Process Automation: Achieve Project Transparency in Real Time

Product life cycles are long, complex, and full of change. If you want to manage this economically and efficiently, you need more than just a good gut feeling. He needs systems that create structure and process automation that reduces manual effort. That is exactly what KARŌN stands for in PLM consulting: from product idea to recycling in terms of the circular economy. Internally, KARŌN uses its own project management on ZEP: a key element for transparency and automation in everyday project work.

What does process automation mean?

Process optimization and process automation go hand in hand in modern project management. While process optimization refers to the systematic improvement of work processes, process automation focuses on the technical implementation of recurring tasks without manual intervention. Both approaches have the same goal: increase efficiency, reduce errors, and resources use optimally.

Process optimization in complex PLM projects

KARŌN pursues the following goals: technological excellence, methodological strength and economically sustainable projects and results for the benefit of the customer. But the methodological challenge does not end with consulting and technology. Because only those who consistently plan their projects can create sustainable added value. Process optimization means for KARONthat transparency in complex PLM projects is no coincidence, but has a system.

Relevance for companies in project management

For Counseling houses, IT service provider and agencies Process optimization is the decisive factor between profitable and loss-making projects. Automating processes thus becomes a competitive advantage: Business Process Automation reduces sources of manual error, accelerates turnaround times and creates capacity for value-adding activities. If you don't consistently manage your processes, you quickly lose track of budgets, resources and project progress. The episode: Budget overruns, inefficient use of resources and a lack of transparency with customers.

Why process optimization is more important today than ever before

Challenges in a dynamic project environment

Especially in a dynamic PLM environment, where project processes frequently vary, systematic process optimization ensures stability and predictability. The complexity of projects is constantly increasing, while at the same time customers expect greater transparency and planning security.

Consequences of a lack of process optimization

Without consistent systems, typical problem areas arise: Project managers lose track of actual budget consumption, utilization gaps are identified too late, which invoicing is delayed due to a lack of approvals and valuable findings from completed projects are not included in future calculations.

Competitive advantages through systematic management

Companies that consistently optimize their project processes can calculate more precisely, use resources more efficiently and provide their customers with verifiable and verifiable project updates at any time. The benefits of process automation are obvious: less time spent on routine tasks, higher data quality through automated recording, faster response times in case of budget deviations and significantly more transparency over the entire course of the project. This creates trust and secures follow-up orders.

Key success factors for process optimization

ZEP at KARŌN: Transparency across all project phases

KARŌN uses ZEP internally as a consistent tool for project management, from Preparation of offers about project planning and implementation up to the final reckoning. As a process automation software, ZEP enables a continuous connection between commercial planning and operational implementation. A decisive factor for precise Project controlling. Workflow automation ensures that information flows seamlessly between the individual project phases.

Right at the start of a project, ZEP stores how many hours are required in accordance with the customer's order. On this basis, the project manager creates an initial planning, which is then refined on a daily basis by the project staff. This fine-grained planning enables realistic and up-to-date resource management.

Projects can be structured individually for each customer. Assigning project staff to the individual tasks ensures that the hourly feedback is correctly assigned and that employees themselves have an overview of the budget or hourly quota assigned to them.

Early detection, targeted control

A major advantage of ZEP is the ongoing transparency of capacities and utilization.

Regular maintenance of planning makes it immediately visible where resources are becoming scarce or free capacities are being created. In this way, utilization gaps can be identified at an early stage and targeted countermeasures can be initiated, for example by redistributing tasks or reallocating resources.

Especially in a dynamic PLM environment, where project processes frequently vary, this transparency ensures stability and predictability.

Project controlling with system: budgets, forecasts and income view

ZEP trains at KARON the backbone of a well-founded internal Project Controlling.

Based on the customer order, the project settings (e.g. budget, hourly quotas, billing method) are maintained directly in ZEP. This allows both the overall budget and the maximum number of hours to be monitored at any time.

The ability to activate notifications as soon as a certain percentage of scheduled hours is reached is particularly helpful. The Project manager This gives early information about impending budget overruns and can react proactively.

Also the project turnover and Forecast are reviewed regularly — at least monthly. With the integrated ZEP reports, KARŌN can view the current project status, remaining budgets and sales at any time. This enables close coordination with sales in order to initiate follow-up budgets or expansions in good time. Consulting professionals are therefore able to provide customers with an up-to-date project overview at any time, as they only have an overview based on the statements made.

Another advantage: Since internal hourly rates and external purchase prices can also be stored in ZEP, project and resource income can be calculated transparently and reliably. A valuable basis for economic decisions.

Particularly practical: Involving external partners

External partners or service providers can also easily and securely access the system to provide their services and Project times to be recorded directly. This eliminates the need for manual coordination and the actual project costs and progress are always up-to-date and fully visible, so that overall project controlling and network collaboration work even more smoothly.

Measures and strategies for process optimization

Scheduling vs. actual: Learning from projects

The evaluation of planned versus actually recorded time provides valuable insights into planning quality. KARŌN uses this data to continuously improve estimates and calculate future projects even more precisely.

In this way, every project is not only an operational success, but also a contribution to the continuous development of our methodology.

Invoicing and payment overview: transparent from service to payment

ZEP not only supports KARŌN project planning and control, but also the invoicing down to the last detail.

Project managers can see at a glance whether all project employees have recorded their time and given approval. Project time sheets can be generated with one click and exported in PDF, Excel or Word format, perfect for internal approvals or customer reconciliation.

Before an invoice is created, the project manager checks and approves the RE positions directly in ZEP. It is then possible to see exactly which invoices have already been issued, paid or are still pending, as incoming payments are also recorded in the system.

This not only creates an overview, but also security in the financial flow.

Automation for maximum efficiency

Process automation tools such as ZEP show their strengths, particularly when it comes to repetitive tasks. Specific examples of process automation at KARŌN:

The dunning system can be set up automatically. Open items are thus automatically identified and reminded when necessary. There is no need for manual work, while liquidity is reliably monitored.

KARŌN also uses the integrated DATEV interface from ZEP one. It enables secure, error-free and efficient data exchange with financial accounting. Invoice data, incoming payments and booking records can thus be transferred directly to DATEV, without manual intermediate steps or double data maintenance.

This ensures transparency, traceability and audit-proof processes — from time recording until the booking is made.

This makes ZEP a consistent tool that digitally, comprehensibly and efficiently maps all steps from time recording to final billing.

{{blog-cta}}

Customer KPIs at a glance: Data-based decisions made easy

By linking offers, projects and customers, ZEP at KARON also offers valuable evaluation opportunities at customer level.

At the push of a button, you can determine key figures such as:

• Number and scope of created offers per customer,
• number and volume of project orders,
• As well as the retrieved project revenue and budget consumption.

These KPIs can be evaluated in various cycles — such as monthly, quarterly or annually.

This creates a well-founded customer overview that not only includes Sales controlling supports, but also enables conclusions to be drawn about project volumes, budget use and strategic customer development.

For KARON This means: full transparency about customer activities and project performance based on consistent, up-to-date data.

Successfully embed process optimization in the company

For KARON, ZEP is much more than a tool for Time recording. It is a central part of internal project management and helps to use resources efficiently, keep an eye on budgets and implement economically sustainable projects together with customers. For order in day-to-day business and to secure the basis for strategic development.

Conclusion: Process optimization as a basis for sustainable project success

With ZEP, KARON creates internal transparency, efficiency and planning security across all project phases. This strengthens internal management, improves resource utilization and supports economic project execution.