Project Management Office – Grid Integration of Electromobility
VISPIRON SYSTEMS coordinates and manages a research consortium of companies from various industries in this project. We support the project management at an OEM in the development and piloting of energy services. The crucial interface here is between the electric vehicle and the energy industry in a funded research project. The rollout of electromobility and the growing share of renewable energies present significant challenges to the existing energy grid. However, the combination of the mobility and energy sectors offers great potential to successfully overcome these challenges.
1. Initial Situation - Structuring the Project
The goal of the research project is to design the integration of electric vehicles into energy markets under real automotive and energy industry requirements. To achieve this goal, a multitude of stakeholders must be involved in the project to consider all the real-world conditions of the different industries and the relevant players. At the beginning of such an endeavor, however, the project scope and the concrete approach are unclear. While there is usually an initial idea regarding the overall budget to be used, the structuring into work packages is still completely open. A total timeframe is envisioned for the project, but a concrete schedule is lacking.
2. Challenge - Changing Requirements
In a cross-industry consortium involving numerous stakeholders, it is necessary to integrate diverse working methods (e.g., from industry vs. research vs. authorities). Throughout the project, changing requirements for various control variables, such as the level of detail in controlling, scheduling, etc., must be incorporated. Additionally, the impacts of unplanned management measures due to external influences (in this case, cost savings due to the COVID-19 pandemic) need to be continuously assessed and operationally implemented in the project planning.
3. Approach - PMO
As the Project Management Office (PMO) in a funded project, we provide the necessary support to the client in defining the project mandate, including budget and schedule planning, as well as in forming and establishing a research consortium and creating a joint funding application. In this project, the necessary project structures were established both internally within the consortium leader’s organization and within the consortium itself, and documented in a comprehensive project handbook. Additionally, the necessary processes for managing all project participants were created.
A central task in people change management was the alignment of cross-industry stakeholders. The most modern collaboration tools and methods were employed and continuously adapted to the specific requirements of project execution. Continuous risk and change management, controlling, and the documentation and communication of results throughout the project rounded out the service package provided by VISPIRON SYSTEMS as the PMO for funded projects.
4. Conclusion - Successful Project Launch
Thanks to the proven practical approach, a successful project launch, including a grant approval in the expected and budgeted amount, was achieved following the conclusion of a consortium agreement with seven companies from industry and research. The professional and, above all, the friendly and harmonious interaction among all project participants enabled comprehensive commitment to the overall schedule, which was reported with its respective deliverables in weekly status meetings. This was operationally ensured through the innovative use of tools, such as those for visualizing schedules, and collaboration platforms (Confluence/JIRA).
