What is biopharma project management software?

Biopharma project management software is a digital platform built to plan, track, and effectively manage all biopharma projects - from drug development and clinical trial oversight to manufacturing and internal initiatives - in one central system.

Why do biopharma companies need specialized solutions?

The pharmaceutical industry requires strict regulatory compliance, complex workflows, and multi-department coordination. Generic tools cannot support the risk management, budget management, and human resources planning that pharma project management demands. Dedicated solutions like Cora connect all of those in one place.

How does pharma project management software help with capital projects?

It improves financial control over raw materials costs, standardizes processes across facilities, and gives real-time visibility into project status, risk management, and resource allocation for large-scale investments.

How does biopharma project management software accelerate time-to-market?

By coordinating cross-functional teams, automating workflows, and providing real-time project insights, it reduces delays in drug development and clinical trial execution.

Can Cora work for small teams?

Yes. Cora is a no-code/low-code platform, so small teams can configure it themselves without specialist IT support. It scales from small project teams up to enterprise-wide portfolio management.

Biopharma Buyers’ Guide: Unlock 6 Key Benefits with Cora Systems Today

Exploring 6 practical benefits specific to biopharma - 3 for capital projects, and 3 for internal projects.

biopharma-project-management-software-6-benefits-cora-gives.pdf

Introduction: Biopharma Today

“According to PwC’s “Next in Pharma” paper, the biopharma industry is facing into the same headwinds today as every other sector:

"In 2023, delivering for patients and investors will happen against a backdrop of high inflation, talent shortages, rising capital costs (and) pressures on consumer spending." - PwC, "Next in Pharma"

What always happens at times like this is the gap between winners and losers becomes much more visible. Some companies rise and soar, while others suddenly disappear. PwC identifies two areas where biopharma companies can become significantly more competitive.

"Leading pharmaceutical and life sciences companies can transform their businesses (by) reimagining work (and) tech-enabling the organization." - PwC

Key takeaways

Effective biopharma project management software connects capital and internal pharma projects in one portfolio view, giving PMO leaders real-time visibility across the entire project lifecycle.
Budget management and raw materials cost tracking are built into Cora's project controls, so financial forecasts stay accurate even when conditions change.
Clinical trial oversight, drug development schedules, and facilities projects all feed into one system, surfacing resource conflicts before they cause delays.
The no-code/low-code platform means small teams can configure Cora themselves - no specialist IT required.
Standardized workflows through the project request portal connect ideation to strategic approval, cutting the time from idea to active pharma project.

Reimagining work drives competitive advantage

Whether your business succeeds or fails depends to a large degree on how well you respond to the demands of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. This applies in both the long and short term, regardless of which industry you operate in.

ESG and DEI action is now a business requirement

As the world moves decisively towards net zero, every business is reimagining how it operates. Running a company without factoring in environmental costs is no longer economically viable, and the reputational costs of failing to address social and governance issues are real.

This is becoming more acute as "social" breaks down into the subcategory of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). If a company is not visibly taking action around inclusion, employees, customers, investors, and ultimately shareholders will walk.

This is especially true for the biopharma and pharmaceutical industry. If you work in health, everything your company does has to be transparently ethical and above board.

Constant growth is not merely desirable - it is fundamental. The bigger your company becomes, the more of your medicines reach the patients who need them.

So biopharma has to balance the drive for constant growth with the need to operate in a completely new way. Companies are responding in several ways.

All operations now have to be done in a much more transparent way, so carbon footprints can be fully accounted for. You need end-to-end traceability for sourcing raw materials and products, all packaging has to be recyclable, drugs have to have a longer shelf life, and every dose needs to be used.

Biopharma is committed to increased access and lower drug costs

All major pharma companies are pursuing action plans aimed at increasing access and lowering the cost of drugs for the more vulnerable in society and the less affluent in the developing world. Pfizer, for instance, has a program for sharing intellectual property (IP) with third-party researchers working on malaria and TB treatments.

Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) and remote patient monitoring (RPM) - both of which expanded sharply during the pandemic - will only become more common going forward. The diversity and inclusion that results is not just good for DEI metrics; it makes those trials more scientifically robust.

Technology enables the reimagining of biopharma operations

This reimagining of work practices is only happening because of the digital transformation technology makes possible. The manufacturing of drugs has become more efficient through the development of smart factories.

IoT and 5G automate the factory floor

The Internet of Things (IoT) and the 5G that coordinates it mean manually repetitive tasks can now be performed by robots and cobots (robots that work alongside humans). They collect, deliver, sort, and catalogue more efficiently than we do - freeing workers for more productive tasks, saving money, and speeding everything up.

That same technology and cloud-based services are also making the expansion in decentralized clinical trials and remote patient monitoring possible.

Picture of Automated robotic assembly electronic circuit board, Smart factory 4.0 concept

One platform lower cost, increases innovation, and expands services

Companies are leveraging cloud-native services to harness AI-enabled drug development research. That lets them manage and organize vast quantities of data in real time, lowering the costs of operations and expanding the services on offer.

More than anything else, technology lets you become the "control tower" for all your projects - gathering and organizing all the data your activities generate. With the right pharmaceutical project management software, you can orchestrate every pharma project through each stage of its lifecycle, reducing costs and eliminating delays. As PwC concludes:

“No digital transformation program can deliver its full potential without attention to the core enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems (as) business and digital transformation are inextricably linked to ERP capabilities.” – PwC

Cora integrates comfortably with any ERP systems you already use. Or it can be installed instead of an ERP system - because as a leading project portfolio management (PPM) solution, Cora is far more flexible than a conventional ERP.

Not only can Cora be configured around your structural processes or the requirements of a specific type of project. Because it is built as a no-code/low-code platform, any user in your organization can configure it themselves. That drives buy-in across the organization - and that kind of organizational buy-in is invaluable.

Capital Projects requires financial precision

“Capital allocation should be examined across business units through the lens of higher returns.” – PwC

All biopharma companies move back and forth between two kinds of projects. There are the large capital projects, like building a new manufacturing plant or facilities expansion, from which you produce and distribute life-saving drugs.

And there are all those internal projects aimed at improving efficiency and helping you work more effectively. Let's begin with the capital projects.

1. Budget management starts with advanced financial forecasting

Capital projects revolve around finance. Finance gets organized around three sets of activities, starting with advanced financials - producing the estimates you need for forecasting so you can build your working budget.

Cora integrates with almost any finance systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software packages. All your advanced financials are organized and managed in one place, through one single system.

Screenshot of Cora Assistant PPM Software

The problem is that stuff always happens. The moment you dig that first spade, something is unearthed and you need an environmental study. Or the costs of raw materials suddenly go up because of a conflict on the other side of the globe - and the amount needed for, say, cement, has jumped 15%, with knock-on effects across all related estimates.

You need to track changes to all of that on an ongoing basis. That is exactly what Cora's Project Controls functionality is built for.

2. Project controls track real-time cost changes

Project controls are a subset of project management - the tools you use to manage and track changes to your costs and how those changes affect scheduling. You get immediate visibility into actuals and traceability across purchase orders, outstanding volumes, and invoices received from suppliers.

The perennial problem on all projects is the gap between forecasted costs and actual costs. Tackling that on a large capital project demands flexibility.

You have to be able to update things manually - or not at all. Some logs only get updated every three or four weeks. A system that is too automated is simply not practical; if it is too granular, everything grinds to a halt.

Your system has to be flexible enough that the right type of data is updated in the right way. Cora's flexibility and ease of configuration make it so valuable when overseeing large, complex capital projects.

3. Reporting keeps executives and finance aligned

Reporting brings those first two elements together. It goes out to two groups: the executives overseeing the portfolio of projects, who need to know when a facility will become operational; and finance, who need to track how estimates are being adjusted as the project evolves.

Change orders and cost amendments create ripple effects across cashflow, estimates, and accounting. The key is that your system precisely tracks and registers every change on a continual basis - and everyone who needs to know stays permanently up to speed.

Internal Projects run on outcomes and business activity

“53% More than half of finance chiefs are looking to accelerate digital transformation to help drive standardization and automate as many processes in every area where it makes sense.”1 – PwC

1. Standardize workflows through the project request portal

If capital projects are focused on finance, then internal projects are all about outcomes and the business activities that produce them. The first stage is ideation - turning ideas into active projects.

Someone has an idea, fills out a form, and puts in a business case, which either does or does not get approval. It could be for a new CRM system, a server upgrade, or actions required in response to FDA rules. Biopharma firms carry a heavy load of compliance and governance requirements from industry regulators.

You need to evaluate which projects will generate the best returns, which are the easiest to execute, and which fit your overall strategy. That means getting as much detail as possible before deciding which projects to move forward with. Cora's project request portal was built precisely for this.

Users select a template, or configure an existing one, to submit new projects pre-populated with relevant data. The request process connects directly to Cora's workflow functionality, so each submission gets reviewed in the agreed manner by the right people.

Screenshot of Cora-Portal-Dashboard

All of which is organized around a value-based set of approval criteria, and will be shaped by your organization’s strategic goals.

2. Portfolio Management aligns resources with strategy

Once you have approval for an internal project, you start scenario planning. Step back and make sure you are getting the most from how you manage your portfolio.

You need to confirm the approved projects fit your overall strategy, that you have the human resources to staff them or the budget to bring in external teams, and that they are not diverting resources that could be better deployed elsewhere.

Screenshot of Cora PPM Dashboard

Cora gives you a 30,000-foot, bird's-eye overview so you can manage resources in a top-down way. You get frictionless capacity planning, "what if" scenario planning, and strategic alignment - so all your resources are properly deployed in the most productive way possible.

3. Daily and Weekly Logs keep task management current

Once a pharma project is up and running, there is all the reporting on work management that you now need - resource management from the bottom up. Internal projects move at a different speed than capital ones.

Capital projects might run on a cadence of one to three months. Internal projects need a cadence of one to two weeks, with a project manager keeping a close eye on everything to make sure it stays on schedule.

Screenshot of Cora-WBS

Task management at this level requires constant review. You need a detailed work breakdown structure (WBS) and the ability to view tasks and progress through Gantt charts, pie charts, and graphs - keeping weekly and sometimes daily logs.

At the execution level, things change all the time. You need to be able to track every agreed change and the downstream effects those changes have on the rest of the project's progress.

Cora handles both project types well. It gives you the bird's-eye portfolio view and the flexible data-input you need for capital projects, while equally supporting structures that follow different methodologies and require a more granular approach.

Cora – one platform, famously easy to use

We put a huge amount of effort into making Cora something people genuinely look forward to using. That is the reason behind the epithet "famously easy to use." It genuinely is.

That is because it has been built as a no code/low code platform. In practice, it gets configured twice.

First, when you decide to go with Cora, we sit down with you to configure the out-of-the-box Cora so that it does exactly what you need. That is the low-code part. We then pair you with a Customer Success Team to make sure the implementation goes exactly according to plan, and to make any further tweaks to how your Cora is configured.

Once you go live, you will quickly see the emergence of Cora champions - because it really is famously easy to use. Whenever you start a new project, or set up a portal from one of the existing templates, so that a particular stakeholder only sees exactly what you want them to, you simply drag and drop whichever features you want included.

And if you are still a bit puzzled - it happens to all of us - we have invested heavily in our Cora Assistant, which is improving in leaps and bounds thanks to advances in AI. It is right there in the top right-hand corner of your screen.

Cora is a flexible solution for whatever your challenges are - whether you need that 30,000-foot portfolio view, a detailed granular view into each stage of your project's lifecycle, or both. Small teams find it just as effective as enterprise-scale organizations, because the platform adapts to you, not the other way around.

See Cora in action: request a demo today

The right biopharma project management software does more than track tasks. It connects strategy to execution, gives you real-time visibility across facilities and human resources, and adapts as your pharma project portfolio grows.

Cora brings pharmaceutical project management software capabilities that cover budget management, task management, risk management, and drug development workflows - all in one platform. Whether you are running clinical trials, managing facilities expansion, or coordinating small teams across multiple programs, Cora adapts to how you work.

Request a Demo | Cora Systems PPM Software for Smarter Project Delivery and see how Cora helps you effectively manage every stage of the project lifecycle.