The COGEP group brings together 14 business areas of expertise under the same entity and spread across France. Cogep, as the 8th French law firm, supports companies on a daily basis in the development and deployment of their activities as well as in the defense of their interests.
Ludovic LAJOIE, Chief Information and Organization Officer of the Cogep group, talks about his user experience as well as that of 15 of his collaborators who are now users of our Gouti project management solution.
“As CIO, I am now responsible for Cogep’s IT department, which is made up of around forty collaborators. 15 of them with a project manager cap work alongside me on Gouti.
We manage all the projects there, whether directly or indirectly related to IT tools that have a technological component. Our projects are therefore mainly oriented towards the management or implementation of tools. This can vary between moving one of our sites, integrating a software solution or even migrating existing applications.
Other projects may concern trades but always with a software connotation such as the implementation of a Human Resources Information System Management (HRIS). Business users on the Human Resources department side can easily, through Gouti, follow the progress of projects during their implementation with read-only rights. »
“We were looking for project management software mainly to structure “project” data. Before my arrival in the Cogep group, project management was practiced on several different solutions or via Excel. In order to standardize the project processes, I wanted to integrate a structured approach in the way we manage our projects. The goal was to have a portfolio of projects in one place and Gouti met this need. »
“I did not make any exploratory approaches to tools. I already knew the solution and had already discussed with Christian Gutekunst at the beginning of the creation of Gouti. I completely adhered to the structured project management approach that applies in the tool. Having used the free version for several years before joining Cogep, it was natural for me to work with Gouti in the Enterprise version. Having arrived in an environment with junior project managers, it was important for me to find an easy-to-understand tool where employees can both build skills in project management and also on the tool. »
“I have always looked for tools to materialize the project methodology during my past experiences. I immediately adhered to the approach and the simplicity of the tool, which remains very powerful. Its pragmatic and educational aspect, particularly through online help, makes the difference. »
“The first benefit I will mention is the centralization of information. There is a certain standardization in the tool, particularly through reports such as the Flash report or through the project charter. I frequently use these reports which standardize the management and completely meet the needs.
The tool's methodology brings true global consistency to our project management and standardizes project processes for project managers.
The second benefit is based on the fact that the solution is immediately affordable to junior project managers who are new to project management. This is really the added value of the tool. »
“I really appreciate the summary view of the projects with the different KPI type indicators. The tables are visually simple, however they display all the information you need. Gouti is not a gas factory, it is a tool that aims for efficiency.
I mainly use reports and Macro-planning. This brings real added value, especially with this notion of personalization: you can adjust it according to what you want to present and the project in question. »
“Gouti being in SAAS, the implementation was immediate. As far as the handling of the teams is concerned, it was done in a few days. I formed a first group of collaborators, having a manager profile and being the most experienced in project management, in the method and in the solution.
I organize daily project reviews which serve to qualify the portfolio, arbitrate the projects and also share the team's practices on Gouti. At Cogep, there is therefore a form of continuous training in the tool. We discuss our subject of managing our projects through Gouti which allows us to train ourselves internally.
As the teams have acquired more and more maturity on project management, we are currently trying to capitalize on new topics such as project models. We have very heterogeneous projects which complicates the definition of a common core to the project to characterize a model. Now that the project methodology is better mastered, we are starting to use more of Gouti's features to draw all its power. »
“The feedback from the team has been very positive. The tool is easy to use. The teams appreciate the fact that everything is standardized. Thus they work with the same types of reports and have standardized documents, which creates a certain form of unity.
Gouti also means less stress for the teams. The project approach being structured, they are more reassured and follow the Gouti guide to create and monitor their projects. They also find a certain interest in the charter which allows them in particular to qualify their projects and make them concrete. When we write the charter, we then enter into a real project process. »
“The CG Project Management team is very responsive. Proximity to customers is a real plus. Our needs are listened to. I can tell you as an example of the import/export of the list of actions which was for us a necessary functionality for our project management. CG Project Management understood our need and implemented this feature in Gouti.
I myself had the opportunity to discuss with Christian Gutekunst, director of CG Project Management, about possible new features or other suggestions for features that have always been well received. »
I would say "Simplicity, efficiency and pedagogy"
Jade LEJUEZ, April 6th 2022
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