He realised it was an inefficient and time-consuming method and had been looking for the right solution for a number of months before coming across Asta Teamplan.

Since implementing Asta Teamplan Les has seen a 50% reduction in effort spent on project administration, as well as enjoying more effective planning, improved resource allocation and the ability to provide accurate plans and deadlines.

Background

Carole Nash has grown over the last 20 years to be a successful insurance specialist employing 350 people.  An effective IT function is critical within any financial services organisation, particularly one such as Carole Nash which processes high volume consumer-facing transactions.

Carole Nash had made significant investment to become a technology-enhanced business and provide a platform for future development through major replacement and updating of equipment and systems.

The need

Les explains "We couldn't demonstrate the feasability of projects i.e. why we could or couldn't do a particular project. We had 26 different spreadsheets running, which meant you couldn't easily change the plan, and it took a huge amount of time just to update Excel."

Evaluating the options

The solution

When Les tried Asta Teamplan he knew it fitted the bill:  "Overall it is a well-architected system, however it is not just the product superiority - they also have an excellent pre and post sales service and technical support has been faultless."

"I have now replaced the 26 different spreadsheets with a centralised Asta Teamplan system that not only saves time and efficiency for planning, but also saves us significant resources during implementation of the project."

"As an example, it was taking each manager approximately a day a week to keep up with the project admin, such as resource scheduling and updating.  Now this is down to half a day, and is likely to reduce further still - representing a 50% reduction in effort."

"In the past, without a centralised system, we couldn't check who of our 26 staff were working on which project and how much has actually been spent versus the forecasted estimate.  Now we can."

Training

Key IT staff undertook in-depth Asta training to ensure Asta Teamplan was implemented effectively and tasks and project-based work would be input consistently across the four IT teams.

"Initially we have ensured that only the six managers can change project details, while the other 20 staff can only input time.  It is much better to roll out slowly and get control first, to ensure processes are right, before rolling out on a wider scale," comments Les.

The future

Carole Nash is looking at Asta Teamplan with a much broader view than just the IT function within the business:

"Asta Teamplan is ideal for us in IT, providing a comprehensive, robust and scalable solution, however the project methodology can be used in the management of other areas involving resource allocation, including training, business development and marketing," explains Les.