NEC - 'Early Warning Notices' Made Simple

Introduced in 1993, the New Engineering Contract (NEC) brought a significant transformation to the construction and infrastructure industry, aiming to streamline contractual processes for improved project management. Emphasising plain language and integrated mechanisms, the NEC was designed to enhance project practices and success. Resource

A key feature within the NEC framework is the Early Warning Notice (EWN) procedure. This mechanism enables seamless communication between parties regarding risk management, fostering a proactive approach to addressing potential issues before they escalate, rather than a reactive approach that could potentially delay project outcomes. Resource

However, as projects grow in complexity, particularly in large-scale infrastructure ventures worth billions, the administrative load associated with issuing a multitude of notices for various risk issues can become burdensome. Furthermore, failure to correctly utilise EWNs may result in contractual penalties, shifting the intended risk management focus towards a more defensive, commercially protective stance. Resource

This administrative weight can obstruct the collaborative spirit that EWNs aim to foster among parties involved in the contractual process. To address these challenges, iterations like NEC3 and NEC4 have been developed to guide and simplify processes across different project levels and their complexities. Resource

NECs aim to streamline the EWN structure, alleviating administrative burdens and standardising procedures. These templates help in navigating and simplifying the EWN process, making it more accessible and efficient.

UniPhi - Version 19 offers pre-built templates that can be further customised to align with NEC and EWN guidelines. For those familiar with the challenges of submitting EWNs, UniPhi's latest release provides a valuable tool. As we approach Project Control Expos (PCEs) in the UK and Australia, understanding the significance UniPhi can bring to project management teams within the context of NEC contracts is vital. Our aim is to provide tailored solutions and resources that meet the diverse needs of projects in construction and infrastructure.

We invite you to engage with us to discuss your project management challenges and requirements. UniPhi's capabilities in supporting NEC-based projects are tailored to offer effective solutions. Visit our stand to discover more about how UniPhi can be the solution you're seeking for efficient project controls and management using NECs.

Enhancing Project 13 Success through Integration: UniPhi's Approach

In today's project management landscape, the importance of efficient collaboration, streamlined processes, and effective data sharing cannot be overstated. Traditional barriers are giving way to a new era of integration, and leading this transformation is Project 13. Project 13 is an industry group that is looking to bring an enterprise rather than a transactional approach to the delivery of infrastructure projects.

It is made up of a series of pillars, one of which is integration. This pillar emphasises breaking down organisational barriers and promoting cross-functional cooperation.

Let's explore the fundamental principles of the Project 13 Integration Pillar:

• Common Purpose and Objectives: The foundation of any successful project is a shared vision and clearly defined goals. Aligning objectives keeps everyone focused on the mission.
• Collaborative Culture: Building a collaborative culture, creating trust and open communication are essential for a cohesive team.
• Integrated Systems and Processes: Integration extends beyond people; it includes systems and processes. An integrated system approach enables seamless data sharing, information flow, and effective decision-making.
• Engaged Stakeholders: All stakeholders must be actively involved and feel a sense of ownership in the project. This engagement fosters commitment and ensures that everyone is working towards a common goal.
• Continuous Improvement: Learning from past projects is essential. By capturing and sharing lessons learned, teams can drive innovation and continuously improve project delivery.

UniPhi facilitates delivering many of the principles above. It is a web-based platform with features for all project team members including task lists focused on issues and risks, sign-off workflows, cost and time control transparently reported live, and roles and responsibility management for clear governance communication.

UniPhi's Resource Module allows stakeholders to be assigned to the project at the right level of involvement. It provides the necessary access to focus on their objectives, and as roles change, updates and reassignments are easily managed.

Integrated Modules: UniPhi seamlessly links project data from inception to completion. It tracks all aspects of project controls linking them with the fluid collaboration features in the issues module to resolve problems before they lead to blowouts. All of this information rolls up and down for consolidated reporting of all project management functions in live dashboards.

UniPhi transforms project management by promoting a collaborative culture and breaking down silos. It empowers teams to work together seamlessly, leading to improved project performance, reduced risk, and sustainable project delivery on time and within budget. The platform's capabilities extend beyond what we can cover here, so feel free to reach out to the UniPhi team for a demonstration. Witness firsthand how UniPhi can turn your organization into an efficient project team with the ability to deliver outstanding project outcomes. Your journey to project integration excellence starts here.

UniPhi Automation Series - Resource Planning

One of the critical aspects of project management is resource planning, which involves allocating and managing the right resources (human, financial, and equipment) to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. Wherever possible replacing the manual management of resources is becoming increasingly necessary. This is where automation in resource planning plays a pivotal role. Here, we explore the importance and usefulness of automating resource planning in project management.  

The Challenge of Manual Resource Planning

Traditionally, project managers have relied on manual methods for resource planning, such as spreadsheets, calendars, and email communication. However, this approach has several limitations:

Inefficiency: Manual resource planning is time-consuming and prone to errors. It can be challenging to keep track of resource availability, workloads, and conflicts, especially in complex projects.

Lack of real-time data: Project managers often work with outdated information, leading to poor decision-making and delayed responses to resource-related issues.

Reduced collaboration: Communication gaps and misunderstandings can arise when relying solely on manual methods, leading to conflicts and a breakdown in teamwork.

Limited scalability: As projects grow in complexity and size, managing resources manually becomes increasingly difficult.

The Solution: Automating Resource Planning

Automating resource planning in project management involves using software tools and systems, like UniPhi, which is specifically designed to streamline the allocation and management of resources. Here's why it's important and useful for all projects:

Improved Efficiency: Automation eliminates the need for time-consuming manual calculations, making resource allocation and tracking faster and more accurate. It frees up project managers to focus on more strategic tasks.

Real-time Data: Automated systems provide real-time visibility into resource availability and workload. This enables project managers to make informed decisions and respond quickly to changing circumstances.

Enhanced Collaboration: Automation promotes seamless collaboration among team members. Project managers and team members can access the same data, reducing miscommunication and fostering better teamwork.

Scalability: Automated resource planning can scale to accommodate projects of any size and complexity, making it suitable for both small and large organizations.

Resource Optimization: Automated systems can suggest optimal resource allocation based on factors like skills, availability, and cost, leading to better resource utilization and cost savings.

Risk Mitigation: Automated systems can flag resource conflicts and potential bottlenecks, helping project managers proactively address issues and reduce project risks.

Cost Control: By providing a comprehensive overview of resource-related costs, automation helps in cost monitoring and control, preventing budget overruns.

Reporting and Analysis: Automation tools generate detailed reports and analytics, enabling project managers to identify trends, make data-driven decisions, and improve resource planning processes.

Automating resource planning in project management is not just a convenience. It is becoming a requirement to succeed meeting deliverables and maintain alignment with the initial business case. By automating the resource plan, easy to evaluate dashboards and report building capabilities are possible and facilitated. The NVP and BCR can be evaluated with accuracy against the WBS, variations, claims, EOTs across the life of the project. The executive stakeholders are accurately kept informed and make key decisions throughout the life of the project. This capability and functionality allows projects and companies that specialise in project analytics or enterprise resource planning (ERP), to effectively perform their roles, which is why automated resource planning within project software that links to the entire portfolio is becoming increasingly popular.

By adopting automation, project managers can increase the chances of project success. Whether you are managing a small-scale project or a large, intricate one, embracing automation in resource planning will undoubtedly help you achieve your goals more efficiently and effectively. UniPhi dominates any other project software capabilities by providing valuable automated reporting benefits to assess cash Flow, auto - budget phasing, progress claims and earned value performance if you implement automated resource planning effectively.

So, if you haven't already, it's time to consider implementing automated resource planning tools in your project management processes and take the first step by requesting to talk to someone here at UniPhi.