Knowing how to manage projects with proper resource management allocation is a key determining factor when achieving your organization’s goals. Learn more about the success Steven Wood, Project Portfolio Administrator, had when CO-OP Financial Services used portfolio and resource management to gain the much-needed insight to empower decisions about prioritizing resources, justifying staffing, and forecasting demand.
“We have reduced project delays by 92% and increased the number of projects we can deliver by 50%. We couldn’t have done it without PPM Pro.” – Steven Wood, Project Portfolio Administrator, CO-OP Financial Services
About CO-OP Financial
CO-OP Financial Services helps credit unions leverage technology and insights to strengthen member connections and propel growth. The company offers processing and payment services, including debit, credit card solutions, wallets, and ATM processing.
The Challenge: Get Visibility into Resource Capacity to Reduce Project Delays
Leadership lacked the data they needed to understand resource capacity, demand, and staffing shortages. It was challenging to prioritize and staff discretionary projects over “business as usual” (BAU) work, setting up conflicts that ultimately let to poor planning and frequent project delays. “Resources claimed they were overworked, but there was no data to prove it,” says Steven Wood, Project Portfolio administrator at CO-OP Financial Services. “If managers have insight into what their resources are doing and their availability or lack thereof, it will empower them to make better decisions.”
The Solution: Detailed Insight into Resource Capacity to Optimize Resources and Forecast Demand
CO-OP Financial Services uses Planview® PPM Pro’s timesheet functionality to centralize data into a single source of truth for all their work. Timesheets give resource managers insight into their complete picture of project and BAU activities for more accurate forecasting and optimal resource utilization. “We use PPM Pro to staff demand using timesheet averages, create demand and capacity reports, and forecast future work,” says Wood. “Now, we know exactly who is available, when, and where they can be best utilized.”
The Results: Fewer Delays, More Accurate Planning, and Better Resource Utilization
Due to the visibility PPM Pro provides CO-OP Financial Services, the company has reduced project delays by 92% and increased their project capacity by 50%, boosting both their efficiency and their reputation within the company. “Forecasting demand and availability is faster, more accurate, and more reliable,” says Wood. “We rely on the timesheet data to tell the best story versus emotions or the loudest voice. Decisions are backed with data and managers have confidence in the validity of that data, there are fewer conflicts about projects, resource placement, headcount, and forecasting.
The Future: Standardizing PPM Pro across All Business Units
While the Client Projects business unit was first to adopt PPM Pro, the visibility, automation, and efficiency it provides has garnered the attention of other business units within the company. Subsequently, CO-OP Financial Services is going through a growth period with PPM Pro as they add more resources and project managers from other business units to the system. Another 200 Team Users will be onboarded with the end goal of deploying the solution across the entire organization, business unit by business unit. “As more managers adopt timesheets, they will make better decisions sooner with less effort.” Says Wood.
To learn more about what Planview demand management and resource capacity solutions can do for your organization, watch the Planview PPM Pro demo.
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