Platinum PMO: Disrupting How Digital Transformations are Implemented

What does it take to build a large-scale digital transformation? An appropriate answer to this question would be, multiple consulting parties engaging on strategic aspects of the digital transformation. Although necessary, such engagements result in teams operating in multiple continents in relative silos and thousands of independent and interdependent documents created throughout the lifecycle of a project. “There are these incredibly talented consulting organizations that are using the same tools and techniques that were used when I was just a kid stepping in this space more than 20 years ago. As an industry, we have not evolved when it comes to providing our clients a comprehensive technology to support the implementation of their digital transformation initiatives until now,” says a confident Rick Catalano, the CEO of Platinum PMO. With more than 25 years of experience in the SAP ecosystem, Platinum PMO is assisting organizations to embark on their digital transformation journey to S4 HANA. Since 2002, the company has been helping their clients to organize, plan and execute their SAP implementations with advisory, program management, risk management, and deployment services. With a vision in the making for over five years now, the company is ready to begin a new journey with its comprehensive, integrated, mobility-enabled cloud-based Digital Transformation Implementation Platform. Catalano specializes in Digital Transformation program implementations, especially in the SAP ecosystem. As a visionary Program/Project/Consultant leader, he has used his extensive experience jumpstarting system success for mid-sized to Fortune 500 industry leaders. His program and project management abilities have propelled the successful launch of dozens of SAP-enabled solutions for clients around the world, driving process improvements and profit growth. He has successfully led and implemented large-scale, multi-million dollar global SAP implementations including custom-built applications, system integration across multiple technology platforms, and change management. His expertise spans a variety of industries including consumer and industrial products, oil & gas, utility, and publishing. As a project leader, Catalano is known as a strong mentor and coach who motivates his people to overcome obstacles. He brings out the best in his teams in terms of efficiency and effectiveness and helps develop skills to handle the complexities of multi-location, multi-cultural global implementations. “Unfortunately, the tools to help facilitate and implement digital transformations have not really changed since organizations carried out their initial implementations in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The biggest change that has taken place is that companies have moved from storing the Program documentation on a file server to a SharePoint Site. We are seizing this opportunity to reflect and remember how painful those initial implementations were way back in the days when the chances of dysfunction were high,” informs Catalano. By combining a world-class Digital Transformation Implementation Platform, Professional Digital Transformation Leadership Services, and education, Platinum PMO delivers a revolutionary roadmap to reduce the cost and reduce the risk of delays and overages for a client’s SAP solution implementation. The Solution Triad One of the most significant areas of large-scale digital transformation involves SAP. For those organizations that have leveraged SAP as their foundation of enabling technology face many challenges as they initiate digital transformation to S4 HANA. To this end, Platinum PMO’s Digital Transformation Implementation Platform, Transformational Program Leadership, and education practices can be of the most value.“We have utilized everything we have learned in nearly 25 years of leading SAP implementations and built an integrated cloud-based application to handle everything that the clients need from the moment they think of a digital transformation possibility until the last transaction is processed, and businesses are ready to retire their digital transformation application years from now,” states Catalano. One of the unique services that Platinum PMO provides to the SAP ecosystem is through its deployment phase cutover expertise. By employing the Platinum PMO platform and support from the certified Platinum PMO consultants, the company helps its clients organize, plan, and execute their mock cutover, dress rehearsal, and go live activities in a comprehensive, integrated, and mobility-enabled cloud-based deployment plan. Each of the thousands of cutover tasks is orchestrated globally through the use of their Digital Transformation Implementation Platform, ‘Digital Command Center,’ and Execution Management by Platinum PMO’s cutover specialists. Digital Transformation Leadership Services To complement its platform, Platinum PMO provides Digital Transformation Leadership Services, and helps its clients lead their transformation for revamping the operating strategy or digital strategy, objectives, models, culture, operations, products, services, and marketing approach with digital technologies; in this case the transformation to S4 HANA. Some of Platinum PMO’s clients have engaged with large solution integrators that provide a variety of digital transformation services and operationalize seamlessly. However, it is good to have an unbiased advocate in providing clients with a different perspective to consider. With their general counsel services, the company engages a dedicated Digital Transformation Advisor within the clients’ program, who provides independent recommendations based on goals and objectives, as and when disagreements arise. "We want all of our consultants and clients to know The Platinum PMO Way to lead digital transformations" For those clients who have engaged with larger system integrators with solid program management skills, Platinum PMO usually offers independent advisory services. However, in Catalano’s opinion, the company has many clients that opt to seek support from boutique companies to help with their digital transformations, which simply do not specialize in running digital transformation programs. In these cases, the clients seek Platinum PMO’s assistance in leading and managing their Digital Transformation Initiatives. The company’s advisory and program management services are further substantiated by its Risk Management Advisors who can help with risk management methodology, mitigation, and control, proving to be significantly beneficial for clients. It is our vision to empower the next generation of successful Digital Transformation Program Leaders through our software" " With their varied experience and knowledge base, Platinum PMO’s Risk Management Advisors can identify and manage the potential risks associated with the clients’digital transformation up-front. “Our Risk Management Advisors work with clients’ team to ensure that all risks are identified, monitored, and mitigated throughout the life of their initiative. Our advisors will then work to categorize the risks and monitor them through the life of the initiative as appropriate,” states Catalano. The Platinum PMO Way Educational practices form the third pillar of Platinum PMO’s solution triad. One of the most important things that the company focuses on is education, and it has a lot to do with Catalano’s previous experience as a professional Big 6 consultant where he learned the role and responsibilities of what it meant to be a professional consultant.“I treasure that foundation today 25 years later. With the changing competitive landscapes and leaner benches of consultants, I find many consulting companies who bring independent consultants under their brand and have no idea what their consulting company is all about,” he adds. Catalano ensures all of his consultants and clients to comprehend “The Platinum PMO Way” to lead digital transformations, and has thus, launched Platinum PMO Learning Academy with the first educational series based on the foundations of Digital Transformation Program Management and Leadership. The company is also building a platform with pertinent content that will be accessible to the public in the near future. “It is our vision to empower the next generation of successful Digital Transformation Program Leaders through our software. This is how I want to give back to an industry that has given so much to me as a professional consultant,” adds Catalano. Platinum PMO will also be launching the software in January 2019, and Catalano mentions that the clients will be excited about it as they will be introducing something new. Toward a ‘Platinum’ Future Having carved a unique niche in the SAP landscape, Platinum PMO has gained customer traction across all types of digital transformation journeys and markets. The company delivers an industry and methodology agnostic software platform, which works for any digital transformation where clients need to determine scope, build plans to execute that scope and understand requirements for that scope. With the scheduled retirement of the SAP ECC environments in 2025, most SAP customers will be going on a digital transformation journey over the next 7-8 years. As part of this journey, the Platinum PMO team wishes to leverage this opportunity to re-envision what its clients’ future business models could look like. Platinum PMO will also be re-visiting the clients’ future performance improvements and competitive advantages, how they need to transform in order to embrace these new digital technologies and business models as well as re-write some faults of prior SAP implementations and inject the new technologies that SAP has to offer. “All these developments will create a perfect storm of opportunities for us to leverage,” adds Catalano. Platinum PMO will explore the AI arena to meet the evolving needs and demands that its clients have. “Within our application, we capture lessons learned, and I want to take those through the voice of the customers and continue to build upon the best Platinum PMO application in the world to help companies implement their digital transformations,” concludes Catalano.