Scheduling Tool adds efficiency to projects

We have a new tool to make it easier to manage our capital works projects.

The Scheduling Tool brings together all the information about our projects in one easy-to-view place, providing visibility across the capital works pipeline.

The tool makes it simple for anyone in the business to access information about their projects throughout the project lifecycle, including project scope, start and end date, spend, deliverables (from planning through to construction/commissioning), project resources and risk tracking.

Built in-house using Microsoft PowerApps, it sources the data from the likes of Copperleaf, SAP and PADL. This reduces the need to look for information in multiple systems.

The tool was recently released to the Programme and Works Delivery teams and the feedback has been positive, with many suggestions for future enhancements.

Rebekah Beaton, who is leading the implementation, says the tool will make managing and reporting on projects more efficient.

“The tool provides ease of access to information about the projects we’re working on. We’ll be using the tool for our monthly PM reviews and project reporting, and it’s going to make that review and reporting process so much easier.”

For now, the Works Delivery Team is using the tool as ‘view only’, but the ability to update information will be available soon, reducing the need to input information across multiple systems. In the future, team members will even be able to update information on their mobile phone, while they’re in the field.

In this first phase of delivery, a roadmap of improvements based on user feedback is being developed to make the tool even better next year.

Powering up in the future

The tool has the potential to be expanded to incorporate Planning, Design, Maintenance and Operations teams to align our work on the electricity network.  

Currently, Powerco has many software solutions deployed across our teams, with no ability to look holistically across the key components from each to make effective and informed decisions. 

The use of a single tool would allow us to improve processes and gain efficiencies by enabling different teams to see what each other is doing and link up work, reducing outage times, cost impacts, and resourcing requirements.