Capricorn Investment Holdings (CIH), a Namibian-based financial services group with interests in banking, insurance, asset management, investments and microfinance, is improving project status reporting, resource utilisation as well as timesheet management, with the roll-out of Project Portfolio Office (PPO), an online project portfolio management (PPM) and collaboration application.

CIH’s flagship brand is Bank Windhoek, which was founded in 1982, but the group also has a diversified business portfolio, including Botswana and Zambia, and is constantly exploring new investment opportunities throughout the Southern African region.

According to Gida Nakazibwe-Sekandi, executive director: Group Professional Services at CIH, the organisation’s decision to implement PPO was based on the ease of use of the solution.

“The system is simple to use, particularly for those staff members who do not typically operate within a project environment, and its flexible pricing model makes it a most attractive option. Furthermore, as a software as a service (SaaS) offering, PPO’s Web capability will allow our Africa-based practitioners easy access to the system.”

In addition to better project, resource and time capturing management, CIH needed to enhance its data management for client billing and invoicing. “A number of our staff members will be utilising PPO, including our professional services staff, business process management practitioners, legal team, secretarial services employees, the group marketing and communication department and our internal auditors,” Nakazibwe-Sekandi explains. “We are also currently investigating the expansion of our current reporting output of PPO.”

“From a resource and capacity management perspective, PPO allows users to identify existing resources, their skills and experience, as well as to see which resources are available when,” explains Guy Jelley, CEO at Project Portfolio Office. “Not only this, but it provides for the central storage, retention and access to project-related documents, knowledge and lessons, crucial actions for any project team.

“By using PPO, project teams and other involved stakeholders are allowed far greater visibility of the status of work, projects, programmes and portfolios. It also creates a collaborative environment for teams to work, plan and complete projects together and provides the required communication and alerts to keep all members informed,” he concludes.