Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management Speeds Up Project Delivery For Forest Research Institute Malaysia

Situation
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is recognized as one of the leading institutions in tropical forestry research, both within Malaysia and in the region. FRIM promotes sustainable management and optimal use of forest resources by generating knowledge and technology through research, development and application.

The institute was founded in 1929 and is a statutory body governed under Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. FRIM is located at a 600ha site northwest of Kuala Lumpur, and is surrounded by the Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve. FRIM also manages six field research stations in various parts of the country.

Among the services provided by FRIM are an arboreta which serves as reference for forestry education, a herbarium with over 200,000 specimens and training courses from landscaping to wood identification.

As a leader in tropical forestry research and development, the institute has about 190 researchers involved in various projects. FRIM has a number of flagship and priority projects which set the focus of research and development efforts. These projects are handled by many different researchers over a long period of time.

Due to its complex organization, the number of researchers needed and the relatively lengthy duration for projects, it became a monumental task just to keep track of the projects.

The problem was compounded as FRIM did not have a specific IT system to monitor its internal development projects. This lack of control on project monitoring meant that FRIM did not have in-depth visibility into its numerous projects. Project information was only maintained at the researcher level and was not readily available to the management.

“For 2005, FRIM has about 120 targets for our projects covering R&D, communications, IT, technology transfer and development. Without an effective monitoring system, it becomes very difficult for management to evaluate progress in achieving these targets,” says Dr Abdul Rashid Ab. Malik, FRIM’s Senior Director, Business Development Division.

Any failure to achieve project targets will have repercussions as it will also mean that the institute will not be able to complete projects commissioned by clients, and this will adversely affect FRIM’s reputation.

The previous monitoring system was essentially a manual one where project leaders would typically make presentations and provide hard copy progress reports to the senior management (the directorate) during quarterly meetings.

“Each project leader would have to brief the meeting on the progress of their individual projects. This was very laborious as sometimes a project may have as many as 10 targets.,” says Rashid.

“It was a big headache for the senior management. We did not have a system where the management could monitor the progress of projects online,” he adds. There was also no central repository to store the information on the projects and any outcome of the planning. This meant that the management had to wade through a mountain of paperwork to get the necessary information on the projects.

Rashid also says that if the management wanted the latest information, they needed to call the project leaders for an update or wait for them to compile the necessary reports.

Solution
FRIM realized it needed a more efficient and effective project management solution. It evaluated several offerings and finally chose to deploy Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution as it was the ideal fit for FRIM.

FRIM engaged Microsoft partner ITX Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd to implement the solution, configure the system and provide training for the users. The EPM solution has been in use since July 2005.

The EPM solution suite deployed by FRIM consists of Microsoft Project Professional 2003, Microsoft Project Server 2003, Microsoft Project Server Web Access and Windows Sharepoint Services (WSS), running on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server 2000.

According to Rashid, the EPM solution provides a central repository to store all project- related information. “The web-based solution enables all flagship projects to be published to the system for central monitoring, tracking and reporting,” he adds.

“Authorized researchers and management staff can now update the status of their projects through a central location as well as get information on project status as required. The system empowers the users by easily providing greater visibility into the projects.”

The EPM solution has transformed the FRIM’s project monitoring process as the management now has online access to all its development projects, enabling more effective tracking of the projects and greater collaboration between project teams. “With the new solution, we just need to access the system and we can get an immediate overview of all the projects,” explains Rashid.

The EPM solution allows FRIM to set security and performance indicators. For example, traffic light indicators are used to show if a project is on schedule or delayed.

“Red means that a project is behind schedule while green means it is on schedule. If the indicator is red, the managers can drill down and see what is causing the delay and take the necessary remedial action.”

Benefits

Greater Visibility into Projects
The EPM solution has enabled FRIM to enhance the tracking and monitoring of its large portfolio of projects. By providing the senior managers with greater visibility into the institute’s projects, FRIM is able to improve the decision-making process pertaining to the management of its projects.

Where previously, the management were heavily dependent on the periodic flow of hard copy reports from project managers or quarterly briefings, it now has online access to the latest information on individual projects.

“We can log on to the project website anytime to get an overview of the projects, and to drill down if we need more detailed information. We don’t need to call up the project leaders for such information,” says Rashid.

The new solution also acts as an early warning system by highlighting delays in any of the projects, allowing swift remedial measures to be taken. “The system provides us with very timely information and enables us to make faster and better decisions,” he adds.

Speeds Up Project Delivery
With the EPM solution in place, FRIM is confident it will help to speed up project delivery. “The system allows us to deal with issues and problems more speedily, and will ultimately enable us to achieve our project targets faster,” explains Rashid.

Previously, when issues arise meetings had to be called to discuss and resolve it. “We used to spend a lot of time poring through project reports and having meetings,” he adds. Now, the EPM solution allows for issues to be generated via the system, allowing management and team members to discuss it online.

“Issues are deliberated and resolved via the system. We have managed to cut down the number of meetings and this saves us a lot of time,” says Rashid.

Enhances Accountability of Project Members
The solution’s ability to highlight delays or impediments to projects has contributed to a greater sense of accountability among project team members. With the system, the management can easily identify projects which have not updated their progress status or are falling behind in achieving the targets set.

“The project teams know that we will query them and they will have to account for it,” says Rashid. He also points out that the system helps to account for the time spent by project members.

“For example, if someone is assigned to complete a task in 5 days but takes longer than that, the system will capture the information. This enables us to see how project team members are utilizing their time,” says Rashid.

Improves Collaboration
Another benefit of the EPM solution is that it improves collaboration both within projects as well as between project teams, Rashid comments.

The improved visibility into FRIM’s projects means that program heads and project leaders can see what is happening in other projects, and avoid any overlapping in their tasks or activities.

Rashid also says it will help the different programs to look at ways to integrate their research activities. “We believe the solution will improve collaboration between programs.”

“For example, a team conducting research into upstream activities will have a clearer picture on the possibility of integrating their research with the downstream activities of another program,” says Rashid.