Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), is tasked with decommissioning first-generation nuclear and research sites across the UK. The IT PMO, established in 2020 within NRS, aimed to enhance IT and digital methods. In 2022, Louise Allcock joined as IT PMO Manager and initiated an upgrade to Microsoft Planner Premium to bolster the PMO’s maturity and project portfolio management (PPM) capabilities. Wellingtone, identified as the best Microsoft Partner, commenced the upgrade in March 2023.

Overview

Customer

Nuclear Restoration Services

What did we do?

Conducted a PMO Maturity Assessment then implemented Microsoft Planner Premium with Wellingtone Accelerator+.

Upgrade Highlights

• Establishing a baseline of ‘what good looks like’ to kick start the roadmap to PMO maturity.
• The deployment of Accelerator+ will provide a gold-standard reporting framework.
• Configuration, rollout, and training in a highly secure IT environment.
• A flexible approach to ongoing service and support.

Louise explains: “When I joined the IT PMO, a major transition was already in flight. Of course, we comply with NRS’s overall governance and working methods. But, within IT, we needed to build our maturity to support two portfolios. Our IT portfolio takes a Waterfall approach to decommissioning technical debt and building a future-fit IT infrastructure. Our M365 portfolio adopts a more agile approach, spinning out improved digital capabilities to support the efficiency and effectiveness of the wider organization. We had already made strides in that direction. We produced a PMO service catalogue, established IT governance and processes compatible with overarching organizational standards, and introduced important IT PMO functions–scheduling, risk, document management, etc. However, there was still a heavy element of the manual process via Excel spreadsheets and SharePoint lists. Even before I joined, Planner Premium was on the table. We were attracted by its capacity to integrate with our 365 tenant and its potential to quickly generate efficiency, standardization, and a single source of data visibility.

“Initially, the PMO managed the implementation internally. Our fantastic in-house developers configured the first iteration. It was a successful rollout. User adoption was good, and we eliminated many legacy spreadsheets. However, we lacked an integrated picture of how Planner Premium’s full capabilities could support our projects and portfolios more sophisticatedly. We were keen to understand what good looks like. That drove the decision to contract a Microsoft Partner who could bring those additional layers of value to the system from a specialist PPM perspective.

“Wellingtone have the right combination of technical expertise and PPM knowledge. They know what good looks like and how to keep you focused on reaching that point. They strike a great balance between being professional and flexible. Most importantly, they have equipped us to make significant strides in our PMO maturity.”

Following a PMO maturity assessment by Wellingtone, Louise recalls, “During initial discussions, Wellingtone were not pushy. They didn’t try to sell up. They were genuinely interested in what we needed and how they could help.”

The Wellingtone team performed a PMO maturity assessment to benchmark current capabilities and inform the work moving forwards. Louise adds: “We had conducted a similar assessment internally, and it was reassuring that our findings matched Wellingtone’s. It provided a useful baseline to understand how to use Planner Premium to springboard our capabilities and improve our maturity.”

The Wellingtone Accelerator+, which extends Planner Premium’s out-of-the-box capabilities in a secure and scalable way, integrated workflows for Waterfall and Agile portfolios and introduced gold-standard reporting templates. Louise adds, “Wellingtone ensured that we focused on the main priorities. We were excited by the scope and depth of what Planner Premium can do. Still, they encouraged us to keep our eye on the primary objectives, knowing that we could further develop the functionality moving forward once we had established a best practice baseline.”

The secure configuration and detailed training by Wellingtone ensured smooth adoption. With enhanced resourcing functions, NRS anticipates better demand management. Louise explains: “The training, in particular, was a great experience. It was detailed and left us feeling comfortable. User adoption has been very encouraging. The central repository of real-time data saves our project managers significant time as they no longer have to update siloed spreadsheets manually. For the PMO, we can now generate relevant, visually impactful reports at the touch of a button. Having visibility across requests, gateways, risks, issues, assumptions, and lessons learned is powerful in establishing a baseline to help us manage our portfolios. The resourcing function is especially useful. We anticipate a lot of demand in the months ahead, so providing leadership with full visibility across our resourcing effort will be valuable in managing that pipeline. We have just gone live with financials, eliminating another legacy spreadsheet. As a PMO, we spend less time manually collating data and more time supporting leadership to make data-driven decisions. It is early days, but the new configuration has already achieved a significant impact.”

Post-rollout, Wellingtone’s adaptable support aligns with NRS’s internal capabilities. Louise says: “We have a lot of talent and knowledge within our development team, and we are keen to continue harnessing that. Unlike some suppliers, Wellingtone has adapted its approach to accommodate that, so we have the best of both worlds. We can deploy our internal capability, but we know that if we’re struggling with anything, Wellingtone will step in. I would recommend them to any PMO in a similar position. They have the right combination of technical expertise and PPM knowledge. They know what good looks like and how to keep you focused on reaching that point. They strike a great balance between being professional and flexible. Most importantly, they have equipped us to make significant strides in our PMO maturity.”