Business Challenges

• A sudden system transition created a poorly scoped global implementation with limited resources.
• A hard-stop deadline required the new expense management system to be fully live before the legacy contract expired.
• Fragmented global operations and data inconsistencies complicated the rollout.

Key Outcomes

• Delivered a global SAP Concur implementation on schedule by assuming full project leadership and execution.
• Achieved alignment across six ERP systems by engaging directly with international teams and addressing unique regional needs.
• Documented improvement opportunities for future automation and efficiency once additional resources become available.

Project Overview

An event production and services company specializing in large-scale conferences and events faced a critical systems challenge. With their legacy expense management contract set to expire, leadership needed to transition to a new global solution within months. The timeline was tight, resources were limited, and the project had not been comprehensively scoped.

DLC was engaged in April 2025, just five months before the required September go-live, to stabilize the project, take ownership of execution, and ensure uninterrupted operations for approximately 10,000 employees worldwide who relied on expense reporting and reimbursement to perform their roles.

Business Challenge

The company’s global structure created unique hurdles. Operations spanned six different ERP systems, each with distinct requirements, making configuration complex. Data inconsistencies across HR and finance systems required extensive updates before migration, including correcting company names, locations, and department records.

Meanwhile, timelines were inflexible: the expiration of the legacy contract in November 2025 meant there was no room for delays in the new system’s go-live. At the same time, dedicated IT resources were not available, no project sponsor had been identified, and resource turnover further strained continuity. Without additional support, the risks included disruption to reimbursements, delayed reporting, and misaligned processes across regions.

The Approach

DLC immediately established structure and ownership of the project, drawing on both existing internal practices and our own proven methodologies. We began by connecting with IT, PMO, communications, and training teams to identify familiar approaches and align to the organization’s ways of working. From there, we supplemented gaps with DLC’s expertise to ensure nothing fell through the cracks.

Key actions included:

• Establishing recurring leadership and stakeholder meetings to manage communication and maintain transparency.
• Engaging directly with regional teams to capture unique ERP requirements and ensure system compatibility.
• Stepping into hands-on execution roles: running test scripts, cleaning and updating data, and training users where internal resources were unavailable.
• Developing interim manual processes for data handling to ensure business continuity, while documenting opportunities for future automation and API connections once IT resources became available.

By combining leadership oversight with execution-level involvement, DLC kept the project on track while also positioning the organization for long-term system optimization.

The Results

• Delivered a global SAP Concur implementation on schedule for the September 15, 2025 go-live, ensuring uninterrupted expense reporting and reimbursement processes.
• Successfully aligned six unique ERP systems and supported ~10,000 global employees in adopting the new platform.
• Maintained business continuity throughout the transition with no major operational disruptions.
• Captured and documented opportunities for future improvements, including automation and integration, for post-go-live review.
• Extended engagement beyond implementation to manage project closeout, oversee lessons learned, and prepare for the next phase of system optimization.

By stepping in with both leadership and execution, DLC ensured this global expense system transition was delivered on time and without disruption. Beyond meeting the immediate deadline, the project created a foundation for future improvements and stronger alignment across global operations, positioning the company to drive efficiency and scale with confidence.