Program Problem-Solving
We’re experts at running programs with special demands. We turn around troubled programs, design solutions for specialized needs and offer unique problem-solving tools.
We specialize in managing large programs from kickoff to closeout. At every step, we know what it takes to produce superior business results.
And because we understand every step, we’re also proficient at turning around existing programs with problems. From troubleshooting programs that struggle to stay on schedule to overcoming chronic problems with an entire portfolio, we can help.
Artizen can prescribe and create a custom solution tailored to your company’s unique concerns. Then again, many program management problems are common from one company to the next. That’s why we also offer our powerful standardized problem-solving tools.
Problem Solving Tools
Program Health Assessment
When you have a program that’s struggling, we have the answer.
Using our proven Program Health Assessment solution, an experienced Artizen program manager will quickly diagnose problems and make recommendations to get everything back on track. A Program Health Assessment can be completed in a matter of weeks and yields immediate, actionable recommendations.
We start by investigating how your project is being run—not the theory or the published methodology, but the reality of its planning and management. We dig deep into the project plan, project charter, the detailed requirements, design documents and other working papers. Then we interview the project team members and affected business stakeholders. We work through the symptoms and determine the root causes.
We’ve learned that, in most cases, those causes were built in from the beginning. Mistakes in the project charter, stakeholder management, team structure, team skill sets, vendor selection, and a myriad of other foundational elements begin to cause problems early and continue to get worse. Our Program Health Assessment finds those crucial foundational problems. Once we identify the root causes for trouble, we give the same thorough examination to the rest of the program—its execution and oversight.
Our tested and proven Program Health Assessment methodology includes an exhaustive 300+ quality checks, grouped into these general areas:
Sponsorship
Scope Management
Project organization and communication
Budget management
Estimating, plans, and status
Estimating, plans, and status
Procurement and contracts
Resources
Issue and risk management
Key deliverables assessment
Change management (adoption)
QA and UAT
Go live readiness
After our comprehensive review, we present our findings and make specific, actionable recommendations. Finally, we use all these results to design a program that can put your organization, your managers and your program back on track for success.
Using our proven Program Health Assessment solution, an experienced Artizen program manager will quickly diagnose problems and make recommendations to get everything back on track. A Program Health Assessment can be completed in a matter of weeks and yields immediate, actionable recommendations.
We start by investigating how your project is being run—not the theory or the published methodology, but the reality of its planning and management. We dig deep into the project plan, project charter, the detailed requirements, design documents and other working papers. Then we interview the project team members and affected business stakeholders. We work through the symptoms and determine the root causes.
We’ve learned that, in most cases, those causes were built in from the beginning. Mistakes in the project charter, stakeholder management, team structure, team skill sets, vendor selection, and a myriad of other foundational elements begin to cause problems early and continue to get worse. Our Program Health Assessment finds those crucial foundational problems. Once we identify the root causes for trouble, we give the same thorough examination to the rest of the program—its execution and oversight.
Our tested and proven Program Health Assessment methodology includes an exhaustive 300+ quality checks, grouped into these general areas:
After our comprehensive review, we present our findings and make specific, actionable recommendations. Finally, we use all these results to design a program that can put your organization, your managers and your program back on track for success.
Program Management Review
Artizen can help you assess and improve your company’s ability to manage programs and projects. We help you set up Management Review programs that are self-sustaining and client-managed.
The Review starts with a Project Management Skills Assessment tailored to your organization. Your assessment includes broad-based testing of all your program managers and in-depth interviews with a representative group.
These interviews also employ our proven Program Health Assessment to produce detailed information about selected programs in process. By reviewing multiple programs we are able to identify patterns across your organization that show where program management improvement is needed.
From this wealth of findings, we make clear recommendations for improving your organization’s program management abilities. Typical recommendations include:
Project management training
Implementation of formalized phase gate processes including project reviews where conformance to best practices can be measured
Implementation of a project management peer review program
Establishment of project management communities and centers of excellence where project managers can go for help and advice
Access to document libraries containing templates and samples of project deliverables
Management gains far better control, too. We create dashboards that measure and clearly display indispensable performance metrics, including on-time and on-budget delivery, product defects, value realization and much more.
All of which means you can see your program managers and your entire organization improving right before your eyes.
The Review starts with a Project Management Skills Assessment tailored to your organization. Your assessment includes broad-based testing of all your program managers and in-depth interviews with a representative group.
These interviews also employ our proven Program Health Assessment to produce detailed information about selected programs in process. By reviewing multiple programs we are able to identify patterns across your organization that show where program management improvement is needed.
From this wealth of findings, we make clear recommendations for improving your organization’s program management abilities. Typical recommendations include:
Management gains far better control, too. We create dashboards that measure and clearly display indispensable performance metrics, including on-time and on-budget delivery, product defects, value realization and much more.
All of which means you can see your program managers and your entire organization improving right before your eyes.
Merger Integration
Artizen’s Merger Integration practice brings you expert program managers who can lead all phases of company acquisition and integration.
We have years of experience in Fortune 500 companies, successfully leading merger integration programs that are especially complex.
We’ve also helped Fortune 100 companies that continuously acquire and integrate. In these environments we help create a highly repeatable process that drives down cost and increases value realization.
We can bring thought leadership to large “one off” integrations and divestitures that demand specialized solutions for handling highly complex new business models and global operations.
We can deploy our own proven methodology or easily adapt to yours.
In short, whether you’re a Fortune 100 or a Fortune 10,000 company, we can make your acquisition and merger programs perform better and produce better results.
We have years of experience in Fortune 500 companies, successfully leading merger integration programs that are especially complex.
We’ve also helped Fortune 100 companies that continuously acquire and integrate. In these environments we help create a highly repeatable process that drives down cost and increases value realization.
We can bring thought leadership to large “one off” integrations and divestitures that demand specialized solutions for handling highly complex new business models and global operations.
We can deploy our own proven methodology or easily adapt to yours.
In short, whether you’re a Fortune 100 or a Fortune 10,000 company, we can make your acquisition and merger programs perform better and produce better results.
RFP Management
We bring our better approach to every program we manage. That’s how we deliver the business results you signed up for.
Artizen supplies you with experienced program managers who understand what it takes to successfully run RFIs and RFPs of any size. Our engagements typically include selection of:
In particular, we understand that managing a large-scale purchase is a full-time effort, yet too often such programs go overlooked and under-staffed. When that happens, the inevitable result is long delays in critical programs or, worse still, hasty decision-making and inadequate diligence.
That’s why get things right from the start. We use our proven methodology to assure repeatable steps for:
Finally, reliable, predictable procurement is critical. It only happens when a program provides a single point of contact who possesses business domain expertise and the project management skills to run the business side of things. Artizen does exactly that. We work hand-in-hand with the procurement team and we rally the right resources at the right time, so your effort moves from initiation through complete vendor selection in the shortest possible time.