Steinbach Credit Union wows ’em

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/02/2010 (5812 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Who says you can’t beat Big Brother?

Steinbach Credit Union beat out seven other contenders for top honours Tuesday at the Project Management Institute (PMI) of Manitoba’s 2010 Project of the Year awards. The other contenders included such government heavyweights as the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba Health, Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs, Manitoba Public Insurance and the Manitoba Lotteries Corp.

SCU, which is Manitoba’s largest credit union, was honoured for a one-year project that involved converting to a new electronic retail banking system for its three Manitoba branches.

If the PMI award was for the most high-profile project, or the one that had the biggest impact on Manitobans, MPI might have had the inside track with its Manitoba Identification Card project. Or the city might have come out on top with its 311 Contact Centre project.

But the award is for projects that achieved superior performance and used progressive management practices. Among the criteria the four judges considered were whether a project met or exceeded the owner’s needs, was completed on time and on budget, and if it involved an original or innovative application of project management techniques.

This year’s runner-up was National Leasing Group & Online Business Systems for a new technology system that integrates the data and business processes of National Leasing and a Toronto-based bank so they can jointly manage an equipment lease and loan portfolio.

Jennifer Mullen-Berube, SCU’s vice-president of corporate development and manager of its retail-banking project, said it was the most complex conversion project she has worked on because it involved the integration of so many different systems, including SCU’s Internet and telephone-banking systems, its accounting and reporting systems and its loans system.

"It affects everything," she said, adding there also wasn’t a single employee or member who was not touched by the changeover, completed in November.

The new retail-banking system was needed so the credit union could offer a broader range of products and services. For example, before the end of the second quarter, it will be offering its members mobile banking, where they can get their account balance via a text message. They’ll also be able to receive their bank statements electronically.

"Our old system didn’t allow us to offer those things," she said. "And there are many more (new services) on the way down the pipe."

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca

 

 They were close, but no cigar

Here are the other six projects that were in the running for the Project of the Year award:

Manitoba Lotteries Corp. — For a new bingo gaming system that enables casino-goers to play video slot games and bingo at the same time.

City of Winnipeg — For its new 311 Contact Centre, which Winnipeggers can call for information about city programs and services.

St. Boniface General Hospital, Manitoba Health, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Manitoba eHealth — For a new electronic system that doctors and nurses can use to record the ordering and administering of medications for patients at St. Boniface General Hospital.

Protegra — For developing a new Internet-based job-referral system for the Manitoba government that enables job-seekers to register online for work on construction projects within the province.

Manitoba Public Insurance — For its new enhanced identification-card and driver’s licence program.

Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs — For its new ServiceLink program, which makes it easier for Manitobans to obtain information about the services the department offers.

— Source: Project Management Institute of Manitoba