Client Needed to Improve Project Management Process

The Challenge

Our client, the largest supplier of healthcare coverage in AL, was in the process of implementing a best-of-class Project Management Office within its IT division.

The IT division consists of 600+ employees, with all levels and specialties, including Program & Project Managers, Functional & Technical Analysts, Quality Assurance,  System Architects, Operations, etc.

To meet the goal of increasing the organization’s value to internal business customers, the IT group migrated to a matrix-managed organization, with technical and functional management structures.

IT executive management determined that:

• Lack of project management methodologies, templates and reporting, caused a significant number of projects to be over budget and behind schedule.
• Project Management (PM) methodologies, processes and tools needed to be defined and developed, including the selection and implementation of a Project Portfolio Management tool (PPM) to ensure traceability of projects through enterprise project planning process.

Our Solution

Application Life Cycle Management Tool Selection and Configuration/Implementation Initiative. Working with the V.P. of the Professional Services Office, the Hamilton-Ryker Senior Project Manager began documenting requirements for the selection of a PPM tool, including the new PMO processes integrated into the new PPM application.

Once the requirements were defined, Hamilton-Ryker developed documentation of best practices for the PPM tool selection, including the distribution of an RFP to the market.

Implementation

A Proof of Concept was conducted with several PPM products, and the benefits of the tool provided a substantial return on investment. The application was selected and   implementation planning began.

Results

The client gained a number of benefits, including operational efficiencies, better  traceability between requirements and projects, and cost reductions from taking  current manual processes and automating them with new PMO workflows. The ROI for the investment has a payback of just over one year.