Improve Your Dynamics 365 Project Plan with Axtension® Project Management

Managing large-scale projects means having to balance numerous moving parts; from resource allocation to time and expense tracking and interdepartmental coordination. Every component requires meticulous oversight, and sometimes, despite your best efforts, projects go over budget or fall behind schedule. Therefore, project managers need tools that effectively streamline both project planning and execution.

Utilizing comprehensive project management tools like Axtension® Project Management with Dynamics 365 can significantly mitigate the most common pitfalls found in project execution. According to a survey by Project.co, 82% of workers who use PM software to communicate with co-workers and clients say they have more clarity about their project statuses.

Let’s review the challenges of overseeing complex projects and explore how robust management features from Axtension® can enhance your existing Microsoft Dynamics 365 project plan.

Key highlights:

• Axtension® Project Management eliminates information silos by integrating cross-departmental data with the Dynamics 365 platform, providing comprehensive visibility for better decision-making.
• Visual planning tools simplify complex project timelines, while dynamic resource management prevents project team overallocation and workflow bottlenecks.
• Mobile access enables remote progress tracking, enhancing collaboration between field teams and office staff for seamless project coordination.
• Exception-based management automatically identifies risks and issues, allowing project managers to focus on critical problems before they impact deadlines.

Challenges of Managing Dynamics 365 Project Operations Implementation

Rolling out a Dynamics 365 project operations implementation may sound straightforward on paper, but in reality, it can be an extremely complex endeavor. Some of the most common challenges you may encounter include:

• Siloed Information: When project data is scattered across multiple platforms, it becomes difficult to gain a unified view of progress. This often leads to errors, duplicate work, and delayed decision-making due to inconsistent reporting.
• Resource Allocation Conflicts: Without dynamic tools to manage workloads, resource conflicts arise as teams are overbooked or key personnel are pulled into multiple projects simultaneously. This can stall progress and create bottlenecks.
• Timeline Management Issues: Projects often run into timeline issues when dependencies aren’t properly accounted for. Delays in one task can cause a cascading effect, putting entire milestones at risk of being missed.
• Inefficient Communication: Lack of efficient communication between teams and stakeholders can lead to misunderstandings, missed updates, and disjointed project coordination. This is especially problematic in remote or cross-departmental environments.
• Limited Financial Visibility: Without proper budget planning and real-time tracking, project managers may struggle to maintain project cost control. Unexpected expenses or inaccurate forecasting can result in budget overruns, threatening overall project success.

Benefits of Enhancing Your Project Management in Dynamics 365

Enhancing how you manage projects in Dynamics 365 with tools like Axtension® Project Management can significantly reduce risks and inefficiencies. The best project management software should offer these key benefits:

• Real-Time Cross-Departmental Data: Axtension® Project Management integrates data from multiple teams and departments into a single system, providing project managers with a comprehensive, up-to-date view of project progress. This helps eliminate data silos and improve decision-making accuracy.
• Early Risk Identification: Axtension’s advanced project management solution offers proactive risk alerts by monitoring key metrics and milestones. Project managers are notified of potential delays or resource shortages, which allows faster intervention to keep timelines intact.
• Resource Optimization: By analyzing workloads and resource availability in real-time, Axtension® Project Management ensures that tasks are assigned to the right personnel without overburdening your team. This maximizes productivity and prevents bottlenecks from stalling your projects.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Effective project execution relies on collaboration between stakeholders. Axtension® Project Management facilitates cohesive communication through shared dashboards, automated notifications, and progress reports, ensuring everyone remains aligned with project goals and deadlines.
  

Native Dynamics 365 Project Management Tools

Several built-in tools for Dynamics 365 project plan management offer support for team leads. While these tools are helpful, they are often limited in functionality and typically require enhancements for larger or more complex projects. Here’s a breakdown of core native features:

Dynamics 365 Project Management Tools	How These Tools Work
Project templates and WBS creation	Define and standardize work breakdown structures (WBS).
Basic resource allocation	Allocate personnel and assets to tasks manually.
Budget and cost tracking	Monitor project costs and forecasts.
Time/expense logging	Capture employee time and expenses per project.
Invoice automation	Automate invoicing based on completed work.
Standard reporting	Generate high-level reports on project progress.

These tools lay a solid foundation, but may fall short when handling more complex scenarios.

How Axtension® Improves Project Management in D365

Axtension® enhances your Dynamics 365 project plan by offering additional capabilities tailored to complex project management environments. Let’s explore some of these features.

Visual Planning

Project planning is simplified with Axtension® Project Management’s visual interface, which enables project managers to create detailed timelines and map task dependencies. This intuitive platform allows for easy adjustments through drag-and-drop functionality and visualizes critical paths, ensuring that no task or milestone is overlooked. By replacing cumbersome Gantt charts, Axtension® makes planning faster and more transparent for your entire team.

Resource Capacity Management

Managing resource availability is essential to prevent bottlenecks and delays. Axtension® Project Management’s resource capacity tools dynamically analyze workload distributions and flag overbooked resources in real time. The system also provides optimal reassignment suggestions, ensuring resources are utilized efficiently. This feature helps maintain productivity by balancing workloads and preventing project disruptions caused by resource shortages.

Real-Time Data Integration

Real-time data integration offers project managers a synchronized view of all project activities within Dynamics 365. This includes progress updates, risk alerts, and consolidated reports. With immediate access to critical information, decision-making becomes more accurate and proactive. 

Mobile Progress Tracking

Axtension® Project Planning equips your team with mobile access to project updates, enabling them to log progress, report issues, and track tasks from any location. This feature enhances collaboration between on-site and remote teams by ensuring that progress reports and communications are immediately available. Increased transparency and accountability keep everyone aligned, whether working from the office, at home, or in the field.

Advanced Scheduling

Advanced scheduling tools in Axtension® Project Management help project managers maintain control over complex timelines. Automated prioritization based on task dependencies and real-time schedule adjustments keeps projects running smoothly. Integrated resource availability views provide a complete picture of who is available and when, allowing for effortless coordination. These capabilities minimize disruptions and ensure projects stay on track even in dynamic environments.

Exception-Based Management

Proactively addressing project risks is crucial to any project’s success. Axtension® Project Management’s exception-based management feature monitors milestones and key performance indicators, triggering alerts when deviations occur. This allows project managers to focus on resolving high-impact issues without the need for constant manual oversight. By addressing problems early, you can prevent minor setbacks from escalating into major project delays.

Enhance Your D365 Project Management

In summary, a well-executed D365 project management plan requires more than just the standard tools. By utilizing Axtension® Project Management’s advanced project management and accounting features, you can:

• Improve visibility and control through real-time data integration.
• Optimize resource allocation with advanced scheduling tools.
• Enhance communication with mobile progress tracking.

Are you ready to transform your project management and business processes? Learn more by visiting our Axtension® Project Management solutions page.

Ready to get started? Book a demo and discover how to improve your existing Dynamics 365 project plan with Axtension® Project Management.