Challenging project management

Previously InterMedia developed their own project data bases, but realised the limitations of doing this. Especially web conversions were too cumbersome, and InterMedia chose to search for alternatives to manage their projects.

InterMedia is an interdisciplinary research centre established in 1998 by the university in Oslo. The centre works with design, communication and learning in digital environments.

As most of their work is project based, it is crucial to have an overview to manage projects efficiently. Also the system must be able to handle EU reports and serve as a strong management tool. These were the two requirements InterMedia had for their new system.

“InterMedia is dependent on reporting to the EU, and their requirements for time tracking are very strict. We therefore needed a system that was very detailed. Overall TimeLog were able to do this, and on areas where they were not we cooperated with them on developing new reports,” says CEO Lars Lomell.

Nordic appeal and user friendliness

One of the reasons TimeLog Project was chosen was because it is Danish and therefore adapted to the Nordic way of managing projects. Lars Lomell elaborates:

“It has something to do with the Nordic traditions within project management. There are many other systems on the market, but they are all based on American models that do not match the Nordic traditions and competitive environment. Our cooperation with TimeLog has in this sense worked really well.”

The user friendliness of TimeLog Project is emphasized by Lars Lomell as a further advantage:

“For employees who just need to track time it is very simple to create a user defined list of projects. It is vital to us that the everyday user of the system has a low entry barrier.”

Three step implementation

InterMedia became clients at TimeLog in December 2006 and had finished the implementation at the beginning of May 2007. From the very start management made it clear that this system was an absolute necessity and as such had to be used extensively. The implementation proceeded over three steps, and for each step employees became more and more committed.

With TimeLog Project their project management has improved. Lars Lomell describes the improvements as follows:

“Things that were previously ambitions have now become realised in many cases. Especially in relation to follow up on projects. We had ambitions to monitor and manage the project while also entering the data during the project, and TimeLog Project enables us to do this. You get some concrete things to consider, and the project managers get an opportunity to specify what they really want. Following up on projects has become much easier, since we now have the overview needed.”

In August 2007 InterMedia entered a new phase in their use of TimeLog Project, and is now used to register working hours, flex and lieu days. Previously, InterMedia used a time tracking system based on spreadsheets – this part has now been transferred to TimeLog Project.

Ties the organisation together

TimeLog Project is frequently used during meetings with project managers and the administration. TimeLog Project is shown on a big screen, and used as a reference for further discussion by meeting participants. This creates a common understanding of what is happening in a project. TimeLog Project thus creates both reciprocal support and pressure among employees.

In TimeLog Project InterMedia has found a system that links several levels of the organisation together in a new way.