Most contract development and manufacturing organisations prioritise customer project management to maintain high standards and ensure flexibility in meeting client requirements. However, the coordination of internal projects is often underestimated, despite its significant impact on customer satisfaction
By Tobias Meder at Richter BioLogics
Richter BioLogics GmbH (RB), a microbial contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has initiated the implementation of a project management office (PMO) dedicated to internal projects. This initiative aims to enhance the effectiveness and outcomes of internal projects.
To support this effort, RB has adapted the success criteria traditionally applied to customer project management for use in internal project governance. This article will address two of them:
- Tools and digitalisation
- Project management (PM) professionals.
There is a key difference between internal projects and customer projects. Internal projects do not generate direct sales and are not managed by a dedicated project management department at RB, but they contribute indirectly to the profit and loss statement by, for example, reducing energy costs, minimising documentation errors or enhancing operational efficiency.
Tools and digitalisation
Effective project planning hinges on seamless coordination with investment, budgeting and capacity planning for the upcoming period. Even the most promising initiative may stall if budget limitations or resource bottlenecks arise.
To mitigate this, each department submits its project requirements, which are then reviewed and prioritised by a central committee. Informed decisions can then be made for endorsement of selected initiatives, considering resource availability and budget. One of the key challenges in this process is the frequent lack of concrete vendor quotes or reliable time estimations based on previous projects. As a result, planning often relies heavily on the experience and intuition of employees who have led similar initiatives. Striking the right balance between detailed planning and pragmatic decision-making is a core competency in project management that ensures planning efforts are proportionate to the expected outcomes and support sound strategic decisions.
To streamline this process, a clear and user-friendly tool for departments to record their project needs is essential. This tool should be a simplified version of the comprehensive project request form.
Components
Questions
Methods
Initial situation
Which processes and structures are affected? What are the strengths and weaknesses?
SWOT
Problem definition
What are the pain points?
Why is the project needed?
5-Why, Ishikawa Diagram, FMEA analysis
Objectives
What is the target situation?
What shall be achieved?
SMART, GAP analysis, Critical to Quality (CtQ)
Scope
What must be part of the project?
What shouldn’t be covered?
MoSCoW
Table 1: Project proposal components and methods
Table 2: Steering need/requirements
*Key criteria: These criteria determine the project category independently of the other criteria. If both categories are assessed differently, the higher project category is determined. The remaining criteria serve only as a supporting indicators.
Project request: the foundation for success of internal projects
A well-structured project request is the cornerstone of successful execution. The following components and methods help define and refine project proposals (Table 1).
This structured approach provides the groundwork for selecting appropriate methods, setting reporting intervals and defining the release process. As project complexity increases, so does the need for governance and strategic oversight. That is why larger projects often require C-level approval due to their broader impact and higher risk.
The complexity/risk category contains the level of change for processes and employees, the criticality of project risk, the number of interfaces and the importance of legal considerations. The cost and expenses category includes all capital and operational expenditures, as well as effort-based calculations requiring hourly rates. Project duration is based on known start and end dates. If these are unavailable, an estimated time frame is used.
The project core team refers to the group of individuals who are directly responsible for planning, executing and delivering the project. This team typically consists of key roles that represent the essential functions needed to drive the project forward. The relevance for the company is assessed based on the criticality of non-execution, strategic importance, potential for efficiency gains and the level of innovation.
The project range depends on the affected areas, not only in terms of involved functions but, more importantly, in relation to the expected outcomes. Table 2 shows possible classifications for projects by these categories.
Digital coordination
RB harnesses the power of a tailor-made solution built on Microsoft Power Platform, precisely crafted to meet its unique business needs. This digital ecosystem empowers teams to drive efficiency, innovation and measurable impact across all internal projects. By integrating project planning and request management into a unified platform, RB ensures real-time visibility into project progress, resource allocation and strategic alignment.
Progress and status tracking are embedded within both, offering a centralised view of deliverables, timelines and responsibilities on high level.
To streamline execution and reduce complexity, internal projects use the same additional system as customer projects, ensuring consistency, transparency and operational excellence across the board. The solution is built around three core modules:
- Timeline and milestones: enables precise scheduling and tracking of key project phases
- Resource usage: provides visibility into available capacity per employee, supporting optimal resource planning
- Planned versus actual working hours: facilitates accurate effort tracking and performance analysis.
This integrated approach not only minimises coordination efforts, but also enhances stakeholder satisfaction by ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within scope and aligned with expectations. Both systems support collaborative decision-making, agile adjustments and data-driven insights, making it a cornerstone of RB’s digital transformation strategy.
“Projects that are managed successfully deliver measurable value by adopting innovative technologies, maintaining smooth and reliable processes, reducing the occurrence of quality issues and promoting strong collaboration across teams.”
L
Project management professionals
Once a project request is approved, the designated project leader takes charge of initiating and steering the project forward. The success of any project is closely tied to the expertise, leadership and capacity of the assigned project leader.
For customer-facing projects, RB typically assigns dedicated full-time project management professionals who bring deep experience and focus exclusively on project execution. In contrast, internal projects are often led by subject matter experts who assume the role of project leader alongside their regular responsibilities. While these individuals bring valuable domain knowledge, they often face two key challenges:
- Limited availability due to competing priorities
- Lack of formal project management training.
To overcome these challenges and ensure consistent project success, RB has implemented a structured and targeted training programme. This initiative equips internal project leaders with essential project management skills, tools and best practices to empower them to lead with confidence and clarity.
With the right qualifications, project leaders can:
- Select appropriate methods tailored to project complexity
- Utilise digital tools for planning, execution and monitoring
- Maintain high transparency through consistent reporting cycles
- Foster stakeholder engagement through clear communication and accountability.
Professionalising internal project leadership improves execution quality and increases stakeholder satisfaction.
Projects that are managed successfully deliver measurable value by adopting innovative technologies, maintaining smooth and reliable processes, reducing the occurrence of quality issues and promoting strong collaboration across teams. RB shows a clear commitment to supporting project leaders, whether they are part of the organisation or external partners, ensuring that every initiative is handled with precision, agility and strategic alignment.
Conclusion
Whether you are managing customer or internal projects, the fundamentals remain the same: clear structure, strategic planning and the right digital tools.
All are essential to meet stakeholder expectations and drive results.
Success factors from customer projects can be effectively applied to internal ones, helping teams stay focused and aligned. Still, internal projects come with unique challenges such as limited team availability and the absence of direct sales impact. These differences call for a smart, value-driven approach to project selection, ensuring resources are invested where they create the most impact.
To unlock the full potential of internal project management, organisations must align teams, streamline decision-making and foster a culture that treats internal projects with the same rigour as customer-facing ones. RB is committed to driving this cultural shift and embedding best practices across all internal initiatives.
Tobias Meder holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Applied Science in Stralsund, Germany. He worked for seven years as business process and lean expert in the automotive and biotechnological business. Now he is responsible for the implementation of internal project management at Richter BioLogics.