How our change experts helped a financial market institution reach 80% SDLC compliance ahead of schedule
Le défi
Transitioning from waterfall to agile methodologies
Enhancing SDLC processes across both methodologies simultaneously
Improving compliance scores amid these changes
Managing resistance to all these changes from within the company
Notre approche
Setting up change offices in the various departments for localised change management and feedback
Establishing a structured roll-out cadence for process changes
Clear and visible communication through newsletters, town halls, training sessions, open-door sessions and coaching
Using Prosci ADKAR methodology and other change management frameworks to manage resistance and improve adoption
Principaux résultats
Delivered all required SDLC processes on time
Simplified complex process structures to make the changes more absorbable
Met and exceeded the target compliance score, reaching the 80% two quarters ahead of schedule
Established a sustainable structure for ongoing process management and compliance within the organisation
Date:December 4, 2025
A complex challenge
Our client, a multinational financial market infrastructure provider, called upon Projective Group to assist them with a complex challenge. As they were transitioning from a waterfall to an agile methodology, they were also redefining and enhancing their software development life cycle (SDLC) processes. But, going through too many changes at once caused the client’s compliance scores to decline.
Sébastien Mathieu and three of his colleagues stepped in to tackle this ambitious project. Their objective was to speed-up the roll-out of the SDLC processes while managing the ongoing agile transformation and enhancing compliance scores.
Initial resistance
The task Sébastien and his colleagues faced was daunting. Within one year, they were to deliver the remaining 50% of the SDLC processes, which had only been half completed after two years of effort. Furthermore, the organisation’s compliance scores were low at 50%. They needed to improve significantly, reaching 80% after a year and steadily increasing after that. Finally, there was considerable resistance within the company to all of these changes. The Projective Group team needed to get over 2 500 people of the IT organisation in several countries to embrace the new practices, which made people management a significant aspect of the project as well.
Our approach was threefold: to restructure the project delivery, to devote attention to change management and to ensure the sustainable adoption of these new processes. We worked closely with the internal process team to expedite the delivery of the SDLC processes through a clear project plan and delivery cadence. This included quarterly releases to provide a predictable schedule for changes, allowing teams to adapt gradually. “We also focused on communication and defining a clear purpose for the change. We sent out newsletters, visited town halls, attended quarterly planning meetings and so on,” says Sébastien Mathieu.
To facilitate the adoption of these changes, we established local change offices in each division to act as liaisons between the central team and the broader organisation. “We had to divide and conquer,” says Sébastien Mathieu. “With only the four of us, it would have been impossible to run around the organisation and visit every individual squad to make change happen. We also needed to consider what would happen after the end of our mission. The ‘train the trainer’ model empowered local teams to sustain the new practices beyond our involvement.”
Rebuild trust
The most significant challenge in this project was not the scale or the limited timeframe but rather regaining the confidence of the wider IT organisation. “The reaction we heard most from them, was that they were bombarded with change and the simply could not absorb it anymore,” says Sébastien Mathieu. “To rebuild trust, we began by demonstrating empathy. We listened carefully to their concerns and tried to understand their perspective. We asked them for their input, their ideas. We gave them perspective by establishing a feedback loop, ensuring them that they have a voice to further improve the process where necessary.”
Success factors
Despite initial resistance from within the IT organisation and the immense scope of the change, the project was a resounding success. All required SDLC processes were delivered on time. We simplified the complexity of these processes to make them more manageable and easier to adopt. We established a sustainable framework to ensure ongoing adherence to the new processes after the mission was completed. And last but not least, the organisation reached the 80% compliance target ahead of schedule and demonstrates consistent improvement over several quarters.
Conclusion
This case study proves that there is no such thing as Mission Impossible for Projective Group. “For nearly three quarters it was like we were rolling a massive rock uphill. We kept on pushing the rock, working with the organisation, but it felt like we were not reaching cruise speed with the organisation. And then suddenly over summer, it was like we reached the top of the hill and the rock started rolling by itself” says Sébastien Mathieu. Thanks to a well-structured approach, focusing on sustainable practices, clear communication and local empowerment, Projective Group successfully completed this challenging mission.
