Case Studies

The Structural Problem

The PMO had experienced 12 months of operational instability and staff turnover, with high escalation risk and a reactive governance model. Portfolio revenue had plateaued. Clients included major banks and retailers, so delivery failures carried national reputational risk.

The Diagnostic

The visible issue was instability, but the root causes were structural: a mission not aligned to business strategy, no decision-rights framework, no link between delivery and financial accountability, and no feedback loop. Mapped to ITEF Layers 2 (Governance Strength), 3 (Execution Architecture), and 5 (Value Realisation).

The Response

• Rebuilt governance from the mission outward, aligned to SPA Services strategy
• Tied PMO KPIs to commercial outcomes rather than only delivery milestones
• Established RACI frameworks and Operating Level Agreements with internal support functions
• Made PMs accountable for accurate financial forecasting
• Added margin visibility to the bid review process, agreeing Transaction Services margins with Sales
• Partnered with Boston Consulting Group on a global vendor management initiative to reduce Total Cost of Ownership
• Introduced post-project and quarterly BAU customer surveys
• Built senior relationships with key accounts

Outcome

• Zero executive escalations for two consecutive years
• PMO revenue grew 20% in two years
• Operating income improved from 35% to 43%
• Recognised as a global #1 centre of excellence for PMO best practice and governance

Named clients: ANZ, NAB, Westpac, Bendigo Bank, Coles, Woolworths, Kmart, Big W, 7-Eleven, Australia Post

The Structural Problem

Visy Global Logistics operated across five countries without a unified continuous improvement framework. Process inefficiencies were managed locally without visibility to a central operating cadence. One key customer's order-to-cash cycle was running at 75 days — creating cash flow pressure and customer relationship risk.

The Diagnostic

The issue was not a lack of local improvement effort but the absence of a program framework that could sustain improvement across geographies and hold beyond the immediate intervention.

The Response

• Established a program framework for Lean transformation across five countries
• Built a sustained operating cadence for continuous improvement
• Redesigned the key customer's order-to-cash process

Outcome

• Lean transformation framework established across five countries
• Sustained operating cadence for continuous improvement
• Invoice cycle reduced from 75 days to under 30 days for key customer