Interim Program Management for a Global HR Platform Rollout

A leading intelligent traffic solutions provider, carved out from its parent company in the global mobility sector, engaged binder|consulting as its Interim HR Program Management Partner. The objective was to design, restructure, and digitize the HR system landscape into a fully independent, future-ready platform with no dependencies on the former parent organization.

Working alongside the client's implementation partner, binder|consulting successfully guided the rollout of SAP SuccessFactors and PeopleHub, among other solutions, across 22 countries within 17 months, delivering a fully operational HR function by the change-of-control milestone.

1. Mobility
   
   1. Industry
2. EUR 650M
   
   1. Annual Revenue
3. 22 Areas
   
   1. Project Scope
4. 17 Months
   
   1. Project Duration

The Initial Situation

As part of its carve-out from a leading global mobility group, the company required a new, fully independent and operational HR technology infrastructure within a limited timeframe. With access to the parent company’s systems ending at change-of-control, the organization selected SAP SuccessFactors and PeopleHub as the core components of the HR system landscape to establish a lean, standardized global HR landscape, replacing a previously highly customized ecosystem.

This required the end-to-end implementation of core HR capabilities - including master data, payroll, time management, recruiting, onboarding, performance management, learning, and succession planning - to ensure business continuity from day one.

To set the initiative up for success, the client consciously chose to involve a trusted, neutral partner to orchestrate alignment across internal teams, parallel initiatives, and implementation partners, ensuring seamless integration of the new HR landscape with business objectives and a changing organizational structure.

The Critical Challenges

The core challenge was to deliver a complete HR infrastructure transformation across more than 20 countries within a rigid, change-of-control-driven timeline. Following the carve-out, the organization could no longer rely on the parent company’s shared services, tools, or employee support processes. As a result, the HR operating model, governance structures, and system landscape had to be redesigned from the ground up.

Managing a multi-country program of this scale required disciplined coordination across stakeholders, resources, and local requirements. At the same time, the initiative demanded independent program leadership to align internal teams and implementation partners, translate business needs into actionable design requirements, and ensure integration with parallel transformation streams - all while maintaining pace and focus for an on-time go-live.

Overall, achieving success depended on establishing a stable, integrated HR platform that would enable compliant, data‑driven, and scalable service delivery from day one.

How We Supported the Client

binder|consulting assumed the role of Interim Program Manager, addressing critical expertise and capacity gaps. Acting as a neutral counterpart to the implementation partner’s project leadership, we played a key moderating role, ensuring transparent communication and effective collaboration between client teams and external vendors while balancing all stakeholder interests.

Our approach combined country coordination, cross-project integration, and business translation - linking the HR transformation with IT and other internal initiatives while converting strategic requirements into actionable deliverables. The program followed the SAP Activate methodology, including preparation and scoping, structured realization phases, testing and user acceptance, and a defined post-go-live hypercare phase.

Additional contributions included leading the document management workstream and ensuring the successful migration of personnel files to the new electronic file portal; co-leading the time management stream with a focus on compliant, country-specific solutions; and coordinating testing activities across modules and regions to ensure seamless system integration and a successful user acceptance phase.

The Impact Delivered

binder|consulting successfully guided the implementation as interim internal program lead, delivering a fully integrated global HR infrastructure and achieving the defined Change of Control target within 17 months.

The transformation resulted in a harmonized HR IT landscape based on SAP Success Factors, enabling more than 20 countries to operate on a unified HR backbone. By aligning processes closely with standard system capabilities, the program significantly increased harmonization while reducing local complexity.

The resulting platform supports efficient, digital HR services across borders and provides a scalable, future-ready operating model capable of adapting to regulatory and technological change. Pragmatic governance and iterative refinement ensured adherence to the ambitious timeline and contributed to the project receiving an SAP Quality Award for outstanding execution.

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