Accenture: an agile partner Accenture has been a key partner in the Argos and Sainsbury’s Tech journey. We spoke to Doug Blyth, Retail Technology Lead, about the company’s partnership with the retail giant. Tell me a little about
How did Argos go about
requirements and simplify the
Accenture’s work with Argos
delivering this sustained
handover to support. It’s help-
prior to the recent work with
transformation?
ing to reduce overheads and
Sainsbury’s Tech.
In 2015, we started conversa-
decrease delivery times as the
Back in 2012, Argos was facing
tions about how to sustain this
teams deploy new microser-
major disruption in the market-
transformation in the long term.
vice-based architectures.
place and embarked on a bold
The outcome was a commit-
digital transformation strategy.
ment to a new delivery ap-
process to be part of and it’s
The goal was to turn their stores
proach. We worked with Argos
still ongoing. It made Argos one
into ultra-convenient digital
to set up a digital hub in London
of the leading examples of a
stores where a large range
and hire experts to help build in
large business with a complex
could be collected instore or
house agile teams, and reorgan-
IT estate that has successfully
delivered the same day, and
ise IT into small product teams,
transitioned to an agile product
Accenture was chosen as their
or function teams, as they called
team model across the board.
transformation partner.
them, with a mix of Argos and
This has been an exciting
Accenture people working as
So what does this all
series of changes based on the
one team. This shift has pro-
mean with the launch
‘hub and spoke’ model, where
duced a more focused and agile
of Sainsbury’s Tech?
larger stores were able to
IT structure that is focused
The move to Sainsbury’s Tech
channel stock to smaller ones.
on driving ongoing business
will create a new customer
First this enabled customers to
change through technology.
focused tech organisation that
Together, we delivered a
order online and pick up in store
On top of this agile method-
aligns teams and infrastruc-
in under four hours. Then it was
ology, we worked with Argos
ture around shared capabilities
expanded to same-day delivery,
to layer a DevOps approach.
rather than the Sainsbury’s,
which is now available in more
Rather than operating as a
Argos, Nectar and Bank brands.
than 90% of UK postcodes. And
separate break-fix organisation,
We have just agreed a renewed
now fast-track collection means
we seed some of our applica-
partnership arrangement to
customers can be in and out of
tion management team into the
drive further value across Sains-
stores in as little as 90 seconds.
function teams. This seamless
bury’s Tech and look forward to
This created an instore digital
connection between engineer-
helping them achieve this pro-
experience and enhanced the
ing and support helps prioritise
gressive vision.
online experience.
the backlog of fixes and new