UK department store

24 July 2017 — 1 min read

Retail

Retail & Consumer Goods

Product & Portfolio Management

With a PMO too immature for large-scale, business-wide, concurrent transformations, this retailer was looking for help. So we set up an effective PMO operating model for them & developed the governance, processes & tools to support it.

This UK department store was delivering their multi-year plan, in support of their strategic agenda and financial objectives. Several major transformational change initiatives had been launched, but the existing project management office (PMO) was immature and not set up to manage large-scale, business-wide, concurrent transformations. They needed help defining the PMO operating model and developing the governance, processes and tools to support their new way of working.

Why Elixirr?

We have a great working relationship with this retailer, having delivered a very successful IT Target Operating Model project for them. When the need for a mature, effective PMO function arose, they decided to engage us as they knew we had the expertise – the relevant methods and tools – to make sure a robust PMO was delivered.

01 Overview

This UK department store had launched several transformational change initiatives as part of their strategic plan, but their PMO was immature and not set up to manage large-scale, business-wide, concurrent transformations. We helped them set up an effective PMO operating model and developed the governance, processes and tools to support their new way of working.

02 Outcome

Developed PMO operating model & PMO ‘playbook’ of processes, tools and frameworks.

03 Method

Proprietary frameworks & collaborative working.

The challenge

The retailer wanted a PMO function that would evolve at both an IT and wider business level. This was to support greater visibility of risks, facilitate better decision-making and promote confidence in the overall transformation journey. The existing roadmap programmes and project plans needed to be consolidated into one single view of outcomes, milestones and interdependencies, highlighting potential risks and issues.

The approach

Working alongside the retailer’s existing PMO team and wider stakeholders, we designed a model that would enable effective programme and project management of the change journey for IT and the business.

We did this by:

using our proprietary frameworks and experience, we built and rolled out a ‘playbook’ of processes, tools and frameworks.
developing the PMO organisation structure, roles and responsibilities.
making recommendations on improvements to process, organisation, technology and governance.
consolidating the strategic roadmap programme, projects and key milestones.
providing constructive challenge to the schedule of programmes and projects.
making recommendations regarding portfolio hierarchies.
developing the ‘plan on a page’, highlighting the seasonal breakdown to 2020 by project and audience.

The value delivered

We successfully designed the new PMO operating model, received sign-off from the Operations Director, and deployed it into the transformation programmes. This included developing the organisation structure, roles and responsibilities, and rolling out the PMO ‘playbook’ of processes, tools and frameworks.

There is no doubt in my mind that we would not have achieved what we did, at the pace that we did, without the commitment, determination & expertise of the Elixirr team.

Head of Business Systems