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Digital Transformations: Exposing and Mitigating Program Risks

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Enterprise IT Projects Are Prone to Failure

Technology leaders are under increasing pressure to deliver large-scale transformation projects on time and within budget. But large transformational projects are prone to change orders, blown budgets, and missed timelines. In the worst cases, failed projects can cost millions and even result in high-profile lawsuits.

 

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What are some of the most common reasons projects fail to meet objectives?

High Risk Project Scope

Unrealistic business plans and project scopes lead to overruns, project delays, and ultimately poor project decisions that negatively impact business operations.

Poor Sourcing Selection

Lack of tools to properly vet solutions and suppliers result in misaligned objectives and high-risk project plans.

Unidentified Risks

Limited experience and biased risk reviews conceal key project blind spots that may not surface until it’s too late to course correct.

Overconfidence

Without extensive relevant experience and accurate market intelligence, many organizations start with unrealistic expectations and are blindsided by obstacles.

UpperEdge PEAS Business Model

We Empower Business and Technology Leaders Throughout the Project Lifecycle

No matter where you are in your project, our precise market intelligence and proven tactics for ongoing vendor management and risk mitigation ensure you stay on track and in control. We conduct in-person reviews and executive readouts supported by our data-driven analysis, insights, and fact-based recommendations. Our proven methodology is complemented with accelerators and tools for efficient and effective knowledge transfer. With our expert advisors in your corner, your team and your project are set for success.

This was some of the best money we ever spent
Rick FabrizioGlobal CIO, Trinseo LLC
As usual, you have articulated risk with clarity in a way that is easy to "action"
Xcel Energy, SVP Transmission
You guys make me look smart. You provide us with insight and information that, quite honestly, we would never catch, that we bring to the table in negotiations. It brings us to another level in terms of pricing and continuity in the negotiation process with UE's insights re: pricing, contracts and language
Olin Corporation, Director IS
Case Study

Multinational Talent Solutions Company Re-Evaluates Project Costs and Staffing to Achieve $23M in Cost Savings

UpperEdge successfully negotiated over $23 million in cost reductions for a $200 million program, delivering substantial financial savings.

Learn More

Project Formation

Without a solid foundation, projects of this weight and complexity can crumble. Relying on your consulting partner’s advice when building the project plan can lead to high-risk scopes that lead to overruns and delays.

Our unbiased reviews of your project plan highlight potential risks while our fact-based recommendations ensure your project plan is realistic and optimal for your unique situation.

We take a proven data-driven, diagnostic approach to:

  • Assess your business case and scope to ensure all project sponsors have a reliable framework for making key project decisions which reduces project scope creep and business risk.
  • Review your project plan and scope to identify key scope dependencies, risk considerations, and overall plan achievability.
  • Identify significant project estimate gaps and provide a more reasonable range of project fees.

Save Time and Money

Our proven market engaging approach matures and accelerates the project conceptualization process and affords our clients the opportunity to leverage no charge consulting which reduces project risk and saves you time and money.

Project Due-diligence Workshop

Identify and mitigate risks before they become a problem. This workshop will thoroughly review your business case, project scope, and overall project estimate to ensure your project plan is realistic and aligns with your business plan.

What We Provide

  • RFI(s)
  • Business Case Review
  • Project Plan Review
  • Project Estimate Validation Executive Readout

Our Project Formation Toolbox

  • RFI Templates
  • Project Responsibility Matrix
  • APEX Analyzer and Estimate Modeler

Sourcing to Contracting

Working behind the scenes or side-by-side, we support you throughout the entire supplier sourcing process. From RFP development to signing of the contract, our expert guidance and robust database of market intelligence ensure you obtain best-in-class arrangements with your key suppliers.

Supplier Sourcing

Our proven approach to developing an efficient sourcing strategy focuses on meeting your unique objectives

Selection

Selecting the best solution and right supplier to meet your needs can be a challenge. Use our tools and guidance to decide with confidence.

Negotiation

It’s not only about price. We negotiate highly flexible and scalable agreements that deliver long-term sustainable value.

Contracting

Our tactics ensure you close your contract on time while preserving complete integrity of your negotiated commercial constructs.

Find the Best Fit Supplier

Our experienced team is adept at developing efficient sourcing and selection plans tailored to meet your objectives. We will review and ensure alignment of your business case, project scope, project plan, and company culture.

Insight-driven timelines allow for properly vetted project solutions and providers, ultimately increasing project readiness and lowering the project risk profile. Since we do not have any commercial relationships with the suppliers you are considering, we will take an unbiased approach to supplier comparisons helping you select a supplier for the right reasons.

Achieve Maximum Supplier Value

Using detailed RFP templates, your team can easily solicit the information needed to conduct a thorough comparative analysis of competing vendors that considers risks, financial differences, and the rationale for those differences.

To confirm the appropriate content and all commitments are captured in the SOW, we’ll conduct a risk-focused review of the SOW backed by our comprehensive checklists. This ensures project accountability, so you get the most from your supplier relationship.

Negotiate with Confidence

Once you have chosen your two preferred suppliers, we will provide a detailed readout of all the negotiation levers that can be pulled. Armed with our holistic fact-based negotiation strategies, your team can capture commercial terms that are flexible, scalable, and agile which minimizes project risk.

Supplier Selection Workshop

Choosing the right supplier is just as important as choosing the right technology. This workshop will deep dive into your top suppliers with an underlying focus on alignment with your business objectives.

What We Provide

  • Sourcing, evaluation, selection, negotiation and contracting plan
  • System implementation RFP & estimate worksheet
  • Detailed proposal gap readout
  • Waterfall comparative analysis for top 3 suppliers
  • In-depth estimate and risk assessment for top 2 suppliers
  • SOW content checklist and detailed SOW review

Our Toolbox

  • RFP Template and Estimate Worksheet
  • PRIZM – Proprietary Comparative Assessment Tool
  • APEX Proprietary Estimate Analyzer and Risk Modeler
  • Supplier Intelligence Portal (SIP) Rate Analyzer
  • SOW Project Responsibility Matrix

Mobilization & Project Launch

Our team of former business and IT executives have first-hand experience leading transformation projects. With intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of these complex projects and our deep base of relevant research, our team will help you achieve your project objectives in the most effective and efficient manner.

We provide actionable guidelines for driving project success based on current best practices and our own proven methodologies

Achieve Complete Alignment

Often, one of the key catalysts for project failure is a misalignment of objectives and core team responsibilities. Our in-person workshops and executive readouts review a tailored project responsibility and accountability matrix to ensure all team members understand scope, their roles, and the level of effort required by them. This puts the entire team on the same page prior to launching.

Mobilization Workshops Onsite and In-person

Executive Leadership

Covers client-tailored content to prepare leadership, the steering committee, and the core project team for a successful project launch.

Project Team Alignment

Ensures complete alignment across all cross-functional project teams relative to scope, roles, dependencies, and expectations. The leadership team will be fully prepared to confidently make better decisions with a clear understanding of responsibilities and how to mitigate project risks.

Conducting Change Order Assessments

Reviews the project baseline and staffing estimate and we also introduce a systematic approach for evaluating and assessing change orders to eliminate improper and inflated change orders.

4 Steps to Gain (& Keep) Control of Business Transformation Programs

Too often, business transformation projects spin out of control due to their complexity and size. Learn our proven, 4-step process for locking in control.
Download White Paper
3D Cover 4 Step to Gain Keep Control of Business Transformation Programs

Project In-Flight

Whether you are about to kick off a large transformational project or are in the midst of one, we have the tools and know-how to optimize your results.

Our on-call ad hoc project leadership team will support critical project decisions and gate reviews so all project sponsors have relevant information and unbiased insights to inform better decision making.

Narrow the Project Value Gap

Unexpected hurdles that increase costs and erode project value are bound to happen over the course of any project. Scope changes, project delays, and estimate variances increase costs while business disruptions can lessen the value you receive from the project and hurt your bottom line. We narrow the value gap by mitigating risks related to your budget, schedule, and operations.

Optimize the SOW

A precise and quantitative SOW that clearly defines project expectations is fundamental to project success. The SOW is your key to holding the system implementation provider accountable and maximizing supplier value delivery.

Our expert advisors will perform an exhaustive review and risk assessment of the SOW to ensure critical alignment across all responsibilities, scope, level of effort, and key assumptions. By implementing best practices and our experience-driven insights, the optimized and highly-specific SOW will reduce change order activity, ultimately minimizing costs and delays.

Harness Value with Limited Participation and Time

A well-informed team makes better decisions and is more likely to achieve project objectives. Our light touch delivery model provides tremendous value without requiring significant time from your team members. We conduct in-person reviews and executive readouts supported by our data-driven analysis, insights, and recommendations.

What We Provide

  • Sourcing, evaluation, selection, negotiation and contracting plan
  • System implementation RFP & estimate worksheet
  • Detailed proposal gap readout
  • Waterfall comparative analysis for top 3 suppliers
  • In-depth estimate and risk assessment for top 2 suppliers
  • SOW content checklist and detailed SOW review

Our Toolbox

  • RFP Template and Estimate Worksheet
  • PRIZM – Proprietary Comparative Assessment Tool
  • APEX Proprietary Estimate Analyzer and Risk Modeler
  • Supplier Intelligence Portal (SIP) Rate Analyzer
  • SOW Project Responsibility Matrix
Learn More
Venn Diagram Project Execution Advisory Services

Differentiating Tools

APEX

Leveraging proprietary data and algorithms, the APEX analyzer enables us to benchmark project estimates, recommend contingencies, and provide a risk-adjusted view of supplier proposals.

Program Risk Analyzer

With this tool, we identify your program specific risks, quantify the associated financial impact and present mitigation recommendations that are truly unique in the marketplace.

PRIZM

This powerful tool compares project staffing models across competing proposals on multiple dimensions and generates detailed data and analysis to empower client decisions.

Data Warehouse

Our deep data warehouse enables us to compare vendor-to-vendor proposals or net changes to a single vendor proposal by comparing staffing models, resource roles, and rates to similarly situated and sized projects.

Project Executions Insights from our expert advisors

Resource Center

Hyperscalers

Webinar

Keys to a Successful Systems Integrator Relationship

White Paper

4 Steps to Gain (& Keep) Control of Business Transformation Programs

Blog

3 Ways to Help Secure the Course of a New Transformation Program

Blog

Strategies for Holding Your ERP System Integrators Accountable

Blog

4 Reasons to Ask Your SI for Updated Staffing Models

Want a Project Execution Advisory Expert on Your Side?

 We’re here to help. Tell us about your project and we will follow up with you shortly.

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UpperEdge helps companies develop and execute fact-based sourcing, negotiation, and project execution strategies to maximize key IT supplier value.

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