BBC Worldwide

Driving Efficiency using Microsoft Project Server

A number of small web-based resourcing specific tools were reviewed before the decision was taken to upgrade the existing Microsoft Project Server implementation to an online hosted version of the latest release in order to be up and running quickly and minimise costs.

The Microsoft qualified experts at CPS provided the technical installation and configuration, process and role design and post-implementation support to help ease the adoption of the new system with the BBC Worldwide stakeholders.

The solution was rolled out to 30 Project Managers, 10 Executives and 5 PMO staff within the organisation and has provided greater visibility of current resource allocations and future demand, including under and over allocations.

Now that the project data has been collated and integrated, the Project Team can instantly status their entire project portfolio and quickly make sound business decisions based on accurate, up-to-date information.

The Business Intelligence functionality has also proved invaluable for planning annual budgets and quarterly cash flows thanks to the pre-configured reports that pull live project data into an instantly presentable format.

Business Benefits

• The system is online, meaning it is accessible 24/7, available from multiple locations worldwide and completely scalable.
• The solution works via Microsoft Project, so there was no fundamental change to the Project Managers working practice, resulting in little additional work as information was taken from plans that were already in place.
• The Business Intelligence functionality can be easily configured via pivot tables in Excel, meaning we can tweak it as our requirements evolve.
• CPS were flexible in meeting our requirements and effective to work with to get the configuration set up in a short amount of time.
  
  

A word from the team...

We had a very specific requirement to improve our resource forecasting and CPS quickly delivered a solution that met this need. We now have greatly improved working practices that have given us the ability to plan resources at a corporate level.

Jonathan Clark, Resource and Planning Manager at BBC Worldwide