The organization had acquired many independently run offices, each operating on its own systems and processes, and had never built a shared capability map or consistent data foundation. A stalled ERP rollout, a year in, was the visible symptom of a deeper problem: sales forecasting and revenue reporting meant different things depending on which office you asked. Replacing the external project manager who had been running the rollout wouldn't fix that. Only a shared, verified picture of how the organization actually worked would.
Case Study
The ERP wasn’t broken, the data underneath it was undefined.
This infrastructure and engineering organization had grown by acquiring dozens of independently run offices, then stalled out on an ERP rollout meant to unify them. We built the capability map and change management foundation the rollout needed, inside a structure shaped as much by the organization's private equity owner as by the organization itself.
Engagement at-a-glance
Industry:
Government
Organization size:
~ 3,500+ employees
Services:
Business Operating Model Design
Change Management
Enterprise System Implementation
Change Management
Enterprise System Implementation
The Challenge
Replacing the project manager wouldn't be enough. The organization needed one version of the truth.
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Satellite offices running on different systems
The organization had grown by acquiring many previously independent offices, each of which kept operating its own systems and processes after being acquired. Sales and revenue numbers from one office weren't comparable to another's, making consistent forecasting nearly impossible.
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No baseline capability map to build the ERP on
The stalled ERP rollout wasn't primarily a technology failure. Without a shared, verified capability map, the implementation had no solid foundation to configure the new system against.
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Competing goals between the organization and its private equity owner
The organization's long-term interest was building consistent data and communication across offices to support real growth. Its private equity owner's priority was closing out the ERP rollout to satisfy portfolio requirements. Bridging those two timelines shaped nearly every decision on the engagement.
Our Approach
We tested leadership's assumptions on site, office by office, before writing anything down.
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1
Interviewed the C-suite and every satellite office in person
We met with the CEO, CHRO, and CLO, then visited satellite offices directly to test the C-suite's assumptions about how consistent the organization's data and messaging actually were.
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2
Documented current-state systems and rated ERP status
Analysts built current-state documentation and a red-amber-green assessment of the ERP's status, filling in the knowledge the departing project manager hadn't transferred.
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3
Built and won approval for a revised capability map
We ran a C-suite workshop that defined design principles, sequenced which change elements needed to be addressed first, and secured leadership approval for a revised capability map.
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4
Delivered a change management playbook and implementation roadmap
We translated the findings into a change management playbook and implementation roadmap intended to carry the organization from capability mapping into the ERP rollout itself.
Value Delivered
For the first time, the C-suite could see the true root cause for themselves.
Gave leadership a verified picture of how the organization actually ran
Instead of assumptions about data and messaging continuity across offices, leadership had a tested, on-the-ground view of what was actually happening in each location.
Uncovered duplicate systems and disconnected processes across offices
On-site visits surfaced that satellite offices were performing duplicative work on different systems, work that had never been visible from the home office.
Built trust between satellite offices and the home office
Satellite office leaders became willing to be open about which of their systems were and weren't working, trusting that the home office was making real progress.
Delivered a capability map and change playbook to carry the rollout forward
The organization was left with a completed capability map and change management playbook, the foundation it needed to continue the ERP implementation.
Results that reflect the work behind them.
4-5 months
Length of the engagement, from initial discovery through delivery of the capability map and change management playbook
5
Gunter Group team members embedded across the C-suite, satellite offices, and change management workstream
100%
Decision-maker approval, obtained across 3 key leadership bodies
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Work With Us
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