Straightforward Project Management Improves Collaboration

Sept. 13, 2016
Servier streamlines project management with a web-based PPM Solution

France-based global pharmaceutical company Servier sought a project management system to bring together various entities in a more straightforward manner. They were looking for a system that could provide better reporting to agencies and communication amongst their team.

Servier employs over 20,000 people worldwide and offers product lines focusing on cardiology, oncology, metabolism, neuropsychiatry and rheumatology, as well as high quality generic drugs. They have several manufacturing sites in Europe, and the main plant is in Arklow, County Wickow, Ireland.  Servier’s Arklow facility was established in 1989 and has expanded continuously ever since and is currently employing over 300 staff members.

PROJECT OFFICE: BEYOND MICROSOFT

Servier’s Project Office in Arklow is responsible for delivering projects across all areas within the manufacturing plant. The projects are varied and include building and construction projects as well as IT, product transfer and quality initiatives. These projects were being managed using a variety of tools including Microsoft Project, Excel, and Word. This resulted in project information being maintained in different locations. This ultimately proved difficult to have a clear view of both individual projects and, even more so, programs of multiple projects.

Generating reports and managing resources were key issues for Servier as the information had to be pulled from many different sources, taking significant time and effort. As the team at Servier’s Project Office sought a project and program management system, they had a few key requirements in mind:

  • Visibility over projects and programs
  • Easily identify projects that are not performing
  • Single, easy-to-use solution
  • Comprehensive reporting capability
  • Collaboration for project team members
  • Centralization of all project information

MANAGING PROJECTS SMOOTHLY
Servier’s Project Office implemented Cora Systems’ web-based Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) Solution, ProjectVision.

With the new project management system, the Project Office can manage entire programs of work for the Arklow plant in a single, easy-to-use system. All project information and documentation is now stored in one system, making it very easy for Servier to control and monitor their projects.

Servier’s projects are grouped into relevant programs, matching their corporate structure and providing logical visibility of work and roll-up reporting capability across the entire organization.

All of Servier’s staff involved in delivering projects are set up as resources on the project management system. Project managers allocate tasks to these resources, allowing resource utilization to be monitored.

The collaborative nature of this software ensures that resources are able to update their project progress information, enabling other users to have instant access to the latest information and ensuring reporting is timely and accurate. In addition, user rights functionality ensures that staff are only able to see or update projects that they are working on.

Red, yellow, or green traffic light reporting shows Servier at a glance which projects are running well and, more importantly, which projects are in need of attention. Fast and easy identification of projects that are not performing well allows Servier to react quickly, minimizing the impact to the organization in both cost and time delays.

TIME, REPORTING AND RESOURCE PREDICTION
Introducing the project management system allows Servier to manage projects from concept, approval, and implementation to closeout in a simple and efficient way. This has resulted in significant time savings, particularly when generating reports and project updates.

The team can now predict future resource requirements and identify resource shortages to be put in place for key projects. This means that projects are more likely to be delivered on time and on budget.

Servier now has a single view of all projects that are happening across all departments at the Arklow site. It has allowed the project team to easily prioritize projects that will bring the greatest benefit to the organization.

Generating reports for the management team has been made simpler, allowing instant access to the latest project information. This has allowed Servier to concentrate on delivering projects rather than administration and report production.

With all project information and documentation stored in one system, Servier is able to easily and transparently control and monitor all their projects throughout the plant.

About the Author

Philip Martin | CEO