Case Study: Rescuing a stalled transformation and leading it to launch

Client: Department of Defence, Defence Industry Security Program (DISP)

Project: DISP Management System (DMS)

How Profectus rescued a troubled Defence digital transformation, escalating from transition management to technical delivery lead and ultimately program lead, and restored the schedule, governance and delivery discipline needed to launch a modern PowerApps and D365 platform.

Client and context

The Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) initiated a transformative project to modernise its application process by introducing the DISP Management System (DMS). The initiative aimed to replace outdated systems with a robust, scalable solution built on Microsoft PowerApps Portal and Dynamics 365 CRM. Profectus was initially engaged to provide transition management expertise, but as the project encountered systemic challenges, Profectus took on progressively broader responsibilities.

The existing DISP application process was constrained by inflexible webforms that forced applicants to enter critical information into comment sections, spreadsheets prone to corruption and unable to support real-time collaboration, and manual triaging through an email mailbox that created significant bottlenecks and delays. An external analysis identified PowerApps Portal and D365 CRM as the optimal solutions, and the DMS project was launched to replace these legacy processes.

The engagement

Defence leadership quickly recognised that the project lacked the structure necessary to succeed. There was no signed-off project management plan and no traceable milestones, agile methods were poorly applied so scope shifted and documentation remained incomplete, and the abrupt termination of PwC’s contract left DISP without an application processing team. Profectus began by providing transition management expertise, but quickly identified systemic issues requiring intervention beyond its original remit, expanding first to technical delivery lead and ultimately assuming the position of program lead across the technical, governance and operational dimensions of the project.

The challenge

Profectus inherited a program under mounting senior scrutiny with several compounding problems:

  • No schedule or firm dates: with no signed-off project management plan or traceable milestones, leadership could not give clear timelines to senior stakeholders, causing frustration and increased scrutiny
  • Unstructured requirements: poorly applied agile methods produced shifting scope, incomplete documentation and no traceability matrix connecting requirements to deliverables
  • Loss of key resources: the abrupt termination of PwC’s contract left DISP without an application processing team, creating a vacuum in institutional knowledge and capacity
  • Dependency complexity: aligning data migration, CRM development and application processing tasks required extensive coordination across teams and vendors

Our approach

Profectus restored control across four fronts, moving the program from blind spots to clarity while building the capability that had been lost.

Establishing control

Profectus developed a comprehensive master schedule in MS Project detailing milestones, dependencies and resources, enabling Defence leadership to provide clear delivery dates and regain senior management confidence. The delivery methodology was pivoted to a hybrid agile-waterfall model that accommodated Defence’s need for fixed schedules and budgets while retaining agile flexibility, with a revised schedule setting out soft launch and initial operating capability, and regular updates restored stakeholder trust.

Transition management and functional realignment

Stakeholder workshops were conducted to baseline requirements and secure sign-off, eliminating scope creep. Profectus introduced a traceability matrix linking functional requirements to product backlog items and features in Azure DevOps, and created a detailed transition into service checklist outlining the service acceptance criteria required for sustainment.

Taking technical delivery further

Profectus replaced ineffective sprint-based delivery with parallel task execution, improving developer productivity and reducing bottlenecks, and worked with business subject matter experts to refine user stories and establish realistic effort estimates. Profectus partnered with KPMG to manage data migration complexities, ensuring schema alignment and synchronisation between the CRM development and migration teams, and standardised development practices across the portal, CRM and migration efforts.

Rising to program lead

After DISP leadership recognised that piecemeal approaches were inadequate, Profectus assumed full ownership of the program. This spanned governance and leadership through robust reporting frameworks and program-wide meetings, change management to mitigate the PwC termination by onboarding new resources and creating training materials and work instructions, stakeholder management across Defence, vendors and consultants, and risk mitigation through a detailed risk register with strategic risks escalated to senior stakeholders.

What we delivered

  • A modernised platform: delivered a fully integrated PowerApps Portal and D365 CRM system that replaced manual triaging, significantly improving efficiency and data integrity
  • Restored schedule discipline: delivered firm, fixed timelines that Defence leadership could confidently communicate to senior stakeholders
  • Governance and continuity: established reporting frameworks, developed contingency plans after the PwC termination, and revised project plans and dependencies to onboard new resources while minimising delays
  • Knowledge transfer: provided comprehensive training and documentation equipping DISP staff to sustain and improve the system independently

Systems and methods

Microsoft PowerApps Portal · Dynamics 365 CRM · Azure DevOps · MS Project · traceability matrix · hybrid agile-waterfall

The result

Profectus delivered initial operating capability on time with only one minor UI defect, reflecting the robustness of the solution. Manual triaging was replaced by an integrated PowerApps Portal and D365 CRM platform with the redundancy and scalability to adapt to future demand, simplified accreditation processes broadened participation from small and medium enterprises, and knowledge transfer equipped DISP to sustain the system independently. By restoring structure, transparency and confidence, Profectus stepped into a leadership role first as technical delivery lead and ultimately as program lead to carry a troubled program through to a transformational outcome.