Insurance companies and groups frequently have a very distributed operating and staffing model, which can introduce some significant challenges. We spoke with a panel of representatives from various aspects of the insurance industry to learn more.
What are the challenges you need to overcome to be successful?
Our companies have a presence in many different countries. We rely on resources across those countries to deliver all of our business projects – 250 on the go at any one time, another 170 in planning, and then IT-specific projects on top of that. Resource management has always been a challenge for us and we created a dedicated central group to try and address it, but we’ve been challenged by them not having the right tools to be effective.
How do you go about addressing those problems?
We have all had a similar experience. Some time ago we identified the need for a better resource management system, but we wanted it to be more than that. We have been looking for a complete project portfolio management solution that will allow project managers to not only consume resource assignments, but also update information on actual utilization. That system also needs to integrate with our work tracking system and with our resource master system.
What do you do, and how does it help?
When we were all faced with a similar decision, we selected Broadcom’s Clarity platform. We also partnered with Broadcom’s implementation partner Capture.eu to assist us with the implementation and integrations.
Clarity has given us everything we need to manage our resources more effectively. We have complete visibility into all of our people, how they are allocated, their actual versus planned utilization, and requests for new assignments for upcoming initiatives. We can manage our people across all initiatives and locations with complete confidence that we always have accurate information.
Capture.eu developed integrations with our resource master data, giving us information on contracts, planned absences, working hours, etc., and allowing us to make more informed decisions. Our project managers also get better insight into when their team members will be available and any upcoming absences or reductions in availability. The integration with our work execution tool provides accurate information on actual utilization and allows us to identify and manage any variances as soon as they occur.
How is this driving your success?
We’re using our resources more effectively. That means we’re able to deliver more projects with the same people, with greater confidence that the right people are assigned to the right tasks at the right time – every time. Resource managers can make better decisions around assignments and adjustments, and project managers can manage their initiatives more effectively because they have greater insight into their teams.
Combined with the expertise and experience of Capture.eu, we have control over our resources and we are delivering better projects every time. That’s the kind of benefit that you just can’t put a price on!
