Project juggling: the evolution of a process

ABSTRACT

What do you do when an enterprise project management system is too much and a list of projects is too little? Our solution was to create a simple Access database with a web interface using ColdFusion. Our objective was to facilitate the CIO's (and other managers') coordination and understanding of the full range of projects (about 75-100 active), organize periodic status reports for all projects, and automate the flow of detailed effort data which was required by the CEO. (The status reports, themselves, are stored in a free document database system.) Our "quick prototype" turned into a useable system for tracking -- on a "medium grade" scale -- what was being done, by whom, when, and why. And, in the end, answering the big question.

How much effort is this costing us?

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  J. Computer Applications
  J.1 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA PROCESSING
      Subjects: Government

General Terms:
Management

Keywords:
coldFusion, dynamic web application, project management