CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
25 October 2004
Product News
Sopheon to Integrate Microsoft Office Project Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server into Accolade Product Development System
Sopheon announced that it will augment current use of Microsoft technologies within its Accolade product development system by integrating Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 and Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 software. Integration of the additional Microsoft technologies will enhance central aspects of Accolade's functionality and further its capacity for enterprise-wide deployment. Sopheon is demonstrating the product integration at the 2004 Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) international conference in Chicago this week.
The technology integration is a central part of Sopheon's participation in Microsoft's Program for Collaborative Product Development (CPD), a solutions framework for helping manufacturers expedite the delivery of products to market, while reducing costs associated with the product development process. In support of the program, Sopheon is working with Microsoft to develop and deliver leading-edge product development solutions. The two companies recently combined efforts to roll out Accolade at Parker Hannifin, a world leader in motion and control products.
Since the inception of Sopheon's Accolade, the software has leveraged Microsoft products such as Microsoft Office System and Microsoft Project Professional to facilitate information-sharing among the cross-functional product development teams that are primary users of the Accolade system. One of the principal drivers of Sopheon's decision to pursue integration of Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 and Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 was a growing number of requests from customers who saw that linking Accolade's product development business application with broader Microsoft solutions would allow them to realize their business objectives through increased collaboration and cost-effective integration of various processes.
Integration of Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2003 will produce a range of functional advantages for Accolade users. Project managers will have access to the detailed scheduling information they require, while executives will have a single, easy-to-use dashboard for identifying and tracking those product development initiatives that have the greatest potential for business contribution. Team members will benefit from increased efficiency in sharing information related to project tasks, and sophisticated monitoring capabilities will allow process managers to examine leading indicators against process performance goals.
On an individual technology level, the integration will facilitate ease-of-use by automatically generating project plans that can easily be synchronized with Microsoft Office Project Server 2003, reducing time spent moving between applications. Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 integration will make it easier for all users to access and reuse relevant information stored outside of Accolade, contributing to better, faster project-level decision-making among stakeholders within and outside of an organization. Another principal impact of the integration is that it will further strengthen Accolade's capacity to meet the needs of clients interested in enterprise-wide implementation. Availability of Accolade with the Microsoft technologies fully integrated is expected in early 2005.
"Sopheon's Accolade solution provides manufacturers with a way to innovate more rapidly during the product development cycle," said Don Richardson, director, Manufacturing Industry Unit at Microsoft. "With Microsoft's technologies tightly integrated inside of Accolade, manufacturers will gain the additional benefit of being able to connect project-related data to enterprise-wide systems, which will further enhance the design team's ability to communicate and collaborate more effectively."
"Increasingly, our clients are challenging us to enable Accolade to access all information related to the product life cycle management process," said Andy Michuda, chief executive officer of Sopheon. "The expanded integration of Microsoft technologies will increase Accolade's capacity to leverage work product held in other repositories and will strengthen its viability as an enterprise-wide product development system. This move will position our solution for the next level of market advancement."
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