1. Project Management Modernization
– Why And How Western Moved
From Spreadsheets To PrimaveraFrom Spreadsheets To Primavera
Session 10588
Presenters – Paul Martin CGA; Fred
Janzen PMP

3. Agenda
1) Current environment
2) Current capital project control
3) Why Primavera – “The right stuff”
4) Implementation Strategy4) Implementation Strategy
5) Change Management
6) Questions

4. Western University Organization
• Research Intensive University
• 35,000+ Students
• 3500+ Staff and Faculty
•• Operating Budget - $555 M
• Research Budget - $208 M
• Located in London, Ontario, Canada

5. Campus Geography
• Main campus - 155
hectares/380 Acres
• Land Holdings – 480
Hectares/1175 Acres
• 15 KM (9.5 Miles)• 15 KM (9.5 Miles)
Roadway
• 93 Buildings
– 9 Residences/ almost
5000 beds
– Growing

6. Annual Projects
• 200 – 300 capital & Infrastructure projects
• $10,000 to $3 Million
• Infrastructure, Classroom and Lab enhancements
• 10 – 15 medium projects
• $5 to $15 Million• $5 to $15 Million
• Renovations, Major Infrastructure
• 4 – 5 major projects
• $15 to $100 million
• New Building
• Major retrofit old buildings to new standards
• $150 to $300 million budget

7. Staffing levels
• Internal staff
• 20 Project coordinators, Managers and
Engineers
• 100 Trades persons (includes 6 person
project crew)project crew)
• 5 Design persons
• External
• 30 to 40 General contractors
• 20 to 35 Consultants and Architects

8. Current Project Control
• Distributed amongst coordinators and
managers
• Excel spreadsheets and PeopleSoft
Financials ledger for budget and cost control
• Email for tracking correspondence• Email for tracking correspondence
• General Contractors control schedule and
project in their systems
• Difficult to learn from previous experience
• No ability to do “What if” scenarios
• Reporting sporadic and inconsistent

9. Why Primavera?
• Desire to increase transparency,
accountability and collaboration while
reducing risk
• Common process for all capital projects
• Dashboard - project health and budget• Dashboard - project health and budget
results
• Repository for all project correspondence and
decision impacting designs and schedule
• “What if “ scenarios can be easily created
and reviewed for time line and budget
impacts

10. Why Primavera Continued
• Integration with PeopleSoft
• Can learn from previous experience (copy
projects, build templates, build a “book of
Knowledge)Knowledge)
• Enterprise View
• Track “Portfolios” of projects

11. The Right Stuff
• Successful Projects
– Right People
– Right Tools
• Communicate• Communicate
• Track progress
• Spot issues
• Web-based software
– One version of the Truth
– Best Practices and Enterprise level Technology

12. Aberdeen Group Study
Category of AEC Firms Mean Performance
Standard Best Practices and Enterprise level Technology (SBPT) - 89% of projects delivered early or on time
- Projects not delivered on time are on average six weeks
late
- 89% of projects delivered within budget
- 10% average overrun on projects not delivered within
budget
Standard Best Practices with Desktop based or no technology - 71% of projects delivered early or on time
(SBP) - Projects not delivered on time are on average six weeks
late
- 79% of projects delivered within budget
- 14% average overrun on projects not delivered within
budget
Neither Best Practices or Enterprise Level Technology (Neither) - 64% of projects delivered early or on time
- Projects not delivered on time are on average six weeks
late
- 73% of projects delivered within budget
- 20% average overrun on projects not delivered within
budget

13. Implementation Strategy
• Partner with an implementation firm with a
successful track record – SAR
• No customization
• Map out business processes that are best in• Map out business processes that are best in
class
• Project manager should also be a user of the
system

15. Change Management
• Project Manager
– Member of team who will use the product
• Communication
– Monthly updates for project coordinators and– Monthly updates for project coordinators and
managers
– Process review
– Re-enforce the fact the system is changing

16. Change Management Continued
• Training
– Just-In-Time training using Western data
• System Testing
– Include users internal and external in system– Include users internal and external in system
testing
• Help Desk and Super Users
– Help desk support available
– Super Users available to assist others

17. Questions

18. Session 10588 - Project Management Modernization
– Why And How Western Moved From Spreadsheets
PAUL MARTIN CGA – FINPLM@UWO.CA
FRED JANZEN PMP – FJANZEN2@UWO.CA
– Why And How Western Moved From Spreadsheets
To Primavera