Project Milestone & Tracking System

DSM Project and Milestone Management

Dynamic DSM Tracking System was designed to assist users in managing multiple energy-related projects. Its modularity gives the system an immense amount of flexibility, capable of suiting many needs. Built natively on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform, it offers top of the line security, flexibility, value, power and stability. It also includes a comprehensive end-to-end workflow engine that is optimized for flexible and secure program management.

The system allows for an easy and agile deployment, potentially within a 30-to-60-day time frame. Once deployed, the software boasts several formidable out-of-the-box capabilities. One of the chief components within Dynamic DSM is the Project Milestone Tracking module.

Flexible Reporting Status Options

Each Project consists of multiple Phases, multiple Statuses and potentially unlimited Milestones.

Configuration Engine

Administrators are empowered to quickly create and modify milestones and milestone automation.

Skipping Milestones

At times users need to skip some steps within a process. Yet it remains crucial to be able to track who made that decision.

Target vs Actual Durations

Each Milestone is preloaded with Target Durations. The Duration Report shows Target vs Actual Durations for process optimization.

Workflow Branching (Insert Milestone Sets)

At times users need to be able to add Milestones directly into an existing Milestone Track. For example, a Random Inspection might be needed between Milestone Steps 8 and 9 of an existing Project. In this case the user simply hits the “Add Milestone” button and is provided a list of Milestones (or Milestone Sets) that are available to be inserted. User permissions help determine whether a user has the rights to add Milestones. The user then selects “Random Pre-Inspection”, and the system adds this step into the appropriate slot – and then recalculates all Target Dates.

Automated Milestone Updates

Each time an Actual End date for a Milestone is entered, Milestone Track is recalculated and the Target Start data and Target End date for each Milestone are accordingly adjusted. Forecasted Installation and Forecasted Project Completion dates are also updated.

Milestone Tracking

Methodology

Empowers users to immediately view the Target date and month for the initial Pre-Commitment, Commitment and Installation date targets.

Easy Reports

These dates allow forecasting for Committed and Installed numbers for each month—enabling easy reports for the Utility at where each Program resides.

Milestone-to-Measure Relationship

Milestones are connected to Measures such that when a Milestone triggers moving the Project from the Pre-Commit to the Committed Phase, then all the Pre-Committed Measure data is frozen and then copied into the Committed section.

Approval Management

Based on threshold conditions (such as Incentive Dollar Amounts) upper level approvals may simply be skipped, thus only requiring Tier 1 approvals. Required Approvals automatically appear on the approver’s Queue dashboard.

Overrides

Users are also able to manually override each Target date by manually adjusting the Estimated End date any Milestone which then recalculates Target Dates on future Milestone Steps.

Forecasting

Project Milestones allow for detailed Forecasting. Forecasts exist for (a) Project Completion (b) Incentive Payments (c) Installation (d) Commitment Approval (e) each Milestone (f) each Phase (g) each Status. In this way, the user is able to view all upcoming dates and build monthly reports around these Forecasts.

Initial Estimate

Manually editable fields on the Project Summary Screen. Their purpose is to allow users to estimate Savings and Incentive values before the Measures are known. They roll into the Pre-Commit Phase. When Measures are added to the system, then the Initial Estimates are overwritten by these “real numbers”. In this way, the system allows for the estimation of potential projects.