CASE STUDY
Operating Model & Leadership Alignment: Digital/Technology Organization
ENGAGEMENT SNAPSHOT
CLIENT: Personal Care Retail Company
ORGANIZATION:: Digital / Technology
SIZE OF ORGANIZATION IN SCOPE:: ~150
THE CHALLENGE
A personal care retail company needed its technology organization to evolve from an IT shop into a true digital partner to the business. Ownership between business functions and technology was unclear, and limited trust in the technology organization's capabilities led functions to build solutions independently rather than through IT — creating a shadow IT footprint, work that at times duplicated what other teams had already built, and an infrastructure whose integrity was increasingly compromised. The result was higher cost: standalone solutions were expensive to build and maintain, and additional integrations were then needed just to connect the data and systems that should have been unified from the start. The organization also lacked a formal vision, governance model, or sourcing strategy, and in a cost-constrained environment, leadership needed a capacity-based delivery model that tightened financial management while enabling agility and growth. The client needed to redesign and architect this digital operating model, from assessment through implementation roadmap.
WHAT THE CLIENT WALKED AWAY WITH
Operational Design:
Introduced three Business Value Streams - Grow, Serve, and Operate & Measure - each led by a dedicated Digital Business Partner.
Operating Cadence:
Established a cadence spanning quarterly business reviews, monthly portfolio and leadership meetings, and weekly/daily delivery ceremonies.
Vision and Guiding Principles
Defined a North Star vision and five guiding principles to steer decision-making and behavior across the organization.
Sourcing Strategy
Defined sourcing recommendations for critical roles — including solution architect and security engineer — and in-house vs. vendor principles.
Governance Mechanisms
Defined a portfolio steering committee, functional governance boards, and documented decision rights across business and digital roles.
Activation Roadmap
Phased implementation: from change management and value-stream launch through portfolio management and capacity planning.
EXPECTED BUSINESS OUTCOMES
IT maintenance
cost reduction
up to 10-15%
Improved IT–business
collaboration
culture
Alignment between
business priorities
& technology delivery
Clearer
capacity planning
and less reliance on external resources
Foundation for
innovation
and advanced analytics
Consistent & predictable
delivery
across engagements