Case Study
Moving a $200M Headquarters with Fractional Project Leadership
- Mavendog helps lead project to relocate a Professional Services firm’s HQ and modernize its IT infrastructure.
MAVENDOG OVERVIEW
Mavendog is a leadership firm of independent, expert project and program management professionals and interim executives. Since 2017, Mavendog has been committed to helping clients solve their project challenges, from complex enterprise programs and change initiatives to tactical project needs.
CLIENT OVERVIEW
An established professional services company had to move to a new headquarters in the same city. After 35 years in their old building, this move gave them a chance to update their technology infrastructure. As a leader in their industry, it was crucial for the firm to ensure seamless connectivity during the transition of over 200 employees to their new, state of the art facility.
"They didn’t have anybody that could step into the command and control role to facilitate a deeper discussion with vendors. We really helped them out there, identifying issues before they became big problems!"~ Tracey Clark, Managing Consultant, Project & Change Delivery (PCD)
Challenge
Moving a Complicated Infrastructure with No Project Managers on Staff
A $200 million professional services company was getting ready to move its headquarters to a new, purpose-built office space. At first, the move was just going to be a simple “lift and shift” of people and assets, but it quickly turned from new furniture and fresh paint into a full-scale upgrade of the infrastructure. The IT department and company leaders took advantage of this capital expenditure project to improve their core technology, including networking, data center operations, wireless systems, AV and collaboration tools, and employee devices.
But there was one problem with the plan: the internal IT department was small, and there were no project managers on staff.
This happens often in medium-sized businesses: they have big plans for technology investments without the necessary project management expertise to make them happen. The company’s own IT team was highly capable but overextended. The risk was clear: with a long list of contracted vendors but no in-house project leadership, timelines would slip, vendors could run amok, and internal teams would be overwhelmed by chaos.
They needed someone to lead the execution without having to build a PMO or hire full-time employees.
"It was a help for them to have me four to five hours per week in the early stages, navigating all the stakeholders, especially as they realized how much IT time would be dedicated to the move."~ Tracey Clark, Managing Consultant, Project & Change Delivery (PCD)
Solution
Mavendog as a Flexible, Fractional IT Execution Arm
That's when Mavendog came in.
The client hired Mavendog to lead the project in a part-time capacity, starting with Tracey Clark, Managing Consultant, who stepped in during the early stages of project discovery and planning. Tracey became the client's de facto project manager by coordinating technical vendors, managing interdependencies, identifying risks, and building the basic execution framework that the move needed. She did this as an extension of, and advocate for, the internal IT team. While the construction project firm identified qualified subcontractors, each of these vendors had their own objectives, methodologies, and loyalties within the larger project.
Rather than over-investing in permanent staff or bringing in a traditional consulting firm with a bloated methodology, the client tapped into Mavendog’s flexible model to get exactly what they needed: proven independent project leadership, in the right amount, for the right duration. Without loyalty to a prime contractor or one eye on extended IT service contracts, Mavendog was able to truly represent the client in a sea of self-interested vendors… and in only a few hours per week. Tracey’s fractional role flexed up from 5 to 20 hours per week as the project got more complicated and needed more hands-on coordination.
When the project moved into its operational execution phase, Clint Woods, Managing Consultant, took over as the lead to ensure that the action plan designed by Tracey and her stakeholders went smoothly, stayed on schedule, and functioned properly post-move. Drawing on his project management and IT infrastructure experience in the United States Marine Corps, Clint led a weekly meeting of stakeholders to review critical action steps, prioritizing by relevance, date, and departmental function. Like Tracey, Clint's hourly assignment flexed up slightly during the most critical weeks of the headquarters move, but he remained fractional. He helped identify dependencies, risk factors, and deadlines because—unlike the rest of the client's IT team—this was his sole area of focus.
"The end user’s experience drove most of my decisions and direction to the team. Think of the professional who comes into work on Friday in the old facility, and then comes in on Monday to the new office. What do they need? What do they expect? What action items and owners are responsible for each of those pieces?"~ Clint Woods, Managing Consultant, Project & Change Delivery (PCD)
Results & Impact
Execution: Orchestrating Complexity Without Creating Chaos
Because this client engaged Mavendog so early in their planning process, they were able to create a flexible project leadership plan that used the right type and quantity of expertise at each phase of the project.
Tracey Clark: Structure for IT Teams and Oversight for Vendors
Tracey often served as a shield for the internal IT team, drawing on her experience in both technical and management roles within IT and operations, including large, successful facility moves. Instead of getting pulled into daily vendor escalations, Tracey’s guidance allowed the firm’s core staff to stay focused on supporting the business.
She reflected, “Sometimes an outside firm can represent a ‘Switzerland’ or a referee of sorts. It helps to have experience in and appreciation for every position in the department hierarchy, understanding hearts and minds and not just the technical components.”
Tracey identified potential risks early, making sure everyone was on the same page and holding the client’s third-party vendor teams accountable. Since Mavendog’s only priority was project success, Tracey could offer unfettered advice to the client without trying to sell service add ons, long term contracts, or other revenue drivers that IT vendors and subcontractors prioritize. For example, when the client expressed frustration to Tracey about a wireless vendor, she provided objective, market-based feedback differing from the construction project management firm that subcontracted the problematic vendor. Tracey’s good relationship with the client’s wireless subject matter experts led to a better solution for long term, internal IT support than the subcontractor’s initial recommendation.
Clint Woods: Discipline in Operations and Execution
When the project moved from planning to execution, Clint Woods took over the day to day management. He helped internal teams and vendors work together before and after the installation. Clint led focused weekly sessions, prioritizing actions by date and relevance and holding owners accountable to the plan.
Clint’s leadership made meetings more direct and productive. While his hours flexed up during the busiest times of the move, he stayed fractional for maximum cost effectiveness for the client. Unlike other team members juggling competing priorities, Clint’s full attention was on project execution, ultimately helping the client finish its “move punch list” almost two weeks ahead of schedule.
What is Clint’s superpower? Consideration for the end user.
This human centered approach helped Clint take the important but easy to miss steps, like checking device logistics, connectivity, server room cooling, login continuity, and the like. In the end, Clint and the team were able to migrate nearly 1,000 remote and on-site users over 17 days without any service interruptions.
Results: A Seamless Move, a Modernized Office, and No Downtime
The client was able to move their headquarters seamlessly thanks to Mavendog’s flexible, fractional leadership model and the help of two experienced project leaders.
When employees arrived at their new office, they found that everything was working as it should, including wireless internet, AV tools, devices, and business continuity. While Mavendog took care of the planning, priorities, and vendors, the internal IT team stayed focused on their primary work.
Mavendog’s project highlights included:
- Vendor Management: Ensured accountability across a multi-vendor ecosystem, resolving overlaps and blind spots before they impacted delivery.
- Risk Mitigation: Flagged technical missteps in areas like wireless coverage and endpoint provisioning—and drove resolution without timeline slippage.
- Operational Focus: Freed up internal IT leaders to concentrate on ongoing operations while ensuring a positive end user experience.