WebPM: East Bay Municipal Utility District's Innovative Software That Closely Tracks Projects and Assets and Saves Money

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) developed their own project management software (named: WebPM) that automatically updates project information in graphs and tables from EBMUD's financial information system (FIS) to make it easy for project managers and others to closely track project budgets and schedules, and better oversee and manage projects to avoid cost overruns and schedule delays. Project graphics include well established “S-Curves,” which are automatically constructed and updated, that trend the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP—actual work done) with planned costs (work actually performed per the project's budget and schedule), and the actual project cost to allow the project manager to more easily see when a project is starting to slip or is progressing as planned. WebPM also provides the project manager easy access, with graphics and tables, to individual project costs to more easily identify why cost overruns occured. From individual project information, WebPM can monitor an unlimited number of projects and provide manangement reports that list which projects are ahead or behind their budgets and/or schedules. This information can automatically be emailed to those interested. Recently, EBMUD added an asset tracking feature to WebPM so that asset cost could be more easily tracked, and useful service life for the asset might be better estimated.