In this case study, we take a closer look at how North Highland used a cloud-based global SPM process and toolset called NH360. This system gets rid of inefficiencies and unnecessary data entry, providing a smooth experience to boost innovation results worldwide.
Client Situation
The client needed better processes and tools for their Enterprise Portfolio Management Office (EPMO). The main goal was to standardize the capital planning process and create a Portfolio Hub. This hub would provide visibility and control over all investments across the organization, covering various business units like Utility Operations, Customer Project Delivery, Information Technology, and Headquarter Projects.
Our Approach
- Established governance workflows to control investments and support program management
- Enabled snapshots for audit purposes
- Standardized the intake process, consolidating information needed for business cases across the entire organization
- Streamlined month-end financial reporting by integrating financial controls with the governance workflow
- Introduced the Strategy Hub to define and communicate Strategic Objectives and Metrics organization-wide
- Made the impact and contribution of projects against Strategic Objectives & Metrics clearly visible
- Implemented the Roadmap Manager to define, share, and automate Strategic Roadmaps tracking cross-project, program, and product interdependencies
- Integrated the SPM solution with Microsoft Project Online, Procore, and Azure Boards to support diverse project execution needs across teams in the organization
Value Delivered
- Made governance controls lighter and set up workflows to manage funding at the execution level
- Standardized the cost structure for all groups and integrated financial controls into the governance workflow. This led to a streamlined month-end financial reporting process, including actuals and re-forecasting, along with variance analysis.
- Standardized the enterprise resource pool and optimized resource planning and utilization. This provided visibility into resource constraints at both role and individual levels.
- To track cross-project, program, and product interdependencies, we utilized powerful roadmaps
- Integrated financial reporting with ERP and standardized status reporting to showcase improvements in key metrics over time at the Portfolio, Program, and Project levels
- Scheduling and milestone synchronization for roadmapping and dependency management were also standardized
- Teams can now use their preferred tools and methods, while executives maintain control across investments