Tool Selection and Implementation

BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Most organizations are struggling to keep up with the volume of projects being requested. Some organizations choose to spread resources across as many requests as possible to appease customers but this often results in overworked staff and slower individual project delivery. Other organizations choose to focus on responding to the 'hot' requests at the expense of other project delivery requirements. In either situation, little bandwidth remains for the continuous improvement activities required to better the situation.

COVESTIC'S SOLUTION
While there is no technology silver bullet to solve the project demand versus delivery capacity conundrum, there are tools available to better manage this delicate balance. Project Portfolio Management (PPM) tools provide a central repository for requested and in progress projects. This allows for modeling of different project mixes in relation to business objectives, risk tolerance, resource availability, budget constraints and other criteria. PPM tools better position organizations to deploy resources where they will provide the most benefit to the organization. This focus should allow the organization to deliver projects faster with less stress on resources

Selecting the best set of projects to work on is a good start. Delivering these projects more efficiently is another critical component to achieving high project throughput. Many companies are turning to process support tools to deliver projects more rapidly while improving quality and consistency at the same time. These tools are typically intranet-based repositories of standard project processes combined with supporting templates, tools and guidelines. The goal is to simplify project administration to reduce overhead, provide clearer project status reporting and enable performance monitoring/continuous improvement activities.

If you are considering adding or evolving tools within your project delivery organization, Covestic can help. Our team of project management professionals is familiar with the leading PPM and process support tools available today and can speak to the strengths and weaknesses of each in relation to your business needs. Covestic has experience assisting companies through the product selection process including: drafting overall system requirements, developing RFI/RFP's, short-listing tools based on capabilities, coordinating product demonstrations and facilitating final decision making.

Covestic's support doesn't stop once a tool is selected. We also offer tool installation and configuration support as stand-alone or in partnership with the tool provider's professional services organization. The client and tool provider gain the benefit of having extra resources knowledgeable in the tool as well as the client's business during the critical implementation period. Once the tool is implemented, Covestic will take the steps necessary to transition ongoing support to the client to ensure the long-term success of the tool.