My contribution
- Delivered configuration changes including business case forms, labor types, and quality checks.
- Supported work-order creation, budget-load integration, and business case gate workflows.
- Built and prioritized a reporting backlog and Power BI visualization needs.
- Guided an inexperienced team through Agile training and backlog grooming while collaborating with vendor consultants.
Outcome
Improved business case accountability, increased investment roadmap visibility, and helped establish OPPM as a single source of truth; vendor feedback cited the team as one of the strongest Agile teams they had worked with.
Overview
The Digital OPPM Investment project enhanced the functionality of Ameren’s Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management (OPPM) system used by all Digital teams. The work spanned configuration changes, new integrations (Work Order creation and budget load), and a business case gate workflow—supporting Integrated Long-Term Planning, PMO, VMO, and Financial Services. A new Agile team was formed, trained, and built a strong delivery cadence with a transparent backlog.
Vendor feedback: our Agile practices and outcomes were strong enough that the vendor asked to replicate the approach on future collaborations.
At a Glance
- Teams: Integrated Long-Term Planning, PMO, VMO, Financial Services
- Partners: Ameren Digital, consultants, and vendor team
- Milestones: OPPM Configuration • Work Order + UIP Integration • Gate Workflow
- Scope: Forms, validations, integrations, workflow, and reporting backlog
Scale
- Single source of truth for capital investment details in OPPM
- Integrations with Power Plan & UIP for Work Orders and budget loads
- Backlog of Power BI visualizations/reports for leadership and teams
Objectives
- Increase awareness and accountability in the Business Case & Planning process
- Strengthen decision-making with standardized, auditable Business Cases (PMOG & Audit standards)
- Make Digital Business Cases and 5-year roadmaps visible and accessible to stakeholders
- Establish OPPM as the single source of truth for capital investment information
- Deepen Business Partner relationships through transparency and predictable delivery
What Changed
- Forms & Validations: reconfigured Business Case forms; quality checks for completeness
- Integrations: Work Order creation/updates into Power Plan & UIP; automated budget upload
- Workflow: Gate approvals for Business Cases, yearly budgets, emerging demand, and charters
- Reporting: curated backlog of Power BI reports/visuals based on standardized data
Timeline
- • Project kickoff — Jan 2, 2022
- • Agile ramp (training, backlog establishment) — Jan–Feb 2022
- • Milestone 1: OPPM Configuration Changes — Spring 2022
- • Milestone 2: Work Order Creation & UIP Integration — Summer–Fall 2022
- • Milestone 3: Business Case Gate Workflow — Fall 2022
- • Completion — Dec 23, 2022
Milestones & Deliverables
1) OPPM Configuration
- Updated Business Case forms for relevance and detail
- New Digital Labor Types aligned to org structure
- Quality/validation checks for completeness
- Backlog for Power BI visualizations/reports
2) Work Orders & UIP
- Form updates for Work Order/Budget Load/UIP workflows
- Integrations to create/update Work Orders in Power Plan & UIP
- Automations for Budget Upload from OPPM to UIP
3) Gate Workflow
- Workflow for approvals, yearly budgets, emerging demand, and charters
- Backlog of Power BI reports & visualizations
- Scorecard updates to feed new/updated reporting
Results
- Greater transparency and accountability in planning and investment decisions
- Faster, auditable approvals through standardized gate workflow
- Automated Work Orders and budget loads reduced manual effort and errors
- OPPM affirmed as the single source of truth for capital investments
- Stakeholders gained visibility via a curated Power BI reporting backlog