Maximising value with Sensei: reflecting on Life Without Barriers’ Multi-year project Management journey
Life Without Barriers, a distinguished provider of social support services headquartered in Newcastle, New South Wales, has maintained a longstanding partnership with Sensei, making them one of Sensei’s most enduring clients. Their journey has witnessed the transformation
of their Portfolio and Project Management solutions from early versions into a comprehensive project and portfolio management tool that caters to a diverse range of users. In this reflection, we explore the evolution of Life Without Barriers’ project management practices and the instrumental role played by Sensei, and the Altus solution in advancing their capabilities.
Life Without Barriers: pioneers of social support services
Life Without Barriers (LWB) has been a steadfast advocate or social inclusion, providing services such as Foster Care, Disability Support, and Aged Care to empower individuals to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities. For over 25 years, LWB has consistently challenged conventional norms, continually striving to enhance the quality of life for every Australian in need.
From humble beginnings to a transformative partnership
In its early stages, LWB recognised the need for more robust project management tools as it undertook around 30 projects annually, predominantly utilising basic software like spreadsheets. This quest for enhanced project management capabilities led LWB to Sensei, which initially presented the Jumpstart solution in the early 2010s. Since that time, Sensei has evolved its solution offerings alongside technology innovations and LWB has embraced this journey to ensure its project management needs continue to be met in the best way possible. Over time, Jumpstart gave way to Empower PPM which progressed to Sensei IQ. Then, with the advent of the powerful, flexible and low code Microsoft Power Platform, Altus was created and LWB has embraced the move to this latest solution.
Monica Geraghty, Manager PMO at LWB, affirms that the association with Sensei has endured for an extended period. “When we initially engaged with Sensei, we operated a centralised Project Management Office managing an array of enterprise and business projects.
Our team consisted of individuals with diverse roles, including qualified project managers, business analysts, and project associates. These stakeholders collectively required a tool that would bring clarity to their projects and maintain a comprehensive record of their progress,” she explains.
Navigating transition and evolution
The landscape of project management has witnessed a notable transformation at Life Without Barriers, where more individuals across the organisation have taken on significant initiatives, often without formal project management training but with the need to run projects effectively and transparently using consistent processes. Consequently, the project management platform has needed to adapt to accommodate this shift and support the full range of project management maturity across the organisation. Sensei’s deployment of the project and portfolio management solution, Altus, reflects this evolving dynamic.
The primary focus of the Altus platform is on delivering a consistent and user-friendly experience to team members and managers at all levels. The overarching objective revolves around connecting individuals to tasks, creating a consistent framework for project management and providing an organisation-wide view of all projects in progress, while providing the flexibility of allowing teams to work in a manner that accommodates the preferences of both professional and informal project managers.
“When we initially engaged with Sensei, we operated a centralised Project Management Office managing an array of enterprise and business projects. Our team consisted of individuals with diverse roles, including qualified project managers, business analysts, and project associates. These stakeholders collectively required a tool that would bring clarity to their projects and maintain a comprehensive record of their progress.”
Monica Geraghty, Manager PMO, Life Without Barriers
Empowering users and achieving consistency
Life Without Barriers’ widespread usage of Altus becomes evident as Matthew Rickard, Project Management Analyst, reveals that they currently manage over 757 projects in the Altus solutions, supported by 193 named users. Users have significantly benefited from the periodic upgrades to the PPM solution, with new features and tools enhancing their project management capabilities. Rickard points
out, “We seamlessly transitioned to a newer version to leverage scheduling tools, which proved highly advantageous to our users.”
With each upgrade, the user experience has remained largely consistent, as Sensei retains the complexity behind the scenes while introducing interface improvements. Rickard expresses his admiration for the most recent Altus version, which offers a self-paced training component covering project management details and technical instructions for tasks and risk management. “These enhancements serve as a valuable resource for users, enabling them to address their queries independently. This, in turn, allows our technical resources to focus on more complex issues,” he emphasises.
Moreover, the integration of collaborative features, such as Microsoft Teams, has been met with enthusiasm, particularly as flexible working arrangements gain prominence. “The inclusion of Teams has generated excitement as we adapt to a more flexible work environment,” Rickard notes.
He also highlights the critical importance of security in the software, especially considering the varying levels of confidentiality associated with different users. He remarks, “Ensuring the security of users’ work is paramount, as some users handle highly confidential content.”
“It sets an expectation, not only for the IT department, but also from the users. They like seeing development, they like getting new features which help get the job done better, simpler and quicker. And everyone likes seeing improvement, particularly when they feel supported.”
Monica Geraghty, Manager PMO, Life Without Barriers
Embracing the Change
Geraghty acknowledges the challenges that accompany transitions between software platforms, stating, “Transitioning from one version to another can be a complex undertaking, and this is where Sensei’s Delivery and Client Care teams prove invaluable.” The Client Care team, comprised of support experts, is instrumental in safeguarding and enhancing the investment in human resources, processes, and the Sensei
technology platform. “From an IT perspective, we have had to gain a deep understanding of the platform’s functionality, comprehend model-driven applications, and dissect the intricacies of how Altus operates in the background,” she elaborates. This technical proficiency significantly contributes to the seamless deployment and management of the tool. “Sensei provides a well-documented game plan, comprehensive technical resources, and easily accessible direct support,” Geraghty adds.
Ongoing Enhancements and Support
“Transitioning from one version to another can be a complex undertaking, and this is where Sensei’s Delivery and Client Care teams prove invaluable.”
Monica Geraghty, Manager PMO, Life Without Barriers
Geraghty says upgrades and versioning becomes easier with Altus’ fortnightly release cadence. “It sets an expectation, not only for the IT department, but also from the users. They like seeing development, they like getting new features which help get the job done better, simpler and quicker. And everyone likes seeing improvement, particularly when they feel supported.”
In conclusion, both Geraghty and Rickard offer valuable insights for optimising the use of Sensei’s PPM solutions. Attending sessions and Sensei webinars on a regular basis is recommended, as it keeps users informed about forthcoming changes and developments in the software, related technology, and the field of project management. This ongoing engagement enables users to align their project management strategies with emerging trends and fosters a strong, collaborative relationship with Sensei, ultimately resulting in enhanced operational outcomes and confidence in the work they are delivering. In addition, support is always at hand with a dedicated Account Manager providing regular check-ins and updates.
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