Cobblestone Consulting Inc. Launches Project Portfolio and Work Management Solution at Morehouse School of Medicine

Atlanta, GA, June 04, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Cobblestone Consulting Inc., a Certified Partner of EPM Live, announced today, the successful launch of EPM Live’s Enterprise Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software at Morehouse School of Medicine’s (MSM) Division of Information Technology.

“MSM’s Division of Information Technology’s strategic mission was to design, implement and operate a Project Portfolio Management solution that would align strategy to IT work efforts, ensuring the highest priority initiatives were being accomplished and tracked,” said Laurie Bacopoulos, Cobblestone Founder and CEO.

Taking into consideration MSM’s PMO requirements for collaboration, Cobblestone provided MSM with a two-phased solution: 1) Framework which allows their leadership to optimize their portfolio against financial, strategic and risk evaluation criteria 2) Deployment of a higher education project portfolio management solution that will:

- Align planning strategy
- Sort and prioritize human and capital resources
- Manage projects that deliver VALUE
- PMO Design and Development
- IT Governance Model and Training
- Training & Workshops

“The goal was to achieve business value with their initial SharePoint investment and methodical strategic planning to minimize risk and maximize potential benefits,” said Bacopoulos. The result: Cobblestone first deployed their pmToolkits solution for small to medium-sized businesses with pre-installed SharePoint Web applications and templates to choose from. This solution, along with IT Governance processes, met the immediate need of the organization until the plan for an enterprise project and work management solution was in place. As the MSM Information Technology organization matured, Cobblestone, continued to work closely with senior leadership to deploy the second phase solution, EPM Live’s Project and Portfolio and Work Management tool, specifically tailored to meet the challenges and requirements of higher education.

The MSM, Information Technology organization knew they needed to deploy a Project Portfolio Management System (PPM) to address their business challenges but were concerned with introducing too much complexity for their personnel. The organization entrusted Cobblestone Consulting Inc. as their strategic advisor, to select the "right-fit" PPM solution for their organization. PPM tool selection was a critical step to ensure system acceptance and data integrity. EPM Live's PPM tool has the right mix of functionality and ease-of use for the organization.

With the EPM Live PPM solution, the Information Technology organization was able to rapidly develop business-centric dashboard views of their project portfolio with dynamic, real-time reporting, including resource utilization and capacity analytics.

In addition, PPM’s user-friendly timesheets and timesheet compliance reports will allow them to quickly evaluate resource efforts across business units and projects and adjust allocations to meet shifting priorities. Ultimately, MSM will be able to effectively monitor and control project resources and direct key staff efforts to strategic roadmap projects without compromising existing customer project support.

About Morehouse School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), located in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1975 as a two-year Medical Education Program at Morehouse College with clinical training affiliations with several established medical schools for awarding the M.D. degree. In 1981, MSM became an independently chartered institution and the first medical school established at a Historically Black College and University in the 20th century. MSM is among the nation’s leading educators of primary care physicians and was recently recognized as the top institution among U.S. medical schools for our social mission. Their faculty and alumni are noted in their fields for excellence in teaching, research, and public policy, and are known in the community for exceptional, culturally appropriate patient care.

In 2008, MSM ranked number three among the nation’s community-based medical schools in research funding from the National Institutes of Health and among Georgia’s four medical schools, MSM ranks number two. Moreover, Learn More about Morehouse School of Medicine.

About Cobblestone Consulting Inc.
Established in 2001, Cobblestone Consulting Inc. is a business and technology consulting company with over 11 years of excellence in building business solutions on powerful technology platforms and leading customers down the path to “Smart Business.” Cobblestone delivers cutting-edge process and project management solutions through an innovative, creative and collaborative design and approach.
As a certified woman-owned business, Cobblestone Consulting Inc. has earned credentials in project management and a strong Microsoft partnership. An average of 25 years of experience distinguishes Cobblestone's certified and experienced employees, who consistently solve problems for clients with cutting-edge technology solutions. Evolution and unity mark Cobblestone's company motto: INNOVATE. COLLABORATE. SMART BUSINESS.

About EPM Live
EPM Live is the leading work management platform that revolutionizes the way organizations manage projects and work. Based on Microsoft SharePoint, EPM Live is the first platform that extends Project Portfolio Management (PPM) to all areas of the business regardless of work focus. Small to large organizations can apply cost saving disciplines such as delivering projects successfully, optimizing resource utilization, and selecting the right work to all business teams including new product development, IT, services, operations, sales and project management. Visit www.epmlive.com for more information.