Republic of the Philippines

Mountain Province State Polytechnic College

Bontoc, Mountain Province

PROJECT MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

Module No. 1

Technical Elective 3

MARCO M. GULUNGAN
Email Add: [email protected]

Engineering Department

Second Semester, School Year 2020-2021

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INTRODUCTION
This module covers the objectives, importance, and components of project
management information system and the challenges in the implementation process in
the construction industry.

The number of hours allotted for this module is 6 hours. You are expected to
finish in two weeks. Pass all your outputs / answers to the activities at the end of each
lesson on or before the midterm examination schedule. The activities in this recognizes
gender and culture diversity among students.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. discuss the purpose and objectives of project management information

system (PMIS);

2. discuss the importance of PMIS in the construction industry;

3. identify the components of PMIS; and,

4. discuss the challenges in the implementation process of PMIS in the

construction industry.

PRETEST

Let us see how much you already know about Project Management Information System.
Answer each item below. Check the left side box if the answer is true and the right side
box if it is false. Take note of the items that you do not yet know.

1. Project Management Information System (PMIS) is a software to provide control in

project management process.

True False
2. The PMIS is a system tools and techniques to improve management in construction.
True False

3. The PMIS is also improved workmanship of skilled worker in the construction.

True False
4. The PMIS can tracked problems in the construction management process.
True False
5. The importance of PMIS is to assist project managers in planning, budgeting, and
scheduling of projects.

True False
6. The project manager will improve their performance in managing projects through
the use of PMIS.

True False

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7. One objective of PMIS is to increase profit in construction business.
True False
8. The PMIS is a computer based system to reduce time in monitoring projects.
True False
9. The PMIS will benefits the contractor’s only in managing projects.

True False
10. The PMIS create additional cost to the project and it is disadvantages to project
owners.

True False

LESSON : Project Management Information System (PMIS)

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. define project management information system;

2. discuss the purpose and importance of PMIS;

3. discuss the components of PMIS.

4. identify the challenges in the implementation of PMIS; and

5. discuss how to overcome those challenges.

LET’S ENGAGE
This module will discuss about project management information system which
contains the information essential for initiating, executing, controlling, and closing a
project. These includes the purpose, components, features, of PMIS and the challenges
of implementation of PMIS and suggested solution on how to overcome those challenges.

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

I. Introduction to PMIS

Definition of Project Management Information System (PMIS):

• A PMIS is typically a computer- driven system to aid a project manager

in the development of the project.
• A PMIS can calculate schedules, costs, expectations, and likely results.

Goal of PMIS:
• The goal of a PMIS is to automate, organize, and provide control of the
project management processes.

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Purpose of PMIS:
• Project Management Information System (PMIS) are system tools and
techniques used in project management to deliver information.
Project managers use the techniques and tools to collect, combine
and distribute information through electronic and manual means.
• Project Management Information System (PMIS) is used by upper and
lower management to communicate with each other.
• It is an automated system to quickly create, manage, and streamline
the project management processes.
In the develop portion of the project, the PMIS can be used to help
the project management team create the schedule, estimates, and
risk assessments, and to gather feedback from stakeholders.
• The PMIS also includes a configuration management system.
Configuration management is an approach for tracking all approved
changes, versions of project plans, blueprints, software numbering,
and sequencing.
A configuration management system aims to manage all of the
following:
o Functional and physical characteristics of the project
deliverables
o Control, track, and manage any changes to the project
deliverables
o Track any changes within the project
o Allow the project management team to audit the
project deliverables to confirm conformance to defined
criteria for acceptance
• Project Management Information System (PMIS) help plan, execute and
close project management goals.
During the planning process, project managers use PMIS for budget
framework such as estimating costs. The Project Management
Information System is also used to create a specific schedule and
define the scope baseline.
At the execution of the project management goals, the project
management team collects information into one database. The PMIS
is used to compare the baseline with the actual accomplishment of
each activity, manage materials, collect financial data, and keep a
record for reporting purposes.
• During the close of the project, the Project Management Information
System is used to review the goals to check if the tasks were accomplished.
Then, it is used to create a final report of the project close.
To conclude, the project management information system (PMIS) is
used to plan schedules, budget and execute work to be
accomplished in project management.

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 • Project Management Information System is a tool used to document and
store the project management plan, subsidiary plans and other documents
/ work products relevant for the project. 
It could be manual or automated and should support the change
control procedures defined in the project.

Importance of PMIS:
• The monitoring and control system of a project needs the support of a
suitable Project Management Information System (PMIS). Usually, the use
of a PMIS for all information about a project and regularly updating this
information based on the actual status: helps in successful monitoring
and control.
• A comprehensive PMIS would cover the complete life- cycle of a project and
would provide the necessary support for decision making.
One important purpose of this information system is to receive the
actual data about the status of a project at pre-determined
intervals, process this information to evaluate the impact of these
outcomes and project these impacts in terms of an expected date of
completion and an expected cost of completion. These processed
information are then made available to the Project manager and his
team who would then use this to decide the necessary corrective
actions and execute them.
• PMISs have capabilities that assist project managers in planning,
budgeting, and resource allocation.
Many PMISs additionally perform assorted analyses such as
variance, performance, and forecasting for any level of the WBS and
project organization. A good PMIS enables facile control of changes
to system configuration and project plans as well. These PMISs
allow for quick review and easy periodic updating; they filter and
reduce data to provide information on summary, exception, or
“what if” bases. With an effective PMIS the project manager does not
have to wait for days or comb through reams of data to identify
problems and determine project status.

Objectives of PMIS:
• Record and report relevant information and the status of various
components of the project in such a manner as to bring the most critical
activities directly to the attention of concerned managers at appropriate
level.  Highlight deviations from the plan, if any, in respect of every
component of the project and also to indicate the effects of such, deviations
on the overall status and completion of the project as a whole.  Form the
basis of updating of project schedule wherever necessary.
• Identify and report on critical areas which are relevant to different levels
of management and to highlight the corrective action that needs to be
taken.

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 • Sift the information and report on an exception basis. In other words,
emphasis is focused on those activities that are not going according to the
plan.
• Provide a basis for the evaluation of the performance of the functions of
various managers and departments by regular comparisons with
budgets/plans/schedules.

Typical features of PMIS:

• The following are a list of the kinds of analytical capabilities, outputs, and
other features offered by various PMI systems.
Scheduling and Network Planning:
 Virtually all project software systems do project scheduling using
a network-based procedure. These systems compute early and late
schedule times, slack times, and the critical path
Resource Management:
 Most project systems also perform resource loading, leveling,
allocation, or multiple functions, although the analytical
sophistication and quality of reports vary between systems.

Budgeting:
 In many project systems it is possible to associate cost
information with each activity, usually by treating costs as
resources. The ability of a system to handle cost information and
generate budgets is a significant variable in the system’s usability
for both planning and control.
Cost Control and Performance Analysis:
 Here is where project system capabilities differ the most. The
most sophisticated PMIS software “roll up” results and allow
aggregation, analysis, and reporting at all levels of the WBS. They
also permit modification and updating of existing plans through
input of actual start and finish dates and costs. The most
comprehensive PMISs integrate network, budget, and resource
information and allow the project manager to ask “what if”
questions under various scenarios while the project is underway.
They allow the system user to access, cross-reference, and report
information from multiple sites or databases linked via the Internet
or an intranet.

Reporting, Graphics, and Communication:

 This is an important consideration because it affects the speed
with which PMIS outputs are communicated and the accuracy of
their interpretation. Many systems provide only tabular reports or
crude schedules; others generate networks and resource
histograms; still others offer a variety of graphics including pie
charts and line graphs. The main features to consider are the
number, quality, and type of available reports and graphics

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 Interface:
 Many larger PMISs allow data from different projects to be pooled
so multi project analysis can be performed. Some systems are
compatible with and can tie into existing databases such as payroll,
purchasing, inventory, MRP, ERP, cost-accounting, or other PMISs.

 The capability of a PMIS to interface with other software from

which existing data files have been created is an important selection
criterion. Many firms have had to spend considerable time and
money developing interfaces to link a commercial PM package with
existing data and other PMI systems. Most small, inexpensive
systems are stand-alone and have limited interface ability

Flexibility:
 Systems also vary widely in flexibility. Many systems are limited
and perform a narrow set of functions which cannot be modified.
 Others allow the user to develop new applications or alter existing
ones depending on needs.
 Among the potential additional applications and reports
sometimes available are change control, configuration
management, responsibility matrixes, expenditure reports, cost and
technical performance reports, and technical performance
summaries.
 Many software systems utilize Internet technology and protocols
that enable easy access through a browser to a wide variety of
management applications and databases.

Ease of Use:
 How easy is it to learn and operate the system? Systems vary
greatly in the style of system documentation, thoroughness and
clarity of tutorials, ease of information input, clarity of on-screen
presentation and report format, helpfulness of error messages, and
the training and operating support offered by the developer.

Benefits of computer – based PMIS:

• The benefits of computer PMISs over manual systems are speed, capacity,
efficiency, economy, accuracy, and ability to handle complexity.
• The major benefit is speed. Once data have been collected and entered,
practically any manipulation can be done more rapidly by computers.
• To create or revise printed plans, schedules, and budgets takes days or
weeks with a manual system, but seconds or minutes with computers.
• This is especially true of Internet and intranet project management
systems.
• Computer-based PMISs store large amounts of information that is easily
accessed, prioritized, and summarized.
• Manual systems for large projects are tedious to maintain, difficult to
access, and provoke people to try to work around them or avoid them. They

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 require the efforts of numerous support personnel to maintain and use
their outputs for analysis.
• In contrast, computer-based PMISs can perform much of this analysis,
reduce the requirement for clerical personnel, and relieve managers and
support personnel from having to do computations. This frees them to use
analysis results for making decisions.
• The speed, capacity, and efficiency of computers afford still another
benefit: economy. In most cases, computers offer a significant cost
advantage over manual systems for storing and processing information.
Assuming input data are correct, computers produce fewer computational
errors and reduce the cost of correcting mistakes.
• Computer-based PMISs are much better at handling and integrating
complex data relationships.
• Large projects with thousands of work tasks, hundreds of organizations,
and tens of thousands of workers cannot be managed efficiently without
computers.
• For managing large projects, a computer-based PMIS is a virtual necessity,
but even in small projects it simply makes the work easier to manage.
• Simpler PMISs have limited capability, but they usually are good at what
they can do, and they can be of tremendous benefit. Also, once mastered,
it is easy to upgrade to more sophisticated systems.

Examples of computer – based PMIS:

Microsoft Project (MS Project):

 Microsoft Project (MS Project) dominates project management software
systems.
 This software system carries its own database and is compatible with
SQL Server or Oracle databases.
 Although it requires installation on every user’s computer, it is fully
compatible with Microsoft Office so team members can easily save to the
database documents created in any Office application.
 In addition, because it has the same toolbars as MS Office applications,
most users become quickly familiarized with it.
 MS Project provides the ability to publish to the Internet or the company
intranet.
 There are no limits to the number of tasks or projects the software can
handle.

Project Scheduler:
 Project Scheduler works with an SQL database and is MS Office
compatible.
 Information from multiple projects or subprojects can be merged or
consolidated to reveal companywide resource utilization.
 The report writer enables a wide range of standard and customized
reports, which can be output in HTML format.

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 Data can be located on shared disk drives and accessed only by users
with the appropriate password.

Welcom:
 Welcom has three software products: Open Plan, Cobra, and Spider.
 Open Plan has advanced scheduling and modeling tools for resource
management.  It integrates company-wide information and enables
information sharing across multiple projects.  Team members can work
on pieces of the project, then roll-up information for composite reporting.
 Cobra is a cost-management tool designed to manage and analyze
budgets, earned value, and forecasts.
 Spider is a multiuser, multi-project web-based tool for viewing and
updating project data from Open Plan user Web browsers.

Trakker:
 Trakker offers a variety of interesting products including tools for risk
management activity- based costing, earned value management as well as
the usual planning, budgeting, and tracking tools.
 These tools interface with commercial accounting systems and can be
Web-enabled for use on the Internet or intranet with browsers.

Primavera:
Primavera offers four software products.
 Sure Trak Project Manager.  This software enables modeling and
scheduling of simultaneous projects of up to 10,000 activities per project.
 Activities can be inserted or rearranged on Gantt charts and PERT charts
with a mouse click.  Actual completion dates and costs can be compared
with targets, progress estimated for each activity or for the entire project,
and forecasts produced of resources necessary to get a project back on
track.  If resources exceed supply, Sure Trak can reassign them from low-
priority activities. Assignments, deadlines, and status can be shared with
project participants at all levels and locations using the Web publisher.

 Primavera Project Planner®, (P3®).  This program provides for unlimited

projects, up to 100,000 activities per project, concurrent, multiuser
accessibility, and scheduling options similar to Sure Trak. It can create
fragments of networks to store for later use as templates or building blocks
for creating other project plans. Also, it supports cost accounts and allows
tracking of costs and exchange of information with cost accounting
systems. E-mail addresses can be embedded into the project to
automatically route status information to individuals who need to know.
A Web publisher enables team members with Web browsers to review,
update, and return project activity status data.

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II. Components of Project Management Information System:

Project performance indicator tracking system

This stores the indicators in a database format, and codifies the status
into five outcomes:
o Accomplished Successfully, Being Achieved (on course)
o Experiencing Minor Problems (being addressed)
o Experiencing Major Problems
o Rescheduling of Target Date Required and
o Not Yet Due.

With a graphic interface in MS Access, the project manager updates the

status of each indicator as events occur, inputs the comments, and
records the management actions undertaken. At the end of each reporting
period, the required report is produced automatically (an internal feature
of the system) with all the up-to-date information.

Procurement planning and monitoring system (PPMS)

Procurement is a major part of the project activities. The
procurement activity involves a number of discrete steps to be
followed in sequence leading from development of specifications
through bidding to contract signing with the suppliers who win the
bid. The acquisition of goods and services essential to the
implementation of the project will be delayed if the timetable of
events is not followed. However, in many projects, procurement
staffs simply follow the process in a step-by-step manner, finishing
one step before tackling the next, with neither systematic planning
nor tracking.

A good estimate of when project goods and services will become available
can only be done when a contract is signed. The revised list of dates will
be automatically updated if a constituent step for any item slips. Since the
different methods of procurement for works, goods and services have
different steps the PPMS uses different milestones for each type. It also
produces a list of procurement activities for a specified time period, thus
providing a calendar of all procurement activities required for the next
month. This serves as a reminder of critical procurement tasks that the
project staff has to perform on a day-to-day basis.

Disbursement planning and trucking system (DPTS)

The DPTS is a system designed to enable the planning of the payment

schedule of each contract for works, goods and services and entering the
dates of actual payments against this schedule. The system automatically
analyzes the data and produces the reports in the required format.

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 Procurement activity tracking system (PATS)

Apart from the major contracts for the building of new schools and the
major consultancies, each project management unit also undertakes a
number of relatively small contracts for furnishing the new schools and
for purchasing school supplies. These shopping activities include the
following steps:

o Finalizing the initial specifications; contacting suppliers for price

quotations;
o Negotiating specification modifications, discounts and delivery dates;
o Receiving shipments or verifying deliveries in terms of quantities and
quality; and authorizing payments by the accountant.

Although the process for procuring an individual item is not complicated,

when the number of items required for a particular date becomes large,
there is a need for a database to keep track of the status of placement of
orders and of deliveries so that suppliers can be paid promptly.

Project planning and scheduling system (PP & SS)

A complete critical path based project plan and schedule was developed
using MS project.
II. Challenges in the implementation of PMIS
1. Rigid corporate culture and failure to manage organizational
resistance to change

Change is inevitable in a business setting. Your customers’ needs may shift,

which results in your company altering priorities or offering new products.
To improve profitability, your organization may need to restructure or
redevelop the organization of the company. Culture changes are necessary
from time to time to stay current and meet your employees’ needs. During
these changes, you may encounter resistance from employees.

Identifying Reasons for Resistance:

From an employee perspective, change can seem like a negative thing. As

a result, businesses may feel pushback from employees when they try to
implement structural and cultural changes in the organization. If you
notice organizational behavior resistance to change, it's essential to delve
into why this is happening. According to Management is a Journey, one of
the key reasons people resist change in the workplace is that they are
afraid of losing their jobs. When facing a structural change, employees
worry that their role may be in danger.

Another reason for resisting change is fear of the unknown. Often,

businesses poorly communicate the type of changes they are making so
that employees don't have enough details. This causes employees to worry
about their place in the organization. Not trusting the business executives
is another motive for pushing back against change. Employees may not
feel that the company leadership has their best interests at heart, or they

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may not feel confident in the managers' abilities to make the right kind of
changes.

Sometimes, employees are not resisting the change itself, but the way that
the changes are being made. If businesses don't openly communicate with
their teams or don't consult them on the structural and cultural changes,
employees may resist new ideas. It's important to get buy-in from key
people within the organization to make large changes effectively.

Understanding the Types of Resistance to Change:

According to the business-learning website Toppr, there are three types of

resistance to change: logical, psychological and sociological. It's important
to identify the kind of pushback you are receiving to determine how you
can implement the structural and cultural changes you need within the
company without facing unhappy employees.

Logical resistance is related to time. Often, it takes weeks, months or years

to get used to a change. What may seem like resistance is actually a
process employees go through to accommodate the changes they are
experiencing at work. Psychological resistance is related to mental factors,
such as fear of the unknown or having disagreements with management.
This can color the way people react to change. Sociological resistance is
related to the common values employees share with specific groups. If the
change is not aligned with those groups, they may resist it. For example,
members of a particular department may fight the changes together due
to peer pressure.

Overcoming Resistance in the Workplace:

When you understand the dynamics of resistance to change, you can

develop strategies to work through the pushback, according to Harvard
Business Review. It's vital to help employees understand why the change
is necessary and how it will benefit them. HR website Paycor recommends
communicating early and often so that sudden changes do not blindside
employees. It's important to share information through various formal and
informal mediums, such as company town halls, email newsletters and
smaller departmental meetings. This way, employees hear the message
multiple times and can ask questions where they feel comfortable.

Paycor suggests implementing change slowly in multiple stages instead of

all at once to overcome resistance from employees. Gradual steps help
employees feel more comfortable and digest the structural and cultural
changes. Through it all, it's critical to take in feedback from every level of
the organization and show employees you're listening to their concerns.

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2. Lack of experienced project managers (PMs) and PMO leadership
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220393284

Many of the current PMO initiatives do not have experienced PMs who
understand the challenges of a PMO implementation have a strong champion up
there who really evangelizes the value of the PMO’. The need for a ‘high level
management mandate’ is to overcome organizational resistance to change.
Another strategy for dealing with a rigid corporate culture and overcoming
resistance to change is to start small and to demonstrate the value of the PMO
with some early successes. One panelist in this research publication explained,
‘On most successful [PMO] implementations we start small with pilots or
pathfinders where you can get people excited about the value and personal
benefit from following these processes. And then they become additional
champions for your organization to help you with rest of the implementation’. A
third strategy is to identify the opinion of leaders in an organization and to assess
their attitudes towards the PMO concept. Those who are favorably inclined
towards PMO could help in promoting the PMO implementation. This strategy
also involves isolating the ‘naysayers’, and addressing their concerns on an
individual basis. In this research publication one panelist, a PMO consultant with
experience of multiple implementations, explained in detail how this approach
has worked:

You… start by mapping the organizational culture. In every

organization, there are two kinds of people. One group, of what I
call the real leaders of the organization, who are not necessarily the
leaders because of their job description. They are the ones [who],
when [any] change comes sweeping through, everybody looks up to
and says, ‘If they like it, I’ll like it, if they do not like it; I’m not going
to like it either.’ What I found is that I can take the people who are
being positive into a big conference room, and bring them into the
loop early. And [then] they go out and help me.. The other guys who
are negative most of the time ... You can’t stop them from not liking
the change, but you can start working with them to explain why
this [PMO implementation] is a good change and ask them to at
least give it a chance.

Overcoming lack of experienced project managers and PMO

leadership:

The panelists in the research publication suggested two approaches to

overcome the challenge of lack of experienced PMs and PMO leaders. The
first approach is to bring in a credible program manager to oversee the
PMO implementation. As one panelist explained, ‘[You need] a program
manager who is trusted and accepted by the key stakeholders [someone
who can] understand the culture and power relationships within the client
organization, and who can successfully direct the PMO implementation’.
Another panelist shared his experience of how their organization found a
PMO program manager ‘who was trusted and accepted by the key
stakeholders’. This organization chose a program manager who had prior
employment with that organization. As this panelist suggested, it was a

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 useful approach, as the prior relationship helped the program manager to
understand the culture and power relationships within the client
organization, and successfully direct the PMO implementation. Another
approach is to bring the lesser degree of change in comparison to PMO-
heavy implementations. Nevertheless, as one of our panelists remarked,
even with PMO-light implementations, ‘you can still run into the problem
of managing bureaucracy’. One of our panelists shared his experience
thus:

We have had both PMO-light and PMO-heavy structure in different

implementation projects. We noticed predominantly greater success
in PMO-light projects – in which the assistance to various project
teams from the PMO group was ‘voluntary.’ PMO-heavy
implementations needed more convincing of all the stakeholders
involved, and generally ran into more problems.

3. Lack of appropriate change management strategy

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220393284

Any PMO implementation involves managing all aspects of change – including

people, process, and structure issues. One of the most challenging aspects of
establishing a PMO is to evolve and implement a clear change management
strategy that looks beyond the immediate needs of the PMO project. As one
panelist commented, ‘Most [PMO] projects focus strictly on the goal and the
means without addressing the related impacts which have long lasting
consequences and unseen and untracked additions to the scope and cost of
projects. Serious consideration and planning of organizational development
impacts, and observation of indirect effects, need to take place in order to account
for, and mitigate these as necessary’. This commitment to an appropriate change
management strategy needs to occur at all levels in the organization –
operational, as well as strategic.

Overcoming lack of appropriate change management strategy:

Organizations need to tailor their change management strategy according

to the situation at hand. PMO implementations often get into trouble when
there is a lack of understanding and participation by some stakeholders.
Frequently, some of these stakeholders view the PMO as an extra layer of
bureaucracy that does not add value, and end up disliking this more
disciplined approach to project management. One panelist in the research
publication recommended flexibility: ‘One size didn’t fit all very well, and
people were just choosing not to use any of it…people were facing mind-
numbing bureaucracy. [You] have to engage the people that are involved
[and] get their buy-in through participation’.

IT’S YOUR TURN

In your opinion, what challenges most encounter by project managers in our

community in the implementation of projects?

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POST ASSESMENT

To test what you learned from this module, answer the following items. Send your
answers thru my email address.

1. Define project management information system.

2. Discuss the purpose and importance of PMIS.

3. Discuss the components of PMIS.

4. Identify the challenges in the implementation of PMIS.

5. Discuss how to overcome those challenges.

REFERENCES:

Clough, Richard H. & Sears, Gelen A. (1979). Construction project management. New
York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Aubry M., Hobbs B. & Thuillier D. (2007) A new framework for understanding
organizational project management through the PMO. International Journal of Project
Management 25(4), 328–336.

Aubry M., Hobbs B. & Thuillier D. (2008) Organizational project management: an

historical approach to the study of PMOs. International Journal of Project
Management 26(1), 38–43.

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