The interim manager was commissioned by a media company as Interim Chief Technology Officer. He was to lead the technology team during the tender for the complete outsourcing of the technology. The main focus was to motivate the team to document the requirements, accompany the migration and ensure operations until the department was closed. The interim manager was not a permanent member of the outsourcing project team, but was only brought in later as an expert.
Comparative analysis of outsourcing and expansion of the technology department
After a detailed analysis of the organization, processes, technologies and the complete outsourcing project, the interim manager drew up a scenario plan in which he compared the retention of the technology department and outsourcing. He described the justified risks and consequences of outsourcing and a counter-concept for expanding the technology team, including a comparative analysis of the two opposing paths - and the assessment that the risk of outsourcing was too high. Nevertheless, this route was initially pursued.
Outsourcing project halted due to massive risks
After a tender, the reduction of the longlist to a shortlist and the definition and launch of a proof-of-concept project with what appeared to be the most suitable vendor, it turned out that the costs of the migration were many times higher than planned. It also turned out that the migration was encountering massive technical problems, which the interim manager had already outlined in the analysis. The management then decided to stop the outsourcing.
Agile organizational development led on the basis of Scrum and Kanban
After the stop, the interim manager was given the mandate to restructure the technology department as an agile organization based on Scrum and Kanban. At the same time, the number of people in the technology team was quadrupled and later integrated into the product department, in particular concept developers and user experience (UX) experts.
Customer experience improved, number of subscriptions significantly increased, costs reduced
Under the interim manager's leadership, the IT systems and software modules were modernized and consolidated step by step. This improved the customer experience and significantly increased the number of subscribers, while at the same time reducing operating costs.
The interim manager maintained the trust of the employees through full transparency. Thanks to his in-depth technical and methodological expertise as well as his passion for technology, software development and agility, he was always able to meet employees at eye level and thus overcome resistance. His great empathy and communication skills also helped him to keep the team motivated at all times and support them through coaching.
