Clarity During Transition

Implementing Project Management for a Manufacturing Transfer

Project Situation at the Beginning

A mid-sized pharmaceutical company with a turnover of around €100 million had just been acquired by a major international pharma corporation. The parent company required a manufacturing transfer to consolidate production at its own sites abroad.

The company had no previous experience with such a complex project. Although a project manager was assigned internally, it soon became clear: the organization was overwhelmed.

Conflicting expectations between the local management and the corporate HQ, missing structures, and lack of planning made the project unmanageable without external support.

Our Contribution

Working closely with the managing director and the project manager, we first aligned the project objectives with all stakeholders – including the corporate parent. This alignment created immediate clarity and trust.

We then conducted a detailed project review, identified bottlenecks, and defined corrective actions with the project team.

Key contributions included:

  • Implementation of a proven project management methodology

  • Hands-on training for management and all team members

  • Establishment of effective risk management with multiple risk workshops

  • Setup of a realistic project organization with defined roles and responsibilities

  • Development of a complete resource plan – for the first time, resource requests were based on data rather than assumptions

  • Strategic support for the management team to handle internal and external expectations

The project manager and his team were intensively coached, while the top management received strategic guidance throughout the process.

Project Situation After Completion

At the end of our mission:

  • A clear, lived project plan was in place

  • Risk management was fully integrated

  • Resource management brought transparency to budget and staffing

  • Goals, roles, and responsibilities were clearly defined and widely accepted

Thanks to these improvements, the company decided shortly afterward to implement the new project management methodology company-wide.

We supported that rollout as well, including:

  • Development of a comprehensive project management manual

  • Standardization of all sales and R&D projects

  • Full-scale training of project teams and leadership

The entire organizational transformation was completed in less than a year.

Client Voice

“With the support of Bernd Zech and his colleagues, we were able to make this project a success. I especially want to highlight their ability to mediate at the executive level – something only an experienced external partner can achieve. Their strategic project expertise and communication strength were of immense value to our project’s success.”

Project Manager, Pharma Projects