Cuscal is a leading provider of innovative payment solutions for the Australian financial services sector. PM-Partners was engaged by the client to conduct a mid-point review of a major project impacting the client’s core business systems and clients to ensure delivery remained on track.

Customer background

The Authentic Switch project was a major technology project impacting Cuscal’s core business system and clients. Following a preliminary Setup for Success review in January 2020, also conducted by PM-Partners, and the onset and ramifications of the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic, the client was keen to conduct a mid-point review to find out how the project was faring and address areas for improvement.

The challenge

Given the impact of this project on Cuscal’s core business systems and clients, it was critical that it remained on track, delivered on its intended outcomes and didn’t adversely impact Cuscal’s BAU. To this end, this independent mid-point review was tasked with assessing the current state health of the project and providing a report of prioritised findings and recommendations requiring attention.

How PM-Partners helped

Given the major impact of COVID-19, the team quickly pivoted their approach to how they conducted assurance reviews. The activities within the mid-point review remained the same with the only difference being how PM-Partners delivered the service.

The team worked collaboratively with Cuscal to identify which tools would work in their environment for audio, video and workshops. MS Teams and Miro were chosen from a kit bag of tools, including Zoom, WebEx, Google Hangouts, Trello.

The review required inspection of key documentation associated with the programme as well as interviewing a total of 12 key project team members and critical stakeholders. The documentation reviewed included, but was not limited to:

business cases
steering committee packs
schedule
risk register
project change controls.

Key themes were documented on one page for socialisation and feedback from the client followed by a draft report for preliminary review and feedback.

Outcomes delivered

The final report included four key opportunities: scope management, risk and issue management, financial management, and delivery methodology and process. These were supported by 46 detailed findings and actions and included opportunities beyond the scope of the project, such as matters impacting the organisations BAU and delivery areas/activities.

A mid-point review can quickly assess how a current initiative is faring and recommend targeted actions to bring it back on track. Or why not look to protect and optimise your investments over the long term with PM-Partners Continuous Assurance approach? Contact our team of experts today, or call us on 1300 70 13 14.