15.11.2023

Project management of the future

B. Braun and Campana & Schott forge new paths in project management and portfolio management.

B. Braun, a company with some 65,000 employees, was facing a group-wide challenge: providing a standardized project and portfolio management methodology, including the IT solution to go with it, for all B. Braun divisions, corporate functions, and regions. At the start of the initiative, the global medical technology firm did not have either standardized reporting or a group-wide data basis. But with approximately EUR 1 billion being invested in projects each year, efficient and effective project and portfolio management is a critical success factor for a corporate group of this size. Campana & Schott supported B. Braun with this key transformation program for more than five years, starting in late 2017.

A holistic approach, step by step

The international company took a holistic approach right from the start with its globally harmonized project management system, PEM@B. Braun. The focus was on improvements across several fields: standardization of project management processes and methods, unifying roles in the project business, introducing new PM training options, and implementing an IT solution for project and portfolio management. Project management, program management, portfolio management, resource management, and project controlling were all optimized and standardized, among other aspects.
A shared PM methodology formed the foundation. Building on that, the IT solution was conceptualized, developed with an agile approach, piloted, and then rolled out in the Microsoft Cloud with the units involved, the central PMO and Campana & Schott. The initiative kicked off with a scoping and envisioning workshop, followed by a proof-of-concept phase culminating in agile implementation of an MVP. The users of PEM@B. Braun are still involved in continuous optimization of processes and tools to this day.
Several cloud services form the centerpiece of the IT solution: Microsoft Project Online, Power BI, and Teams – and beyond that, a bidirectional SAP integration with the CS Connect middleware is an important element for efficient project controlling and reporting.

Application and added value for B. Braun

There are currently around 3,000 users, among them project managers, business owners, project sponsors, and resource and portfolio managers, working on and with some 3,000 projects in the IT system. The PEM@B. Braun processes and tools enable portfolio definition and prioritization, followed by a stringent project life cycle.
The new system also unlocks options for integrated resource and document management, along with comprehensive portfolio and project reporting. In this way, it offers increased transparency across the entire company-wide international project portfolio. A large number of processes are also supported by an IT solution. The flexibility of the Microsoft cloud technologies incorporated into the system has made it possible to bring together the various requirements for tool solutions across a wide range of different project environments and sub-organizations within B. Braun into a single group standard.

Conclusion

We’ve already made great strides with the introduction of PEM@B. Braun and successfully implemented the rollout at many units at the company. It’s important to continue down this road in the future as well so we can forge ahead efficiently with further development and refinement and maintain this standard. We’d like to thank Campana & Schott for all their work with us on this important project over the years.

Joachim Crones
Director Corporate Project Management Office
B. Braun Group

Additional links

Projects & Programs
Project Management Consulting

Contacts

Sven Hausen

Associate Partner | Project Management Solutions & BI

Eric Jänsch

Senior Account Manager