Overview
Our client is a medium-sized Southern state utility that is a is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by nearly 40 electric membership corporations. They are the largest energy producers in their state with millions of customers. PFES assessed their project management practices, processes, and technologies to understand their current state and provide industry best practices, procedures and lessons learned with benchmarking.
This included provisions for the following:
- Recommendations for agile solutions that increase operating efficiencies
- Clarity on roles and responsibilities
- Streamline project delivery while reducing the overall cost of project execution
Our Approach
PFES focused on the following areas with review of over 40 organizational documents, 16 in person interviews and 7 technology demonstrations: Construction, IT, Legal, Project Management, Project Controls, Procurement, Maintenance, Engineering, and Operations. Our assessment of project management focused on three key areas within the PMO: personnel, workflows, and technology.
To gain an understanding of the current state, PFES:
- Reviewed existing practices, processes, and guides for plant maintenance and capital expenditures including authorization levels, project lifecycle, tracking and reporting, change management, portfolio management, project controls, scheduling, cost management and forecasting, standards, document control, and estimating
- Assessed current technology and workflows including software utilization, governance, data maturity, data architecture, data outputs, and reporting
- Met with stakeholders to collect feedback and understand processes and workflows encompassing inputs, responsibilities, and accountability, current system utilization and functionality, opportunities and challenges in day-to-day project work, and organizational structure & alignment
After the completion of the detailed discovery phase, PFES united the themes and information from across the enterprise. This comprehensive assessment of project management & technology solutions synthesized findings to inform the strategic roadmap.
Outcome
A thorough report was compiled to address gaps and opportunities within the PMO organization with a roadmap for implementation. PFES' assessment of project management & technology solutions yielded insightful findings and specific recommendations across the client's project management framework. Key results included:
Enhanced Efficiency and Streamlined Processes:
- Defined opportunities for implementing industry best practices from PFES past experiences and PMI project methodologies in Construction, IT, and Legal departments to boost operational efficiency and responsiveness
- Provided detailed and unambiguous documentation of roles and responsibilities within the PMO structure, improving accountability and collaboration
Workflow Optimization:
- Identified streamlining opportunities for project delivery across various phases, including authorization, lifecycle management, tracking, reporting, and change management
- Developed specific recommendations for reducing project execution costs through improved project controls, scheduling, and cost management practices
- Developed tiered recommendations for optimizing software and the optional adoption of a new platform to support work management, project management, and the capturing and flow of data within the organization to support enhanced business intelligence analytics
The Perfect Consulting Partner for Utilities
Our team consists of industry heavyweights that bring substantial expertise to the table for our clients. We partner with you to reduce risk and uncertainty in your capital projects, delivering initiatives on time with significant cost savings while meeting industry and safety standards. Contact us today to find out how we can help.
