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September 25 PerformancePoint Server 2007 now available!Check out evaluation edition at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6372C24F-67DD-42DD-B034-748907B23420&displaylang=en
September 24 PerformancePoint At Last: Q&A With Microsoft's Alex Payne and Michael SmithHurrah! PerformancePoint is here:
PerformancePoint At Last: Q&A With Microsoft's Alex Payne and Michael Smith
After four years in development and more than a year in beta testing, Microsoft PerformancePoint is finally shipping. Intelligent Enterprise discusses what the platform delivers and what critics are saying with two key executives who helped guide development,
packaging and pricing.
By Doug Henschen
In one of the most high-profile enterprise software product launches this year, Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 was finally released to manufacturing on September 20. To hear more about what the platform delivers and get Microsoft's take
on what critics and competitors are saying, Intelligent Enterprise sat down last week with Alex Payne, Director, Office Business Applications, and Michael Smith, Director of Marketing, Office Business Applications. Is this version 1.0 product ready for your
enterprise? Two executives who helped guide development, packaging and pricing make the case for PerformancePoint.
September 14 New Case Study: Skanska Leverages Performance Management to Benefit Bottom-LineSkanska Leverages Performance Management to Benefit Bottom-Line
Business planning and forecasting are important business activities in just about any organization.
“In our industry, the profit margins can be very aggressive and budgeting accurately is essential,” says Allen Emerick, Director of IT, Applications and Integration at Skanska’s
Charlotte, North Carolina office. “To meet or exceed those margins, you need to understand where you are and where you’re heading.”
With as many as 1,500 projects ongoing, Skanska operations teams prepare the plans and forecasts that outline the timelines, milestones and costs of each project, which
span an average of two years. The operations team generates hundreds (sometimes thousands) of Excel reports for each project. Every month, the operations teams compare the project’s current status against the plans and projections to make sure the project is
on time and on budget. The operations teams’ ability to create, maintain and access so many reports is an ongoing challenge.
“At every stage of the process, our ability to accurately project, anticipate and control costs, then anticipate and react to issues is vital.” says Andy Hough, Director
IT, Managed Services, Skanska.
September 05 Energizer PerformancePoint case study now availableEnergizer
Energizer Taps Into the Power of Microsoft Business Intelligence with Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Posted: 09/05/2007
The path to performance management Business planning and forecasting are critical business activities at Energizer Holdings, Inc., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of dry
cell batteries and flashlights, and the second largest manufacturer of wet shave products under the Schick and Wilkinson Sword brands. Energizer’s annual business forecasts set the direction for the company’s activities in the year ahead – from inventory and
product promotion to customer relations and retailer sales contracts.
“At the end of the day, business planning and forecasting is all about delivering shareholder value,” says Energizer’s CIO Randy Benz, who works
out of the company’s headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. “And you achieve this by improving profitability.”
For Energizer, the ultimate goal is to get the right product through the correct channel with the right promotional mix to meet the needs of the
individual buyer. But these factors constantly evolve as consumer behaviors change and competitive and channel bargaining power shifts occur. Thus, the planning process needed to be dynamic enough to adapt to these factors.
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