Restoring Delivery Velocity in a Complex Multi-Vendor Environment
A Tier-1 financial institution regained delivery momentum by embedding senior, self-sufficient expertise into a congested multi-vendor program, reducing friction, stabilising governance and lifting delivery quality.
Context
The organisation was undertaking one of the largest ServiceNow implementations in the Southern Hemisphere. Multiple global system integrators and specialist vendors were engaged, each responsible for different workstreams within a highly regulated banking environment.
As scale increased, coordination suffered. Governance became fragmented, vendor effort diluted and delivery slowed. Internal leadership found itself managing complexity rather than progressing outcomes, with increasing effort required simply to keep the program moving.
Approach
This engagement focused on restoring momentum through experienced, low-friction delivery, reducing management overhead while lifting the technical baseline across the program.
Define
The challenge was not a lack of resources, but a lack of effective capability.
While the program was well staffed on paper, many contributors required heavy oversight, onboarding and continuous direction. This diluted leadership focus and introduced unnecessary friction across already complex vendor relationships.
Establishing what “productive capability” looked like at this scale was the first step.
Align
Senior practitioners were embedded directly into the existing delivery structure, selected for their ability to operate autonomously within banking-grade governance and security constraints.
These resources integrated quickly without disrupting established workstreams, contributing immediately across architecture, configuration and delivery. Rather than adding another layer, they acted as connective tissue between vendors, resolving technical gaps, clarifying ownership and maintaining momentum where dependencies intersected.
Govern
Governance was reinforced through experience rather than escalation.
By operating comfortably within the bank’s compliance and delivery frameworks, the embedded team reduced the need for constant oversight and intervention. This allowed internal leaders to refocus on strategic direction, while day-to-day execution progressed with greater consistency and confidence.
Outcome
Delivery velocity and stability were restored.
Management overhead reduced as senior expertise removed the need for micromanagement. Technical quality improved across the program, with complex configurations meeting production standards in a demanding regulatory environment. The broader implementation remained on track, supported by a delivery model that favoured capability and autonomy over volume.