Going Hybrid, and I’m Not Talking about Cars (it’s about the Cloud)

The word “hybrid” typically conjures images of the Toyota Prius (only for now if Ford has anything to say about it), but in the world of enterprise software it is about evolving business models. Actually, and more importantly, going hybrid is about bringing more value to customers by providing them with choice — the choice...

Optimizing Your Resources: Learn from the Military

Now more than ever, organizations are asked to do more with less. Pressures mount, competition is building, and there seems to never be enough resources to tackle what needs to be done. Then, when resources are finally allocated to strategic work, the work ends up getting delayed because the people are pulled off on emergencies,...

Whose Job is Innovation?

Howdy! We continue our “Coffee Talk” video series on the Planview YouTube Channel — all about the latest news and trends taking place in innovation and Product Portfolio Management (PPM). This month’s “Talk” comes to you from the University of Texas Campus in Austin where the Product Portfolio Mavens share insights discussed during the innovation...

The Multi-dimensional Project Manager

I’m frequently asked how to improve one’s project management skillset. Are there additional coursework or specialized certifications one should acquire? Is there a particularly beneficial project management framework or book that should be on every PM’s shelf? Has some esoteric formula or calculation revolutionized a project with which I’ve been involved? The answer to all of these...

Tasktop Sync OEM’d by IBM, RTC users get connected

Today the IBM Rational Lifecycle Integration Adapters Tasktop Edition appeared on the IBM price list. This OEM version of Tasktop Sync makes the technology broadly available to IBM clients using Rational Team Concert (RTC), who can now get all of the benefits of Tasktop Sync’s real-time and collaboration-centric ALM integration infrastructure. This helps IBM clients...

How Clinical Research Organizations Are Transforming in Today’s Environment—Part 2

The Solution for CROs The previous blog in this series discussed the increasing growth rates and related issues seen the Clinical Research Organization (CRO) space due to strategic partnerships, globalism, and market consolidation from mergers and acquisitions. This kind of growth inevitably presents challenges for CROs trying to generate data from fragmented, non-integrated systems. There...

13 Key SRP Metrics Vital to Profitability for Tech Services Companies

Having worked in the Professional Services industry for nearly 25 years, I have helped numerous PSOs and IT organizations utilize software solutions to manage their businesses. My extensive experience as both a management consultant and software design has given me a unique perspective into Services Resource Planning. As the need for it becomes increasingly prevalent,...

How Clinical Research Organizations Are Transforming in Today’s Environment—Part 1

There is a significant transformation underway in the clinical research organization (CRO) space. The CRO market revenue amounts to approximately $30 billion, which is primarily generated from its core business of conducting clinical trials required for drug market admission by regulatory authorities like the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines...

Avoiding R&D Portfolio Management Jeopardy – Enrich Consulting

Here is an uncomfortable reality in all but the smallest firms during their R&D portfolio management processes: Between the staff running each R&D initiative and the executives making project and portfolio decisions, there’s usually a division. Maybe it’s the gap between headquarters and lab, upstairs/downstairs, east coast/west coast, London/Singapore, or even a generation gap. At...

Seven Financial Planning and Analysis Trends 2012

As we start the fourth quarter, having just come back from the annual Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) national conference, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on the trends of the last year. Read on for seven financial planning and analysis trends from 2012. Trend #1: The Rise of FP&A Within the finance...