Product and project portfolio management
To get the right products to market quickly and efficiently, manufacturers must maintain control over all of their development projects. Doing so requires fast, informed decisions; a firm connection with the global team—including suppliers and customers; and the ability to implement standard protocols based on successful strategies. An integrated process management system is essential to the quick decision-making and process standardization manufacturers need to be successful.
Microsoft and its partners offer comprehensive software solutions for product management, idea management, risk management, resource allocation, and collaboration, tailored for every type of manufacturing. With product and project portfolio management (PPM) solutions from Microsoft, you can drive business performance and better determine which products to make, how to allocate resources, and how to balance risk and reward with their product portfolio. The results: a better bottom line and higher customer satisfaction.
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Benefits
The solutions provided by Microsoft technology platforms and partner applications enable manufacturers to use resources more effectively and to align each project's outcome with corporate objectives. A PPM strategy empowers manufacturers to:
| • | Map investments to strategic business goals by making investment portfolios visible and structured, and by managing research and development to support long-range business objectives. |
| • | Optimize the company's product portfolio by achieving a measurable balance across risks and opportunities, short-term returns and long-term market positioning, and established and new customer markets. |
| • | Ensure that results track with expected benefits by monitoring the entire product portfolio as well as individual projects and by leveraging real-time information for design and production decisions. |
| • | Drive down costs and time-to-market by managing the production process in a collaborative way, optimizing the allocation of production resources for the highest value outcomes. |
| • | Maximize acceptance and ease of use by deploying tailored solutions built on integrated Microsoft product stacks and familiar product interfaces. |
Case studies
To learn how manufacturing companies have benefited from PPM solutions delivered by Microsoft technologies and Microsoft partner solutions, read these case studies:
Technologies
The following Microsoft technologies form the foundation for secure, collaborative solutions in manufacturing:
| • | .NET establishes an integrated infrastructure to quickly build, deploy, and manage connected, security-enhanced solutions with Web services |
| • | Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 extends the power of the world's most popular desktop productivity suite to help people collaborate and work with information efficiently, regardless of location or network status |
| • | Windows Workflow Foundation provides the programming model, engine, and tools for quickly building workflow-enabled applications on Windows |
| • | Microsoft SQL Server provides the database engine for highly scalable, cost-effective solutions |
| • | Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 helps manufacturers identify, select, manage, and deliver portfolios that align with strategic priorities |
| • | Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 enables enterprise project management solutions for organizations of all sizes |
| • | Windows Rights Management Services helps safeguard digital information from unauthorized use; Information Rights Management in Office 2003 extends this powerful information security tool to the desktop |
| • | Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services and Office SharePoint Server 2007 comprise an integrated portfolio of collaboration and communication services to connect people, information, processes, and systems. Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 enables companies to effectively build and customize SharePoint sites using the latest Web design technologies |
Partners
Microsoft partners provide tailored solutions in product and project portfolio management for all sectors of the manufacturing industry. Contact Sopheon to help with your business needs in this sector. Additional partners will be added soon.
Next steps
