Business transformation is like running a marathon. (Image: Project Portfolio Office)
For many organisations, enterprise transformation begins with technology. Yet despite significant investment in ERP platforms, AI initiatives and digital modernisation, many transformation programmes continue to fall short of delivering their intended business value.
According to Hendus Venter, group chief information and digital officer at energy solutions provider, Jubaili Bros, technology is only one part of a much larger equation. Speaking at the most recent PMO Forum event for project management office (PMO) leaders, an interest group under the umbrella of Project Management South Africa (PMSA), which is hosted by Project Portfolio Office, Venter shared lessons learned from Jubaili Bros' ambitious business transformation programme.
Operating across more than 70 countries with a workforce representing over 50 nationalities, Jubaili Bros faced the complexities of fragmented legacy systems, inconsistent business processes and differing regulatory environments. Its multi-year transformation programme standardised operations across eight countries spanning Africa, the Middle East and the Levant, while unifying disparate systems into a single ERP platform.
Crucially, however, the organisation viewed ERP not as the destination, but as the foundation for a broader business transformation that supported its strategic shift from a product-focused organisation to one centred on customer experience.
Venter’s central message was clear: successful transformation goes far beyond implementing technology and focuses on transforming the business.
Where strategy becomes reality
One of the strongest themes throughout Venter's presentation was the role of the PMO in delivering successful transformation.
Project management offices should not simply govern projects or produce status reports, he argued. Instead, they play a strategic role by translating business strategy into measurable execution, providing the guardrails that keep transformation programmes moving.
For organisations leading large-scale change, this shift in mindset is critical. The PMO becomes the link between executive vision and operational execution, ensuring that technology investments continue delivering business value long after implementation.
Transformation is a marathon
Throughout the presentation, Venter compared business transformation to running a marathon. "No athlete breaks world records on race day," he explained. "Success is determined by months of preparation, discipline and having the right team around you."
And he believes that the same principle applies to enterprise transformation. Before Jubaili Bros’ implementation even began, the company’s leadership had already defined what the future organisation should look like. Rather than attempting to improve existing ways of working incrementally, the company designed its future operating model first and then worked backwards to determine how technology could support it. This preparation created the foundation for everything that followed.
The lesson, Venter noted, was that investing time upfront creates the momentum needed to scale transformation rapidly.
Throughout his presentation, Venter returned repeatedly to the running analogy. Every transformation programme, he said, eventually "hits the wall". Budgets come under pressure, unexpected challenges emerge, priorities shift and fatigue begins to set in.
The organisations that succeed are not necessarily those with the biggest technology budgets or the most sophisticated software. They are the ones that prepare thoroughly, maintain disciplined execution and keep people aligned around a common purpose.
People drive transformation, not technology
While ERP projects are often measured through milestones, budgets and technical deliverables, Venter believes the real measure of success is adoption.
As such, rather than creating an isolated project team, Jubaili Bros deliberately involved business employees throughout the programme. Staff participated in designing new processes, testing solutions and refining operations after go-live. As Venter clarified during the session: "Employees support what they help to create."
This collaborative approach helped build ownership across the organisation while reducing resistance to change. It also enabled employees to identify opportunities for continuous improvement once the new platform was operational.
Another strong theme referenced throughout Venter’s presentation was the importance of visible executive sponsorship.
At Jubaili Bros, the group CEO personally sponsored the transformation programme, reinforcing that it was a strategic business initiative rather than an IT project. Executive leadership remained actively involved throughout the programme, helping to remove organisational barriers, maintain momentum and ensure that transformation objectives remained aligned with broader business strategy.
For organisations undertaking similar programmes, this level of leadership commitment can make the difference between a project that simply delivers technology and one that essentially changes how the business operates.
Data quality is business quality
When Venter joined Jubaili Bros around five years ago, the organisation operated three ERP environments supported by approximately 170 different sources of business information. Rather than simply migrating that complexity into a modern platform, the team first tackled the underlying data challenge.
One example highlighted during the presentation was the rationalisation of approximately 250 000 product codes into around 16 000 standardised records. While still substantial, the simplification significantly improved consistency, reporting and operational efficiency across the business.
The objective was not simply cleaner data, but a single source of truth that could support consistent decision-making across every country and business unit.
Venter also challenged traditional approaches to governance, arguing that it should provide guardrails rather than obstacles. Clear decision-making authority, simple reporting and disciplined execution enabled operational teams to maintain momentum while escalating only strategic decisions to executive leadership.
Rather than overwhelming executives with lengthy steering committee reports, the programme focused on a small number of meaningful measures including organisational readiness, adoption, data quality and business outcomes.
As Venter stated, dashboards should start conversations that drive action, and not simply document activity.
Partnerships built on trust
Reflecting on the programme, Venter observed: "Trust creates speed. Challenge creates quality." Strong partnerships, underpinned by openness and constructive challenge, helped improve delivery quality while keeping the programme aligned to business outcomes.
Rather than treating suppliers as external vendors responsible only for technical delivery, Jubaili Bros adopted a genuine partnership model. “Transformation cannot be outsourced, with success depending on organisations and partners working as one team with shared objectives, mutual trust and collective accountability.”
Building momentum through communication
Throughout the transformation, communication became a strategic enabler rather than a project activity.
Rather than limiting communication to technical updates, Jubaili Bros invested in creating a shared understanding of why change was necessary, what success would look like and how every employee contributed to achieving it.
Milestones were celebrated, successes recognised and employees kept informed throughout the journey, helping to maintain engagement across geographically dispersed teams.
The result was strong adoption levels and a culture that increasingly embraced continuous improvement rather than viewing transformation as a once-off event.
Says Guy Jelley, CEO and co-founder of Project Portfolio Office: “For project management professionals, perhaps the greatest lesson from the Jubaili Bros journey is that technology may enable transformation, but leadership, governance, data and people determine whether that transformation delivers lasting business value. As organisations continue investing in digital modernisation and enterprise platforms, this distinction has never been more important.”
