FINANCE TRANSFORMATION DIRECTOR
Roman Novotný
ERP and Operating Model Transformation
Multi-Entity, Multi-Country Programmes
I represent the client's interest in large transformation programmes.
A company runs a finance transformation once a decade. I run them for a living.
I do not replace system integrators. I make sure you find the right one and get the most from them. Scope, design, deliverables, budget, handover: I hold the client side of every gate, from selection through to close-out.
Why the name
NO NONSENSE SOLUTIONS?
Your team are the experts in your business. Nobody expects them to be experts in transformation programmes, because the company runs one every ten years. That is not a capability gap. It is a gap in frequency, and it is the gap I fill.
A system integrator is paid by the day. That is the model, and it is not a criticism. But it means every commercial incentive points towards more scope, more consultants, and more build than the business asked for. The contract that governs all of it is usually signed before the client has run one of these programmes.
That is where I come in. I hold the client side of every gate and make sure you get the quality you are paying for, at the budget you agreed. No padded teams, no scope you did not ask for, no build you do not need. That is what the NO NONSENSE SOLUTIONS name means.
Preparation
Scope, integrator selection, SOW, and contract. Most programmes are decided here, before anyone touches a system.
Execution
Design, deliverables, budget and resources. Three approval gates, held on the client side for the life of the programme.
Close-out
Handover to the business, complete. Programmes rarely fail at the end. They fail to end.
How I help you
Preparation. I own the scope and pressure-test it while it can still be changed. I run the integrator selection on the client's behalf and assess offers on delivery capability rather than on the pitch. I make sure the SOW reflects what the programme actually has to deliver, so it can be enforced eighteen months later. I make sure the contract carries the terms that decide who holds the risk when scope moves: change control, acceptance criteria, and the gates that let the client say no.
Execution. I approve the integrator's design against what the business needs, and a design that reflects a vendor template rather than your operating model goes back. I read the deliverables: functional specifications, configuration, test results, migration. Work below contract standard is not accepted, and I take over managing it directly when the alternative is a slipped programme. Every proposed change to headcount, scope, or cost is assessed on whether the business needs it, not on how reasonable the argument sounds.
Close-out. I own the handover to the business and make sure it covers everything it has to: process ownership, documentation, training, controls, support arrangements, and open items with named owners. The measure of a finished programme is that the integrator leaves and nothing breaks.
What I do not do
I do not supply bodies. I take one engagement at a time and I lead it myself.
I do not sell software licences and I take no commission on any product I recommend to you.
I do not build the tooling. I design the target process and specify it to the standard your team or your integrator can build from.
I do not take on a programme I do not believe can be delivered. If the scope, the budget, and the timeline do not reconcile, I will say so before we sign, not after.
I do not save the difficult message for the steering committee. Programmes fail slowly and in public. I would rather have the conversation in month three than the post-mortem in month eighteen.
Clients
Craig Blumenow
SAP S/4HANA IT Programme Manager, SEFE
"Roman consistently operated at a very high level, no nonsense, and willing to get stuck in and manage the detail. For the most complex and fraught workstream, trading, I asked him to parachute in. He pushed it over the line on time and at very high quality."
Philip Sanderson
former Group CFO, Royal Dutch Shell
"Roman provided exemplary project management to a significant corporate restructuring project in Russia. Through his personal leadership and drive he delivered an excellent outcome in what had been a historically challenging area, recognised through a nomination for the prestigious CFO Award."
Tom Pearson
Head of Finance Regulatory, British Gas
"Roman will look to make change for the good and will challenge the ordinary if he believes there is a better way, willing to get into the detail rather than assume his role is to direct others. I would highly recommend Roman for a Finance / IT Programme management role."
Martijn Hendriks
IT Service Delivery Manager, VARO Energy
"Roman replaced the previous Project Manager and had to step into a fast-running train. He quickly got control over the project. He focusses on the deliverables and is able to both challenge the consultants and the business in making the right choices."
Ready to find out more?
Tell me where your programme stands: planning, mid-flight, or already in trouble. I will tell you straight whether I can help and what I would do first.