Accelerated portfolio management through Smartsheet

Intro

A global industrial company in the cable and fibre optics sector needed to modernise its portfolio management within its Transformation Office function. Their previous solution was costly, difficult to customise and had limited user acceptance. The organisation chose to implement Smartsheet as the new platform for managing over 1,000 initiatives and more than 300 users worldwide.

Despite its scale, the new solution was delivered and deployed in just two months. The result was a scalable and user-friendly platform with better visibility, reduced operational costs and a smoother experience for all stakeholders - from initiative owners to management teams.

Background

The organisation is driving a comprehensive transformation effort supported by a central Transformation Office. The function is responsible for coordinating, steering and monitoring strategic initiatives across multiple business areas and geographies. To ensure data quality, transparency and governance, a modern and sustainable portfolio management solution was needed.

Challenge

The Transformation Office managed 1,000+ initiatives and 300+ users, with varying roles and functionality requirements. The existing solution had several clear problem areas:

1. time-pressured migration
There was an urgent need to replace the previous platform, and the timeframe for implementing a new solution was only two months.

2. High standards of user experience
The new solution needed:

• offer equal or better user-friendliness than the existing system
• support different stakeholder groups, from management to initiative owners
• simplify reporting and monitoring

3. reduce operating and licence costs
The organisation needed to downsize:

• licence costs
• internal support needs
• manual labour through automation

4. support for global scaling
The solution must be clear:

• large data volumes
• complex workflows
• role-based access
• unified governance across multiple work streams

Solution

Together with Rededge, a Smartsheet-based portfolio management platform was developed, designed for the Transformation Office and customised for global user groups.

Main components of the solution

1. End-to-end portfolio management solution
Smartsheet was used to create:

• standardised initiative intake
• automated authorisation processes
• workstream-specific tracking templates
• overall dashboards and visual KPI overviews, including S-curve charts and Iceberg charts
• automatic notifications and reminders

2. Structured migration process
The work included:

• mapping of existing data models
• migration of thousands of records
• simplification and optimisation of previous workflows
• prototyping and validation with key users

3. focus on user-centred design
Iterative workshops ensured that:

• the process became intuitive
• the amount of work reduced for end-users
• reporting became faster and more accessible

4. Scalable and controlled ecosystem
With Smartsheet, the organisation was able to achieve:

• managed and automated project generation
• consistent structure across the portfolio
• robust access management for a global user base

Result

Launch in two months
The project was delivered fully on schedule, despite extensive functional and organisational requirements.

Significant reduction in operating costs
Through efficient licence management and automation, the cost level was significantly reduced.

Improving transparency and governance
The organisation was provided with a single, real-time overview of over 1 000 initiatives and their status.

Increased user acceptance
Workstream leaders, managers and initiative owners experienced:

• easier follow-up
• less administration
• more relevant data for decision-making

Strengthening portfolio management
Standardisation and automation led to better data quality and more consistent reporting.