2. 1
Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................2
Introduction ...................................................................................3
Review of the Microsoft Office EPM Solution........................................4
Improvements in the Enterprise Portfolio Management Lifecycle............5
Creation ...................................................................................5
Selection ..................................................................................8
Planning ................................................................................. 13
Management ........................................................................... 17
Conclusion.................................................................................... 24
About the Authors ......................................................................... 24
Appendix: Customer Descriptions and Links to Full Case Studies ..........24
3. 2
Executive Summary
―First-come, first-served‖ project management can limit an organization‘s ability to
effectively evaluate, prioritize, select, manage, and assess its portfolio of past, present,
and future projects. Many organizations have discovered the importance of actively
managing strategic investments as a portfolio of projects, rather than on a project-
byproject basis, to improve and deliver results in areas from technology to business
process improvements to human resource management.
To enable users to effectively manage projects and project portfolios across their entire
lifecycle, Microsoft® developed the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management
(EPM) Solution, combining and integrating functionality from Microsoft Project
Professional, Microsoft Project Server, Microsoft Project Web Access, and Microsoft
Project Portfolio Server.
From the creation of a project portfolio, to the evaluation and selection of projects within
a portfolio, to detailed resource planning, to project management and strategic
oversight, the Microsoft Office EPM Solution delivers the right tools and information to
give managers valuable insight to their companies‘ project portfolios, maximizing return
on investment.
Customers representing a variety of industries and functions have successfully utilized
the Microsoft Office EPM Solution to address differing problems across the portfolio
lifecycle. Customer examples are included in the body of the document by portfolio
lifecycle phase to demonstrate the tangible and intangible benefits realized through
portfolio management using the Microsoft Office EPM Solution.
4. 3
Introduction
Companies and their employees must juggle a myriad of projects and investments
simultaneously, all competing for limited financial resources and management time.
From strategic initiatives to IT investments, many organizations have approached the
management of their projects on a ―first-come, first-served‖ basis, initiating projects
based on the timing of the request or the requestor‘s organizational power, rather than
on the project‘s relative strategic value.
First-come, first-served project management can limit an organization‘s ability to
effectively evaluate, prioritize, select, manage, and assess its portfolio of past, present,
and future projects, with significant consequences:
• 84% of companies either do not conduct business cases for any of their IT
projects, or perform them only on select, key projects
• 89% of companies are flying blind, with virtually no metrics in place except for
finance
• 84% of companies are unable to adjust and realign their budgets with business
needs more than once or twice a year1
Furthermore, 66% of large scale IT projects will not achieve their stated business
objectives, are delivered late, or are substantially over budget2
.
To address these challenges,
decision makers are
increasingly turning towards
portfolio management to
effectively manage and
evaluate their entire portfolio
of projects, rather than each
project in isolation, to
maximize value. The value of
a portfolio can be thought of
across two dimensions: the
ability to select projects
with the greatest strategic
potential (portfolio
management), and the
ability to effectively
execute projects to realize
business value (project
management). As Figure 1 illustrates, focusing solely on selecting the right projects
(Point A) or project execution (Point B) is a suboptimal use of resources, decreasing the
overall business value of the portfolio. By optimizing both the selection of investments
and promoting effective project management (Point C), portfolio management allows a
company to identify and maximize the value.
1
“What’s Really Driving the Importance of IT Portfolio Management?” by Mike Gruia, DM Direct Newsletter,
February 27, 2004
2
http://www.gartner.com/it/products/consulting/program_mgmt.jsp
Figure 1: Portfolio and Project Management Value
5. 4
Focusing on portfolio management provides an organization with a number of both
quantitative and qualitative benefits, as highlighted by CIO Magazine3
:
Fairer decisions about funding. Both initial project approval and ongoing
management are based on a holistic view of total investments prioritized by
relative benefit to the enterprise—not on a project sponsor's political muscle.
Optimal mix of investment
risk and reward. Portfolio
management facilitates the
balance of riskier, higher-reward
projects versus safer, lower-
reward ones because it
categorizes, prioritizes, and
monitors new and ongoing
investments.
Better communication
between IS and business
leaders. Portfolio management
gives IT and business leaders a
common language and platform
for communication because it is a
financial model.
Greater understanding and
cooperation over funding
allocation. Everybody sees where the dollars are flowing and why.
Greater business accountability for investments. Portfolio management can
be used to assign responsibility to appropriate leaders.
Strengthened alignment between IS and the business. Portfolio
management dictates that technology investments map to corporate strategic
objectives. Misaligned projects surface quickly.
More efficient use of human resources. The number of IT staff and managers
allocated to various projects becomes more visible and comparable.
Fewer redundant and overlapping projects. The portfolio view exposes
redundancy.
Review of the Microsoft Office EPM Solution
To enable users to effectively manage projects and project portfolios across their entire
lifecycle, Microsoft developed the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM)
Solution, combining and integrating functionality from Microsoft Project Professional,
Microsoft Project Server, Microsoft Project Web Access, and Microsoft Project Portfolio
Server. The Microsoft Office EPM Solution allows users to effectively manage and
prioritize projects and resources across the enterprise, and is designed for organizations
that require strategic portfolio capabilities, strong team coordination, standardization in
managing projects and programs, centralized resource management, as well as highlevel
analysis and reporting.
3
“The Business Case for IT Portfolio Management” by Richard Pastore, CIO Magazine, May 1, 2003
According to a Center for Business Practices‘
survey of 54 senior-level project portfolio
practitioners on their organizations‘ use of
project portfolio management practices:
• 70.4% agree or strongly agree that
―Our projects are better aligned to
business strategy,‖
• 57.4% agree or strongly agree that
―We work on the right projects,‖
• 46.3% agree or strongly agree ―We are
spending in the right areas,‖ and
• 42.6% agree or strongly agree that
―PPM has led to increased cost savings.‖
―Project Portfolio Management Maturity: A
Benchmark of Current Business Practices,‖ Center for
Business Practices, edited by James S. Pennypacker,
2005
6. 5
Microsoft’s Solution and the EPM Life Cycle
From the creation of a project or an organization‘s project portfolio, to the objective
evaluation and prioritization of competing investments, to detailed portfolio and project
planning and management, the Microsoft Office EPM Solution provides an organization
with the tools and insight necessary to optimize investments, reduce and manage risk,
and drive shareholder value across the entire portfolio lifecycle (Figure 2).
Improvements in the Enterprise Portfolio Management Lifecycle
The following sections highlight representative examples by portfolio lifecycle phase
where past and current Microsoft customers successfully employed the Microsoft Office
EPM Solution to improve project management, overcome business challenges, increase
performance, and achieve results.
Creation
In the first phase of the portfolio lifecycle, the Microsoft Office EPM Solution allows
organizations to develop and capture critical data across all types of projects (that is,
both IT and non-IT projects) that can be used to guide portfolio development, including
resource requirements, cost estimates, benefit forecasts, a strategic alignment
assessment, risk assessment, and phase and milestone planning. All project requests
are captured within a central repository using business case templates to standardize
the data collection across the organization, and can range from simple, ―lightweight‖
project plans designed to clarify an idea, to elaborate and complex plans to drive a
major initiative. Pre-defined workflows further ensure the projects are subjected to the
appropriate governance controls throughout their lifecycle, from proposal to
postimplementation.
Figure 2: Microsoft‘s Portfolio and Project Management Solution
covers all stages of the Portfolio and Project lifecycle.
7. 6
Foley & Lardner LLP, a law firm with offices and clients throughout the world and sixtime
recipient of the CIO Magazine CIO 100 Award4
, wanted to adopt a model of IT
Governance, aligning IT goals with business objectives. Toward that end, the firm‘s
Program Management Office (PMO) needed enterprise-wide control of all IT projects. But
without adequate tools or formal processes, project managers found it difficult and
timeconsuming to schedule, track, and report on projects. A dozen or more stand-alone
programs and systems were available to project managers, but none offered
comprehensive or centralized project management features, and none was compatible
with any other. The group also lacked consistent project management procedures, so it
was difficult to keep projects on track and on schedule. ―Each project manager would
handle a project differently. One might use Microsoft Excel®, one might use Project, or
one might not do a project plan for a short project,‖ says Kathy Boden-Benson,
Manager of Projects & Applications, Foley & Lardner.
Customer Example 1: Creation – Foley & Lardner LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP leveraged the Microsoft Office EPM Solution to improve and standardize
project planning in the early phases of the project lifecycle, reducing workload and saving more than
$40,000 annually
Company Issue Solution Benefits
Wisconsin-based law The firm’s technology Foley implemented • Improves firm
Foley & Lardner department lacked the Microsoft Office department LLP has
offices in the consistent project EPM Solution to gain efficiency
U.S., Brussels, and management control of projects, • Reduces costs
Tokyo. With more than procedures, and the establish sound • Enables strategic
1,000 attorneys, Foley stand-alone tools it management management provides legal
services used hindered its processes, and align • Provides data to to clients
representing ability to manage IT goals with business Management many industries.
projects centrally or objectives. comprehensively.
To address these challenges and improve overall project management, the company
turned to the Microsoft Office EPM Solution. Now with the EPM Solution, the PMO
manages all projects and resources centrally, project managers use consistent processes
and procedures to create, publish, and track projects using a single system, and
executives have immediate access to project information. The new EPM Solution has
allowed Foley to eliminate high-risk projects, take on higher-value projects, manage
projects consistently and efficiently, and provide directors with solid, real-time data for
critical decision making.
Furthermore, project managers‘ increased efficiency also translates to time and dollars
saved. ―Previously it might take 20 hours just to create a project schedule, but with the
project templates, now I can do it in four or five hours,‖ says project manager Willes.
Given the PMO‘s average annual project load, 15 hours saved per project translates to
more than U.S. $40,000 annually. PMO Manager Boden-Benson is confident the PMO will
be able to measure even greater efficiencies in the future. ―Creating a schedule is a
relatively small portion of an overall project, but if our project managers can complete
this single task 75 percent faster now, imagine how much more efficient they are
overall,‖ says Boden-Benson.
4
Foley & Lardner LLP received CIO Magazine’s CIO 100 awards in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007
8. 7
Through the implementation of the Microsoft Office EPM Solution, Foley & Lardner was
able to standardize and enforce IT Governance and improve overall performance. ―The
EPM Solution forced us to come up with a unified project management process, which
makes us more productive, more thorough, and better project managers overall.‖
Karina Willes, a PMO Project Manager at Foley & Lardner.
Canaccord Capital Inc. is Canada‘s leading independent, full-service investment dealer,
offering clients comprehensive investment advice and products. Canaccord has
experienced rapid growth over the last five years, including expansion into the United
Kingdom and the United States, which has made the tracking of planned and ongoing
projects even more challenging. While boosting its competitive edge, the company still
lacked a standard governance process for tracking and reporting on projects. As a result,
much of this activity was done in an ad hoc fashion.
Customer Example 2: Creation – Canaccord Capital Inc.
Canaccord needed a way to streamline project portfolio management and align investments in
technology with strategic priorities. To do this, Canaccord implemented Microsoft Office Project
Portfolio Server, which led to improved project portfolio tracking, enhanced communications and
increased productivity.
Company Issue Solution Benefits
Canaccord Capital Inc. With rapid growth, Canaccord • Improved Project is Canada’s
leading including expansion implemented an Portfolio Tracking independent full
internationally. integrated Microsoft • Enhanced service investment Canaccord
needed a EPM solution to Communications dealer, providing way to
effectively formalize portfolio • Increased investment products, manage the
diverse management, Productivity
brokerage services portfolio of projects and
improve project
and
investment align investments with
portfolio tracking,
banking
services to its strategic priorities.
enhance
retail, institutional and
communications and
corporate clients. increase
productivity
across the company.
The company needed to standardize and formalize the definition and prioritization of
projects. Canaccord also needed a way to better track governance and progress of
projects through the lifecycle in order to better manage portfolio performance.
Canaccord sought a project and portfolio management solution for the IT Department
that would bring visibility to the project portfolio as well as increase discipline in the
project governance workflow and approval processes. This would ensure that executives
and IT management have accurate and timely information, as well as full insight,
visibility and control across the IT project portfolio.
To address these issues, Canaccord implemented an integrated Project Portfolio Server
solution, a key component of the Microsoft Office EPM Solution, to formalize portfolio
management, improve project portfolio tracking, enhance communications and increase
productivity across the company. With Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server,
9. 8
Canaccord can identify, optimize, select, manage and deliver portfolios aligned with
business objectives and strategy. The customized solution offers a standard interface for
capturing business case parameters, including: scope, resources, budget, potential
benefits, risks and strategic alignment, for each planned and active project. After this
information is captured, it can readily be analyzed, making it easier to ensure projects
are strategically aligned with corporate goals.
By implementing a solution that encompasses a governance process, Canaccord now
enjoys more consistent tracking and reporting across the portfolio. The project
repository identifies the status of each project. This allows Canaccord to monitor the
state of active portfolio projects while prioritizing pipeline projects in order to maximize
efficiency. ―Consolidation has been a key element that has improved our tracking,‖
said Maguire. ―The repository defines our pipeline and active projects, and tracks their
status. This helps us prioritize based on their contribution to our business goals, which
makes the company more efficient.‖
Project Portfolio Server has improved communication across regions in two ways;
defining and identifying all on-going and proposed portfolio projects and updating
project status within the tool. With current and planned projects captured more
consistently, there is a better method of aligning related projects. ―Since the
implementation of Project Portfolio Server, activities such as reporting and monitoring
that used to take weeks to complete can now be done with the click of a button. Not
only has this solution made operations more efficient, it has made them more
effective,‖ said Maguire. ―This solution has improved corporate transparency and
provided a clearer view of the project portfolios, allowing management to make more
informed decisions.‖
Selection
To facilitate the selection of projects within a portfolio, the Microsoft Office EPM Solution
helps objectively prioritize business strategy for the upcoming planning horizon, drive
consensus between key stakeholders, and evaluate and prioritize competing investments
from multiple dimensions. Using embedded best practice prioritization methodologies
and tools, organizations can derive common scoring criteria for projects, programs, and
applications, enabling ―apples-to-apples‖ comparisons among dozens or hundreds of
competing investments along factors like strategic value, financial value, and overall
risk. The Microsoft Office EPM Solution further provides tools and embedded best
practice methodologies, including the Business Alignment Framework, to optimize
budgets and recommend portfolios that best align with the organization‘s business
strategy. This objective process enforces a rational rather than emotional approach to
portfolio selection, helping to ensure that the selected investments deliver the maximum
business value.
AXA Financial Inc., a subsidiary of the financial services firm AXA Group, had
successfully used IT as a differentiator in the market, but recently found its IT
investments taking up a larger and larger share of the company‘s net income. With the
downturn in the economy following September 11, 2001, AXA Financial faced pressure
to increase earnings and ensure that the company was making the most of its
investments.
10. 9
The responsibility for getting a better handle on the company‘s IT investments fell to the
Director of Enterprise Governance, Paul Bateman. ―When I got here, the whole model
of asking for money was based upon what I referred to as ‗emotional appeal,‘ ‖ recalls
Bateman. ―…whoever had the most passion behind their pleas generally got the higher
levels within the budget.‖
One of AXA Financial‘s first steps was to take an inventory of all of the current projects
that were underway. ―I discovered there were a number of projects behind schedule
and over budget and, more important, that all projects were created equal. There was
no hierarchy of improvement. There was no sense of how these projects related to our
vision, mission, long-term, short-term—any kind of objective you wanted to define,‖
says Bateman.
Customer Example 3: Selection – AXA Financial Inc5
AXA Financial Inc. utilized Office Project Portfolio Server6
portfolio to evaluate proposed
investments and align investments with strategy, resulting in estimated savings of $5–$10
million in the first year of implementation
Company Issue Solution Benefits
AXA Financial Inc. Increasing AXA worked • Estimated $5–$10
provides financial external market implemented a portfolio million in savings protection
and wealth pressures led to management approach during first year of
management services increased to facilitate the implementation
and is the $7.6-billion internal demand identification, evaluation, •
Strengthened visibility U.S. subsidiary of the for demonstrable prioritization, and
and insight
Paris-based financial returns on all IT selection of IT • Improved strategic services conglomerate
investments. investments. alignment of
AXA Group. investments
To address this challenge, the company turned toward portfolio management as a
methodology with which to assess, prioritize, and select projects that aligned to AXA
Financial‘s strategic goals. By deploying the Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server, AXA
Financial was able to empirically evaluate current and prospective projects against a
number of factors, including strategic alignment
and anticipated cost. The tool further allowed the ―…in a way [portfolio
company to perform ―what if‖ analysis to management has]
optimize the portfolio of projects for a given
budget allocation and maximize the return on a actually changed the
given investment. culture of the way we
By using the Microsoft Office Project Portfolio operate.‖ Server
Solution, AXA Financial achieved dramatic
results. ―I bet we saved $5 million to $10 million
in the first year alone,‖ Bateman says, ―on Paul Bateman, Director of
projects that would have automatically gone Enterprise Governance, AXA through
before.‖ Financial
11. 10
In addition to the financial benefits of their portfolio approach to project management,
the company realized a number of additional benefits through the use of the tool.
―There are ways that [portfolio management] has helped that I couldn‘t even put a
dollar amount on, because in a way it's actually changed the culture of the way we
operate,‖ Bateman says. ―It gives you the ability to look at any aspect of your
portfolio, whether it's people, whether it's timing and launch, whether it's actuals versus
plan or approved
5
Customer example based on the case study “The Efficient Frontier: AXA Financial Inc.” by Peter D. Henig,
CIO Insight, June 1, 2004
6
Technology referenced in the case acquired by Microsoft from UMT and incorporated in the Microsoft Office
EPM Solution in January 2006.
rates, or return on investment,‖ Bateman says. ―Everything from end to end, the
holistic process viewed through one microscope.‖
In consolidating management of its IT projects, the Metropolitan Government of
Nashville and Davidson County (Metro) in Tennessee found that its 52 departments had
been engaging in IT‑ related projects that had no common focus and sometimes were at
odds with each other, lacking processes to prioritize those projects or ensuring that
projects were progressing as they should.
Usually, the greatest resources were directed toward those departments with the
budgets and high profiles necessary to command attention. Projects were started with
little or no documentation or official approval, and it was difficult for the organization to
maintain a comprehensive portfolio of current projects. ―Basically, if you had the
resources and the inclination, you could go ahead with a project, even if it didn‘t align
with our organization‘s IT business objectives,‖ recalls Margaret Keck, Manager of ITS
Enterprise Services for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.
Customer Example 4: Selection – Metropolitan Government of
Nashville and Davidson County
Decentralized project and investment management decreased visibility and limited the
Metropolitan
Government of Nashville and Davidson County’s ability strategically prioritize potential
investments. Through the use of the Microsoft Office EPM Solution, the organization can
strategically prioritize potential projects and increase its return on investment
Company Issue Solution Benefits
The Metropolitan As it worked to unify To support new • Better visibility and
Government of its decentralized IT project management resource management
Nashville and Davidson activities, the processes, the • Improved County in Tennessee
organization found organization chose the organizational serves 570,000 citizens that it was
without Microsoft Office EPM capabilities
with 52 departments the processes or Solution. Four • Real-time reporting
that
provide everything
tools for prioritizing, departments currently • Increased
from parks
and libraries
tracking, and use the system, and collaboration,
to healthcare facilities
reporting the status the others will join productivity
and public safety.
of its various them soon. • Enhanced decision
12. 11
projects. making
―…A seemingly minor
project may be more
business critical than
some of the large
projects for
higherprofile
departments...‖
Margaret Keck, Manager of ITS
Enterprise Services,
Metropolitan
Government of Nashville and
Davidson County
After establishing a Project Management Office and
solidifying its project management methodology,
the organization deployed the Microsoft Office EPM
Solution to support its new culture of effective
project management. The EPM Solution provided
Metro with better visibility into its array of
projects, along with real-time reporting to promote
faster, more reliable decision making and smarter
use of human and financial resources—ultimately
delivering better service to citizens.
Previously, Metro had no ability to see the full
spectrum of projects in or awaiting production.
Some mission-critical projects took a back seat to
other projects for departments with larger budgets, occasionally leaving smaller
departments without key capabilities. Today, the organization has full visibility into its
entire portfolio of IT projects, giving Metro the ability to make smart decisions with
regard to project prioritization. ―Smaller departments aren‘t always able to be the
squeaky wheel that gets the grease,‖ says Keck. ―However, a seemingly minor project
may be more business critical than some of the large projects for higher-profile
departments that previously were getting pushed through ahead of other requests. The
new visibility and prioritization abilities that we get from the Microsoft Office EPM
Solution definitely help when it comes to fairness of resource allocation throughout our
organization.‖
―The EPM Solution has really helped us evaluate project priorities accurately, rather
than having to guess what was most important,‖ says Marsha Gilbert, Manager of the
ITS Project Management Office.
KeySpan Corporation is the largest natural gas distributor in the Northeast, with $12.6
billion in assets, 2.5 million gas customers and more than 12,000 employees. As the
largest investor-owned electric generator in New York State, KeySpan operates the Long
Island Power Authority‘s electric system and supplies approximately 25% of New York
City‘s capacity needs.
13. 12
With regard to its technology investments, KeySpan faced challenges ensuring strategic
alignment and enforcing effective governance. IT had limited visibility and perceived
value within the organization, and there was a low correlation between business strategy
and discretionary spending. Additionally, IT business cases were relatively weak, leading
to more subjective rather than quantitative investment decisions. ―There was little trust
and a great deal of uncertainty about our alignment with the business,‖ said Frank La
Rocca, CIO, KeySpan Energy5
.
To address these challenges, KeySpan turned to the Microsoft Office Project Portfolio
Server to deliver an effective project and portfolio management solution. Through the
deployment of the Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server, KeySpan followed a
sevenstep process that enabled the company to define and prioritize its strategic
business drivers, build and assess project business cases (including strategic ―impact
statements‖ ), and optimize its portfolio of projects. The Microsoft Office Project
Portfolio Server allowed KeySpan to evaluate and perform ―what-if‖ selection analysis
on projects in a uniform manner across a variety of dimensions, from costs and benefits
to risk, cash flow, and most importantly, strategic impact.
The portfolio approach to project selection changed the way KeySpan made investment
decisions. ―There was much less skepticism about the value of the projects and a richer
dialogue about IT and business strategy,‖ said La Rocca. ―I think it's re-established
our credibility and trust and has allowed senior officers to get engaged with IT at a much
more strategic level.‖ Through the use of portfolio management, La Rocca was provided
with additional money for discretionary IT spending through transparent, ROI-focused
business cases.
The value of the redesigned selection process, enabled through the use of the Microsoft
Office Project Portfolio Server, was further echoed by KeySpan‘s COO, Robert Fani. ―I
have been involved in IT project selection in KeySpan in some way or form for the past
25 years, this is by far the best analysis I have seen,‖ says Fani. ―All my business
units need to be this thorough and transparent and use this model.‖
Customer Example 5: Selection – KeySpan Corporation6
KeySpan Corporation leveraged the Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server6 to effectively align
investment decisions with strategy, elevating the value of IT in the eyes of leadership and building
the case for an increased IT budget based on proven strategic value
Company Issue Solution Benefits
5
“Case Study: IT Portfolio Management Software Gives Utility a Jolt” by Thomas Hoffman, Computerworld,
March 1, 2005
6
Microsoft Presentation at the Gartner PPM Summit by Mike Angiulo, June 2006
14. 13
KeySpan Corporation KeySpan lacked a The company • Project portfolio is the fifth largest
consistent, transparent deployed the selected based on distributor of natural
mechanism to Microsoft Office strategic value gas in the U.S., evaluate,
compare, Project Portfolio • Elimination of low operating regulated and select
projects Server to assess, value “pet projects” utilities in New York, based on
their optimize, and select • Increased decision
Massachusetts, and respective strategic its IT project portfolio. making
New Hampshire. value. transparency
Planning
Following portfolio selection, the Microsoft Office EPM Solution enables an organization to
develop detailed project plans, assign named resources to projects and tasks at the skill
level, and define the interdependencies within and across projects and the portfolio as a
whole. A dependable, scalable offering, the EPM Solution provides a highperformance,
manageable infrastructure for the enterprise that organizations can use to efficiently
manage resources and work from simple projects to large programs. The solution is
further extensible and programmable, providing the flexibility to meet evolving business
requirements.
Swisscom IT Services, a subsidiary of Swisscom,
―The EPM Solution makes it is a leading Swiss IT service provider with 2,100 so
much easier to allocate employees based in Bern-Ostermundigen, resources that
we‘ve Switzerland. Swisscom IT Services needed to find decreased our time-to a
way to manage its resources across divisions
and gain visibility into resource management and
completion of projects… We capacity planning throughout the organization. Its
expect to complete projects disparate methods for resource management
left up to 20 percent faster Swisscom IT Services with no easy way to because
of a shorter generate reports for executive decision making. offering
phase.‖ In the past, Swisscom IT Services conducted its resource and portfolio
management through a
variety of methods, including Microsoft Access™,
Johnny Raetzo, System Engineer, Microsoft Project files, and Microsoft Excel in
Swisscom IT Services Office XP, leaving the organization unable to view
its entire project portfolio, easily generate
reports, or make projections based on complete, timely information.
Determined to achieve better control over resource skill-set management in particular,
Swisscom IT Services sought to implement a solution that would give the organization
an overview of all its internal resource allocations at the skill level. ―Before, it was up to
the individual departments to determine how to perform resource management, so we
had no view of our entire project load, making it difficult to determine if we had the
capacity to handle that load,‖ says Johnny Raetzo, System Engineer for Swisscom IT
Services. ―Gaining the ability to make more efficient use of our human resources was
the main catalyst for looking for an enterprise-wide solution.‖
15. 14
The organization implemented the Microsoft Office EPM Solution for its more than 2,100
employees, giving them the tools to manage resources and produce comprehensive
reports. Today, Swisscom IT Services managers have a single source for comprehensive
resource-related information and can assemble the right teams of people to get the job
done, regardless of their familiarity with the organization. ―The EPM Solution makes it
easy for our managers to deliver on projects because they can find the right skill sets
without having to go from office to office to ask for help,‖ says Raetzo. ―The solution
also simplifies the process for sharing accurate resource information because we‘ve
gotten rid of the cumbersome planning tools that we used in the past.‖
Customer Example 6: Planning – Swisscom IT Services
Through effective project and portfolio planning using the Microsoft Office EPM Solution,
Swisscom IT Services significantly increased visibility into the management and use of its
resources across divisions, cutting time to complete projects by 20% and labor savings in excess
of $50,000 per month
Company Issue Solution Benefits
Swisscom IT Swisscom IT Services The organization • Holistic view for Services, a
had no standardized implemented the better planning and subsidiary of
solution for resource Microsoft Office 20 percent faster Swisscom, is a
management within its Enterprise Project project completion leading Swiss IT
Software Development Management Solution to • Easy-to-use system service
provider with and Delivery divisions. gain insight into and for greater efficiency
2,100 employees It lacked the ability to management of project
• Enhanced project
based in Bern view resource and resource
quality
Ostermundigen, management information across the
• Increased project
Switzerland. enterprise-
wide. organization.
management
maturity
―The introduction of the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management Solution is
already changing the culture at Swisscom IT Services,‖ says Raetzo. ―The EPM
Solution makes it so much easier to allocate resources that we‘ve decreased our time-
tocompletion of projects, which means happier customers. We expect to complete
projects up to 20 percent faster because of a shorter offering phase.‖
Soon, Swisscom IT Services will be shifting to a central repository for resource-related
information. This consolidation from more than 30 isolated storage sites to a single
repository will save money for the organization while reducing management time.
―Having centralized administration of our documentation will cost us less,‖ says
Raetzo. ―We anticipate that requiring fewer software licenses and limiting our operating
costs will save Swisscom IT Services 320 hours per month, which translates into a cost
savings of U.S. $50,000 per month.‖
The transportation solutions company of J.B. Hunt employs more than 17,000 people
and offers services in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. J.B. Hunt provides end-
toend transportation of full truck-load, dry-van freight, and the company also holds
contracts with most North American rail carriers to facilitate transportation by rail. J.B.
16. 15
Hunt has approximately 30 remote offices, called terminals, throughout the United
States. These terminals serve as regional outposts that provide fleet support services for
the entire company.
Customer Example 7: Planning – J.B. Hunt
By implementing the Microsoft Office EPM Solution, J.B. Hunt will save time and money; provide
increased visibility, thus facilitating better allocation of resources; and give the company the tools it
needs to be more competitive in its industry, with project managers saving roughly 520 hours
annually.
Company Issue Solution Benefits
J.B. Hunt is a J.B. Hunt managers J.B. Hunt • Saves money transportation had
difficulty tracking implemented • Improves employee solutions company that the status
of the Microsoft Office efficiency provides services company’s numerous Project
Portfolio • Allocates resources throughout North high-value projects and Server to track
and accurately America. The making informed gain visibility into its • Affords
centralized company employs decisions about portfolio of projects,
visibility
more
than 17,000 resources and saving time and
• Enhances
people and is scheduling. money.
competitiveness
headquartered in
Lowell, Arkansas.
J.B. Hunt manages several high-value projects at any given time, completed by a
combination of employees, consultants, and contractors. The variety and complexity of
business objectives of J.B. Hunt make it difficult to attain a comprehensive view of its
projects. Even when the company engaged in a project-by-project assessment, they
were not able to review an overall analysis of how the individual projects affected the
company as a whole. J.B. Hunt used Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet software to
evaluate the projects and make decisions based on compartmentalized viewpoints. ―We
were trying to understand the scope and complexity of our portfolio by tracking it with
Office Excel spreadsheets. It was a very manual and decentralized effort. We needed a
central repository that would give our project managers and our executives a place to
evaluate the portfolio data and see how it was performing,‖ says Leslie Coston, PMO
Manager at J.B. Hunt.
J.B. Hunt decided to implement Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server in June 2006,
and worked with a partner to set up Office Project Portfolio Server in a production
environment in April 2007. J.B. Hunt expects to increase employee efficiency and save
money, as well as improvements in the accuracy of its allocation of resources because of
the enhanced visibility provided by the solution. Ultimately, the benefits of Office Project
Portfolio Server will help the company become more competitive in its industry and
provide enhanced customer service.
Office Project Portfolio Server will provide valuable insight to J.B. Hunt managers in
regard to specific projects and help them make informed decisions based on quantifiable
information. ―Prior to using Project Portfolio Server, evaluating whether we were
running ahead of schedule on a job would have been based on the project manager‘s gut
feeling.
17. 16
We simply didn‘t have access to the detailed data. It would have been risky for that
manager to move people off the job. Now it will be quantifiable. We can say exactly how
many people we are going to need and then take a look at another project that might be
running behind and transfer those individuals. It results in cost avoidance,‖ says
Coston.
Furthermore, J.B. Hunt employees will save time by using Office Project Portfolio Server,
translating into a direct money savings. The 10 project managers who use the solution
on a regular basis will experience the most direct benefits. ―The time our project
managers will be saving by using Project Portfolio Server will result in a cost savings of
approximately $25,000 dollars annually,‖ says Coston.
Chiron Corporation, one of the world‘s largest biotechnology firms, creates products that
improve human health. The company‘s three major divisions—biopharmaceuticals,
vaccines, and blood testing—develop products designed to treat and prevent disease and
to ensure that stored blood is free from disease.
Customer Example 8: Planning – Chiron Corporation
Through the implementation of the Microsoft Office EPM Solution, Chiron Corporation was able to
improve the information regarding and utilization of its resources, allowing for the completion of 8-12
projects per year, up from 3-5 projects per year prior to EPM implementation
Company Issue Solution Benefits
Chiron Corporation is Chiron needed to Chiron worked with a • Improved data a
biotechnology and improve its time-to partner to implement analysis for better
pharmaceutical market performance. It the Microsoft Office project planning company based
in wanted better insight EPM Solution to help • Increased product Emeryville,
California. into project scheduling the company capacity
The company employs and resource allocation, streamline its project • Easy deployment more
than 5,000 along with uniform management
and low training
people at facilities in
project management to practices.
costs
18 countries on five help reduce project continents. delays.
Although it had successes, Chiron experienced difficulties with project management
integration and the resulting project delays and increases in time-to-market for new
products. Project managers in the company‘s Blood Testing Division used different
project management styles and methods, creating schedules and allocating resources
using separate versions of Microsoft Project without accurate resource availability data
or information regarding potential problems. ―We had very little reliable information
coming in,‖ says Eric Morfin, Director of the Project Management Office of Chiron‘s
Blood Testing division. ―Most of the project data came from someone's mind or from
their own project management plan—a situation that is sketchy at best… We needed a
solution that integrated better project and resource management to help us improve the
way we develop projects and help get more projects implemented in time.‖
To address these issues, Chiron deployed the Microsoft Office EPM Solution to help
centralize project management and produce accurate data through its interconnected
18. 17
project software, and began to see benefits almost immediately. Project management
became more consistent and resources were better tracked and used through the
centralized gathering and accurate reporting of data, helping the company keep tasks
and products within deadlines. ―Now projects are better planned, resources are
assigned to tasks in advance, and we are tracking the actual time spent,‖ says Morfin.
―We have eliminated the perception that the only way we can get things done is by
adding more resources.‖
The clearer picture has helped with better
forecasting and improved handling of potential ―We have eliminated
issues before they can become big problems. the perception that the
Chiron‘s Blood Testing Division completed
between three and five projects a year under its only way we can get
old project management system. As the actual things done is by
project data and costs became clearer, the adding more
division realized that it could do far more and
estimates the completion of 8 to 12 projects a resources.‖ year, a net
increase of 5 to 7 projects annually.
Eric Morfin, Director of Project
―Since implementing the EPM Solution, we are
Management Office, Chiron
beginning to have better project insight, clearer
Corporation
understanding of the effort it takes to conduct our
projects, and a better ability to forecast
problems,‖ says Morfin.
Management
The Microsoft Office EPM Solution provides organizations with easy to use, familiar tools
and functionality that offer significant visibility and insight into a company‘s project
portfolio, promoting collaboration among project teams across the organization.
Managers can easily find, analyze, track, and report on all types of project information,
from ad-hoc projects to complex programs and portfolios. Users can create real-time
project and portfolio performance dashboards and scorecards to ensure decision makers
gain visibility, insight, and control across the project portfolio, utilizing intuitive
generators to define and publish enterprise templates to standardize and streamline
project management and reporting processes organization-wide. In addition to active
projects, users can now see the entire project lifecycle from before initiation as
Proposals to after project completion as Operations Work.
As a major world provider of semiconductors, LCD screens, and mobile technologies,
Samsung must deliver its products in a timely and cost-effective manner. Both research
and development of new products play a pivotal role in the company‘s strategic focus.
Samsung runs an average of 45 to 50 concurrent research projects each year, most of
which take nearly two years to complete. Its larger projects often span several years,
involve thousands of tasks, and require as many as 200 project managers, project
19. 18
leaders, and team members, all of whom work full-time on a single project for its
duration.
With more than 1,000 team members working on various R&D projects and storing data
in numerous locations on 45 different servers, the employees in the Device Solution
Network Division could not access or analyze crucial project information in a timely
manner. Although all project managers were responsible for reporting project status on
a regular basis, executives did not have an enterprise-wide view of projects throughout
the company and could not quickly take action when a project ran over schedule.
―Without a unified system, members of the management team could not easily see
what adjustments needed to be made when problems occurred,‖ says Joon Mo Son,
Director of Samsung‘s Project Management Organization.
As a result, Samsung slipped on its research deliverables 85 percent of the time, with an
average delay of two to three months. ―With extensive product slippage, we faced the
possibility of revenue loss when our competitors released new products before we did,‖
says Joon. ―When we do not meet a deadline, it affects the whole company‘s progress,
because it delays transition to manufacturing and marketing.‖
Samsung wanted a unified project management
―With extensive product system that would help its employees ensure
that slippage, we faced the research projects were completed on time
and
provide greater business analysis and planning
possibility of revenue capabilities. After evaluating several project
loss when our management tools, Samsung deployed the
competitors released Microsoft Office EPM Solution to 1,000 employees in
the Device Solution Network Division, and new products before we
anticipates that the EPM Solution will increase the did.‖ efficiency of its
R&D deliverables by 50 percent
over the next year and a half and help the
company achieve its goal of releasing 20 new
Joon Mo Son, Director of Project electronics products by 2010.
Management Organization,
Samsung Joon attributes this growth to the ability to more
accurately manage project schedules and
eliminate the slippage of deliverables. ―The Microsoft Office EPM Solution is exceptional
for project tracking,‖ says Joon. ―Before we implemented it, members of the executive
team never knew the reason for project delays and were at a loss as to what action to
take. But now they can see red flags when there are problems and quickly take action.‖
Customer Example 9: Management – Samsung
20. 19
Samsung used the Microsoft Office EPM Solution to significantly enhance visibility into its project
portfolio to improve on-time completion of research deliverables, increasing its R&D efficiency by
50%
Company Issue Solution Benefits
Based in Seoul, Korea, The Device Solution Samsung deployed the • Reduces
Samsung is a global Network Division at Microsoft Office EPM communication time leader
in Samsung wanted to Solution to 1,000 project with team members
semiconductor, be able to view team members, project by 20 percent
telecommunications, information for its leaders, project • Increases R&D and digital research and
managers, and efficiency by 50 convergence development executives. percent
technology, employing projects, which were • Enhances business
70,000 people run by project analysis throughout 47 managers • Aligns resources
countries. throughout the with strategic R&D
company. initiatives
Through the use of the EPM Solution, Samsung has realized significant portfolio and
project management benefits, and anticipates continued results moving forward. ―The
Microsoft Office EPM Solution drastically improves our resource allocation and
scheduling,‖ says Joon. ―In the months that we have used the Microsoft Office EPM
Solution, it has significantly improved our project management. It‘s already helped us
streamline our research projects, and I can only believe that it will continue to improve
our research processes over time.‖
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin, offers both paper
and online issues. Based in Milwaukee, the company employs 900 people and has a daily
circulation of 217,000 and a Sunday circulation of 384,000. It is organized functionally,
with groups divided according to expertise such as IT, newsgathering, finance, and
advertising.
Customer Example 10: Management – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By implementing the Microsoft EPM Solution, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was able to streamline
total work management, provide visibility and accountability, increase employee efficiency and
involvement, simplify reporting compliance, and help the Journal increase its competitive edge in the
news reporting industry.
Company Issue Solution Benefits
21. 20
With 900 employees, The Journal has a The Journal • Streamlines total the Milwaukee
Journal decentralized project implemented the work management Sentinel is the largest
management structure Microsoft Office EPM • Provides costnewspaper in and
wanted a simple, Solution in January effective project Wisconsin. The tailored project
2007 to help manage management
Journal offers daily management solution its companywide • Increases employee
and Sunday editions in that would address its project workflow. The
efficiency
both online
and paper exact needs. EPM Solution went
• Cuts reporting
formats. live in May 2007 and compliance time
now has more than 60 • Helps increase
users. competitive edge
The company‘s two-person Project Management Office (PMO) team is responsible for
project management guidance throughout the company and is part of the 40-person IT
department that generally runs 12 to 15 projects concurrently with budgets that range
from U.S.$5,000 to $2 million. Project management is decentralized, with many
individuals outside the PMO acting as project managers. ―Before a more structured idea
of project management was put in place, it was very disjointed,‖ says Jeffrey Roe,
Manager of the IT PMO for the Journal. ―The success of a project was dictated by who
exactly was running it—it could be political, or might just be because of the expertise of
that particular person. It was hit or miss.‖
The Journal used Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet software to track projects. ―We
would print a chart and that was our project plan in total. Each department had its own
documents that were never collected, assembled, or saved,‖ says Roe. ―We got
everybody updated information by having a lot of meetings, but there were problems in
communicating and the most current information was not being communicated through
the various e-mail messages.‖
In November 2006, the PMO evaluated various project management options including
Clarity and externally hosted services. It determined that the Microsoft Office EPM
Solution was the best fit for the company. ―We chose the EPM Solution because of the
very tight integration it has with other Microsoft products, its cost-effectiveness under
our Enterprise Agreement, and because our employees have experience with Microsoft
technology, which shortened the learning curve and increased acceptance,‖ says Roe.
Under the old system, the company couldn‘t tell exactly how its employees spent their
time. With the timesheet functionality in the EPM Solution, this information is readily
available. ―A lot of eyes were opened when we started tracking the time of the IT staff.
We were spending too much time on what we call administrative tasks—not work that is
for projects or maintenance support,‖ says Roe. ―With the EPM Solution timesheets
and corresponding visibility, we were able to bring employee time spent on
administrative tasks down by 10 percent from last year.‖
Additionally, the visibility provided by the EPM Solution has increased employee
productivity. ―Time spent now is tangible. The EPM Solution gives us tremendous
visibility, and visible people work better. Employees are inclined to complete projects
faster because their name is publicly associated with it,‖ says Roe. The EPM Solution
also increases productivity by making it easier for employees to contribute. ―In our
company, everyone who is working on a project also has his or her ‗regular jobs‘ to do.
22. 21
Making the project management process fit within that reality by using the EPM Solution
makes it easier for people to find what they are looking for, contribute, and move on,‖
says Roe.
Founded in 1877, Rodenstock is a leading manufacturer of progressive and plastic
lenses, camera lenses, optical lens elements, photochromic lenses, sports eyewear, and
sunglasses. The company has production plants in Germany and internationally.
Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Rodenstock has 4,600 employees.
Customer Example 11: Management – Rodenstock
To gain company-wide consistency and efficiencies, Rodenstock deployed the Microsoft Office EPM
Solution, which it uses in conjunction with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. Rodenstock now has
fast access to project data that is always up to date. The company’s workflows proceed more
quickly, which translates to a faster time-to-market. The solution also provides improved
administration of access rights.
Company Issue Solution Benefits
Based in Germany, Rodenstock used a The company • Fast access to upRodenstock
develops, stand-alone, labor deployed the to-date data manufactures, and intensive
method for Microsoft Office EPM • Faster workflows markets ophthalmic planning projects
that solution. It uses the and time-to-market lenses and spectacle included entering
data solution in conjunction • Improved access
frames in Germany into spreadsheet files with Microsoft Office rights
and internationally. and exporting data to a
SharePoint® Portal
The
company has central multi-project file.
Server.
4,600 employees in ten countries.
Rodenstock is always working to improve the quality of its optical products. To be able to
bring innovations to the market quickly and achieve a competitive advantage,
Rodenstock must efficiently coordinate its research and development (R&D) and
engineering efforts. For project planning and coordination, Rodenstock used stand-alone
systems including Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet software. The company entered
data into many individual Office Excel files and used a macro to merge these into a
single central file that displayed all projects. Starting in 2004, Rodenstock also began to
maintain data in Microsoft Project 2003 Professional; it exported and merged this data
into the central Office Excel file.
―This very complicated method involved quite a bit of coordination and effort,‖ says
Dr.
Herbert Zinner, Director of Project Coordination in the Research and Development
Department for Eyeglass Lenses at Rodenstock. ―For example, when a single detail
changed, we needed to rerun the macro to update all files. So the plan frequently was
outdated before it was finished.‖
The company needed a project management solution that was more efficient, and that
provided increased business intelligence. Ultimately, Rodenstock chose to implement the
23. 22
Microsoft Office the EPM Solution. The solution, which includes Office Project Server,
Office Project Professional, and Office Project Web Access, helps organizations to
effectively manage projects and resources.
By using the EPM Solution in combination with Office SharePoint Portal Server and SQL
Server 2005 Enterprise Edition, Rodenstock now has fast access to project data that is
always up to date. Company workstreams proceed more quickly, which translates to a
faster time-to-market. And the EPM Solution provides improved access rights
administration. ―If an interim goal is achieved, the project manager fills out a form
through Office SharePoint Server and sends it with an electronic signature to his or her
own manager,‖ says Zinner. ―As soon as that person electronically signs the
document, this next planning step is released. This is significantly faster than the
previous method of sending faxes between locations,‖ says Zinner.
With the EPM Solution, all Rodenstock employees work within a single database, for a
company-wide view of project data. ―We can create reports significantly faster than
before,‖ says Zinner. ―And data is always up to date.‖ The company can also quickly
export data to other formats, including Office Excel spreadsheets, for presentations.
―It‘s much easier to gain an overall view of company projects with the EPM Solution.
This helps us to respond intelligently to project concerns in a much shorter time
frame,‖ says Zinner.
With 8,963 employees, Kumba Resources Limited7
is among the world's largest
exporters of iron ore. It accounts for roughly 80 percent of South Africa's iron ore
exports and 4 percent of the world's iron ore seaborne trade. Kumba Resources‘
Research and Development division controls projects in the organization, conducting
feasibility studies that explore new processes for extracting minerals or that improve
production processes to be more efficient, cost-effective, and lower maintenance.
The Research and Development division needs to recover all the costs that it incurs.
Until recently, the division relied on numerous disparate IT systems to manage up to 50
projects running at any one time, which made it almost impossible to see where money
was being spent in each project. ―At no stage could we tell the actual costs of a project
or the income we recovered. We couldn‘t see if a project was on schedule. And we
couldn‘t access enough detailed information that would help us allocate resources
according to employee competency,‖ says De Witt. ―This led to poor project
management and performance. We were unable to recoup up to 50 percent of expenses
on our projects.‖
Customer Example 12: Management – Kumba Resources Limited
To improve project management visibility and project expense recovery, Kumba Resource Limited’s
Research and Development division deployed the Microsoft Office EPM Solution, increasing project
expense recovery from near 50% to 116%
Company Issue Solution Benefits
7
Kumba Resources Limited reorganized in 2006 and is now Kumba Iron Ore
24. 23
South African–based Kumba Resources’ Kumba rolled out the • Greater project data
Kumba Resources Research and Microsoft Office EPM ownership Limited is an Development Solution
including • Advanced resource independently division relied on Microsoft Office planning saves costs
managed, diversified disparate IT systems Professional Edition and • Customer mining company that
to manage its Microsoft Office Project satisfaction up boasts a portfolio of feasibility projects. Web
Access. • Up to 116 percent of world-class assets Lack of visibility of costs can be spanning Africa,
Asia, information made it recovered and Australia. difficult to recover as • Integrates easily with
much as 50 percent other technologies of project costs.
The division engaged Microsoft Certified Partner Fulcrum Business Solutions to help it roll
out a Microsoft EPM Solution. ―We chose to work with the Microsoft Office EPM Solution
because it is a known product in the business, and it could easily support our business
processes. It meets all the requirements we have identified and is a lot more cost-
effective than the others we examined,‖ says, De Witt.
With the adoption of the EPM Solution, Kumba has realized significant benefits. Before
the solution was implemented, project leaders were unable to see which employees were
available for projects, and were forced to outsource work. Resource balancing and
planning features within the technology give leaders the information necessary to
identify skills shortages or available resources in advance. ―We don‘t have to use
contractors anymore,‖ says De Witt. ―We can now cut our costs significantly by using
internal resources because we can see their availability.‖
With access to real-time performance management features, project leaders can see
exactly how teams are performing on every project. De Witt says, ―All team members
have access to relevant project information. Every member knows their responsibilities
and what activities are allocated to them. The solution prompts them and helps them
plan their days more efficiently, keeping up the project‘s momentum.‖
De Witt says, ―The EPM Solution has improved our performance substantially. We can
set clear, realistic timelines, deliver on customer needs first time around, and manage
our projects properly… Using the solution‘s income recovery planning features, we
recovered 116 percent (of costs incurred) in the last six months.‖
25. 24
Conclusion
As an increasing number of companies turn to portfolio management as an effective
mechanism to maximize return on investment, the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project
Management (EPM) Solution provides users with an end-to-end project and portfolio
management solution to create, select, plan, and manage investments that drive
performance and deliver results. The Microsoft Office EPM solution allows an organization
to enhance project identification, strengthen the alignment of a project with strategic
goals and objectives, increase the visibility and transparency of project management,
and reduce the risks and costs associated with project management.
For more information, about the Microsoft Office EPM Solution, please go to:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/epmsolution/FX101935291033.aspx
http://www.epmconnect.com
About the Authors
Value Prism Consulting, LLC is an independent consulting firm that provides strategic,
financial, and operational consulting services to companies facing the challenges of
industry, market, and technological change. Value Prism assists clients with valuations,
business case development, and decision support analysis. Its solutions provide accurate
and supportable information that lets a company or a decision maker act on
opportunities and avoid costly pitfalls. Value Prism solutions measure the results of
business process improvement, capital investments, and major budget spending
decisions.
Please go to http://www.valueprism.com for more information.
Appendix: Customer Descriptions and Links to Selected Case
Studies
Foley & Lardner LLP is a Wisconsin-based law firm with offices in the U.S., Brussels, and Tokyo.
With more than 1,000 attorneys, Foley provides legal services to clients representing many
industries.
Canaccord Capital Inc. is Canada‘s leading independent full service investment dealer, providing
investment products, brokerage services and investment banking services to its retail, institutional
and corporate clients.
http://www.microsoft.com/canada/casestudies/canaccordcapital.mspx
AXA Financial Inc. provides financial protection and wealth management services and is the
$7.6-billion U.S. subsidiary of the Paris-based financial-services conglomerate AXA Group.
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County in Tennessee serves
570,000 citizens with 52 departments that provide everything from parks and libraries to
healthcare facilities and public safety.
26. 25
KeySpan Corporation is the largest natural gas distributor in the Northeast, with $12.6 billion in
assets, 2.5 million gas customers, more than 12,000 employees, and offices in New York,
Massachusetts, and New Hampshire
Swisscom IT Services, a subsidiary of Swisscom, is a leading Swiss IT service provider with
2,100 employees based in Bern-Ostermundigen, Switzerland.
J.B. Hunt is a transportation solutions company that provides services throughout North America.
The company employs more than 17,000 people and is headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/f/2/1f200333-2e00-4509-
861be0d4ba613cfb/JBHunt_EPM_Final.doc
Chiron Corporation is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company based in Emeryville,
California. The company employs more than 5,000 people at facilities in 18 countries on five
continents.
Samsung is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunications, and digital convergence
technology, employing 70,000 people throughout 47 countries.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and offers daily and Sunday
editions in both online and paper formats.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/6/3/8638c14b-2f2c-4749-
8e4ac70f3131d671/MilwaukeeJournal_EPMSolution_Final.doc
Rodenstock develops, manufactures, and markets ophthalmic lenses and spectacle frames in
Germany and internationally. The company has 4,600 employees in ten countries.
Kumba Resources Limited is a South African–based, independently managed diversified mining
company that boasts a portfolio of world-class assets spanning Africa, Asia, and Australia.
For new and additional case studies please go to: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies.
