Building Materials / Distribution · 2021–2022
The UK's largest distributor of building materials
The business is one of the UK's largest distributors of building materials, trading through multiple operating businesses including two of its subsidiaries, each turning over several hundred million pounds. Group IT sat across all of them, meant to support a common Group Strategy.
The situation
Group IT and the operating businesses were pulling in different directions. Technology investment was being duplicated because there was no shared prioritisation process, and IT was seen by the operating businesses as an order-taker rather than a partner solving their problems. At the same time, four major Group programmes, an ERP rollout, a Product Information Management implementation, a finance systems replatform and a new distribution centre opening, were all in flight without consistent governance or managed dependencies between them. The PIM implementation specifically was failing.
The challenge
Two separate problems needed solving at once: the operating model for how IT and the business worked together, and the immediate risk sitting inside four live programmes.
- Duplicated technology investment, caused by operating businesses and Group IT pursuing different priorities.
- IT positioned as an order-taker, without a shared process for prioritising the Group's change portfolio against its new strategy.
- Four major Group programmes running without consistent delivery governance or managed dependencies on scope, timeline and resource.
- The PIM implementation specifically failing, distinct from the standardisation-only problem on the other three programmes.
What we did
We addressed the operating model and the immediate programme risk in parallel, reporting to the COO on the four Group programmes while resetting how IT and the business worked together.
- Established and ran the Group business prioritisation process for the C-suite, aligning the change portfolio and roadmap to the new Group Strategy.
- Defined and stood up a new technology target operating model, repositioning the Business Engagement team as a partner solving business problems rather than fielding requests.
- Set up Agile Product teams to deliver new technology solutions for the business.
- Worked across all four major Group programmes to standardise delivery approach and resolve dependencies on scope, timelines and resources.
- Rescued the failing PIM implementation specifically, distinct from the standardisation work the other three programmes needed.
- Sat as a member of the Operating Boards for two of its subsidiaries, aligning their technology and change agendas to the Group Strategy.
Results
The reset held across both the operating model and the programme portfolio.
- Duplicated technology investment across the Group was eliminated.
- The technology target operating model and prioritisation process delivered c.90 projects generating c.£20m a year in benefits.
- All four Group programmes were set up for successful landing, with the failing PIM implementation rescued rather than abandoned.
- The Agile Product team capability established under this programme went on to deliver a first-of-sector BIM-based digital design platform for SME housebuilders, launched in March 2023.
What made the difference
The PIM implementation was treated as a distinct problem from the other three programmes, rather than the same fix applied to all four. All four programmes were set up for successful landing, with the failing PIM implementation rescued rather than abandoned. The Agile Product teams stood up to fix the operating model also went on to deliver that platform two years later.
Role
IT Business Engagement Director / Strategic Delivery Director
Sector
Building Materials / Distribution