Zavanti User Group

Our inaugural Zavanti ERP User Group meeting will be held at3pm on 1 December 2011 in Sydney at the Zavanti offices - 9 Stanley Lane Darlinghurst. Come and join us to discuss developments. The discussion group will be followed by our 10th birthday party. Please complete the registratio form on www.zavanti.com to let us know you will be coming.

Datafacet released in Australia

Zavanti is excited to announce the release of WAND Technologies' Datafacet content management solution. Datafacet provides automatic metadata tagging for documents and utilises extensive multi lingual taxonomies from WAND Technolgies. See www.zavanti.com/enterprise-content-management-and-search

Zavanti partner, Weblogics, to release Intralogic 9: taking business intranet technology to a new level

SYDNEY, Australia – April 19 2010 – Zavanti business partner, Weblogics has released ‘Intralogic 9’ to the business world today. With the economy recovering, Zavanti and Weblogics are dedicated to re-energising their products. Weblogics ‘Intralogic 9’ is a powerful and flexible process modelling tool at the forefront of this operation.
Zavanti is excited about the release of Intralogic 9 which streamlines managing documents with on-line web-based editing and versioning and introduces re-developed workflow design and logic to enable clients to expand business process automation into new frontiers. The solution offers far greater flexibility, more streamlined notification, more options and better management tools. Weblogics MD, Jon Harris, comments “Our goal is simple, we want to set the standard in making business intranets simple to use and administer. And with over 15,000 people logging onto an Intralogic intranet every day, usability is a key driver”.

Zavanti and Weblogics formed a business partnership in 2009 and continuously motivate each other to re-invent their products. An impressive feature of Intralogic 9 is its ‘Streamlined Document Editing’ module. This function allows MS Office documents to be downloaded, locked, edited and saved directly to the Document Store; “This means that you can edit documents online, streamlining the process of checking in and checking out, whilst maintaining full system security and integrity” adds Weblogics MD, Jon Harris. This new feature uses the WebDAV protocol, or ‘Web Distribution Authoring and Versioning’, the Web’s most recent technology tool to enable distributed collaboration.

There are many more exciting features in Intralogic 9, including on-screen editing of content, new and advanced search pages and Blackberry and smart-phone compatibility. Weblogics MD, Jon Harris, concludes “We have re-designed many of the existing features with a view to make Intralogic 9 as simple and intuitive as possible to use for everyone, from end-users to administrators”.

ABOUT WEBLOGICS

Weblogics develops, sells and supports web-based business collaboration software enabling B2B interaction, business process automation and enterprise information management. Ready to run, with no programming required, Weblogics’ solutions are easy to use and delivered via a collaborative web-based interface.
For more information please visit http://www.weblogics.com.au or call +61 2 9929 0777.
ABOUT ZAVANTI

Zavanti Pty Ltd is a leading property and construction software developer. A powerful project accounting and financial management suite enables clients to minimise risk, control costs, increase efficiency.

For more information please visit: http://www.zavanti.com or contact:

Angelique Mantsis, Marketing Executive M: 02 8080 4816 | angelique.mantsis@zavanti.com

Zavanti Case Study: Leaderskill Group

Leaderskill Group Pty Ltd is a management consultancy who have used Zavanti product services and support for 7 years.

Zavanti is the Australian reseller of Corda Dashboard Solutions, which have become a fundamental tool in Leaderskill Group’s operations.

Leaderskill Group’s core work centres on developing engagement in organisations; “…through the facilitation of specialised, strength-based 3600 and organisational surveys, and by ensuring that the strategic direction of an organisation supports a sustainable future for its employees, society and the environment” states Dylan Forbes, Director of Leaderskill Group. Corda PopChart has become essential in achieving this.

Zavanti is pleased that Leaderskill Group uses Corda PopChart to deliver the results of their online 3600 and organisational surveys; “Corda allows us to instantly produce very high quality reports for our clients to download…the wide selection of graph types and individual options means that we can create any type of report that the client wants …”. Corda gives users complete control over the reporting format and dynamic content of the pages.

Prior to using Zavanti (and Corda), Leaderskill Group collected their business data online and produced reports using Excel templates and macros. Although they delivered quality reports, “…they were time consuming, and in the modern business world, that model would no longer be successful”.

Corda enabled Leaderskill Group to transfer the report generation directly online and thus produce reports that were of exceptionally high quality; “Our business is entirely dependent on the products we deliver with Corda Server. It is not a small purchase, but considering the proportion of income we derive from it, it is very reasonably priced”.

Leaderskill Group relies on the technical expertise and support provided by Zavanti in using PopChart; “Zavanti supports us at every stage of our work with PopChart. They fully believe that our success is their success”.

Corda PopChart contains all the essential components that are needed to create Leaderskill Group’s survey reports; “…it is fast, powerful and flexible in handling information and outputting it to a specific format, and it is very easy to use and program. We were up and running very quickly, populating complex, high-quality reports with live data within days. That was a great business advantage”.

Grace Removals selects Corda CenterView for performance management.

Grace Removals has selected Zavanti, the Australian reseller of Corda CenterView, to enhance its strategic management reporting. Corda CenterView uses its powerful dashboard technology for integrated data visualisation and it is a simple and complete solution offered only by Zavanti.
Grace Removals were looking to implement a dashboard web page for their management teams around the country. The idea was to use simple graphics to convey the data to the users and also allow the users to drill down into the data for further information. Zavanti had the best solution to satisfy this requirement. Grace Removals IT Manager, Howard Malyon was impressed by the Zavanti offering; “...we wanted a product which was cost effective and easy to implement. We had already looked at a couple of other products and after running pilots of these products, found they were not going to be right for Grace...Corda product and Zavanti seemed to be the perfect fit for us”.

After consulting with dedicated Zavanti experts about the Corda product and explaining what Grace wanted Zavanti came back with a proposal on how to implement Corda. Shortly after, Grace requested Zavanti to implement a pilot of Corda, as proof the product could really do what was expected. Zavanti on-site experts “...worked with Grace and develop the pilot test...as the pilot developed changes requested were implemented quickly proving Corda was easy to work with and showed Zavanti knew how to use Corda as a product” says Howard Malyon.

Grace is happy with the end result; “...it has proven to be an excellent decision to go with Corda and Zavanti” Howard Malyon concludes.
ABOUT CORDA

Corda CenterView offers greater control of an organisations performance with its powerful dashboard technology. Corda CenterView is a strategic management and performance tool.
For further information please visit: http://www.corda.com
ABOUT ZAVANTI
Zavanti combines superior consulting and industry expertise with world-class software applications, to provide a suite of solutions that cover Project and Portfolio Management, Feasibility and Investment Planning, ERP, and Performance Management. These powerful solution sets allow clients to minimise risk, control costs, increase efficiency, and facilitate the sharing of information, collaboration and planning.

For more information please visit: http://www.zavanti.com or contact:

Angelique Mantsis, Marketing Coordinator M: 0405626437 | angelique.mantsis@zavanti.com

Zavanti expand horizons in WA with leading Construction & Project Management team, Loxam Developments.

SYDNEY, Australia – November 24, 2009 – Zavanti continues our success in the WA property market after being selected by Loxam Developments, a pioneer in construction and project management, to provide the Zavanti ERP for all their project requirements.
Loxam Developments made contact with Zavanti via its online enquiry service, requiring a solution that would be able to synergise its construction operations and integrate with its current processes. Andrew Walker, Financial Controller for Loxam Developments, explains the reasons behind its preference for Zavanti software; “After an intense selection process, Loxam chose Zavanti over some of its competitors because Zavanti ERP software ticked all of the key criteria...an integrated system for both construction and accounting, a software system that will add value to the business by increasing our staff members decision-making and efficiency and lastly, a reasonable and competitive price for both the software and maintenance.”
Zavanti’s expert consultancy staff have commenced implementation and aim to make the transition to Zavanti ERP a painless process for Loxam. “Zavanti’s growth in WA is a result of an extremely satisfied customer base that is willing to sing the praises of our solutions” says Zavanti CEO, Doug Harrison. “We are extremely excited to welcome Loxam as our newest customer in WA and look forward to supporting their business as they continue to evolve and grow into the future”.
The Zavanti ERP software offers Loxam Developments distinct benefits, which, within a single software solution, will provide total project budgeting controls, variations, cost commitment controls and authorities, the ability to maintain all sub-contracts and seamless data integration between project and financial modules for instant recognition of each departments input.
Zavanti is dedicated to delivering high quality and innovative solutions to its clients. Zavanti provides whole of business solutions for the Property and Real Estate industries integrated into its comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning suite.

ABOUT LOXAM DEVELOPMENTS
Loxam Developments was established in 1990 and quickly became the pioneer of small to medium sized projects across WA. Loxam Developments has experience in construction of industrial, commercial and specialist quality housing projects. For further information please visit: http://www.loxamdevelopments.com
ABOUT ZAVANTI
Zavanti combines superior consulting and industry expertise with world-class software applications, to provide a suite of solutions that cover Project and Portfolio Management, Feasibility and Investment Planning, ERP, and Performance Management. These powerful solution sets allow clients to minimise risk, control costs, increase efficiency, and facilitate the sharing of information, collaboration and planning.
For more information please visit: http://www.zavanti.com or contact:

Angelique Mantsis, Marketing Coordinator P: +61 2 8080 4825 | angelique.mantsis@zavanti.com

Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board go live with Zavanti ERP and Weblogics.

SYDNEY, Australia – November 15, 2009 – The Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board (TIDB) have gone live with Zavanti’s Construction Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Zavanti’s document collaboration and control solution based upon Weblogics’ products; Intralogic, EmailLogic and Blueprint.
TIDB selected Zavanti ERP in early 2009 after an open tender process, to manage all the activities for their 12 major projects with total infrastructure goals of $400m. The TIDB is tasked with the management to progress irrigation schemes from feasibility assessment through to the construction and operational stages to increase the irrigation supplies within Tasmania by 50%.
Since going live, the Zavanti ERP solutions provide the TIDB with a complete management solution from budgeting through to project completion. The solution allows TIDB to forecast expenditures out to 2019, whilst maintaining control of sub-contracts and cost commitments, also providing consolidated Board reports to ensure that the goals of the TIDB are being met.
Zavanti’s Weblogics solution allows the TIDB to manage all documentation, including Email traffic associated with projects, to ensure the security and control of information. Weblogics workflows are used to maintain all business processes associated with any project correspondence, guaranteeing traceability and security. Weblogics forms electronically allow users to submit requests and advices whilst version control of documents ensures all previous versions are accessible for comparison.
TIDB has successfully realised the value added by Zavanti ERP and Weblogics solutions, to better manage internal and external collaboration, streamlining their project and document management processes, and providing a communication platform for all project participants.
Ian Plater, Chairman of Zavanti said “This success confirms our strategy of providing a complete package of specialist solutions for the Real Estate and Construction industries ensuring that our clients obtain the highest return on their investment”.

ABOUT ZAVANTI
Zavanti combines superior consulting and industry expertise with world-class software applications, to provide a suite of solutions that cover Feasibility and Investment Planning ERP, Project and Portfolio Management and Performance Management. These powerful solution sets allow clients to minimise risk, control costs, increase efficiency, and facilitate the sharing of information, collaboration and planning.

Dashboard Spotlight: Trinity Technologies eliminates Manual Reporting with Corda

Coordinating and managing the integration of content management systems with other business applications across multiple clients posed a major challenge for integrator Trinity Technologies.

Each week, Trinity’s financial administrator was tasked with manually capturing data from QuickBooks, spreadsheets, an SQL database and other sources and creating a report. This task took, on average, three to four hours to complete each week and the information in the report could be up to a week old. In addition, the report didn’t clearly highlight areas demanding immediate attention because of its inadequate data visualisation. For example, companies over 90 days delinquent on payments needed to be flagged for immediate attention and action.

Projects that had used more than 80% of their budgets also needed to be flagged for attention by project leaders. Trinity determined it needed the power of an application that could capture data from multiple sources and represent theinformation visually, in real time, to promote better understanding.

After exploring other dashboard solutions on the market, Trinity implemented a Corda CenterView performance dashboard. CenterView was easy and fast to implement and the dashboard began immediately delivering ROI. Manual report development time was eliminated and now, the executive and project teams have anytime access to real-time information presented in a visual format that draws attention to actionable issues.

“Trinity gained a new level of control and corporate maturityby implementing CenterView,” said Joseph Morray, Trinity President. “While we see the potential for even greater internal returns, we also see a distinct market advantage for our own customers, who can, in turn, achieve significant reporting and tracking efficiencies on an enterprise level.”



Zavanti is the primary distributor for Corda Technologies in Australia and New Zealand. If you would like further information please contact Doug Harrison on 02 8080 4800 or visit www.corda.com

Zavanti to host Property and Construction Software Showcase

Zavanti are pleased to announce their upcoming Property and Construction software showcase which will be held at two convenient locations for clients and potential customers. These events will take place at the Zenith Business Centre Gosford on the 27th and the Rydges Parramatta on the 28th October.

At the event, Zavanti will introduce its new web-based Sales, CRM and Communication, Collaboration and Intranet solutions for the industry.

Director of Zavanti, Ian Plater will host the event and will present upcoming developments for Zavanti's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application that will assist your business through every facet of the project lifecycle.

Professionals from MasterKey and Weblogics will also be on hand to demonstrate how these new software solutions are revolutionising the nature of business.

Registration is free but spots are limited! To secure your place at the event contact Angelique on (02) 8080 4825 or email marketing@zavanti.com

For more information about MasterKey see http://www.gomasterkey.com/

For more information about Weblogics see http://www.weblogics.com.au/

Latest version of Zavanti’s Project Software offers unparalleled reporting functionality

Launched in August, the lastest version of Zavanti's leading Project Accounting and Management Software for property developers and building contractors, Zavanti ERP 8.7 delivers a greater level of reporting to our clients.

On just one screen users can see an overview of their projects, including original budget, what has been invoiced, and the expected profit (click on the screenshots below to view a larger image).




Users can further “drill down” on each aspect of the job, from viewing specific cost centre details through to individual invoices received from suppliers or sent to clients.






For more information on the new changes in Version 8.7 please refer to the Release Notes

Alternatively please feel free to contact us directly on +61 2 8080 4800 or email sales@zavanti.com

Zavanti and Masterkey join forces to provide a complete Real Estate Development and Management Solution

Under a new partnership agreement, Zavanti, a leader in the development of comprehensive project accounting and management solutions for property and construction, and Masterkey, the UAE’s primary real estate software provider, will join forces to provide a complete Real Estate Development and Management solution. With unparalleled functionality, this new offering will ensure that developers have total control over their projects, budgets, and finances, as well as sales, clients and ongoing property management.

Masterkey is a pioneering Software as a Service (SaaS) provider, specialising in the development of complete web-based real estate solutions. Incorporating the three fundamental areas of any property business - Sales, Leasing and Property Management, Masterkey allows users to better manage and streamline day-to-day activities and work processes, while administering transactions in real-time.

By integrating the key features of Zavanti’s Property Developer solution set; Development Feasibility, Financial Management, Tendering, and Construction Management, with Masterkey’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Sales Automation, Leasing and Property Management capabilities, both companies will be able to provide current and prospective clients with a revolutionary solution that will create efficiencies and improve the quality and timeliness of reporting at every stage of the property development lifecycle.

“I believe that the addition of Masterkey’s functionality to the Zavanti suite does more than just add features to our current solution set”, said Nick Virr, Zavanti UK Business Development Director. “Masterkey represents the very latest, and by far the most superior online offering for property developers, in servicing their clients and managing their revenue and product streams. By combining the robustness and power of the Zavanti Property Developer suite with Masterkey, we can undoubtedly boast the most comprehensive and integrated solution for developers available on the market today.”

ABOUT MASTERKEY
Masterkey is the UAE's leading provider of dedicated solutions for the real estate sector. The company's web-based software provides Brokers, Developers and Property Managers with a uniquely tailored array of tools and features aimed to advance, improve, and enhance real estate businesses. Masterkey is committed to providing the most comprehensive, on demand service to the global real estate industry. For more information on Masterkey visit www.gomasterkey.com

ABOUT ZAVANTI
Zavanti’s industry leading project solutions provide seamless integration between the key processes associated with project planning, forecasting and accounting. From initial site and concept feasibility and project estimating through to full financial and subcontractor management, and sales, Zavanti helps property developers and construction contractors maintain control over their project finances, information flows and business operations.

For more information contact: Jamie Fitzsimons on +61 2 8080 4816 or jfitzsimons@zavanti.com

Zavanti Property and Construction Software to feature at the Nottinghamshire Construction Symposium

Zavanti have announced their participation at the Nottinghamshire Construction Symposium, which takes place on October 7 at New College Nottingham (NCN). Aimed at a broad range of construction professionals, the Symposium intends to act as a catalyst for improvement in the construction industry.

Click here to read the full press release

The ‘Problem’ with Project Management

In his latest blog post, Jed Simms argues that it is not so much that ‘project management’ is the problem, its just that it is not the solution!

He explains that too often in people’s minds ‘project management’ is seen as the same as ‘project delivery’ — but it is not. ‘Project Management’ is the set of processes that organises, structures and controls project activities and is the equivalent of any other ‘management’ activity.

Simms uses a production line as an example, in that the operators create the goods (the value) and management organises the work, plans the production, pre-empts or deals with problems and so on. Management organises, structures and controls the value generating activities but does not directly generate or deliver the value.

In his view, this is why ‘project management’ has had so much difficulty trying to quantify its value. Project management is not, therefore, part of the value delivery stream (in our six stream model). Project management has to justify its contribution. Few would argue that large, complex programs of work can be effectively delivered without effective project or program organising, structuring and controlling. However, these processes contribute to, rather than directly deliver, value.

Simms advises that before applying project management techniques to projects you need to establish that the time and effort involved in project management will be offset by the value to the project (as opposed to the business).

This value can be in terms of:
Reduced project duration — benefits faster
Reduced wasted effort — less cost
More motivated, focused staff — increased productivity
Increased clarity of what is should be happening — increased (progress, financial, direction) control
Less risk — more certainty
Fewer issues — less unnecessary effort
Increased stakeholder support/comfort — greater business support

To read more or to leave a comment please see the full article at: http://www.valuedeliverymanagement.com/blog/2009/07/the-problem-with-project-management/

Yeah, but what does the software do?

by Jed Simms, July 21, 2009

Two things happened recently on the same day in the same organisation.

The first was I received a copy of a post implementation review report that basically said “We don’t know if we got the benefits from this project as the KPIs and other benefit measures were largely vague, unmeasurable or irrelevant.” Overall, the conclusion was that the project had ‘failed’ to deliver the results and benefits expected.

Not altogether surprising when you have ‘vague, unmeasurable and irrelevant’ goals. As the Cheshire Cat said to Alice in Wonderland, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there!”

As frequent readers of my blog will know if there is one thing I hammer as vital to project success is the need to spend the time clearly and thoroughly define your desired business outcomes in clear, measurable terms; and then focus your whole project on their realisation.

But many people don’t get it.

The second was a workshop with some quite senior management. We’re developing a business case for this client and defining their value proposition in clear, measurable terms. Their reaction was …

“Too many benefits” I wonder how many times they’ve said that of a project!
“Too ambitious” We might actually deal with the root problems if we take this approach. Can’t we just deal with the easy symptoms and look like we’re doing something?
“Yeah, but what does the software do?” Thinking is hard, can’t we just adopt the software?

I was pleased to see that even the software expert said, “If there is anything I’ve learned from installing systems over the past 10 years it is that unless the business knows exactly what it is trying to achieve the software installation will be a failure.”

What this experience makes clear is that software and demos are being used as a replacement for thinking. And this is the nub of the problem — that people need help to think and that so many of the problems we have are as a result of a reluctance or inability to think.

How do you address this problem? Post your comments below.

Related Articles
Benefits focussed projects
Scary Requirements
The Dangers of Automation

Read the original blog post here - - http://www.valuedeliverymanagement.com/blog/2009/07/yeah-but-what-does-the-software-do/

UDIA (Qld) launch the Quarterly Development and Construction Industry Performance Report

The first quarterly Development and Construction Industry Performance Report has been released by the Queensland Urban Development Industry Association (UDIA) today.

The purpose of this new report is to closely monitor building approvals and unemployment in the development industry in these difficult economic times. A further purpose is to compare the performance of the various markets around Australia to more fully understand why some markets have significantly difficult periods and yet others appear to be able to continue functioning at a very successful level.

The report contains some interesting and very perplexing findings, with state government and local authority legislation and policies citied as the major issues causing the significant underbuild and under performance of Queensland development industry today. The complexity of legislation, significant overregulation of the industry, and more complex subdivision and building requirements are adding to the cost of property purchases. The report also discloses that the state is currently building at around half the rate that is required to meet underlying demand.

Housing affordability is another concern, with the same developers in Victoria as those who operate in Queensland delivering the same house in Victoria for $100,000 to $125,000 less. The report also highlights that the continued implementation of user pays charges for head works infrastructure has done little to ease matters. However, some local authorities have taken steps to phase in or restrict the impact of these charges as they are aware that an uncompetitive environment is the enemy of affordability.

In conclusion the report emphasises that the combination of an expensive market, the GFC and increased taxes and charges have already cost 18,800 construction and development employees their livelihoods and asks the question - “Where to from here?”

To read the full report click here

Zavanti have joined the Tweetersphere!

With Twitter all the rage at the moment, Zavanti have decided to take the plunge and start tweeting for ourselves!

Aimed at the Property and Construction Sector, our Zavanti_ERP Twitter will keep you posted on all the action at Zavanti! From news and views, product updates and launches, support issues, and special offers.

Why not Follow us today!

Zavanti appoint new reseller to target growing UK market for Property and Construction ERP Solutions

Zavanti is pleased to announce the appointment of MCN Property as an official reseller for Zavanti’s complete Property and Construction Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite. The move reflects an increasing demand for Zavanti’s solutions in the UK.

MCN Property is a dynamic development consulting firm offering a full range of professional services for the residential property development sector. As a Zavanti Reseller, they will continue to build and strengthen Zavanti’s UK presence by offering the company’s leading property and construction ERP solutions to their network of clients and industry contacts.

Prior to establishing MCN Property, Mark Newman was a Senior Surveyor with CB Richard Ellis, specialising in development consultancy, residential land agency, and loan and corporate recovery. This role provided him with a detailed insight into the various facets of the construction and development lifecycle, as well as an in-depth understanding of the complete planning system. He has a proven track record for managing and delivering valuations on major mixed-use projects, and providing added value to proposed development schemes.

“This partnership is an additional step forward for Zavanti as we expand our presence in the UK”, says Nick Virr, General Manager Zavanti UK. “We are pleased to welcome MCN Property and are confident that they will be an invaluable asset to our reseller team. Mark’s impeccable consulting skills, and vast experience of the UK industry, combined with Zavanti’s ERP Software, will provide our prospects and MCN’s clients with a complete end-to-end solution, allowing them to operate more efficiently, particularly in times of uncertainty”.

"Zavanti software offers a truly integrated cash-flow management suite which is essential in dealing with the current financial issues developers, contractors and financiers are facing”, says Mark Newman, MCN Property. “Once developers and contractors realise the benefits of the software I believe they will be equally as impressed as I was, and see the real value this software can add to their business."

Zavanti’s world class ERP suite provides seamless integration between the key processes associated with project planning, forecasting and accounting. From initial site and concept feasibility and project estimating through to full financial and subcontractor management, and sales, Zavanti helps developers and construction contractors maintain control over their project finances, information flows and business operations.

Corda Technologies usher in a new era in Data Visualisation and Performance Dashboards with CenterView 4.0

Corda Technologies, a leader in innovative, real-time data visualisation and performance dashboard software, have announced the release of CenterView 4.0. This new version features a number of enhancements and performance improvements that deliver enterprise-level performance dashboards and advanced visual business intelligence (BI) capabilities.

The new features in CenterView 4.0 provide even greater security and flexibility:
- Corda Mobile Server enhances the CenterView experience for mobile users, making it easier to create and deploy KPIs to mobile devices, supporting new devices, including the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch via the soon-to-be-released Corda Mobile on the iTunes App Store.
- Improved BusinessObjects Connector connects report data to a CenterView dashboard.
- Salesforce.com (SFDC) Connector lets you connect SFDC to your dashboard without having to build your own connector.
- Data visualisation enhancements include enhanced label placement for large data set graphs, including a 'best fit' option, legend headers, and more legend style controls.
- Significantly improved help on wiki.corda.com allows easy product and tutorial search as well as fast documentation updates.

For more information and to start a free trial of CenterView 4.0, Click Here.

"CenterView 4.0 is impressive from its major ease-of-use and performance advancements," said Neal Williams, Corda President and CEO. "Significant data connector additions and refinements as well as the introduction of Corda Mobile carry CenterView 4.0 into the realm of a major release.”

“We have delivered cutting-edge capabilities with CenterView 4.0, ushering in a new era in data visualisation and performance dashboards,” said Mark Christensen, Corda VP Sales and Marketing.

Corda Technologies is the leading provider of enterprise solutions for creating dashboards and interactive data visualisation solutions that enhance performance management and smart decision-making. For more than twelve years, Corda has led the evolution of data visualisation from static charts and graphs to interactive, intuitive strategic dashboards. Its award-winning solutions include developer tools, enterprise server products and professional services that improve business performance and enable customers worldwide to enhance bottom-line results. For more information please visit http://www.corda.com

Zavanti are the authorised reseller for Corda Products and Services in Australia and New Zealand

How PPM Provides Direction in Uncertain Economic Times

In a recent article, From the Project Manager's Desk, Industry Observation, Alex Hankewicz discusses how Project Portfolio Management (PPM) can provide direction in uncertain economic times.

Hankewicz explains that, "PPM is a process to obtain project management information of all resources, time, budget, and labor skills in order to align, manage, and review these elements–and to ensure deliverables are being met in terms of project milestones, in accordance with the work breakdown schedule".

In times of economic and business uncertainty, PPM may be the prescription to obtain successful IT project management results. However, Hankewicaz advises that, IT departments in many organisations are viewed by some in senior management circles as a huge money pit, a kind of necessary evil that generates little in terms of ongoing business development or growth.

As a result, it’s comes as no surprise that organisations take the reflex action to rapidly slash IT projects and budgets. However, Hankewicaz argues that, "without tools such as PPM to fully analyse the return on investments of IT projects, the organisation could be faced with even greater financial risk by either cutting badly needed IT infrastructure improvements or by maintaining costly legacy applications that in some cases are expensive to support".

Hankewicaz notes that as business looks for ways to reduce operating expenditures during the current economic slowdown, delaying and reducing IT project spending may not be the best long-term approach. He adds that a PPM solution equips an IT manager with the ability to measure an organisation’s available resources against pending projects, and align resources with business objectives, in order to fully measure return on investment (ROI) prior to launching a project.

In using a PPM tool, Hankewicaz believes that an organisation has the ability to position IT initiatives into a lexicon that key non-IT-management personnel can understand. Project spending can be viewed as way of analysing from both the total cost of ownership (TCO) and ROI perspectives and understanding how these projects relate to overall business strategy initiatives.

To conclude, Hankewicaz advises that PPM tools have been on the market for at least ten years, and economic slowdowns are not the only criteria to demonstrate PPM’s benefits. For example, the information collected from managing past projects can be used for estimating and planning future projects. If one can reduce subsequent project costs by as little as 5 percent spending on redundant processes and testing, then the cost savings can be significant. In some organisations, IT spending represents as much as 50 percent of the overall capital budget and it is with this mindset that PPM can respond to determining the value on how those investments will generate a return to support business objectives. One of the limiting factors of PPM, however, is that although it has provided business with a view to evaluate the value of IT projects, it can only focus on new project investment. If project spending represents 25 percent of an IT budget then this means 75 percent of an IT organisation’s existing infrastructure may not be measured using this tool.

Software and technology: one for all and all for one

Check out last week's Property Week article by David Lawson which profiles Zavanti's UK Director, Nick Virr.

Nick has been in the property and construction software business for over 15 years now and has recently moved back to the UK from Australia to establish Zavanti's foothold there.

On his return, he found that no one appeared to have created a similar unified program in the UK, thus he saw a new market for Zavanti and is currently doing the rounds of developers there. ‘Because it is a single system, development managers can see the cash flow effects of a released contract, finance managers can see borrowing levels and cash needs, management can see all indicators real time,’ he says.

‘More timely information allows businesses to know exactly how they are operating in real time. There is no need for costly updates to interfaces and no need to get caught between vendors.’

A recession may not seem an obvious time to launch software, but Virr believes the current havoc means that such a system is even more attractive because it can deal with the fast-changing circumstances.

Read the full article here - http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=359&storycode=3137519