being sought to work on a range of projects for the MOD. It is also worth noting that many of our clients are currently offering training and education to help develop junior members of their team so these present excellent opportunities for someone new to planning or looking to break into a new sector. In addition to defence we are also experiencing high demand for intermediate and senior planners with experience working on multi-discipline utilities and rail projects.

In the Thames Valley and the South West of England demand has shifted with the majority of requirements now being for senior planners and planning managers. In particular we have a number of opportunities to work on refurb projects in the healthcare and education sectors as well as civils projects in the nuclear sector.

Recruitment in the North of England and Scotland remains strong in particular for planners with nuclear and oil & gas experience. We have also seen a noticeable increase in the demand for project controllers with water experience to work on either a permanent or contract basis.

If you are a planning or project controls professional and are considering your next career move, please visit our website today, we may have the perfect role for your experience and requirements. We also offer a referral scheme that rewards you for your recommendations, click here for details.