Designing an in-house engineering function for a logistics business.

Client context

The business context.

A logistics company relied on outsourced technology delivery and wanted to develop its own engineering capability. The aim was to take greater ownership of differentiating digital products, bringing business teams, software development and operations into shared delivery teams.

The change required more than a recruitment plan. The company needed to decide which capabilities to build, how engineers would work with the business, and how existing employees and external partners would contribute to the new model.

The work

How the engagement was delivered.

• Prioritize the engineering build-up

  Validated the ambition with management, assessed potential solution areas and selected the first priorities. Developed the operating model, business case and roadmap, then detailed the design for the initial areas.

• Connect team design with career development

  Defined engineering career tracks and role profiles within the target model. Proposed an approach to performance reviews and learning that considered delivery quality, collaboration and technical expertise.

• Plan the workforce and prepare the launch

  Modeled capability requirements across products and engineering disciplines, distinguishing new hires, internal reskilling and retained external support. Set out the recruiting and onboarding responsibilities, and established a steering committee and transformation team to carry the initiative forward.

What changed

A defined operating model and launch plan.

The company had a prioritized engineering agenda, a detailed operating model for the first areas, and an integrated business case and workforce plan. A steering committee and transformation team were established to lead the next phase. Recruitment, reskilling and the wider rollout were set out as the next phase.