Bernard Interiors: Implementing a Scalable PMO with Smartsheet

The Client

Bernard Interiors

Bernard Interiors is a UK-based organisation establishing a formal Project Management Office (PMO) to improve oversight and control of its growing portfolio of initiatives. The organisation manages multiple concurrent projects across departments and required a centralised platform to support governance, reporting, and standardised delivery practices.

Prior to the engagement, project tracking was largely decentralised. Individual teams used spreadsheets and local tools, which resulted in inconsistent reporting, limited transparency, and difficulty providing reliable updates to senior leadership.

The Challenge

As the number and complexity of projects increased, the organisation faced several operational challenges:

  • No single source of truth for project data

  • Inconsistent project reporting across departments

  • Limited visibility of risks, issues, and dependencies

  • Manual effort required to compile executive reports

  • Lack of structured project intake and approval processes

  • Difficulty understanding resource capacity and project prioritisation

Senior stakeholders were unable to obtain reliable portfolio-level insights, and project managers were spending significant time preparing status updates instead of managing delivery.

The organisation selected Smartsheet as the preferred platform and reached out to Prodactive to design and implement a scalable PMO solution aligned with best-practice governance.

The Solution

The client engaged Prodactive to design and deploy a structured PMO operating model using Smartsheet.

The implementation began with discovery workshops to understand project lifecycle requirements, governance expectations, and reporting needs. Based on this, a standardised delivery framework was developed and configured within Smartsheet.

Key elements of the solution included:

PMO Framework Design

  • Defined project lifecycle stages (intake, approval, delivery, closure)

  • Standard project templates and documentation

  • RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) tracking

  • Change control processes

Centralised Project Intake

  • Online request forms for new initiatives

  • Automated approval workflows

  • Project prioritisation and categorisation

Portfolio Management

  • Central portfolio register

  • Programme and project hierarchy

  • Standardised project metadata

  • Automated roll-up reporting

Dashboards and Reporting

  • Executive dashboards with real-time project status

  • Automated monthly reporting packs

  • Visual indicators for health, risk, and schedule performance

Automation and Governance

  • Workflow notifications and reminders

  • Permissions model aligned to roles

  • Auditability and version control

  • Standardised reporting cadence

The solution was designed to scale as adoption increased and to support both project managers and senior leadership.

The Outcome

Following implementation, the organisation established a functioning PMO supported by a single, centralised Smartsheet environment.

Key outcomes included:

  • A single source of truth for all project information

  • Consistent reporting across all departments

  • Real-time visibility of project status and risks

  • Significant reduction in manual reporting effort

  • Faster decision-making by leadership

  • Improved project governance and accountability

  • Better prioritisation of initiatives

  • Increased adoption of standard delivery practices

Executive stakeholders gained immediate portfolio insight through live dashboards, while project managers were able to focus more on managing delivery rather than administrative reporting.

The Smartsheet-based PMO platform provided a scalable foundation for future growth, enabling the organisation to manage an expanding portfolio of projects with improved confidence, transparency, and control.

The solution Prodactive has built for us is a total game-changer. We engaged with them for their PPM expertise and their template set has given us a consistent framework with which to manage our projects. What’s really lifted it to another level though, is the financial forecasting add-ons that Phil built for us, which utilise data from the main template, along with bespoke templates derived from our Excel originals. The amount of time it was taking us to pull together our cashflow forecasts in Excel was unsustainable and impinging on our ability to focus on business growth. Prodactive has provided us with the tool set necessary to get our data working for us, reducing wasted activity and allowing us to focus on adding value, yielding a measurable financial benefit to the organisation. 

Oliver Holmes, Operations Director

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What They Say

I reached out to Prodactive to fix a broken PowerBI dashboard. Nicole Codispoti worked with me to understand the underlying issues and our requirements. She explained what wasn’t working and offered a solution that would create a more user-friendly dashboard in the short term. Nicole is a clear expert on PowerBI and rebuilt our dashboard quickly and efficiently. She made everything she worked on just a little bit better without being asked. That kind of proactivity is difficult to come by and greatly appreciated. Nicole also went out of her way to deliver our product on a tight deadline despite a busy travel schedule. We really appreciate Prodactive’s quick turnaround, and we will be reaching out to them about creating an even better long-term solution.
Elizabeth SkepsSecurity Director, Latin America, Warner Bros. Discovery
Elizabeth Skeps
I really enjoyed working with Prodactive on this solution. Their PPM expertise was evident from the start and they showed great flexibility in adapting their standard solution to support the unique aspects of what we do, without compromising on good project management practice
Shaf ChaturBusiness Process Manager, Elements Green
Shaf Chatur
Thanks to Prodactive and Smartsheet, projects have never been more organised. Our scientists can look at time plans and spot dependencies across departments, enabling them to plan and allocate resources more efficiently.
Gundeep Singh & Inês BarbosaHead of Project Management & Head of Portfolio Management, RxCelerate
Gundeep Singh & Inês Barbosa
Rich Coles supported us not just as an implementation partner but also as a consultant, an advisor in driving us through the capability of the tool offering solutions with best practices.
Anupreet MalhotraIT Program Director, Acuity Analytics
Anupreet Malhotra
Not only do you get a Smartsheet wizard that is able to turn ideas into sound solutions, but you get a strategic partner that challenges you with over 25 years of PPM and Pharma experiences
Abdullah AlmiqsabiSenior Manager, Corporate Planning, Genmab
Abdullah Almiqsabi
Prodactive has been an invaluable partner in our Smartsheet journey. Their expertise and templates helped us rapidly design and deploy a global Program Management Control Center that standardizes our processes, unifies data, and accelerates delivery across Infosys. The automations, dashboards, and portfolio-level visibility enabled through the solution continue to impress both our teams and our clients, reinforcing confidence in our program delivery model. Prodactive’s ongoing support has been instrumental in maximizing the power of Smartsheet across our enterprise.
Charles "Chuck" PrudenteGlobal PMCC Lead, Project Management Center of Excellence, Infosys.
Charles "Chuck" Prudente
I consider myself to be an advanced Smartsheet user but after only two hours with Rich, I already felt I had my money's worth for Prodactive’s 10 hour support package.
David WattsDivisional SHEQ Manager, Epwin Group
David Watts
Phil and the Prodactive team optimised Smartsheet Control Centre for our joinery jobs, enhancing efficiency and visibility. Their dedication and responsiveness ensured a customised solution aligned with our business needs.
Chloe March BrownOperations Manager, Forest Joinery
Chloe March Brown
Working with Rich and Prodactive was a pleasure and I would highly recommend his services to anyone interested in utilising the Smartsheet platform
Greg BaileyManagement Accountant, Logistica
Greg Bailey
Prodactive was very flexible with our requirements and quick to respond with changes and user feedback. Smartsheet is a game changer for efficiency and work transparency.
Angela LekkouSenior Project Manager, Sani/Ikos
Angela Lekkou
Gong cha has Master Franchisees around the world and this has really helped me to streamline my processes, save so much time for everyone involved and provide instant updates 24/7
Ahmet BaristiranFormerly Global Transformation Director, Gong Cha
Ahmet Baristiran
The solution Prodactive has built for us is a total game-changer. We engaged with them for their PPM expertise and their template set has given us a consistent framework with which to manage our projects
Oliver HolmesOperations Director, Bernard Interiors
Oliver Holmes
Prodactive were happy to build the solution piece-by-piece and were able to adapt it on the fly as new ideas surfaced. They were also willing to subject it to the exacting level of scrutiny that our own clients put on us
Paul FitzgeraldManaging Director & Founder, Hawksmoor Construction
Paul Fitzgerald
I highly recommend Prodactive to develop your Smartsheet workspace. Rich is incredibly knowledgeable with Smartsheet, Processes, Systems and Project Management
Steve GriesselGroup Chief Executive Officer, Paramount
Steve Griessel
Smartsheet introduced us to Prodactive when we were looking for support with our implementation of Control Center. As a joinery business, each project we engage in requires the design, manufacture, delivery and installation of many items, and Prodactive were quick to understand that this would require a different approach to conventional project scheduling. They built a solution from the ground up that gives us a clear view of the stage each item is at, as well as a broader view of each project as a whole. We are grateful for the support they provided and are now looking for them to extend this solution to give us even greater visibility and control over the manufacturing process.
Paddy O’LoughlinOperations Director, GEM Joinery
Paddy O’Loughlin
When rapid growth pushed our project systems past their limits, we needed expert help fast. After discovering Rich's videos online, I reached out to Prodactive. Rich and his team quickly understood our challenges and delivered tailored Smartsheet solutions that gave us the robust project management framework we needed to scale. The results were immediate; we delivered our critical project on time, which I'm confident wouldn't have happened without their intervention. We're now working with Prodactive to build out our complete operational playbook in Smartsheet. If you're outgrowing your PM systems and need proven expertise to scale effectively, I highly recommend Rich and the Prodactive team.
Lukeman ColeChief Transformation Officer & Founder, Transformious Inc.
Lukeman Cole
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Steven Dearing,
Business Systems Manager at Big Red Construction
Prodactive has been an invaluable partner, enabling Infosys to standardize program management, unify data, and accelerate delivery through a powerful Smartsheet-based PMCC
Charles “Chuck” Prudente
Global PMCC Lead, Project Management Center of Excellence, Infosys
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