Arcadia deploys cloud-based project management tool from CA

Arcadia, the UK's largest privately owned retailer, has begun deploying a cloud-based project management tool from CA Technologies that will be used across the group.

Brands owned by Arcadia include Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins.

The web-based version of CA's Clarity Project and Portfolio Manager will provide Arcadia with a centralised electronic record of all the group's projects that will help to improve the speed and accuracy of status reports.

"We chose the on-demand version of CA Clarity PPM to achieve a quick return on investment," said Andrew Clarke, group IT director at Arcadia.

"The cloud-based solution shortened the deployment time for us and lowered our outgoing costs," he added.

Before implementing the CA system, Arcadia was managing up to 50 IT and e-commerce projects through a collection of legacy systems and spreadsheets.

These included a Notes-based timesheet system and numerous bespoke applications.

The lack of a centralised system to manage projects meant that the IT team had been finding it difficult to control costs.

A reliance on paper-based reporting also created difficulties for the business systems manager to monitor the status of each individual IT project.

"This solution will act as a centralised project management tool, giving us increased visibility of projects across our 2,000-plus stores and seven retail brands; enabling improved resource planning and head office reporting," said Clarke.