Case study Product Portfolio Case Study with Nigel Wilkinson from Schneider Electric

Nigel talks about how SharpCloud is giving his team and executives at Schneider Electric harmonization across their portfolio lifecycle and enabling more informed decision making.

The business problem

We had limited visibility of product lifecycles (development through obsolescence), marketing campaigns and other portfolio related activity. There was no standardized method for product roadmapping which was causing inefficiency.

Why had other tools not solved this problem?

The standard static Excel and PowerPoint methods previously adopted were out-of-date only moments after they were saved, such as printed or embedded roadmaps included in presentations.

Other roadmapping tools we looked at were costly, inflexible, had poor visualization, required updating from overly complex spreadsheets, were time consuming and could not be used to demonstrate relationships and inter-connectivity across other business function activity.

How is SharpCloud solving the problem?

We now have harmonization across the portfolio lifecycle via a single simplified method, improving transparency and efficiency. SharpCloud is providing a reliable real-time mechanism to assess current portfolio performance.

Now we have a living product roadmap which is always up to date and accurate with global online 24/7 access anytime, anywhere.

With view-only access, anyone within the organization can access our roadmap.

Are you using SharpCloud alongside other software?

Other than linking documents via O365 subscriptions, we are not currently using SharpCloud in conjunction with other tools, but we are exploring how we can use JIRA to automate the creation of our software platform roadmaps, with minimum human intervention – moreover, we are hoping that, as we explore the growing capabilities of SharpCloud, that we are able to use SharpCloud to translate and present technical data into simplified, non-tech savvy information. Key differentiators that set SharpCloud apart from other tools.

• Easy to get up and running – training is minimal.
• Cost-effective, easy to understand, easy to use, flexible, constantly growing in feature and functionality and a powerful visualization tool.
• SharpCloud brings together in one package, the capability of Microsoft  PowerPoint, visual features of Excel and benefits of SharePoint, without requiring any specialist knowledge.

If you believe in the mantra "a picture says a thousand words", then SharpCloud is the tool for you.

What are the benefits of using SharpCloud, to you personally, and to your organization?

Personally SharpCloud has been a great tool to work with – whenever I am now faced with large or complex data sets, I simply push the data into SharpCloud and perform all the slicing and dicing I require to get value-add, from what would otherwise be a screen of text – visual capability makes life easier.

Previously I was coding my own online portals, involving html and image mapping, but with SharpCloud I can now produce an equivalent portal in SharpCloud, in next to no time. The introduction of annotations/widgets in early 2019 delivered a step change in capability – I look forward to seeing additional features and functions which provide as much benefit.

The more I use SharpCloud, the more I see its benefit – during the whole time I've been using it, I have never had a situation where I’ve not been able to create the visualization I’ve needed to – it's a very powerful tool.

Quantifiable Results

Are you seeing any quantifiable results from using SharpCloud?

Improved internal collaboration – for example, product managers are often consulted in relation to product lifecycle information – SharpCloud now negates that discussion, it just happens naturally within the tool.

SharpCloud has been used successfully to manage a number of local and remote workshops, and has proved invaluable – as we migrate to a more digitized working-environment, we will no longer need sticky notes and white boards, or for everyone to be located in the same room, building or country.

What value is SharpCloud bringing to your organization?

• Informed decision making
• Improved cross-functional collaboration
• Clear, easily accessible, up-to-date, product lifecycle data
• Great workshop collaboration tool