Microsoft Office Enterprise Project ManagementCustomer Solution Case Study

Mail Services Provider Improves Delivery with New Project Management Solution

OverviewCountry or Region: MalaysiaIndustry: Postal Services

Customer ProfilePOS Malaysia Berhad (PMB) has been providing mail services in Malaysia for over 175 years. It handles four million mail items per day and has a network of 700 post offices nationwide.

Business SituationPMB needed to build up and strengthen its project execution capability and capacity in order to successfully deliver the company’s crucial transformation projects on-time and on-budget.

SolutionPMB deployed the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution on multiple servers at the company headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Benefits Increased communication and

collaboration Improved project tracking Reduced project risks Successful project delivery

“With the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management Solution, management now has real-time access to a wide range of reporting helping them to make decisions faster.”

Zaidi Hussain, Head of Operations Support, POS Malaysia Berhad

POS Malaysia Berhad (PMB) provides mail services to the population of Malaysia, with a network of 700 post offices nationwide, handling up to four million mail items per day. PMB conducted a study in preparation for a major transformation project, which revealed that project execution capability and capacity was not sufficient to successfully execute the plan. The group focused on building up and strengthen PMB’s project execution capability, including deploying the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution. The EPM Solution gives PMB project management tools which help to deliver projects on time and on budget. The solution has also enhanced communication and information sharing among project teams, providing the capability to effectively track projects and minimize project risks.

SituationPOS Malaysia Berhad (PMB) is the national mail service provider in Malaysia. The organization is made up of three strategic business units: PosMel – the core mailing service,

handling up to four million mail items per day.

PosLaju – a nationwide courier service.

PosNiaga – a network of 700 post offices.

The Malaysian government has set out the Government-Linked Company (GLC) Transformation Program, to transform GLCs into high-performing entities that will underpin Malaysia’s future prosperity. As part of this drive, PMB launched its five-year transformation master plan to deliver financial and non-financial benefits to stakeholders.

The master plan defined 26 separate transformation projects which would be undertaken by PMB. The projects include a 250 million Malaysian Ringgit (U.S.$81 million) national mail hub in Selangor, to improve mail sorting efficiency by consolidating four centers into a single automated facility, and the national mail revenue management system, a Web-based solution for bulk mail acceptance and revenue quality assurance.

However according to Zaidi Hussain, Head of Operations Support at PMB, the team realized that strategy execution would be their biggest challenge. Once the plan was defined, a readiness assessment revealed that based on

PMB’s existing execution capability and capacity the organization would not be able to successfully execute the transformation plan. It was clear that a new approach to strategy execution was needed.

A three-phase approach was taken to build up and strengthen PMB’s execution capability and capacity. The first two phases dealt with equipping the project team members with the appropriate knowledge. The world’s most respected certification, Project Management Professional, from the Project Management Institute (PMI) was adopted, combined with a project management methodology.

However, given the wide ranging scope and complexity of the projects supporting the transformation plan, a project management tool that offers strong collaborative and communicative features was needed to form the third part.

“We wanted a solution that not only tracks the progress of the 26 transformation projects, but also the benefits derived from each. This was a very important feature for our management team,” says Hussain.

SolutionAfter evaluating various project management solutions in the market, PMB decided to deploy the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution.

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“Thanks to the simple integration between the EPM Solution and Office Outlook 2007, our key stakeholders now have the ability to access project information through their smart phones.”

Zaidi Hussain, Head of Operations Support, POS Malaysia Berhad

Hussain believes that the solution is the right fit for PMB as it provides functionality for scheduling, tracking, and updating projects, while helping to optimize resources, deliver projects on time and within budget. In addition, the solution supports a more collaborative project management environment, by helping team members to produce up-to-date and clear communications.

PMB commissioned local project management consultants, Projeqz, to oversee the migration to the EPM Solution, and provide support with installation and configuration of the new system, as well as training for end-users.

The EPM Solution was set up on multiple servers at the PMB headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Its component programs included Microsoft Office Project Standard 2007 and Microsoft Office Project Server 2007. The previous solution could only be accessed through the office network, but Microsoft Office Project Web Access now gives users access to the system from anywhere at any time through the Internet.

The deployment of the EPM Solution was a relatively simple process according to Mohd Zulkifli Bahari, Head of Project Management Office at PMB. “Together with our partner Projeqz, we held on-boarding sessions with the project teams and educated them on how to maximize the benefits of the EPM Solution,” he says.

PMB has approximately 80 active users of the EPM Solution from various business units with plans to increase this number to over 250 users.

BenefitsThe initiative to implement the EPM Solution has given project teams in PMB the project management tools which they lacked previously. The solution has enhanced communication and information sharing among PMB’s project teams, provided effective tracking of projects, minimized project risks and helped PMB meet its transformation goals on time and on budget.

Increased Communication and CollaborationSince the implementation of the EPM Solution, Bahari has seen enhanced communication and information-sharing among PMB’s project teams, leading to improved participation, project progress reporting, and collaboration.

Cross-team coordination is improved due to the integration between Office Project Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, which supports the use of automated notifications/reminders. For example, integration with Office Outlook 2007 gives project team members the ability to view and report progress on tasks using their calendars. Team members can view project assignments and easily keep track of project tasks alongside other

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appointments, and provide project managers and top management with timely updates for accurate reporting.

“Thanks to the simple integration between the EPM Solution and Office Outlook 2007, our key stakeholders now have the ability to access project information through their smart phones. For the user, the experience is seamless, they simply open Office Outlook 2007 or the management dashboard,” Hussain states.

Improved Project Tracking As projects move forward, it is vital that all of the stakeholders can monitor progress. Hussain affirms that the EPM Solution helps PMB to track its core projects more effectively.

“With the EPM Solution, management now has real-time access to a wide range of reporting, which helps them to make decisions faster,” says Hussain.

The EPM Solution also provides transparency on all project work. Hussain adds, “All project-related information is visible with the new EPM Solution. Using the alerts and dashboards, our management team can spot issues and problems that could affect the implementation of projects much earlier than previously possible.”

Reduced Project RisksPMB has been able to mitigate risks arising from its projects as the EPM Solution supports risk identification from the earliest stages of planning

through to the final stages of project execution and benefit realization.

“The EPM Solution has an issues and risks log where you can highlight and track any threats to the project. This enables us to mitigate risk and resolve issues immediately rather than at the last minute,” says Bahari, adding that Office Project Server 2007 provides a central location for effectively identifying and managing issues and risks.

“Once the risks and issues are captured, it is easier to resolve them. The EPM Solution provides us with this in-depth visibility. This means that the CEO or sponsor of the project will have the necessary information to make timely decisions on the project which is a key factor in successful delivery of projects,” says Bahari.

Successful project deliveryThe EPM Solution has helped PMB to successfully deliver a number of the group’s core transformation projects on time and on budget.

Hussain highlights the challenges and pressures faced by the group in running 26 transformation projects simultaneously. “If the core projects are not delivered on time, PMB’s transformation master plan will be derailed. This illustrates the strategic role played by the EPM Solution in helping to transform PMB’s execution approach to successfully deliver the transformation program.”

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“Using the alerts and dashboards, our management team can spot issues and problems that could affect the implementation of projects much earlier than previously possible.” Mohd Zulkifli Bahari, Head of Project

Management Office, POS Malaysia

Microsoft Office SystemThe Microsoft Office system is the business world’s chosen environment for information work, providing the programs, servers, and services that help you succeed by transforming information into impact.

For more information about the Microsoft Office system, go to: www.microsoft.com/office

For more information about the Microsoft Office EPM Solution, go to: www.office.microsoft.com/epmsolution

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For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about Projeqz Sdn Bhd products and services, call +603 7960 0473 or visit the website at: www.projeqz.com

For more information about Pos Malaysia Berhad products and services, call +603 2274 1122 or visit the website at: www.pos.com.my

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published March 2011

Software and Services Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Microsoft Office Enterprise Project

Management Solution− Microsoft Office Project Standard

2007

− Microsoft Office Project Server 2007

− Microsoft Office Project Web Access