Case Studies

Cost Reduction - Fireman's Fund

Problem:

Major insurance company needed a solution to contain and reduce their printing budget. As the first of several enterprise projects, two divisions—Personal and Commercial—had to prove they were able to work together to design, develop, and implement projects on-time and on-budget. 30,000 users needed to be trained on the “Policy View Online” application and it had to happen quickly to maximize the cost savings.

Solution:

InDepth Strategies created a multidisciplinary team with both business and IT participants from the Personal division and the Commercial division and had them work in a designated “war room” to maximize productivity. InDepth Strategies requested and received an executive sponsor who established a board of top-level managers from both divisions to ensure collaboration. And critical to project success, InDepth Strategies provided close monitoring and control throughout project.

Result:

The successful implementation reduced their printing costs by 25%. The project successfully stayed within budget and was completed on schedule. The application received overall positive acceptance. In fact the application was so successful that it has become the showcase item on how to properly conduct enterprise projects.

Compliance Deadline - Kaiser Permanente

Problem:

Health care provider and insurance organization was late in complying with a strict government requirement. Over 400 applications had to be modified and tested in 8 US regions right away. Further complicating issues, the project had a fixed implementation date.

Solution:

InDepth Strategies acquired and trained a testing task force and implemented basic processes and procedures, and standard reporting to work with all regions. InDepth Strategies created an executive management council to provide up-to-date project status communications and immediate decision making. And since the project was significantly behind on schedule, InDepth Strategies focused on damage control for day-to-day business operations.

Result:

InDepth Strategies’ involvement minimized risks to day-to-day operations while meeting a majority of (and the most important) compliance requirements and dates. The program communication structure designed by InDepth Strategies was received so well, it became the standard for large enterprise-wide programs.

“Nathalie is an exceptionally talented person whose expertise in all levels of project management (Portfolio, Program and Project) allows her to effectively deliver even on troubled projects. As a consultant, her strong facilitaton and leadership skills make her an invaluable asset to any company requiring training, methodology or project rescue.” Stacey Donahue (Lyons), Director, Enterprise Testing Services, Kaiser Permanente

ERP Migration - Unocal (now Chevron)

Problem:

The Indonesian arm of Oil & Energy company sought to implement Oracle ERP, requiring the migration of all data from their legacy systems.

Solution:

Since their Thailand arm already implemented Oracle ERP, InDepth Strategies provided the company with a solid planning document based on lessons learned from that project. And InDepth Strategies' independent project management expertise and guidance cemented a team of software vendors and consultants, as well as Thailand and Indonesian representatives.

Result:

InDepth Strategies' planning documentation included a project management plan, a risk management plan, an overall schedule and budget, as well as a detailed organizational change management plan and baseline for the statements of work of several vendors. This document, along with InDepth Strategies' management expertise, enabled an efficient start of the project.