SWR has gone through what Tony describes as “an evolution”, including transitions from Stagecoach to First Group, the impact of COVID-19 and Emergency Measures Agreements, the move to a national rail contract, and transfer into public ownership under DfT Operator in May 2025. 

Navigating these changes and supporting a major rail network, the PMO found it lacked the right tools and processes to manage projects as efficiently and accurately as it could. 

Tony explains: “We were originally very paper-based, whether it was in a digital or hard copy format. So, we had all our change controls, reporting and risk registers either in an Excel or a Word document.” 

After an unsuccessful implementation of a cloud based work management solution, the team tried to streamline processes by consolidating Excel and Word templates, but this became difficult to manage. 

Therefore, the team sought a Microsoft-based solution to automate processes and reduce the project team’s workload. Specifically, they wanted a “one-stop shop” for project visibility, enabling live, end-to-end project tracking and reporting. 

From Paperwork-Based Processes to Modern Project Management

After attending one of Wellingtone’s regular Tech Summits hosted by Microsoft last summer, they selected Wellingtone’s Accelerator+ quick start option. Plus, an enhanced Power BI content pack that refreshes every two hours for near-real-time data for reporting and easier decision making. 

The quick start option was one of the key deciding factors for working with Wellingtone, says Tony. 

“We chose the quick start option as it was quicker, more affordable and allowed us to take a staged approach rather than try to launch everything all at once and hope we get it right. 

“This way we could get people using the basics and see how they responded to it and get feedback, so we could adjust our development roadmap accordingly.” 

The implementation process began in October 2025 with client requirement workshops led by Wellingtone, including tool demonstrations, clarification of requirements, and exploration of custom features beyond the standard quick start package. 

“After the workshops, they built a sandbox (testing) environment for us to get in and start playing with the tool,” says Tony. “From there, we gave them any feedback on customisations like terminology changes. Once we were happy with everything, they launched it into a live environment.” 

The team gained access to the tool in January and began uploading projects and training users with a full training guide from Wellingtone, completing the transition in about eight weeks. 

A Single Source of Truth to Identify Weak Spots

Tony says the team is still finding their way around the tool. However, they mainly use it for generating accurate and regular project reports, providing up-to-date information for the PMO. 

He explains: “Having a single source of truth means we can see projects from end to end and produce reporting out of it live, so that we're not duplicating data, double-handling data, or having out-of-date information circulating around. It means we don’t have to worry about how old the data is.” 

Pipeline management has also been made more efficient for the team. Included in the Accelerator+ quick start option, the pipeline tool allows the PMO to track potential projects and business cases, improving readiness and planning. 

“This is a tool we haven’t used before,” says Tony. “We now have visibility on what's potentially funnelling into our portfolio, and it gives us a chance to make sure projects are ready to mobilise and be made into projects that can be managed through our project delivery teams. So, that's really useful for us.” 

Tony continues to explain how visibility is one of the biggest – and surprising – benefits. 

“When we got the tool, we realised visibility was a weak spot for us, and it helped us focus where we put our efforts. 

“The reports we now get are giving us that visibility that we didn't have before in terms of where we are slightly behind.” 

For example, the tool has enabled the PMO to identify scheduling challenges and perform assurance checks, such as verifying that project schedules are being followed. 

“We realised we'd got people’s schedules in there, but they weren’t baselining them. We wouldn't have known that beforehand, but we know that now.  

“It's given us that visibility so we can challenge in the right places when we need to challenge; we can now target areas where we can see we need improvement.” 

Ongoing Collaboration and Post-Implementation Support

Four months on, the PMO team is now using the tool to support the entire corporate portfolio, including business planning and investment governance. 

“The PMO used to be more of a function that supported the major projects team, such as the big capital investment pieces,” says Tony. 

“We're now sitting in the Strategy and Business Development directorate of the company. So, we're now looking at the whole corporate portfolio rather than just the major projects and trying to get everything into one space.” 

He also explains how the tool can help company-wide buy-in and adoption. 

“If we can show someone a fancy or shiny way of managing and tracking business cases, they're more keen to work with us and do it because they know we've got the tools to help them do it.” 

This demonstrates how Wellingtone is supporting SWR’s full PMO maturity journey. And it’s not only focused on technology. 

After attending Wellingtone's annual Future PMO Summit last October, Tony agreed to speak at this year’s event, seeing an alignment with his professional interests and SWR’s exposure. 

He explains: “I like what Wellingtone is doing for the future of PMO – building a supportive community of project professionals and growing the profession. 

“It aligns with what I'm doing personally as an APM Chartered Project Professional, and what I want to do in terms of giving back to the profession, so it's a great opportunity. 

“I will also be representing SWR and Network Rail as we're now an integrated business unit. So, it's a great visibility for the business, and it helps get us out there.” 

As well as Wellingtone’s commitment to the industry, Tony praises the organisation for its post-implementation support. 

His team received 30 days of post-implementation support as part of the quick start package, followed by a service support contract for ongoing assistance. 

“In terms of post-support, it's one of the best I've seen,” says Tony. “Their contract manager is friendly and supportive, and we get really sharp, really quick responses, even to the lower priority queries. 

“They're so easy to work with, personable and friendly. It's unbelievable. You can have frank conversations with them, and it doesn’t feel like a client-contractor type of relationship, which made delivering this really easy. 

“It felt very collaborative, not commercial, and I would encourage anyone to work with them.” 

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