Inovie develops project mgmt. package

Inovie Software this month will deliver an enhanced version of its Web-based project management software, which has attracted such blue chip customers as Global Crossing, Lucent, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and KPMG Consulting.

Inovie's TeamCenter is server software that lets workgroups plan and track complex business projects via the Web. The package offers a centralized in-box for project information, with document management features for checking out documents and tracking revisions. It supports real-time collaboration, letting users have group discussions and adjust schedules live over the Internet.

Users can import project templates from Microsoft Project into TeamCenter and then access these templates with a Web browser. The software also offers executive views, reports and e-mail notification for scheduling problems.

Version 4.0 adds support for Secure Sockets Layer encryption and the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. The new version integrates better with firewalls because it uses HTTP. Other new features include roles-based security, a workplace-oriented interface and support for load balancing.

TeamCenter is used primarily by distributed teams working on multiple projects at the same time. For example, KPMG Consulting's federal services group in San Antonio, Texas, uses TeamCenter to coordinate large proposals with its subcontractors.

"We use TeamCenter to build our proposal schedule. Then we insert all the documents for the proposal so we can work on various pieces of the proposal together," says Guy Corr, a manager with KPMG. "We can also keep track of these proposals, particularly the large ones that have budgets associated with them."

Corr's workgroup of 35 people has been testing Version 4.0 for a month. He likes how the software improves internal and external collaboration.

"Before we had TeamCenter, we coordinated mainly through e-mail. That was cumbersome, and it was tough to keep track of document changes," Corr says. "What's nice about 4.0 is the check-in and check-out features so we can make sure that we're not working in parallel on the same document."

Similarly, the training arm of Charles Schwab - dubbed Schwab University - has a team of 30 people located in six cities testing TeamCenter 4.0 as a collaborative platform for developing Web sites and Web courses. Until now, this team relied on Microsoft Project and e-mail.

"The Web-based capability is very effective for our workflow process," says Joanne Willcox, senior manager with Schwab University. "It's very easy to import and export templates from Microsoft Project."

Navi Radjou, an analyst with Forrester Research, says TeamCenter shows promise for applications that require supply-chain collaboration, such as outsourced manufacturing and construction. But he worries about Inovie's ability to compete against more established players such as Microsoft, Lotus and Primavera Systems.

"Rather than positioning themselves as just a team collaboration portal, I think Inovie should present this software as more of an environment conducive for supply-chain integration," Radjou says. "Project management on the Web is such a crowded space."

TeamCenter runs on Windows NT, Solaris and other flavors of Unix. It costs $15,000 per server, plus $350 per user.