Functional project management is always beneficial for the customer. In such a case, the project progresses with good planning and the right tools, in keeping with the goals and schedules. Reporting and communication towards the customer must be clear from the very start of the project.
Functional project management has always been a matter of course at Vitec ALMA. The project plans have been drafted carefully and the right resourcing has produced the desired results for the customer. Every customer has been provided with the agreed information about the different stages and progress of the software project up to now as well. However, there is always room for improvement.
“At Vitec ALMA, project management has been continuously developed in the name of better results. This development will continue. Around the turn of the year, we noticed some clear development potentialities, which is why we started co-operation with Wakaru Oy. With the help of the development project, we will further improve the management of our customer projects. For our customers, this will mean even better quality of work and more efficient and comprehensible reporting,” says Janne Mäkinen, Lead Project Manager at Vitec ALMA.
The development project launched at the turn of the year will continue. The development of project management is an ongoing process that naturally endures after individual development projects.
At Vitec ALMA, the human resources required for a software project vary between one and up to ten people. The larger the number of people and the more extensive the software project, the more the efficiency of project management affects the outcome. As a result of the development work being carried out at present, all Vitec ALMA software projects will be implemented using the same methods and tools. This way, the customer experience is equally good regardless of the extent of the project and of the headcount.
“In our project management, we make even better use of the sprint model employed in product development. We divide the software project into stages lasting a couple of weeks, so-called sprints, during which smaller project modules are implemented. This is very helpful, especially in case of larger projects. The feedback I’ve received about the change has been very encouraging for our personnel, and I believe that the sprint model will also lead to better customer experience,” Mäkinen says.
At Vitec ALMA, a software project and its management are set in motion from sales, from where it passes to actual production and delivery. Project management also continues from here; the finished project is transferred to the realm of the support service. During a development project, the transfers between the different stages can be elaborated to be as flexible and problem-free as possible.
“We have crystallized the goal of the project into the slogan “bring some common sense into the complexity of project operations”. In this connection, the good practices of Vitec ALMA’s extensive and long-term project operations are compiled for joint use by the entire personnel. At the same time, we get rid of obsolete operating procedures, if and when we come across such,” Mäkinen notes.
In addition to the management of individual software projects, development of the management of larger project portfolios is about to begin at Vitec ALMA. Project portfolio management is about managing the customer’s newly started and already ongoing projects in a centralised manner, from a single place. The project portfolio provides the customer with information about the projects currently in progress and their present stage, as well as about new projects possibly upcoming in the future. At the same time, you can see the people working with the project.
“Our internal changes will be evident for our customers through better quality of work and customer experience. Better quality always increases customer satisfaction. Owing to clear and transparent reporting procedures, there will be no needless surprises for the customers. Or, from this time on, the surprises will only be positive.”