Professional Services Automation
For the past decade, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have been utilized in large enterprises worldwide. Intended to streamline and manage manufacturing and distribution business processes in areas of products and parts planning and purchasing, inventory, order tracking, HR, accounting, and supplier interaction, ERP systems have been found to be costly to implement, have high learning curves, and serious scalability issues.
When used in project or service-oriented enterprises, ERP systems get the job done, but often require more work with greater time and cost expenditures.
A new generation of software has been developed to address the needs of companies whose main function is to deliver services through its people rather than the production and selling of tangible goods.
Professional Services Automation (PSA) software has been designed to specifically meet those needs, complementing ERP packages to streamline business processes and project and service engagements for Professional or Service Organisations (PSORGs). Experiencing a period of rapid growth, the PSA industry is still more or less in the beginning stages but is gaining momentum in popularity, specifically since the introduction of software designed with PSORGs in mind.
PSA software manages entire project life cycle, determining that everything from the very initial stages to the final stages of project completion is done correctly. It can be a great way to keep track of the things that you need to be aware of on each project you are managing. This is very useful when you have a lot of projects to manage or if you are trying to increase the quality of your projects over time.
Improving Service Delivery with Professional Services Automation
For many projects driven or professional services organisations, managing resources and ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget will be a delicate balancing act. In our turbulent times and with fierce competition, professional service organisations are having to work harder and harder to retain customers and win new business – and with budgets being squeezed, many are expected to deliver more, with less.
In order to meet these demands, many businesses will be looking to boost efficiency levels, lower costs and make improvements to the products and services that are being delivered.
Professional Services Automation software has revolutionized how businesses manage their projects and resources by streamlining key business processes and obtaining the best possible value from an organisation limited resources by providing the business with:
- A single, integrated solution that automates key business processes such as billing and invoicing, project planning and resource scheduling
- Improved resource utilization as the demand for resources can be captured, prioritized and matched to the available supply.
- Increased transparency and better decision making as a single version of the truth enables executives to spot slipping or under performing projects, resource bottlenecks and risks.
- Projects can be prioritized, allowing the business to only fund those that are alignment with organisational objectives.
- Better communication across the entire business from team members through to senior executives
Professional Services Automation software solutions are designed to improve levels of service delivery by enabling the organisation to better manage:
- Resource Planning and Scheduling
- Automate Financial Flow
- Project Budget Estimation
- Internal Initiative Projects
- Ideas Management
- New Product Development
- Improved Collaboration
- Standardization of Project Planning Methods
- Project Progress
- Resource Utilization
- Resource Demand & Capacity Management
- Risk Management
- Manage Change
- Customer Feedback
- Lessons Learned
In every case, the appropriate use of Professional Services Automation software, can give you the winning edge. It is perfect for any project or services organisation that wants to improve their services delivery. Professional Services Automation software is a powerful key to the success of your organisation helping you excel in your business.
