Challenge
While managing a growing project portfolio, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority was forced to rely on multiple sources of data including two Excel spreadsheets and Oracle Primavera software to obtain a full view of the organization’s resources, allocations, and time reporting. However, manual Excel spreadsheets were difficult to manage and left ample room for error. Additionally, this day-to-day data was saved on SharePoint and could only be updated by one user at a time. With expanding tracking needs and no access to risk-free resource management forecasting beyond the next 4 – 8 weeks, the company sought solutions to streamline their data entry process and significantly extend their planning window.
Solution
Tempus Resource’s software allowed the Columbus Regional Airport Authority to conduct all their resource management tasks within one tool that could be accessed from anywhere. The organization utilized the simple user interface to manage timesheets, capital projects, operating projects, day-to-day operations support, and portfolio planning. What began as a resource planning tool for their Technology Services team soon became useful to their Planning and Engineering teams, which gave the Enterprise Portfolio Planning Office a view of the entire organization’s resource needs. Tempus Resource’s ‘What-If’ analysis provided the organization the ability to test potential scenarios using their real data without excessive manual intervention, a virtually impossible feat to conduct within the previous Excel format. Thanks to these innovative planning tools, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority was able to forecast their resource needs a year in advance and are currently working to expand that range to a 5-year planning window. Although the organization executed a complete overhaul of their resource management process, they were able to train staff and implement Tempus Resource’s services within just 30 days. The smooth transition to the new platform ensured cleaner, more efficient reporting and empowered leadership to make more informed decisions regarding the company’s successful future.
