ERCOT’s High-Performing PMO Selects PM Solutions as PMaaS Partner to Support Grid Reliability and Modernization Initiatives
Industry:
Utilities
Services Provided:
Project Management as a Service (PMaaS); Demand and Capacity Planning; Assignment Governance & Onboarding; IT Project Delivery
Company:
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to 27 million Texas customers, which represents about 90% of the state’s electric load. As an Independent System Operator (ISO) for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 55,000 miles of transmission lines and more than 1,460 generation units.
Challenge:
As one of the most complex grid operators in the world, ERCOT continuously invests in modernizing its technology and infrastructure to stay ahead of the grid’s rapid evolution. To sustain the momentum of an already high-performing PMO managing an expanding portfolio of technology initiatives — spanning grid reliability, IT modernization, and long-term operational resilience — ERCOT identified the need for a scalable, on-demand project management resource to complement its existing team. Rather than building headcount for cyclical demand, ERCOT sought a PMaaS partner capable of delivering credentialed, experienced project managers quickly and seamlessly within its established governance mode.
Solution:
ERCOT selected PM Solutions as its PMaaS partner, capable of providing scalable, qualified, credentialed, just-in-time project managers. At the onset of the engagement, the PM Solutions Account and Engagement Leaders acclimated quickly to ERCOT’s organizational culture and partnered with the ERCOT PMO Team to establish a team of experienced project managers focused on managing, planning, analyzing, documenting, and delivering IT projects within ERCOT’s PMO. With an already high-performing PMO structure in place, PM Solutions integrated into ERCOT’S well-established environment and focused on immediately delivering consistency, capacity, and execution strength. Some of the IT infrastructure-related initiatives managed by PM Solutions’ project managers include:
- Cloud foundations and migrations
- Generative AI implementation
- Refresh and upgrade major infrastructure components
- Operating system upgrades and patches
- Database optimizations
- SharePoint migrations
- Security controls, patch modernization/automation
With the support of a cohesive community of delivery team members, project managers were able to concurrently manage multiple initiatives within a very advanced structure of regulatory requirements. Over time, the PMaaS partnership has continued to thrive with an expanding team. Ongoing growth has been driven by sustained demand, demonstrated delivery performance, and increasing trust.
“While the ERCOT PMO operates as a highly mature enterprise Project Management Office, increasing staffing demands driven by a complex project portfolio have highlighted the value of PM Solutions’ ability to rapidly deliver skilled project management professionals with technical project expertise. Using PM Solutions has been of great benefit to the ERCOT PMO.”
— Mandy Bauld, Sr. Director, ERCOT Project Management Office.
Results
As result of the PMaaS partnership, PM Solutions has been able to provide ERCOT with seasoned project management professionals who provide strong delivery discipline within the ERCOT-specific governance model. Expansion of the team has led to dozens of infrastructure and IT projects successfully delivered as ERCOT continues to focus on the sustained modernization of core systems supporting vital grid reliability. PM Solutions has become a trusted extension of ERCOT’s PMO.