Web Application for the Centralized Management of R&D Projects
The customer uses the "Stage-Gate" process for its R&D projects. This model divides each project into clearly defined phases and performs an analysis of the results achieved before moving to a new phase. Based on this role-based analysis, a decision is then made on how to proceed with the project. To manage this process, the client's R&D departments used their own Excel and SharePoint templates or homegrown software. This led to inefficiencies as progress on different projects could not be compared. This made it difficult to improve the quality of future projects. By implementing a centralized system, 1stQuad was able to replace the manual processes and make the execution of internal projects more transparent and efficient.
ABB Information Systems Ltd
ABB Ltd is a Swedish-Swiss power and automation technology group headquartered in Zurich, which was created in 1988 from the merger of the Swedish ASEA and the Swiss BBC. The group is active worldwide and employs about 147’000 people in 100 countries.
Problem: Lack of Overview of Internal Projects
ABB uses the "Stage-Gate" process for its internal R&D projects. According to this process, the company's R&D departments must pass through seven "gates" - or important project milestones - to successfully complete the project. To pass through a "gate," a project must meet certain requirements. Next, decision-makers discuss the project's progress in a "gate" meeting based on a management summary as well as the business opportunities and risks of the project. The "Stage-Gate" process enables timely business decisions to be made on whether to continue, stop, or reorient the project. After the project's completion, there is an additional "gate" to review the achievement of role-based project goals and gather experience for process improvement.
To manage the "gate" process, the client did not have a central system in the past. Employees had to perform many manual steps, with each R&D department using their own templates based on Excel and SharePoint or even self-developed software.
However, the heterogeneous system landscape with legacy applications meant a lot of manual work and potential for errors. Since these templates were not centrally managed, there were significant differences in handling the "Stage-Gate" process between the various departments. As a result, it was practically impossible to obtain an up-to-date overview of the status of all projects and compare progress. It was also not possible to learn from previous experiences and benefit from them in new projects.
Solution: Centralized System for Managing Internal Projects
1stQuad has developed the Team Gate tool for ABB - a modern web application based on the classic Microsoft stack and operated in Azure. Team Gate replaces individual processes and normalizes the passing of gates. The system documents the requirements and deadlines of the gates and captures project progress. This provides a cross-company overview of the status of all projects and enables the comparison of insights and results, thereby improving quality sustainably.
From a user perspective, Team Gate helps to make the "Stage-Gate" process easier and more efficient to comply with. The system provides everything employees need in one place to pass through the gates and reduces the likelihood that they could overlook something. Since the "Stage-Gate" process can now be centrally controlled, heterogeneous teams from different countries and continents can collaborate transparently and efficiently.
Team Gate also helps to improve the processes of future projects based on experiences from previous projects. The tool allows managers to add additional checklists that employees must check before moving on to the next gate. This happens automatically and without much communication and management effort.
Better Control Through Integration With Other Systems
Team Gate is not a standalone solution, but also interacts with other client systems. For example, the application works closely with the "Finance Approval System of the R&D area" (NORRD) as well as a test management system. Together, the tools now form a platform for the execution of R&D projects. Thanks to bidirectional synchronization, the three applications are on the same level and allow users to always access current data.
Result: Adaptable tool for processes of any complexity
With Team Gate, ABB now has a tool that makes the execution of internal R&D projects more efficient and transparent. The application has been successfully operating in two R&D departments with complex and strict processes for more than two years. The tool can be adapted to any complex process with relatively little effort and allows for the continuous integration of new project types and requirements.
