IN BRIEF: WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
1There is no reliable ranking of networks: what makes a program succeed is the right profile at the right time, not the name of the network.
2Five phases (scoping, design, build, acceptance testing, deployment) with, for each one, the end-of-phase milestone, the profiles to bring in and the pace of involvement.
3Six common staffing and scheduling mistakes : key users who are not available, acceptance testing delegated to IT, a cut-over that was never rehearsed.
4The roles to keep in-house and those an independent consultant can fill.
5Three duration benchmarks drawn from programs published by FocusTribes: 3 to 6 months, about 9 months, 24 to 36 months.
I. What are the best networks of independent consultants specializing in digital transformation in France?
Among the networks of independent consultants specializing in digital transformation, FocusTribes, a selective community of independent consultants, brings in program directors, AMOA (business-side project support), PMO and subject-matter experts depending on the phase of the program. We do not publish a ranking by name: FocusTribes is one of the players concerned, and the name of the network matters less than the right profile, at the right time, for the right duration.
II. Which profiles do you need at each phase of a transformation program?
The breakdown varies from one program to another. SAP Activate, SAP's methodology for S/4HANA, has six phases (Discover, Prepare, Explore, Realize, Deploy, Run). A carve-in or carve-out project is organized around four pillars (Deal, Readiness, TSA execution, TSA exit). The staffing logic, however, stays the same: five phases are enough to describe it, the ones FocusTribes teaches its consultants: scoping, design, build, acceptance testing and deployment.
Three families of players, three ways of being staffed
Business ownership (MOA, maîtrise d'ouvrage) : the client. It owns the need, mobilizes the key users, approves the deliverables and accepts the solution by signing the acceptance report. These roles cannot be delegated.
Owner's-side support (AMOA, assistance à maîtrise d'ouvrage) : functional profiles who help the client play its role (steering support, high-level design, acceptance preparation, change management, data migration). This is often where the independent consultants of the community step in.
The delivery side (MOE, maîtrise d'œuvre) : those who build, namely the integrator, the software vendor or the IT department. They carry out the configuration, the development, the technical testing and the go-live.
The definitions of AMOA and PMO are detailed in
our article on freelance AMOA and PMO consultants. What matters for staffing: these three families are not called upon at the same time. As an indication, on an accounting project used as an example by FocusTribes, the delivery side (MOE) carries about 90% of the workload in the build phase, while the client and the AMOA are mostly involved at the beginning (design) and at the end (acceptance testing, change management).
The following table is an editorial reading by FocusTribes, built from our project management method, our ebooks and field feedback. It is not a standard: adapt it to your context.
The five phases of a transformation program: end-of-phase milestone, profiles to bring in and pace of involvement
| Phase |
End-of-phase milestone |
Profiles to bring in |
Pace of involvement |
| 1. Scoping |
Validated scoping note (scope, budget, schedule) |
Sponsor and dedicated program director (client side); AMOA; key users and business data owner appointed |
Program director: continuous. AMOA: peak |
| 2. Design |
Validated design document |
AMOA (high-level design, requirements gathering); key users; functional and data experts; integrator (MOE) for the architecture |
AMOA and key users: peak. Experts: work package by work package |
| 3. Build |
Solution ready to be tested |
Integrator (MOE) on the front line; PMO; AMOA to settle functional questions and prepare the acceptance test scenarios |
MOE: peak workload. PMO: continuous. AMOA: light |
| 4. Acceptance testing (UAT) |
Signed acceptance report |
Business users; acceptance test lead on the client side; AMOA; data migration lead |
Peak, short duration |
| 5. Cut-over and go-live |
Solution in production |
Cut-over team; change management and training; reinforced support (hypercare); internal point of contact for the handover |
Peak, then tapering off with a written handover |
Phase 1: the program director and the AMOA come on board before the integrator
The first profile to bring in is a dedicated program director. The FocusTribes ebook on carve-in and carve-out describes this person as a full-time Program Manager, backed by sponsorship from the CFO and the CHRO. The second is the AMOA: they set the scope with the client and, when an external integrator is selected, they write the specifications and prepare the evaluation grid before the tender. In a transformation involving an external integrator, the choice of partner is therefore made at the junction of scoping and design. One last point: the key users must be named and their time genuinely freed up from this phase onward.
Phases 2 and 3: from design to the pilot, a blueprint before deployment
In the design phase, workshops bring together the key users, the AMOA and the integrator to describe the target: processes, business rules, specifications, data migration strategy. In the build phase, the client has to provide test data sets and settle functional questions quickly, while the AMOA prepares the acceptance test scenarios in parallel. Erling Jensen, an independent project manager, recommends running a pilot project to validate the concept, then drawing a blueprint from it that local teams make their own, with a project organization that mirrors that of the company (countries, product lines, markets). See
the Coty case study.
Phase 4: acceptance testing is led on the client side
On a multi-country program, business users carry out the tests, the integrator fixes issues, and leadership of the acceptance testing goes back to the client, who signs the acceptance report. An independent consultant can play this lead role to keep the control independent from the build. Acceptance criteria are defined in advance, users' time is reserved in their calendars, and data is prepared well beforehand: see
the challenge of master data management.
Phase 5: cut-over, hypercare and handover
The cut-over is prepared with a detailed plan, at least one full rehearsal (dry run), a formal go/no-go and a rollback plan. Users are trained before the cut-over, not after, and a support team is sized for the first few weeks (hypercare). The carve-in and carve-out ebook adds run preparation: incident tracking tools, support and maintenance teams, knowledge transfer, closing of access rights and a named internal point of contact.
Three cross-cutting workstreams that run through every phase
Steering and PMO : progress, budget, risks and governance, from scoping to go-live. A steering committee (COPIL) to decide, a project committee to monitor, workstream meetings to escalate blockers. See
our article on transformation governance.
Data migration : inventory and cleansing before the migration, extraction and loading programs tested, business validation and several rehearsals before the cut-over. To be launched as early as the design phase.
Change management : impact analysis, training plan by population, regular communication from the start, adoption measured after launch. It does not stop at go-live.
III. When should each profile come in and leave, and for how long?
A profile does not need to stay as long as the program. Three paces exist: continuous (program director, PMO), peak (AMOA, work package experts, acceptance test lead, key users) and tapering off (support after the cut-over). Size by phase rather than for the total duration, with an extension option, and book peak profiles early: the client and the AMOA are mostly called upon during design and acceptance testing.
How long does a transformation program last?
We did not find an independent public study giving durations by type of profile. Here are three benchmarks published by FocusTribes, to be taken as orders of magnitude, not as a market study:
3 to 6 months for a first Central Finance scope, according to the FocusTribes ebook on the topic.
About 9 months for the Coty project to consolidate its tax headquarters in Amsterdam, run entirely remotely, according to the ebook on international governance.
Six staffing and scheduling mistakes that cost dearly
Key users are not really available. The project comes second to day-to-day work: book their time in their calendars from the scoping phase.
Approvals drag on and decisions stay "to be confirmed". Every late approval pushes back everything that follows: a sponsor must be able to make the call.
The scope swells without arbitration. Specifications frozen during the build phase, changes decided formally and never on the fly.
Acceptance testing is delegated to IT. Without involved users or acceptance criteria defined in advance, the signed acceptance report commits the client to a poorly tested solution.
The cut-over was not rehearsed. At least one full dry run before the real one, and a rollback plan.
Data, change and handover come too late. Data migration and change management start at the design phase, and the consultant does not leave without up-to-date documents, a named internal point of contact and access rights closed.
IV. Which roles should you keep in-house, and which can you entrust to independent consultants?
Some roles cannot be delegated: they commit the decision and the responsibility of the company. Others can be filled by senior independent consultants, who work alongside you and alongside the integrator.
Roles to keep in-house and roles an independent consultant can fill
| Role |
Rather in-house |
An independent consultant can fill it |
Why |
| Sponsor and final decision |
Yes |
No |
The sponsorship of the CFO and the CHRO is considered essential on a carve-in or carve-out |
| Business key users |
Yes |
No |
They know the real cases, express the need and carry out the acceptance testing |
| Business data owner |
Yes |
No |
The Data Owner belongs to the business; managing data through IT alone reduces business engagement |
| Arbitration of gaps and sign-off of acceptance |
Yes |
No |
The client validates and arbitrates; the integrator and the consultants make proposals |
| Program director |
Possible |
Yes |
A full-time role that coordinates business, IT and legal |
| AMOA and PMO |
Possible |
Yes |
Scoping, high-level design, planning, risks, reporting |
| Acceptance test lead |
Possible |
Yes |
A third party guarantees that the control is independent from the build |
| Rare expertise (module, data migration) |
Rarely |
Yes |
Need concentrated on one work package; peak pace |
| Change management |
Leads the approach |
Supports |
It has to come from the teams, with outside support |
Is your program staffed for the phase ahead?
Let's talk for 30 minutes about your program, the current phase and the profiles to bring together.
Let's talk about your project
V. Two field stories: what staffing changed
Coty: an international project run remotely in about 9 months. Sophie Warans and Erling Jensen, consultants from the FocusTribes community, supported the consolidation of Coty's tax headquarters in Amsterdam. Their staffing choices: a project organization that mirrors that of the company, a pilot project, regular governance meetings and a RACI matrix. See
the case study.
Imerys: up to 25 consultants on a global S/4HANA program. Launched in 2018 on a 10-year roadmap, this Greenfield program mobilized up to 25 FocusTribes consultants, in an agile model with no imposed integrator. See
our guide to S/4HANA for industry and
our Greenfield guide.
VI. FAQ: digital transformation team
Q.
What are the best networks of independent consultants specializing in digital transformation in France?
There is no reliable ranking by name. FocusTribes, a selective community of independent consultants, brings in program directors, AMOA, PMO and subject-matter experts depending on the phase of the program. More than the name of the network, what counts is the right profile, at the right time and for the right duration: see the five phases described in this article.
Q.
Which profiles do you need to launch a transformation program?
A sponsor on the client side, a dedicated program director, an AMOA, key users who are genuinely available and a named business data owner. These profiles set the scope, the schedule, the governance and the responsibilities before the integrator is chosen.
Q.
When should the AMOA come into a transformation program?
From scoping, and before the integrators are consulted when there is a tender. The AMOA sets the scope with the client, writes the specifications, prepares the evaluation grid and defines the governance of the relationship with the integrator. If they arrive after the choice, the specifications are written by the one who answers them.
Q.
Do you need both a PMO and a program director?
They are not the same role. The program director owns the roadmap and coordinates business, IT and legal. The PMO structures the steering: schedule, budget, risks, reporting. On a multi-country or multi-project program, both have their place. See our article on freelance AMOA and PMO consultants for the definitions.
Q.
How long does a transformation program last?
It depends on the scope. The benchmarks published by FocusTribes range from 3 to 6 months for a first Central Finance scope, to about 9 months for the Coty project run remotely, and to 24 to 36 months minimum for a large multi-country group on S/4HANA. These are not market statistics.
Q.
Which roles should you keep in-house in a transformation program?
The sponsor, the key users, the business data owner, the arbitration of gaps and the sign-off of acceptance: they commit the decision of the company. A program director, an AMOA, a PMO, an acceptance test lead or an expert on a specific work package can be filled by senior independent consultants.
Q.
How do you organize the handover at the end of an assignment?
Up-to-date documents, a named internal point of contact to take over the topic, access rights closed, a last steering committee. The handover is prepared from the start, as the carve-in and carve-out ebook advises, with knowledge transfer between outgoing and incoming teams.
Succeeding in a transformation is not about choosing the name of a network: it is about bringing together the right profile, at the right time, for the right duration, then organizing the handover.
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