Cloud First

1. CIO Forum
Taking a cloud first approach
to digital transformation
John Cowper, Head of Architecture, Wickes
9th November 2016

2. Context
• Wickes purchased 14 years ago by Travis Perkins
• Wickes was an expensive purchase and didn’t perform well
• IT investment was very limited – essentially no change
• New MD appointed 3 years ago
- Business ambition to double turnover in 5 years
- Requirement to modernise the IT systems to support this

3. Mandate
• Build an appropriate IT organisation
• Take a cloud first approach
• Take ownership of new systems
• Be no more expensive than the current operation

4. Approach
• Build a core IT capability (hub) with a number of 3rd parties
(spoke) – outsource as much as you can
• Use consultancy to compensate for lack of people
• Only do what is necessary
• Evolution of ‘Modern Basics’
- Recognise that you can’t predict the future – build accordingly
- Build as a Service Oriented Architecture using Microservices

5. Recent History – IT function
• 3 people in December
• 10 people in March
• ~30 people October
• ~40 people December
Dual concern in that it is necessary to build the function as well
as the IT capability

6. IT function – Organisation Chart
CIO
PMO
eCommServiceArchitectureDelivery

7. Program of Work
• Phase 1 – Space Planning
• Phase 2 – Stock and Inventory
• Phase 3 – Order Management
• Phase 4 – Microspace Planning
Dual concern in that it is necessary to build the function as well
as the IT capability

8. Design Brief – Phase1
TP Estate
JDA Estate
Space Planning
Wickes Estate
Product
Location
Non
Ranged
Product
Location
Range
Range
IKB CKB

9. Design Brief
TP Estate
JDA Estate
Space Planning
Product
Location
Non
Ranged
Product
Location
Range
Range
Platform
AWS Cloud
Integration
WSO2
Services
WSO2
Identity Service

10. Wickes AWS Cloud Architecture

11. Wickes Integration Architecture

12. Wickes Service Architecture

13. Architecture function – Org. Chart
HoA
Automation
Architect
Integration
Architect
Cloud
Architect
Enterprise
Architect

14. Development Timelines
Platform
AWS Cloud
Integration
WSO2
Services
WSO2
Identity Service
Architecture
Architecture
Development/3rd Party
Architecture
Jan16
Apr16
Jul16
Oct16
Jan17

15. Big Ticket Items – to do
• Automation – to full Continuous Integration
• Logging
• Monitoring
• Alerting
Ambition is that nothing will go into production that isn’t
automated

16. Future Programs of Work
• ERP
• WMS
• Distributed Order Management
• Stock
• Omni-Channel
• Establishing a ‘Cloud Centre of Excellence’

17. Lessons Learnt
• Digital Transformation needs to be sponsored from a board level
• Management needs to understand, promote and facilitate it
• Development/Operations need to embrace it
• Business Users need to be inculcated into the model
• At least a vertical sliver of the organisation has to be bought in
• Building credibility with the business is vital
• Not having a mission critical system has been a god send
Digital Transformation/Agile is more ‘Hearts and Minds’ than it is
a technology issue

18. Questions