Deltek, a provider of project-based ERP software, recently announced significant changes to its product portfolio. Before getting into what’s new, it helps to briefly describe how project-based ERP is different from typical ERP systems.

At the same time, project-based ERP may include features for manufacturing and supply chain, industry-specific functionality such as proofing and content management for marketing agencies, or construction management for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) companies.

The evolution of project-based ERP software

The market has evolved tremendously in the past decades—from a focus on operations and data management to prioritizing analysis and customer experience. In other words, project-based ERP was perceived as a “necessary evil” (a complex and not very user-friendly system that companies needed in order to avoid using separate systems or spreadsheets). To remain relevant, this type of software needs to be more than a system of record and help users make decisions and optimize operations.

As the market continued to evolve, some vendors decided to focus exclusively on project-based ERP software. Deltek is one of them, and their strategy combined developing their own software with acquiring new solutions. Their flagship product, Costpoint, has been around for more than 20 years while their most recent acquisition was ComputerEase, a construction management software.

Deltek’s portfolio includes 17 products and some of them have been enhanced recently. The vendor made multiple announcements at its conference Deltek Insight, held from September 15, 2020 to September, 16, 2020.

Other significant updates were the improvements to the PIM Smart offering for universal document control and the expansion of Deltek GovWin to Canada in 2021. More details on these announcements, as well as keynotes and breakout sessions, are available on the Deltek Insight website.

Source: Deltek

Remembering the past and imagining the future

A research paper found “striking similarities in the cognitive and neural processes involved in remembering the past and imagining or simulating possible future experiences.” On the same note, we cannot imagine the future of project-based ERP without being reminded of the past.

Traditional and modern ERP features can coexist—it’s actually preferable to have both. For instance, Deltek Costpoint is available in the cloud and on premises (still used by government contractors). Also, PWAs are platform agnostic, can be used on desktop and mobile devices, and they work offline. Despite the rise of the mobile-only user predicted by Harvard Business Review a decade ago, ERP users still use desktop computers and don’t always have reliable internet access.