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Project Management

Tl;dr
This case study outlines my role in the mobilisation and kickoff phase of a large-scale SAP implementation, preparing for rollout across 104 locally owned and operated supermarket stores. The work focused on establishing the foundational structures required to support a multi-wave, low-risk deployment, including readiness frameworks, governance, planning, and store support models.My involvement was concentrated primarily in the first month of the programme, a critical period where clarity, alignment, and structure were essential to de-risking delivery and setting the programme up for long-term success.

Problem
Rolling out SAP across a large number of independently operated stores introduced significant complexity. Each store varied in operational maturity, staffing capability, and readiness for change. Without a consistent approach to readiness and governance, the programme risked:

  • Inconsistent go-live decisions
  • Poor store preparedness
  • Increased post–go-live disruption
  • Higher operational and financial risk

The challenge was to create a scalable, repeatable readiness and deployment model that could be applied consistently across multiple waves while remaining flexible enough to account for local store contexts.

I played a central role in mobilisation and planning, working across multiple workstreams to design and coordinate the mechanisms that enabled stores to transition to SAP with confidence.

My Role

My key responsibilities included:

  • Acting as PMO Lead, managing the integrated project plan, timelines, dependencies, and risks
  • Designing the store readiness framework, including checklists and assurance processes
  • Defining entry and exit criteria for each phase and deployment wave
  • Designing the readiness questionnaire approach to support data-driven go/no-go decisions
  • Supporting finance operations readiness, ensuring SAP tasks aligned with real store operations
  • Designing the store go-live support model, including escalation pathways and roles
  • Facilitating client meetings and workshops to align stakeholders on readiness and deployment
  • Establishing the project management plan for an 18-month programme

A core focus of the mobilisation phase was the design of a store readiness framework that could be applied consistently across all 104 stores.

I designed a comprehensive readiness checklist in close collaboration with all functional workstreams, including:

  • Finance
  • Operations
  • Technology
  • Training
  • Change management

This ensured that readiness requirements reflected real operational needs rather than siloed programme assumptions.

To support objective decision-making, I also designed the readiness questionnaire, defining:

  • The structure and sequencing of questions
  • The information required from stores
  • How responses would be assessed and escalated

Together, these tools enabled a shared, transparent view of store preparedness.

Entry & Exit Criteria for Deployment Waves

To enable consistent deployment decisions, I defined clear entry and exit criteria for each phase and wave of rollout.

These criteria established:

  • What minimum conditions needed to be met before a store could enter a wave
  • What constituted a successful exit from each phase
  • Clear go/no-go decision points agreed across the programme

This approach created shared accountability across workstreams and reduced ambiguity during high-pressure deployment periods.

(Opportunity to enhance: include a simplified diagram of deployment phases and gates.)

Finance Operations & Go‑Live Support

Alongside readiness design, I supported finance operations readiness, ensuring SAP-related tasks aligned with:

  • Client operational realities
  • Local store contexts
  • SAP process requirements

I also designed the store go-live support model, defining how stores would be supported during and immediately after go-live. This included:

  • Roles and responsibilities across central teams and stores
  • Escalation pathways for issues
  • Expectations for hypercare and stabilisation periods

This helped ensure stores were not only technically ready, but operationally supported during transition.

Programme Planning & Governance

From a delivery perspective, I established the project management plan for the 18-month programme, covering:

  • Milestones and dependencies
  • Deployment wave sequencing
  • Critical path activities

As PMO Lead, I managed the integrated plan, tracked progress and risks, and ensured consistent reporting and governance. I also facilitated regular client meetings and workshops to align stakeholders on:

  • Scope and priorities
  • Readiness expectations
  • Deployment approach
  • Ways of working

Typical Mobilisation Activities

During kickoff and mobilisation, I supported or led activities including:

Early risk identification and mitigation planning

Programme mobilisation and governance setup

Cross-workstream coordination and dependency mapping

Deployment wave planning and sequencing

Readiness definition and assurance processes

Stakeholder alignment across central teams and store operators

Impact & Results

  • Designed low‑ and high‑fidelity prototypes in collaboration with a senior UX designer
  • Defined 20 business requirements translated into 20 core portal features
  • Conducted 10 user interviews to inform requirements and validate designs
  • Designed 6 key usability features, including onboarding messaging, customisation, CTAs, search, and help support
  • Created 6 user personas / user types to guide experience decisions
  • Identified 7 critical next steps, including learning modules, collaboration areas, and integrations with Power BI, GIS, Salesforce, and other systems

Guiding Principles in Solution

  • Empowering: Enabled users to independently access and analyse data
  • Valuable: Reduced reliance on centralised data support and analysts
  • Friction‑free: Supported sharing and collaboration on data and reports
  • Collaborative: Democratised access to data across technical skill levels
  • Agile: Enabled faster response to changing business needs

The solution prioritised the needs of the broader workforce with lower technical capability, while remaining flexible enough to support advanced users.