Modernising Project Portfolio Management at Linfox

Background

Linfox is Asia Pacific’s largest privately owned logistics company, operating transport and warehousing networks across multiple countries. With a mature PMO and a broad portfolio of operational and technology initiatives, clear governance and coordination are critical.

The upcoming retirement of Microsoft Project Online created a defined transition point for Linfox to confirm and implement its future project portfolio management (PPM) platform.

The Challenge

The retirement of Microsoft Project Online required Linfox to transition to a modern, supported PPM solution. 

Linfox initially completed substantial preparatory work. This included establishing governance and approval workflows, defining portfolio and plan structures, developing a migration approach for both active and historical projects, and assessing how any new platform would integrate with Microsoft Project Desktop.

The challenge was to:

• Confirm platform suitability against established requirements 
• Transition from Project Online without disrupting in-flight delivery 
• Retain control of governance, workflows, and future configuration 

Through their market research, Linfox short-listed OnePlan as a target solution. A proof-of-concept approach was used to validate platform suitability before proceeding to full implementation.

The Approach

Exco Partners supported Linfox through platform validation, implementation activities, and early use of OnePlan, with the engagement focused on configuration support, platform guidance, and ongoing advisory input.

The engagement included:

• Discovery and alignment workshop 
• Configuration of existing governance and workflow structures within OnePlan 
• Support for proof-of-concept activities 
• Guidance through implementation and transition 
• Ongoing advisory input on governance, integration, and configuration decisions 

The engagement was structured to support informed decision-making while enabling Linfox to retain ownership of its PPM design and roadmap.

The Solution

OnePlan was implemented as Linfox’s PPM platform, aligned to its existing governance framework and planning model.

The implementation included:

• Workflows aligned to established lifecycle and approval processes 
• Integration with Microsoft Project Desktop to support scheduling 
• Portfolio and plan structures consistent with existing governance 
• Migration of active and historical projects using an internally defined approach 

The platform now provides a consistent operating environment for both end users and administrators.

The Results

OnePlan is now in place as Linfox’s PPM platform, replacing Microsoft Project Online.

Outcomes include:

• A supported platform aligned to the Microsoft ecosystem 
• A consistent interface for project teams and administrators 
• Alignment between tooling and established governance 
• Internal capability to manage configuration changes over time 

Looking Ahead

Linfox continues to evolve its use of OnePlan, with current focus areas including:

• Financial management and related integrations 
• Portfolio-level oversight and reporting 
• Potential integration with tools such as Jira to improve visibility of minor works 

Exco Partners continues to support Linfox as required, providing advisory input as the organisation manages the ongoing evolution of its OnePlan environment.

“OnePlan is a robust tool with a good user experience for both end users and administrators. The proof of concept was valuable, and Exco Partners were with us throughout implementation. Post implementation, we value Exco’ Partners role as a sounding board as we take control of the product roadmap and continue to evolve the platform.”