The Challenge
A subsidiary of one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, handling IT support and solutions, manages a massive number of proposed and in-process IT projects. As with many organizations, the company relied on a Project Management Information System (PMIS) to monitor project workflow across the entire lifecycle, from planning through completion.
For its PMIS, the organization relied on Microsoft Office Project Server and Microsoft SharePoint out-of-the-box project management software products. Utilized by more than 1,000 project managers, the software was used to create cost estimates, assign resources to tasks, track resources and time spent, provide and share feedback, create forecasts, and analyze outcomes.
However, these out-of-the-box systems are often at odds with an organization’s internal approach and project standards, as they found out. Not only were project managers using their own unique project management process, many refused to use Project Server at all.
Failing to see the benefits of the software and frustrated by the extraneous steps that only seemed to add to overall project complexity, senior managers lacked the transparency they needed into project status, goals, and progress. Instead, this data was relayed in a subjective way by project managers, with approvals communicated verbally and tracking seemingly non-existent. Furthermore, senior management could not compare data between different projects, because there were no unified project milestones. Thus, it became extremely difficult to gauge comparative success.
The company made several attempts to optimize their PMIS functionality but were left frustrated.
The Solution
EastBanc Technologies was selected to develop a comprehensive PMIS solution that included two key pieces: a unified, company-wide project management methodology and best practices plan, and a custom solution to automate the process.
Working with their senior executives, we created custom project management methodologies that crystallized an agreed-upon set of best practices. This methodology was captured in a comprehensive policy for each project manager to follow.
To support these new, agile methodologies, we leveraged our Project Insider solution to optimize the client’s existing IT investments in Microsoft Project Server and Microsoft SharePoint.
Project Insider seamlessly integrates these two technologies to create a powerful and dynamic PMIS that meets the needs of individual organizations, not one that enforces productized and inflexible methodologies on them.
Project Insider includes several features that the company benefited from:
Automated Project Management – Project Insider automatically codes projects; compiles and tracks targets, resources, and implementation approaches; and ensures that projects are on-time and on-budget.
Integration with Microsoft Office – By integrating with ubiquitous Microsoft Office tools, Project Insider offers a familiar, user-friendly interface while retaining all relevant project information in one comprehensive portal.
Feature-Rich Workspace – An intuitive dashboard-based workspace with full collaboration and reporting functionality customized to the company’s needs. Stakeholders can now access data and reports and act upon relevant information quickly.
Document Repository – The built-in repository provides access to specific files based on permission levels and the workflow associated with it. Changes to documents cannot be made until project managers complete approved steps and all changes are retained within documents.
Now, project managers and executives can quickly and easily collaborate, track, and monitor project targets and resources.
The Result
Today, the organization has a robust, powerful PMIS that is not only highly customized to their needs, but faster and easier to use. The company has been able to unlock meaningful business value while maximizing its investment in a software platform it was already paying for.
Now, project managers strictly follow established best practices and their supervisors can easily check to see project status in real-time. It’s impossible to skip over or rearrange important project phases. Using a recognized set of standard criteria, projects can easily be compared using company-wide milestones. Budgeting has been made simpler, while overall time spent on the approval process has decreased.
To learn how EastBanc Technologies’ experts can help your organization thrive, contact:
Jill DaSilva | Director of Sales Operations | jdasilva@eastbanctech.com
