Westinghouse Rail Systems (Invensys PLC) – System Migration
Project evaluation and subsequent recovery strategy for a major plc, management of training provision and reporting at executive level.
Background
A leading provider of rail signalling systems Westinghouse is world-renowned for state of the art technology and first class project management. With an aging manufacturing computer system in need of expensive upgrade or replacement, a decision was taken to install Matrix 1’s process management system which is used by some of the world’s leading companies.
The system migration affected around 600 production staff and engineers, and being safety-critical of the highest order, unusually required almost 100% accuracy of data transfer to achieve compliance.
As with so many computer projects, time and budgets were slipping, and when ProjectWon was asked to assess the project in February 2004, there were only 4 months in which to either deliver, or expensively abort the entire transfer.
Delivery
We conducted a series interviews with key staff throughout the departments concerned and were able to quickly identify areas for attention. Our remit to report on the project’s viability in 2 weeks was completed on the second day. Within our initial 2-week engagement we were able to outline the detailed strategies required to get back on track in order to meet the rigid deadline.
We approached the project from a personal level, using the experience and knowledge of those at the sharp end to assess what was really required to make this work. Gaining the trust of end-users quickly helped us to establish a network of experts in each department to act as a focal point for liaison. This 2-way flow of information ensured that our project team understood the user’s needs, while the users became enthused by the project through their direct involvement and contribution.
Results
We worked on-site with the project team and a team of business analysts directly managing the training provision to 600 key staff. Our services were retained until the June deadline when the project was successfully concluded.