Case Study
Project Mercury
CBH – Marketing & Trading Systems Transformation
CBH Group is Western Australia’s grower-owned grain cooperative, operating over 100 receival sites and four export terminals, and receiving around 90 per cent of the state’s grain harvest each year. CBH undertook a program to replace its Commodity Trading and Risk Management system with a modern, integrated platform for its Marketing and Trading teams.
Challenge
The program included reviewing current processes, defining future processes, evaluating vendor proposals, and assessing integration benefits. CBH set out to implement the program while business as usual continued through the peak harvest period, when subject matter experts were heavily committed. It was crucial to identify and assign relevant subject matter experts to the work packages and balance workloads, ensuring the program could be delivered on time without disrupting business as usual.
Solution
We developed a detailed, fully resourced baseline program and a live tracking system to capture progress in real time. The plan included assigning more than fifty subject matter experts to defined work packages and levelling workloads. The live tracking system and regular schedule updates provided real-time visibility into responsibilities and timelines, flagging potential schedule risks early and enabling the project manager to intervene before delays occurred.
Outcome
The structured approach ensured that planned dates and forecasts remained realistic and achievable. Senior leadership confidence increased, milestones were met consistently, and forecast accuracy improved. The live tracking system improved transparency, clarified priorities, and fostered accountability, helping maintain productivity across project and business teams during the harvest period.
