Streamline the rituals around the project portfolio

Before/After AirSaaS

The context: key figures, company etc.

CHIESI is an Italian family biopharmaceutical group. With 85 years of existence, it brings together nearly 6,500 employees in the world. Chiesi achieved a turnover of nearly €175 million in 2022. In addition to the “B-Corp” certification, since April 2021, CHIESI France has been the first pharmaceutical laboratory “Company with a Mission”.

Its head office is based in Bois-Colombes (92) and the French factory is based in La Chaussée-Saint-Victor near Blois (41). The France subsidiary includes more than 350 employees (230 people at headquarters and in the field/26 people in R&D/103 people at the Factory).

The Challenge: rationalize the rituals around the project portfolio

For the management of portfolio, projects and initiatives, upon arrival Clément discovered a smartsheet with projects that were not up to date and on which he did not necessarily have a budget in mind.

It is then went back to base with the team, they put all the initiatives on post-its. Then on a project schedule and finally, they added a budget.

On the life of projects, there was a PowerPoint file updated once a week. Ritualized with the whole team.

One of Challenges Collectives was then of Get the tools you need to avoid an overflowing meeting of the expected timing. In fact, the presentation tool encouraged you to (re) go through all the slides at each review.

The solution: The weather forecast to see the delta on the life of projects with AirSaaS

Implemented For only three months for Clément, this use of AirSaaS is already common to the whole team:

”Today it is the only indicator that I ask the teams to fill in. It's a must, it needs to be up to date.”

Clement posed for them in their Diaries a reminder of a quarter of an hour on Monday morning.

“I told them that we had no right to fail on this subject and that it had to work.”

They devote to Project review now 1 hour per week all together. Each has four minutes with the delta to present only. As soon as it exceeds 3/4 minutes on a subject... separate meeting... time out we “park”.

He points out that in addition to this first simplification, they were also able to delete the monthly project review day who had the same symptoms of overflow. He confides that they took advantage of it for”Put an end to power points.”^^

Create communication spaces to “de-silot” within the IT department itself

Clément points out that even if we are on the same team, sometimes it can remain a bit “silly”.

” When everyone has their nose in the handlebars, you don't take the time to communicate. AirSaaS helps us align and communicate”.

For them, this review is an effective time where we ask ourselves by presenting “what happened last week/ what will happen in the week?” ”

For our CIO, having an hour-long exchange with this support every week makes it possible to better anticipate needs.

In addition to the tech team, today he shares his use of the AirSaaS solution with the CFO and the global CIO of the Chiesi group. For now: ” With other directions it's sporadic, it comes slowly.”.

La next step will be to pilot with decisions and milestones and to co-pilot with the trades.

The aim is to engage the professions with the projects. Show the activity at first and then be an actor in the project.

Bonus section:

What's your favorite feature? The table view

What I really like is The table view who has just arrived. For me, this is the summary of what AirSaaS is, the essence, the”tool nectar”.

Introduce AirSaaS to a CIO who doesn't know it?

In one sentence, “pitch”, for Clément “it's a tool for project governance without a power point.” I explain that it is a template and up to date all the time. There is no “rework” in fact.

A feature that would interest me in the future?

“I “attacked” AirSaaS in power BI for my budget management, especially Capex and the rest to be hired. What I lack are custom fields to be able to bridge the gap with SAP tools and the group's budgetary tools.”

Bio Express box - Clément Royer

A graduate of ESIEA, former IT Director of the pharmaceutical group SERB, Clément has been the CIO - ICT MANAGER of the French subsidiary of the Chiesi group for nearly two years. In agreement with his management, he occasionally works as an independent consultant.

This uniqueness allows it to be open to new approaches and tools. It is also thanks to this that he discovered AirSaaS and was able to share it with his company.

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