Completely redesigning the website of a multinational company like T-Systems in just 125 days seems like an impossible task. With agile project management and the right approach we were able to master this challenge.
Tight schedules, tight budgets and constantly new requirements are the omens under which many marketing projects stand. This was also the case with us, when we were supposed to revise our website from scratch in just 125 days and launch it. Traditional methods could not have provided us with the rapid workflows required by this ambitious project. Among other things, it was necessary to establish shorter turnaround times, to involve all teams at an equal level and to work towards the goal in a structured manner.
The solution: agile project management. What has long been a common method in IT projects such as the development of software is also increasingly finding its way into marketing – and was also the key for T-Systems to mastering this gigantic task. But here, too, we first had to clarify some aspects, for example, whether Scrum, Kanban or another agile approach was best suited.
Flashback to March 2019: T-Systems, Deutsche Telekom’s international corporate customers unit, decides to reinvent itself with clearly defined product and solution segments, and a fresh spirit. A new campaign, “Missing T”, which is scheduled to launch in the fall, will introduce T-Systems as a digital transformation partner and establish the new positioning. The new claim “Let’s power higher performance” says: Let’s do this! Let’s get down to work and make things happen! Obviously we also need a new website, and we have just 125 working days to plan and implement it before the campaign launch.
It was a tough deadline and we’d set our standards high. We wanted our new website to offer the best digital experience and, ideally, to convert visitors into customers. We wanted to put the focus on the customer rather than simply presenting our products, and use storytelling in place of product details. The attributes we defined for the website were: simple, modular, optimized for mobile use and customizable. We soon realized that the only way to close out the project successfully in the available timeframe was to use agile methods.
Skipping ahead to the most important thing: the website went live in time and on budget thanks to the following agile factors of success:
There is no question that agile project management – which directly impacts teams, management, and organization – requires some radical cultural changes. Hierarchies, silo mentalities and company-oriented thinking suddenly disappear. All team members are equals in terms of their expertise, commitment, and responsibility. These are basic requirements in Kanban and everyone in the project has to commit to them, to respectful interaction and to transparency. Obviously we experienced a few frictional losses, and we spent a lot of time on coordination activities and discussions. There were also interruptions and surprises – sometimes on a daily basis. But with the help of decision protocols, we created a project framework that helped us to navigate through critical situations and gave us scope to revise our decisions. Incorporating the things we learned into the project was actually a very important part of adapting our path forward to the defined, common goal.
Dialogue is an important element of the agile manifesto. Whether the teams attend virtual or face-to-face meetings: transparent interaction and communication as equals is essential, even on critical issues – and even though some people find it difficult to embrace this kind of a culture of constructive criticism. We all felt a very special energy in the room during our weekly onsite meetings because we were all so focused on working towards a shared goal.
Our success is the proof of our concept. We completed the relaunch in time and on budget. Before launching the “Missing T” campaign we went live with the new website, which has a total of 400 landing pages (German/ English), on October 1, 2019. After 125 working days, the project team of around 100 experts had processed over 1,500 Jira tickets multiple times. What’s more, we’ve had 100 percent more visits to www.t-systems.com and around 300 percent more website leads.
On the go-live date the project did not finish. It just started and the backlog pretty full. Since then, the fully functional website with strong content has seen new functions and content formats added in two-weekly sprints, and it has been extended, edited daily, filled with additional content and globally rolled out.
When the pandemic broke out in 2020, enterprises in all sectors suddenly shifted their focus to their digital transformation. We are better positioned than most to give our customers the support and encouragement they need and, at the same time, our transformation continues. We’re currently working on new services to offer our customers via the website and considering how we can provide the sales team with even more qualified leads. It’s still exciting.
