Resetting a data modernization program the business didn’t trust.
Rebuilding purpose, structure, and trust without stopping the work already in flight.
Revamping a major data modernization effort and securing internal buy-in without halting the program in its tracks.
A global retailer was trying to modernize how the whole company used data. Its landscape was badly fragmented, with four data platforms creating duplication, eight BI tools giving inconsistent answers, and more than 84,000 reports with unreliable metrics. A program to fix this had been running for about two years, but technology had largely been building it in the background. The business didn’t understand why it existed, didn’t trust that its needs were prioritized, and had no visibility into progress.
Our founder was brought in as program director to reset and rebrand the program while keeping the work in flight moving.
Resetting while running
The program couldn’t pause, so current delivery had to stay on track while the program itself was redesigned. The client’s VP changed midstream, and wider company changes meant some future-state design had to be developed confidentially. Technology had built the program largely on its own, so bringing business stakeholders in meant rebuilding trust that had already been lost.
A partner who earned the full program
More than consultants, this business needed a partner to help them rebuild internal trust. We were brought in for program direction to reset and rebrand the program while keeping work in flight moving. We started with one workstream, but eventually were supporting the full program as its program, change, and communications function.
Our team worked inside the client’s existing program, and we left behind toolkits so the client could run it without us.
Purpose, structure, and trust
Most of the team kept rollout, training, and communications moving, while a smaller group worked on the reset. Leadership workshops answered "why does this program exist?", and we reorganized the work into two tracks: one tied to the business's annual priorities and one focused on simplifying the technology underneath.
We defined who owned what across both tracks, set a regular meeting rhythm, and built a change and communications strategy, including a network of champions across business domains. A new story connected the program to how the company already talked about performance, so the business could finally see itself in it.
The outcome
A program the business could buy in to
By the time we rolled off, the program had a clear purpose, a value story, and a defined approach, with its work organized into four modernization pillars and two tracks that tie technology work to business priorities. Its operating model, governance, and communication rhythm were in place for the new VP and leadership team to carry forward. Business stakeholders had been brought into the program rather than handed its results, and the client had playbooks to run program, change, and communications work without outside support.
84,000+
reports in scope, across 4 data platforms and 8 BI tools
4
modernization pillars organizing the work
3
self-service toolkits delivered: program management, change management, and communications
8
consultants led, from one workstream to the full program
We worked with the client’s data and technology leadership plus business stakeholders across the company. Our team of eight worked inside the client’s program as its program, change, and communications function. We also invested in the team itself, deliberately building a culture of support and fun so a demanding engagement didn’t wear people down.
Trust comes back through visibility. A business can’t make room for a program it doesn’t see, so the reset started with why the program exists and how its priorities get chosen. We’re proudest of our team for building that foundation in a demanding environment without letting it wear us down.
Benefits realization management is the discipline of making sure a program delivers the business value it promised, by tying each initiative to clear outcomes and tracking them. In the example above, we built an integrated planning framework linking each technical initiative to the company’s annual operating plan priorities, so the business could see how these priorities aligned.
Data debt is the accumulated cost of fragmented, duplicated, or poorly governed data, such as multiple platforms, inconsistent reports, and unreliable metrics. This client had four data platforms, eight BI tools, and more than 84,000 reports. We helped reset the program around a clear purpose, four modernization pillars, and streamlined governance so the business could see and trust progress as it was made.
Resetting a digital transformation starts with separating what has to keep running from what needs to be redesigned, so delivery doesn't stall. From there, answer why the program exists, tie the work to business priorities, and make ownership and progress visible. For this data modernization program, we split the team between delivery and the reset, then rebuilt its purpose, structure, and story around the business. This type of transformation isn’t easy, but is worth it in the long run.
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