Dada enterprise cost management solution comparisons

Comparison of enterprise cost
management vendor solutions
Prepared 22nd November 2018

What is Cost Management?
An explanation of the Process and the Pain Points

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Website: www.big-dada.co.uk
E-mail: info@big-dada.co.uk
Cost Management Lifecycle

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An example of the day-to-day reality

5
• Low confidence in
project actuals
• Long time
between AFP and
Final Payment
• Cash flow
estimate unreliable
• Project schedule,
time and costs are
not aligned
Long time to
produce forecasts
as schedules have
to aligned with
resource forecasts
and Compensation
Events
No consolidated
source data with
multiple
spreadsheets per
Project
Project controls
doesn't act as an
uniform function so
Projects are not
compared
objectively
Multiple bespoke
reports
• Human variability in estimates
• Data manipulation happens
• Duration of closing too long
• Too much reliance on people
not processes
• Quality analysis not
performed enough
• Portfolio analysis not easily
available
Pain Points from Poor Cost Control

A comparison of different Cost
Management applications
High-level overview of comparators on Cost Management applications

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Integrated Project Management
Business Intelligence/Discovery and Reporting
P6 Analytics
QlikView
Qlik Sense
Portfolio Management
Planview, KeyedIn
Projects, Planisware,
Planview, Microsoft
Project Server
Oracle Primavera
Portfolio
Manager /
Instantis
Project Delivery
Primavera P6,
Primavera Unifier,
Primavera Risk
Analysis
Deltek Cobra Ares Prism Ecosys
Data Integration
Primavera
Gateway
Collabro Legare
Primavera
Inspire
Bid and Estimating
Microsoft Power
BI
SAP Business
Objects Infor
Primavera P6
Enterprise
Reporting
Database (ERD)
Custom SQL
Server Express
+ ODBC
connection
Direct Entry or
Native Excel
Import
SAP Portfolio and
Project
Management
Microsoft
Project Workfront
NomitechCostOS ProEst
Estimating

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Deltek Cobra Overview
Heavy-weight EVM solution that has helpful wizards and government
compliant reporting standards. Flexible reporting through different Cost
Sets/Classes but quirky integration wizard. TIP: Might have to purchase
additional modules for smaller projects (Deltek MPM), BI reporting (Deltek
wInsight) and Portfolio Reporting (Deltek WelcomPortfolio)

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Deltek Portfolio Reporting Pro
Through Project Codes you can create an infinite number of Master
Projects for Portfolio Dashboard reporting

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Cobra Resource Calculations Pro
Creating Ancillary Source files for initial configuration is not intuitive and requires
templates. If different projects have different invoicing procedures etc. some in-house
expertise is required to develop these various scenarios or can become quite expensive
with external consultants
Resource Field Name Result Line Units Rate Set Currency Result Code Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 Calculation Notes
30684 HOURS HOURS 1 Hours FALSE H
30684 FTE FTE 2 FTE FALSE F HOURS
30684 BER BreakEven 3 £ 30684_BER FALSE D HOURS
30684 OVT OverTime 4 £ 30684_OVT FALSE HOURS
30684 LCR LabourCostRate 5 £ FALSE HOURS
30684 WAO WorkingAreaOverhead 6 £ WAO_C FALSE LCR
30684 DAO DesignAreaOverhead 7 £ DAO FALSE LCR WAO LabourCostRate + Working AreaOverhead * DesignAreaOverhead
30684 FEE FeePercentage 8 £ FALSE LCR DAO LabourCostRate + DesignAreaOverhead * Fee Percentage
30684 COR ChargeOut 9 £ FeePercentage TRUE E HOURS LCR WAO DAO
Cobra Resource Calculations Con
Cost Classes allow users to differentiate cost statuses (e.g. before a
CE has been approved). The Reclass functionality in Cobra allows
to users to change the Cost Class without manually rekeying data.
Cost Sets allow grouping of different Cost Classes

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Deltek Cobra Rates Pro
The Rate Library can include different rates per resource ~ so Internal
Reports can be produced using the Break Even Rates and External reports
can be produced using the Charge Out Rates

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Deltek Cobra Reports Pro
Each of the Cobra reports has a drill down facility to lower levels of
resolution (Control Account -> Work Packages -> Different Classes
Control Account 05-Jan-14 12-Jan-14 19-Jan-14 26-Jan-14 Cumulative
228349 / B118.09 / PC06
Terminal 5 Closure - BC118
(Control Account)
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
Grand Total
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
Control Account Work Package 05-Jan-14 12-Jan-14 19-Jan-14 26-Jan-14 Cumulative
228349 / B118.09 / PC06
(Control Account)
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
Suffix 9 Suffix 9 G3
Activities 0.52
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
Grand Total
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
Control Account Work Package Resource Assignment Results 05-Jan-14 12-Jan-14 19-Jan-14 26-Jan-14 Cumulative
228349 / B118.09 / PC06
(Control Account)
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
Activities 0.52
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
26974 Keith McCall
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 592.35 592.35
34100 Ben Anstiss
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 924.60 924.60
35035 Agata Marut
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 693.45 693.45
41701 Clare Fisher
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 1,695.10 2,958.72
49394 Alan Mountain
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 824.55 824.55
52062 Marco
Boettcher
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,199.30 1,199.30
6805 Ian Gale
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 929.43 929.43
7127 Diane Burt
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 309.81 309.81
Control Account Work Package Resource Assignment Results 05-Jan-14 12-Jan-14 19-Jan-14 26-Jan-14 Cumulative
228349 / B118.09 / PC06
(Control Account)
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
Activities 0.52
Actuals 0.00 0.00 1,263.62 7,773.59 9,037.21
26974 Keith McCall
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 592.35 592.35
HOURS
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 5.00
ChargeOut
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 592.35 592.35
34100 Ben Anstiss
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 924.60 924.60
HOURS
Actuals 0.00 0.00 0.00 15.00 15.00
ChargeOut

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Deltek Cobra Calendars &
Reports Pro
You can set up reports to run on
different calendars. Different
monthly, fiscal and quarterly
calendars can be set-up so that
different reports can have
different levels of resolution and
can report on different cost sets
FP10_13 FP11_13 FP12_13 FP01_14
Scheduled 71,195 144,445 304,733 304,733
Modifications 0 0 0 0
Replanned 0 0 0 0
Over target baseline 0 0 0 0
Actuals 10,032 21,050 21,050 21,050
£0
£50,000
£100,000
£150,000
£200,000
£250,000
£300,000
£350,000
Value
Time-phase period
228349 / B118.10 / PC06 Terminal 5 Closure - BC118
(Control Account)
Scheduled
Modifications
Replanned
Over target
baseline
FP10_13 FP11_13 FP12_13 FP01_14
Scheduled 71,195 144,445 304,733 304,733
Performed 26,462 64,963 64,963 64,963
Actuals 10,032 21,050 21,050 21,050
Customer Est To Complete 0 33,888 223,937 229,206
Estimate at complete 250,256
£0
£50,000
£100,000
£150,000
£200,000
£250,000
£300,000
£350,000
Value
Time-phase period
228349 / B118.10 / PC06 Terminal 5 Closure -
BC118 (Control Account)
Scheduled
Performed
Actuals
Customer Est To
Complete
Estimate at
complete

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Deltek Cobra Variations Orders Pro
Variation Orders are not
just stored in a network
folder but maintained in a
central log and reported in
separate Cost Classes
Description Change Comment Amount Contract Budget Base Credit Debit Undistributed Budget Date
Change Number: 00 185,155 -55,645
Set Project Baseline 0 0 AUW 0 28/02/2014
Set Project Baseline 148,124 0 UB 148,124 28/02/2014
Set Project Baseline 185,155 185,155 CTC 0 28/02/2014
Set Project Baseline 37,031 0 MR 0 28/02/2014
228349 / B026.15 /
PC06 Set Project Baseline 203,770 0 DB UB -203,770 28/02/2014
Change Number:
Change Ref: 001 0 -3,160
228349 / B026.15 /
PC06
Some emergency work has come up and Enis has to
immediately work on the Design Modification for Site before
the CE has been approved 1,487 0 DB UB -1,487 03/03/2014
228349 / B026.15 /
PC06
Some emergency work has come up and Enis has to
immediately work on the Design Modification for Site before
the CE has been approved 1,673 0 DB UB -1,673 03/03/2014
Change Number:
Change Ref: 002 40,000 40,000
Negotiated Cost increased by value of the Compensation
Event and added to Undistributed Budget 40,000 40,000 UB AUW 40,000 03/03/2014
Change Number:
Change Ref: 003 0 -4,386
228349 / B026.15 /
PC06
The CE has now been approved and additional budget has
been obtained for Christoper Brown, Nikesh Patel and
Amelia Ng to work on Project 783 0 DB UB -783 03/03/2014
228349 / B026.15 /
PC06
The CE has now been approved and additional budget has
been obtained for Christoper Brown, Nikesh and Amelia to
work on Project 3,603 0 DB UB -3,603 03/03/2014
OLD NEW

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Primavera Unifier Overview
Contract and Project Management portal with native P6
integration. Allows for different (but separate) workflows to be
created for different (e.g. NEC) escalation paths or for Gated
approvals with documents transferred.

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Primavera Unifier Reporting Pro
You can create the project cost sheet from the PROJECTS
template, when you create your project, or you can add the
cost sheet after project creation. After setting up a project cost
sheet, it can capture project-level budget, spends, and forecast
information for that project.

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Primavera Unifier Reporting Con
Native Schedule Sheet
mapping between P6
and Unifier is
restrictive. Whereas P6
activities that represent
WBS Codes the Unifier
‘Cost Code’field maps
to P6 Activity IDs

18
Primavera Unifier AfP Pro
The AfP process has a
workflow which allows
you to add supporting
documentation (e.g. site
pictures) and also set
Retentions.

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Primavera Unifier AfP Con
The AfP process in
Primavera Unifier relies on
Vendors and Contracts
being set up within
Primavera Unifier. There is
no native integration with
an external CRM tool such
as SAP CRM. TIP: So think
about how on a period basis
New/Amended Contracts &
Vendors will be migrated

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Primavera Unifier Change Orders

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PRISM Overview
Turnkey solution that provides enough structure for you to start using it
immediately. You can quickly setup the integration software to integrate with
SAP, load actuals and select your physical progress method to obtain both
calculated and independent EAC's. TIP: Look at Prism Estimating, Contract
Administration and Procurement module in addition to Engineering module

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PRISM Reporting Pro
Good amount of standard reports are available. I like the flexible coding
structures and user defined fields that allow for tracking additional data.

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PRISM Reporting Con
Crystal report writer is basic and coding
structures are less interactive than BI
dashboards. Problem is that the Dashboards
shown here are not included in Cost module.

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PRISM Integration Engine Pro
• The PRISMG2 Integration Engine offers a best-in-breed pre-built integration solution providing:
- ERP Connector: A suite of ARES maintained ERP (e.g. SAP) programs specifically designed and
built for Project Management integration.
- PRISM API: A suite of ARES maintained adapters into the PRISM application.
- PRISM Data Connector Integration Software: ETL adapters designed and built to integrate with
ARES’ ERP Connectors and PRISM API.

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PRISM Change Control Con
PRISM does not have a web interface for managing changes like CERAM.
Changes are not distributed and Reviewed/Approved using email and web
links and the change documents are not available from the web page.

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EcoSys Overview
A web-based project control software tool within one natively integrated
database platform. Removes requirement for separate Finance, Risk,
Scheduling & ERP systems. Available as Subscription/Software-As-A-Service.

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EcoSys Resource Management Pro
Resource demand plans can be compared capacity plans managed in EcoSys
Portfolios. Funds + Pipeline Management can be used to review all business
opportunities, and incorporate commercial review (“Go/No Go”) process.

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Forecasting (EAC, ETC) calculation methods based on performance, or
override based on specialized knowledge. Automatically calculate and store
periodic forecast changes, whether forecasts are total or time-phased.
EcoSys Forecast Management Pro

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Data Connectors
Here’s an important thing to remember – Don’t
leave it too late to think how you will migrate Master
Data and Periodic Transactional Data. Clarify
Master – Slave relationships. You won’t regret it!

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Any Questions?

Dada enterprise cost management solution comparisons

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