Our customer: A forward-thinking company
In 2014, the company developed an initial platform. However, as technologies evolved, they committed to building an enhanced version of the solution to leverage the latest developments and move away from traditional coding, which was slow, costly and risky. A key part of the new project involved developing a digital tool to put power directly into users’ hands through drag-and-drop functionality. But alongside building the solution, an equally complex challenge loomed: empowering their internal team to own, scale, and evolve the platform independently.
The challenge: Deliver a digital solution—and a capable team
Our customer was navigating the ambiguity that comes with innovation. They had a concept for their enhanced digital solution, but no clearly defined roadmap. After several false starts using traditional coding, OutSystems’ low-code platform was chosen for the task at the executive level, but the decision wasn’t universally accepted. In fact, internal resistance was strong. The in-house developers were sceptical, invested in traditional software and hesitant to embrace a low-code platform they didn’t know.
At the same time, the customer needed greater experience with OutSystems to build what they envisioned. Their goal was ambitious, so they sought a partner, PhoenixDX, to help them realise the solution. PhoenixDX had impressed the company with a Mission Impossible Prototype, developed in just 9 weeks, that demonstrated our understanding of what was required and our credentials in making the digital solution a reality. As a result, the organisation engaged PhoenixDX on a Capability as a Service (CaaS) basis. This service provides a team completely tailored to the customer’s requirements, bringing organisations the digital capability they don’t have in-house.
The approach: Delivering value while enabling independence
The PhoenixDX team would not only help deliver the digital solution but also enable the company’s internal capability by transferring skills, methodologies, and confidence to their team along the way. Our approach would allow the organisation to gradually reduce its reliance on the PhoenixDX team until we were no longer needed.
There were a number of challenges to overcome in order to accomplish this:
Overcoming resistance
The first barrier was cultural. Below the executive level, there was a reluctance to embrace OutSystems. The PhoenixDX team worked to win hearts and minds through demos, workshops, and persistent engagement. Once the company’s business teams began to see the value, organisational change started to take root.
Building the right team
The organisation brought in a new technical lead who worked closely with the PhoenixDX CaaS team to start developing the di. To ensure the project could be handed back to the company, the tech lead worked with the delivery tech lead to hire five new OutSystems developers, with technical interviews and vetting co-led by a PhoenixDX OutSystems MVP to ensure quality.
Although the tech lead had a strong consulting background, with expertise in OutSystems and system architecture, he had minimal experience in people management. So he shadowed the PhoenixDX delivery tech lead to gain hands-on experience leading the new team, setting standards, and designing scalable, sustainable delivery processes.
Elevating the team maturity
Hiring was just the beginning. The new team needed to operate like a high-performance squad. This meant establishing team norms and engineering practices—from code quality and deployment pipelines to peer reviews and DevOps. The PhoenixDX delivery team didn’t just explain the “how”—they explained the “why.” Why OutSystems? Why agile? Why user stories, standups, retrospectives, code reviews, and continuous delivery?
Importantly, these practices weren’t imposed. They were co-created with the business users and the developers, fostering ownership and transparent accountability.
Embedding a one-team culture
This wasn’t about parachuting in a solution. The PhoenixDX delivery team worked hand-in-hand with the company’s internal team, co-developing the digital tool while mentoring, coaching, and transferring knowledge at every step. The entire engagement was based on a “one team” mindset—no silos, no finger-pointing and no blame. Just shared responsibility, transparency, and continuous improvement.
Retrospectives were critical instruments for feedback and evolution. The team iterated not only on the product but on their process. This mindset shift—from deliverers of code to owners of outcomes—was pivotal.
The outcome: A self-sufficient, high-performing team
By the end of the engagement, the digital solution had been successfully delivered. But equally important, the company’s internal team had taken full ownership.
- The technical lead fully stepped into the leadership role.
- The developers adopted and sustained high standards of delivery.
- The team was recognised internally as a high-performing squad, with their practices being modelled by other teams.
- The business and engineering functions aligned in a shared way of working.
The enablement was so successful that the PhoenixDX team stepped away without disruption, confident that the client could continue independently.
Why this matters for IT Leaders
True digital transformation isn’t just about launching new technology. It’s about transforming the people, processes, and culture around it. For CIOs and IT leaders, this story is a reminder that:
- Team enablement is not a workshop—it’s a process.
- Embedding knowledge and leadership in your team pays off in long-term agility.
- The right delivery partner doesn’t hold knowledge—they share it.
When done right, delivery and enablement aren’t two separate streams. They’re a single, integrated journey. And when your team can walk on its own, you’ve gained a strategic advantage.
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