The Project Group Successfully Integrated Microsoft Project With SAP/R3 at Israel Aircraft Industries

The Project Group, a leading German-based supplier of add-in products and consulting services for Microsoft Project, and its partner MATAN, a leading Israeli company for Enterprise Project Management consulting and Microsoft Project implementation services, today announced the completion of the integration of Microsoft Project with SAP based on TPG PSLink within the Israeli Aircraft Industry (IAI).

Unterhaching, Germany (PRWEB) June 30, 2005 -- The IAI implemented SAP and the SAP PS module in the entire organization as an infrastructure for project data. SAP holds the entire finance logic of the projects, thus very much reflects the IAI's finance viewpoint on the projects. In the current situation, and prior to the SAP implementation, most of the project managers of the IAI manage their projects with Microsoft Project Enterprise Project Management (EPM). During the years they developed their own EPM methodologies and best practices in a relatively flexible and user friendly environment. The company, therefore, was now seeking for a solution that will enable the co-existence of both attitudes: SAP's financial and relatively strict and Microsoft Project more flexible and user friendly strength.

The integration of Microsoft Project EPM with SAP was done with the PSLink solution of The Project Group. PSLink enables bi-directional synchronizing of both systems and assures the consistency of data at any time. Double maintenance effort of data can be omitted and the risk of mismatched schedules and resources is cleared. "With the flexibility of PSLink platform we could implement specific customer processes and requirements, like the break out of SAP PS projects in multiple Microsoft Project subprojects" says Stavros Georgantzis, managing director and co-owner of The Project Group.

"During the passing year Elta, one of the leading divisions within the IAI, assessed a few ways for dealing with the integration challenge" says Rami Sartani, C.I.O & Director Information Systems & Technology of Elta. In recent months we made a study and recognize that PSLink is the most suitable and trustworthy solution that exists in the market. Elta, The Project Group and Matan had joined their experts and together we defined a solution that fits our specific requirements. After having built a prototype of the solution at the first step we understood that we have made the right choice when we chose PSLink as a technological solution and both companies as the services providers. The final outcome now indulges all our expectations."

Yuval Stern, VP for EPM Solutions at Matan, adds: Since we've started implementing Microsoft Project Server we were seeking for a complete and mature solution for the integration of Project server and SAP. After surveying solutions in the market we have reached a clear conclusion that PSLink is the only candidate for our customers' tough requirements. The work with TPG in Elta had proven our initial assessments. PSLink's 'out of the box' capabilities had provided excellent solutions for the majority of the requirements. A few specific features for Elta, were professionally designed and developed by TPG's experienced team."

The advantages of integration
The integration of diverse software systems provides a high potential for cost reduction in many companies. PSLink allows the utilization of all advantages the leading project management software offers to project leaders while all the possibilities for business management analysis of the leading ERP-Software are available to the controlling and management of the company. Thus the integration of both systems enjoys a high level of acceptance of all affected users.

About The Project Group
The Project Group Informationstechnologie GmbH (TPG) based near Munich, Germany, is a team of internationally-recognized experts in IT solutions for enterprise-wide project management. TPG develops Microsoft Project add-ons and offers implementation services for Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solutions to large and mid-sized enterprises. TPG places particular emphasis on the integration of EPM in the financial controlling area as well as on IT support for Project Management Offices (PMO). TPGs range of services is complemented by seminars for Microsoft Project users and developers.

The Project Group is one of the leading Microsoft Premier Project Partners in the German-speaking countries. The companys management team, composed of internationally-acknowledged specialists in EPM, collectively has over 50 man-years experience with Microsoft Project since Version 1 Beta appeared in 1989. The Project Advisory Council, an international advisory committee for the Microsoft Project development team, counts two of The Project Groups executives among its total of twenty members worldwide.

The Project Groups customer base includes global enterprises like Agip, ATLAS, Audi, Cognis Specialist Chemicals, DaimlerChrysler, Israel Aircraft Industries, Irish Rail, Keiper-Recaro, MAN B&W, Microsoft, Miele, Roche, SAP, and Siemens.

About Matan
Matan is an international Business Process Consulting firm based in Tel-Aviv Israel with subsidiaries in the USA & Europe. Matan offers expertise in Enterprise Project Management (EPM) consulting services and solutions.

As certified Microsoft Project partner in Israel Matan is the leader of the Israeli market in Microsoft Project Server implementations. www.matan-consulting.com

Matan's experienced and professional consultants assist the largest and the most influencing enterprises in managing the cultural, methodological and technological change of implementing an EPM solution. Matan's proprietary solutions include: ProjectFlow a SharePoint advanced EPM workspace, MasterLink an advanced add-in for management of links between Microsoft Project plans and VPB a Visio based BPA Add-in.

Matan provides services to some fortune 500 organizations and other global enterprises, like: Pfizer, Amdocs, Applied Materials, NDS and others.

For further information and photos please visit www.theprojectgroup.com/index_e.html
Press contact: Mr. Achim Schmidt-Sibeth
Phone: +49 (89) 61 55 93 -- 51
Fax: +49 (89) 61 55 93 -- 40
Email: info@theprojectgroup.de

Imortant Note to Editors:
The Project Group Informationstechnologie GmbH is a German-based company and is not related to the similarly-named The Project Group based in Houston, TX.

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