The NPD Group · OPERATIONS TRANSFORMATION
Creating the Structure to Turn Strategy Into Execution
The Challenge
Major transformation and modernization initiatives were being run by the same operational teams responsible for day-to-day production and delivery. Functional experts were balancing critical business responsibilities against project meetings, coordination, and implementation work — creating competing priorities, execution gaps, and unnecessary strain on production teams.
The organization needed a better way to execute complex cross-functional initiatives without disrupting the ongoing operation of the business.
The Approach
Took part in the leadership effort to identify the underlying operating-model problem and, working alongside an external consulting partner, helped design an approach that created dedicated implementation capacity inside Operations.
Selected to establish and lead the resulting Operations Implementation function, translating the new model from concept into practice. Built the team, set its governance and ways of working, and defined a clear division of responsibility between implementation leaders and functional experts.
The point was not to remove operational experts from transformation work, but to let them spend their time where their expertise mattered most. Dedicated implementation leaders represented Operations on cross-functional project teams, coordinated requirements and dependencies, managed timelines and communication, and brought in functional experts at the moments their knowledge was needed.
Established standardized implementation methodologies, governance practices, and cross-functional execution planning. The function became a critical link between Operations and Product, Technology, Commercial, and other groups — surfacing risks, resolving execution barriers, aligning stakeholders, and turning strategic initiatives into operational delivery.
The Outcome
The new model created dedicated capacity for enterprise change while giving valuable time back to production teams to focus on core delivery.
The function went on to support 10+ strategic transformation initiatives and more than 50 data modernization projects annually, helping improve on-time delivery from 95% to 98% and reduce time-to-market by 30%.
Beyond the performance numbers, it established a scalable, repeatable way to translate enterprise strategy into operational execution.
experience details
Company: The NPD Group, now Circana Role: VP, Operations Implementation
Focus: Operations Transformation
CAPABILITIES
Operating Model Design · Governance & Methodology · Cross-Functional Execution · Program Delivery · Team Building
Strategy stalling before execution?
The Integration at a Glance
A dedicated implementation function gave the business a repeatable way to execute enterprise change without pulling production teams off their core work.
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