Project Management

Projects are often run in an ad hoc manner and may start from very small undertakings which evolve into considerable resource commitment which can be “under the radar” as far as management is concerned. Project plans with clear goals and identified stages can be developed to support management decision making, whether for ongoing monitoring or, drastically, to make a possible termination decision. Project review, either at inception or regularly during the lifetime of a project, provided by an independent source can offer a level of objectivity which is hard to sustain within an organization.               

R&D Activities

R&D activities, owing to their more open-ended nature, result in plans which have not the same level of detail as regular projects, and require a broader review process both at commencement and during their execution. Inevitably there is a much stronger subjective element in the advocacy of proposers and participants which needs to be counterbalanced by the independence of a third party. For larger organizations there is the need to balance a portfolio of projects with the level of risk entailed, the time scale of completion and the potential benefits conferred on the business. There is also the consideration of the potential future cost of implementing and exploiting the results of the R&D. This is needed to ensure a reasonable and understood commitment by the organization.           

The Canadian SR&ED program

Where the SR&ED eligible work is entwined with other functions of the company, both developmental and operational, it is difficult to isolate those elements which do qualify and to identify the technical obstacles that have been addressed. Ordino has experience which can help clients decide whether to pursue a claim. Where the grounds appear to be valid, then Ordino will prepare project descriptions and identify the eligible costs associated with the work so that the company’s accountant can enter the required information straight into the tax return software. In addition the supporting materials can be identified and organized to validate such a claim, and to assist the company in providing clearer identification of the work in future claims. This has the spin-off benefit of supporting a  better management process for such work.