A scheduled broadcast date already exists for the production; this means that production takes place for a concrete publication time slot and draws on the budget planned for this slot. The process chain starts with a program brief from the editorial department, to which the production department(s) respond with one or more program proposals, including the corresponding program cost accounting. The approval gateways are controlled effectively by means of workflow processes. When the proposal to be implemented is approved and released as a program order, the acquisition processes and resource allocation are triggered automatically.

The hierarchy of production documents (such as scenario, script, storyboard, and composition) is managed in SAP Document Management System and serves as a standardized configurable documentation platform for production projects.

Cost estimates are carried out for a broadcast item, whereby the methods used can differ according to the planning phase in question, from rough manual cost estimates, through standard cost estimates based on costing models for specific genres and formats, and detailed cost estimates based on rates for internal activities, conditions from contracts with service providers, material costs, and proportional surcharges.

Successful project planning enables you to plan, manage, and control the entire project development process, from initial idea to completion. The solution allows project managers to control project structures, schedules, costs, and resources. This includes network planning techniques and aggregative tools that support cross-project cost, revenue, margin, schedule, and resource management. The Project Builder lets you set up a project and monitor its progress. The project planning board simplifies project planning and control, combining tabular and graphical data to provide a global overview. The information system gives you a detailed picture of current status, which you can represent using a variety of reporting tools.

Steer the entire development process of a project, ensure reduced cost to market with efficient project management, and support invest/divest decisions for products and projects using intelligent program management.