How gtd Healthcare Cut Business Improvement Programme Reporting by 80% With PM3

From five days to one: how a not-for-profit NHS primary and urgent care provider replaced Excel with PM3 to strengthen its Business Improvement Programme governance and audit assurance.

Key takeaways

• Faster reporting: monthly BIP reporting fell from five days to one, an 80% reduction. That’s about 48 PMO days a year if the saving holds.
• Stronger assurance: MIAA’s assurance opinion for gtd healthcare’s programme rose from moderate in the 2025/26 audit to substantial in the 2026/27 report.
• Auditable approvals: approval evidence for project initiation, quality impact assessments (QIAs) and equality impact assessments (EIAs) is now recorded within PM3’s gateway process.
• Shared ownership: project managers update their own projects, so the PMO no longer has to chase every update.
• Realistic benefits tracking: savings are planned month by month against related costs, so leaders can see whether each saving stays on track.

Case study at a glance

Five days each month. That was how long monthly business improvement reporting could take when information was held across separate Excel workbooks. Before managers could act on it, the PMO first had to find the latest version, reconcile the figures and check that the data was reliable.

gtd healthcare manages projects across primary care, urgent care, dental services, and corporate and specialist services. Like many NHS organisations, it needs to govern initiatives that reduce costs and increase income. At gtd healthcare, these initiatives are called Business Improvement Projects, or BIPs, and together they make up its Business Improvement Programme. With 68 projects held in PM3, the team needed reporting that did more than describe activity. It had to give managers confidence in progress, risk, approvals and expected benefits.

Since gtd healthcare moved its project information into PM3, monthly reporting time has fallen by 80%, from five days to one. Project managers now update their own projects, approval evidence is recorded in the system, and the PMO has more time for work beyond chasing spreadsheets.

“Moving from Excel to Pm3 has helped us standardise the way we manage BIPs and strengthen our governance processes. Having all project information in one place has improved visibility and reporting.”

Chris Cheetham | Head of Transformation | gtd healthcare

The challenge: managing business improvement initiatives across multiple Excel workbooks

Before PM3, gtd healthcare used two Excel-based tools: a BIP dashboard for reporting and financial tracking, and a separate project management workbook for delivery. The information was there, but the process around it was becoming hard to manage consistently.

Project managers had to update more than one spreadsheet, often saved in different locations. That led to familiar problems: patchy completion, doubt over which version was current, and extra checking before anyone could rely on the figures.

Financial monitoring depended heavily on formulas and manual entry. That raised the risk of human error and made the team reliant on the few people who knew the workbooks well enough to validate them. To give assurance on progress, risks and financial benefits, the PMO had to spend time reconciling information before the real review could even begin.

Why gtd healthcare chose PM3 for business improvement management

gtd healthcare had been looking for a replacement for its spreadsheets for some time. The requirements were practical: a consistent way to manage its BIPs, stronger governance, more reliable reporting, and financial tracking that didn’t depend on advanced Excel knowledge.

A demonstration showed the team how PM3, a project portfolio management platform, would bring risks, actions, milestones, benefits and financial performance together in one place. That mattered because it tackled the problem underneath the spreadsheets. The goal wasn’t just to store the same information somewhere new. It was to make that information easier for people to maintain and easier for leaders to trust.

Implementation: a supported move from Excel to PM3

The implementation took several weeks, giving the PMO and Business Improvement team time to introduce the system, move their processes across and build confidence. Initial training, delivered through practical sessions, online guidance and video tutorials, helped the core team get comfortable with PM3, with responsive support available when needed.

Feedback has been positive, particularly on ease of use, improved visibility and the ability to manage work in one place. PM3 is now embedded in the team and is being rolled out to staff responsible for projects across the organisation. Further training will support that wider group as gtd healthcare makes fuller use of the platform.

Results: monthly BIP reporting cut from five days to one

The clearest efficiency gain is in the monthly reporting cycle. Automated reporting has cut the time needed from five days each month to one, an 80% reduction. That’s four reporting days saved each month, or about 48 days over 12 months if the saving holds and the reporting cycle stays comparable.

Responsibility for updates is also shared across users, instead of sitting with one PMO team member who has to chase every project manager. That gives the team more time for project and PMO work. Managers and governance groups get a clearer view of project status, risks and benefits, while structured gateway reviews support a more consistent approach to approvals and oversight.

Governance: how audit assurance rose from moderate to substantial

The impact also shows in gtd healthcare’s assurance process. An audit of the 2025/26 Business Improvement Programme by MIAA (Mersey Internal Audit Agency) found a lack of recorded approval evidence for project initiation, quality impact assessments (QIAs) and equality impact assessments (EIAs).

gtd healthcare then demonstrated PM3’s QIA functionality and gateway approval process to MIAA, showing that the issue had been addressed through an auditable process held within the system. In the 2026/27 report, the overall assurance opinion for BIP management rose from moderate to substantial. The approval trail is now visible, repeatable and part of the project record.

In practice: tracking a £10,000 annual saving in PM3

One Corporate Affairs initiative aimed to cut graphic design spending by about £10,000 a year by bringing more work in-house. Expected savings were entered month by month in the PM3 benefits plan, with related costs recorded against them to give the team a realistic view of the benefit.

The change also raised governance questions about how information would be stored and accessed. PM3’s QIA and gateway process helped the team apply the required checks before executive approval. The project information is now kept together, and monthly tracking shows whether the saving remains on track.

What this means for PMO leaders still using Excel

Excel is rarely the problem on its own. The trouble starts when governance, financial tracking and accountability depend on people knowing which workbook is current, where it was saved and how its formulas work.

gtd healthcare already had project processes in place. It needed a better way to apply them consistently across a growing portfolio. For organisations at a similar stage, that’s often when spreadsheets stop being convenient and start getting in the way of timely assurance. If that sounds familiar, read our guide to using the right toolset for NHS improvement programmes.

“Pm3 has provided a single source of truth, improved governance through gateway and QIA processes, and given better visibility of project progress, risks and benefits. It has made it easier to provide assurance that projects are being managed consistently and appropriately.”

Chris Cheetham | Head of Transformation | gtd healthcare

Frequently asked questions

What is a Business Improvement Project (BIP)?

Business Improvement Projects (BIPs) are the initiatives gtd healthcare uses to reduce costs or increase income. Together they make up its Business Improvement Programme, and all 68 are managed in PM3.

How much reporting time did gtd healthcare save with PM3?

Monthly reporting fell from five days to one, an 80% reduction. That’s four days saved each month, or about 48 days a year if the saving holds.

How did PM3 help gtd healthcare improve its audit assurance?

A 2025/26 MIAA audit found missing approval evidence for project initiation, QIAs and EIAs. gtd healthcare showed that this evidence is now recorded through PM3’s QIA and gateway approval process, and the assurance opinion for BIP management rose from moderate to substantial in the 2026/27 report.

How long did it take gtd healthcare to implement PM3?

The implementation took several weeks and included practical training sessions, online guidance, video tutorials and ongoing support. PM3 is now being rolled out to project staff across the organisation.

Can PM3 replace Excel for managing NHS improvement programmes?

Yes. gtd healthcare replaced two Excel workbooks with PM3. It now manages risks, actions, milestones, benefits, financial performance, QIAs and gateway approvals for all 68 of its BIPs in one system.