EPMO Strategic Dashboard – Automation and Insights

Sector/s: Government

Our client needed a streamlined solution to align projects with new strategic directions in line with the CE Performance Agreement, improve transparency, and enhance governance. The Strategic Dashboard was developed using Microsoft Power BI, integrating data from multiple sources into a central platform. The dashboard provided real-time insights, automated reporting, and enhanced decision-making capabilities.

Problem

Our client, a Government Organisation had recent structural changes with new CE Performance Agreement including a Strategic Directions framework that required updated project mappings to reflect these changes. The problems arising within the current process were:

  • Lack of Transparency: Existing systems did not provide a clear method for tracking project alignment with strategic directions or identifying project links to specific divisions.
  • Manual Data Management: Significant manual effort was needed to integrate data from multiple sources such as MS Excel and MS Word, leading to potential errors and inefficiencies.
  • Limited Performance Visibility: There was lack of transparency, making it difficult to prioritise and monitor project statuses effectively.

Solution

Data Sagacity was engaged to analyse the current process and link in the new structural changes. The following solutions were implemented:

Data Migration:

  • Migration of all project-related data from Azure SQL Database to the department’s Data Mart using Azure Data Factory.
  • Managing and creating lists in SharePoint for the CE Performance Agreement and Strategic Directions to easily map the related projects and their respective divisions.

Power BI Semantic Model:

  • Development of a semantic model combining existing data with new strategic directions and performance metrics.
  • Establishing relationships between data entities and defining measures for analysis.

Interactive Reports:

  • Creating Power BI report visualising alignment of projects with the CE Performance Agreement.
  • Designing the layout with interactive buttons and slicers to ensure consistency and enhance user experience.

Benefits

The Strategic Dashboard delivered received a positive feedback from the stakeholders for being a comprehensive, efficient, and transparent solution that supported the organization’s strategic objectives and governance practices. The key outcomes were:

  • The dashboard provided clear insights into project alignment with strategic directions, allowing better prioritisation and more effective resource allocation.
  • The centralised data management significantly cut down on the time and effort previously required for manual data integration.
  • The solution facilitated conversations with the minister and ensured project delivery aligned with the top-level strategic directions set by the executive team and the CE Performance Agreement.
  • By automating data integration and reporting, the solution reduced the risk of errors and inconsistencies, ensuring that the data was accurate and up-to-date. This reliability enhanced trust in the data and supported more confident decision-making.

Conclusion

The implementation of the Strategic Dashboard marks a significant step forward for the government department in aligning its projects with the newly established strategic directions. By leveraging Microsoft Power BI and other data management tools, Data Sagacity provided a solution that not only addressed existing challenges but also paved the way for more efficient and transparent governance. This project underscores the importance of modernising data processes to meet evolving strategic needs and demonstrates the value of integrating technology to support better decision-making at all levels of the organisation.