projects
Project Management Office Implementation
RedArch developed and deployed the IT Project Management Office (PMO) for the corporate IT group of a $7 billion global manufacturer.
The effort included the development and implementation of comprehensive PMO and standardized project management processes and systems for the entire information technology project lifecycle organization-wide.
RedArch provided the practices and work products for program and project management, and designed a platform to support and oversee project management activities. The IT program and project management practices were deployed globally and utilized by all IT staff and contractors.
Utilizing client resources, RedArch directed the development of a globally accessible project management and team collaboration system. The intranet-based system supports the client’s unique project management methodologies, developed by RedArch.
RedArch developed and assisted in the delivery of the PMO and project management process- and system-training materials, while supporting the execution of the PMO staffing and rollout plan. PMO functions, systems, and the ownership of program, project, and team processes were successfully transferred to the client and its staff.
IT Transformation
RedArch led the development of a program to transform a highly decentralized, multi-division IT function with over 300 IT professionals into a single, hybrid IT organization.
We worked hand-in-hand with the global IT leader to develop a new operating vision, and then designed a matching organization structure that combined centralized IT service management with regional and local support of IT customers.
The implementation plan for the transformation to a global IT organization relied upon an integrated series of initiatives and projects over a multi-year period.
To organize, prioritize and deliver the initiatives, RedArch helped the client introduce new IT practices and systems to support demand management and the oversight of strategic projects. A web-based project dashboard was developed and utilized to report and monitor transformation progress and activities.
The scope of new IT practices needed to transition from multiple IT functions to a single global group was significant and far-reaching. RedArch developed a comprehensive blueprint for the design and deployment of new IT processes and practices, to better enable the change to a single, integrated IT organization.
The client used this blueprint as a guide for the design of new processes and implementation of a new system to enable service management in the organization.
A significant change in the existing IT leadership team was required, to enable the transition from decentralized to centralized service management. We worked closely with the global IT leader to develop detailed job descriptions that balanced the scope and responsibility of the centralized service leadership with customer support responsibilities of leaders in the field.
We helped the client initiate an ambitious program to recruit new service leaders across all the major IT functions over a period of 18 months. We worked closely with external recruiters on this initiative, and helped the global IT leader vet candidates, conduct qualifying interviews and prioritize hires against the budget for new personnel.
To enable the simultaneous searches for multiple IT executives, RedArch designed and deployed a new IT talent acquisition process for the client. The process was implemented with the use of a collaborative, web-based set of tools that provided consistent guidance for the selection of candidates, using common competency models, interview questions, and integrated scoring mechanisms.
With our assistance, RedArch’s client successfully transitioned from an organization model with a corporate VP and multiple divisional VPs to one with a single global CIO responsible for enterprise-wide service delivery. The client hired X new leaders to enable this transition, and is successfully continuing to execute its multi-year transformation plan.
Demand Management
RedArch developed a process for the prioritization and selection of IT projects, used in collaboration with IT customers and the executive steering committee for a global manufacturing organization.
We helped our client define a process to gather, compile and link key data into a consolidated model for evaluating IT projects across all functional departments and divisions globally.
The model and process balanced financial and resource constraints across multiple IT project portfolios, and considered the impact of projects on each major category of IT resources and customer resources by division.
As part of annual planning with customers, business relationship managers entered project plan data into a standard format linked into the consolidated model. They identified resource and budget constraints with each customer, and used the model to help customers vet and prioritize the projects that were most important to them.
After the initial data gathering and customer-level decision-making, the consolidated model was developed and reviewed by the CIO. The CIO used the model to lead the CEO and executive steering committee through prioritization and selection of IT projects during the annual budgeting process.
The model also allowed executives to conduct what-if analysis, adding and selecting projects to see the effect on budget and resource constraints in each division and globally.
The new process enabled the CIO to connect IT project selection at the customer and executive levels, using quantified data prepared by and in collaboration with customers. The results were a combination of greater control over and consistency in IT project budgeting, greater transparency of the basis for project selection, and improvement in the level of trust and partnership between IT and its customers.
Integration of Acquired IT Organization
RedArch assisted a large cable multiple-system operator (MSO) with the integration of properties acquired from two of the largest US MSOs, expanding its subscriber base from approximately 400,000 to over 1.3 million.
We developed and led a 15-month program consisting of more than 30 integrated projects, focused primarily on the integration of acquired information systems.
Project managers reported progress weekly to the program management office (PMO), including our principals and the Chief Information Officer. All projects used a RedArch-developed and -deployed project management methodology for the program.
In addition to typical PMO duties, RedArch coordinated with other functional groups involved in the integration, managed the relationship with the selling MSOs’ PMO, and conducted issue management during each of eight major site migrations.
The integration spanned all major systems supporting video, high-speed data, and voice communications, including billing, device provisioning, financials, human resources, internal network, email, data warehousing and reporting, desktop applications, custom applications, and web site.
In addition to program management, our team provided project management for the development and deployment of a customer self-care web application which now serves over 300,000 high-speed internet subscribers.