When a market leader made a strategic acquisition, the company positioned itself well to address the escalating demand in the sector. Operating in more than 60 countries, this mobility powerhouse was then confronted with integrating the acquisition into its operational environment. Optimizing the travel program was a substantial opportunity.

Challenge

The company established the framework to synchronize travel service providers, having selected the travel management supplier, global online booking tools (OBTs) as well as payment mechanisms and expense tools. Implementing the first wave of countries revealed many challenges:

• The merger encompassed two global entities, each with distinct organizational structures and governance models, as well as different travel program policies, practices, and requirements.
• Facing an aggressive timeline, project stakeholders had differing opinions that frequently led to indecision; the large number of internal stakeholders gave rise to unpredictable project delays.
• The departure of key personnel prior to Areka’s arrival led to a lack of documentation and historical context for decision-making.
• Upon review, Areka found that some early decisions were misaligned with the intended outcomes.

Areka's Mission

Having completed its own sourcing and first wave of implementation, the company recognized the need for a consultant with deep industry expertise. They asked Areka to oversee the balance of the project, and address the following requirements:

• Assess the strategy and current plans for alignment with key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Refine the core model to simplify workflows and align it closely with KPIs and the travel policy
• Ensure a smooth implementation across remaining countries (Waves 2 and 3)
• Develop a change management strategy that would boost adoption and program performance
• Monitor performance and implement corrective actions, as necessary
• Provide market intelligence through best practices benchmarking
• Maintain an effective Project Management Office (PMO) and support the governance structures
• Thoroughly document all program requirements operational processes

Response

Areka assigned a project manager and a senior consultant to:

• Fully assess the current and desired states, globally and within key markets

• Clarify and establish comprehensive governance protocols

• Arrange regular calls, meetings, and workshops to facilitate communication among internal and external stakeholders at both the global and local levels

• Mitigate delays for the launch of wave 2 and wave 3 with a redesigned launch strategy that anticipated delays and barriers

• Design a new core model: engage relevant stakeholders to refine processes, refine offline processes and support models; optimize the use of technology and automation; identify required exceptions or workarounds to Core Model processes, document these processes and finalize the Core Model, design, test, and validate reconciliation processes (both online and offline)

• Create an effective change management strategy that would influence behavior and encourage buy-in through surveys, training, and a comprehensive communications plan

• Support users during the hyper-care phase

Unique approach

Reflecting on the project, we achieved significant outcomes for our client:

• As a leading T&E practitioner, we provided expertise, market intelligence, best practices, and benchmarks with special attention to simplicity, efficiency, governance and project management.

• As a company focused on quality and actionable deliverables, we supported end-to-end project management and decision-support, from process redesign, through implementation, hyper-care, and the identification of remaining out-of-scope travel projects.

• As a trusted and neutral third party, we efficiently addressed issues and facilitated decision-making when opportunities arose and when internal opinions differed.

Results & key metrics

Areka successfully finalized all processes and navigated the project through its implementation and hyper-care phases across all countries. In closing the engagement, we also identified remaining travel-related matters beyond the project scope to enable a smooth turnover and ongoing program success.

1. Implemented 30 countries

2. Travel spend: nearly €80 million

3. Timeline: Waves 2 & 3 on time and on budget

4. Monthly Data Reconciliation: 80 – 90% match on 2-way reconciliation

5. Payment: established new payment strategy for improved data integrity