Mobile apps for SAP portfolio and project management and SAP project system

Milliarum develops mobile SAP apps for project managers

Project managers are often on the move: having an overview of all important project data at a glance is essential for project progress - even on a plane, on the train or in the home office. Mobile-optimized software solutions make this possible. Milliarum therefore extends the SAP standard with intelligent additional functions: our applications can be used on the move and offer a user-friendly interface. Our applications are intuitive to use and easy to understand, even for project managers without prior technical knowledge.

Intelligent enhancements for the SAP standard

Our solutions extend the SAP standard for project and portfolio management and project systems: our repertoire includes various mobile apps. Dirk Ott, Managing Director of Milliarum, describes them as necessary for optimal project management, as currently only around ten percent of the functions in the SAP standard can be used on mobile devices. In SAP standard apps, users have to search for the desired functions individually. This is often cumbersome and time-consuming. As the data has to be extracted from the system for processing, this makes real-time analyses more difficult.

Mobile and intuitive to use: Apps for SAP PPM and PS

In order to be intuitive and operable from mobile devices, applications for SAP PPM and SAP PS are ideally based on the UI5 framework and the Fiori user interface. These extensions are in high demand because
"One of our first customers' requirements was actually that project managers or project leaders should be able to make decisions from the airport, even on business trips," reports Dirk Ott. Milliarum will be presenting the new solutions for mobile apps at the annual conference of the German-speaking SAP User Group (DSAG), which takes place in Bremen from September 19 to 21.

Quick and easy: mobile apps for PPM give project managers a helping hand

There are now several mobile apps with specific functions for PPM:

• Task dashboard app: With this function, the app provides a cross-project overview of all tasks, making them easier and quicker to evaluate.
• Portfolio items dashboard app: This function displays items on the app according to specific section criteria. Filter options are provided to simplify the search. It also speeds up editing and ensures a good overview of all portfolio items.
• Resource scheduling app: Here, one or more project roles can be assigned to an employee via "drag & drop". Their assigned hours can also be read out according to availability. This app is displayed using a Gantt chart.
• App for approving and editing decision points: This app enables decision points to be selected - across all elements and according to specific criteria. This allows project decision-makers to keep an eye on all factors in a portfolio and work in a time-efficient manner.

Mobile apps for SAP PS: a better overview of projects and costs

There are also some apps with modern functions in the SAP project system. These support the clear design of projects and cost evaluation.

• Cost evaluation app: The UI5 interface can be used to monitor the costs of individual projects based on SAP hierarchy/research reports. Research reports from customers and SAP standard reports are used as the basis for this. There are also completely new functions. For example, graphical visualizations and individually adaptable evaluations are possible.
• Apps for displaying individual or multi-project data: Information can be clearly displayed here and all important information can be presented in compressed form on one page.

Overview apps, such as those mentioned above, overcome the lack of central entry points for projects in the SAP standard. The new apps enable greater transparency and are time-efficient, as no data has to be laboriously searched for and prepared using other programs.

The benefits of the new apps for PPM and PS for companies

The innovative apps for PPM and PS expand the repertoire of SAP standard apps. The enhancements increase transparency in projects, the allocation of resources becomes easier and their utilization can be better monitored and managed. This speeds up the implementation of projects and reduces costs. One particular benefit is that the mobile apps allow project managers a great deal of flexibility. Many areas of the company already appreciate the optimized way of working thanks to mobile apps: project management and project management office (PMO), IT and organization, company management, product development and product creation as well as design and production.
Thanks to the enhanced apps, users have a better overview of all tasks and data within their projects and their evaluation is also optimized.

The UI5 Construction Kit

Companies can also develop their own apps with the "UI5 Construction Kit". And with manageable effort. This allows them to respond to requirements that come from customers or arise in projects. According to Dirk Ott, this kit is "a low-threshold option for building personal SAP apps via customizing". Even without programming knowledge, users are able to create applications for PPM or PS on the basis of existing apps - in a short space of time and tailored to individual requirements. The existing apps can serve as a template. This reduces the effort required to set up new apps based on UI5. The implementation takes place in SAP's own programming language "Advanced Business Application Programming" (ABAP).

Conclusion

SAP standard solutions for PPM and PS offer potential for mobile optimization to enable flexible and mobile working. There is therefore a need for extended apps that are easy to use and can run on smartphones and tablets. These should help to make project management and controlling processes more efficient. SAP partner companies have developed solutions based on UI5 to respond to the requirements of PPM and PS. The new functions are clear and easy to use and map project tasks, portfolio elements and decision points, among other things. It is also possible to design individual solutions quickly and without programming knowledge on the basis of the UI5 Construction Kit.

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