The Human Side of Digital Business Transformation

Chapter 4Influencing Digital Business Transformation

Back in 2008, I was part of a Big Four consulting team engaged to implement a core system replacement for a multinational consumer business brand based in Geneva, Switzerland. The large project team, consisting of over 25 people deployed from various parts of Europe, was split into several workstreams including functional and technical implementation teams, and project management office (PMO). I was a manager at the time, leading the business intelligence module implementation alongside a small team of data analytics specialists, including a German senior manager who constantly impressed me with his ability to balance technical prowess with empathy and people skills. I remember the project fondly, despite the long hours and months of spending weekdays away from home (I lived in Zurich at the time, about three hours away, and spent weekdays in a Geneva-based hotel with other team members).

Overall, the project ran rather smoothly, despite facing its fair share of typical implementation challenges. For example, as with any large system implementation, the existing process landscape of the company needed to be mapped clearly, which involved analyzing process and operations documentation, as well as uncovering hidden processes developed by people over time. This was a mammoth exercise and took several months to complete considering the size of the organization and scope of business functions. As our team moved on to the blueprinting ...