How Motion Federal Credit Union Creates a Culture of Collaboration
Financial institutions often have siloed project management, but Motion Federal Credit Union wanted to break the mold. It chose Smartsheet to create a culture of collaboration.
"My role is to help evolve MFCU into a more collaborative organization, in which all of our departments effectively communicate and work together. Smartsheet and Google are driving us there."
Manager of Administration
The 18th-oldest credit union in the country, Motion Federal Credit Union (MFCU) is a well-established name in the New Jersey area with a solid reputation as a respected financial institution. While the credit union has larger partners that include ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and DuPont, it has not lost sight of its traditional credit union feel or personal touch with members.
As MFCU’s Manager of Administration, Arp Trivedi is responsible for overseeing everything from the credit union’s Human Resources department to new branch development and construction. A financial services veteran of over 20 years, he was looking for new and better ways to drive efficiencies across the organization. Trivedi wanted a project management solution that would keep track of MFCU’s wide array of programs and projects, serve as a collaboration engine and help the credit union operate cost effectively.
Different Microsoft programs had posed a number of challenges in the past for Trivedi. “Credit unions today have evolved to a culture of stand alone, siloed project management, which is enabled by programs like Microsoft Excel and Project,” he says. “These programs are not designed to be collaborative and that’s affected the way that we as credit unions approach working together.”
Trivedi did not want to perpetuate this isolated cycle at MFCU. He discovered Smartsheet in the G Suite Marketplace and knew that in conjunction with a few other Google Apps, it would be the perfect solution to further progressive collaboration at MFCU.
One Tool, Many Uses
Upon introducing Smartsheet, Trivedi and MFCU have seen an exciting shift in the adoption of the tool across the company. “We’ve gradually begun to collaborate and manage more and more in Smartsheet. We now use it to manage all of our corporate projects because it’s easy for anyone to use, attach files, view progress or update project status,” Trivedi says.
MFCU uses Smartsheet as a dashboard for tracking a wide range of projects and tasks:
New Branch Openings
From the initial contract to the grand opening, every step of the planning, design, and construction of each new branch is archived in Smartsheet. Contract documents and order invoices are all kept together in one convenient, easy-to-access location.
HR Processes
Smartsheet has proven to be a useful tool for Trivedi in managing MFCU’s Human Resources activities including recruiting, employee forms, and policies.
New Product Development
Every step of MFCU’s new product development and launches are carefully tracked in Smartsheet and easily accessible to collaborators for smooth and cohesive project management.
Collaboration, Transparency, and Productivity
When everyone has visibility in projects, progress gets made quickly. “We often pull up Smartsheet during our team meetings—everyone’s progress is laid out for the rest of the team to see. It’s incredible how that level of transparency has boosted our productivity,” remarks Trivedi on Smartsheet’s impact on the MFCU team. “It’s very motivating.”