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Certinia PS Cloud vs. Microsoft Project Server

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Certinia PS Cloud

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/ACertinia PS Cloud software is a cloud-based services solution that is built on the Force.com platform. It allows companies to manage professional resources, customers, projects and financials in one integrated services management application. Because the solution works natively with Force.com, it utilizes the same data for sales, services and finance on one system.N/A

    Microsoft Project Server

    Score5.1 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Project Server is a project portfolio management option.N/A
    Pricing
    Certinia PS CloudMicrosoft Project Server
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Certinia PS CloudMicrosoft Project Server
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsCertinia Professional Services Cloud software follows a subscription-based pricing model that is typically structured according to the number of users and the level of features required. The software’s pricing may vary depending on the organization’s size and needs, with options to select modules or add-ons for additional functionality. Specific pricing details may require a consultation or quote from Certinia for tailored solutions.—
    More Pricing Information
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    Certinia PS CloudMicrosoft Project Server
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    Workday Professional Services Automation
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    User Ratings
    Certinia PS CloudMicrosoft Project Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (13 ratings)
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Certinia PS CloudMicrosoft Project Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Certinia
    PSA is great at capturing all the data you would need to accurately track and report on consulting projects. It captures project financials, calculates projected GM%, and (among others) allows for hourly tracking of employees, which breaks it up between billable and non-billable for utilization tracking to accurately understand costs. However, the user interface is tough to learn, and the stability of the data reporting functions is questionable. This tool would be great for smaller consulting shops that fit the standard contracting mold. If your business is fairly straightforward without a lot of shades of gray, you shouldn't have much trouble with the tool. However, if your business practices have a lot of exceptions based on clients, then you'll have a tall administrative task on your hands.
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    Microsoft Project Server I believe is best for any organization from small to large. As I mentioned, it is a little pricey so I would do research into alternative software and depending on your needs maybe look at all options, competing software. This is a tool with a learning curve and some may not be able to easily navigate this software. There isn't really great training, resources available for this tool however there are some free YouTube tutorial videos. This is great for cross company, department project management, sharing, managing of projects and timelines.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Certinia
    • The biggest strength of FinancialForce PSA is that it's built upon the force.com platform, which means it is very easily customizable to our business needs.
    • Projects are easily created, as well as milestones and assignments.
    • "Actuals" (dollars and hours) are calculated automatically, and are easily reported on.
    • Resources are easily managed by using the Resource Planner
    • FinancialForce PSA support is outstanding!
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    Microsoft
    • Project planning: tasks assignments, resources allocation, progress and cost tracking. The Server version is the natural extension of the Microsoft Project standalone.
    • Provides one place to manage all projects, accessible by everyone in the team. This opens the plan updates to team members as well(on their tasks), as opposed to being done only by the project manager.
    • Reporting and visualization - resources utilization, timeline etc
    • The integration with the Microsoft Project standalone: if you don't like the web version, you can download the latest and work locally. When done just sync it back to the server.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Certinia
    • The product is still maturing as a full featured PSA tool. The feature roadmap is compelling but is still being built out.
    • Tool is ideal for managing a services business. It is not yet a project manager tool.
    • Limited reporting
    • Maturing change order process
    • Limited integration to back-end financial systems beyond Financial Force Financials. We use Netsuite.
    • The underlying SalesForce UI is constrained and can be keystroke intensive at times
    • Limited archiving of historical data
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    Microsoft
    • Resource loading and leveling extremely complicated within the tool
    • Software makes incorrect assumptions and changes without user knowledge
    • Inconsistencies within the tool make it hard to predict & troubleshoot
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Certinia
    There is another PSA software program that we have been looking into (DreamFactory) that could potentially replace FinancialForce PSA in our organization. Like FinancialForce PSA, it is cloud based on the force.com platform. Licensing is slightly less than FinancialForce PSA, and the Resource Management tool is far superior to FinancialForce PSA. With that said, our renewal falls in Q4 2014 and I don't foresee us implementing a new system this fiscal year.
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    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Certinia
    It is maturing and does what it does well although it is not fully complete.

    Integration to SF is great.

    Gives great visibility to incoming services projects and allows the staffing process to start on pipeline deals.

    There are certain processes that take more click-throughs then needed so there are refinement opportunities around the UI.

    The resource management screen and project status views have really matured since our original purchase, and while not perfect, allow business leaders to do their jobs.

    Configurations vs. customizations. We seem to have to bring in an Apex developer to do a customization for changes I would think could be configuration settings
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    Microsoft
    We don't have to worry about maintenance, upgrades, or compatibility issues. All the capabilities we need are there, and are easily customizable.
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    Reliability and Availability
    Certinia
    We have maybe had 1-2 outages over 3 years.
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    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Certinia
    Most of the time it is fine. There are peak periods of usage where performance noticably slows down (i.e., Monday mornings when time is due and many reports are being run)
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    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Certinia
    Every time I submit a new help request, whether it's an actual help request or just a question about FinancialForce PSA, I always feel that I'm receiving world class support. The support we receive from FinancialForce PSA is always very detailed and professional. There are some requests that take longer than other for the initial response, which is why I did not give a full 10.
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    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    In-Person Training
    Certinia
    It was fine.
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    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Certinia
    Appirio did a good job, however, the user team didn’t know enough to make all the right configuration/customization choices. The team focused too much on replicating existing processes vs. reengineering them. In hindsight we should have had deep dive reviews at key milestones and enforced more focus on how the software would operate. We didn’t have access to true best practices expertise. In hindsight, a consultant from the outside would have been helpful to drive this.
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    Microsoft
    Per Microsoft, Project Online provides more value long-term by reducing infrastructure cost and increase feature release cycle time
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    Alternatives Considered
    Certinia
    FF PSA is a robust Project Management solution that can be configured to fits any size business. We have tried several other applications and PSA so far has met and exceeded our needs. We run our day to day operations on Salesforce so having a solution that is native was a must have. PSA met that requirement and much more.
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    One of the key advantages of Microsoft Project Server (MSPS) is its ecosystem. It gels very well with SharePoint, Office, Office 365. The support from Microsoft is also a key driver and they are very experienced and many ways to resolve issues. Also, Microsoft has bridged the gap of cloud offering from other competitors by providing Project Online. It is an offering through Office 365 which is very lean and low maintenance.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Certinia
    • FinancialForce PSA has helped us improve our data tracking and allows us to get more granular about our financial information and performance.
    • PSA has given more tools and reports to individual contributors to take greater ownership over their own data, and has increased accountability across the organization.
    • PSA has added a fairly hefty administrative burden to individuals, project managers, and our financial team.
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    • We've been able to reduce the number of staff in our PMO by utilising the Project Server data in Power BI, reducing the need for manual reporting.
    • Being able to forecast utilization in the product allows us to accurately estimate resource needs to ensure optimum staff levels.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots