why critical path mechanics?

Can You Afford Project Planning?

Many small businesses piece together their processes as they grow. They do just fine until obvious necessity forces their evolution and integration. In our current competitive environment, however, to ignore the new players that arrived after Hurricane Ivan could be a fatal miscalculation. Local businesses are now thrown head to head against professional out-of-area firms. These well-organized heavyweights are characterized by integrated software applications—such as Estimating, Time Management, Accounting and Earned Value Calculation—working together to leverage their skill set.

The good news is that every business challenge comes wrapped around an opportunity. If you perform well during this period in your businesses history it could lift you from the world of job order/fee for service practice to the much more lucrative world of large capital projects. Recognizing and implementing proven best practices can improve your chances of success in the current environment and open your business up to new markets. To do this you may need to rapidly evolve your estimating and time management practices at the same time as you adapt to a rapidly changing culture. While the learning curve may be steep, you have smart people who are eager to learn new skills.

But...can you afford it? You'll be glad to hear that you already have most of the software you need. If a gap exists in you Project Management software suit it is most likely in the area of Time Management. Purchasing economical, off the shelf, software, can rapidly close this gap. If you are anticipating an evolution to Project Portfolio Management or Enterprise Resource Planning then we can help you maximize the reach of your budget. At CPM we maintain expertise in all the state of the art time management software so we are prepared to support the choice that fits your needs.

Beyond Time Management, CPM will assist you in the transition to tie your business processes into an integrated end-to-end system. It is not a lengthy process. The goal will be to identify the key process, supporting databases and software applications. Special emphasis will be placed on identifying application interfaces and gaps between processes. In order to ensure consistency and the ability to replicate a successful process, we will help you develop a Project Management Procedure Book. This document also aids in assimilating new managers and project control personnel, reducing the impact of personnel turnover. While the basis for CPM’s recommendations will always be rooted in the Project Management Book of Knowledge published by the Project Management Institute, we will carefully tailor them to the needs of your business.

CPM sees success as expanding the community of ethical, profitable Project Management. A Community we would like your company to proudly enter.

Contact us today to learn the value of Critical Path Mechanics.