Case Study: How We Used Technology and AI to Run a Programme More Efficiently

Programme management often conjures up images of extensive processes, detailed reporting, and a lot of moving parts. And rightly so - it’s a critical discipline that keeps projects on track.

Typically, this involves a Project Management Office (PMO) to coordinate everything. But what happens when the programme doesn’t warrant a full-time PMO?

When I began to shape the delivery of this CRM Implementation project for a mid-sized organisation (1,500+ people), I was faced this exact situation and knew there had to be another way. I had the benefit of using various tools to manage the backlog on agile delivery projects and wanted to scale the maximise the use of technology across the whole project.

Instead of relying on traditional structures, I decided to lean on technology and AI to streamline operations, reduce inefficiencies, and improve transparency. This wasn’t about replacing the PMO—it was about tailoring an approach that suited this specific programme whilst ensuring that we maximised collaboration and results.

Here’s what I did with the client, what worked, and the lessons we learned along the way.

The Problem We Wanted to Solve

Every programme comes with its own challenges. For us, we needed to tackle the inefficiencies and avoidable costs, so we could spend more time focused on the complexities of the project and the management of the change itself.

This was a complex project with a lot of moving parts, it was the first of its kind for the organisation and would require a lot of business input. We needed the project manager to be fully immersed and wanted to avoid them getting bogged down with administrative tasks. At the same time, we needed to ensure the programme wasn’t a “black box,” where stakeholders are left guessing what’s going on.

With years of programme management, I identified key areas where we could deliver real efficiencies while giving stakeholders greater clarity and confidence.

First of all, I had to select the right team and together, we set out to:

1. Reduce the time spent on manual, repetitive tasks.
2. Maximise transparency for the programme team and its stakeholders.
3. Foster better collaboration across everyone involved.

We weren’t replacing a PMO - it wasn’t needed for this programme’s scope - but we still wanted to deliver the governance, oversight, and accountability a PMO provides.

Our Solution: Letting AI and Technology Do the Heavy Lifting

Firstly, our IT team played a pivotal role in setting us up for success, introducing us to new tools and ideas for experimentation, and approaching the project with a partnership mindset that was crucial in enabling us to explore innovative ways of working.? We needed to ensure that the right people had access to the right information with adequate governance and control.

With their help, we turned to Microsoft Teams and its built-in AI tools to help us reimagine how we worked - this including getting us access to the right licenses as needed.

Here’s what we put in place:

A. Intelligent Meeting Recaps using a Teams Premiums License:

You all know how tedious meeting notes can be—capturing all the details, summarising actions, and making sure nothing is missed? While Teams already allows you to record meetings, the Teams’ meeting recap feature handled all of that for us.

• It automatically recorded and transcribed our meetings.
• Summaries of key discussions and action points were generated instantly for the project manager to review and share pretty much right after the meeting.
• We could share notes immediately, making sure everyone was on the same page.
• It identified actions and owners and they could be added to the actions log without any fuss

This was a game-changer. It saved the project manager hours of admin time each week allowing them to focus on driving value rather than paperwork.

B. Centralised Collaboration

We created a dedicated Teams file to act as the programme’s single source of truth. This wasn’t just for storing documents - it was about fostering real-time collaboration:

• RAIDS Log: Risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies were logged and updated by the team as they happened.
• Plans and Timelines: Gantt charts and milestone trackers were easily accessible.
• Project Deliverables: Every important document was there, fully visible to the team and stakeholders alike.
• Accessibility: No one had to search through endless email chains or folders to find what they needed—it was all in one place, accessible anytime

Having everything in one place meant stakeholders had full visibility into the project at all times, reducing misunderstandings and unnecessary follow-ups.

C. Automations for Notifications and Follow-Ups

We set up automated workflows to:

• Notify team members of upcoming deadlines or overdue actions.
• Flag risks or dependencies that needed attention.
• Help the team focus on execution rather than administration.

This streamlined our operations and reduced the need for constant manual follow-ups. This was another game changer for the team as we heard stakeholders say "just assign me a task and I will get it done"; they did not have to write it in their to do list or receive an email chaser. They could see all their tasks in their own version of Planner on Teams.

What Didn’t Work as Planned

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Not everything worked as well as we’d hoped.

• Managing the Roadmap and Plan - We really wanted to manage the programme roadmap and detailed plans directly in Teams using the Roadmap and Planner functionality and and while Teams has a lot of potential here, at that time, it fell short when it came to tracking dependencies and visualising progress. We eventually reverted to more traditional planning tools, which were better suited to the job.

That said, Teams still proved invaluable for centralising updates and sharing high-level plans with stakeholders. It just couldn’t handle the nitty-gritty of detailed planning at the time; I understand that this has now been improved by Microsoft so may be worth another try in future.

• Keeping It Simple: With everything in one place, transparency was much improved—but we had to be disciplined. Without clear governance and well-organised files, the platform could have become cluttered and chaotic.

The Results

A Big Win for Transparency and Efficiency

Despite the challenges, this approach delivered excellent results:

• Less Admin, More Value: The project manager saved hours of admin time, allowing them to focus on delivering real results.
• Better Collaboration: A single source of truth made it easier for everyone to contribute and stay aligned.
• Enhanced Transparency: Stakeholders had full visibility into the programme’s progress and risks, with no surprises.
• Augmented PMO capability: Importantly, this approach didn’t replace the concept of a PMO. Instead, it gave us the tools we needed to deliver many of the benefits of a PMO without adding unnecessary overhead.

These outcomes reinforced my belief that by tailoring the approach to the project's needs and leveraging the right tools, we can deliver real value without unnecessary overhead.

Exploring AI Enabled Project, Programme or Portfolio Management?

The next frontier of AI is already here and I would love to share some of our more recent innovations with you. Imagine if anyone on the team, the business owner or the sponsor, could ask questions like:

• “What’s the status of [Milestone X]?”
• “Who’s responsible for the risk flagged last week?”
• “What actions are still outstanding from the last meeting?
• "Did we ask the system implementer to include integration with system [x] and [y] at the RFP stage 12 months ago?"

Imagine having that information right at your finger teams in seconds. This is much closer than you might think. We have built it, and we have tested it. It is both exciting and terrifying.

If you’re managing a project, programme or portfolio, and are looking for ways to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve transparency, I’d love to help. We specialise in:

• Tailored programme management and change management strategies to fit your needs.
• Leveraging AI and technology to simplify processes and reduce inefficiencies.
• Enhancing collaboration, change management and stakeholder alignment to deliver results.
• Taking you to the next frontier, reducing your time to value and time to benefits realisation.

Let’s discuss how we can make your programmes run smarter and deliver real value.?

My Final Thoughts

This project was a brilliant example of how technology and AI can make programme management more efficient and collaborative. It wasn’t about cutting corners or replacing traditional methods—it was about tailoring our approach to the programme’s needs and reducing inefficiencies.

By thinking differently and leveraging the tools we already had, we delivered a programme that was transparent, collaborative, and focused on value. We continue to test the boundaries; we look forward to sharing more of our stories and helping you build yours.

The takeaway? Technology isn’t a silver bullet, but when used intelligently, it can help you run programmes more effectively and give your teams the space they need to succeed.