You can watch the replay of Bodo Ferber’s full presentation, “Using Tempus for Transparency in Projects,” below:

Bodo Ferber of Siemens Healthineers presented at the Tempus Resource 2020 European Virtual Conference on October 8, 2020

Based in Marburg, Germany, Bobo Ferber is a Project Lead in Multi-project Management at Siemens Healthineers. With over 500 projects, 2,000 R&D resources, and data spread across 1,000 different Excel files, Siemens was rated at an RMO maturity level of 1 in 2016. In his presentation at the Tempus Resource 2020 European Virtual Conference, Ferber described the journey Siemens took toward resource management maturity, using Tempus Resource as their single source of truth, data, reporting, and What-If planning.

Aligning the portfolio to business goals

With Tempus, Siemens’ project planning process begins with resource modeling. Part of their RM maturity has revolved around not adding any new projects without fully understanding the project scope, required resources, capacity, skills, and start dates. When you know all of these factors, you can have “proper prioritization,” Ferber explains, and ensure the organization can execute “without impacting other projects or initiatives.”

Along their “Innovation Path,” one new project planning checkpoint is the “Quick Kill.” Being more selective and careful with which projects to initiate means Siemens’ portfolio is better aligned with their business goals. Finally, a potential project gets loaded into the Tempus What-If planning tool, providing an overview of how a generic new project would fit into the portfolio. It’s here that Ferber is able to spot potential bottlenecks, which he sees as the most problematic issue that delay or derail projects.

Optimizing the planning cycle

In terms of process, Siemens now uses a Quarterly Planning Cycle, in which they look at projects for the upcoming quarter, along with a look at the next six months, the next year, and then a snapshot of the next three years. While Ferber knows that the further out you plan, the lower your accuracy, Siemens sticks with this planning cycle for a few reasons. With over 350 people in development, the organization knows it is impossible to account for everyone without a robust tool like Tempus, and without careful proactive planning. Also, planning ahead ensures looks into resource overload and conflicts.

Next in the cycle are demand planning, resource approval, conflict resolution, scenario modeling, and forecasting. Again, the project goes through the What-If tool to check for resource overloads. From that point, Ferber splits the planning processes into one for projects with resource conflicts, and one for projects without such conflicts.

The future of Siemens’ resource management includes plans to use Tempus in place of their current cost planning tool; implementing a Skills Matrix; consolidating all resources and financials into Tempus for ease and visibility; and increasing automations and integrations for optimal productivity.

To learn more about how Resource Portfolio Management can help your organization grow in RMO maturity, contact ProSymmetry, makers of Tempus Resource. And be sure to check out all of our speakers from the Tempus Resource 2020 European Virtual Conference.