Project Management for Cable Services

Why Project Insight

The company wanted a SaaS- [Software as a Service] based solution. The company began with a list of 50 project management vendors and, over a three month period, narrowed the list down to four candidates.

• Provided all the features the project management department required
• Gave project managers visibility into all projects, tasks and resources for improved accuracy
• Provided customization to improve business process and workflow
• Allowed project managers to better manage resources and make accurate resource forecasts

"We selected Project Insight because the information on their website made the decision easier for us," explains a Project Management Office (PMO) project manager. "We provided clear instructions to each vendor as to what we wanted to see in their demos. Project Insight followed our instructions and customized the presentation to our needs. We discovered through use cases that their product matched our requirements. They offered everything we ever wanted." "Everything" included features like personalized, executive and resource management dashboards; project scheduling; task, resource and document management; collaboration tools, workflow and approvals; budgeting and costing; issue, time and expense tracking; reports and more. "We use a majority of the functionality offered by Project Insight," the project manager says. "We build project schedules, plan around projects, use timekeeping for tasks with resources. We also use resource loading reports, use issues and to-do lists. As it turns out, customization has proven to be a major factor in controlling and implementing workflow solutions."

The technical department's "customers" are primarily the marketing and sales departments in corporate headquarters, though they also service other departments. Departments submit project ideas or concepts via Project Insight, which the project management team reviews and then produces a high-level estimate that takes major deliverables into consideration. The project is submitted to a steering committee that decides yes or no. If yes, the committee determines when the project should be completed. Then project management office is responsible for deliverables. "The key to getting quick decisions is to provide management with clear, concise information," the project manager notes. "Basically it's here's the project, and here's ALL the information that allows management to more easily decide what to do with the project concept."

The Results

• Task and project information is easily accessible by all team members
• Project Insight ensures all project deliverables are completed on schedule
• Project managers can justify resource use and budgets
• Workflow is greatly improved for increased efficiency and productivity

The project management office now has a centralized portfolio solution in the cloud that is easily accessible by all team members and corporate departments. This visibility allows project managers to track all projects and ensure the deliverables will be completed on schedule. Project status has been vastly improved. Now project managers understand how resources or team members are being used to maximize efficiency and productivity. For the first time they can quickly provide true start and end dates. Project Insight's project software also provides the dashboards and the reports that allow project managers to justify head counts and increase budgets for additional resources in certain areas. "Projects are better managed and a lot easier to track," the project manager concludes. "We've seen improved efficiency and productivity because we can now make more accurate forecasts and better determine the most efficient way to utilize our resources. Basically, Project Insight has made my life a whole lot easier."