Process
How implementing Linetrack works
In short
Implementing Linetrack runs in eleven steps across three phases: Clarify before the decision (initial consultation, follow-up consultation, planning simulation, proposal), Set up through go-live (PM consulting, system setup, migration of existing plans, onboarding), and Establish after go-live (support, interface development, impact review). The median time from kick-off to the first self-planned project is just 10 working days.
The steps
Eleven steps across three phases
Phase A
Clarify — before the decision
Initial consultation
An introduction based on real situations rather than a feature list, together with an analysis of the existing setup: which lists, tools, and Excel files are in use today, who maintains them, and where schedules and capacity are running separately from one another.
ResultHonest baseline assessment and a picture of the gaps
Follow-up consultation
The target state: project structure, the departments involved, roles, planning depth, and the modules you actually need.
ResultAgreed target state, scope, and effort range
Planning simulation
Real project situations are played through with the future user group on sample data: a date shifts, a department is overloaded, a supplier reports a delay. The planning simulation is free of charge and part of the initial engagement – the people who will work with it later see the planning logic in action before a decision is made.
ResultDecision-makers and users know what they are committing to
Proposal and decision
Binding license scope and service packages, along with a schedule and named points of contact on both sides.
ResultSignature and a project start with a clear framework
Phase B
Set up — through to go-live
PM consulting
Reviewing and sharpening the planning processes: how deep does planning go? Who is allowed to move dates? Which capacities are binding? A system cannot answer a question that nobody has decided beforehand.
ResultDefined planning logic for the system to build on
System setup
Configuration of the environment according to the defined logic: project structures, departments, roles and permissions, calendars and capacities.
ResultWorking environment that fits your processes
Migration of existing plans
Transfer of the ongoing projects from Excel and MS Project, a structural review, and adjustment to the agreed planning logic. The errors that become visible in the old plans along the way are part of the result.
ResultReal project status in the system instead of re-entering everything
Onboarding and go-live
Role-based training for project management, the department, and executive management – each group learns what it needs day to day. After that, the productive start.
ResultTrained users, the system in operation
Phase C
Establish — after go-live
Support through the first weeks
A dedicated point of contact, short regular meetings, and adjustments to structure and permissions during live operation. The weeks after go-live decide whether the planning is really used.
ResultPlanning happens in the system, not in parallel in Excel
Interface development
Live connection to ERP systems, to time tracking (AIDA, Finkzeit, OptiTime), imports from MS Project, Primavera, Excel and SAP, as well as a REST API. This can run in parallel and is not a prerequisite for the start.
ResultContinuous data foundation without duplicate entry
Impact review
After about three months, a comparison against the baseline from step 1: how many lists have been replaced? How has schedule adherence developed? Where is planning still happening on the side?
ResultDocumented impact and a basis for the next expansion stage
Duration
How long this takes
Ranges rather than fixed figures, because the scope of the plan migration and the number of areas involved are the deciding factors.
- Phase A – Clarify
- 1–3 weeksDepends on how quickly meetings with everyone involved can be arranged.
- Phase B – Set up
- 2–8 weeksThe scope of the plan migration and the number of departments determine the range.
- Phase C – Establish
- ongoingSupport through the first weeks, impact review after around three months.
Median time to the first self-planned project in the system: 10 WD
*From a full survey of all live Linetrack implementations, as of August 2026.
Costs
What this costs
The license starts at EUR 10 per user per month. The effective price depends on the number of users, roles and the modules booked.
The planning simulation before the decision is free of charge. PM consulting, system setup, onboarding and migration of existing plans are not included in the license fee; they are available individually and are priced according to scope. Interfaces that already exist are simply connected, with no new development needed – effort only arises where your data differs from what has been implemented so far. Which steps make sense emerges from the initial consultation.
Effort
Who does what
| Step | Linetrack | Your team |
|---|---|---|
| Initial consultation | Running the conversation and analyzing the existing setup | Participation of project management and the department, overview of the lists in use |
| Follow-up consultation | Structuring the target state, scope and effort range | Decision on planning depth and the areas involved |
| Planning simulation | Preparation and facilitation using sample data, free of charge | Participation of the future user group |
| Proposal and decision | Proposal, schedule, points of contact | Sign-off and naming of a responsible person |
| PM consulting | Reviewing and sharpening the planning processes | Information on how the processes actually run, decision on responsibilities |
| System setup | Full configuration of the environment | Department structure, roles and capacity per area |
| Migration of existing plans | Import, structural review, adjustment | Providing the ongoing plans from Excel and MS Project |
| Onboarding and go-live | Role-based training | Participation of the users |
| Support through the first weeks | Dedicated point of contact, regular meetings, fine-tuning | Feedback from day-to-day operation |
| Interface development | Development and connection | IT contact for the integration |
| Impact review | Evaluation against the baseline | Participation and assessment from the areas involved |
Experience
What happens when steps are skipped
Not every step is necessary for every company. With these three, though, the consequences of skipping them are the clearest.
Without PM consulting
An unclear planning process does not disappear by moving into a system – it only becomes more visible. If nobody has decided who is allowed to move dates, everyone afterwards decides that for themselves, only now it is documented.
Without planning simulation
Anyone who has not experienced the planning logic in concrete situations keeps their own list going, just in case. The Excel file stays in parallel use, and so there are still two versions of the truth.
Without plan migration
A system holding sample data is a demo, not a working tool. As long as the ongoing projects are not in it, nobody is working on the real status – and the implementation quietly slips to the next project.
Context
Why this is not an ERP project
An ERP system is built for controlling and order processing, not for operational scheduling and capacity planning. Its project module therefore covers one slice, and detailed planning moves back into Excel anyway.
Implementing Linetrack starts alongside that, not inside it. Planning begins with the first migrated project list, and it does so without any interface having to be in place. The connection to ERP and time tracking comes afterwards and improves planning that is already running by that point.
So you do not have to choose between an ERP project and planning transparency. Linetrack does not replace an ERP system and is not meant to: it connects project planning, department planning, ERP and time tracking into one shared data foundation.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about implementation
Still have questions about the process?
In the initial consultation we work out which steps make sense in your situation.