Duke Clinical Research Institute
Duke Streamlines Time Tracking with OnePlan
Company Overview
The Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), part of the Duke University School of Medicine, is the world’s largest academic clinical research organization. They are committed to conducting innovative research to improve health outcomes globally. DCRI’s projects are led by physician scientists with patient care experience, supported by a skilled operations team specializing in managing global studies.
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Industry: Research
Employees: 5,000
HQ: Durham, North Carolina
Department: Operations
Website: https://dcri.org/
Previous solution: Planisware
Why OnePlan: DCRI selected OnePlan to replace its previous tool, Plainsware, to better manage time tracking, resource planning, and financial planning across their operational initiatives. They needed a scalable solution to modernize processes, track historical approvals, and implement a comprehensive timesheet system. With OnePlan, DCRI gained the ability to track time by tasks and projects while adopting a big-picture monthly calendar approach, which reduced effort and improved efficiency.
Feature Highlights
  • Financial Planner
  • Timesheets
  • Resource Planning
  • “What-If” Scenario Modeling
Top Challenges
  • Inefficient daily timesheet tracking process
  • Lack of big-picture visibility for scoping and managing projects
  • No streamlined way to track historical approvals
  • Need for better tracking of internal initiatives like the SAP upgrade and data migration to the cloud
Customer Challenges

Before adopting OnePlan, DCRI struggled with tracking timesheets and managing operational initiatives effectively. Their previous daily timesheet system required significant effort, and the lack of a big-picture perspective made it challenging to scope projects, track progress, and align efforts with organizational goals. Previous methods left teams disconnected from current workflows, leading to user frustration, low confidence in data, and poor engagement. Additionally, they needed better processes for managing historical approvals and tracking internal initiatives, such as an SAP upgrade and the migration of their data warehouse to the cloud.

Integrations
Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft Teams
OnePlan
Salesforce
Solution

OnePlan provided DCRI with an Adaptive Portfolio and Project Management (PPM) solution tailored to their operational excellence needs. This tailored solution modernized their approach to portfolio and project management. By integrating tools like Microsoft Teams, Power BI, and Salesforce, OnePlan allowed them to streamline project management and time tracking processes. A custom calendar was introduced for contractors to manage timesheets, while the new monthly approach to time tracking simplified workflows and improved overall visibility. These enhancements simplified workflows, increased efficiency, and empowered DCRI to scope projects more effectively, track progress, and achieve operational excellence across their global research initiatives.

Customer Benefits
Improved Time Tracking: Transitioned from a daily to a monthly calendar for time tracking, enabling a more strategic, big-picture view
Simplified Workflows: Reduced effort and improved efficiency in tracking timesheet hours by tasks and projects
Enhanced Project Scoping: Ability to track progress and scope projects in percentages for better planning
Custom Solutions: Introduced a custom calendar for contractors to manage timesheets and track historical approvals
Operational Excellence: Improved ability to manage internal initiatives like SAP upgrades and data warehouse migration