About this Presentation
Join us for an insightful presentation where we delve into the case study of a large IT organization in a government department, operating within an Agile/Scrum environment. This department faced significant challenges with a $1.2 billion program that was stalled due to overload, leading to extensive delays and decreased delivery performance in their complex and fast-paced Agile framework. Discover how the organization successfully overcame these hurdles, not by increasing capacity—which was not an option due to the unavailability of IT professionals in the market—but through leveraging innovative strategies, integrating predictive analytics with Theory of Constraints (TOC) insights. This powerful combination enabled the organization to anticipate project bottlenecks, optimize resource allocation, and substantially boost delivery performance from 24% to 85% for the top 50% priority projects, and to 65% for the entire project portfolio, all without the need for additional human resources. Key incentives: 1. Strategic Prioritization: Understand the pivotal role of prioritizing projects or initiatives in a high-stakes environment and how it can significantly impact the flow and success of large-scale programs. 2. Effective Focus on Critical Projects: Explore the techniques used to concentrate efforts on the most crucial projects, ensuring timely and efficient delivery. 3. Resource-Based Scheduling: Gain insights into the novel approach of rescheduling programs based on constraining resources, utilizing the concept of 'Staggering' for optimal resource allocation. This case study is particularly relevant for Agile/Scrum environments, addressing a common challenge: while teams plan their projects and initiatives in detail, management often lacks a comprehensive overview of the total portfolio. This presentation will demonstrate how a strategic, top-down approach, augmented with the synergy of predictive analytics and TOC insights, can complement detailed, team-level planning to achieve remarkable program turnaround, ensuring alignment and efficiency across all levels of the organization. Join Dr. Albert Ponsteen for this session to gain valuable knowledge and strategies that can be applied to similar challenges in your own IT projects and programs, especially in large and complex organizational settings.
What Will You Learn
To help you get the most value from this session, we’ve highlighted a few key points. These takeaways capture the main ideas and practical insights from the presentation, making it easier for you to review, reflect, and apply what you’ve learned.
Instructor(s)
Jennifer Eckman
Ms Alka Wadhwa
Alka Wadhwa is an experienced consultant and process improvement expert with over 24 years of expertise in the Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean Six Sigma, and organizational performance optimization. She has successfully led projects in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing, driving significant improvements such as a 67% boost in hospital operations and a 140% increase in outpatient visits.
Previously, Alka Wadhwa spent 17+ years at GE Global Research Center, where she led initiatives to enhance various GE businesses through advanced technologies, process redesign, and system optimization. Founder of Better Solutions Consulting, LLC, she specializes in using TOC, Six Sigma, and data analytics to streamline operations and build high-performance teams.
Her work has earned her multiple accolades, including the Empire State Award of Excellence in healthcare.
Dr Gary Wadhwa
Dr. Gary Wadhwa is a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon with extensive experience in the field. He completed his Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery training at Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and has served as an Attending at prestigious institutions like St. Peters Hospitals, Ellis Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital in NY. With a career spanning over two decades, he was the former CEO and President of a group specialty practice in NY from 1994 to 2015. Dr. Wadhwa holds an MBA from UT at Knoxville, TN, and has undergone additional training in System Dynamics at MIT, Health System Management at Harvard Business School, and Entrepreneurship and healthcare innovations at Columbia Business School. Committed to expanding access to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery care, he is currently engaged in a meaningful project to provide healthcare services to underserved populations in inner city and rural areas through non-profit Community Health Centers.