Drive Better Results with Project Management
When complexity risks successful outcomes, our practitioners will partner with your team to steward projects with ease and apply the right methodology, processes, tools, and techniques to execute flawlessly.
Thought Leadership
To take the next step along the journey
Technical skills are
simply not enough
Project Management is essential for any organization’s success, yet the message is not often realized. Studies cite decline in completed projects within budget or meeting business intent. Power skills such as communication, problem solving, collaborative leadership and strategic thinking are at the heart of leading successful teams, engaging stakeholders and overcoming project challenges.
Industry analysis reveal that the average cost overrun for projects is 189% of their original estimates. Conversely, mature Project Management skills and processes lead to 40% more initiatives delivered successfully.
Complementary Disciplines Working in Concert Toward a Common Objective
Leading organizations are effectively executing an intentional integration of business change management and project management. Working in tandem they typically exceed project objectives and higher change management effectiveness by having a human-centered approach to implementation.
A global 2017 study among respondents from across industries, revealed that 50% of participants who integrated Project Management and Change Management met or exceeded project results and outcomes compared to only 35% who did not.
Are we measuring project outputs or outcomes?
A PMI survey of over a thousand project management professionals and interviews of top CEOs and PMO leaders revealed that the ability of projects to produce intended business benefits is just as important as whether they come in on time and on budget.
Organizations that mature their project, program, and portfolio management practices to better align work with strategic goals and focus on realizing benefits see 50% more of projects meeting original goals and business intent.
When is it time to create or reset your PMO?
Too much Work in Progress (WIP) overload at the portfolio level OR a visible project with financial or market consequence that has failed badly usually serves as a catalyst to pivot and pursue improved project delivery capabilities to remain competitive. Key mindsets are focus and strategic alignment, so investment decisions maximize value delivered to stakeholders and customers.
Portfolio management practices leveraging Lean-Agile thinking, a portfolio organized around value streams that deliver a continuous flow of value, and well defined PMO levels of service can yield superior economic value. A 2013 PMI study showed that PMOs strategically aligned with executive management produced revenue growth and increased margin through strategic project selection.
Therefore, the decision of PMO levels of service whether supportive, governance or directive and its span of control whether tactical or strategic are vital steps in elevating the role of the PMO to drive business success through consistent delivery practices.
Services We Provide
transformation tailored specifically to your needs and business.
Project Management
for single or enterprise-wide technology projects to enhance your project and program performance and increase the probability of their successful completion whether the focus to achieve lasting value entails a business transformation, a technology initiative, or a regulatory compliance. We are skilled at managing Annual Operating, Merge & Acquisition or Carve-Out projects.
PMO Services
to assist you with the launching or re-establishment of project management offices. As there are many potential roles for PMO’s, we can help your organization mature your project, program, and portfolio management practices to align your project implementations to strategic goals and generate lasting business value, improve stakeholder communications, or build consistent project management processes to achieve predictable results.
Retainer Services
when requiring ongoing support and making continual improvement to your business through projects showing moderate complexity.
Fractional Services
when you face an inflexion cycle that requires special talent to either intervene to address an ailing project with market consequence OR partner with your leadership to navigate the next phase of growth but may not be advantageous to build or scale your Project Management team or Project Office.
Industry Insights
Retail
Enterprise Impact from Selected Engagements
- In-Store Customer Experience process improvements focused on building employee talent and driving customer loyalty and revenue yet without payroll impact.
- Program Management of annual operating and merger projects focused on Store Operations, Order Management, Marketing, Merchandising, CRM, BI/Interactive Analytics and ERP back-office solutions.
- Online commerce implementation with Virtual Warehouse and Logistics partners.
- A 10-project ERP program turnaround that had failed a previous 18-month implementation to refocus a single technology stack to support eCommerce sales, Order to Cash, Financials, EDI, and Manufacturing.
Supermarket, Hypermarket
Enterprise Impact from Selected Engagements
- Program Management and Customer-facing PMO services to deliver Point-of-Sales and integrated in-store solutions for supermarket, hypermarket with distributed teams in US and Latin America.
- Assistance to executive leadership with account reviews to disposition unprofitable and non-recoverable projects. Tactical PMO services for managing client contracts and profitability of Professional Services.
- For a leading provider of POS systems, stabilize a membership warehouse club application relative to omni-channel Retail Refunds processing to launch a 10-project program to deliver a planned releasefor implementation within a 4-month period.
Energy and Water
Utilities
- Implementation of Utilities solution at one of the largest water and wastewater utilitiesto improve meter to cash processing, call center performance, centralized support of all fixed and linear assets and smart devices, and peak productivity of field service teams.
- Implementation of Utilities Metering platform cloud-based solution at an electric and water utility.
- Organizational Change Management (OCM) program management to support 44 ERP and Utilities solutions go-live events at seven (7) Energy affiliates planned for a 4-year roadmap.
Interactive Analytics, Business Intelligence
- Tableau implementation of intuitive and configurable dashboards to support analytics of debit and credit card processing services.
- Refocusing of a Tableau implementation as part of a global IoT initiative to deliver improved water analytics dashboards. Invigorated Tableau adoption and strategy to establish a Business Intelligence Center of Excellence
Transportation, Fleet Management
Enterprise Impact from Selected Engagements
- Transportation and Operational Planning for insourcing, delivery, freight payment, route optimization, inbound scheduling, freight, and vendor consolidation.
- Project rescue to address slippage deployment deadline not reconciled with schedule. Partnered with North America and international business teams to rebaseline scope, requirements, and work towards development, testing and deployments of global, cloud based, mobile enabled Fleet Management solution.
Manufacturing & Distribution
Enterprise Impact from Selected Engagements
- Implementation of manufacturing systems and supply chain concepts such as MRP II for discrete (Bills of Materials and routing) and batch-oriented operations.
- Program management of Distribution initiatives to oversee the movement of goods, such as packaging, inventory, warehousing, supply chain and logistics, from supplier or manufacturer to point of sale.
Practice Areas
Commercial Project Management
Project For Profit
Project Management in the Professional Services arena calls for a different mindset when leading implementations on behalf of the client. These are not the typical enterprise type but rather projects for profit and it is about the business of commercial project management when a Project Manager and a team of practitioners are contracted to implement a solution, and at the same time make a profit.
To support you in your Professional Services endeavors, we take a leadership role in crafting an appropriate Statement of Work that captures activities, roles, and deliverables to lay the groundwork for a well-executed project plan.
As an extension of your staff, we also lead your team and gracefully intervene when the sales of professional services must be both profitable and capable of delivery, especially when failing projects may be eliminating the profits of future ones.
Enterprise Project Management and Organizational Change
Optimal Alignment to Business Strategy
Recognizing that in average, 43% of projects experience uncontrolled changes to scope and only 67% meet original goal and business intent, we apply our extensive experience and gain your trust to deploy smart, simple, and repeatable processes for initiating and managing projects with an effective transition to business owner and operations. We are positioned to drive product and services more successfully, enhance your brand, reduce operational cost, and increase employee satisfaction that adds value to the organization.
We are also adept at helping you lead people through change with proven approaches to achieve active and visible executive sponsorship, structured change management, integrated engagement with project management, open and frequent communication, and engaged employees and middle managers.
PMO Advisory Services
Scope, Type and Function. Customer-facing or Business-facing
Given that executives see the PMO as a business differentiator we are skilled at boosting adaptability so your PMO can support expanding demand and staying relevant. An optimal project portfolio that is aligned to business strategy can assist in elevating your PMO to a strategic level. A PMI/CIO Magazine Industry survey found that “project success rates improve by 65% when managed with a mature, effective PMO” aligned to company’s strategic goals. We can also help you establish the most appropriate PMO framework to effectively manage and support your portfolio: from idea generation to pipeline to benefit realization.
About Us
With an average 30 years as practitioners and project advocates, we bring a practical way to communicate and get buy-in on the business value of Project Management, Portfolio Management, Lean-Agile practices, and Business Change Management.
Just as graphite has a versatile range of uses such as writing instruments, electrical conductor, or lubricant, we can discern the most appropriate approach, method, tools, and techniques to deliver projects tailored to your circumstances. We have been trusted in the successful planning and delivery of strategies and solutions to drive transformation, operational excellence, project performance and revenues.
- partner with you to deploy smart, simple, and repeatable processes for initiating and managing projects, or
- help you build an optimal project portfolio that is aligned with your business strategy, or
- make your PMO an integral part in driving business outcome. We help you establish the most appropriate PMO framework to effectively manage and support your strategic project/program portfolio: from idea generation to pipeline to benefit realization.