Successfully turned around the stalled Wendy's.com redesign project, launching a new site in 88 days. This led to a $35M increase in system sales and a $2M annual cost reduction, while also earning accolades for personalization.
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Challenge The Wendy's.com redesign project faced significant challenges, being $1.5 million over budget and more than eight months behind schedule with no launch date in sight. The website was critical for enhancing customer engagement and driving sales, but the project's delays and cost overruns threatened its success.
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Action To turn this project around, I took decisive steps to reassess, replan, and replatform the entire initiative:
Business Requirements Assessment: Conducted a thorough assessment of business requirements to clearly define success metrics and align the project with Wendy's strategic goals.Current State Review: Evaluated the project's current state to determine its viability. Identified significant issues in the existing development efforts that rendered them unsalvageable.Strategic Write-Off: Made the difficult decision to write off the existing development work and start from scratch to ensure a fresh, effective approach.Replatforming: Selected Acquia Drupal as the new platform for Wendy's.com, leveraging its robust capabilities for content management and personalization.Agile Development: Assembled a cross-functional team and adopted agile methodologies to accelerate development and ensure flexibility.Rapid Deployment: Focused on a streamlined, efficient development process to launch the new website in just 88 days post-write-off.03
Results The swift and strategic actions taken led to remarkable outcomes:
Rapid Launch: Successfully launched the redesigned Wendy's.com in 88 days, transforming a previously stalled project into a swift success.Substantial Sales Increase: Achieved a $35 million increase in system sales, demonstrating the new website's impact on customer engagement and revenue.Annual Cost Reduction: Realized a $2 million annual cost reduction through improved operational efficiencies and platform capabilities.Industry Recognition: Named a finalist for the Best in Personalization award by Acquia, highlighting the innovative and customer-centric approach of the new website.Questions How was Wendys.com rebuilt in just 88 days? After the original project was $1.5M over budget and 8+ months behind schedule, Michael made the strategic decision to write off existing work, replatform to Acquia Drupal, and launch a completely new site in 88 days.
What was the business impact of the Wendys.com redesign? The redesign achieved a $35M increase in system sales, $2M annual cost reduction, same-year ROI, and was named a finalist for Acquia's Best in Personalization award.
What was wrong with the original Wendys.com project? The original project was $1.5 million over budget and more than eight months behind schedule with no launch date in sight. Existing development work was assessed as unsalvageable.
Why was Acquia Drupal selected as the new platform? Acquia Drupal was selected for its robust content management capabilities, built-in personalization through Acquia Lift, strong SEO features, and the ability to support rapid development — enabling the 88-day launch.
How was the cross-functional Agile team assembled for the 88-day launch? A dedicated cross-functional team was assembled with designers, developers, content strategists, and QA — working in Agile sprints with daily stand-ups to maintain the pace needed for the 88-day deadline.
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