Streamlining the rituals around the project portfolio
Published by
Clément Royer
in CIO – ICT Manager at Chiesi France
On 22.6.25
Chiesi France
Sector
Healthcare & Pharma
Number of employees
6500
Favourite feature
The project weather
We went from “nothing” to a consolidated roadmap, up to date in real time and alive. The basis of everything you dream of as a CIO. The thing runs itself, “hands off”!
Clément Royer — Chief Information Officer - ICT MANAGER, Chiesi France -AirSaas user-Before / After AirSaas
A Smartsheet of projects that wasn't kept up to date, with initiatives that had no budget
A portfolio review meeting that always overran
A static view of the projects in PowerPoint format
Information silos within the tech IT (infra) and IS (functional) teams
A consolidated roadmap, up to date in real time and alive
Better focus during the portfolio review on the delta between projects, thanks to using the weather
No more PowerPoint, and a tool that fits for talking to leadership about the projects
Better anticipation of internal needs — “less rework”
The context: key figures, company, etc.
CHIESI is an Italian family-owned biopharmaceutical group. With 85 years behind it, it brings together nearly 6,500 employees worldwide. Chiesi generated revenue of close to €175m in 2022. Beyond its “B-Corp” certification, since April 2021 CHIESI France has been the first pharmaceutical laboratory to become a "Société à Mission" (purpose-driven company).
Its head office is based in Bois-Colombes (92) and the French factory in La Chaussée-Saint-Victor near Blois (41). The French subsidiary brings together more than 350 employees (230 people at head office and in the field / 26 people in R&D / 103 people at the factory).
The challenge: streamlining the rituals around the project portfolio
«I had initiatives, but no budget. Those topics were mainly tied to infra. We were really down to how to finish the year! I told myself: not twice!»
For managing the project and initiative portfolio, when he arrived Clément found a Smartsheet with projects that weren't kept up to date and for which he didn't necessarily have a matching budget.
So he went back to basics with the team: they put every initiative on Post-its. Then onto a project plan, and finally they added a budget.
For the projects' life, there was a PowerPoint file updated once a week. Turned into a ritual with the whole team.
One of the collective challenges then became getting equipped so the meeting wouldn't overrun its planned slot. The presentation tool encouraged going (back) through every slide at each review.
The solution: the weather to see the delta in projects' lives with AirSaas
«We simplified again and set rules for our project-review rituals, proposing to look only at what had actually changed — that's the project weather, really!»
Rolled out only three months ago for Clément, this use of AirSaas is already shared by the whole team:
“It's today the only indicator I ask the teams to fill in. It's the must — it has to be up to date.»
Clément put a 15-minute reminder in their calendars on Monday mornings.
«I told them we had no right to fail on this one, and that it had to work.»
They now devote 1 hour a week to the project review, all together. Everyone gets four minutes flat, presenting the delta only. As soon as a topic goes over 3-4 minutes… separate meeting… time out, we “park” it.
He points out that, on top of that first simplification, they were also able to drop the monthly project-review day, which had the same overrun symptoms. He admits they took the opportunity to “be done with PowerPoint”.^^
«We went from “nothing” to a consolidated roadmap, up to date in real time and alive. The basis of everything you dream of as a CIO. The thing runs itself, «hands off»! Meaning: I can take any topic at any moment T, show AirSaas to anyone in the company, and it's up to date. At worst it hasn't been updated for two weeks. But the projects are there, the statuses are there, the attention points, the weather. In the end it's my tool for talking to my boss about the projects.»
Creating spaces for communication to break silos within IT itself
Clément points out that even within one team, things can stay a little "siloed".
«When everyone's head is down, you don't take the time to communicate. AirSaas helps us align and communicate».
For them that review is an effective moment where you sit down and present “what happened last week / what's going to happen this week?”
For our CIO, having a one-hour exchange every week with that support makes it possible to anticipate needs better.
Beyond the tech team, he now shares his use of AirSaas with the CFO and the global CIO of the Chiesi group. For now: « With the other departments it's sporadic; it's coming gently».
The next step will be steering with decisions and milestones and co-steering with the business.
The aim is to engage the business with the projects. Show the activity first, then become an actor in the project.
«AirSaas is a tool for doing project governance without PowerPoint. I use it to talk to my boss about the projects!»
Bonus section:
Your favourite feature? The table view
Table view
What I really love is the table view that has just arrived. For me it's the summary of what AirSaas is — the essence, the “nectar of the tool”.
“That table is the best thing for the project review. You can see the data for every project in the portfolio in a macro view, with as many elements as possible, and organise it easily.”
How would you introduce AirSaas to a CIO who doesn't know it?
In one “pitch” sentence, for Clément “it's a tool for doing project governance without PowerPoint.” I explain that it's a template and it's up to date all the time. There's no “rework”, in fact.
A feature you'd be interested in, in future?
«I “attacked” AirSaas in Power BI for my budget management, notably Capex and remaining commitments. What I'm missing is custom fields, to be able to bridge with SAP and the group's budget tools.»
Quick bio - Clément Royer
A graduate of ESIEA and former IT Director of the SERB pharmaceutical group, Clément has for nearly two years been CIO - ICT MANAGER of the Chiesi group's French subsidiary. With his management's agreement, he also does occasional work as an independent consultant.
That particularity lets him open up to new approaches and tools. It's actually how he discovered AirSaas and was able to bring it to his company.
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