Author: Joanna Lubowiecka

I am delighted to share with you the key highlights and insights gained from our recent event Collaboration Simplified: Practical Tools to Power Your Projects driven by Stefano Mastrogiacomo in Zurich.

The focus of the event was to improve collaboration and enhance team effectiveness. The event offered practical tips to strengthen teamwork and foster a collaborative culture.

The fundamental aspect we explored was collaboration within teams. By understanding each team member's responsibilities and ensuring a smooth workflow, teams can achieve goals more efficiently.

Simple yet effective collaboration, both within and across teams, proved to be a crucial component for project success. Stefano placed a strong emphasis on creating a supportive work environment that encourages open communication, trust, and respect. When team members feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to freely share ideas, cooperate on projects, and contribute their unique skills and expertise. By fostering a culture of collaboration, teams can unlock their full potential and achieve better results. 

At the event, we had the chance to experiment with a tool provided by the speaker. The purpose was to showcase a practical and effective approach to improving collaboration within a team. Stefano guided us through his approach using the tool, which showed innovative ways to streamline communication, project management, and knowledge sharing. We discovered how we can facilitate seamless collaboration, enabling team members to work together more efficiently regardless of time and location.

Another crucial lesson we learned is the significance of project mission alignment in driving collaboration and team success.

We emphasized the importance of clearly communicating the project's mission and ensuring that each team member understands his or her role in achieving it.

When everyone shares a common purpose and feels a sense of ownership, collaboration becomes more purposeful and focused, resulting in higher levels of engagement and motivation.

Identifying and addressing collaboration blockers and enablers was another key aspect of our discussions. We examined common obstacles that hinder collaboration, such as communication gaps, lack of trust, and resistance to change.

Through interactive sessions, we shared effective approaches to overcome these challenges and create an environment conducive to collaboration. By proactively addressing these blockers, teams can foster a culture of trust, open communication, and cooperation. Showcased real-life examples brought practical insights to understand the topic even better.

We are excited to implement these learnings within our own teams and witness the positive impact they will have on our projects.

Together, let's continue to build a culture of collaboration, where every team member's contribution is valued, and our collective achievements soar to new heights.

Interviewer: Martin Härri, PMP^®, PMI-SP^®, PMI-ACP^®, Director Corporate Relationships PMI Switzerland Chapter

The PMI Swiss Corporate Networking Group (SCNG) is quite a unique organization within PMI, as very few chapters have a formal network which unites not project professionals, but company representatives. The SCNG was created back in 2010 and is bringing together representatives of over 20 organizations based in Switzerland to share best practices and experiences about project management topics of relevance to their companies. More about the PMI SCNG can be found here.

We are publishing portraits of the SCNG members in the newsletter, with a focus on the points that matter most to PMI members. We hope you will enjoy this new series of articles, and we are looking forward to your feedback.

Company: SUNRISE

SCNG member since: July 2011

Interview Partner: Luca Gambini,

Senior Director Business Delivery Partner

“Luca, can you tell us a few words about yourself, and how you got into your current position?”

After graduating with a degree in Business Administration, I joined management consultancy Accenture and worked in various roles on large-scale IT and digital transformations for many different telco companies around the world. In 2014, I moved to Zürich to join Sunrise as Senior Director, leading the Business Delivery Partner department in CIO.

On top of that, I am also a guest Lecturer and speaker holding seminars on Business Organization, Information Systems, Digital Skills, Digital Transformation and Innovation Management in several Swiss, French and Italian universities.

“What kind of projects does Sunrise have?”

At Sunrise we pursue many different types of projects. For example, we work on commercial projects focused on launching new products in the space of mobile, fixnet and entertainment. To this end, we also partner with external players if needed. Alongside this, we launch digital initiatives aimed at improving the customer’s experience at all digital touchpoints. And of course, there are also internal projects to advance the operational efficiency of the company and the experience of our employees.

“How do you govern projects at Sunrise?”

We give our people a framework within which they have great freedom. The framework, which is defined by specific processes and guidelines, serves to ensure that projects are delivered on time, on budget and in high quality. At the same time, we give our project managers the opportunity to run the projects as autonomously as possible and offer them support and coaching along the way.

“Which methodology do you apply when implementing projects?”

In our field, we apply the PMI methodology for big and complex IT implementations, tailoring it to the needs of Sunrise. For initiatives that require fast time to market and/or experimentation, we use agile methodologies.

In general, I believe that every company has a cultural background that shapes the way people work. Methods can set the right guardrails and help create a common framework, but at the end it’s how people use them that makes the difference. 

“In the area of project management, what are the main strengths of Sunrise in your opinion?”

On every project, we work very closely with both the business and the technology unit, which over the years has forged a team of very experienced project managers who are able to cover all the different parts of an initiative: from the technical aspects to the process and people ones. We all work together to achieve success for Sunrise.

“Where do you see the challenges/opportunities and trends for project managers at Sunrise in the coming years?”

For sure Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially Generative AI, will be an important technology that project managers will have to integrate into their work in the coming years. I can only quote what ChatGPT replied when I asked about it: “AI can contribute to project management in several ways, such as automating repetitive and mundane tasks, analyzing big data to provide insights, and facilitating communication and collaboration among team members.” Importantly, in this context, while AI can enhance project management processes, it will complement rather than replace the role of project managers.

“Why should talented project managers and officers work for Sunrise?”

At Sunrise, talented project managers have the opportunity to work in a very dynamic industry where the success of their projects can have a tangible impact on the lives of our customers. Think, for example, of the launch of the 5G mobile network or the first companion device powered by a Sunrise eSIM. And they work in a very diverse and safe environment. This is what makes working here so enjoyable for me, every day.

Interviewer: Martin Härri, PMP^®, PMI-SP^®, PMI-ACP^®, Director Corporate Relationships PMI Switzerland Chapter

The PMI Swiss Corporate Networking Group (SCNG) is quite a unique organization within PMI, as very few chapters have a formal network which unites not project professionals, but company representatives. The SCNG was created back in 2010 and is bringing together representatives of over 20 organizations based in Switzerland to share best practices and experiences about project management topics of relevance to their companies. More about the PMI SCNG can be found here.

Starting with this edition, we will feature portraits of the SCNG members in the newsletter, with a focus on the points that matter most to PMI members. We hope you will enjoy this new series of articles, and we are looking forward to your feedback.

Company:    SIX         

SCNG member since: February 2018

Interview Partner: Klaus Christoph Wagener,

Head Project Portfolio Management

“Klaus Christoph, can you tell us a few words about yourself, and how you got into your current position?”

After completing my university studies in Business Administration and Management, I started as a branch manager in a German bank, then went into controlling and accounting, followed by operational risk control for a Bank in Switzerland. At the same time, I deepened my capabilities in change management and then gradually switched to project and program management roles. Finally, I got a call from a former colleague who motivated me to move to SIX in 2019. Independent of the assignment my goal has always been to contribute with my blended experience to the success of the company.

“What kind of projects does SIX have?”

To understand the characteristics of our projects and the dynamics in the portfolio let us briefly look at the company’s purpose: the shareholders of SIX are the banks in Switzerland, and we operate the infrastructure for the financial centers in Switzerland and Spain, thus ensuring the flow of information and money between financial market players. SIX offers exchange services, financial information, and banking services with the aim of increasing efficiency, quality and innovative capacity along the entire value chain. SIX is also building a digital infrastructure for the new millennium, called SDX. With around 4’000 employees and almost 80 nationalities in 19 countries, SIX is a truly international as well as diverse company.

The SIX change portfolio mirrors the business mix, and projects are one of the key means for implementing our strategy. On average, we invest the equivalent of a Swiss single-family home per day in projects for the future of the Swiss and Spanish financial centers. The range of our change activities spans from infrastructure, like networks and platforms, over new products and services to regulatory projects. With the international expansion of SIX, the project scope and the project teams became even more international, too.

“How do you govern projects at SIX?”

Our PRINCE2^®-based project management framework is called “PM@SIX”. Much like a highway with its guardrails, our project governance is intended to provide guidance and ensure that (project) goals can be achieved safely, quickly, and successfully – without major obstacles. PM@SIX defines the project lifecycle (stages and gates) for the whole of SIX, roles and responsibilities for the project members as well as the prioritization and authorization process. Due to their individual character every business unit might have complementary rules. The framework is supported by a company-wide project portfolio management tool and a set of mandatory and best-practice templates.

We established a “PM Circle” with management representatives from all business units to continuously improve our framework and keep it up to date. In addition, in 2020 we founded the “SIX PM Community” for project practitioners which is very active in sharing best practices and experiences – good and bad ones – and counts 270 members of which one third even without having the word “project” in their job title.

“Which methodology do you apply when implementing projects?”

We do not prescribe ‘the one approach’ for project implementation. As tailoring is one of the main principles, the implementation approach follows the purpose – means: if the nature of a project asks for a traditional / waterfall approach (e.g. infrastructure) the choice is given. In the majority of our development work agile approaches are applied with a trend towards scaled setups. But even with a waterfall approach we leverage some benefits of agile and e.g., use the same collaboration tools regardless of the approach.

“In the area of project management, what are the main strengths of SIX in your opinion?”

With PM@SIX we have a lean framework providing guidance and transparency. Not a guarantee for project success, but a good foundation. On that basis the advantage of SIX is that we have a great source of experienced, talented employees in change delivery and reliable partnerships with our external suppliers. That together are the ingredients for successful project management. This includes as well that from time to time we must take an informed decision to cease a project as viability might no longer be given. Important is that this does not come as a surprise. We anyhow go beyond project closings and track the realization of promised benefits for some years after the go live.

“Where do you see the challenges/opportunities and trends for project managers at SIX in the coming years?”

There is no difference to other places in the industry: PM / PMO get challenged with the question if the roles are really needed in the future! Here at SIX our current assessment is that the combination of traditional project setups with agile delivery approaches is quite beneficiary, if not crucial to successfully deliver change. We have a legacy and are not a greenfield startup. We operate in an environment which in significant parts of the business is highly regulated and determined by strong dependencies to the development cycles of our clients. Here PM and PMO can prove their added value.

“Why should talented project managers and officers work for SIX?”

First of all: our projects are cutting-edge and challenging in an international environment. They make the Future of Finance happen – now! The day-to-day work in the project space is characterized by a collaborative environment and trust.

Secondly, and evenly important, we believe in the enablement of our employees. Thus, we work with a PM training landscape and provide access to a wide range of internal and external PM trainings and e-learnings. These do not only cover traditional or agile PM methodologies, but as well leadership development and work-life balance / personal development topics. Every employee can pursue an individualized training and development path.

Interested? Figure out openings in SIX project management on SIX-Group.com.

Interviewer: Martin Härri, PMP^®, PMI-SP^®, PMI-ACP^®, Director Corporate Relationships PMI Switzerland Chapter

The PMI Swiss Corporate Networking Group (SCNG) is quite a unique organization within PMI, as very few chapters have a formal network which unites not project professionals, but company representatives. The SCNG was created back in 2010 and is bringing together representatives of over 20 organizations based in Switzerland to share best practices and experiences about project management topics of relevance to their companies. More about the PMI SCNG can be found here.

We are publishing portraits of the SCNG members in the newsletter, with a focus on the points that matter most to PMI members. We hope you will enjoy this new series of articles, and we are looking forward to your feedback.

Company: PostFinance Ltd. 

SCNG member since: February 2020

“Stefan and Didier, can you tell us a few words about yourself, and how you got into your current position?”

Stefan: Working as a Service and Project Manager in the banking and IT industry for large transformation projects, I took over the responsibility for the Innovation and Agile Delivery Team at PostFinance in 2019. Additionally, I am lecturer for economics and project management in higher technical courses and postgraduate studies.

Didier: I am working at PostFinance since 2007. After a couple of years as a team leader, I initiated the largest transformation initiative of PostFinance, the replacement of the Core Banking System, in the role of project/program manager. After the successful introduction of the new system, I took the role of Head of Project Portfolio Management, which was then a new role in the company. 

“What kind of projects does PostFinance have?”

We have an average of 180 running projects of different sizes at all times. The goal of these projects is manyfold:

• We want to ensure that our customers are getting the best service and offers possible. We therefore continuously increase our product palette and improve the customer experience (e.g., through Digital Transformations). 
• Some other projects ensure Business Continuity, such as system upgrades.
• Being in a highly regulated environment, we also have many projects fulfilling these external requirements.

“How do you govern projects at PostFinance?”

Projects can be started at any time but need to go through quarterly gates to get the approval of the resources. This is done centrally by the portfolio management to ensure that the projects with the highest business values get implemented. Processes are defined for the execution, still leaving some freedom to the project managers.

“Which methodology do you apply when implementing projects?”

We apply an agile framework based on SAFe, but tailored to the needs of PostFinance, the "Enterprise Agile Delivery" framework. It covers processes, practices, roles, and methodological guardrails to scale agility in our large company and within the different programs. This said, it does not limit to classic project management tasks and roles but comprises the complete journey from solution ideation to rollout and maintenance.

“In the area of project management, what are the main strengths of PostFinance in your opinion?”

With the lift-and-shift of PostFinance's project management from a classic to an agile framework, we are continuously enhancing the framework to the new business units and stakeholder needs. We also permanently explore improvements in our way of working (e.g., closer alignment with strategy, data driven initiatives or financing processes).

“Where do you see the challenges/opportunities and trends for project managers at PostFinance in the coming years?”

With the agile change, the role of the projects manager is changing from a process administrator to a servant leader with a higher need of know-how in IT and Business.

As new technologies, such as AI, are incorporated into our processes and services, project leads must be able to successfully deal with both the tools and agile exploration of new business opportunities.

“Why should talented project managers and officers work for PostFinance?”

The financial industry is at the forefront when it comes to the application of new technologies. PostFinance lives an agile, daring, and independent working culture at eye level with management and customers.

Interested? Figure out openings in PostFinance project management on link.