Nagra - Project Server 2010 Case Study epc group,epc gruop.net,errin o'connor,microsoft sharepoint,project server 2010 consulting,project server consulting firm,sharepoint consulting,sharepoint consulting firm,sharepoint consulting services

1. Microsoft Project Server 2010
Customer Solution Case Study
Digital Security Firm Makes More Efficient,
Data-Driven Decisions About IT Projects
“With Project Server 2010, we can manage the entire
Customer:Nagra life cycle of the project, from the project request all the
Website:www.nagra.com/dtv
Customer Size:3,000 employees
way through to tracking benefits.”
(Kudelski Group) Pascal Paltz, Head of the IT Project Office, Nagra
Country or Region:Switzerland
Industry:Media and entertainment—
Radio, television, cable and satellite The Nagra IT departmentneededmore transparency in making
Partner:Kennebec Group decisions abouta growing number of project requests. To that
Partner Website: www.kennebec-
group.com end, it implemented Microsoft Project Server 2010, which
integrates portfolio planning with project management. With
Customer Profile
Nagra, a division of the Kudelski Group, Project Server 2010, Nagra now can manage projects from
provides technologies for digital request to benefits tracking, has improved the quality of data
television. Based in Cheseaux,
Switzerland, the Kudelski Group had 2010 collected in proposals, and has increased project managers’
revenues of 1 billion Swiss francs productivity.
(U.S.$1.2 billion).
Business Needs
Software and Services Nagra, a division of the Kudelski Group, However, Nagra was concerned about its
Microsoft Server Product Portfolio provides digital security and convergent processes for choosing new projects. “The
− Microsoft Project Server 2010 media solutions for digital television. way that IT made decisions about which
− Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Based in Cheseaux, Switzerland, the projects to pursue lacked transparency,”
Microsoft Project Professional 2010 Kudelski Group employs about 3,000 says Pascal Paltz, Head of the IT Project
Technologies people. Its 2010 revenues were 1 billion Office at Nagra. Thus, other departments
− Microsoft Project Web App Swiss francs (U.S.$1.2 billion). struggled to understand why their projects
would get selected or rejected.
Hardware The Nagra IT department supports digital
Dell PowerEdge R905server computers television activities with a variety of Indeed, the department’s portfolio
HP ProLiantBL685c G7 server projects, some infrastructure or integration management processes were vague and
computers projects sponsored by IT itself and others cumbersome. The Nagra IT staff logged
sponsored by departments such as and tracked project requests using a
Research & Development (R&D) or Sales. custom-designed spreadsheet in Microsoft
For more information about other Nagra has long used Microsoft Office Office Excel 2003 spreadsheet software
Microsoft customer successes, please visit: Project Server 2007 to manage 1,100 and a template in Microsoft Office Word
www.microsoft.com/casestudies projects, 100 of which were in IT. 2003. “It was difficult, with a single

2. template, to validate that we had all the Projects proposed toNagra IT now go Manage Entire Project Life Cycle
required information at a sufficient level of through formalized stage gates in Project “With Project Server 2010, we can manage
quality,” Paltz says. Such poor information Server 2010, including one to consider the entire lifecycle of the project, from the
hampered decision making. developing a business case and another to project request all the way through to
evaluate that business case. A project tracking benefits,” Paltz says. The
Nagra sought a way to improve its project sponsor and project manager develop the integration of portfolio management and
selection and the tracking of its project business case using customized templates project management overcame the
portfolio. that collect specific information about company’s initial concern about Office
expected project resource requirements, Project Portfolio Server 2007. Increased
Solution timelines, and benefits. Projects that are transparency automatically provides
In July 2008, Nagra investigated Microsoft selected can then be compared with the executives and other departments with
Office Project Portfolio Server 2007. “Our business case throughout their life cycles. valuable information on portfolio
proof of concept showed that the tool selections and ongoing projects.
corresponded to our needs for portfolio Paltz has eliminated the spreadsheets and
management,” says Paltz. “But we were Microsoft Office Word templates formerly Improve Data Quality for Proposed
concerned about its integration with Office used in project evaluations. He and project Projects
Project Server 2007.” As a result, the managers can evaluate and report on With refined and standardized processes,
company decidedagainst the software. projects directly from either the full client, formalized gates, and templates
Microsoft Project Professional 2010, or the customized to its business needs, Nagra
In October 2009, Nagra IT decided to web client, Microsoft Project Web App. can make more informed decisions about
redesign its project portfolio management Next year, Nagra will compile the IT proposed projects. “With Project Server
processes. Over the next year and a half, the department project budget using Project 2010, we have improved the quality of
company worked with the Kennebec Group, Server 2010 rather than spreadsheets. data collected in the business case when
a Microsoft partner specializing in project projects are proposed,” Paltz says. “And by
and portfolio management and governance Paltz also uses data on the skills needed formalizing the process of defining the
solutions.To support those new processes, for proposed projects to manage long- business case with Project Server 2010, we
in March 2011 NagraIT implemented Project term organizational capacity. “With Project can create a more consistent long-term
Server 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 we can have more confidence project roadmap.”
Server 2010. The software runs on a in our longer-term roadmap,” Paltz says.
virtualized server farm of Dell PowerEdge Raise Productivity of Project Staff
R905 and HP ProLiant BL685c G7 server Two other departments at Nagraare now Nagra has used Project Server 2010 to
computers. The solution was in the process of implementing Project improve the productivity of project
initiallydeployedto about 100 IT users, Server 2010 for both project and portfolio managers. Paltz says, “To take one
although it is configured to support up to management. “I’m pleased that our example, in developing the budget, Project
3,000 usersto accommodate growth. example convinced them to use the same Server 2010 is saving us a month’s worth
approach and tool,” Paltz says. of effort on the part of two people.” The
Project Server 2010 is built on SharePoint most significant productivity enhancement
Server 2010, and Nagra takes advantage of Benefits is the link between Project Server 2010 and
that interoperation. Each project is linked to Nagra is using Project Server 2010 to SharePoint Server 2010. “Because Project
a SharePoint site. The project type support the entire project lifecycle, Server 2010 is built on SharePoint Server
determines which SharePoint template is improve the quality of data on proposed 2010, we can design schedules, workflows,
used to set up schedules, workflows, projects, and increase project staff and other SharePoint templates for each
reports, issue registers, risk registers, and productivity through better use of project type, rather than having one set of
other project documents. templates and efficient procedures. templates for all project types,” Paltz says.
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published September 2011