Virtual project management is less 'clumsy'
June 2008

Gary Raine at AUT University understands how important communication is when it comes to managing projects. Change is part of the AUT culture and this time round, change will allow the University to work smarter.

Building on the basics of spreadsheets, templates and emails, Raine wanted the teams to work more intelligently and virtually anywhere.

AUT University is New Zealand’s newest university and is renowned for offering degrees that offer a real-life learning experience. They have over 1,700 staff spread across five faculties and various campus locations. The IT Services Directorate alone completes over 100 projects.

With so many teams of people spread across a disparate environment, the challenge was finding a platform that allowed teams to communicate and be kept informed on project statuses and issues. User collaboration is a standard feature in Control and allows Raine and his team to automate processes.

“Communication is the key to successful project management. What differentiated iToolsOnline to other products is that it is web-based, allowing virtual teams to work together across locations.”

Ironically, the Projects Office has been communicating through Control to manage their Voice over IP (VOIP) project to replace the entire PABX system. Control allows users to be added ‘on the fly’, not only for the client side but also external contractors and suppliers.

“An external Project Manager runs the project and AUT staff across the university are involved. After a task is completed, actions and comments are automatically forwarded to the next person in the workflow.”

Control creates a dynamic workspace that automates processes and ensures everyone knows what is going on and what they are responsible for. The system is seamless and efficient, providing Raine and his team complete visibility of all projects - virtually from anywhere.