The City of Stonnington (CoS) is a local government responsible for managing road, pedestrian, drainage, park and building assets for over 100,000 residents in eastern Melbourne.
With an annual capital program in excess of $50m, CoS sought to identify and implement Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) solutions in order to address several key requirements, including.
- Improve project and portfolio management across all teams
- Support multiple portfolios and provide organisation-wide reporting
- Reduce administration for managers & centralise relevant project information via customised user views
- Support flexible workflows and user mobility
- Integrate with other council systems
- Implementation and support by a vendor with extensive experience and skills in the system
Approach
Exco Partners proposed a OnePlan based solution and were engaged as the design, implementation and support partner. The project was approached in three key phases below:
Discovery:
The discovery phase began with Exco Partners collaborating closely with the City of Stonnington to understand their unique requirements and objectives. Through thorough discussions and workshops, the team aligned expectations, sequenced activities, and prioritized tasks.
Delivery:
Following the planning phase, Exco Partners configured the OnePlan tool, a comprehensive Portfolio and Project Management Tool, tailored to meet the specific needs of the City of Stonnington. The tool was designed to offer seamless integration with their existing project management processes. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) played a crucial role in ensuring that the solution aligned with the council’s expectations and catered to their specific requirements.
Launch:
With the PPM solution built and tested, the implementation moved to the launch phase. Data migration was conducted to transition relevant information to the new system, ensuring continuity and accuracy. The City of Stonnington went live with the PPM solution, and the Hypercare phase followed immediately after. During Hypercare, Exco Partners provided post-implementation support to address any issues, resolve challenges, and ensure a smooth transition for the council.
Conclusion
Overall, the collaborative effort between the City of Stonnington and Exco Partners transformed project management practices, leading to more efficient execution of projects, improved financial control, and increased visibility of ongoing projects. As a result of the successful implementation of Release 1, the City of Stonnington expanded the PPM solution to include their Digital Transformation Projects, budget bidding process, and integration with their finance system, TechnologyOne, highlighting the solution’s adaptability and scalability.