Carnegie Mellon Finds Project Management Partner in TeamDynamixHE

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - May 6, 2009) - In an effort to facilitate IT project management across its central IT organization, Computing Services, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has deployed TeamDynamixHE, a leading Web-based project and portfolio management (PPM) solution for the higher education market. CMU is a renowned private research institution in Pittsburgh, Pa. that serves more than 5,700 undergraduate students and more than 4,600 graduate students. Currently, more than 70 members of the school's IT staff are using TeamDynamixHE to create and manage IT projects and requests for support.

Prior to TeamDynamixHE, Computing Services used a homegrown product that served as a central repository for project requests. The database was cumbersome, difficult to access, and limited in its capabilities. To facilitate project planning, team collaboration and project visibility, the division issued a broad request for proposal (RFP) for a new PPM solution.

"We sent an RFP to most of the PPM players listed on Gartner's Magic Quadrant, and then on a whim, I typed in education project management in Google and found TeamDynamixHE," commented Clay Fulton, PPM project lead at CMU. "We assembled an evaluation team from across central IT to review the solution providers' responses, and we narrowed the field down to five. Following webinars from each of the five companies, our team narrowed the providers down to two finalists, including TeamDynamixHE. Ultimately, we selected TeamDynamixHE for its capabilities, user interface, and focus on the higher education market, and because we felt good about working with the company as a partner. Our market is unique, and it takes a company that understands higher education to really appreciate the differences between the corporate world and ours."

TeamDynamixHE provides CMU with a single tool to manage projects, analyze project performance and communicate easily with project team members. The solution's Web-based dashboards provide CMU's staff with a straightforward, graphical display of current tasks and projects, as well as a means for team members to collaborate and securely share information. As the organization matures, TeamDynamixHE will provide CMU's IT leadership team with the capabilities to conduct risk analysis and scorecard rankings to help improve prioritization and visibility.

"The fact that we were selected over the companies identified as leaders in the PPM space speaks volumes about our team, technology and level of service to Higher Education," said Andrew Graf, lead analyst for TeamDynamixHE. "Oftentimes in higher education, projects are not managed with consistent tools, processes or visibility into the big picture, and as things come up, people simply deal with them. While that has worked to some degree, when resources are scarce as they are today across higher education, you need a method plan to prioritize projects and determine what resources are needed to move forward. Carnegie Mellon recognized that need, and now it has a targeted solution that will help them prioritize work, track projects, generate meaningful reports, and help central IT keep an ever-watchful eye on the financial aspects of IT projects."

To assist CMU in the deployment of TeamDynamixHE applications, TeamDynamixHE developed a tailored implementation plan using its Higher Education-specific Project Environment Maturity Model (PEMM). The PEMM approach fully considers the institution's cultural, technical and process maturity levels in order to retrofit an implementation plan that will be successful. PEMM® also provides CMU's project management office leadership team with a simple, visual strategic plan to help them build support internally, quickly deliver value and consistently mature.

Graf added, "With the PEMM approach, we were able to quantify a current state and desired end state, with measurable and achievable steps to help the project environment continually mature. That maturity delivers lower costs and improved results for all stakeholders."

About TeamDynamixHE

TeamDynamixHE is the leading provider of Web-based project and portfolio management (PPM) solutions for the higher education market. The company's suite of project tracking, reporting and portfolio management software provides the work tools and environment necessary for successful project management and delivery, in addition to project portfolio management and planning, IT governance, resource management, help desk ticketing, time and expense tracking and knowledge management. TeamDynamixHE is currently used by a number of leading colleges and universities, including Syracuse University, Carnegie Mellon University, The Ohio State University and Franklin University. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit www.teamdynamixhe.com.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Kevin Wilson 513-898-1008