Professional Services Automation: Optimizing Project and Service Oriented Organizations

"The primary focus of traditional Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is the blue-collar world of factory automation and the world of accounting systems, where the raw data tends to be rolled up and summarized into the organizational structures that were built to conform to the accounting view of the enterprise. These accounting views are useful in the production of general ledgers and other high-level accounting snapshots of the enterprise, but they usually bear little relationship to the dynamic way project-focused organizations are structured and continually restructured around new projects...Regardless of the acronym used, whether it is PSA (Professional Service Automation), SPO (Service Process Optimization), SRM (Service Relationship Management), or any other variation, they all refer to the same thing. Their ultimate goal is also the same: Maximize the performance of white collar project-and-service oriented organizations (PSORGs) ant their staff...These solutions automate and integrate core business processes with the intent of increasing the efficieny of how projects are planned, budgeted, created, staffed, scheduled, implemented, and billed in the real world...Very few PSORGs efficiently deliver their projects or services. Due to increased industry complexities and inefficiient corporate processes, service workers are not focusing on their key responsibilities. Instead, they are being bombarded with increasing numbers of administrative tasks, technology issues, unmanageable workloads, and either a lack of useful information or an inundation of useless detail (or both). There is a great need and an increasing demand for software applications to make PSORGs more productive and more profitable. PSA applications, or the many other similar acronyms, descriibe a set of software solutions that have been designed to achieve such a goal" (from the Preface).In this context, Rudolf Melik et. al. define this invaluable book's goal is to assist the reader in identifying the key concepts of PSA solutions, their principle features, criteria for selecting them, and their implementation requirements. According to them, PSA functionality can be divided into following multiple core components and extended components:I. Core Components:* Performance analysis: Executive reporting, OLAP-based multidimensional data analysis, ROI, and decision support. Quick and customizable home, portal, and dashboard views and peer reviews.* Operations: Organization breakdown structure (OBS) management, site management, scoping, business rules, component-based security profiles, access rights, audit trails, general ledgers, and terminology settings.* Resource management: Skills and expertise assessment and matching. Resource allocation, search, scheduling, leveling, forecasting, and availability.* Project management: Work breakdown structure (WBS) and engagement tracking. Multiple levels for budgeting amounts, duration, schemes, thresholds, and estimate to complete (E

This is, to the best of my knowledge, the only book that covers professional services from a technical workforce and consulting perspective. In the past I gleaned information and techniques from books about managing professional services from the perspective of law firms and other industries - good information to be sure, but fell short of the realities of technical services.What I like about this book is the complete look at professional service management, with an emphasis on both personnel and cost management. I especially like the way the authors show how to go beyond mere cost management to optimize revenue and profit. The information and strategies they provide reflect extensive experience and a strong focus on the business aspects of professional services. I also like the ties to customer relationship management and various types of services, and the PSA components. This first decomposes the components of professional services management (manual or automated) into the critical success factors, then reconnects them into a coherent whole.Although this book is about automating professional services management, most of the information, especially part 2, can be used effectively without automation. Therein lies the main value of this book and the reason why I think it's simply the singlemost important book a professional services manager can have. In order to get the information collected between the covers of this book you'd have to purchase a pile of related books from other industries, and spend a significant amount of time reading articles and surfing the net. If you are a professional services manager you already know that you don't have time for that. If you're being placed in a professional services management position you *need* this book.

I was not sure exactly what a PSA does, how one can justify the investment, what are the key factors to consider and when can I expect a return.This book breaks down PSA into its core and extended components, explains every component and provides diagrams and hard numbers to justify the phased role out of every module. I really liked the chapter on business intelligence. It is amazing to see how the information can be used to create real time and live charts, this will definitely help me as a director.; I had not seen business intelligence be used in the content of workflows.

"As the Vice President of Finance for a project-oriented organization in the manufacturing industry, I found this book to be both valuable and informative. Unlike some web sites or white papers on the subject, which touch on just one or two narrowly defined topics on PSA, this book offers a comprehensive set of crucial information, informative charts and figures, best-practice workflows and illustrative examples to help clarify the term Professional Services Automation. As I begin the process of evaluating the different vendor offerings in PSA, I am using this reference as a guide to help me make the best decision for my organization. This is an excellent addition to my bookshelf as an IT reference tool. Not only am I pleased with the return I have received so far on my investment in reading, but am certain that it will play a significant role in helping me achieve the highest and most rapid ROI possible on the PSA solution that I choose to implement. I look forward to the reduction in paperwork, accurate data and mechanized interfacing to accounting systems now that I know what Professional Services Automation can accomplish!"

PSA: Optimizing Project and Service Oriented Organizations is an excellent book, which provides today's executives with the kind of knowledge they need to really set themselves ahead of the game. Very well written and easy to understand, the book is full of graphics, diagrams, figures and charts that explain basic concepts common to all PSA systems. I particularly like the PSA cycle diagram that demonstrates the various aspects of a powerful PSA solution...Working in the services industry I can truly appreciate this type of reference book, mainly since it provides an overview of all of the important aspects to consider when evaluating PSA products. As well, it describes methods of avoiding difficulties that will come in the way of a successful PSA implementation. Another impressive and very useful part of the book is their professional services automation request for proposal template that addresses key questions in order to properly implement such a solution.The authors share their six years expertise in the field by providing their view of PSA through real life experiences of veteran project managers, IT experts and business executives. I think this is the best book ever written about PSA, and from my understanding, the only book on this subject. A must for everybody who is involved in the service industry.