Alice Chambers |
Denmark-based skylight window manufacturer Velux has implemented a project and portfolio management (PPM) solution using Microsoft Project and Microsoft Power Platform. The web-based system enables hybrid teams to work effectively together, with optimal usability and greater scalability.
The solution, now being used by 2,000 employees, has been rolled out to all Velux product development teams, including project managers, developers, technical project managers, product managers, supply project managers and portfolio managers. In doing so, the firm has enabled a higher degree of collaboration within and among product development projects.
“It’s not just a project manager who can update the project core data; it’s all project participants, who can now actually work in that hybrid environment together as a team,” said Anders Fogh, head of process and operations in product development at Velux, in a recent Microsoft customer story.
Velux first developed the PPM tool with the help of Microsoft partner Fellowmind in August 2021 to unify its data and provide an easy-to-use interface for hybrid working. By December 2021, Velux had trained more than 200 employees and migrated approximately 1,000 projects.
“As we revisited our operating model, we quickly realised that we needed a single source of truth,” said Fogh. “A solution that could unify our projects and not only give us project management efficiency, but portfolio management capabilities as well. Having a standardised way of working with a cloud solution like the PPM platform we built with Microsoft Project for the web speaks to the new ways of working.”
Microsoft Project unifies Velux’s data via cloud-based technology (Credit: Microsoft)
The new PPM solution has enabled projects to run more cohesively and Velux’s satisfaction score has more than doubled.
“It has been a privilege to help Velux support their sustainability strategy and develop a PPM tool across the entire organisation – growing from legacy solutions and methods to modern and efficient ways of working by focusing on clear goals and performing decisive prioritisations,” said Peter Kjær, senior PPM consultant at Fellowmind.
Velux will continue to onboard employees through 2023 onto the new system (Credit: Microsoft)
“With Project and features from Power Platform, like seamless Microsoft Power BI integrations, we finally have our entire portfolio on a single system,” said Martin Sørensen, senior solution architect for product development at Velux. “This was possible because Project has the flexibility to handle a lot of different types of projects and methodologies.”