UniPhi 17 - Embedded Charts!

UniPhi 14 saw the release of embedded PowerBI dashboards. These dashboards are developed by our end users and allow you to build whatever type of report you can imagine with the valuable data captured in the UniPhi application. However, these charts are displayed in the reports section of UniPhi and hence are a few clicks away from view when directly entering data. UniPhi 17 comes with embedded charts for every module and aside from lifting up the application to have far more visual appeal, these charts actually tell a story! 

Embedded issues chart

The above issues chart trends the issues created over time and presents the average duration time by category. One interesting aspect of UniPhi is the ability to configure it for a range of functions and one of those is as a CRM. By creating a "Sales" category these new charts can track if your sales lead pipeline is growing and what the average sales cycle is. Similar analysis can be done with RFI response times, defects and safety issues.

Issue count by sales category (hopefully trending up)

These trending charts have unlocked a host of insights into our own deployment (known as dogfood) which has data dating back to 2005! We've upgraded dogfood to 17 early to make sure its well tested before release. We're certain our end users will be surprised at what a good visual can tell them too when we upgrade throughout July.

The charts are displayed as part of the overall table based reports that have been in the system for years. No more browsing off to see the results of the data you've captured!

They can be toggled off and on from the switch in the top right corner.

We'll be presenting all the charts in detail out our upcoming charts webinar on 1st June. Register to get some exclusive insights into why these charts were chosen and what insights you can gain from them.

Don't forget to come back to our blog Monday to read the next UniPhi 17 series post on the new scheduling capability for cash flow and effort.

UniPhi 17 - Spreadsheet style data entry (no more clunky add buttons)

 

UniPhi has been actively used in the marketplace for almost 17 years (thanks to the wonderful Lysaght and BlueScope Steel for kicking us off and all subsequent customers) and it has evolved as one code base since then. It is a web application built on an asp.net framework. asp.net came out in 2002 so for it to still be a major platform for web development is amazing. However, funky new platforms have since been created that compete very well with asp.net. These platforms allow for more dynamic data entry similar to desktop applications of the past. And yet, after a lot of experimentation, we have found issues in all of these new platforms that asp.net just doesn't have. So we've had to be inventive over the years and UniPhi 17 continues this creativity with new spreadsheet style data entry screens for contract items.

The contract entry cards come with 10 blank rows for people to populate content. When they press save, another 10 rows are created and so on and so forth. This means that a user can quickly add a brainstorm of deliverables directly into UniPhi, rather than dump them in Excel for importing later.

Blank data entry screen for a new contract

This data entry method was first created underneath cost and revenue codes in our cost and revenue modules some years ago but like all good wines, has taken some time to mature to the contracts system. With the 'n' level structure, rates library capability, drag and drop re-ordering and Excel style indenting, we think we've beaten the odds and have provided our users with a compelling case to drop the other tools and just jump straight into UniPhi for your contract WBS needs.

Come back tomorrow for our next installment in the UniPhi 17 feature series.Tomorrow's edition ...... CHARTS!

UniPhi 17 - Work Breakdown Structure UniPhi Style.

 

For those of us who haven't consumed the guide to the Project Managers Body of Knowledge published by the US based Project Managers Institute, a Work Breakdown Structure is; "a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. It organizes and defines the total scope of the project." Sounds exciting doesn't it.

If that has got the juices flowing then you'll be ecstatic to hear that UniPhi 17 comes with a new contracts interface that allows you to build that WBS to as many levels as you like. Yep, this new feature will support tracking earned value on every cent or pence you spend on your project. It took 17 years to convince our founder that project managers are that anally retentive but we got there in the end.

Below is a screenshot of this awe inspiring functionality. Funky things include drag and drop re-ordering, drill in to a specific deliverable to create more and commentary at the deliverable level.

All jokes aside, the real power of this change comes from the integration of this functionality with time-sheets, earned value and issues directly related to a deliverable. You can also use this functionality to price up jobs with rates libraries coming from the resources module at the classification or individual level.

This integration means that you can enter this WBS once and use it to quote, track and report. Now that is amazing!

Come back Thursday for the next installment of the UniPhi 17 release series.