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Performance, Speed, and Flexibility:
Enhancing the Customer Travel Experience

Aligning Multiple Projects in the Right Direction

The Winds of Change

BC Ferries embarked on a corporate program to enhance and automate the end-to-end customer experience. There were multiple projects involved, including a next-generation reservations and ticketing solution, enhancements to automation at each terminal, customer relationship management capabilities and a card services solution.

With a customer-facing program of such magnitude and complexity, the leadership team at BC Ferries wanted to ensure it was set up for success right out of the starting blocks.

Assessing the Waters

Surge ERP was brought in as a “third set of eyes” to do a health check on the Program during its planning phase and identify risk areas for the successful delivery of the Program.

Using our standard Program Review framework, Surge ERP interviewed many of the Program’s stakeholders, from executive members to the project team. We also reviewed key documents and observed the team at work. Our focus was to find evidence of our key metrics for project success:

Program is Business Driven

  • Executive sponsorship from Business Unit Owner or higher
  • Goals and Objectives are aligned with business strategy
  • Project requirements outline business needs

Effective Governance Structure

  • Clear identification of Program Leadership
  • Clear reporting relationships within projects
  • Documented Roles and Responsibilities

Planning to the Right Level of Detail:

  • Identification of cross-project integration points
  • Sufficient detail to manage resources effectively
  • Dynamic schedule to monitor impacts

Engagement of Key Stakeholders:

  • Executive stakeholder engagement
  • Business engagement and participation
  • Project team member engagement

Setting the Course

Upon completion of the project assessment, we reviewed our findings with CFO Rob Clarke, and Executive Director of Internal Audit, Ken Brown. The program had a number of unique, positive components, including a Strategic Working Group linking project and business leaders; co-Program Directorship with one Director representing IT and the other one representing the business; and well-defined structures within each Project. In addition, the following changes were implemented based on our findings and recommendations:

  • The Program Sponsorship was elevated within the organization with CFO Rob Clarke taking the reins for the program.
  • The project team spent additional time planning each project stream to a lower level of detail in order to uncover interdependencies and better align deliverables and milestones.
  • Clarified and discussed Roles and Responsibilities to eliminate ambiguities

With these changes in place, the various components were fully aligned and the program had all the elements needed for successful delivery.

All Aboard!

As this article is being written, BC Ferries has entered the Build Phase of the Program and is executing according to plan. While there is a new CFO leading BC Ferries, Mr. Clarke has delayed his full retirement to continue as the Executive Sponsor of the Program and continue to drive success through consistent leadership.

In Q3 2015, BC Ferries reported it transported 7.1 million passengers and 2.6 million vehicles. There is no question that the ripple effects of the planned improvements to the travel experience for BC Ferries’ customers will be felt far and wide.

“Surge ERP gave us the honest and straightforward advice we needed. The changes they suggested in the Program Assessment have paid off – we are now much more focused and are executing the program as planned. We are back on track”

— Rob Clarke, BC Ferries CFO at time of Project Assessment

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