World leaders of Communication Solutions
Design and deployment of a global project management solution for the R&D department.
The Client
Our client provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband access, carrier and enterprise IP technologies, applications, and services, our client offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services.
With 76,000 employees and operations in more than 130 countries, the company headquartered in Paris, France, achieved revenues of 16.98 billion Euros in 2008. The R&D division develops "tomorrow's" products and solutions.
The Challenge
The challenge was to set similar standards and put in place identical tools for driving and managing innovative programs across the entire R&D department which employs about 1,000 people across France, India, China and Russia. The solution needed to address the strong needs in managing complex innovative programs, such as:
- An effective allocation and coordination of program teams dispatched across various sites
- Increased insight in order to make more informed decisions to manage programs' constraints, prioritization, and conflicts
- A proactive management of programs planning with regards to content, costs, and deadlines
- An integrated and seamless management of programs encompassing dozens of interdependent project teams
- Alignment to process standards as defined by CMMi Level 3 (Capability Maturity Model Integration)
In parallel, the solution must satisfy the management's and the finance control's department reporting needs, in particular:
- Reporting on the programs performance with regards to budget and deadlines
- Accounting of project costs and respect of IFRS norms (International Financial Reporting Standards)
- Detailed justification for French Research tax credit
Other key challenges:
- Dynamic and real-time update of project plans
- Data consolidation and sharing capacity
- Deadlines and costs integration thanks to optimized resource management
The Pcubed Solution
Pcubed was from start to finish the key partner for this client for designing, implementing, deploying and then supporting the global project management solution based on Microsoft's Enterprise Project Management tool. Our successful approach to help our client included:
- An audit of the client's project management maturity level, recommendations for improvements, and a roadmap for a progressive rise in maturity levels
- Requirements gathering, design and modeling of an appropriate solution
- Implementation of processes, standards, and best practices related to the various aspects of the designed solution, such as budget management, detailed planning, time-sheet management, multi-projects consolidation, resource management, and reporting
- Change management to ensure the solution is well understood and has buy-in at all relevant levels
- Training and coaching of users
- Production of a road-map in order to measure and support a progressive maturity increase
Business Benefits
The solution designed and implemented by Pcubed provided the client with an enhanced integration of project management processes based on a flexible tool, which leveraged its capability to drive projects and resources of its R&D department.
Some of the outcomes of the solution included:
- Better structured programs
- Improved definition of responsibilities
- Stronger grip and control over complex programs
- Increased performance and confidence in delivery
- Efficient alignment to reporting needs as well as to Research Tax Credit and capitalization requirements as stated in the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards)