Case Studies

Established in 2000, SPJIMR'S Project Management Cell has taken rapid strides in institutionalizing Project Management (PM) across industry. Allow us to share with you some memorable PM stories.

Which industry would you be interested in?

• Wartsila - Power
  
• IRIS - Finance & IT
  
• Center for Development of Advanced Computing - Supercomputing
  
• Ford Information Technology and Services India Ltd. - IT

Wartsila

• About the Company
  Wartsila is a Finnish multinational company offering turnkey power solutions. The Company is the market leader in setting up 6 MW captive power plants for industrial majors in Asia.
  
  
• Mission
  Typically, Wartsila installed power plants in a time span of 7-8 months. The Company was focused at reducing lead times by engaging the Institute.
  
  
• Solution
  The Institute customized a PM program to address local issues. A series of educational intervention programs across regional offices were conducted. Specific skill building programs were identified and implemented. The customization facilitated planning, scheduling and creating an enterprise-wide PM system.

  The program impacted Wartsila's performance significantly. The Company now completes its projects ahead of schedule, in some cases as much as 2 weeks in advance. Reduced lead times translates into savings of approximately Rs. 1 lac per day.

  After profiting from PM, Wartsila has invested in building PM competencies for its executives. Till date, 5 managers from Wartsila are PMP® certified.

IRIS

• About the Company
  IRIS is a financial research and content major.
  
  
• Mission
  IRIS had a comprehensive financial portal called, myiris.com After the dotcom debacle, the Company was exploring allied revenue streams by leveraging its core competencies of finance, content and technology.
  
  IRIS' business was reoriented towards technological services in the e-governance domain and content services for financial service organizations and brokers.
  
  
• Solution
  The Institute organized a customized program to help IRIS develop competencies and capabilities in PM.
  
  The areas addressed were managing costs and improving profitability. These issues assumed critical importance as IRIS competed in the highly competitive domestic IT services segment.
  
  The Institute customized an MCPM program to develop PM competencies. 20 managers were initiated into PM processes, budget and contract management.
  
  Also, IRIS was in the process of filing for ISO certification. The Institute facilitated PM and business processes for certification.
  

C-DAC

• About the Company
  The Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is a supercomputing major. The Company is only the second in Asia to develop supercomputers. C-DAC's indigenously developed supercomputer is called, 'PARAM'.
  
  
• Mission
  Perhaps, the most profitable Government of India IT initiative, C-DAC was undergoing far-reaching structural changes as a result of a merger with 3 Government IT subsidiaries.
  
  Traditionally, the organization's forte was R&D. C-DAC was now venturing into the commercial IT services domain.
  
  As a result of the merger, the staff swelled from 600 to 1,800 employees. Significantly, this merger took place in the absence of formal processes and systems.
  
  
• Solution
  The Institute conducted a detailed assessment of C-DAC's processes and PM maturity. 6-8 local processes were scrutinized to address specific issues.
  
  A customized intervention program was organized for Senior Technical staff, R&D and Project Leaders. The objective of this program was educative rather than training.
  
  Critical areas were identified and deliberated. A road map was chalked out to improve project performance, optimize additional resources, coordinate with multiple government agencies and boost overall performance.

Ford Information Technology and Services India Ltd. (FITSI)

• About the Company
  FITSI is the IT enabler for Ford and its subsidiaries in the Asia Pacific region.
  
  
• Mission
  The Company aggregates IT requirements and addresses them in the local domain. Essentially, FITSI acts as the Technical liaison between Ford subsidiaries and IT vendors in the region.
  
  The parent company, Ford has a formidable reputation of PM processes and methodologies. FITSI engaged the Institute to facilitate the global framework.
  
  
• Solution
  The Institute undertook a 5-day training program that focused on the conceptual framework and how it was to be adapted locally. The program addressed local systems and processes, initiated Managers into the PM Way and prepared them for PMP® certification.