Hauke Neumann
Is a senior consultant in portfolio management at KUMAVISION.
Implementing an ERP solution in a project-oriented environment is demanding: Different project types, changing teams, individual customer requirements, and high transparency demands present companies with significant challenges. KUMAVISION addresses these requirements with a well-thought-out concept: pre-configured reference processes for project-oriented service providers, based on the industry solution project365 This not only shortens the implementation time but also promotes the standardization and transparency of project processes.
What are reference processes – and why are they so valuable?
Reference processes are tried and tested best-practice workflows based on numerous customer projects with project365 They were developed to cover the entire project management process – from acquisition and proposal preparation to resource and capacity planning, project control, time tracking, invoicing, and controlling. For project-oriented companies, they are specifically tailored to the requirements of service projects, consulting mandates, IT projects, and complex customer orders.
SmartStart: Quickly ready for use thanks to pre-configured models
With its "SmartStart" approach, KUMAVISION provides a ready-to-use ERP system that is based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and the industry solution TECHNOLOGY365 The pre-configured reference models already contain all relevant processes – only master data such as customers, projects, services or resources need to be added.
End-to-end processes: Uniform, transparent, efficient
The reference processes cover all steps – from project acquisition and proposal creation to project approval, resource planning, time tracking, invoicing, and project completion. These end-to-end processes create transparency across departmental and location boundaries and enable complete traceability of project progress, resources, and costs.
Standardization as a success factor
Consistent reference processes enable a complete mapping of all business areas:
- Project Management: Project structure planning, milestone planning, resource management, capacity leveling
- Sales: Offer calculation, contract management, forecasting
- Deployment planning: Skill and capacity management, deployment planning, vacation and absence management
- Performance recording: Time tracking, travel expenses, out-of-pocket expenses
- Invoice: Invoicing, billing models (e.g. fixed price, time & material), partial and final invoices
- Controlling: Project cost accounting, liquidity planning, target/actual comparisons, evaluations with Power BI
- Quality management: Feedback, lessons learned, documentation
- AI support: Microsoft Copilot for document processing, automation and decision support
How do standardized reference processes fit the individual characteristics of our customers?
Hauke Neumann, consultant from portfolio management at KUMAVISION, emphasizes: “Our established reference processes in project365 They provide a reliable foundation – at the same time, they enable us to address the individual characteristics of our customers in a targeted and efficient manner, as we conduct the discussions using example processes and not in a blank slate.”
Practical example: Consulting firm with project365
A medium-sized consulting firm implements complex customer projects in the field of digitalization. The introduction of TECHNOLOGY365 enabled complete digitization of processes – from acquisition to invoicing:
- Project structure plans with integrated resource and budget planning
- Skill Management for optimal resource allocation
- Document control with SharePoint and ELO-DMS
- Mobile time tracking and travel expense management
- Power BI Reports for project status, utilization and forecasts
- Integration in MS365 with Outlook, Teams, Power Automate
Conclusion
The reference processes of KUMAVISION project365 These are more than just templates – they are a strategic tool for project-oriented companies to work faster, more securely, and more efficiently. Those who rely on standardization gain time, quality, and future-proof their processes. At the same time, specific individual requirements can be addressed to support the continued success of our customers.
