
OVERVIEW
PG&E is a leading electric power and gas utility in the Northern California region of the United States, the largest utility in the U.S. based on number of customers. CRESS manages seven million square feet of facilities supporting more than 20,000 employees. Caryatid has been providing Portfolio Management and Capital Planning services to the Corporate Real Estate line of business since 5+ years*.
CRESS leadership needed subject matter experts in Capital Planning who could help them optimize space plans to align with long term vision for the footprint of the organization for:
Various customer service offices (CSOs) located across NorCal
PG&E HQs located at 245 Market St. and 77 Beale St. as well as other Bay Area offices
CRESS needed expert guidance in making business decisions in workspace optimization and technology fostering collaborative workforce experience.
We were brought on board to manage a portfolio of projects in pipeline as well as develop a detailed “Bay Area Office Optimization Program”.
THE CHALLENGE
EVOLVING GROWTH PATTERN
Our client comprised of various lines of businesses where each LOB’s pattern of growth was constantly evolving. Therefore, our solution had to be flexible enough to account for short term as well as long term projections in headcount.

WORKFORCE
More than 70% of the existing workforce were close to retirement, so the future headcount had to be very thoroughly estimated. Since a majority of the workforce were union represented employees, we had to be cognizant of their rights, union labor laws, and internal and external factors that affected decision making, as union employees have the right to collective activity in seeking improvements to their working conditions.

BUSINESS JUSTIFICATION
The portfolio management and capital planning programs were CRESS driven initiatives and were not led by the line of business leads. Therefore, getting endorsement was challenging as we had to take additional efforts in substantiating our research and justifying our approach to the problem not only to the end customers but also the LOB leads.

OUR APPROACH

BENCHMARKING
We commenced with a comprehensive benchmarking effort where we analyzed CRE portfolios of various LOBs within PG&E and industry peers - other major utilities.
INTERVIEWING
We studied mobility patters by utilizing the effectiveness of directly interviewing the end customers, leadership, HR, and other identified focus groups.


DATA DEEP DIVE
The data was also validated by visual monitoring, analyzing badge swipe data, workforce heat maps, commute analysis etc. We used Business Intelligence tools like Power BI to analyze the data and eventually leadership endorsement.
Our detail-oriented approach and data models took into consideration:

Location strategy for current and future workforce

Site Evaluation using survey, demographics, business environment (taxes/incentives), cost of living and quality of life

Benchmarks and Metrics—Enterprise wide space standards, Enterprise policies for space usage (dedicated offices and dedicated desks)

Detailed Space Programs & Adjacancies —developed with new space standards and policies, establish relative sizes of Lines of Business
Each project was managed from cradle to grave following a lean approach – with Delivery Partners working under Design Build reporting to us as Owners’ Representatives and Portfolio Managers. Special focus was given to change management in order to provide a seamless end user experience, and project controls to deliver the project on time and within budget.
RESULTS
Our team successfully completed X CSO relocation projects, Spacefinder program, X office refresh projects, and was successfully was able to get the LOB’s Director’s sign-off on the Bay Area Office Optimization Program. The Design phase of the the BAOOP started on …
We surveyed X managers, employees, union representatives, and executives of the staff post move-in to assess the level of acceptance of the new space, cultural evolution, stakeholder engagement, and overall experience during project execution.
97%
said the workspace reservation system is easy and effective to use
92%
said the space utilization is extremely efficient and caters to their exact needs
92%
said they feel their productivity increased significantly
92%
said they fully understand new tools and policies
92%
said the new environment is more collaborative and fosters team engagement
92%
said the AV technology implemented is user friendly and reliable
Projects Gallery
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Project Management / Construction Management
Having the right team in place to implement a plan is as critical as developing a good plan and strategy. We bring our expertise in representing the occupier’s interest to every phase of the project delivery and ensure that the project goals are met. KPIs are established collaboratively at the outset of the engagement. These activities, milestones and financial goals are the ultimate quantifiable success measures for the team to achieve and exceed.
Site Selection
Entitlements
Design Management
Cost Management
Schedule and Scope Management
Value Engineering
Contract Management and negotiations

PMO Development
We are experts in Portfolio Management and PMO Development transforming it to a Center of Excellence
Centralize project controls utilizing state of the art web based solutions
Develop, standardize, and execute tools, standards, policies and procedures facilitating effective project governance
Deploy enterprise level web based, interactive Business Intelligence Dashboards across difference organizational levels
Convert data into insight

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