A Division withing the Department of Defence identified a requirement to onboard their projects into an enterprise approved Portfolio, Program and Project Management tool.
In September 2024, an Empirical Solutions Program and Project Management SME supported the Department with this requirement. Our experienced SME initiated the process by following established governance channel to seek executive stakeholder endorsement of the requirement. The team then developed the plan that outlined the scope and the ‘adopt not adapt’ approach to onboarding projects to the enterprise tool.
With a strong application delivery background, the Empirical Solutions SME lead the team in onboarding projects to the enterprise tool within seven weeks, following agile methodology. The project was delivered as follows:
- Discovery and Scope – Defined the scope, business requirements and governance structure. Responded to information requests and clarifications.
- Sprint 1 – Developed user stories, stakeholder analysis and conducted data cleansing. Product training and access.
- Sprint 2 – Completed data load sheets, functional and user testing. Conducted change impact and training needs assessments. Commenced stakeholder communications. Sign off on production data.
- Sprint 3 – Supported the Department in finalising the Change, Communications and Training Plan and Business Readiness Checklist. Issued the second round of stakeholder communications. Designed and created project dashboard templates.
- Transition and Training – Roll out/Go live planning. Facilitated the initial stakeholder information session. Issued third round of communications. Created project reporting user guides and FAQs.
- Go Live – Supported and facilitated training sessions for stakeholders. Provided early life support as business change champions. Conducted lessons learnt session. Issued final round of communications. Project closure.
The team successfully completed onboarding projects to the enterprise Portfolio, Program and Project Management tool within the short project timeframe. The success of this initiative was largely due to Empirical Solutions leading the ‘adopt not adapt’ approach, thereby utilising COTS functionality, minimising testing requirements and streamlining rollout.