Client Snapshot
The City of Canada Bay is a Sydney metropolitan council, responsible for delivering infrastructure, services, and community programs to more than 95,000 residents. With an annual capital works portfolio exceeding $100 million, the council required stronger governance and oversight to ensure its investments delivered value and long-term community benefit.
The Challenge
Before engaging Innover Solutions, the council had no formal Project Management Office (PMO). Project oversight was fragmented, with teams relying on a patchwork of spreadsheets for tracking, financials, risks, and reporting. This approach led to duplication, data integrity issues, and reactive problem-solving rather than proactive planning.
Key Barriers
- Lack of standardised governance No consistent project management framework, reporting cadence, or risk processes
- Inefficient and error-prone tracking Disconnected spreadsheets caused frequent data issues and wasted effort
- Limited portfolio visibility leadership lacked accurate, real-time insights into projects, financials, and risks
- Reactive issue management Risks and bottlenecks escalated before being identified
- Underutilisation of technology No fit-for-purpose Project Portfolio Management (PPM) solution to support efficiency and oversight
Our Approach
Innover Solutions partnered with the City of Canada Bay to establish a dedicated PMO and implement an enterprise-grade PPM system. Together, these provided the structure, governance, and tools needed to manage a large and complex capital works portfolio with confidence
- PMO Establishment – designed and set up a formal Project Management Office to act as a central function for governance, reporting, and oversight
- Framework Development – created consistent project methodologies, reporting cadences, and risk processes to drive accountability and alignment
- PPM System Implementation – replaced spreadsheets with an integrated platform for project tracking, financials, risks, and reporting
- Process Optimisation – streamlined approvals, governance reporting, and risk management through standardised workflows
- Change Management & Upskilling – trained and mentored staff to embed capability and ensure adoption of new tools and processes
- Strategic Roadmap – developed a multi-year plan for continuous system enhancements and PMO maturity growth
The Outcome
The engagement delivered a fundamental uplift in governance, capability, and efficiency:
- Established a dedicated PMO with clear accountability and governance structures.
- 40% reduction in manual administration, freeing staff to focus on project delivery and strategic oversight
- Enhanced visibility across its $100M capital works portfolio, allowing leadership to identify risks early, allocate resources effectively, and make informed decisions.
- Shift from reactive to proactive risk management, empowering teams to address potential issues before they escalated.
- Improved governance and process efficiency, reducing approval delays and ensuring consistency across projects.
The Project Management Office has continued to elevate its value to Council under the leadership of its current Head of PMO, strengthening delivery capability and ensuring the foundations laid during the engagement continue to generate benefits.
Innover Solutions has been transformative for council’s project management approach and capability. From the onset, their primary concern was to deliver a service tailored to our business needs, project management maturity level, and the legislative requirements councils are bound by.
The approach from the Innover team has always been to listen, understand, and put forward solid options based on great insights and industry expertise. The support has been second to none, and our council has benefited enormously from our project management journey with Innover.
Ivette Delgado
Program Officer – PMO
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