Moët Hennessy, a global leader in wines and spirits, engaged PTS to address critical transition challenges following their decision to sell Cape Mentelle Vineyard to Endeavour Group. Due to the external legal and commercial nature of the project there was a need to comply with the terms of the original Divestiture Sales Agreement. Moët Hennessy therefore sought the assistance of a partner familiar with taking the lead on such projects.
The client had three critical objectives:
- Ensuring business continuity for the Cape Mentelle business operations,
- Minimising risk and safeguarding sensitive data, and
- Achieving a complete separation of Cape Mentelle IT services from Moët Hennessy IT Services.
Strong Project Leadership Required
PTS set up a well-coordinated project governance framework with Moët Hennessy, Endeavour and third parties to tackle core challenges for a timely delivery. Collateral included the Project Governance structure and reporting, using PTS’ Enterprise Project and Programme Management methodology and tools.
Like all merger and acquisition projects there were significant challenges that needed to be managed that included the following:
The migration of IT services that supported daily business operations could disrupt operations for both Moët Hennessy and Endeavour. Failure to maintain strict data privacy and security measures could result in data breaches, regulatory penalties, and legal complications.
Establishing clear boundaries between the IT infrastructures of Moët Hennessy and Endeavour, who are competitors in this market, was vital. Unintended connections, data leakage, or cross-data mixes between the two entities’ systems could have severe consequences. The challenge was effectively severing interdependencies, interfaces, and networks without disrupting ongoing operations.
The technical complexity of migrating diverse IT systems and applications added another layer of challenge. Ensuring the transferred services’ compatibility, data integrity, and functionality required meticulous planning and execution. Failure to address technical intricacies could lead to disruptions, service outages, or critical data loss.
PTS Helped Allay Fears by Simplifying the Complexity
Drawing from previous M&A project experiences, PTS illuminated the hidden complexities of the project to other stakeholders, which they hadn’t fully grasped initially. Key concerns revolved around potential disruptions to business operations, with possible impacts on revenue, customer satisfaction, and overall business performance. There were also justified concerns around safeguarding sensitive Cape Mentelle Vineyard data during its transfer to prevent breaches and legal repercussions.
The path to find the right solution for the transition of IT services from Moët Hennessy to Endeavour for Cape Mentelle Vineyard involved several vital phases and activities.
Casting a Critical Eye – Discovery
During this phase, PTS embarked on gaining a thorough understanding of the project by conducting IT workshops to explore Moët Hennessy’s current systems, applications, and services earmarked for migration. Collaborative efforts extended to Endeavour through workshops and meetings to gain insights into their migration plan, scheduled appointments and dialogues with IT services stakeholders from both parties.
The Recipe for Success – Planning
PTS crafted a detailed Migration Event Runbook, delineating the precise activities and schedules for the seamless migration to Endeavour. It involved thoroughly assessing the services identified for migration, encompassing methodology, necessary resources, Proof of Concept testing, associated costs, and potential risks. Furthermore PTS collaborated closely with the IT teams on the formulation of high-level blueprints which served as a foundation for the intricate migration plans.
Execution Day – Service Migration
In this phase, after obtaining the required liquor license approval, the official legal handover was scheduled. A critical ‘Go or No-Go’ meeting was held which sought approval from the Migration Steering Committee to proceed.
On the Migration Day, the execution of the IT services migration and Cape Mentelle’s transition from Moët Hennessy were completed successfully.
PTS established a ‘Command and Control Centre’ overseeing the process, facilitating the transfer of business operational applications, historical data, server hardware, network infrastructure, PCs, iPhones, iPads, and other hardware to Endeavour. Although some delays arose, including a late stocktake completion, the transition remained mainly on track.
Dotting the ‘i’s and Crossing the ‘t’s – Closure
Project Closure encompassed a series of proactive steps in the project’s final phase including a Lessons Learned report, a management slide deck for the review and consideration of the Chief Information Officer and a Project Completion Record with a formal sign-off.
“Working with the PTS Team during our recent sale of Cape Mentelle Winery was invaluable to the success of the project. Without their help and professionalism throughout the project my team would have been overwhelmed by the surprising amount of detail that was needed to ensure this was completed so successfully from a technology point of view.”
The client’s APAC CIO
