Scaling Together: A 25-Year Journey of Partnership and Progress

Our client, a multinational pharmaceutical company with over 100,000 employees worldwide, started working with us in 1998. We have fostered a strong relationship with them and have taken every opportunity to be meticulous, consistent, and provide quality resources, building a reputation for ourselves across their locations in the U.S. and Europe. Our partnership was solidified when one of our dedicated Account Managers connected with the client’s head of RIS Platform Engineering, who recognized the value of our services and introduced us to his team.

Building Momentum Through Collaboration

As our partnership with the client grew and flourished, we supported a wide range of global programs, including global SAP S/4HANA change management and functional management support, cybersecurity program management, and a Windows migration. Our consultants delivered expertise in areas such as:

• Organizational Change Management and Training
• SAP and EWM Consulting
• Data Analytics (SAP Master Data, Power BI)
• Cybersecurity and Quality Risk Management
• MES Engineering and CSV Support
• Medical Affairs and Process Validation

Through these projects, we solidified our partnership built on a foundation of collaboration and trust.

Enabling Global Digital Transformation

When the client set out on a major digital transformation to transition to Amazon Web Services™ (AWS) Cloud, we were ready to help them seize the opportunity to modernize and innovate. Their goal was ambitious: optimize their DevOps capabilities, adopt a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) model, and deploy cutting-edge tools to accelerate delivery. With a defined budget and tight timeline, they needed a trusted partner who could move fast, without compromising quality.

Having already experienced Oxford’s ability to scale and provide seamless oversight across large, complex teams, the client turned to us once again.

To deliver with precision and agility, we assembled six specialized project teams—each led by seasoned Scrum Masters and Technical Leads—under a deliverable-based Statement of Work. Each consultant was carefully vetted to ensure the perfect fit. Because of our proven track record and commitment to excellence, the client trusted us to manage the engagement process.

We provided a team of skilled professionals, including:

• Scrum Masters/Project Managers
• Technical Leads and Architects
• Full Stack Developers
• Principal DevOps Engineers
• QA and Automation Engineers
• Technical Writers

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

The project was not without challenges. One team struggled to identify the resources they needed, but through consistent communication with each team member, we were able to identify the true gap and find the right fit. In addition, the client had a slow procurement process, which we addressed by having direct contact with the client’s procurement representative and building a relationship with him. As a result, the procurement rep became an Oxford champion and helped us move things along more quickly. Through proactive and open conversations, we got the job done.

Delivering Results that Inspire Confidence

In the end, we sourced and engaged 36 highly skilled professionals within four weeks. Throughout the project, our Engagement Manager oversaw milestones, monitored progress, and met weekly with the client’s leadership to report on the agreed upon KPIs.  

Our consultants were integrated into the day-to-day with internal stakeholders so that the client had complete visibility into our activities, enabling a smoother knowledge transfer. The client appreciated our collaborative approach; we provided a custom solution that gave them enough autonomy to direct the project without worrying about operational details (e.g., budget burn rate, status reports, equipment management). 

Outcomes included:  

• Timely and smooth onboarding of the Oxford team 
• Kickoff planning and facilitation 
• Management of Oxford’s performance and retention 
• Status reporting 
• Communication management 
• Management of project risks 
• Business review meeting planning and facilitation 

A Foundation for the Future

Through consultative and collaborative partnership with the client, we enhanced our ability to quickly scale without sacrificing quality. We understand our client’s business cycles, procurement process, and onboarding techniques, which allows us to increase efficiency.  

Most importantly, the project was completed significantly under budget, and several key resources were extended to continue supporting the internal teams. The transition required no additional knowledge transfer, underscoring the seamless integration of Oxford’s consultants into the client’s workflows.  This project laid the foundation for the client to scale up their microservices capabilities on their existing cloud platform and improved documentation for others to lean on for future projects.  

Keeping everyone on the same page throughout the project was an integral strategy to the client’s success. Our global partnership with this client has continued to grow holistically, with our technical competency and domain knowledge supporting their vision for the future.  

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