However, the coronavirus crisis has propelled a new way of working entirely which has caused shifts in productivity, goals, and management of the talent pool. While ensuring the safety of employees and contributing towards the containment of this disease, managers can maximize their efficiency in organizing and governing their teams. Utilizing advanced resource management tools and deploying smart ways will help them increase their team productivity.

Leverage these tips to achieve the same while you are self-quarantined:

1. Collaboration tools

When you have a distributed workforce and these world events are pushing you towards a remote working model, team collaboration is crucial to keep the projects running. It’s important for managers to know which resource is allocated to what task and their progress on the same. Not only that, collaborating with employees lets you understand their strengths and weaknesses and the challenges they are facing due to a shift in the working environment. You can tap into their potential and help them adapt to telecommuting.

However, managing multiple employees dispersed across different locations is a task in itself. Kudos to the advanced technology available today that eases collaboration. Leveraging smart tools will help you get real-time updates of your team’s work and their progress. What’s more? Coworkers can touch base with each other without any formality of an email and be a part of the workspace without even being present there.

2. Management and micromanagement

While it’s necessary to communicate with employees to track their productivity and progress, nudging them every 30-40 minutes is a waste of time for both employer and employee. There is a thin line between management and micromanagement which if crossed can lead to disengaged employees and bring down their morale. It’s true when they say, a boss who micromanages is like a coach who wants to get in the game!

When employees hover over every now and then, it erodes that trust. They lose interest in their jobs and eventually lowers their productivity. To avoid this and meet project deadlines on time, stop nitpicking on employees. Independence and decision making are vital for remote workers. Instead, manage resources efficiently to increase their work from home productivity. To make this simpler, standardize available hours and breaks so that everyone is working as a single unit even when dispersed.

3. Track progress

Employers find it challenging to track their employee’s daily activities while telecommuting. To improve work efficiency, knowing about your employee’s schedule and task’s progress is necessary. Only then can you allocate tasks based on their availability. When the work is allocated uniformly across the enterprise, you can increase team efficiency and achieve maximum productivity.

With smart scheduling and task management tools at your disposal, you can get a centralized view of your entire team’s schedule. Using this, you can gauge your resource’s progress. Furthermore, you can ensure optimum utilization of resources by delegating equal amounts of work to the workforce which in turn helps you increase efficiency. You can also take corrective measures and communicate with employees if they are lagging and their progress is not as expected.

4. ROWE mindset

Would you rather have an employee who logs in for 8 hours and accomplishes only 3 hours of work or the one who just sits for 3 hours and delivers expected results? It’s a rhetorical question! This is what ROWE means- a result-oriented work environment. Inculcating this while teleworking is useful for employee’s morale and productivity improvement. Supervisors should be concerned about the results instead of how the resource achieves it.

Inculcating ROWE lets you focus on goals and metrics and also eliminates the traditional idea of how much time was spent sitting on a desk. This gives your talent pool enough leeway to work with their comfort and deliver better results. Because, obviously, everyone follows their own way to complete tasks. Imposing yours will only lower their productivity.

5. Daily meetings

When working from home, certain distractions already disrupt productivity. If employees are not clear on daily goals and targets, it will only make matters worse. Hence conducting daily meetings before log in hours will ensure the accomplishment of high priority tasks on time. It gives clarity to the employees and they can plan their day based on these goals.

Employees can prioritize their tasks according to the targets you set for them. This helps them to be most productive for important tasks first. A well-structured plan helps you streamline project management and increases the work efficiency of your team. Regardless of where your employees are based, these meetings via tech tools will not hamper your work progress.

The gist

Amidst isolation and quarantine due to the outbreak where the economy is downsizing tremendously, keeping your company afloat is of prime importance. By following these tips for crisis management, you’ll not only get the best of your employees but will also deliver desired results to the clients. Work from home is a refreshing change that inculcates self-discipline and increases productivity. To operate your teams effectively using these tools to keep your work going and stay safe and contribute to the community by social distancing.

As we bid farewell to another successful year, there is no better time like the present to reflect on how far we’ve come, and what lies in store for us in 2020 and the years to follow.

2019 began on a high note, with Saviom in attendance for the 7th PMO leadership Summit in February, sponsored by Liquid Learning in Melbourne. As a project manager turned business owner, I have always carried the belief that the best way to learn is to exchange notes with industry leaders.

After all, the mark of an experienced leader lies in one’s ability to absorb new information without losing sight of the original vision.

I consider myself fortunate to have been in the thick of discussions concerning trends that will impact global Project Management Offices, from leveraging agility rightfully to optimizing resources.

On the business front, It gives me great pleasure to reveal that our enterprise-grade products have caught the eye of both new and existing clients, who have upscaled their usage of resource management. From notable defense contracts to multinational giants like Fujitsu Australia, KLA Tencor, Aurecon, and Cegeka, we are happy to have played a pivotal role in helping enterprises realize actual value on high-return projects while reducing resourcing expenditure by 20%.

A sure sign that you’re running your business right is the talent pool attracted to your organization. Since 2018, our numbers have doubled, with collaborative teams comprising of the best minds in software development, design, operations, and marketing.

One of the joys an entrepreneur experience is using his, or her market expertise to tap into a broader business landscape. And on this note, Saviom is currently running several key projects, which include modeling a highly customizable, PMO-centric Project Portfolio Management tool and launching a Professional Services Automation tool for global enterprises. These initiatives fall in line with our endeavor to deliver unmatched product quality and will be unveiled in February 2020. More on this to follow!

I end my musings with the certainty that 2020 will be a year to remember for project leaders around the globe. Here is wishing you all a very happy and prosperous new year!

We’re proud to announce Saviom ’s entry into CompareCamp. Our Enterprise resource management software has been recognized for the way it helps enterprises achieve total optimization of their resources and related processes while keeping their operational costs low.

CompareCamp is a premier source for B2B and B2C software reviews. The team comprises of a panel of product review experts who enable an expansive customer database to compare and make key decisions.

For them to name our product as the recipient of the 2019 Great User Experience and Rising Star Awards is a tremendous honor for us.

In the review by CompareCamp, Saviom is described as a robust enterprise resource management tool that enables enterprises to fully maximize their resources and manpower. It equips companies with the capabilities required to create and implement viable schedules for their equipment, facilities, and personnel, streamline their processes.

Several corporate and technology giants have recorded a 20% cost-efficiency and have brought down their operational expenses as their revenue significantly climbs.

Saviom runs on a scalable, lightweight architecture which enables it to be rolled out to the personalization users wish to see. It’s extremely intuitive so that non-technical users can quickly acquaint themselves with the software and fully utilize it to make and execute the best resource planning strategies. This user-friendliness, coupled with Saviom’s rich feature set lets managers unclog congested schedules.

This makes it the software of choice for businesses wishing to leverage a productive workforce strategically To invest in Saviom means joining a community of corporate giants including Fujitsu, Siemens, DHL, and Nestle, to mention some.

CompareCamp’s recent recognition of our software tells us that we are indeed going in the right direction and we will continue to do so as we face new demands and challenges that come our way.

Saviom was conceived with the endeavor to end operational inefficiencies that arise from untapped potential, resulting in a truly mobilized workforce that empowers global multinational enterprises today.

The year 2018 has brought a slew of interesting conventions with it. Given the growing concern revolving around sustaining an agile PMO’s excellence across the project management landscape, I was glad that Saviom, as a sponsor participated in the 6th PMO Leadership Summit in partnership with Liquid Learning and the AIPM National Conference. Both events featured an esteemed panel of project leaders who elaborated on navigating the PMO landscape and the challenges of unifying people and performance with precision.

After comparing notes with reputable PMO leaders from different sectors, it was interesting to find everyone concur on resource management being the missing link between business strategy and the subsequent alignment of projects. After all, the best project management initiatives are devised by the right brains.

However, the challenges in doing so are plenty.

For one, filling the project pipeline with as many projects as possible results in the right priorities and resources getting overlooked. Which simply means that your projects are staffed without the certainty of deploying the right and available competencies in the right places. And for another, the lack of data-driven insights into both projects and resources causes a mismatch in the project’s promised benefits and actual value.

With the view to minimize these risks and their associated costs, I’m pleased to announce the inclusion of a dedicated PMO-centric tool to our intuitive product suites; Saviom Enterprise Project Portfolio Management. Built on the premise of unifying the principles of project portfolio and resource management, global PMO leaders will not only convert data to insights with enhanced resource forecasting intelligence but will also be in the position to record demonstrable value in the future.

Ushering new and familiar faces alike is one of the several joys of being in the Director’s Chair, more so knowing that business ties are strengthened by the trust in quality and service. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to announce the expansion of our client base with the likes of Deloitte, BlueScope Buildings, Honeywell (US), Fuji Xerox, Fujitsu (Australia and New Zealand), Apple Inc, Columbia Helicopters and Oakley on board. There’s no satisfaction greater than knowing that the Saviom ERM suite has boosted resource efficiency scales, helping our clients record a cost savings of 20% bi-annually.

The next event I’ll be at is the 7th PMO leadership Summit slated to take place in Melbourne between 19-21 Feb 2019. I am looking forward to discussing the topics under the radar, from leveraging agility rightfully to partnering the PMO with decision-making drivers.

I end my musings with the certainty that no challenge in 2019 is too big for us to take on, particularly when it comes to building robust product suites that optimize efficiency to the best possible extent.

Here’s wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

Saviom was conceived with the aim to map resources in a way that lets projects make the most out of the best skills in the industry. After all, it is people that shape up an organisation by upholding its core values!
 And as each passing year brings with it a host of important changes, it gives me great pleasure to bring to your attention, the highlights of 2017!

Starting off on a celebratory note with a slew of new clients, we had a rather jubilant first quarter. Some of the companies who began using our ERM tool in 2017 include Nike, Aurecon, KLA Tencor and Department of Border Protection Australia.

Business relationships are strengthened by mutual trust and a shared passion for problem-solving.  In addition to the expansion of our clientele, the team itself saw exponential growth this year. Two of the most energetic cities of the world – the ever-bustling London and the newly christened Silicon Valley, Bangalore, now play host to our new Sales and Marketing teams respectively.

I’ve always believed that what a young team lacks in experience, it makes up for with an infectious spirit to work hard which proves to be a far more effective work culture in the long run. The sales and marketing teams we’ve built this year are reflective of this very idea.

Aakash Gupta our able Sales consultant and Subject-matter Expert has spearheaded the team’s growth over the past year. The team deserves a fair share of the credit for creating and implementing many of the year’s marketing initiatives.

Giving us honest and objective feedback truly helps us help you. On this note, I consider myself fortunate to be on the receiving end of the continued support and trust extended to us by our wonderful clients.

On the technology front, following the overwhelming response to Saviom ERM’s web version, I’m happy to announce the inclusion of our PPM Software to our suite, slated to be launched in 2018. Developed on principles similar to our ERM tool, the software I’m sure is going to relieve PMOs who have long been in search of a tool that understands efficiency as well as they do!

As we put another successful year behind us, the team and I are excited to usher in the new year and onboard new clients alongside some familiar faces. We thrive on fresh challenges and know for certain that 2018 is going to deliver too!

Here’s wishing each and every one of you a prosperous and happy New Year!

In our latest update, we redefine the intuitive nature of our ERM solution with an advanced ‘What if Analysis Tool’ and a comprehensive ‘Leave Module’, in a bid to make the software all the more effective, efficient and user-centric.

WHAT IF  you had a crystal ball?

What-if scenario analysis is a business planning methodology used to derive different  predictions for a given outcome based on selectively varying inputs.  It is one of the best ways to predict the outcome of different actions and is particularly popular in Project Management units.

Introduced as a new Functional Item within Saviom, the different causes and their due effects can easily be gauged by the click of a button. Saviom gives you the option to change variables like the timeline of the project, and easily analyse its impact on the status of the reports as a virtue of changes to this variable.

You can choose an individual project, extend or shorten its timeline and immediately see how the reports change based on that. The options of reports that you can choose from include the Utilization Report, Availability Report, Capacity vs. Demand Report and the Cost Reports. For example, when you extend the timeline of a project through our Cost Report, you can see how that directly impacts the cost associated with it.

Information for which you would have to spend hours toiling over a spreadsheet can now be unlocked in minutes. Added to this, your forecasting becomes stronger than ever, allowing you to exactly know what can affect your project and how.

LEAVE  the worries behind…

The leave module enables you to collate your leave application and its subsequent approval all at one go. Not only does it let you choose the duration and the type of leave but you can instantly get the associated resource manager as well as supervisor on-board thus having never to worry about integrating leave statuses of different employees.

Besides, you can assign ‘My Approval’ as a Functional Item for supervisors in their respective portal, thus letting them see individual leave requests and assign them the required status ( approved or rejected).

While these two aspects are the core features that this update introduces, it also brings in various other features, that have been designed to help you achieve maximum utilization of Saviom and make your journey fruitful.

Matrix management has been created to simplify management in the companies of the 21st century. Despite many businesses implementing such management, its true benefits are only realised when good resource scheduling software is utilised to support it.

Businesses today aren’t the way they used to be. Traditionally businesses were small and focused on perfecting a specific area of a product or area in the market. However in the 21st century many organizations are becoming increasingly larger and diversifying within their field as well as across multiple industries. Furthermore, globalisation and the internet have caused services and goods to be offered across borders and seas. As a result, it is increasingly difficult to maximise the efficiency of an organization’s resources due to the changes in size, shape, structure, and expansion beyond borders and into cyberspace. With all this change and confusion, matrix management supported by effective resource scheduling software has been a beacon of light for burgeoning, successful businesses.

Let’s look at this in more detail.

The challenge in management today is, due to the growth and increased diversification, many companies carry out many different projects and activities, and these activities are carried out across various divisions, hence requiring a plethora of skills and roles. At the same time, even though the projects are separate they often also require overlapping skills. Instead of wasting money by employing the same roles and skills for each division, companies have started to employ matrix management which enables managers to share employees with the relevant skills across projects.

Matrix management means that a pool of workers will be assigned across a set of divisions into teams but also across a set of projects (like a matrix!). Hence employees will have a line manager who takes care of the administration and longer term career focused issues such as staff development, remuneration and career plans, along with a project manager who manages the staff members on the relevant projects. This firstly allows the resources to be used most efficiently in order to minimise the cost of wages for the company. Secondly, it enables teams within an organization to be more flexible with the work they take on as they are less restricted by their resources – hence increasing opportunities for profit.

Matrix management can get quite confusing in terms of accounting for employees when only using a spreadsheet and a human brain. However with appropriate resource scheduling software makes it quite simple.

Why? Resource scheduling software holds all the required information on your employees: their skills, their line manager, relevant details of their employment status etc. It also has their availability and schedule for work for the past, present and future. Hence, as far as transparency of your work is concerned, a line manager can easily track those things for administration, budgeting and career development purposes. Simultaneously, project managers are happy because they can get the best resource without having to pay for the wages of hiring a new staff member – all they need to do is simply search through the resource scheduling database and assign available resources to their jobs. Finally the company’s overall bottom line is happy, because the increased efficiency with employee allocation has enabled them to maximise profit, and they can easily track all this information through intuitive software that provides them with powerful, graphically based reports.

So how easily can one find such resource scheduling software that supports companies in successfully implementing matrix management?

Easily. One such software is SAVIOM Resource Scheduling Software that has been designed to wonderfully suit organizations that use matrix management or are planning to transition into it..

SAVIOM is market leader in Resource Management Software. This software is quite affordable and easy to use.