The Client
The Client is an international retail group. Recent changes in the group's ownership led to a clearly defined objective; increase capability and drive cost improvements across the business.

Xantus was asked to help deliver a three year programme of change designed to improve the effectiveness of the group's IT function. This included the transformation of its operating model, sourcing model, organisation and capability and its enterprise architecture roadmap (including Enterprise Resource Planning). The programme target was to save £60 million over a three year period.

Xantus' Approach
Leading the IT transformation programme, Xantus divided programme activity into four key work streams, directly aligned to the IT organisation:

1. The Operating Model and Organisation work stream owned all change activities within the Business As Usual (BAU) function. This work stream delivered a new IT organisational structure and target operating model as well as defining rules of engagement with third parties and internal suppliers.

2. The Service Delivery work stream was given responsibility for increasing efficiencies through the adoption of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes and standards, as well as re-structuring existing sourcing agreements to enhance technical capability and deliver improved commercial terms.

3. The Project Delivery work stream focused on introducing Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) compliant processes and improving third-party contracts with application delivery and management partners.

4. The Business Demand work stream owned the improvement in business engagement and IT business alignment. This included increasing the core capabilities through resource augmentation and integration with the Enterprise Architecture (EA) function of the business.

The Benefits
Applying Xantus' IT Effectiveness Review framework meant that we were able to rapidly mobilise the programme and clearly define tangible outcome-based deliverables, with a formalised benefits realisation programme.

A co-ordinated programme plan was then put in place which aligned the wider group transformation activities. The programme has, to date, delivered all identified programme benefits and under-spent on programme cost.

Contact Us
For more information please contact Catherine Sanders at Xantus on 0161 495 2330 or email catherine.sanders@xantus.co.uk