The Lockheed C5 Martin fleet formed a critical part of the Iraq and the Afghanistan war for the U.S. Air Force in the early 2000's. The planes formed an integral part of the war as they carried heavy cargo in the warzone. During crunch time, the heavy intercontinental-range C-5s' of the USAF were spending a significant time in the maintenance depots rather than in the field. Short on time, the Air Force called up Realization Technologies, a project planning and execution software provider headquartered in San Jose, California. Leveraging Realization's unique software, the turnaround time for the plane maintenance was shortened from 240 days to 160 days with instance of defects decreased by 75 percent. As a result, the Air Force could deploy additional C-5's in the field, providing the critical logistical support that the US needed to win the war.

This is just one example of how Realization Technologies, founded by Sanjeev Gupta fifteen years ago, has been reducing the execution time of projects ranging from high tech and product development to infrastructure and maintenance by 20 to 50 percent.

Moving the World from Failed Project Management Software to Success
"Projects are the lifeblood of economic growth and development. Businesses and governments around the world spend close to seven trillion dollars every year on major projects, ranging from research and development to construction and repairs," says Sanjeev Gupta, Founder & CEO, Realization Technologies. The impact of completing projects faster and more efficiently cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, project management software – even though there are almost a hundred packages in the market – has not been of any help. The common notion in the industry is that these software are riddled with complexity and do more harm than good. The elaborate project plans created with these software are shelved as soon as projects start because of the uncertain nature of project work. Combating all of these doubts and helping organizations finish projects faster and more efficiently is what Realization is about.
Having started operations in 1998, the company today has close to 250 high profile clients that include aviation giants, defense establishments and engineering industry leaders. The Realization team has delivered a whopping 4 billion dollars in additional cash and profits for its clients that include the likes of ABB Group, Boeing, Delta Air Lines, Procter & Gamble and a host of other famous names. As another example, Realization helped HP's digital camera group utilize the sales crucial spring and Christmas windows by helping them release 15 new products on time and get to record sales figures. Previously HP was able to release only seven products and only one out of those seven was on time.

The secret to bragging rights for such a high profile client list is not an overnight miracle. It has taken years of dedication and real world experience by Gupta's team to improve project management while being emphatic about simplicity as the foremost requirement for their solutions and software. The company's primary differentiator is its workflow engine that organizes projects as linear work-streams instead of complicated Gantt Charts, focuses teams and managers on the right tasks at the right time during execution, and provides predictive reports that highlight project delays before they occur. "Complexity is the enemy of good project management. Instead of automating complexity, we have chosen to simplify it first. Simplicity not only removes confusion about day-to-day priorities but also leads to faster and better decisions. All this makes projects go 20 to 50 percent faster," says Gupta.

Silencing Skepticism with Success
After attempting to systematize project management and solve the problem of late and over budget projects for many years, most organizations have resigned to the thought that project management software is ineffective. Realization took these problems and skepticism head on and has emerged as the highest value provider of project management software and services. Compared to the heavy planning and scheduling systems offered by companies like Oracle, Realization's software not only gets projects done faster but also is practical. A testimony of their ascendancy in the industry is the prestigious 2006 Franz Edelman award for excellence in operations research and owning 80 percent of the government aircraft maintenance market. Other prominent awards include the Shingo Prize and the US Air Force Chief of Staff Excellence award.

Moving forward, the company has set its sights on engineering and product development market in the US and the infrastructure and construction project market in India. To continue the successful run, Gupta plans to continue with the same passion and dedication that led Realization to develop the first web-based project management software, the first multi-project management software and the first project execution model into the core of future plans. "There are benefits to never being satisfied. We will continue to bring value to the market by simplifying project management and making it ever more effective," emphasizes Gupta. Judging by Realization's success so far, there is every reason to believe him.