CRM for the construction industry: a real world example of project management and Microsoft Dynamics CRM working together in Alaska

In my last post, I talked about how the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform provides a foundation for building a software solution that is right for your business. Today I want to elaborate a little on that and provide you with a real life example of how the flexibility of Microsoft Dynamics CRM has helped the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) manage its valuable community projects.

Last year, the ANTHC was looking for software to enhance their methods of managing all three phases of their construction projects, from pre construction right through to construction and post construction. However after purchasing a well known software package, they discovered that it didn’t manage procurement very effectively and had to purchase an additional package to get the full functionality they required.

An inspiration from one of the consultants hired to configure the new package meant ATNHC was introduced to IPM, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM based project management solution. One of the main features ANTHC liked about this was the flexibility and customizability the CRM platform brought to the project management aspects, which meant it suited their needs perfectly. With IPM, not only were ANTHC able to manage the construction process from start to finish, we were also able to build on the existing platform, introducing a new materials handling component to IPM to help track material deliveries to the isolated sites in Alaska. The Microsoft CRM platform also enabled us to create integration with Oracle Primavera P6 to help ANTHC manage project schedules. This integration, along with accounting/ERP integration, was one of the factors that sealed the deal for ANTHC, and highlights just how Microsoft CRM can be used as a foundation to build up other applications in order to get the exact product that’s right for your business.

ANTHC were able to build up their own customized solution to fit their specific and unique needs by using a project management system with a Microsoft CRM foundation that can be expanded, tweaked and twisted. And what’s more, it was for a fraction of the cost they would have spent on having a separate package to manage each of the phases in their projects.

If you would like to find out more about our project management solution built on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform, please do not hesitate to contact Scott Drushella at IPM Global USA.

By Reef Fielding, IPM Global: the creators of IPM – a Project Management Solution Certified for Microsoft Dynamics CRM