A global leader in the optical and audiology retail sector faced a critical challenge: a deep reliance on System Integrator (SI) partners for their core technology strategy, engineering practices, and delivery. This dependency had created a gap in their internal knowledge and leadership, making it challenging to translate their strategic vision into tangible value for their partners and customers. They struggled to coordinate multiple SI partners effectively and lacked the framework to measure delivery quality and performance objectively. The goal was clear: the company needed to take direct control of its technology destiny.

The Challenge

The core challenge was to shift from partner-driven technology decisions to building an in-house engineering capability and leadership team, enabling them to take ownership of their technology future.. This involved overcoming several key obstacles. 

1. No engineering strategy: Without a clear, internally-owned engineering strategy, their technology vision lacked a roadmap for execution. 
2. No engineering capacity: The absence of a formal in-house engineering capability meant there was no defined operating model, scope, or structure for their own teams to follow. 
3. No partner governance: A lack of robust partner governance resulted in inconsistent standards, measures of success, and practices for managing SI relationships, leading to variable quality and performance.
   
   

The Approach

Our approach to enabling this was built on three concurrent pillars designed to build a robust, internal capability from the ground up.

1. Define the engineering strategy: We began by facilitating structured workshops with the client's board representative, CTO, and Head of Engineering. This collaborative process defined the "why" and "what" of their technology vision, identifying potential challenges and clarifying strategic priorities. The result was a clear and actionable engineering strategy that provided a strong foundation for building their internal capabilities.
   
   
2. Build the engineering capability: With the strategy in place, we focused on the "how." We partnered with the client to create their brand-new engineering function from scratch. This involved defining its scope, creating a roadmap, and designing an operating model that clarified its interaction with other technology departments, such as Architecture, Cloud, and QA. We also supported the hiring of key personnel, provided coaching, and co-created best practices to drive consistent quality and value.
   
   
3. Establish partner governance: To manage the ongoing relationship with external partners, we developed a comprehensive engineering governance framework. This defined clear standards, policies, and metrics for managing SI deliverables. To ensure rapid adoption, we created a partner handbook to accelerate the onboarding of partner teams, making the new framework a standard stipulation in all new commercial agreements.
   
   

The Outcome

A year on from this transformation, the company is reaping the rewards. They are now equipped with the strategy, capability, and governance required to drive their technology forward with confidence. The adoption of the new frameworks is widespread, and the company can now deliver value to its business and customers with greater control and stronger, internally-owned opinions on what good looks like. The client has successfully taken direct control of its technology destiny, positioning itself for sustained innovation and growth.