EY teams were initially selected to support a small part of the larger project. EY teams had successfully worked with the IT vendor on other digital transformation programs, but it was Shiseido’s relationships with EY partners in EY-Parthenon, the strategy arm of EY, that initiated the EY team’s role as strategic execution collaborator.
A select EY team was installed to work alongside the Shiseido leadership to help deliver the program. “We started with a small engagement team with a limited scope, but as Shiseido began to see the value we were able to bring through delivery, we grew the breadth and depth of services EY teams were able to offer,” explains Nobuko Kobayashi, EY-Parthenon Asia-Pacific Strategy Execution Leader.
As FOCUS gathered momentum, the company recognized that aligning the IT infrastructure with the operating model presented enormous challenges – both technical and human – and it needed more strategic support. “The client acknowledged that the program was going to get very complex, very quickly,” says Niyi Ojemuyiwa, Director, Strategy, Business Transformation and Digital Enterprise Applications, EY-Parthenon. “Strict project governance and robust methodology were needed to address this complexity, to identify and mitigate risks, and to standardize solutions.”.
From a vantage point that spanned the entire program, the EY team was appropriately situated to identify areas where it could offer strategic support. One such area was the Target Operating Model. “We encouraged the client to look beyond the transformation program and think about the end state,” says Ojemuyiwa. “This opened a conversation that led to us developing the tech strategy and the target operating model. In developing the tech strategy we also got involved in defining the identity and access management strategy and methodology.”
“When we started the program, EY helped us to bring in the best practices and ensure we had a strong foundation for this global program,” says Venkat Somasundaram, Global Solution Delivery & Enterprise Architect, Shiseido.
Putting people at the center of change
One of the hallmarks of this transformation program is the emphasis placed on change management. “The shift to consistent global standard processes and data and one connected system is a significant change for Shiseido,” explains Nancy Ngou, EY Japan Change, Culture and Inclusion Practice Leader. “Shiseido learned from past experience that to be successful, they could not approach this as purely as a technology transformation led by their IT department, they instead wanted this to be a business-led transformation.” To engage and motivate the business to make such a significant change, potentially disrupting their critical operations, the program leadership realized a change management program was essential.