The CA Technologies Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) solution, now live in Europe and India, optimises the completion of IT projects in enterprises, leveraging internal and external resources and improving cost allocation.

Present in four European countries (Germany, France, Spain, and Luxembourg) and also in Asia (India through Geojit BNP Paribas, and Singapore), BNP Paribas Personal Investors has deployed a project governance strategy to help identify and prioritise European IT projects, and simultaneously manage project resource allocation and monitor implementation. The CA Technologies solution-which is live in 3 languages: French, English, and German-also supports data delivery to the financial firm's accounting systems.

Project Portfolio Management
Thanks to CA Clarity PPM advanced analysis, IT teams in France and Germany are able to manage and prioritise requests, based on BNP Paribas Personal Investors' overall entreprise strategy. This also helps ensure the timely, on-budget delivery of products and services. Before a project is approved, for example, the Portfolio Manager and other bank decision-makers determine its relevance, based on factors such as return on investment and strategic value. The Project Office then uses the CA Technologies solution to validate resource availability, based on a capacity plan. Once a project is approved, the Project Manager gathers a team and allocates tasks based on available resources. Project management then follows capability maturity model integration (CMMI) standards. For increased flexibility, teams can use reporting tools to extract and consolidate data from the CA Clarity PPM repository for advanced project monitoring throughout the project lifecycle.

CA Clarity PPM was initially deployed to 120 development professionals, was extended to 90 users in the data centre, and then implemented to the project management team. CA Clarity PPM provides a single data repository andnd a common language to all users. Moreover, it includes an advanced metrics and dashboards ensuring users focus on common priorities and can rely on accurate, timely decision making.

"By introducing reliable project monitoring metrics and indicators, the CA Clarity PPM solution has significantly improved IT transparency at BNP Paribas Personal Investors," says Benjamin MOURRAT, IT Corporate Portfolio Manager, and BNP Paribas Personal Investors. "The integrated technology enables BNP Paribas to optimise resources, improve the prioritisation and monitoring of European projects, and manage multiple investment portfolios. It also provides a common language that we can use in every country", adds Benjamin MOURRAT.

European coordination extended to Asia
In 2010, the solution was implemented within Geodic Technologies (P) Ltd, a subsidiary of Geodic BNP Paribas -a leading Brokerage Company headquartered in India. Branded Geojit Technologies, this CMMI L3-certified business unit employs 109 staff and specialises in the development of trading, clearing, and settlement solutions for Geojit BNP Paribas in India, business-to-business partners in India and the Persian Gulf, and Personal Investors departments, both in Europe and Asia. "The implementation of the solution has taken our project development lifecycle management to the next level," says A. Balakrishnan, CEO, Geojit Technologies Limited.