Benefits

The business case for PAT rests on improving performance, reducing cost base, minimising risk and releasing time for staff to spend on more productive activities.

For senior management:

• More up-to-date, better validated and more accurate data
• Powerful query and reporting tools, enabling problem areas to be highlighted quickly and easily

For project and departmental managers:

• No need to enter the same data repeatedly into different systems and paper formats
• A single point of access for data and documents, including project plans
• Reinforcement of reporting structures and codes and support for corporate methodologies

For the project office and administration team:

• Reduced time chasing missing data, correcting invalid data, creating reports in different formats
• A full audit trail to monitor history and trends
• Being 'in control' of the data

PAT offers both intangible and tangible benefits. The intangible benefits are better, more accurate and more timely data. The tangible benefits are:

• The saving in middle management and administrative time and effort required to chase, collate and report on key data manually
• Significant improvements in service delivery; delivering business benefits in a shorter time with fewer resources

In an IT project management environment the savings and benefits achieved using PAT can repay its investment in as little as 3 months.