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During 2006, Project
Learning worked in partnership with Kingspan
Insulation Ltd to implement and deploy a Microsoft
Project EPM solution.
In this case study:
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Background |
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Kingspan Insulation is
a member company of the Kingspan Group plc, one of
Europe’s fastest growing building product groups.
Kingspan Insulation specialise in the solution of
insulation problems and are the world's leading
manufacturer of CFC/HCFC-free rigid phenolic and
CFC/HCFC-free rigid urethane insulation products.
Kingspan Insulation is
also an active user and adopter of enterprise-level
project and program management disciplines using
Microsoft Project EPM as their chosen software
solution. |
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Establishing the need |
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With informed and
impartial information about Microsoft Project EPM
scarce in the public domain during early 2006,
Kingspan Insulation approached Project Learning to
find out more. Following discussions, the most
appropriate (and lowest risk) course of action was
to commission a single-day consultancy workshop.
The purpose of this workshop was to introduce EPM
concepts and capabilities to Kingspan Insulation’s
IT management team and to also determine and
quantify the fit of an EPM solution to Kingspan
Insulation’s IT team’s needs. The conclusion
reached from this initial day was to progress with
an EPM implementation project, with Project Learning
as the IT team’s consultancy partner.
Early on in the EPM
project it was decided that the preferred approach
was for Project Learning to work in partnership with
Kingspan Insulation. The key benefits of this
approach meant that they were driving the project as
they wished, and at their own pace. Project
Learning would be there to provide advice and
guidance, helping Kingspan Insulation to develop a
system that suited local working practices and
processes and one that would never become a piece of
overbearing technology. Mike Sullivan, the IT
Manager at Kingspan Insulation takes up the story…
“There is always a danger that you become a hostage
to the system that you are using and Kingspan
Insulation was clear from the outset that EPM had to
deliver functionality that worked with, and not
against the business.” |
“There is always a danger that you become a hostage
to the system that you are using and Kingspan
Insulation was clear from the outset that EPM had to
deliver functionality that worked with, and not
against the business.” |
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Delivering the solution |
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With consultancy dates
booked for the end of March 2006, a decision was
also made to deliver best-practice EPM training for
the three IT managers. It was agreed that this
skills enhancement would help them understand in
detail what EPM could and could not provide, thus
providing an invaluable benefit as key EPM processes
and strategies were developed. With the
training and initial consultancy days delivered, the
Kingspan Insulation team was then left to work on
the 1st cut of the EPM solution, with Project
Learning booked in to revisit the project 2 months
down the line.
After a 2 month
interval, a consultancy session was re-convened.
As the portfolio of projects was reviewed, it soon
became clear that the volume of work provisionally
planned could not be accomplished without
significant additional IT headcount – something that
was definitely not within the IT department’s
budget. Mike Sullivan: “Looking at the sheer
number of potential projects, it was clear that we
needed a straightforward way to prioritise our
projects and hence our effort in planning and
managing them.” The IT team decided to adopt a
‘funnel-type’ approach with all potential projects
being above the funnel and a selected ‘best few’
projects actually making it through the funnel and
then being planned in detail and actually delivered.
This common-sense approach provided the team with
the control that they needed, allowing them to focus
on projects that were key business requirements as
compared to other projects that were nice to have
but less important to the business.
To enable the funnel
method of project prioritisation, an additional
portfolio-wide field was added to the EPM database
and an appropriate process developed to enable this
level of prioritisation. EPM processes were
adapted and this funnel method became a simple and
very effective method of project prioritisation and
selection. |
“Looking at the sheer number of potential projects,
it was clear that we needed a straightforward way to
prioritise our projects and hence our effort in
planning and managing them.” |
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Training the user community |
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As most members of the
IT team would be using the EPM system, appropriate
training would be required, relevant to each team
member’s needs. It was decided early on that a
traditional classroom-only approach would be
impractical. This approach would require
valuable people be taken away from their normal
business duties for too long, thus providing
inadequate support for existing business systems and
service level agreements. A more innovative
approach would therefore be required.
Mike Sullivan: “What
was needed was a way to allow all Kingspan
Insulation’s highly IT-savvy team members to learn
general Microsoft Project functionality at their own
pace. This self-paced learning could then be
followed up by fast-track workshops in a classroom
environment.” |
“What was needed was a way to allow all Kingspan
Insulation’s highly IT-savvy team members to learn
general Microsoft Project functionality at their own
pace… |
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Mike’s requirement was
fulfilled by the purchase of several Project Mentor
computer-based training (CBT) systems – one per
Microsoft Project user. Following successful
Project Mentor usage, each team member would then be
ready to attend the EPM workshops. Again, with
time being a key priority, the workshops were
organised into half-day sessions with half the team
attending AM sessions and the other half attending
PM sessions.
Andy Jessop of Project
Learning: “Although this approach proved challenging
as a tutor, delivering these workshops in half-day
tranches proved as effective as they were
imaginative. All team members now have the skills
and abilities to effectively plan and manage
projects in the Kingspan Insulation EPM
environment.” |
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All team members now have the skills and abilities
to effectively plan and manage projects in the
Kingspan Insulation EPM environment.” |
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Working with the
system |
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With the EPM system up
and running for several months, Mike Sullivan has
time to reflect and plan next steps: “Kingspan
Insulation has only just begun to realise the
benefits that EPM has delivered as the transition to
a PMO takes time but Kingspan is already thinking
about the future and how this whole exercise can be
expanded to other parts of the business to achieve a
true enterprise project planning environment.” |
“Kingspan Insulation has only just begun to realise
the benefits that EPM has delivered… |
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Conclusions and lessons learned |
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Over a period of less
than 9 months, the IT team at Kingspan Insulation
has become significantly more mature in their
approach to enterprise project management and their
ability to deliver has been greatly enhanced.
Although not without some minor teething troubles
along the way, the EPM approach championed by them
has garnered interest from around the Kingspan group
of companies. Over the forthcoming months
other divisions may well take up EPM themselves,
following the lead set by the IT department.
Mike Sullivan: “Working
in partnership with recognised EPM experts has been
very beneficial for Kingspan Insulation. The
IT team has been able to design and deploy an EPM
solution at their own pace, confident that Project
Learning has always been there to provide them with
necessary guidance, experience and insight.” |
“Working in partnership with recognised EPM experts
has been very beneficial for Kingspan Insulation.
The IT team has been able to design and deploy an
EPM solution at their own pace, confident that
Project Learning has always been there to provide
them with necessary guidance, experience and
insight." |
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