Government

PROBLEM

An agency of County Government faced an inability to implement technology projects successfully. After a series of high profile project problems the agency realized that it needed to overhaul its approach to project management. Up until this point, the agency had relied almost completely on the vendors of software or hardware solutions to manage the projects, including vendor coordination of user acceptance testing. After the series of problems, the agency understood that it needed to develop a much stronger internal project management capability.

SOLUTION

Major Scale coordinated with agency personnel to develop a roadmap for future operational structures that would result in successful project implementations. The problems experienced by the agency in its recent projects resulted not only from technological failures in vendor supplied equipment, but more importantly from management deficiencies in risk assessment, project management, system testing, and contingency planning. Major Scale’s roadmap addressed all four of these key management components.

IMPLEMENTATION

Major Scale brought in a team of experienced project managers to create a Project Management Office within the government agency. This PMO, staffed by Major Scale consultants, successfully implemented more than two dozen technology projects over the next six years. Major Scale also worked with the agency to develop standard project management disciplines including better budgeting and financial management procedures, and to train agency personnel in how to make those procedures a regular part of their business operations.

BUSINESS IMPACT

The agency has been able to bring on high quality technical staff, reorganize its entire IT function, and work through the entire backlog of major development projects including an e-commerce site that paid back its initial development costs in five months.

Case Studies

Financial Industry A large mortgage lender found itself with outdated systems, insufficient IT talent, and an inefficient business process.

Health Care The leading web site for cardiothoracic surgery needed a business model that would allow the site to become financially self sustaining.

Professional Services The oldest and largest provider of management outsourcing services to the nonprofit association market faced a critical juncture.

Education & Academia A top ranked law school needed to know how to streamline their overall operations.

Government A government agency suffered an embarrassing public project failure and needed to build a PMO.

Manufacturing A boutique manufacturer needed to rethink their entire IT organizational structure.

Elections A large election jurisdiction wanted to improve their election preparation and audit procedures.