ARES PRISM

Comments: There are many benefits to using the software. I like the enterprise reporting capability where multiple cost engineers can be managing projects in the system and that data can be combined at the program level. As a cost engineer, financial analyst, or project manager, there are few tools that can match G2 out of the box. There are definitely some competitors who offer products that can be tailored more to a specific business, but the amount of time and money that is required for the customization is very expensive. G2 is great for anyone who is converting from spreadsheets to a more structured platform.

Pros: The things I like most about G2 is that it is ready to go out of the box. G2 provides enough structure for you to start using it immediately, but also offers the ability to customize to many different business needs. G2 can be used at a project or program level to manage projects from a few million to several billion dollars. Some other benefits are that you can quickly setup the software to integrate with SAP, load actuals, and see your EAC quickly in both tabular and graphical form. You can select your physical progress method to obtain both calculated and independent EAC's. Integrating the software with Primavera is also very easy by creating a cross-reference utilizing G2's built in utilities. The same can be done to map your estimate to control accounts so that you have a common element at the level which the project is managed. There are a good amount of standard reports are available and the system also has a report writer available. When starting a new project, I immediately go to G2. I like the fact that reporting periods are locked down once closed out and forecasts can be obtained easily. The system also allows you to process accruals in a couple of different ways and allows the tracking of both actuals and incurred. Great software that I will continue to use for many years!

Cons: There are a good amount of standard reports available, but if using the report writer, some time is required to learn.

Comments: For the first time in our organization we managed to drop all excel sheets and use one solution that caters for all business needs. Reporting accuracy has increased noticeably, and time to generate reports has dropped drastically which in turn gave our users the time to do what is more important in their jobs.

Pros: - Ease of use, PRISM is user-friendly and allow flexible import/export functionality, plus a lot of utilities that caters for bulk updates.
- Comprehensive Project Controls Capability and features, PRISM is a one stop shop, you don't need to look for additional systems to cover gaps, because there isn't any.
- Fully Integrated solution, All modules talk to each other very efficiently, no need to worry about external integrations.
- Excellent Support team, Experienced and responsive team that resolves issues promptly.

Cons: - Reporting features, PRISM standard reports are good but a bit difficult to customize.

Comments: Reduced effort in managing the monthly reporting process, reduced duplicate work, reduced effort spent finding mistakes in the multiple systems we used. ROI was realized quickly. Baseline can be established quickly allowing the monthly reporting and trending processes to begin sooner in the project cycle. Ability to establish a baseline while the other systems (schedule & estimate) are being fine tuned. The change management features save time on the project and allow changes to be incorporated very quickly!

Pros: It's ready to go on Day 1, you can actually load data and start configuration immediately and develop a PMB very quickly. I've used on Mining, O&G, Energy, Land Development, Rail, Airports, Government EVMS required projects, and even IT projects and PRISM has always met my program' / projects' needs. If there is a gap, the ARES team works to understand the requirement and close the gap. The ROI was quick as the implementation and training cost were fare less than other tools on the market. The system has many reports to analyze a programs performance if tracking unit rates, quantities or just contract and subcontract values. It's easy to get data into and out of the system and doesn't require complex work flows.

Cons: The on-screen analytics can be improved. All analytics run through reports or from the Dashboard system. It has taken us a long time to get service packs to fix technical issues in the past. It's seems to be getting better. Most issues were addressed with simple work-a-rounds luckily.

Comments: Standardized way of implementing projects and standardized reports.

Pros: Bulk importing/updating data via excel is very powerful. I also like the flexible coding structures and user defined fields that allow for tracking additional data. Between these 2 I've been able to satisfy all requirements for project cost reporting for several different business units. It has supported all our data requests to date and aided in our Enterprise reporting. This was helped along by us being able to link our Enterprise Analytics tool Spotfire to PRISM G2 for Enterprise reporting.

Cons: In my opinion PRISM should have a web interface for managing changes. Changes should be distributed and Reviewed/Approved using email and web links and the change documents should be available from the web page. The reports are flexible by utilizing the coding structures however they are getting outdated and static. This is why we replaced most of the PRISM reports with Spotfire dashboards. They are interactive and more flexible.

Comments: This product helped my client manage a multi billion, 10+ year Transit Expansion Program in the Denver Metro area. The transit agency's budget, cost and contracts systems were hampered by limitations that would not support long-term projects. PRISM (PPM thru G2) was implemented to remedy these issues.

Pros: ARES has listened to the industry and has adopted necessary functionality to help project teams deliver on time and to budget. The system adapts will to varying project delivery scenarios and will work for contractors as well as big program level conditions. From scoping/budget development, through implementation, change management, funds tracking/control, schedule interface, all the bases are covered. Really solid product.

Cons: Long time user of PRISM PPM, so there was some "look" and "feel" adjustments to make. All good in the end. Data cut-over from old system wasn't an issue. Minor bugs have been worked out during early G2 version release(s), but this is typical of any software roll out.