Case Study

Transforming Global Initiatives with Tailored Project Portfolio Management

Client: A Global Higher Education Institution

Challenge

Managing a global initiative within a leading higher education institution required a comprehensive approach to align cross-functional teams, streamlined communication, and real-time project updates. The initiative involved multiple projects spanning continents, with key deliverables including aligning academic programs, technology integration, and adherence to institutional standards.

Project managers needed a way to communicate effectively with the executive team for strategic decision-making and downstream teams for task execution and follow-ups. With no access to tools like Microsoft Planner at the time, creating consistency in communication and reporting was a significant challenge.

Performance Highlights

Executive Reporting: Reduced time producing reports by 60%.
Team Alignment: Reduced task follow-up time by 50% per week through streamlined processes.
Timeline Adherence: Met 100% of critical deadlines across multiple time zones.

Solution

Soleil Conseiller was brought in to oversee the initiative and to design a structured yet flexible approach to manage this large-scale initiative. Leveraging Microsoft Project’s powerful features, we built a robust system for tracking tasks, communicating progress, and aligning teams toward shared goals.

Key Actions

Creating a Single Source of Truth with Microsoft Project Using Microsoft Project Desktop, we developed a comprehensive project plan that captured milestones, resource allocations, and dependencies. This tool provided a consolidated view for executive reporting while also serving as a detailed task list for project managers.
Streamlining Executive Reporting Custom dashboards and reports were designed to provide the executive team with the information they needed to track progress, identify risks, and make informed decisions without being overwhelmed by unnecessary details.
Building Custom Communication Processes Without tools like Microsoft Planner available, we innovated by generating task-specific PDFs and leveraging Teams messaging to distribute updates. This approach kept team members and end users informed and enabled seamless follow-ups on action items.
Enhancing Accountability with Task Follow-Ups A structured follow-up process ensured tasks were completed on time. Teams were equipped with clear deliverables and deadlines, fostering accountability and collaboration across global locations.

Outcome

Soleil Conseiller successfully guided the higher education institution through this complex initiative by integrating advanced project management practices with innovative communication strategies.

Executive Visibility: Regular reports and dashboards allowed leadership to make proactive, data-driven decisions.
Improved Collaboration: Microsoft Teams was used to bridge gaps between teams and streamlined operations across regions.
Long-Term Impact: Adoption of our custom processes and tools allowed our client to successfully complete their global initiative on time and at the same time uplevel the skills of their project management team.

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