Delivering Transformation Success in a Multi-Transformation Environment
How can organisations deliver successful transformation projects while juggling multiple initiatives? Lessons from Project Xenon reveal how the right approach to risk, leadership, and engagement can deliver results early and under budget.
The Transformation Dilemma
Every large organisation faces the same paradox: while transformation is essential for competitiveness, it rarely happens in isolation. Multiple initiatives run simultaneously, each competing for resources, attention, and stakeholder bandwidth.
This reality creates risk. Projects clash over priorities. Leaders are stretched thin. Employees feel overwhelmed. In such an environment, transformation efforts often stumble—delayed, over budget, or underdelivering.
Yet some organisations are proving that success is possible even amid this complexity. One standout example is Downer’s Project Xenon, an initiative that not only delivered under budget and ahead of schedule but did so while other major change programs were unfolding across the business.
The Risks of Multi-Transformation Environments
Running parallel transformation projects multiplies complexity. The risks include:
– Competing priorities: Teams pulled in multiple directions may delay or deprioritise engagement.
– Overlapping scope: Initiatives with similar objectives can duplicate effort or clash over design decisions.
– Change fatigue: Employees become resistant when too many changes land at once.
– Diluted leadership attention: Executives spread across multiple projects may struggle to give consistent support.
– Integration blind spots: Misaligned systems or processes can create downstream problems.
These risks are well-documented, yet many organisations underestimate them. The result? Transformation projects that should create value instead generate confusion and resistance.
Project Xenon: A Case of Success Against the Odds
Downer’s Energy & Utilities business needed to unify its project control processes. Each division had effective systems, but the lack of standardisation limited efficiency and scalability. Project Xenon was launched to implement InEight, an integrated project controls platform, across the business.
The timing could have been problematic. Other large-scale transformations were already in motion within Downer. But instead of letting these parallel initiatives derail momentum, the project team anticipated the complexity and planned accordingly.
Want the full overview of Project Xenon? Learn more in our detailed Project Xenon Case Study
The Approach: How Project Xenon Mitigated the Risks
1. Proactive Engagement Across Initiatives
From the outset, Project Xenon’s leadership recognised the risks of overlap. The team actively engaged with other transformation programs, mapping dependencies, identifying interfaces, and surfacing potential conflicts early.
This cross-project collaboration ensured that issues were managed before they escalated. It also built trust with stakeholders, who saw the project as aligned with—not competing against—other organisational priorities.
2. Executive Engagement That Was More Than Symbolic
Governance structures often look similar on paper, but the difference lies in executive behaviour. In Project Xenon, leaders weren’t passive approvers—they were active champions.
– They attended playback sessions.
– They asked probing questions.
– They communicated the project’s importance across the business.
This visible commitment had a powerful effect: employees saw that leadership was invested, which created enthusiasm and reduced resistance. In fact, teams were so eager that they wanted the solution launched sooner, generating momentum instead of fatigue.
3. SMEs as the Face of Change
Instead of relying solely on IT or external consultants, Downer put subject matter experts (SMEs) at the heart of delivery. Three experienced project controllers, empowered to make decisions for their divisions, became the project’s leaders.
Their credibility and familiarity with the business built trust. They didn’t just communicate change—they designed, tested, and demonstrated it. Regular playback sessions, led by SMEs, gave employees a clear line of sight into progress and outcomes.
This business-led model transformed adoption from compliance into genuine buy-in. Employees weren’t being told what to do by outsiders; they were learning from trusted peers who would use the same tools themselves.
4. A Hybrid Delivery Model
Project Xenon blended the discipline of waterfall with the flexibility of Agile. The team used traditional stage gates for structure but embraced Agile practices like daily stand-ups, retrospectives, and sprint playbacks to maintain pace.
This hybrid approach allowed the project to move quickly—delivering 80% of functionality within just nine months, far faster than the industry norm of 18–24 months—without losing alignment or quality.
5. Smart Deployment Strategy
A key decision was to implement InEight only on new projects, rather than migrating active ones midstream. This avoided complex reconciliations and reduced risk. By starting fresh, the team kept delivery focused, streamlined, and minimally disruptive.
Outcomes: What Success Looked Like
Despite the challenging environment, Project Xenon delivered:
– Under budget and ahead of schedule – with major functionality live in less than a year.
– High engagement – employees not only accepted but championed the new system.
– Improved consistency – standardised processes across divisions reduced fragmentation.
– Capability uplift – SMEs and project teams grew their expertise and professional visibility.
– Sustainable change – momentum continues post-implementation through a new community of practice.
The results went beyond efficiency gains. By embedding project controls into a consistent system, Downer positioned itself to forecast more accurately, manage risk more effectively, and improve project margins.
Lessons for Delivering Transformation Amid Complexity
Project Xenon offers lessons for any organisation navigating multiple concurrent initiatives:
1. Engage early across initiatives – don’t wait for conflicts to appear; map interfaces and align priorities upfront.
2. Make executive support visible – presence, accessibility, and advocacy build credibility and sustain momentum.
3. Empower SMEs as leaders, not just advisors – their trust and expertise are invaluable for adoption.
4. Balance pace and discipline – accelerated timelines work if paired with structured risk management.
5. Choose your scope wisely – avoid unnecessary complexity; sometimes “new only” is smarter than migrating legacy.
Complexity Doesn’t Have to Mean Chaos
Multi-transformation environments are the new normal. The risks are real, but as Project Xenon proves, they can be managed—and even turned into opportunities for greater alignment and momentum.
The keys are anticipation, engagement, and empowerment:
– Anticipating risks by connecting across initiatives.
– Engaging executives and employees consistently.
– Empowering SMEs to lead with authority.
When transformation is powered by people as much as by technology, success is not only possible, but it can be achieved faster, cheaper, and with stronger buy-in than many expect.
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