Project Management Lifecycle

When the sales team identifies a qualified opportunity, a project is created within Birdview PSA (via CRM integration). The Project Manager scopes and prepares a project plan including an estimated budget and timeline using a template from a similar opportunity in the past. The plan will contain soft scheduling and resource allocation estimates to enable the sales team to quote with confidence and close the deal.

Birdview PSA Advantage

Custom solution vs. generic out-of-the-box integration.
The Birdview PSA Professional Services team can build a seamless bidirectional integration and workflow with your CRM platform to automate your sales and service quoting and handoff processes.

Key Features Used

Integration With CRM
A bidirectional synchronization between your CRM platform (e.g.Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, etc) and Birdview PSA will automatically transfer the appropriate opportunity details into a new project in Birdview PSA based on the appropriate template.
Resource Loading Simulation
A powerful tool for “what-if” scenario capacity planning, it helps to answer crucial questions for a project or program manager such as:
- “Who do we have available to start working on this project when needed?”
- “Do we have enough resources with the required skills to take on this project?”
- “If we do this project, what will be the schedule impact on existing projects?”
Project Templates
If you have similar or repetitive projects, you can use Project Templates to avoid unnecessary data entry and save time. Templates help with quick timeline and budget estimates by reusing your previous project plans. In addition, templates can help a Project Manager identify appropriate required roles within their plan by allocating tasks and hours to placeholder or “proxy” resources.
Financial Module
Birdview PSA Financial Module offers:
- Project Budget, estimated internal cost and revenue calculations;
- Flexible project billing (rate cards, project, task and resource rates, fixed costs, etc);
- Expense tracking;
- Billable and non billable hours reporting (including time entries lockdown);
- Multi-currency support;
- And much more…

Roles:
- Sales
- Pre-Sales Support
- Delivery Managers
Deliverables and Outcomes:
- Purchase Order from a Client

The sales team works with the PMO and Delivery Managers to review all planned projects. Both potential client and internal initiatives are prioritized and ranked based on a set of specific evaluation criteria. Resource and Project Managers work to identify and soft-allocate the right resources based on skills, availability and fit. Potential resource and schedule conflicts are identified and resolved. The Sales team presents the final project proposal including schedule to the client for approval. The client can be added as a Guest User to drive more engagement during the client review and decision phase.

Birdview PSA Advantage

Powerful resource analysis and planning tools that adjust as your demand management process evolves and matures. As you “crawl, walk and run”, Birdview PSA provides a suite of resource optimization tools to match your journey to “repeatable project management excellence” without requiring you to change software.

Key Features Used

BI-powered Project Scorecards
Every project in your pipeline gets assigned a value for each of the prioritization criterion you decide to employ (e.g. Value, Risk, Strategic Alignment, Resource Demand, etc ). The PMO or Project Selection Committee rank each project using a real-time dashboard based on these factors to decide and rank which requested projects will be approved and executed in what order.
Resource Management
Resource management functionality allows managers to optimize resource utilization and to proactively resolve any identified conflicts. The PMO can also run resource capacity simulations to get an impact analysis on current workload and schedules.

Roles:
- PMO
- Executives
- Review Committee
- Sales
- Delivery Managers
- Resource Managers
Deliverables and Outcomes:
- Sales/Services Alignment
- Final Project Schedule

The Project Manager creates a detailed project work breakdown structure (WBS) either from scratch or via a template. Resource selection is finalized. Tasks are assigned and scheduled. The baseline of the project schedule and budget is captured to enable actual versus planned analysis in the future.

Birdview PSA Advantage

Extremely easy to use, even for complex planning purposes and highly configurable to meet your specific project planning needs.

Key Features Used

Project Templates
If you have similar or repetitive projects, you can use Project Templates to avoid unnecessary data entry and save time. Templates help with quick timeline and budget estimates by reusing your previous project plans. In addition, templates can help the Project Manager allocate tasks and hours to placeholder or “proxy” resources.
Interactive Gantt Chart
Birdview PSA Interactive Gantt Chart offers a dynamic and visual way to create a project plan, change dates, duration and set dependencies as needed within or across multiple projects.
Active Resource Optimization
Birdview PSA enables Project Managers to identify availability of resources for a specific task at the point of assignment without navigating to a different screen. In addition, resource loading, “what-if” analysis and vacation schedules helps avoid conflicts while assigning the best skilled resources to the right project at the right time.
Budgeting and Expense Tracking

Birdview PSA allows managers to quickly set up a project budget and track it against actual costs as well as planned versus actual revenue. Additionally, Project Managers can easily track both planned and actual expenses to determine overall project profitability.

A number of additional metrics such as Cost Variance, Work in Progress, Estimated Budget Profitability, Upfront Billing Utilization, and others enable advanced financial planning. Multiple currencies are supported.
Billing and Rate Cards
Birdview PSA offers flexible billing options that include:
- Rate cards;
- Resource (employee) hourly rate;
- Project rate;
- Customer rate;
- Task rate (hourly or fixed cost);
- Historical rates;
- Project Fixed cost.

Roles:
- Project Manager
Deliverables and Outcomes:
- Project Plan (WBS)
- Schedule and Budget Baseline

Team members and contractors work on and complete their assignments, update their progress, track their time, communicate and collaborate with their peers. Results are shared with the customers, who can approve or provide comments and feedback.

Birdview PSA Advantage

Personalized experience for each team member encourages widespread user adoption based on their visualization preferences (Gantt, Kanban, Calendar, table) and project management maturity level.

Key Features Used

Activity Center
The Activity Center is the one view most used by Project Managers. Here they can easily create, approve, and modify project plans, view, search, filter, assign, and update projects and activities.

Based on user preference, project data can be displayed as a Table, Gantt Chart, Kanban board or Calendar view.
- Table View
  Table view allows users to display project information in a familiar spreadsheet-like fashion. Waterfall table views support unlimited levels of task hierarchy and features in-line editing, color-coded health indicators, column customizations and much more.
- Gantt Chart View
  Birdview PSA Interactive Gantt Chart offers a dynamic and visual way to create a project plan: change dates, duration and set dependencies across multiple projects as needed.
- Kanban View
  The Kanban board is a great tool for people and teams who follow Agile methodologies or prefer a more visual way to present and complete tasks.
  Each card (task) on the Kanban board gets worked on based on its stage of production (column). Assignees complete their work, drag the task out of their completed stage and drop it into the next one, automatically notifying all project team members of the updated task status.
- Calendar View
  The Calendar View is completely filterable to show only the information that a user needs. It’s also possible to color-code and display multiple calendars on the same view.
- Saved Views
  One of the biggest time-saving features of Activity Center is the ability to create Saved Views. A user can choose their preferred visualization, add filters, customize columns and then save these settings as a preset view. Once done, this saved view is available for repeatable viewing and sharing (if needed), much like a bookmark in a browser.
Collaboration

Birdview PSA allows you to communicate at a project or task level to keep information properly categorized and easily actionable. Messages can be posted in the collaboration center, via the mobile apps, or by sending an email. A complete record of all communication is tracked via the audit trail.

When working on a project or an activity, team members attach and share files. Document version control and complete document search is supported. All changes and communication within a project are time stamped and available for audit or compliance purposes.
My Assignments
“My Assignments” is designed to minimize the learning curve and maximize the productivity for each employee. This page presents a simple list view for task owners to complete their job without distraction. Project contributors immediately see everything they are supposed to be working on, in their preferred order, and can provide status updates, track time, and communicate with their entire team.
Approval Workflow

Team members can request and track approvals from multiple stakeholders in real-time. When reviewing images, users can add annotations to directly provide visual feedback at time of reviewing. Managers can choose to review and approve using their mobile device or from their Approval Inbox.

All key actions and changes in a project are recorded and tracked via audit trail log.
Guest Portal
It’s possible to enable clients, stakeholders or other departments within your company to view and track project progress, submit issues or requests directly to the team, and review work items that require approval without requiring a paid licence.

Roles:
- Project Manager
- Team Members
- Customer
- Contractors
Deliverables and Outcomes:
- Milestone-based Results

As the project progresses, the Project Manager closely monitors adherence to the schedule and budget using a variety of built-in indicators, tools and alerts. The PMO and the executive team regularly review a dynamic summary of the financial, productivity and team performance KPIs using dashboards and reports to make informed and timely decisions.

Birdview PSA Advantage

Library of 60+ dashboards to assist with evaluating key metrics to measure and deliver faster and better team alignment and efficiency;
Embedded Artificial Intelligence forecasting allows managers to predict the most likely project completion date given the prior schedule performance of the intended resources.

Key Features Used

Reports and Dashboards
Project Managers and the executive team rely on an array of pre-built reports and dashboards to monitor and control KPIs and metrics across multiple projects or portfolios. Birdview PSA includes a number of ready-to-use reports and dashboard widgets covering all key aspects of project management: financial health, timesheets, project status, billing, resource loading and others. Self-service report generator enables project members to create their own reports and dashboard widgets in mere minutes including any custom fields that may have been added.
Business Intelligence Analytics

Birdview PSA Business Intelligence package helps executives and senior PMO leadership dynamically interpret and analyze large amounts of data in beautifully designed interactive reports and dashboards.

BI dashboards enable users to visualize, analyze, and interpret real-time data with speed, efficiency, and understanding. It provides true insight and transparency to project and program performance “at a glance”.
Machine Learning

Birdview PSA harnesses the power of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to offer Project Managers a very powerful monitoring tool, predicting when a project is most likely to be completed.

To figure out the probability of hitting a chosen date, Birdview PSA utilizes a proprietary algorithm to process and analyze a broad range of available historical data and other variables.

Roles:
- Project Manager
- PMO
- Executive Team
Deliverables and Outcomes:
- Project KPIs and Milestones

At predetermined milestones, the Project Manager works with the Financial Team to review labor and non-labor costs, approve them, and invoice the Customer. Throughout the project, real-time finance performance indicators help project and delivery managers make informed decisions to determine overall project profitability.

Birdview PSA Advantage

Flexible rate cards allow for virtually any type of project billing;
Robust options for integrating with financial solutions include: Zapier, Workato, API.

Key Features Used

Time and Expense Tracking

Birdview PSA makes it very simple for users to track time. Each employee can choose the method that suits them the best: single entry, weekly submissions or a built-in timer. Time can be recorded on the go using either our Android or iOS native apps.
Time entries can be approved and locked by managers.

Project Managers can easily track both planned and actual expenses to build their projected budget and estimated internal cost. Expenses can be marked as “billable” if charged to a client and as “billed” to indicate that the expense has been invoiced.
Financial Module and Billing
Birdview PSA Financial Module supports seamless and accurate project accounting:
- Project budget, estimated internal cost and revenue calculations;
- Flexible project billing (rate cards, project, task and resource rates, fixed costs, etc);
- Expense tracking;
- Billable and non billable hours reporting;
- Multi-currency support;
- And much more…
Integration with Invoicing Software
An integration between Birdview PSA and the Invoicing/Accounting software of your choice (QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, Netsuite, Deltek, etc) provides visibility for non-financial stakeholders to identify budget risks early and to flag late payments. Invoices can be created quickly, without unnecessary double data entry and mistakes. Meanwhile, Project Managers can communicate regarding financial matters with their clients with confidence to collect cash faster, preserve project margin and maintain a high degree of client satisfaction.

Roles:
- Project Manager
- Financial Team
Deliverables and Outcomes:
- On-time Invoicing
- Meeting Target Profit Margins

Once the project is completed, the Project Manager and/or PMO conducts a project post mortem, records all lessons learned and shares them with the sales and executive teams. This information becomes available for the future project assessments, planning, and portfolio optimization.

Portfolio optimization is a continuous process that impacts all projects across a portfolio: under review, active, archived. The process takes into consideration a number of factors including risk assessment, ROI validation, strategy alignment, lessons learned review, and others.

Birdview PSA Advantage

Built-in user performance dashboards to help recognize both top and underperforming employees and managers;
Dedicated Ongoing account support model through Path to Success Program.

Key Features Used

Business Intelligence Analytics
Project Managers and the executive team rely on the pre-built reports and dashboards to monitor and control KPIs and metrics across multiple clients, projects or portfolios. Birdview PSA includes a number of ready-to-use reports and dashboard widgets covering all key aspects of project management: financial health, timesheets, project status, billing, resource loading and others.

Roles:
- Project Manager
- Sales Team
- PMO
- Executive Team
Deliverables and Outcomes:
- Lessons Learned
- Project and Client KPIs
- Culture of Continuous Improvement
  and Operational Excellence

Birdview PSA Advantage

Key Features Used

Roles:

Deliverables and Outcomes:

Birdview PSA Advantage

Key Features Used

Roles:

Deliverables and Outcomes:

Birdview PSA Advantage

Key Features Used

Roles:

Deliverables and Outcomes:

Birdview PSA Advantage

Key Features Used

Roles:

Deliverables and Outcomes:

Birdview PSA Advantage

Key Features Used

Roles:

Deliverables and Outcomes:

Birdview PSA Advantage

Key Features Used

Roles:

Deliverables and Outcomes:

Birdview PSA Advantage

Key Features Used

Roles:

Deliverables and Outcomes: