Guidance for complex transformations
Complex transformations need someone who creates clarity and delivers impact.
My Profile
Planning and operational management of complex transformation programmes, including restructuring the development function at a medium-sized software manufacturer. Implementation of a modern OSS system for a regional fibre network operator. Set up a PMO as Head of Programme Governance & Control for an Indian IT service provider. C-level advisory on digitalisation strategy.
Member of the IT leadership team, responsible for around 250 staff and roughly 200 IT projects a year (~€50m CAPEX p.a.). IT integration following the merger of Vodafone, Kabel Deutschland and Unitymedia; introduced agile ways of working, delivered the SAP S/4HANA transformation, and rolled out cloud technologies and omnichannel sales/care platforms.
Responsible for a complex IT application stack (CRM, billing, middleware, SAP) with over 200 staff and a budget of more than €15m p.a. Successfully delivered the core releases. Reworking the development process halved the number of defects in production.
Operational planning and delivery of all IT development initiatives, with a volume of around €50m, including the introduction of transparent planning processes. Worked closely with product managers and led cross-functional IT projects. Defining more flexible delivery methods cut time-to-market by 20 to 50 per cent.
Responsible for project management and software development across various international projects. Supported sales activities in the area of telecoms operational/business support systems.
What I Offer
Strategically clear through consistent goal-setting, with an eye for what's achievable by reducing complexity,
operationally effective through transparent project management and clear communication.
Starting position, risks and potential.
Strategy, roadmap and governance.
Priorities, mandate and clear accountability.
Leadership, delivery and transformation.
Sustainable organisation and continuous improvement.
Integrating organisation, processes and IT after M&A transactions – with clear governance and consistent execution.
View case studyModernising business processes and IT stacks – from strategy through to successful implementation.
View case studyCreating transparency, pace and effective control in complex change programmes.
View case studyTaking on leadership responsibility on an interim basis during critical periods of change and growth.
View case studyCase Studies
Following several acquisitions, the development organisation consisted of seven independently grown units across more than ten sites in Germany and Austria – remote-first, with no central demand and portfolio management.
Seven organisational units across two countries brought together within the six-month timeframe set. Working with product management, a central demand and portfolio management function was put in place.
A Service Order Management system that had grown over many years, with manual steps and media breaks between planning and execution – long planning and support times, and a tightly interwoven architecture.
Phase 1 delivered within twelve months: a working Minimum Viable Product of the new, modular architecture. Fully worked-out options were in place for the following phases.
A national telecommunications provider was rebuilding its entire IT architecture from the ground up and had outsourced a large share of IT services to an Indian systems integrator. At the heart of it was the collaboration between two organisations with very different working cultures – I was brought in on the service provider's side as a bridge to the customer's German PMO team.
The design of the metrics was formally agreed with the customer – deviations could be explained rather than disputed. The financial forecast was reliable enough to trigger significant course corrections while the programme was under way. Once things had stabilised, an internal employee took over as head of the PMO.
A permanent line role, not a time-limited mandate – and that's exactly where its value lies: I held, for years, the very role I now take on as an interim.
Three merged companies with historically separate IT stacks. The task was twofold: keep the day-to-day business for mobile, cable and DSL products running reliably, while transforming that same stack at the same time.
Integration of the three IT development areas was completed by 2021. Over five years, 200 to 300 IT projects were delivered every year. The organisation I built continued to run smoothly after I moved on.
Contact
If your organisation is facing a demanding change, I'd welcome a no-obligation conversation.
