Experience is key, but data is paramount

There are many similarities between project manufacturing and more traditional goods-producing sectors than you might think — you buy things, make things, sell things and employ workers. Even though it isn’t mass-producing parts, there are plenty of ways your company can apply cost-saving techniques used in the traditional fabrication and manufacturing sectors.

Integrate workforce and time management with accounting

Multiple modes of employee time tracking are an important feature. Tracking time and attendance to a project in real time on the shop floor, as well as logging time sheet reporting simultaneously, not only keeps project costs in check but makes life simpler for your accountants and project managers alike.

Profitability in the project manufacturing depends on accurate costing

If your ERP system is not capable of calculating how complete a project is compared to internal and external budgets, your finance team is forced to manage mounds of spreadsheets. However, a good ERP can handle percentage-of-completion, work-in-progress and pre-invoicing while conducting final reconciliation and billing effortlessly.

Project Manufacturers need more than a one-size-fits-all solution

Traditional fabricators can choose an ERP that does the one thing they need. But that won’t work for your project firms, which performs all sorts of different tasks and functions — sometimes only a few times per year. The path a project takes during its lifecycle, from RFP to commissioning, should be completely adaptable to your operation.