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PRISM CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT USER REVIEW: SUNCOR ENERGY (2 of 2)

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

USER REVIEWS

• PRISM: Suncor Energy (1 of 2)
• PRISM: Suncor Energy (2 of 2)

USING PRISM FOR THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT PROCESS

FEATURED VENDORS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to oversee and manage costs for multiple projects that often involve multiple teams, companies and geographies, Suncor Energy relies extensively on ARES Corp.'s PRISM Project Manager 5.1. This Earned Value Management System (EVMS) is designed to help businesses plan, budget and control a project through all project phases, including proposal, planning, engineering, procurement, construction, startup and operations.

"I see in PRISM a comprehensive tool to perform cost control in very large, complex projects. These are challenging because of the number of interfaces and the fact that several companies have to work on the same deliverable," said Salvador Carlos Hernandez Ramirez of Suncor, who has been using this construction management software for about two years. "It was very important for Suncor to find a solution to deliver these capabilities."

Today, about 500 Suncor personnel use PRISM to contain construction costs, manage change, transfer budgets and allocate spending, he said. After acquiring PRISM, Suncor's internal IT department developed tools to integrate it with the company's SAP construction ERP system, said Hernandez Ramirez. In addition, the company created customized training.

PRISM could be improved in at least one way, however. "I would add a historian to register users doing changes in the database," said Hernandez Ramirez. Based on Suncor's experience with the software vendor, ARES may, indeed, heed this request, he added: "People at ARES understand clearly how important this tool has become to Suncor."

Overall, Hernandez Ramirez rated ARES Corp.'s PRISM construction management software a 9 out of 10.

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
 
How long have you been using this tool?
 
Where did you obtain it?
 
How much did you pay?
 
How are you using this product?
 
Why did you pick this product?
 
Was this product compatible with the software programs you were already using?
 
Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made    this product better)?
 
Before you bought this product, were you using a different one to do the same job? If so, what tool were you using?
 
How many people are using this software?
 
Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
 
Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
 
Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this    tool?
 
What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
 
Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
 
What would you change about the product if you could?
 
Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
 
Who would you recommend use this tool?
 
How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
 
Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
 
Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
 
How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
 
When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
 
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
Suncor is a major North American energy producer and marketer involved in oil and gas exploration and production. The company generated about $18 billion in revenue last year, and has approximately 6,500 employees.

I have been using PRISM Project Manager for two years.

It was acquired through ARES.

How much did you pay?
I don't know.

How are you using this product?
I'm using it for change management, time phase data and construction cost control.

Why did you pick this product?
It was chosen by Suncor Major Project management. I was not involved in the decision-making process for the selection of cost-control tools.

Was this product compatible with the software programs you were already using?
Modifications had to be done in PRISM to tailor it to Suncor's particular needs, in order to make SAP and PRISM work together.

Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made this product better)?
I see in PRISM a comprehensive tool to perform construction cost control in very large, complex projects. These are challenging because of the number of interfaces and the fact that several companies have to work on the same deliverable. It was very important for Suncor to find a solution to deliver these capabilities.

Before you bought this product, were you using a different one to do the same job? If so, what tool were you using?
We were using internally developed databases as well as Project Baseline and SICPRO.

How many people are using this software?
I reckon that about 500 people use it here on a daily basis. The people doing the input and day-to-day tasks are cost analysts, specialists and supervisors. The reports they generate with PRISM are geared towards managers, directors and VPs.

Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
This tool allows teams that are remotely located to work on the same project, allowing concurrent users to feed information into the database as it happens. Such a feature is seldom seen in current cost-control software packages.

Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference? We execute all construction cost control processes using PRISM, such as change management, budget transfers and the allocation of dollars over time, which is also neatly done in PRISM through its Time Phase Data feature.

Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this tool?
I believe companies will save years of trial and error by using this construction management software, since it provides standard reporting and strong cost-control capabilities, including change management and cash flow.

What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
PRISM's ability to combine cost-control and time-phase data capabilities is very powerful, because it allocates the approved budgets over a period of time using dates and curve profiles as points of reference. This is all performed at the cost-account level.

Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
I cannot comment, because I am unfamiliar with the price we paid.

What would you change about the product if you could?
I would add a historian to register users doing changes in the database.

Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
There are a number of standard reports we don't use.

Who would you recommend use this tool?
It's a great tool for companies looking to control construction costs -- and who isn't?

How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
In order to do basic data-entry, users need a couple of months of training and practice, but to properly operate PRISM I feel that users must have a couple of years of hands-on experience doing cost-control at a bare minimum.

Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
Training goes by modules and is very flexible. Training usually takes a day or two.

Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
Yes, and they give very quick responses. People at ARES understand clearly how important this tool has become to Suncor.

How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
I have never used it, so no comments here.

When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
Most likely.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?
9.