The same picture at the end of every month: project managers collect hours, controlling reconciles Excel lists and transfers times into the ERP by hand. At a large electronics retailer, exactly this cost nine hours every month. Today the month-end close takes an hour and a half. Here is how we went about it and what you can take away from it.
The starting point
The group manages its IT projects with OpenText PPM, formerly Micro Focus PPM. Time recording took place in the PPM system, but the data had to be prepared and transferred to SAP for billing. This meant:
- Duplicate maintenance: Times were recorded, exported, checked and entered again.
- Sources of error: Every manual transfer brought typos and follow-up questions.
- Late figures: Reliable project costs were only available days after the end of the month.
What we implemented
- Time recording redesigned: Together with the customer, we simplified recording in the PPM system and clearly defined the review and approval steps.
- Direct connection to SAP: Approved times flow automatically into SAP. Nobody has to export or retype lists any more.
- Consistent master data: Projects, cost centres and employees are synchronised between the systems so that every booking is assigned correctly.
The result
The month-end close for project times now takes around 90 minutes instead of 540, a reduction of 83 per cent. On top of that, there are fewer follow-up questions and project costs are reliably available earlier. OpenText has published the project as a case study .
What you can take away from this
We see this pattern in many companies, regardless of which PPM or ERP system is in use. These questions help with the assessment:
- How often are times transferred by hand? Every manual interface costs time every month and creates errors.
- Is the master data aligned? An interface only works if projects and cost centres are maintained the same way in both systems.
- Who approves times? A clear approval process before the transfer prevents correction postings in the ERP.
- Process first, then technology: An integration speeds up a good process. It only makes a bad one go wrong faster.
How we approach projects like this
We start with a short analysis: which data flows where, where is data maintained twice, which interfaces do the systems offer? From this we create a roadmap with effort and sequence. Implementation takes place in stages, so that you see results early.
You can find out more on our lines Project Portfolio and Integration & AI. If you would like to know how much time goes into your month-end close, get in touch. The initial consultation is free of charge.