Beyond Go-Live: Embedding Continuous Improvement in BAU
Projects deliver change, but people sustain it. When BAU is intentionally designed with ownership, rhythm, and measures that drive accountability, continuous improvement becomes part of how finance and supply chain teams work every day.
In Brief:
Whether in the finance or supply chain department, the real test of the success of any improvement project is not at go-live. It is six months later, when the spotlight has moved on and the capability it created needs to perform as part of everyday operations. At that point, the challenges of delivery are well in the past, and the focus rests solely on integration.
Moving from a project environment into business-as-usual (BAU) is where many initiatives lose traction. Processes that worked under close partner support can fall by the wayside, while teams fall back on familiar workarounds. All too often, the system becomes something they use occasionally rather than the way they work.
Momentum in this phase is not something you can hope to preserve after the fact; it has to be built into the program from the start. That means thinking early about how the new capability will be owned and supported once it is in business-as-usual and putting the right structures in place early on so the new approach becomes the default, not a temporary departure from it.
From delivery to day-to-day: Setting BAU up for success
The advantage of an approach that embraces pragmatism, participation and progress, is that planning for integration into BAU starts well before go-live. By delivering improvements in manageable increments, teams are already using the new tools and process so they build confidence in the results over time, and they have the opportunity to adjust to new ways of working as they go. In Workwear Group’s journey to supply chain transformation, this meant that by the time the full capability was in place, planners were already relying on the system for key decisions, not just testing it in parallel.
That early engagement often makes the BAU handover smoother than in a “big bang” implementation, where adoption and process alignment have to happen under the pressure of a single cut-over date. However, it does not remove the need for deliberate planning. Even with these principles in place, momentum can falter if ownership becomes unclear once partner support tapers, if adoption is not reviewed regularly, or if early-stage issues are left unresolved long enough to become entrenched.
The organisations that maintain momentum are invariably the ones that build their BAU transition plan alongside their delivery plan. They decide early on who will be responsible for the capability once it moves into day-to-day operations and how performance will be tracked and measured. This approach makes the integration into BAU less of a handover and more of a continuation — the project simply becomes part of the way the business works.
Signals your project is holding in BAU (or slipping)
Once a capability moves into business-as-usual, the most useful indicators of success are the ones you can see in day-to-day behaviour and operational data. The signals outlined in the table below are the most useful ones to determine whether the capability is becoming part of the way the business works or slowly losing ground.
| Signal | When It’s On Track | When It’s Slipping |
|---|---|---|
| System usage | Core processes are completed in-system across all key roles | Usage is irregular, limited to minor tasks, or avoided altogether |
| Off-system workarounds | Spreadsheets, side channels or legacy tools have been retired | Teams revert to familiar tools instead of following the agreed process |
| Enhancement requests | Business-led ideas for improvement appear within 6–12 months | No new requests are made, or requests focus on bypassing the system |
| Data quality | Data is accurate, consistent and trusted as the source of truth | Inaccurate or incomplete data undermines confidence and decision-making |
| Issue resolution | Problems are addressed quickly under clear ownership | Issues linger due to unclear accountability, slowing adoption |
By thinking about these signals from the outset — deciding before delivery begins how they will be measured, who will own them and how issues will be addressed — leaders help to make the BAU phase a continuation of the project rather than a drop-off point.
Keeping wins compounding in BAU
Momentum in BAU is about making the capability you have built work harder over time. The organisations that succeed treat BAU as an active phase of performance improvement. They establish a review rhythm that sits naturally within existing planning cycles in finance or supply chain, so adoption and performance are assessed alongside other operational priorities. This keeps the capability visible and relevant without creating a separate reporting burden.
Clear ownership is just as important. Assigning a lead in each function gives someone the authority and accountability to address issues quickly, capture enhancement ideas and ensure process changes are communicated and adopted. Support should also taper rather than stop. Partner involvement during the hypercare phase can reduce over time, but keeping a light-touch advisory link means complex issues are resolved quickly and confidence in the capability remains high.
The first months in BAU are also the ideal time to build on what works. Extending the capability to adjacent processes or teams creates quick, low-risk wins that reinforce adoption and demonstrate the value of keeping the capability at the centre of operations.
Designing project momentum from day one
The strongest capabilities are the ones that keep delivering long after the project team has stepped away. That does not happen by chance; it happens when momentum is designed in from day one, with clear ownership and a plan for BAU that starts before delivery begins. An approach that is grounded in pragmatism, participation and progress can help to make that handover successful. By the time you hit go-live, the new way of working already feels like BAU.
If you want your next finance or supply chain program to hold its ground, and keep building on it, contact us or join us at one of our upcoming roundtables to explore ways to lock in early wins and keep the capability working harder over time.
