Tightening municipal finances have also brought challenges for more efficient cost management of urban engineering and building construction projects. At the same time, regulatory obligations have increased and the actual time spent on project management is more “on the cards” for many project managers and project officers.
The RAKLA system, which has served as a cost-management tool in several cities, has now also reached the end of its life and attempts have been made to identify alternative solutions. Cost management has also been attempted manually using various Excel spreadsheets, usually still compiled from different files, or by commissioning various report formats from the financial management solution.
The financial management solution allows you to track the actual costs of projects in real time, but for cost control it would be more important to see the future costs. This requires a system where, in addition to the realistic target set for the project and the real-time performance information, you can also see the committed costs and the agreed additional and modification works.
The role of municipalities in urban construction has become more client-oriented over the years, and the cost management solutions traditionally offered to contractors are perceived as too cumbersome for the client’s needs. There have also been suggestions from maintenance departments that a lighter, rather than input-based, cost management approach to project cost management would be sufficient. The general wish is for a cost management solution that allows for the most straightforward input of the necessary information and that provides the desired outputs quickly, both for project packages and for individual projects.
From needs to implementation
Based on the above-mentioned needs, KuntaPlus Project Service, an expert project management company, together with experienced project managers, project officers and financial accountants from the municipalities, carried out a needs assessment of the required solution. It was then hoped and aimed that the solution defined would be implemented. Following a careful mapping exercise, the ‘consortium’ selected Proha Ltd, which had strong experience in implementing similar IT systems, as the contractor.
The first version was still being implemented in active cooperation between these parties and now the first development version has been adopted by Lahti, Kotka, Kouvola, Kaarina and Rovaniemi. The municipal engineering departments of the City of Kuopio are also in the process of implementing the solution. A second development version is currently being implemented, which will bring further flexibility to the production and maintenance of project data.
The first Intelli R development version has already delivered significant improvements in cost management in cities where the solution has been deployed.
Intelli R solution serves throughout the project phases
Intelli R provides municipalities’ technical sector with a modern and user-friendly solution that streamlines project cost management and brings all project information together in a single view via a web browser.
A project can be set up in Intelli R, even if it is only a proposal/project proposal. It is sufficient to know the name of the project and give it some kind of project ID. Other information can be added as the project progresses. Most of the information is selected from menus created in the system for the various data fields, from which data can be added quickly and consistently. Data can also be entered directly in the project list views and copying data from existing projects is made easy. For example, the creation of a new project can be quickly created from a previously created project with sorting information and titles.
All project data in one repository via browser
All project data is centrally located in a common repository, and users work on and view project data through a browser, according to their user role and rights. This ensures the availability and timeliness of information for different stakeholders, whether they are project managers, project managers or heads of municipal departments.
Information security
Information security is a top priority. Intelli R is built to the highest security standards. Our SaaS service protects data by both technical and organisational means and complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). User rights and access rights are strictly defined, ensuring that data can only be accessed by authorised persons. In addition, all data transfers and integrations with financial management systems are secure and efficient.
Examining the costs of projects in different aggregates
Intelli R allows you to view the costs of projects in different project groups and for a single project, broken down to heading and, if necessary, cost category level. It is possible to limit the project groups with a wide range of filters, including filtering searches, as well as all the sorting options available for projects. As an example use case, the head of department can quickly see the desired summaries of the cost situation.
Better cost predictability
It is important for the cost control of the project that it is possible to look ahead. Intelli R consolidates project cost information into one clear view that simultaneously shows the project objective, committed costs, agreed additions and changes, and real-time performance. Intelli R compares committed costs, additional works and deliverables with the final forecast and colour-codes the costs of construction items that the project manager should pay attention to. In the same view, the project manager can also make straightforward changes to the final forecast.
Management of additions and modifications
Building and community engineering projects can involve a lot of additional work and modifications, which also have a large cost impact on overall costs. Traditionally, these have been recorded separately in Excel or left to the contractor to carry out and report. According to the wishes and specifications of the project managers, a clear tabular section has been implemented in Intelli R for recording additional works and modifications, so that their contribution to the cost can be viewed both in terms of heading and total cost.
Good data transfer functionalities provide a wider overall benefit
The actual costs of the projects are automatically imported into Intelli R for the projects and their headings through the interface integration with the financial management system. Currently, customers transfer vouchers to Intelli R from SAP, Intime, Raindance and others.
Intelli R can be used to export the data to Office programs and the PlanMan Project scheduling software, which is widely used in municipalities, where schedule data can also be added to the desired project program. This feature is also available in the new Intelli R version.
Continuous development
Intelli R is constantly, but carefully, being developed. The aim is to keep it as simple as possible, while covering all the key functions that customers want. The latest version of Intelli R will be released later this year. The latest version includes a change of the application platform to the modern Camako platform, which is used extensively by Proha, allowing more flexibility for future functionality, including the ability to enter and update project data directly in the project list views.
The move to the Camako platform will allow for more flexible development, including mobile-friendly interfaces and new integrations. The Camako platform is designed to offer scalability, modern usability and efficiency to meet the needs of today’s demanding project management.
In cooperation with the KuntaPlus project service
KuntaPlus Project Service is a specialist company with strong expertise and long-term experience in developing project management for municipalities’ technical departments.
The expert service will be delivered by drawing on the experience and knowledge base gained from a growing client base; project management cooperation with more than 100 municipalities, business entities and limited liability companies; and active interaction with the private sector and software houses. The KuntaPlus project service has also been actively involved in the configuration of the Intelli R system by describing and communicating user needs to the system development. Good experience and knowledge of the client’s area of operation saves the collaboration a lot of time and effort for the client and ensures a common understanding of the objectives of the collaboration.
The KuntaPlus project service acts as a flexible project management partner, which also shares best practices and solutions across municipal borders. The KuntaPlus project service acts as a partner for Proha, providing expert services in the implementation and training of the Intelli R solution and providing expert support during the implementation phase.
Summary
Intelli R is a straightforward tool for project management of urban engineering and building projects, developed according to the wishes of project managers, executives and financial accountants. The starting point has been to ensure the best possible suitability for client-oriented project management. Intelli R is also ideally suited for cost management in construction and maintenance units, where a coarser level of project cost management than the ‘nail’ level is sufficient. Intelli R is particularly well suited to the needs of entities responsible for street, green, building and water supply projects.
Intelli R ensures that there is maximum visibility of project costs throughout all project phases, and real-time cost realisation, in addition to maximum predictability of costs.
To find out more about our Intelli R solution or to see how it can improve the cost management of your department’s projects, please get in touch:
Risto Nätynki risto.natynki@proha.com
Pekka Väätänen pekka.vaatanen@kuntaplus.fi
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